Jane Fizzle and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 2

    Jane manages not to shout out, but it's a close thing. The little creature on the bed has large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Jane knows  instantly that this is what has been watching her out of the garden hedge this morning.

    As they stare at each other, Jane can hear Jacob's voice from the hall. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

    The creature slips off the bed and bows so low, that the end of its long, thin nose touches the carpet. Jane notices that it is wearing what looks like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes. "Er — hello," Jane says nervously.

    "Jane Fizzle!" the creature says in a high-pitched voice. Jane is sure that it can carry down the stairs. "So long has Louis wanted to meet you, ma'am... Such an honor it is..."

    "Th-thank you," Jane says, edging along the wall and sinking into her desk chair, next to Tibbles, who is asleep in her desk, sleeping on a few drawings. She wants to ask, "What are you?" but thinks it would sound too rude, so instead, she says, "Who are you?"

    "Louis, ma'am. Just Louis. Louis, the house-elf," says the creature.

    "Oh — really?" Jane asks. "Er — I don't want to be rude or anything, but — this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom."

    Aunt Maria's high, false laugh sounds from the living room. The elf hangs his head.

    "Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," Jane adds quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"

    "Oh, yes, ma'am," Louis says earnestly. "Louis has come to tell you, ma'am... it is difficult, ma'am... Louis wonders where to begin..."

    "Sit down," Jane tells him politely, pointing at the bed. To her horror, the elf bursts into tears — very noisy tears.

    "S-sit down!" he wails. "Never... never ever..."

    Jane thinks she hears the voices downstairs falter. "I'm sorry," she whispers, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything —"

    "Offend Louis!" the elf chokes. "Louis has never been asked to sit down by a witch— like an equal —"

    Jane, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushers Louis back onto the bed where he sits hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last, he manages to control himself, and sits with his great eyes fixed on Jane in an expression of watery adoration. "You can't have met many decent witches or wizards, huh," Jane asks, trying to cheer him up.

    Louis shakes his head. Then, without warning, he leaps up and starts banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Louis! Bad Louis!"

    "Don't — what are you doing?" Jane hisses, springing up and pulling Louis back onto the bed — Tibbles has woken up with a particularly loud meow and is hissing at Louis loudly, not understanding where he has come from and why he's sitting on Jane's bed. "Louis had to punish himself, ma'am," the elf says, who has gone slightly cross-eyed.

    "Louis almost spoke ill of his family, ma'am..."

    "Your family?"

    "The wizard family Louis serves, ma'am... Louis is a house-elf — bound to serve one house and one family forever..."

    "Do they know you're here?" Jane asks curiously, remembering her first conversation with her housemates when she asked who made all the Hogwarts food.

    Louis shudders, a horrified look on his face. "Oh, no, ma'am, no... Louis will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, ma'am. Louis will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, ma'am —"