The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

The House Elf Placement Agency

The House Elf Placement Agency

"Welcome to the House Elf Placement Agency!" the witch at the reception desk was bright-eyed and cheerful. She grinned as Remus and Lyall Lupin stepped through the door, a little bell jingling overhead. "How can we help you?" She tilted her head to one side, her smile still ridiculously large.

Remus pulled Lyall along up to the desk. "We would like to get a House Elf, please," he said.

"We're just looking at a house elf," corrected Lyall. He looked at the receptionist. "We're only looking today."

The receptionist kept her smile firmly in place and reached to a stack of papers in the corner of her desk, shuffling about through them until she'd found the form she was looking for. She drew one out of the stack and placed it onto the counter in front of herself, along with a long red quill and ink pot. "There we are," she said, "Just fill out this form and turn it in and I'll be able to help you further from there."

"Thanks," Remus said, taking the form, quill, and ink pot.

They sat at a little table across the room from her, by the windows that looked out over Diagon Alley. Witches and wizards were scurrying about the little alley, collecting all of the things they needed for the new term at Hogwarts, which would be starting in just a week. Remus couldn't believe how quickly the end of the summer had come - it had been a flash ever since James and Sirius had come by the Lupin's house. He'd heard from James a couple times - with little notes scribbled in the margins from Sirius - and gone through the July and August full moon cycles without any problems, still cleaning the house and feeding Lyall.

As they filled out the form, Remus said, "Look, dad, I know you don't want a house elf, but I think it'll be mighty good for you. And all the galleons you're saving from not having to buy muggle pub chicken will help to pay the agency." He'd been begging Lyall to agree to the idea of a house elf since he'd returned from the July full moon to find a couple new containers from the muggle pub, purchased because he'd managed to burn the stewpot that Remus had prepared for him.

Lyall sighed, "I know... I know." Lyall looked at his hands as Remus's quill scratched across the page. "I feel like I'm... replacing her."

"Replacing Mom? With a house elf? You aren't!" Remus said, shaking his head, "And she would agree with me if she was here. She'd want to know you were being taken care of. And seeing as I'm not always going to be home to do it... well, the elf is the best option for it."

Lyall nodded.

"Do you want a boy elf or a girl elf?" he asked, looking at the form.

Lyall shook his head, "I don't want an elf at all."

"Dad, we've been over this," Remus said patiently.

Lyall sighed,"I'm only looking. I'm not getting the elf today."

"Okay so do you want to look at a boy elf or a girl elf, dad? It's not that hard a question..." Remus's voice was pleading.

"There's no preference," Lyall said shortly.

"Alright..." Remus continued on filling out the form. Finally, he got up and went back up to the receptionist. "Here's our form, filled out"

"Hmm, let's see, who would be a good fit for you," she murmured, and she rubbed her chin, and looked over the form for a long moment. Then she waved her wand so that it flew off and filed itself in a great big drawer across the room before looking the two of them over for a moment before getting up and going over to pull a drawer and waved her wand again. Papers flew in and out of order, flashing photos of elves at her quickly, and she would murmur little things about each. "Oh no - most definitely not - perhaps, but let's keep looking - she's been placed already, hmm.. Perspective masters... maybe... Oh! But yes, of course." She caught one of the pages up from the drawer, a smile upon her face. "Here we are. Yes, this is perfect." She looked over at Remus and Lyall. "Come with me," she said, and waved them to follow her behind the desk to a little room.