Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 15:4

"What shall we do for you? Was it our cooking, Masters?" asked another with a panicked curtsy. "Your pardons, please. Allow us to make you a better meal. Please sit, please!"

Dandy hurried to the front of the rapidly swarming pack, a ridiculously wide smile on his face. "Masters Fred and George, I was not informed of your detentions. Naturally, your assistance is always welcome. That it is! Indeed. We have quite a meal to prepare this morning —"

"Actually, Dandy," Fred began, hoping the truth would yield the best outcome. "We were here to play an innocent prank on a few of our fellow students."

"All of them, actually," said George frankly.

"Would that be all right?"

Dandy's eyes widened so far, his spherical, green eyeballs nearly popped clean out of his head. "Oh no...oh no..." he faltered.

"It's just a few harmless, charm-enhanced biscuits."

"Hexed biscuits, to be fair."

The other house-elves looked shaken as the High Elf shrank back, his large oxfords thumping the flagged stone floor. "No! Not again...I can't let it happen again! What a dis-grace! In-deed! If Pro-fessor Dumble-dore ever...learned...what we had done..."

Fred bent at the knees. "What are you talking about?"

"Dandy c-cannot say, sir. Dandy dare not say!"

"You've done something like this before? To the students?" George asked markedly.

"Uh — er — I..." Dandy fixed his bulging eyes on the harder surfaces of the kitchen. Then he took off, full steam, toward the brick oven.

"Dandy, what are you —?"

"Stop!"

It was too late. The typically jolly house-elf collided head first with the oven, knocking so solidly into the black iron door that he tottered backwards and slumped to the ground. Fred and George rushed over and bent to his level. An ugly, yellowish knot began to swell within the mound of wrinkled gray skin between his eyes. Nothing would wake him. One of the house-elves stepped forward and tapped the boys firmly on the shoulders. She had a dreary expression, and on her tea towel uniform was a hand-painted pink flower covering the Hogwarts crest.

"Dandy is fine, sirs," she said coldly, her voice deeper than they had anticipated.

"But...why would he do such a thing?"

"Had we said something wrong?"

"Not at all, sirs," said the house-elf plainly.

"We weren't going to hurt anyone," George defended.

"Honest," added Fred.

"Oh, of that I'm sure. It's the regulations. One is not to hex the food and drink, Dandy has always said. But it was Dandy who helped them, you see."

"Helped who?"

"With what?"

"It was not a funny thing. Dandy has never forgiven himself for it, sirs. And no one knows but the elves. We keep our mouths closed, we do." The house-elves behind her started murmuring to one another and she took a cautious step back. "Perhaps we can feed the Weasley twins?"

"We aren't hungry," said George bluntly.

"Is there nothing we can do to help him?" Fred pleaded, confused by how at ease the house-elves were with their leader knocking himself unconscious.

"It was Dandy's choice not to speak, sirs," she said unemotionally. "He was mute back then, as well. But I can speak with you. I am second-in-command, sirs. After the mishap fifty years ago, I assumed Dandy's role. My ward had perished, mind. I had no duties at the time."