Stronger Together

7- S.P.E.W

Harry sat in the mostly deserted common room with Ron, along with Crookshanks standing nearby. The boys were working on their Divination homework. Of course their predictions were anything but truthful. So far, it looked as if him and Ron weren't to be having a good month.

After a while, the other occupants of the common room dispersed and Hermione came trotting in from the portrait hole. She carried a sheaf of parchment in one hand and in the other she held a box of which its contents rattled as she walked.

"Hello," She said, "I've just finished!"

"So have I!" said Ron triumphantly, throwing down his quill. Hermione sat down, laid the things she was carrying in an empty armchair and pulled Ron's predictions towards her. "Not going to have a very good month, are you?" she said sardonically, as Crookshanks curled up in her lap.

"Ah well, at least I'm forewarned," Ron yawned.

"You seem to be drowning twice," said Hermione, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Oh, am I?" said Ron, peering down at his predictions. "I'd better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging Hippogriff."

"Don't you think it's a bit obvious you've made these up?" said Hermione.

"How dare you!" said Ron, in mock outrage. "We've been working like house-elves here!"
Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"It's just an expression," said Ron hastily.

Harry laid down his quill, too, having just finished predicting his own death by decapitation. "What's in the box?" he asked, pointing at it.

"Funny you should ask," said Hermione, with a nasty look at Ron. She took off the lid, and showed them the contents.

Inside were about fifty badges, all of different colours, but all bearing the same letters: S.P.E.W.
" 'Spew'?" said Harry, picking up a badge and looking at it. "What's this about?"

"Not spew," said Hermione impatiently. 'It's S – P – E – W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

"Never heard of it," said Ron.

"Well, of course you haven't," said Hermione briskly, "I've only just started it."

"Yeah?" said Ron in mild surprise. "How many members have you got?"

"Well – if you two join – three," said Hermione.

"And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying 'spew', do you?" said Ron.

"S – P – E – W!" said Hermione hotly. "I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status – but it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto."

She brandished the sheaf of parchment at them. "I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe no one's done anything about it before now."

"Hermione – open your ears," said Ron loudly. "They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!"

"Our short-term aims," said Hermione, speaking even more loudly than Ron, and acting as though she hadn't heard a word, "are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand-use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they're shockingly under-represented."

"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.

"We start by recruiting members," said Hermione happily. "I thought two Sickles to join – that buys a badge – and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer, Ron – I've got you a collecting tin upstairs – and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting."

Ron's facial expression showed that he would rather take the Hippogriff right now but Harry's showed interest. Of course he wasn't all that much interested in S.P.E.W, but the look of excitement on Hermione's face got him thinking it might not be so bad...

"I'll join." said Harry suddenly and regretting it slightly right after.

Ron gave him a look that said he thought he was psycho. Hermione gave him a surprised look before smiling. There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them, and Harry sat with amusement at the look on Ron's face. The silence was broken, not by Ron, who in any case looked as though he was temporarily dumbstruck, but by Hermione.

"Great!" She leaned over towards Harry and put his pin on his school robes he was still wearing. "Well I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Good night boys." She left but not before giving Ron a distasteful look.

issa filler 😓 I know you're disappointed.