The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter 7: Fireplace

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The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter Seven: Fireplace
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It was now dinner time and after a long day of classes, Cali had thrown herself into her seat alongside Greta Catchlove and John Stebbins. It was no secret that they had been buried in school work and Cali was already fretting about finishing the work and had wished her mother had agreed to give her a time turner in order to give her time to both sleep and do homework. Cali nibbled from the plate that had been arranged for her previously, grateful for her father's insistence of owling Albus Dumbledore to discuss her dietary situation as she didn't have to search for anything she could eat.

"Cali," Interrupted a voice that caused Cali's head to snap up.

"Hello," Cali greeted.

"Have you mailed mother?" Bertie asked, an eyebrow raised as the young girl sighed. "I owled her this morning," He began and rolled his eyes when he noticed the young girl's pointed glare. "Anyways, she'll be upset if you don't mail her soon. You promised her you'd talk to Dumbledore."

"I'll talk to him after Dinner," Cali muttered.

"Cali." There was a warning in his voice that caused the girl to stand up from the Hufflepuff table, offering her two friends an apologetic look.

"Okay, I'll talk to him now." With this, she moved past Bertie as she walked up to the main table at the front of the hall where Dumbledore sat, offering him an awkward smile as she approached as he looked at her through his half- moon glasses. "Hello," Cali whispered, her voice nervous as she looked into the man's clear blue eyes.

"Hello, Mrs. Higgs. What can I do for you?" Cali sighed, glancing towards the professors who had stopped talking in order to watch the interaction.

"I was wondering I could talk to you about a certain matter." She was surprised when the man promptly stood, coming from around the table to face her.

"Let's talk now, take a walk with me to my office?" The girl nodded, watching as the man walked through the Great Hall before racing to chase after the man. "So, what is it that you would like to discuss?"

"Owling is wrong," Cali muttered. "You're forcing animals to do your bidding and I won't have anything to do with that," Cali explained softly as the Headmaster nodded in understanding.

"Yes, your father explained that you had some rather strong convictions. Tell me, what do you think of House Elves? I believe they can be a rather muddy topic during these kind of things," Dumbledore commented.

"House elves are complicated," Cali agreed. "I mean, they like the work. They enjoy having something to do like it's this honorable act, my mother's house elves wouldn't feed me for a week when I once suggested that they be paid for their work."

"I believe the muggleborns liken it to slavery."

"Which is an argument, at least that's what I think. But the house elves enjoy what they do and believe receiving payment is disrespectful. I fear that it's some sort of mental condition that house elves have from years of being conditioned. But I do believe that it's wrong to force a house elf to continue it's work or not pay it if they so desire," Cali explained to the professor as he nodded in agreement.

"I've come across a few elves who have wished to be paid. Though their ideas of currency are always so interesting," Dumbledore shared a laugh that she wasn't privy to before continuing, "But we're not here to discuss the rights of house elves, are we?"

"No sir." Cali looked around the castle, trying to memorize it as she walked. "I don't want to communicate through the means of owling and I was wondering if you could potentially help me with that."