The Unknown

Chapter 21: Hidden Truths

The storm-swept weather continued to the point where they couldn't hear what Professor Sprout was saying in her Herbology lesson when the rain hit the greenhouse. The Professor had to resort to using a spell that made it seem like she was shouting. The Care of Magical Creatures lesson was even taken inside and to everyone's relief, Quidditch practise was cancelled as no one on the team could cope being in that weather again. It was then that the trio began to tell everyone that the first Defence meeting would be at eight o'clock and where to go.

Dahlia had kept her word to Dobby and had managed to speak to Hermione when they were in the common room that afternoon. "'Mione, I'm not saying it's not thoughtless but you need to stop".

"House elves deserve rights," Hermione argued.

"I realise that, I do. But, you're making the house elves miserable and insulted-"

Hermione interrupted, "because they didn't understand what freedom is like. Once they realise that-"

"Hermione, they don't want that," Dahlia argued back, "Dobby was an exception to wanting to be freed but that was because he was being abused. The house elves here aren't. Maybe there are more like Dobby out there, yes, but here there aren't. Hermione, when's the last time you saw a house elf in here but Dobby?"

Hermione opened and closed her mouth as she couldn't think of any recently.

"Exactly. Hermione, they don't even want to come into the tower because they're afraid of you tricking them into freedom".

"But-"

"No, 'Mione. I'm not telling you to give up on S.P.E.W. but stop tricking them into freedom. If they want it, then help them but from what I've heard, none of them at Hogwarts want that. This is their home as much as ours". Hermione's head went down as she hadn't thought of that. "How about talking to them and gaining their trust so they'll tell you the truth about what they want? Winky still drinks, after months of freedom, do you want the others to be like that? She's depressed".

Hermione shook her head and said, "I won't give up...but I'll do what you said. I'll talk to them, I'll stop leaving clothes out".

"Thank you," Dahlia sighed as Ron laughed having not interfered with the debate at all. Dahlia then noticed the time, seven thirty, and said, "come on, we should probably be going," before getting out the Marauder's Map to see where Filch and Professor Umbridge were so they could travel safely.

They finally reached the place Dobby spoke of, a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for ballet. Dahlia said, "alright, Dobby said to walk this bit of the wall three times, concentrate hard on what we need".

They did so and thought 'we need somewhere to learn to fight...just give us a place to practise...somewhere they can't find us...' finally, a highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Ron was looking at it slightly warily as Dahlia reached out, seized the brass handle and opened the door that led into a rather spacious room.

The room was flicking with torches, like those that lit the dungeons. The walls were lined with bookcases and instead of chairs, there were large silk cushions on the floor. There was a shelf at the far end of the room that held dark detectors showing when dark wizards or enemies are around such as a Sneakoscopes and secrecy sensors. Hermione could only focus on the books and Dahlia wasn't surprised as it was Hermione, but it looked like the time Dahlia first entered the box and she saw books on her magic and the realms, Hermione looked like she wanted to read them all in seconds. The presence of books made Hermione's doubts about the Defence club all vanish.

A gentle knock on the door and Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean had arrived. They had similar expressions of being impressed as they entered the room and asked what it was but Dahlia just gestured for them to sit as she didn't fancy repeating herself. By the time eight o'clock came, every cushion was occupied and Dahlia locked the door with the key in the lock and everyone fell silent when they heard it lock.