Violet Potter and the Basilisk Plague (Year Two)

Chapter Five: Tiny Returns

Lucius suddenly placed it into Ginny's basket as the flame-haired girl was picking up all the other books she had accidentally dropped in the tussle between her father and the older Malfoy before her mother could see. "Break it up now gents, break it up I say! I'll not have any more fisticuffs outside my buisness establishment!" The wizard who currently owned Flourish and Blotts admonished. "I suggest you smarten yourselves up like the grown men you are and both be on your way with your family members." After that, he retreated back into his shop, shutting the front door tightly behind him.

"One of these days, Arthur, that Weasley temperament of yours is bound to get you into a world of trouble. I'm afraid if that's the best your father can do for you younger Weasleys, then I've already despaired for the next generation. I'll see you at work, Arthur, though thankfully not much of you..." Lucius said before turning to walk away.

"See you at school. Though I'd rather be at Durmstrang Institute, several countries away from you losers. Watch your backs..." Draco drawled before following his father.

"Now there Arthur, come on now, yeh should be knowin' better by now than to let the likes o' Lucius Malfoy get to yeh. Rotten family, the Malfoys, right to the core..." Hagrid said to Arthur. Mrs. Weasley was mortified. "Brawling in broad daylight in public and in front of the children! Some fine example you've set for them Arthur! What Gilderoy Lockhart might think if he saw it all---"

"Mr. Malfoy deserved it!" Fred piped up, coming to his father's defense. "Besides, knowing what Lockhart's like, he'd probably just think it was all great publicity..."

***

Back at the Burrow that evening, Harry, Violet, Hermione, and Tori all helped the Weasleys set up several dining tables outdoors and eventually, as the sun began to set, all the Weasleys and their guests sat down to a fat roasted chicken, buttered boiled potatoes and salad, as well as a treacle tart (Harry's favorite), a raspberry almond tart (Violet's favorite), and homemade ice cream for the pudding.

It was just as Mrs. Weasley was bringing out the desserts and Hermione and Ginny were helping out with those, and everyone began enjoying it all, that there was suddenly a popping noise, and a very squeaky voice that was still so familiar to Tori said, "Victoria miss! Tiny is finding you at long last!" And sure enough, standing right before everyone seated at the outdoor tables, was a special old friend Tori had never dreamed of ever seeing again. She got up from where she was seated and approached the young house-elf, who, though a few years older now herself than the last terrible day before they were separated, was still rather on the tiny side, even for a house-elf.

"Tiny! What in Merlin's creations are you doing here? How did you even know where to find me?" From the table, Percy had said, "It's very funny buisness that a house-elf should be suddenly showing herself on Weasley property particularly when she already has a master to serve. How do we know she's not simply here just to stir up trouble, or that she's even really Tiny?"

"Please try to understand what Tiny is saying! Tiny has come here to the Weezys home because Dobby apparated to tell Tiny a few days ago that Tiny had to find Harry and Violet Potter and warn them, that terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year!" Tiny squeaked.

Mrs. Weasley had then walked out of the house carrying a jug of iced pumpkin juice for the kids to be enjoyed as a refreshment for the pudding course, which she nearly spilled on the ground but still managed to set it down safely onto the table. "Arthur, what is a house-elf doing in our back garden, and girls, why are you approaching a strange creature you don't even know?" Mrs. Weasley asked sharply.

Tori then quickly explained to everyone else present about Tiny once belonging to the Maynard family, that she had been born to two other house-elves they also used to own, Topsy and Trinket, and that they had been traded off to Walden McNair when Pyrus Maynard had found certain things out. About how Tori's mother used to teach their sole surviving child about the non-magic world as well as the wizarding world. About Tori's secret kindnesses to all of the house-elves in their servitude, and how Pyrus traded them for different house-elves (as part of his punishment). Tori didn't tell the Weasleys about the torture she had also suffered, or about her Mum getting beaten up. Tori neither wanted to ruin the happy last night of the summer holiday or to relive the trauma in her past, at least not whenever she felt the most in control of it, during waking hours.

"Dobby said the same thing the night he showed up in my bedroom at No. 4 Privet Drive." Harry suddenly said. "And you know Dobby apparently. Do you happen to know which wizard family Dobby is in service to then?" Harry asked Tiny, but all Tiny said was, "Harry Potter sir, Tiny cannot reveal or speak any ill of any wizard master or witch mistress, be they my own or one who owns any other elf, the punishment would be most grievous. Tis' the way it has always been."

Hermione hrmphed rather loudly. "I think something needs to be done about the way house-elves have been made to live, how much they've been oppressed and abused for all of these centuries, it has to end somewhere! Why, it's not even living at all, slavery, that's what it is! Tori, I am shocked that you didn't try to do more for at the very least the house-elves trapped in bondage under your own family's roof---"

Tori's eyes flashed in anger and frustration at the brown-haired girl. "Hermione, d'you not honestly believe that I have been trying to do anything I believed I could as a small child, or do you think that I was the one with any actual power at Maynard Hall? I'd love for you to try living with someone as psychotic as Pyrus Maynard, and then get back to me on any rose-coloured ideas for house-elf liberation!"

Everyone else stared at Victoria.

And with a choked out, "Excuse me please, I'm sorry---I just need a few minutes alone..." Tori turned and went right back into the house, with Tiny following right behind her. "Victoria Miss, wait for Tiny!" The house-elf squeaked.

***

Tori noticed that Tiny was following her and she said, "Tiny. You shouldn't still be here, you should be going back to McNair as much as I really don't want you to. I want you to be punished even less, you'll b-be in enough trouble as it is." But all that Tiny said was, "Tiny will only keep coming back Victoria Miss, now that Tiny has found Miss again. Tiny will help make sure Miss is well and safe. Tiny has been missing you so much."

"I'm s-so sorry I couldn't have done more for you and Topsy and Trinket. My father has been arrested and convicted and he's in Azkaban though, did you know?" And Tiny replied with, "Yes Victoria Miss, Tiny knows it, Tiny also knows Mistress Maynard is gone. Tiny made a promise to Mistress that if anything so bad happened to her that she could no longer watch over you Miss, that Tiny would find a way to protect and serve you for as long as you truly have need of it, until the day when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is vanquished for good."

"Oh, what a brave and caring little house-elf you are!" Hermione was now also upstairs in Ginny's room, and so were Ginny and Violet. And the other three girls took up different areas of the room. Ginny sat on her bed, while Hermione and Tori unrolled their sleeping bags, and there was also a magical cot set up in one corner for Violet's use. "Tiny cares about her Miss very much. Tiny did not apparate all the way to the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole for no good reason---"

"Girls!" They heard Mrs. Weasley call out from all the way downstairs, (her voice slightly magically amplified), "If you are all upstairs for the night, I expect all of you to start getting ready for bed. You all have an early start ahead of you tomorrow before going to King's Cross. And do make sure that house-elf returns back to where she came from."

"Oh! It is getting late. Tiny must go straight away! Tiny doesn't know what Master McNair will do if he finds out where Tiny has been!" Tiny squeaked fearfully. Before Violet could finish the question about what the new threat at Hogwarts could possibly be, Tiny had already snapped her fingers and disappeared.