The Stubborn Old Headmaster

14

Harry gave her a shocked look. 'Why do you think I know anything about that?' he gave his guardian an anxious thought, averting his eyes to the floor.

Minerva smirked. "Because Uncle Severus always says that you are quite adept at brewing potions, which is a huge praise coming from his mouth, and I thought you'd be able to brew such a potion with such a compliment coming from him. Apart from that, I'd think you'd have a reason to want to pay back to him for what he did to you two weeks ago. Nevertheless, I'm astonished that Uncle Severus would you give permission to brew something like that. How did you get him to allow you to brew such a potion, and when will the potion wear off by the way?"

"I told him why I wanted to do it and asked him for his help, and he did. The potions last for a week," Harry replied in a very small voice, glad that his guardian obviously wasn't upset that he had pranked the caretaker.

ハリーと頑固な校長先生

Harry spent a few hours talking with Sirius that morning; however, he was not very attentive, as his thoughts continued to wander to the meeting that was to take place with the house elves that evening. The day passed much too slowly for his liking, but finally the evening arrived, and Cecilia and Malcolm popped up in the living room as soon as Minerva and Harry had returned from dinner in the Great Hall.

Both elves stood in front of Minerva and Harry, bowing deeply. Minerva frowned; often enough she had told the elves that they didn't have to bow for her. "Mistress Minerva, Master Harry," Malcolm started to speak. "We is sorry, we is both very bads house elves."

"Why do you think that you're bad house elves, Malcolm?" Minerva asked astonished with a puzzled look decorating her face.

With that, Cecilia started to cry, and Minerva and Harry watched in awe when Malcolm calmingly put his arm around Cecilia. "Cecilia is bad, Mistress Minerva, I is pregnant although house elves cans not get pregnant without ask Mistress or Master before."

"You are pregnant, Cecilia?" Minerva asked, smiling at the two elves. "But that's wonderful news! Congratulations, Cecilia and Malcolm."

Harry couldn't help laughing when he watched Cecilia and Malcolm staring at Minerva with wide-open eyes. "Mistress Minerva means, Mistress Minerva wills not give Cecilia and Malcolm clothes?" Malcolm asked hesitantly.

"Of course not, why should I?" Minerva replied astonished.

The two elves stormed to Minerva and once again bowed deeply in front of her. "Thank you so much, Mistress Minerva, Master Harry, we is the happiest elves in Hogwarts," Malcolm said happily.

"Um, ours' child wills be born in four weeks, and it is a little boy, and we wills call it Teddy. If Mistress Minerva agrees, we wants Teddy be Master Harry's elf," Cecilia explained, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh, Cecilia, Malcolm, that's very thoughtful and kind of you, and I'm sure Harry will be very pleased, right, Harry?" Minerva told the elves in a soft voice.

"Thank you very much, Cecilia and Malcolm. I'm looking forward to meeting Teddy," Harry agreed happily. 'Wow, a new playmate. I can't wait,' he thought excitedly.

ハリーと頑固な校長先生

As soon as the house elves popped away, Minerva turned to Harry. "Now, Harry, you wanted to speak about something. Are you still awake enough to tell me?"

Harry walked over to Minerva and sat down next to her on the sofa, tiredly leaning his head onto her shoulder while he petted Kori's crown feathers with his left hand. The phoenix had joined them as soon as the elves popped away and had made herself comfortable on Harry's left shoulder.