Never Piss Off a House-Elf

Hermione was fretting when Satchel didn't return immediately. She'd been relieved when she felt the magic take hold earlier, but it had been strange, like a weight had settled low in her stomach. She'd blushed when it moved lower, but she brushed it off, taking it as confirmation of the betrothal and instead turned her attention to her next sight of her now-fiancee.


Ron. And the Burrow. That was still on her mind, along with Satchel's absence. She had already packed, to tell the truth, but she'd gotten used to having him around to double-check things for her, even though Satchel had only been serving her since the summer had begun. He rarely went anywhere without her, and when he did, he always came home before the sun had started to set. She worried, and her parents tried to comfort her.


"Perhaps Mrs. Weasley is taking care of him for the night," Jane Granger said to her daughter as she dished up the meal, a large, dry pot roast that Hermione always dreaded. She'd become spoiled, between the elves at Hogwart's and Mrs. Weasley's ever-scrumptious meals. Hermione didn't have the heart to tell her mother, so she discreetly palmed her wand and muttered an incantation on the fly, adding flavor and moisture to the entire roast.


"Aquis flavoris," she said, and she could smell the meal becoming better. The roast suddenly had its own gravy, and her father gave her a quick glance filled with gratitude. They all dug in, but Hermione was still preoccupied.


"Maybe he found another house-elf on the way home, and they are getting to know one another," Nathaniel Granger said to his daughter, and Hermione shook her head violently.


"There aren't any house-elves in the area, Dad. There aren't any other wizarding families, so there aren't any house-elves," Hermione said, getting out of her chair and ignoring the food in front of her. "I'm going to go f~--"


"Oh, Miss Hermione, Satchel is being so sorry, Miss, but Satchel has met another elf, he has! Miki is being the other elf, and not even being from England, she is!" Satchel said, his face bright. He completely forgot that he was the only house-elf in Hermione's area, and her eyes grew wide at his statement.


"Satchel, how wonderful for you. But where did you meet Miki?" Hermione said suspiciously, thinking the Weasleys had done the unthinkable. She may have a house-elf, but she was required to, and old habits die hard. She wouldn't necessarily try to free Miki, but she would have something to say about the whole thing. [AN: yes, dear old 'Mione can be a bit of a hypocrite at times. But that's why we love her!]


Satchel blanched, then blushed as he tried to figure out a lie. It came to him quickly.


"Miki is being an elf to a family near Miss's Weasleys," Satchel said, fighting his overwhelming urge to claw at his mouth for the lie. "Satchel is not knowing Miki's family, only Miki. Miki is being a pretty elf, Miss."


Hermione nodded and smiled. She approved of Satchel having a little friend, and her mind tossed aside the fact that she'd never met any house-elves near the Weasleys. Besides, she was too excited about going to the Weasleys to be too bothered about Satchel's friend. In a few days, she would be with her friends, and eating Mrs. Weasley's wonderful food.


With Satchel safely home, Hermione and her parents set into their meal, speaking animatedly about muggle things. Hermione felt a bit out of the loop because she missed a lot while she was away at school or with her wizarding friends. Her parents accepted her abilities, but they truly wanted no part of her world. They could understand, but they wouldn't. Every time Hermione started speaking of spells and wands, her parents would go quiet before they changed the subject. It wasn't that they disapproved, but rather that they weren't equipped to deal with such things.


Hermione was finishing her meal when an owl landed on the window sill, tapping the metal rim of the screen carefully, so it wouldn't rip. Hermione recognized it and reached into her pocket for a few coins and got up, heading for the window, opening it to let the bird in.


"Thank you. Oh, have a treat, too," Hermione said, first holding out a few owl treats for the dedicated animal. In return, the owl hooked its beak into a small sack and pulled out Hermione's latest issue of "Potions Quarterly". It was a special edition of some sort, and she took it from the bird, dropping the coins in the bag in return. "Wonderful. I needed some light reading."


"Potions Quarterly" was the largest journal Hermione subscribed to. "Transfigurations Quarterly" and "Defense Against the Dark Arts Quarterly" weighed in afterwards, but she was well-dedicated to all three. She dreamed of taking her degree from Hogwart's and working for the Ministry, or perhaps teaching. Teaching, however, would require apprenticeships, but if she were to speak with Minerva, she could stay on at Hogwart's. Or maybe Professor Snape could be coerced into taking her under his black batty wing.


Hermione giggled at the thought, trying to imagine a Professor Snape-sized bat trying to throw a wing over her. It was ridiculous, and she had to laugh. Her parents looked at her strangely and she stopped.


"Sorry. This is one of my favorite journals, and a special edition, to boot. Do you mind if I retire early?" Hermione said, and her parents shared a look. "What?"


"Hermione, darling, you're leaving tomorrow. Don't you want to go out with us tonight, or perhaps with some of your . . . normal friends?" Jane Granger said, and Hermione glared at her mother icily. "We're already letting you go to the Weasleys for the rest of the summer. And you'll be engaged next time we see you. We just want to see you have some normalcy before you give this all up."


"Jane," Nathaniel Granger started to say, but Hermione cut him off.


"This is normal for me, mother. You weren't complaining when you had Satchel doing things for you. You don't complain when I am always on time because I can apparate. Don't complain now, mother. Accept it. I don't try to shove this in your face, but if you expect to stay in my life, you must accept, even if you won't understand," Hermione said, storming out of the kitchen and up to her room, slamming the door soundly.


The owl hooted before it lifted its wings and flew out the window. Satchel shook his head sadly at the Grangers before he winked out of the room, up to Hermione so he could comfort her. Nathaniel looked at his wife with pain evident on his face.


"Jane, I thought we'd decided not to say anything like that. She'll leave us if we aren't careful. And normal? Jane, we're dentists. We peer into people's mouths all day long, and our bedroom phone is shaped like a giant tooth. You had no right to talk to her like that," Nathaniel Granger said, shaking his head. "I imagine she'll not speak to you before she leaves, if she even waits until tomorrow. She explained everything to us, as best she could, and you wanted her to be normal. And she's right. She will is of age in her world, and just shy of it in ours, thanks to the thingamabob she told us about. I find I am in no mood for dessert tonight."


With that, Nathaniel left his wife at her own table, faced with a roast that her abnormal daughter had infused with moisture and flavor for her.


"She's leaving home, and I don't think she'll ever call it home again," Jane Granger said to herself, crying softly as the sun sank through the still-open window.


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AN: I know, sad. Honestly, though, how likely is it that a non-magical family could handle magic really well? The Grangers in this story have tried, but finally found it easier to ignore the magic and pretend that Hermione is just at a boarding school.


And don't flame me about tolerance. I know tolerance; some of my closest friends are of different sexual tastes or racial flavors than I am.


This chapter wasn't about tolerance or intolerance; it was more about growing up and discarding things from your past that hold you down.