alchemical blurb

[mswoods]

The following day, Sadde has Transfiguration in the morning.

She is all over it at lunch.

"Okay, so, Transfig is just about the coolest thing," she says first thing to the Ravenclaws as soon as she sits at the table.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Winky's mother loved them too of course and taught Winky to be a good elf."

[mrwoods]

Be a good elf.

That... starts making a pattern.

"Good elf? What's a good elf?" he decides do ask.

[alicornucopia]

"A good elf minds her masters and does not embarrass or disobey them and makes them comfortable and is not seen when she is not wanted and always works for their good and does not shirk her chores and hones all of the talents she needs to support and care for them and does not gossip or complain," Winky says.

[mrwoods]

"Oh."

He takes a few seconds to recover.

"Why is that what a good elf is?" he asks, tentatively.

[alicornucopia]

Winky blinks. "Elves who are not that are bad elves," she says, not quite understanding the question.

[mrwoods]

"But why are elves who are not that bad elves? How do you know there isn't another way to be a good elf?"

[alicornucopia]

"There was a bad elf working at Hogwarts," says Winky primly. "Until last year. He hated his family and did not do as he was told and tricked Harry Potter into making his master free him and then he was being paid wages by Headmaster Dumbledore. He was a bad elf."

[mrwoods]

"Well... what if he was another kind of good? A different kind?"

[alicornucopia]

"Elves should be being good elves, not other things. We is elves."

[mrwoods]

"No, I mean, another kind of good for an elf. Like, maybe he was a good elf but a kind of good elf that is not the same kind of good elf as most other good elves are."

[alicornucopia]

"There is not being other kinds, Mr. Sadde sir."

[mrwoods]

"How do you know that?"

[alicornucopia]

"It is how elves is working."

[mrwoods]

"And how do you know that?" This time he doesn't actually suggest that it might be this or that, he wants to see what explanation she generates on her own, if any.

[alicornucopia]

Winky shrugs.

[mrwoods]

He blinks.

"Erm. Is this something someone told you or...?"

[alicornucopia]

"It is being obvious, Mr. Sadde sir, but Winky does not know how it is being obvious."

[mrwoods]

Hmm.

"Do you... remember a time when it was not obvious? Was there any point when you had, like... an idea that there was something you should do, and then someone else taught you what it was?"

[alicornucopia]

"...Winky's mother was teaching her to cook and clean and so on," Winky says slowly.

[mrwoods]

"...but not that you should cook and clean and so on."

[alicornucopia]

"Winky does not remember being too young to know that."

[mrwoods]

Sadde nods.

"Okay. I think..." He blinks. "I think I should probably have asked Miranda to make a list of good questions to ask so I wouldn't end up feeling like there might be some really obvious question I'm missing at the end. Erm. If I left a note again, would you come and talk some more? Also, would you like to talk about something else? I don't know if you want or need friends, or if you'd want to be friends with a human, but I could be your friend, if you wanted and if it's not like forbidden or offensive or something."

[alicornucopia]

"Winky is having work to be doing even here," Winky says. "House elves is not being friends with students. Winky can answer questions if Mr. Sadde wants though."

[mrwoods]

He nods again. "Okay, if I think of new questions, I'll call you. And if you think of something I could help with, you can tell me. If you want. Erm. Yeah."

[alicornucopia]

Winky bows and disappears.