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"Charming. Absolutely charming." Lockhart shrugged. "Now, what do you want me to do about the little problem of the Chamber of Secrets and the ward stones?"
"The Board is formulating a strategy as we speak. Their recommendations are..."
19 December 1992, MacDougal Manor, Ireland
"Welcome to MacDougal Manor, Alexandra." Smiled Lady Isobel MacDougal, drawing her wand and giving a simple click to the inner steel gates, which opened slowly towards the interior of the mansion. Alexandra fought the nausea coming from the Portkey which had just been used to examine the place of their arrival. Minutes ago, Morag's mother had welcomed them at the arrival of the Hogwarts Express, her husband having been unexpectedly detained at an emergency session of the Wizengamot, and after a quick goodbye to Hermione and Nigel, they had vanished from England to magically appear here in Ireland.
To say the truth, the ancestral manor of Morag's family was really a superb construction, even if part of it was hidden under the snow falling at the moment. The manor had four floors and four great wings giving it a rough shape of a rectangle. They were stone sculptures, fountains and decorations everywhere, some them shining in ethereal light to celebrate the bank holidays of the end of the year. Alexandra would have enjoyed examining it from the outside a bit longer, as the night and the effects of the Samhain ritual the first time she had come had not allowed her to see a lot of the lands surrounding the home of House MacDougal. Unfortunately, the cold, the ice and the freezing wind were present in force, and Lady Isobel, Morag and Alexandra hurried to cross the short distance between the inner gates and the massive doors of the manor. The trunks of the two Ravenclaws were levitated between them. One twirl of the hand, and the manor was opened, letting the Lady and the two girls perceive the warmth and the light waiting for them after their passage in the frozen Irish lands.
Inside, the entrance hall was spectacular. Not in the same class and greatness like Hogwarts of course, but easily twice the space Black Cobra Manor had for the corresponding place. And unlike the home of the now defunct and unlamented Lady Cassiopeia Black, the walls had magical paintings on them, a blue and comfortable carpet covered the floor, the chandelier was golden and diffusing a brilliant magical light. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, with the wealth and the decorations one expected of a Victorian-era noble residence. It was the complete opposite of Privet Drive and the place of abuse the Dursleys called home. Marching in a corridor where there were several paintings and photos of Morag and her whole family, the house was vibrating of energy, light and good emotions. Alexandra felt herself relax, and for the first time in her life, cheered on at the idea of passing Christmas here.
A 'POP' sounded, and a little creature with a big nose and very large ears, wearing a sort of blue-grey uniform teleported from nowhere.
"Litzy, take the trunks of Morag and Alexandra to their rooms, please." Said in a gentle tone Lady Isobel MacDougal. "Then, would you be kind enough to warn the kitchens to prepare us some tea and biscuits?"
"Yes, Mistress!" Squeaked the little creature. "Litzy will do it immediately! Tea and biscuits in ten minutes!" A new 'POP' echoed, and the miniature being disappeared with the two trunks.
"Who was that?" Said Alexandra as they removed their capes, gloves and all the enchanted clothes needed to protect themselves from the violent cold.
"Oh, it's Litzy, one of our House Elves." Said Morag, as her mother disappeared into ones of the three corridors next to the doors.
"And what exactly are our House Elves? I've never seen one before today."
Morag smiled sadly. Apparently, the subject was not one which put her at ease. "House Elves are the result of experiments many Dark Wizards made in the twelfth century to enslave several magical races to do their bidding. Most of the experiments failed, but by crossing several different species together, they managed to create the House Elves, which need to bond magically with a witch or wizard to survive as their magical cores are not sufficient to function independently. Litzy and eleven other Elves are living here and around MacDougal Manor in service of our House. There are more in other proprieties."
"They are sort of...indentured servants, then?"
"Yes and no." Replied her red-haired friend. "Houses Elves of this home are bonded to my father or my mother, so they have to follow their orders. They can be great cooks, gardeners, clean the manor in one day, be librarians and protect the manor. House Elves are extremely valuable, and my family has tried to make their lives as advantageous as possible. I remember several of them babysit me and played with me before I went to Hogwarts."
"But? I suppose there is a catch."
"Too right." Morag's blue eyes turned a darker colour. "Light and Neutral Houses tend to treat their Elves as close to equals as it's possible to be. They are magically powerful, loyal and bring enormous advantages to your lands and possessions if you make them happy. But the Dark Houses..."
"That bad?"
"Houses Elves in these homes are not important servants." Affirmed Morag as they left the first corridor after the Entrance Hall and arrived in a nice living room with five couches, several chairs, a low-height table and a full library leaning against the walls. "They are just slaves. Two years ago, we went to a Ministry ball for the Summer Solstice organised by House Nott and I saw some of them in the shadows." The Ravenclaw shuddered at the memory. "It was horrible. They were wearing shreds of clothes...and their eyes...their eyes were empty. Full of despair. When I watched them, I knew they had a kind of sick devotion towards their masters, but at the same time, they hated them. I don't know how to explain more..."
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A/N: If you want advanced chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/Makimafic
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:It's done. If we come in the popularity ranking top 3 there would be two chapters a day this week.
And there would be power stones bonus chapters as well if we could meet those.
See ya all in the next chapter.