Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Rita Skeeter had been once again been out spying on Ministry officials that she had felt were either not doing their jobs or were Death Eaters in disguise. How were they supposed to stop You Know Who from taking over when they once again had spies everywhere!? You could never know who to trust. Who was Impervised or working for You Know Who!
She knew that those in charge wouldn't be happy about her insinuations that they weren't doing their jobs. But it was always fun to ruffle some feather especially if those feathers were high up officials. She entered her office planning to write up her article on her magical type writer.
The only problem was there was someone in her seat.
A very handsome someone was Rita's first thought. It was probably an inappropriate thought considering he had broke into her office after hours. It wasn't like Rita hadn't made any enemies afters her exposes.
The second thought was that he was clearly an elf. Rita had seen pictures of pure blooded elves in historical textbooks whilst she had been studying English and Magical History at York University for Magical Education. They seemed a noble, proud and good race. Rita wondered what had lead them down the path where they enslaved their own race.
The young male elf was incredibly tall even for a man, never mind for a woman. He was far taller than Rita who was just above average for a woman and just below average for a man. The elf had to be around six foot.
The elf was incredibly pale. In fact Rita thought that he looked like he had never seen the sun but so did every picture of elves – Magical or Muggle – was pale. Rita had a feeling that they were naturally that pale. However, unlike vampires it wasn't an unnatural deathly pallor.
The elf had long, silky black hair tied back so that it fell in a neat pony tail half way down his back and a side fringe so that the left side of his forehead was completely covered by thick black hair. He had bright green eyes and pointed ears. The elf had an aristocratic look to him with the high, slanted cheekbones.
His robes furthered the regal looks on the fair elf. He wore black, leather breeches and black leather boots with silver buckles that looked to be made by a quality leatherworker. Over the breeches was pale blue cotton tunic falling to his knees. Over the tunic were dark blue robes coming down to just below his ankles made of the finest silk inlaid with golden leafy patterns at the cuffs and hem.
At his slender hips was a black belt inlaid with sapphires that contained the finest goblin made silver sword Rita had ever seen. The sword's hilt was silver inlaid with glistening emeralds contrasting with sapphires on his belt whilst the sword rested in the elf's scabbard again encrusted with emeralds.
Rita could only presume that the sword and the scabbard were too decorated to be anything more of ornamental purpose. It was either that or it was a trick to let his opponents guard down. Rita shivered at that thought knowing the stories of both elves and personally knowing goblins Rita knew it was more likely to be the latter.
Rita finally found the fear she should have felt as soon as she saw such a powerful and potentially dangerous creature. The elf apparently noticed her fear and smiled kindly in order to try and put Rita at ease. Rita felt none such ease but wasn't going to ask such a potentially juicy story leave.
Finally, sitting on top of the elf's head was delicate crown that seemed to be made of golden leaves. It matched the leafy patterns on his robes. Rita wondered if they were some sort of ceremonial robes or were they his House colours. It would explain why he was wearing them for a meeting with a human considering with the elf's colouring he would have suited greens far better than royal blues. Green would incidentally match his sword and scabbard.
It was a crown. But that meant. The crown could only mean one thing. Rita Skeeter had a real life elven king in her small office. Rita Skeeter was in the presence of an Elvin king. Rita was a half-blood daughter of a disowned pure-blood and a Muggle had never been invited to the upper class society. She had just been lucky that her father was the head of a lawyer firm in London and was very rich otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to afford Hogwarts education.
The fact that she had elven royalty in her presence put her corruption story into perspective. Who wanted to write about could be Death Eaters when there was a King of a race who hadn't been seen for four hundred years after the Ministry had made them criminals for starting the slave trade. Rita wasn't sure to be terrified or excited.
'Ms. Skeeter,' the elf stood up, smiling gently.
'Your majesty,' Rita curtseyed.
'Call me Haralith,' smiled King Haralith trying to put her at ease.
'Haralith,' Rita said. 'Do you want to take a seat?' Rita asked nervously hoping this was the right gesture to an elven noble.
'Thank you, Ms. Skeeter,' smiled Haralith. 'Now down to business,' the elf said all traces of kindness and gentleness disappearing from his face. 'I'd like to clear some misconceptions about my kind.'
Rita was excited at the idea that she could right the first article on the truth behind the elves. She conjured another chair and pulled out her quick quotes quill and notepad placing it on the desk between herself and the elven king. She didn't know what he was going to tell her but as no one had seen or head of the true elves in Britain for four hundred years. Rita hoped that she would earn another award for her journalism with this bit of journalism.
'First I ask you to sign this,' Haralith said.
Haralith pushed a peace of expensive parchment over to her. Rita knew that it was a Goblin made contract. It wasn't the first time that she had to use a contract to protect a source or for a variety of other reasons. Rita knew that she had to read it carefully. Her father had been a Muggle lawyer so had drummed that into her head before she had even started Hogwarts.
Rita read it thoroughly. It seemed to be a fair contract. It even made her out as King Haralith Dlartanseer of the Light Elves personal reporter and a large sum of cash would come her way for every article that she published that spun the elves in a positive light. She was also to keep to the truth and only the truth. There were to be no fake witnesses or negative insinuations or comments on the Elven kind. Apart from that Rita had free spin on what the King would tell him.
Rita signed it tapping her quick quotes quill so that it was now on the truth setting. Rita very rarely had it on truth setting. Usually Rita kept her quill on writing the most riveting things it could. Whether or not it was true was regardless. Whether or not it sold papers was the thing that mattered the most.
'Now Haralith, tell me about yourself,' Rita tried a flirtatious smile.
'Do try not to flirt with me,' King Haralith said gently. 'We elves have a True Mate that we will sense once meeting them for the first time when we are both of age. We do not have sexual relations before, during or after meeting and being mated to our mate.'
Rita flushed never having been put down quite so harshly. And it wasn't like it was done impolitely. The elven king just explained why there could never be anything between them. Not that Rita had ever considered there being anything between them. But it had always been a good way of getting men to spill to beans. It was just another way to notice that she wasn't interviewing a human man. She was interviewing a male elf.
'Have you a mate?' asked Rita.
'No,' admitted Haralith, 'but that is not surprising since I have just come of age. Some wait centuries until they find their mates. My parents were lucky they found each other straight away although they didn't put their pride away until they were seventeen to actually Mate. My grandfather didn't meet my other grandfather until he was a thousand years old.'
'So you are as long lived as they say?' asked Rita.
Haralith smiled, 'oh yes.'
'Why are House Elves not?' asked Rita.
The Elvin king scowled, 'that would be because of the horrific ritual wizards use to bind our children and their descendents to you. The binding of an immortal to a mortal causes them to loose their immortality. If it wasn't bad enough kidnapping our children in the first place, binding our power to you, not being able to act without being ordered and forcing them to procreate you drive them to an early grave!'
By the end of the lecture the young king's chest was heaving and he was up on his feet emerald green eyes flashing furiously. Rita suddenly once again remembered the sword. However, it wasn't the sword that was the biggest threat. Rita could feel the magic static in the air as the young elf's temper boiled far too close to the surface. Rita had a feeling if he let loose he could level the Daily Prophet office and most of Diagon Alley too!
'You're saying you didn't bind Elvin criminals' magic and sell them as slaves?' asked Rita shocked.
The elf seemed to deflate. The magic left the air feeling very stale. The young king sat down closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control. Rita didn't stop him not wanting to have that terrible rage directed at her one more time.
'I am sorry Ms. Skeeter. I have forgot how your Ministry of Magic deceived you about the abomination of slave trade,' the king said darkly.
'Go on,' Rita said excitedly.
'Four hundred years ago elves and men had a strong alliance. They traded with each other in peace times and fought together in the war times. The elves were happy that their human counterparts some of whom were descendents would help them and would in return be helped by them,' Haralith said.
'Wait descendents?' asked Rita.
'Did you really think magical humans came from nowhere?' laughed Haralith. 'Magical humans are the descendents of humans mating with magical beings. Anyway we shared schools. Hogwarts was traditionally for the wealthy – those who could afford the extortionate fees whilst Avalon was for those who could not. If things were different I would have attended Hogwarts.
'We do not know what changed. I personally believe that the humans in charge coveted our power. One day every under age elf in Hogwarts disappeared. My grandfather was screaming out for justice. He was just lucky that he had no children – hadn't even met his mate at this point – in Hogwarts. The problem was we had no idea what had happened to them.
'The problem was that none of us knew where our children had gone. Fingers were being pointed at every race out there from vampires to werewolves to Incubi as at that time students and teachers could be any race. It is only in the last century that Beings have been banned from Hogwarts although we removed our race from Hogwarts a long time ago.
'It was revealed when we heard of the new "House" Elf market being run by the Minister of Magic his self. They claimed that we had sold our criminals to you. Nobody questioned that it conincided with the time that our children had disappeared.
'When we pointed this out we were accused of being Slave Traders and our whole race was sentenced to The Kiss should we ever show ourselves again.'
'Are you saying that the Ministry of Magic kidnap Elvin children and sell them as slaves?' asked Rita shocked.
'It gets worse,' the King said darkly. 'A few freed elves that were born as pure elves made their way back to us. They spoke of the cruelty, the beatings of their humans who called themselves "Master". They spoke of the endless chores. They spoke of the rape.'
'Rape?' asked Rita.
'You wouldn't call it that,' Haralith said darkly. 'You'd call it breeding,' a sneer marred his handsome visage. 'But what is forcing two sentient being to have sex with one another when they are not mates anything but rape?'
'I'm sorry,' Rita said.
'Yeah me too,' agreed Haralith. 'I was ten when I was on a journey from our home territory to one of the northern clans. We were attacked by wizards. Our Uncles told me to hide with Draughuddon who was only a year old as it was Draughuddon and I in danger. I did as I was told and I hid in the forest Draughuddon in my hands whilst my Uncle fought. They were stronger, faster and more powerful. They won. A wizard the snuck up behind me grabbing me he tried to take me. We fought and struggled I got free but he managed to get Draughuddon off of me. I've blamed myself for allowing my one year old uncle to be taken as a slave since them. My Uncles never blamed me and explained why the humans wanted us. You have no idea how much I hated you.'
'It wasn't your fault,' Rita assured the young man. 'You were just a child.'
'You sound like my Uncles,' Haralith smiled wanly.
'What are you here for?' asked Rita.
'Two reasons,' the king admitted. 'One now that the civil war is over I wish for the truth to be known.'
'Civil war?' asked Rita. 'Do you mean You Know Who?'
'No,' the king said gravely. 'But that's a large part of the second reason. You see two hundred years ago the various Elvin were pointing fingers at who was to blame for the wizard problem. It got so out of hand that the Dark Elves and my people turned against each other and a war started a war that's lasted almost two hundred years. It was only in the mid sixties that the war ended as both monarchs died. We were forced to sign treaties with one another.'
'Has something happened to change that?' asked Rita.
The Elvin king nodded gravely and passed a sheet of parchment over to her. Rita widened as she realised what she held in her hands. She wondered how the Light Elf had gotten his hands on this but supposed he must have resources.
Dear Lord Voldemort,
It is my wish to secure your alliance for the future war. I am the Dark Elvin King of the British Isles. I agree that theLighthave ruled for too long. They have made laws that have not only harmed my people but forced our once powerful race into hiding in fear of theLight.
Our people are proud warriors whom we shall loan you out for the duration of the war. We have tomes, rituals and power that would be of much use to you. How will theLightfight you if they have no knowledge of the spells you are using or have the true power we wield?
If you agree to our terms then our conditions will last you to the end of the war. The conditions are that you return all House Elves that are in your service to us. The exchange will be done in a magic free meeting room of Gringotts bank, a neutral location, of your choosing.
Be warned we will know if you do not return all the elves!
After the war we ask you to change the laws regarding our ability to carry wands, arrest us on sight, and enslave our children. In return we shall open our noble school to your children and graduates so they may learn the secret arts of the Elves.
Yours Sincerely
King Shadowmage, King of the Dark Elves of the British Isles
'One of my spies who I shall not name here brought me this,' King Haralith explained. 'It has been four hundred years since we have got involved with human affairs but it seems the Dark Elves have forced our hands.'
'Why have they joined You Know Who?' asked Rita.
'Desperation,' Haralith said simply. 'They have lost their children to humans as well. The Dark Lord gives them a chance at gaining their lost loved ones. He will never treat them like they want to be. He considers magical creatures as slaves to bow under him.'
'What will that mean for the Light Elves?' asked Rita.
'That is a good question,' admitted Haralith. 'It is likely with the Dark Lord and the Dark Elves pitted against us that this could wipe us out.'
'So what are you going to do instead?' asked Rita.
'I have already done so,' the king said simply.
The Elvin king pushed two more pieces of parchment over to her. Rita read them through carefully realising what was happening. If the Ministry and Dumbledore played it carefully they could have powerful allies against You Know Who. However, if not they could be left without the Elves as allies.
Dear Lord Dumbledore,
It has been four hundred years since my people have become involved in human affairs. However, the events taking place in Wizarding and Muggle Britain has forced my hands. If things continue the way they are it is only a matter of time before the Dark Lord Voldemort seeks to attack us.
We are the Light Elves. We will always be Light. The Dark will always fear us as I am sure you have seen. This is why we hope to ally with the Light. We have contacted your Ministry of Magic for an alliance as well.
The Dark Elves whom we have only recently come out of a civil war with have requested an alliance with the Dark Lord. This is a warning that if the Dark Lord should give into their demands you will have a race of powerful warriors as an enemy. We who have personal knowledge of the Dark Elves and the way they fight and their bases can help you there.
The requests we have of you is that you free those of our kind who are enslaved by those in the Order of the Phoenix. That is the beings you call house-elves. We are not asking for the impossible as we know that even you can't forbid the entire Wizarding World from using our kind as slaves however much you may want to. The other thing is that you propose an act illegalising the sale of house-elves. We cannot ask you to make sure the act is passed as you are not the voters. All we ask is that you propose. If these conditions are met we shall ally to you.
The exchange of our stolen people shall be in the De Luc Palace in Normandy, France. The Veelas are your allies and respect my kind so will act as a neutral party and neutral ground. We only ask you not to trick or lie.
If you think you cannot do this one favour tell us and we will once more withdraw from the human world.
Yours Faithfully,
King Dlartanseer King of the Light Elves of the British Isles
Dear Minister Fudge,
I do not like your kind and you do not like my kind. You are prejudiced bigots, kidnappers and rapists. You fear and crave our power despite being descended from magical creatures yourself.
However, we are now both facing the same problem of the so called Dark Lord Voldemort. We do not get involved with human conflicts not since you began kidnapping our children as slaves! However, we have Seen that the Dark Elves have allied themselves with the Dark Lord. We have just come out of a civil war with the Dark Elves where a treaty was drawn up purely because we were on equal footing. This may be all they need to garner enough power and support to wipe our clans out.
We are willing to put your past crimes against us aside in the sake of a future alliance. There are conditions to be met. Firstly, you must return every house elf that you, your employees, benefactors and allies own. Second, you must illegalise the Binding and Trade of House Elves no matter the generation. Third, de-criminalise our race so that we can be seen in the Wizarding World without being arrested.
We have also requested an alliance with Chief Warlock Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. Notes of these alliances shall be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow and I have a copy of the Dark Elves request of an alliance with Lord Voldemort from my spy amongst the Dark Elves.
Remember if you attempt to try and deceive us. We shall know and the alliance will be dropped. We have contended with the Dark Elves for two hundred years. Do not think the rise of a human Dark Lord will cause us to lower ourselves to putting up with your slavery when we are allies.
If you agree to the terms of alliance set up a meeting at a time of your choosing in neutral Switzerland. If this is not to your satisfaction another meeting place can be arranged.
Yours Sincerely
King Dlartanseer, King of the Light Elves
'What happens if the Ministry and Dumbledore fail to comply with your demands?' asked Rita.
'Then we shall sit out of the war,' the king said simply. 'Human Dark Lords come and go. We have survived the Dark Elves for two hundred years we can do so for a bit longer.'
'Will you let me know how the alliance goes?' asked Rita. 'The public deserve to know the truth.'
Haralith smiled, 'of course I will but I should warn you I am by Wizard standards a criminal that makes you one in association.'
This didn't worry Rita. If it came known that the only reason she had been arrested was because she had wrote the truth about the bad relations between the Elves and the Ministry of Magic there would be public outrage. Rita had never had house elves growing up so it didn't bother her in the slightest that they were being asked to return them to their own race.
Rita was very excited as the elf left. She had so much to write about. If she hurried she would be able to fit it in tomorrow's edition. She'd have to slip it in the printing press to replace one about Hogwarts protection but it didn't bother her in the slightest. This was far more interesting.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next day whilst the leaders of the Wizarding World's three sides were eating breakfast the Daily Prophet came in. None of them were particularly happy about that the news of their possible alliances had come in. Especially such a revealing article as this that would have the leaders of the Light and the Ministry pressured into doing what the elves had asked.
A Royal Visitor
By Rita Skeeter
This reporter came to her office late last night to found a mysterious, magical guest in her chair. The King of the Light Elves in robes of dark blue and golden robes had paid the Daily Prophet Offices a visit. What secrets did he have to give?
This reporter found that there is more to the Elvin history than the Ministry of Magic have released. The Ministry of Magic claimed the House Elf trade was started by the Elves themselves. However, this has been disproven. It would seem that it is the Ministry of Magic who began the trading of house elves.
King Haralith furthers the disgust at the Ministry. It seems that the binding of an Elf's magic will only work on one who is not yet of age yet. The Ministry has taken to kidnapping a once proud and noble race's young as slaves. King Haralith has this to say on the subject.
'That would be because of the horrific ritual wizards use to bind our children and their descendents to you. The binding of an immortal to a mortal causes them to loose their immortality. If it wasn't bad enough kidnapping our children in the first place, binding our power to you, not being able to act without being ordered and forcing them to procreate you drive them to an early grave!'
After this impassioned speech one must wonder what has caused such a hatred of the binding of their magic. At first this reporter believed it was indignation for his race's betrayal. However, it turns out that King Haralith was there when his Uncle the son of his Great Uncles and guardian was kidnapped.
'I was ten when I was on a journey from our home territory to one of the northern clans. We were attacked by wizards. Our Uncles told me to hid with Draughuddon who was only a year old it was Draughuddon and I in danger. I did as I was told and I hid in the forest Draughuddon in my hands whilst my Uncle fought. They were stronger, faster and more powerful. They won. A wizard the snuck up behind me grabbing me he tried to take me. We fought and struggled I got free but he managed to get Draughuddon off of me. I've blamed myself for allowing my one year old uncle to be taken as a slave since them. My Uncles never blamed me and explained why the humans wanted us. You have no idea how much I hated you.'
Despite how much reason King Haralith hates us he still wants to help us. It turns out that the Dark Elves out of anger and desperation for what we have done have turned to You Know Who for an alliance. This is shown in the evidence below that one the Light Elvin spies have managed to bring to their king.
Dear Lord Voldemort,
It is my wish to secure your alliance for the future war. I am the Dark Elvin King of the British Isles. I agree that theLighthave ruled for too long. They have made laws that have not only harmed my people but forced our once powerful race into hiding in fear of theLight.
Our people are proud warriors whom we shall loan you out for the duration of the war. We have tomes, rituals and power that would be of much use to you. How will the Light fight you if they have no knowledge of the spells you are using or have the true power we wield?
If you agree to our terms then our conditions will last you to the end of the war. The conditions are that you return all House Elves that are in your service to us. The exchange will be done in a magic free meeting room of Gringotts bank, a neutral location, of your choosing.
Be warned we will know if you do not return all the elves!
After the war we ask you to change the laws regarding our ability to carry wands, arrest us on sight, and enslave our children. In return we shall open our noble school to your children and graduates so they may learn the secret arts of the Elves.
Yours Sincerely
King Shadowmage, King of the Dark Elves of the British Isles
This has caused the Light Elves to look for allies in the human world. That of Professor Albus Dumbledore and Minister Cornelius Fudge. I for one hope that our leaders accept this alliance as the Elves are said to have might warriors that could only be useful in this upcoming war.
Dear Lord Dumbledore,
It has been four hundred years since my people have become involved in human affairs. However, the events taking place in Wizarding and Muggle Britain has forced my hands. If things continue the way they are it is only a matter of time before the Dark Lord Voldemort seeks to attack us.
We are the Light Elves. We will always be Light. The Dark will always fear us as I am sure you have seen. This is why we hope to ally with the Light. We have contacted your Ministry of Magic for an alliance as well.
The Dark Elves whom we have only recently come out of a civil war with have requested an alliance with the Dark Lord. This is a warning that if the Dark Lord should give into their demands you will have a race of powerful warriors as an enemy. We who have personal knowledge of the Dark Elves and the way they fight and their bases can help you there.
The requests we have of you is that you free those of our kind who are enslaved by those in the Order of the Phoenix. That is the beings you call house-elves. We are not asking for the impossible as we know that even you can't forbid the entire Wizarding World from using our kind as slaves however much you may want to. The other thing is that you propose an act illegalising the sale of house-elves. We cannot ask you to make sure the act is passed as you are not the voters. All we ask is that you propose. If these conditions are met we shall ally to you.
The exchange of our stolen people shall be in the De Luc Palace in Normandy, France. The Veelas are your allies and respect my kind so will act as a neutral party and neutral ground. We only ask you not to trick or lie.
If you think you cannot do this one favour tell us and we will once more withdraw from the human world.
Yours Faithfully,
King Dlartanseer King of the Light Elves of the British Isles
Dear Minister Fudge,
I do not like your kind and you do not like my kind. You are prejudiced bigots, kidnappers and rapists. You fear and crave our power despite being descended from magical creatures yourself.
However, we are now both facing the same problem of the so called Dark Lord Voldemort. We do not get involved with human conflicts not since you began kidnapping our children as slaves! However, we have Seen that the Dark Elves have allied themselves with the Dark Lord. We have just come out of a civil war with the Dark Elves where a treaty was drawn up purely because we were on equal footing. This may be all they need to garner enough power and support to wipe our clans out.
We are willing to put your past crimes against us aside in the sake of a future alliance. There are conditions to be met. Firstly, you must return every house elf that you, your employees, benefactors and allies own. Second, you must illegalise the Binding and Trade of House Elves no matter the generation. Third, de-criminalise our race so that we can be seen in the Wizarding World without being arrested.
We have also requested an alliance with Chief Warlock Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. Notes of these alliances shall be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow and I have a copy of the Dark Elves request of an alliance with Lord Voldemort from my spy amongst the Dark Elves.
Remember if you attempt to try and deceive us. We shall know and the alliance will be dropped. We have contended with the Dark Elves for two hundred years. Do not think the rise of a human Dark Lord will cause us to lower ourselves to putting up with your slavery when we are allies.
If you agree to the terms of alliance set up a meeting at a time of your choosing in neutral Switzerland. If this is not to your satisfaction another meeting place can be arranged.
Yours Sincerely
King Dlartanseer, King of the Light Elves
What the Elves are asking for is not a lot. All they are asking for is an end to the slave trade and discrimination that have oppressed them for four centuries. I am sure that we can all survive without slaves. I for one plan to free any house elves I own and return them to their king.