Magic? || Years 1-5

S.P.E.W.: Year 4

Amisty had just finished her Divination homework (getting rather creative with helping Ron and Harry make choices of misfortune for the upcoming month) when Hermione climbed through the portrait hole with a sheet of parchment and a rattling box.

"Hello, I've just finished!" She beamed, heading toward them.

"So have I!" Ron declared, throwing his quill down with a thump and clatter.

Hermione pulled his predictions toward her, "Not going to have a very good month, are you?"

"Ah well, at least I'm forewarned," Ron replied, yawning as Hermione took a closer look.

"You seem to be drowning twice," She pointed out.

"Oh am I? I'd better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging hippogriff," Ron looked his homework over.

"Don't you think it's a bit obvious you've made these up?" Hermione asked, petting Crookshanks as he had curled up in her lap.

"How dare you! We've been working like house-elves in here!" Ron feigned anger.

Amisty kicked him under the table.

"It's just an expression."

"What's in the box?" Harry asked, setting down his quill and rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.

"Funny you should ask," Hermione replied, throwing a nasty look at Ron as she opened the box.

There were about fifty colorful badges inside, all gleaming with the letters S.P.E.W.

"'Spew'? What's this about?" Harry asked, picking up on the colorful badges and looking at it closer.

"Not spew. It's S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Hermione replied impatiently.

"Never heard of it," Ron didn't seem to be too invested.

"Well, of course you haven't, I've only just started it," Hermione replied, sounding very brisk and faintly annoyed.

"Yeah? How many members have you got?" Ron asked. Now he sounded slightly interested.

"Well -- if you three join -- four," Hermione started to dig through the box.

"And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying 'spew,' do you?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"S-P-E-W! I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Chance in Their Legal Status -- but it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto," Hermione snapped, shoving the parchment in their faces.

"I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe no one's done anything about it before now."

"Hermione -- open your ears. They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!" Ron argued.

Amisty couldn't help but agree with him.

"Our short-term aims are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they're shockingly underrepresented," Hermione went on, completely ignoring Ron.

"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.

"We start by recruiting members. I thought two Sickles to join -- that buys a badge -- and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer, Ron -- I've got you a collecting tin upstairs -- and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting," Hermione replied, beaming.