Harry McGonagall

Chapter 8 - Elves and Dragons

Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Harry McGonagall – Chapter 8 – Elves and Dragons

The rest of Easter break went by quickly, and soon it was Monday morning. Everyone was at breakfast preparing for their classes to resume. Hermione was sitting next to Harry at the Ravenclaw table when an owl flew that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet to her.

"Anything interesting in the news?" asked Harry.

"Give me a minute," replied Hermione as she flipped through it, scanning the article titles. "Oh, Mrs. Brocklehurst wrote one of her C.A.R.E. articles!" She then started smiling brightly as her eyes scanned the article. "Here, Harry! You'll want to take a look at this!"

He took the paper from her.

"House Elf Abuse Deterrent Law Passes Wizengamot!

By Wendy Brocklehurst

Following an article in January about the Hogwarts student organization known as C.A.R.E. (Community Advancing the Rights of Elves), the movement to prevent the overt abuse of house elves has grown by leaps and bounds. This brought attention to this often-overlooked issue, and has had several positive results. One is community awareness. Another is that several Hogwarts graduates joined the group, making it no longer just a Hogwarts club. Another direct result has just passed the Wizengamot.

Moved by photos of an elf being beaten by his master in the middle of Diagon Alley, and knowing that similar situations occur every day all across magical Britain and Europe, the head of Ministry Law Enforcement, Madam Amelia Bones, drafted and presented a bill to make house elf abuse illegal. It is called the House Elf Abuse Deterrent law (H.E.A.D.).

This was a very controversial bill among the members of old wizarding families, and had to be edited in its recommended punishments before being passed. Originally, someone found guilty of abusing a house elf would have all of their elves taken away, lost the right to ever own another, and served six months in Azkaban. Some members of the Wizengamot thought that too harsh of a punishment, so a compromise was reached.

On the first offense, the offender is fined 1,000 Galleons. For the second offense, the victimized elf is confiscated by the Ministry, to be given or sold to another family. On the third offense, all of the offender's elves are confiscated. Finally, on the fourth offense, the abuser loses his/her right to own house elves. This is the most severe penalty that an offender will face.

In the final draft of this bill, house elf abuse is defined as 'Performing any harm to a house elf that is still evident twelve hours later. It also added that performing unforgivable curses, such as the cruciatus, or any dark spells, on an elf will automatically count as the fourth offence.'

Even in its current form, this groundbreaking law barely passed through the Wizengamot. Madam Longbottom, a member of both the Wizengamot and C.A.R.E., who voted for the law, stated, 'Although this law isn't as tough as I would like it to be on the cowardly wizards who beat their elves, it is a step in the right direction.'

Albus Dumbledore, the head of the Wizengamot (not to mention several other prestigious titles), also voted for this law, saying that, 'The strong have been preying on the weak for far too long. It is time that we as a society stood up and said that we will no longer stand for it.'

Only time will tell what the results of this new law will be. For more information on C.A.R.E., including how to join, owl Hermione Granger (Ravenclaw) at Hogwarts."