Ch28. House-elves.

With the help of Walburga's portrait, Harry received a tour through the house. Needless to say, it was massive.

He occupied the Lord's chambers and ended up holed in the library for the rest of the day.

As he was reading, a voice came from behind.

"Master, Kreacher finished the task."

Harry almost jumped out of his skin from the sudden sound behind him. He put his hand on his heart and breathed hard as he spotted the bouncing elf, asking for praise. The idea the elf is Kreacher, kinda disgusted and more importantly, weirded Harry out.

"Don't do that, Kreacher." He started saying but saw the confusion on the elf. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

The confused elf nodded and waited for further instructions.

Harry observed the thin, skinny, sickly-looking creature and sighed.

"In the hall outside the library is the portrait of Walburga Black." Harry told the elf, making him suddenly perk up. The little ball of vileness really liked his mistress. "Go, and lock-, ahem, I mean display her in the hall of portraits."

The elf enthusiastically nodded as if he was given a great honor and disappeared. Shortly after that, enraged protesting shouts came from the hall and Harry snickered.

'Hall of portraits... Funny Black's. It is more of a disposal room for unwanted ancestors.' He wiped a stray tear of amusement. 'Otherwise, it would not be in the darkest, most inaccessible part of the basement... Hell, even the torture room and jail are not so hidden and out of the way.' Harry shook his head in exasperation. Judging by the shrieks of dear old Walburga, she knows well where she is going. Alas, at least she will have a like-minded company there. Not like that is a win, though, hehe.'

Harry's mind again shifted towards his new elf, Kreacher.

The first book he read in the ancient library of Black Household, was actually about house-elves. Harry could not dismiss the probability of Kreacher betraying him. The elf clearly knew how or was at least capable of disregarding the servitude bond enough to cost his master his life. Harry was not about to trust the elf blindly. Hence, he needed a little history lesson. Get to know more about elves.

Turns out the house-elves are quite a young race. When they first popped out, the pun intended, it was just shortly after the elven race disappeared. Hence, these creatures were named Crazed or Cursed Elves. Wizards and witches believed them to be the remnants of the noble race of elves. Beings even more beautiful than veela and, on average, more magically powerful than wizards. Naturally skilled marksmans and hunters, progenitors of druidism and nature magic, the beings that did not need focus to perform powerful magic, capable of creating miracles.

This being an obvious reason for petty jealousy and the trigger for many conflicts between the peace-loving elves and humans, according to the guesses of powerful wizards over the years, the elves relocated. They supposedly created a pocket dimension where their race can live in peace without conflict... copulating under a tree, as is stated in the book.

It was obvious on which side of the conflict the author was.

Anyway, nobody knows if they really did so and if yes, if the dimension still stands or if it collapsed, deleting elven race for good. Nevertheless, the pettiness got the humans good and they named the new, ugly, and unruly race 'elves'.

The house-elves are more of imp-like beings, really. According to the sources in the Black library, they were ritually created by a dark wizard who sought perfectly obedient servants capable of either wiping armies by sheer force or assassinating others with before unseen subtlety and silence.

Obviously, something went very wrong.

The race was wild but peaceful. They, at first, lived in caves and fed on magic. Unfortunately, very few places that could provide magic were not occupied by humans already. The house-elves, in the vision of food, started to gather at these places and were quite unseen for some time.

But because of the ritual that made them, they wanted to serve. To offer their service for the food. So, in sheer gratitude, they remade these magic-filled places, that were more often than not the homes of powerful wizards, into what they perceived as homely. In short, a cave.

They vanished furniture, decorations, valuables, books...

Transformed the walls to stone...

Disabled any ward they could...

Made a big opening, more often than not in the middle of a wall...

Well, the reaction of these wizards living there was apparent. The race was declared as dark, dangerous creatures. The hunt began.

Funnily enough, the house-elves who manipulated powerful wandless magic that made even wizards jealous, could not defend themselves.

It was a lot later that house-elves taught themselves to speak and started binding themselves in service to the wizards in exchange for magic. The entire race itself decided the worst crime would be to be 'castaway' by their masters because of decades of starvation, the new, easier life, and their very own nature.

Blacks researched these creatures intensely in hopes to make them into fighters for House Black, and if what the book said is right, most other Houses, light, dark, or grey, did pretty much the same, horrendous unspeakable experiments on the race. Arguably that is something to pity them for. All that was understood from these experiments were, however, that these creatures are magically bound to never hurt anyone unless they are protecting their family, friends, or masters and their magic is too different to perform it with a wand and too powerful to do it without.

The books only assured Harry he can trust Kreacher, as long as he 'nudged' him in the right direction and set himself as someone the little shit could admire.

Hence...

"Kreacher!" Harry screamed, and a slight pop instantly appeared near him. He was quite pleased the house-elf learned and didn't appear behind.

"Yes, Master?"

"Come here." Harry beckoned him and reluctantly put his hand on his head. "I am going to give you a gift for your service to House Black. I hope you will use it to serve the House better." Harry told him and released quite a few limiters on the servitude bond.

The second he did so, Kreacher's hunched up figure straightened. The skinny elf filled out, the pale sickly grey skin gained healthy greenish-grey luster and his magic strengthened. The blackened rotten teeth of the house-elf whitened and repaired themselves, and Harry could swear the flickering insanity in the eyes of Kreacher lessened. Not disappeared, mind you.

This, in fact, suited Harry because Kreacher will remember it was Harry who was generous enough to give him so much magic, and the servitude bond was tightened, becoming more binding towards Harry due to excess magic in Kreacher.

"Thank you, Master! Kreacher will!" Even his voice improved.

The elf looked at Harry in reverence and untold gratitude for what he was just given. For the first time in his life, Kreacher's stomach felt full and vigorous. Younger, more usable, capable of more work. Yes, his master was a great master indeed and he will be damned if he didn't return the gratitude!

Harry half-smiled and licked his lips. While his plans to make a special commando of house-elves as assassins crumbled down the second he read about them, he still had his schemes for them.

After all, they may not be able to kill but they still can get past almost any ward without even alerting it.