Neither wood elf put up much of a fight. They were more exhausted than they'd expected to be, and no doubt some of that was emotional. Tadatada and Pat!k avoided each other's eyes, and were extra polite, as they sidestepped what was hanging in the air between them. Ch!kch!k was quite playful and good-humoured, thus demonstrating in the manner of young children that she was very concerned about her parents.
The next morning, Dobby whipped up an especially grand breakfast, conscious of the fact that it was their last day at the Burrow. In addition to their usual eggs, they enjoyed kippers, scones and strawberries with clotted cream, while the wood elves forced the garden slug population down to a lower level than it had been in years.
Then it was time to say goodbye. Dobby hugged Harry around the knees and cried, "Dobby will miss you, Harry Potter! Dobby had a wonderful time!"
Harry patted him on the head. "Thanks Dobby. It was good to see you too. And thanks for bringing those guys." He twitched his head in the direction of the wild elves. "You were all a big help."
Pokey bowed to Molly. "I thank you deeply for your hospitality, dear lady. Surely you are the most gracious hostess in the wizarding world." Molly turned red and stammered a mixture of denial and thanks.
Pokey bowed also to Hermione and Ron. "It was an honour to meet you both," he said.
"Oh! You too," said Hermione, a touch flustered.
"Cheers mate," said Ron.
To Harry, Pokey said simply, "Good luck."
Tadatada and Pat!k observed Pokey bowing to the humans, so they tried a few bows themselves, but Ron took Pat!k's hand in his and shook it, to Pat!k's obvious bewilderment. "It's called a handshake," Pokey told them quietly. "It's a traditional human greeting." He felt a brief flash of guilt as he said this, remembering the 'human tradition' of photographing guests, as well as the 'traditional' tea. But despite these deceits, the wood elves accepted his words without question, and shook hands with each human in turn.
The five elves then Apparated to Hogwarts. Pokey and Dobby accompanied the wild elves to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Dobby was, as usual, jabbering away excitedly, but with a touch of wistfulness.
"Dobby thanks you very much, he had a wonderful, exciting time and he was so happy to help Harry Potter," Pokey translated. He winked at them. "It was a nice bit of adventure for me too. Not that I enjoyed every minute of it, mind, but at my age I didn't expect to be getting up to such things!"
"We were happy to be of help," Pat!k responded in even tones.
"Mmm," Tadatada contributed. They exchanged a melancholy glance. Everyone else was so pleased with how things had turned out. Nobody seemed to notice how Pat!k and Tadatada were feeling.
Pokey, in fact, had noticed, but he didn't know what to say. Indeed, one of the bits of wisdom he'd garnered in his long life was that awkward words of comfort are often better left unsaid. He felt sure that this was something the couple could, and would, work out themselves.
"You come by and see us anytime, my dears," Pokey continued. "Though perhaps it would be better to wait until the war is over."
"After the war." Tadatada nodded.
"Bring some of your kin!" he suggested. Tadatada and Pat!k smiled weakly.
Finally, Dobby and Pokey walked away, turning back once to wave. Pat!k and Tadatada watched them go for a few minutes, then turned and stepped into the woods, with Ch!kch!k trailing behind them. They walked, only dimly registering the pleasantness of having leaves and springy soil underfoot once more. Neither adult had a thought of Apparating. They both knew they had something to settle first.
They walked in silence until they reached a stunted yew tree, struggling towards the broken pieces of light that filtered through the canopy of oak leaves above.
Pat!k broke the silence. "I need to know." Tadatada turned and looked at him.
"I need to know," repeated Pat!k, "if we are going to be all right."
Tadatada propped one hand upon the trunk of the yew tree, covered her eyes with the other hand, and began to sob.
"Oh," Pat!k sighed. He moved closer and grasped her arm. "Oh Tada," he said thickly.
"Don't say my name like a human," she gasped between tears.
"Sorry. I suppose it wore on me." He leaned his head against hers. "If you won't have me back, I won't stay. I couldn't. I will lead a splinter tribe away--"
"Oh, stop it," cried Tadatada, smearing the back of her hand across her face. Pat!k fell silent and waited. Ch!kch!k watched them, her eyes big. She looked as if she might start crying as well.
"You hurt me," said Tadatada in a low voice. A tear ran down her cheek.
"I know," said Pat!k.
"How could you say those things?" she cried. "The mother's chokehold. My child is barely two years old. I should have had years before worrying about letting her go. Several good, smothering, choking years!" She shot him an angry look.
"Normally. Yes." Pat!k was almost whispering. "But it was not given to you to have a normal child." He paused. "Or a normal mate," he added wryly. "Your path is more difficult." He paused, then added, "You hurt me too."
Tadatada sighed. "I know," she admitted weakly.
"Saying I didn't care for my daughter. Saying I could not be trusted." Pat!k's words were speeding up and growing marginally louder. "Saying my promises were ashes in the wind." He shook his head in disbelief. "Ashes," he repeated, pained.
"I was wrong," said Tadatada, a tremor in her voice. "I knew that when you took the evil thing from Ch!kch!k." She looked sidelong at him. "And put it in your mouth. Your own mouth. I knew then that I'd been... very wrong."
"Not until then did you know?" Pat!k asked with difficulty.
Tadatada shook her head.
"You believed those things you said about me?"
Ch!kch!k began to cry, haltingly. Tadatada considered the question. "The outer part of me believed it," she replied.
Pat!k turned away from her.
"And you," said Tadatada. "How much did you believe what you said?"
Pat!k dug a little hole in the forest floor with his big toe.
"The choking and smothering. Or perhaps, you said it to punish me?" her voice peaked and trembled on the word 'punish.'
"What I said had the effect it needed to have," Pat!k told the trout lilies growing among the tree roots.
"Ah. You mean because Ch!kch!k got loose. So that's why you said it? Just to get the task done, and not to punish me?"
"Some of each," said Pat!k. He shot her a sideways glance. Ch!kch!k was still sniffling, but watching them intently.
"Ah. Then. I will not say I deserved it, but, I was wrong. I was wrong." She glanced up at the needles of the yew tree and the bright red fruits nestled among them. "So. I am sorry, and you are sorry. Somewhat. But... maybe we will never be exactly the same."
Pat!k turned. "We don't have to be!" he said fiercely. "Nothing stays the same. Elves change. Relationships change. Children grow. Everything changes."
"Oh Pat!k," choked Tadatada. She flung her arms around him so hard that he staggered back a couple of steps and almost bumped into Ch!kch!k, who let out a piercing shriek. "Don't make a splinter tribe! Don't go!"
Pat!k hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he said into the crook of her neck and shoulder, his voice muffled. There was a pause. "Do you still love me?"
"Of course I do," Tadatada replied.
Pat!k beamed. "I love you too."
"Ama," said Ch!kch!k, repeating the wood-elf word for love. "Ama."
Pat!k and Tadatada dropped their arms and stared at Ch!kch!k in astonishment. Tadatada clapped her hands together and let out a shriek of joy. "Her first word!"
Pat!k lifted Ch!kch!k into the air. "What a clever girl!" he cried, bouncing her in the air and making her giggle. "What a clever girl!"
Tadatada held out her arms for Ch!kch!k. Pat!k passed the toddler to her and watched thoughtfully as Tadatada rocked her and cooed to her. Then he turned and hauled himself up the trunk of the yew tree. Tadatada stopped playing with Ch!kch!k and grew silent and serious, watching him.
Pat!k gazed at each branch until he found the right one: small and light, with sprigs of needles and fruit clinging to it. He gnawed it carefully, almost lovingly, from its parent branch, and scrambled down the trunk with the branch clutched in his teeth. Back on the ground, Pat!k gravely presented Ch!kch!k with her very first magic stick.
Epilogue
Following Voldemort's death, Harry got an audience with Ministry officials and informed them of the wood elves' request. Hermione presented a report on the ill effects of slavery and abuse on house-elves. The Ministry balked at the radical notion of lifting all binding spells. However, they did agree to pass a law rendering house-elf abuse illegal. The spells that induced self-punishment in elves were also made illegal.
Pokey became the first being, human or otherwise, to hold the newly-created Ministry position of House-elf Protective Services Worker. His job involved visiting the homes of old pureblood families, inspecting their house-elves for signs of abuse, and re-educating both elves and masters to understand that violence against house-elves was unacceptable.
In the centre of the Forbidden Forest, life went on as it always had, except for the addition of a new word to the wood-elf language.
Horcrr!k:
- A dangerous or unpleasant object.
- A shameful secret.