"I didn't want Dobby to get into trouble," Harry finally managed to croak, determinedly not looking anywhere near Hermione. "Just knowing his name and what his family was like was enough for you to find him, so I kept as much secret as I could in case our letters were intercepted again."
"That's actually a very good idea," Lichfield said as he gave Barchoke an odd look; the Overseer had crammed his fingers in his ears and was beginning to hum. "Oh," he said with a shake of his head as he turned back to Harry. "You said 'intercepted again' which implied they were intercepted before, which in turn implied Dobby was the one who intercepted them."
"But Dobby was the one who intercepted them," Harry said confused.
"Which is why he's humming," Lichfield gestured to Barchoke.
"Oh, right," Harry said, finally catching on.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"He's required to report anything illegal," Harry said, finally looking at her again as if Lichfield hadn't said anything awkward before, though the thought of cuddling up with her was now firmly planted in his head - well, once she stopped looking so stern that is. "Dobby stopping my letters and coming to warn me were both illegal, not to mention everything he did to help my escape. Doing this means he doesn't have to hear it and report anything."
"I suppose it's better than killing you and throwing your body into the street," she said with a disapproving look at the goblin. "But it still doesn't answer the question."
"Dobby's not a child," Harry said with a shrug as Lichfield gave Barchoke a poke. "He's a house-elf."
"What's a house-elf?" she asked, still with her stern look. "And why does that make a difference with how he's treated?"
Lichfield raised his eyebrow and gave her a look as if to say, 'What did we just talk about?' Hermione caught the look and revised her tone.
"Could you tell me more about house-elves? I've never heard of them before," she said neutrally.
"They're - er-," he started, rather at a loss on how to explain what he's learned so far. "They're a kind of magical little person that works for a wizarding family," Harry said finally. "Kind of like Santa Claus with his elves - only without the sleigh."
"Are they paid?" Hermione asked still seeming to struggle with keeping the edge out of her voice. "Do they have sick-leave, vacations, time off, or health and dental? Or are they Beasts as well?" she finished with a glance at Lichfield.
"I happen to have one," Lichfield replied, "and I certainly wouldn't call her a Beast. I call her Mipsy, because that's her name."
"And do you pay her?" Hermione repeated.
"The better question would be, 'Does she want to be paid?'" Lichfield countered. "After all, you didn't know her entire race existed five minutes ago and haven't met one yet, so how could you know what they want? Or are you making the mistake of treating them like humans again?"
As Hermione's brow furrowed and lips pursed as she endeavored to come up with another line of attack, Barchoke already knew exactly what to say.
"I know I always get on to you two about going off like this," the goblin said in an aside to Harry. "But this is actually rather entertaining. If it didn't take him away from Gringotts I'd say he should be teaching an introduction to the magical world course at Hogwarts."
"I'd just be happy if they had the course at all," Harry replied.
"What do they teach you up there?" the goblin asked with an odd look.
"Did you ever do chores at home?" Lichfield asked Hermione. "Feeding the chickens, mopping the floor, that sort of thing?"
"I've done the dishes and vacuumed before, why?" she replied, the curious and guarded look on her face wondering where he was going with this; Harry thought he knew.
"And were you paid?" the old bailiff asked.
"I was given an allowance," she said.
"So your parents allowed you to have money every once in a while," Lichfield clarified. "But you still had to follow their rules and do the work they told you to, even though you weren't technically paid for it," he pressed.
"That's different," Hermione insisted, "we're talking about employees."
Lichfield turned and pointed at Harry; somehow he'd known he'd be dragged back into this.
"Those elves that made your shoes," Lichfield said. "What did that shopkeeper call them?"
"He called them family," Harry mumbled, running a hand through his hair to flatten it unnecessarily.
"And do you plan on treating Dobby like he's family?" Lichfield unexpectedly pressed him.
"Wha-? Of course!" Harry defended himself. "He's the whole reason I'm here. If it weren't for him I'd still be at the Dursleys, Dumbledore'd be stealing from me, and-," he chanced a look over at Hermione. "If he hadn't given me those letters, I never would've known what you had said at all."
Harry knew at once he'd made the point Lichfield wanted him to but seeing the dispirited look on Hermione's face made him wish he hadn't. After their brief conversation in the pet shop today he doubted she's say a thing against his desire for more family.
"But," she said, though it didn't sound like her heart was in it. "Isn't that making the mistake of treating them like they're human?"
"It's treating them like they want to be treated," Lichfield said, though not unkindly. "They want to be a family, they want to be taken in and made to feel welcome, it's what they deserve," he said in a way that had Harry wondering if Lichfield was settling into another one of his funks. His concern was short-lived though as the old bailiff glanced up at Hermione with a bit of a grin and he began wondering what sort of prank the old man was planning to pull.
"But if you think about it," Lichfield said as he studied the girl in front of him. "They are paid, in a way, even if it's not with money. They get a place to stay, a roof over their head, something to eat, and ideally made to feel like a welcome part of the family," he explained. "For this free room, board, and company they return the generosity by doing whatever work they can for the family."
"But they shouldn't have to work like that if they don't want to," Hermione said.
"And you shouldn't have to breathe," Lichfield countered. "But that won't stop you from passing out if you tried to quit. You take away a house-elf's work and family and they'll be dead before you know it."
.....
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