The Goblet of Fire | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Four)

7. The Aftermath Of The Attack

Y/N's POV

Winky, Mr Crouch's house elf, was found with a wand in her hand. Much to her and Hermione's dismay, Mr Crouch said that her punishment was clothes. That meant she would be a free elf. Unlike Dobby, Winky obviously didn't want to be a free elf.

"Come on, you four," Mr Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move, her eyes were still upon the elf.

"Hermione!" Mr Weasley said, more urgently. She turned and followed us out of the clearing.

"What's going to happen to Winky?" said Hermione, the moment we had left the clearing.

"I don't know," said Mr Weasley.

"The way they were treating her!" said Hermione furiously. "Mr Crouch knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was, it was like she wasn't even human!"

"Well, she's not," said Ron.

Hermione rounded on him. "That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way-"

"Hermione, I agree with you," said Mr Weasley quickly, "but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?"

"We lost them in the dark," said Ron, "dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?"

"I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Mr Weasley tensely.

He led us back into the campsite. All was quiet now, there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking.

Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent.

"Dad, what's going on?" he called through the dark. "Issac, Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others-"

"I've got them here," said Mr Weasley, entering the tent. Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him.

Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy had a bloody nose. Issac, Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken.

"Did you get them, dad?" said Bill sharply. "The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," said Mr Weasley, "we found Barry Crouch's elf holding a wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together.

"A wand?" said Fred.

"Mr Crouch's elf?" said Percy, sounding thunderstruck.

With some assistance from us, Mr Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When we had finished the story, Percy swelled indignantly.

"Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" he said. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to...embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry...how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control-"

"She didn't do anything, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback.

"Hermione, a wizard in Mr Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" said Percy pompously.

"She didn't run amok!" shouted Hermione. "She just picked it up off the ground!"

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" said Ron impatiently. "It wasn't hurting anyone. Why's it such a big deal?"