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Originally Posted by
sweetpinkpixie 
Kurumi furrowed her brow and leaned her elbows on her knees. What did she make of the incident? She really wasn't sure. "It is all so odd," Kurumi finally said after a few moments. "At first I thought perhaps the elves were rebelling, but the manner in which they appeared in the Great Hall and began punishing themselves on the spot...it made no sense to think of that way. They really were genuinely sorry for what happened. I...I wonder if there is something wrong with their magic. House elves have extraordinary powers you know. Witches and wizards cannot apparate out of Hogwarts, but they can..." She furrowed her brow some more. She didn't want to worry the younger girl, but the cogs in her head were turning too quickly to be able to turn off her filtering system. "With the kitchens locked to students now, there is no way that we can get in."
Kurumi nodded. "It was my first time being abroad, unless you want to count coming to Hogwarts," she explained. She had tried to take in all the sights and smells, but she still felt as though she hadn't done the city justice. New York that is. There was still so much more she wanted to see and do. She ought to write to Vickers and see if perhaps they could meet up again during one of her holidays. She was missing him already. "Changes?" Kurumi asked, cocking her head to the left. "Oh...um...not really," she frowned. "Mother hasn't changed, but now father works in Diagon Alley for the Daily Prophet, so I can spend more time in the wizarding world."
Kurumi adjusted her sitting position just a bit, seeing as her right foot was now falling asleep and getting that tingling sensation that both hurt and made you want to laugh. "Professor Magnus? She is brilliant," Kurumi smiled. "She was here the term before you came, but had to leave suddenly. I spoke with her briefly at the feast and am planning on going to see her in the morning. She taught us really practical Transfiguration spells. For example, she taught us how to transfigure a piece of trash into a useful object. We actually ended up forming a band in class." She giggled softly at the memory. Her on her mini piano, Hugo on his ukulele, Salander - or had it been Josh? - on the maracas...
That had been Ariadne's first thought as well. That the house elves were on some sort of strike. But as Kurumi said, they seemed very sorry and humble when they eventually showed up at the feast. Following this thread of logic, Ari was still surprised by the Prefect's conclusion. '
You're saying it's possible that their magic could have faded? But what could be the cause?' the second year wondered if her wise housemate had theories on that too. '
They can apparate at Hogwarts? I didn't know that. But I knew that witches and wizards can't, I've read it in Hogwarts:A History.' the girl nodded. Remaining silent for a while, she mused about the kitchens being locked and what that meant.
'Ummm...this will sound awful, but I can think of no other way to say it. What if we organize a break-in, to see what's going on down there? I know we're bound to get detention and loose points, but I believe this is more important than points.' Ariadne suggested. She did care about elves, but more than that, she was curious what was going on. However, she didn't take into account that Kurumi was now a Prefect, a model for other students, who was unlikely to break any rules.
'What did you like best about New York?' The list of memorable places and events was probably endless, so Ari was waiting to hear just one or two things, the greatest.
'So your father has moved to London for good?' the girl asked, wondering whether she understood correctly.
'Oh, I didn't know he was a journalist. That's great! And so is the fact that you can spend more time amongst magical people.' she commented, with excitement characteristic of her age.
The first thing that crossed Ari's mind was
'Why did she have to leave suddenly?' but luckily she realized on time that it was a silly question and therefore avoided to ask it out loud.
'Transforming trash in useful items? Wicked! Do you happen to remember the incantation and wand movement?' the young Gryffindor was eager to try that out for herself.
'And a band? That sounds hilarious! Though I wonder what I would've played, I'm as non-musical as they get.' she chuckled. '
Anyway, Professor Magnus seems a great deal better than Shaw. I mean, what did he teach us exactly? To use a chainsaw and to turn cats into hats.' Not to mention that Ari's hat had a tail and whiskers, and that it took her weeks to turn it back into a cat, which then scratched her all over before running away.