Investigating Conflicting Theories

Looking around careful not to be spotted, Peter walked down to the dungeons. Upon learning that the House Elves did their laundry, Peter just had to investigate. From what he'd learned and been told, if a House Elf was given clothes they were set free. So why were they doing the students and staffs' laundry? They were near loads of clothes.

Keeping an eye out for any unfriendlies, the boy finally found the laundry. Reaching out his hand he pushed it open and stared. It was like a mini workshop. There were heaps of clothes that were ready to be washed as well as napkins from the meal earlier. At work washing them were the House Elves. One looked up when Peter entered. Coming over to him it asked, "How can we help young master?"

"I have a question," Peter replied holding Ralph in his hands. The mouse's nose was twitching, front paws on the boy's fingers. Looking around while shifting his fingers so Ralph wouldn't fall and was in a more secure grip, he asked, "about the laundry."

"Go ahead and ask young master and we shall be happy to answer."

Nodding his head at the eager elf, Peter took a breath then asked, "If getting clothes makes you free how is it possible for you to do the laundry?"

To the eleven year old's surprise the Elf laughed! "Is common mistake, young master. We were not given theses as a gift. This is our job. To do the laundry so young masters and mistresses can have clean clothes."

"But I thought...." Peter trailed off as he thought about it. That made more sense, but it was still a bit confusing. He turned and looked around at the different elves. Some were levitating the clothes into the tubs of soapy water and having a scrub brush and washer board wash the clothes. Others were drenching the soapy clothes with water and wringing them out. Still others were drying them and folding them neatly. And it looked like some were darning the clothes as well.

"Any other questions, young master?"

Peter shook his head just watching it all then a smile made it's way to his face. "How do you get stains out?"

The Elf seemed to be more playful then others because it responded back with a wink. "With magic, young master."

"Go on, Syvine," Rowan whispered, gesturing to the door clearly labeled 'Laundry Room'. The door was just ever so slightly left ajar, and it was perfect for Syvine to fit through. The small gray, striped kitten mewed at his Mistress and quickly set off into the room, squeezing quietly into the room through the door, his dark gray eyes scanning the room. There weren't any adult humans around and so the kitten strutted back to the door and poked his head back into the hallway where Rowan stood.

He mewed and Rowan smiled at him. "Good boy, Syvine," she whispered, reaching down and picking him up, opening the laundry room door in the process. She walked in and let the door swing closed behind her as she looked around.

Upon inquiring about their laundry and learning that their laundry would be taken care of by house elves, Rowan hadn't exactly been surprised but she had been a little worried. Back at the manor, the house elves knew exactly how to wash certain dresses and dress shirts of hers so they wouldn't shrink and/or be destroyed. They had been washing pureblood clothes to high standards for a while, so they were accustomed to it.

But, Rowan wasn't so sure about the Hogwarts house elves. She just had to make sure that they would treat her clothes with care. She wasn't a stuck up prat about clothes and such, but some of her dresses were really special because some were family heirlooms (which she would admit was kind of weird) and some her Grandmother had gotten her, making them special in their own way.

Rowan looked around the room to see many house elves at work, washing their clothes in a more 'barbaric' way than the ones at home (using their hands and old washboards), but Rowan supposed that couldn't be helped if they'd been doing it for years. But she was definitely going to make sure at least her own clothes would be taken care of. She was surprised to see another first year there: a wizard she recognized from maybe one or two of her classes. She didn't recall a name, though, knowing that she hadn't made too many friends since the start of term. She was curious as to his reasoning upon being there though, so she spoke up. Syvine was quietly purring in her arms as she looked at him.

"Hey, you, what are you doing here?" she asked, curiosity thick in her voice and a suspicious look in her eyes. She thought he probably was not there for the same reasoning as her. But.. He didn't seem like he was looking for trouble or anything. "I'm Rowan. Rowan Drake; Slytherin first year. Who're you? I think I recognize you from some of my classes, but I never caught your name.." she said, introducing herself out of common courtesy. It was rude to ask who someone else was without introducing yourself first. Rowan brushed some of her auburn bangs out her face with one of her hands, Syvine's purring had stopped and his eyes had opened, looking at Peter with suspicious eyes. The house elf seemed surprised by the arrival of yet another student and looked to Rowan.

Turning when a girl began speaking, Peter stared at her. He wondered if she was up to no good, or if she was just curiously searching the castle as he had been doing. She seemed a bit...well, Peter was just going to use the word cautious to describe her. Her behavior was explained, or it was to the boy however, when she introduced herself.

Giving her a polite smile he nodded at her even though he would have normally preferred his hand for a shake. Being as how they both had their pets in their hands however, and one was a mouse, the other a cat, it wasn't a very good idea to do so. Instead he greeted her back the same way. "First Year Peter Wiggin of Ravenclaw."

They were in the same classes? Peter better start paying more attention. He only really recalled two people. One was the Hufflepuff boy he talked to down by the cabin, and the girl in Divination. He only recalled those two because, honestly he was quite glad Elise saved him from that cup disaster. And the Hufflepuff boy, well, he was the only one he'd met and talked to really.

"I was curious about how House Elves could do the laundry even though getting clothes set them free. No one could explain it to my satisfaction really." Looking curiously back at the Slytherin girl, he asked, "And you? What brings you down here, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rowan grinned when he explained his reasoning behind being down there. She hadn't expected that for an answer, but then again, if you didn't have house elves at home you probably wouldn't understand everything about them. Peter then inquired about her reasoning for being in the laundry room, and she remembered suddenly what she was down there for. "Oh, right. Well, I'm down here to ensure that my clothing will be taken care of properly," she explained, her attention going to the nearest house elf. She leaned down and set Syvine on his feet before standing upright again. He had been squirming in her arms to be let down for a while now.

Rowan looked at the house elf closest and she opened her mouth again. "I want to request that any clothing, aside from my uniforms and normal cloaks, that are labeled 'Rowan Drake' be set aside and washed as instructed. My Grandmother attached instructions on proper care of them on the stitching of the clothings, so make sure you follow them exactly," she instructed of the little creature. On an after thought, she added, "Please, and thanks."

The house elf nodded at her. "Of course, Little Mistress," it said, bowing low to the girl and then turning back to the rest of the room. It set off, getting back to work scrubbing some of the clothes against washboards. Rowan thought that, more than likely, most of the house elves had heard her request, so Rowan was confident her instructions would be followed. Rowan turned back to Peter with a small grin. "So, did the house elves answer your question to 'your satisfaction'?" she asked curiously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Syvine strutting around the room sniffing at different things around the laundry room, from the house elves themselves to the soaps being used. He stayed away from the water, though.