RP: Because I said so!
Date: December 28, 2004
Characters: Gilderoy Lockhart, Knobbykins
Location: Gildery Shoppe
Status: Private
Summary: Gilderoy completely misunderstands the relationship between house elf and master.
Completion: Complete
“So, what else do you like to do?” Gilderoy asked for the fourth time.
“Knobby cooks and cleans and sews for Magnificent Master Gilderoy and Kind Handsomest Master Avery,” she said demurely, tucking her hands behind her back, staring down at her feet.
He had spent most of the morning showing Knobby around the cellar workshop, describing to her what he was making, and how he liked things done. Of course, she was horrified at the prospect of making elf clothes, but she seemed rather taken with the idea of cutting and sewing up new clothes and blankets. She also spent a good two minutes “fluffing” up the bale of cotton, bouncing up and down on it, and making little cottonball bunnies out of the fluffy white puffs.
After all of that, though, they both went upstairs for tea, and Gilderoy bade her to stay around so he could talk to her. He wanted to know more about this little elf of his. What she liked and disliked, what her family was like, if she had any friends in the elf world - things unrelated to her domestic duties.
“For example, do you like reading or being read to?” He asked, pushing the tray of seed cakes over toward Knobby.
“Is Master Gilderoy finished with his seed cakes? Knobby can clean up tea things if--”
“I’m not finished, I was offering you one. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“Oohhhhhh noooooo!” she moaned, apparently pained by this dilemma, “Knoooby cannot taaaake one. Pleeease, Master Gilderoy is being toooooo kind.”
Gilderoy pulled the plate back and slid out of his chair, taking the elf by the shoulders. “Look, no, I’m sorry, I just thought you might like one, I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything.”
“OHHHHH NOOOOOOO!” she wailed even louder. “Knobby does not want Magnificent Master Gilderoy to apologize. Knobby is unworthy of apologies, and it’s just too--”
“FINE! Fine, forget it ever happened!” he said, pulling back to his chair again.
“Knobby has angered Master Gilderoy,” she muttered. Sliding down to the floor, Knobby crawled under the other chair and curled up in a ball, pulling her ears down over her cheeks. “Knobby is--”
“No, it’s fine, Knobby! It’s fine! That’s what I said, that’s what I meant. I--, um...” he had to think of something, or she’d stay under that chair wailing for another hour like she did last time. “Why don’t you clear up the tea things, and start planning dinner. I’ll just go downstairs and clean up things from earlier today.”
“Ohhhh! Knobby is bad. So so bad. Knobby made mess and now Master Gilderoy wants to go clean it his-self. Knobby’s work isn’t good enough. Master does not like Knobby’s work.” Knobby rolled over onto the floor and pulled her ears all the way down to her mouth.
“No, wait, I-- no!”
It was no use. She was beyond any sort of rational thought now. With a sigh, Gilderoy twisted his lips over to one side. “Okay, fine. We’ll start doing things my way.”
Gilderoy picked up the chair and set it aside. He then picked up Knobby and carried her into the front room, bracing her tight against his chest so that all of her wiggling and squirming couldn’t break her free. She protested with more moans, squirming, squealing, and writhing around, but it was no use.
“I’m bigger than you, I’m stronger than you, and I am your master, so you better get used to doing things my way. If I want to sit down and read a book with a little girl elf on my lap, then that’s what I’m going to do!” he said with a strong determination. His one ear was ringing from the volume of Knobby’s protests, but he was able to ignore that as long as he kept focused on the task at hand.
Gilderoy didn’t have many children’s books, and very few with any sort of magical content. But there was one that he thought Knobby might just like. Settling the little elf on his lap in the crook of his arm, Gilderoy pulled a quilt up over the both of them and opened the book to the beginning.
“Now, your master wants to read a book. Read it out loud. And he wants to read it to someone. Since there’s nobody else here, your next job is to sit on my lap and listen to me read to you. Is that understood?” he said in the most commanding tone he could muster under the circumstances.
Knobby, shocked from this whole experience, simply nodded with a look of fear and anticipation on her face.
“And I expect you to look at the pictures, as well,” Gilderoy said, opening the book to the first page.
He cleared his throat, smiled to himself, and began reading.
“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’”
Characters: Gilderoy Lockhart, Knobbykins
Location: Gildery Shoppe
Status: Private
Summary: Gilderoy completely misunderstands the relationship between house elf and master.
Completion: Complete
“So, what else do you like to do?” Gilderoy asked for the fourth time.
“Knobby cooks and cleans and sews for Magnificent Master Gilderoy and Kind Handsomest Master Avery,” she said demurely, tucking her hands behind her back, staring down at her feet.
He had spent most of the morning showing Knobby around the cellar workshop, describing to her what he was making, and how he liked things done. Of course, she was horrified at the prospect of making elf clothes, but she seemed rather taken with the idea of cutting and sewing up new clothes and blankets. She also spent a good two minutes “fluffing” up the bale of cotton, bouncing up and down on it, and making little cottonball bunnies out of the fluffy white puffs.
After all of that, though, they both went upstairs for tea, and Gilderoy bade her to stay around so he could talk to her. He wanted to know more about this little elf of his. What she liked and disliked, what her family was like, if she had any friends in the elf world - things unrelated to her domestic duties.
“For example, do you like reading or being read to?” He asked, pushing the tray of seed cakes over toward Knobby.
“Is Master Gilderoy finished with his seed cakes? Knobby can clean up tea things if--”
“I’m not finished, I was offering you one. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“Oohhhhhh noooooo!” she moaned, apparently pained by this dilemma, “Knoooby cannot taaaake one. Pleeease, Master Gilderoy is being toooooo kind.”
Gilderoy pulled the plate back and slid out of his chair, taking the elf by the shoulders. “Look, no, I’m sorry, I just thought you might like one, I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything.”
“OHHHHH NOOOOOOO!” she wailed even louder. “Knobby does not want Magnificent Master Gilderoy to apologize. Knobby is unworthy of apologies, and it’s just too--”
“FINE! Fine, forget it ever happened!” he said, pulling back to his chair again.
“Knobby has angered Master Gilderoy,” she muttered. Sliding down to the floor, Knobby crawled under the other chair and curled up in a ball, pulling her ears down over her cheeks. “Knobby is--”
“No, it’s fine, Knobby! It’s fine! That’s what I said, that’s what I meant. I--, um...” he had to think of something, or she’d stay under that chair wailing for another hour like she did last time. “Why don’t you clear up the tea things, and start planning dinner. I’ll just go downstairs and clean up things from earlier today.”
“Ohhhh! Knobby is bad. So so bad. Knobby made mess and now Master Gilderoy wants to go clean it his-self. Knobby’s work isn’t good enough. Master does not like Knobby’s work.” Knobby rolled over onto the floor and pulled her ears all the way down to her mouth.
“No, wait, I-- no!”
It was no use. She was beyond any sort of rational thought now. With a sigh, Gilderoy twisted his lips over to one side. “Okay, fine. We’ll start doing things my way.”
Gilderoy picked up the chair and set it aside. He then picked up Knobby and carried her into the front room, bracing her tight against his chest so that all of her wiggling and squirming couldn’t break her free. She protested with more moans, squirming, squealing, and writhing around, but it was no use.
“I’m bigger than you, I’m stronger than you, and I am your master, so you better get used to doing things my way. If I want to sit down and read a book with a little girl elf on my lap, then that’s what I’m going to do!” he said with a strong determination. His one ear was ringing from the volume of Knobby’s protests, but he was able to ignore that as long as he kept focused on the task at hand.
Gilderoy didn’t have many children’s books, and very few with any sort of magical content. But there was one that he thought Knobby might just like. Settling the little elf on his lap in the crook of his arm, Gilderoy pulled a quilt up over the both of them and opened the book to the beginning.
“Now, your master wants to read a book. Read it out loud. And he wants to read it to someone. Since there’s nobody else here, your next job is to sit on my lap and listen to me read to you. Is that understood?” he said in the most commanding tone he could muster under the circumstances.
Knobby, shocked from this whole experience, simply nodded with a look of fear and anticipation on her face.
“And I expect you to look at the pictures, as well,” Gilderoy said, opening the book to the first page.
He cleared his throat, smiled to himself, and began reading.
“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’”