Donkey beamed with happiness like a polished galleon. He felt like there was no happier house elf in the world. Even his wounds were practically unnoticeable in the wave of rapture. The elf managed to rise to his feet and managed to stand, the ground swaying slightly.
"Lord, Donkey is happy to serve you," the house elf bowed low to Richard, practically sweeping the floor with his ears.
"Richard, will you stay for tea?" asked Madame Marchbanks.
- Excuse me, ma'am, I would be happy to stay for five o'clock, but my father is very worried.
"Oh, then I won't keep you, my boy. Go and take the servant with you."
- Thank you so much, mentor. Once again, I apologize for the sudden intrusion. All the best.
Richard, along with his now house elf, was transported through a portal to the Eaton Hall drawing room, where he was met by an agitated Gerald.
- Richie, what's going on? Why are you disappearing without warning?
"Dad, who should I warn about using the portal? The guard, who's supposed to know nothing about magic? Or you, who's still downstairs? Great! Am I supposed to run up and down the entire house just to get permission to visit my tutor for a few minutes?! Weren't you the one who wanted me to be more independent? What kind of double standards are these? Just decide: do you want me to be independent and make decisions, or your subordinate, asking for permission for every sneeze?"
The Duke looked angry, but he knew his son was right. He himself sent the child with an MI6 agent to gain experience in crisis management. And it's worth noting that the boy handled it well, albeit in a rather unorthodox manner.
"What did Madam Marchbanks say?" Gerald asked instead of a burst of curses.
"The mentor assured me that this house elf was safe. And she also helped me seal Donka's service to me with a charm."
- I see. Son, you're not really going to pass him off as a mutant dwarf, are you?
"Dad, that was a good idea! But no, I won't. When Donkey gets better, he'll be able to turn invisible. Okay, I have to go."
Richard went into the kitchen, where he collected food for the house-elf following close behind him.
- Eat.
- Thank you, Lord. Forgive Donkey. Donkey will be well tomorrow.
"Donkey, you'll spend the night in one of the spare servants' rooms tonight. Then you'll take a shower and choose an outfit from my old clothes."
"The Lord Wizard is giving Donkey clothes?!" The house elf trembled in horror. He looked extremely surprised.
"Are you stupid?" Richard said irritably. "Can't you see the difference between 'get your own clothes' and 'I'm giving you clothes'?!"
"Forgive me, Lord..." the house elf stopped crying. "So, the master won't give Donka clothes?"
"Okay, listen to me carefully! My servants must be the epitome of nobility, purity, and impeccability. People judge me and the Rich name as a whole by looking at my servants. If my servant is bare-assed, smelly, and wrapped in rags, people will think the Richs are in a terrible state. So, Donkey, either you embrace the importance of serving the Richs and act like a model butler, or I will actually hand you clothes!"
The house elf stood at attention, sucked in his stomach, and puffed out his chest. He answered in the tone of a prim butler:
- Lord Rich, Donkey has understood everything. What does Donkey need to do?
"That would be great... Donkey, my closet is overflowing with old clothes that are too small for me. When you get better, go through everything. Keep the clothes and shoes that fit as your work uniform. If necessary, get them altered or hemmed. Everything else will go to charity."
- Donkey understood, sir.
"And don't let anyone see you, except me and my Lord Gerald Rich, my father. Although... He shouldn't be in anyone's sight either."
- Donkey will be able to become invisible again tomorrow, master, sir.
"Excellent. The servants' quarters are at the end of the second-floor corridor. If I'm not mistaken, the last room on the left should be free. I won't keep you any longer."
The house elf, laden with food, trudged off to find his temporary bedroom.
At first, the house elf lived at Eaton Hall, remaining invisible to everyone except Richard.
The boy was pleased with Donkey's behavior. In patent leather shoes and an old child's suit worn maybe three times, the house elf looked much better. Yes, his appearance still left much to be desired, but the phlegmatic and unperturbed demeanor of a prim butler, which the elf had adopted, distracted attention from his unusual eyes, ears, nose, bald head, and grayish skin. In this appearance, Richie was ready to leave Donkey among the servants, especially since the Richs had been without a butler for several years. But Gerald was against it, and his word is law in this house.
The previous butler was so old that he'd served Karl's grandfather. He retired before the transmigrator became Richard, and a new servant of such caliber would be a long time coming. Rich Sr. commissioned a new butler from a special training institution that trains elite servants. The problem is that all graduates of this institution have already been bought. Of course, this isn't slavery; it's not the people themselves that are bought, but the long-term work contracts they sign. Moreover, the salary for such servants is quite substantial, roughly equivalent to that of a mid-sized company executive, and getting into such an institution is more difficult than getting into some elite private school. In short, it's still a couple of years before a new butler arrives at Eaton Hall, so, contrary to tradition, the gentlemen are served by a maid.
Every tradition has its exceptions. And if an aristocrat's family suddenly loses its butler, the gentlemen won't turn up their noses at being served by a maid.
On June 10th, Richard passed his final exam for his fourth year of secondary school. The next day, he, accompanied by Donkey, Steven, Scott, and Harry Potter, set off for Scotland to accept a construction job. All five of them fit comfortably into the Bentley.
Donkey sat between Harry and Richard in the back seat. Steve, as usual, drove, and Scott took the front passenger seat.
"So this is a house elf?" Harry asked, looking at the house elf with curiosity.
"Absolutely right," said Richard. "How are you doing, Harry?"
"Phew! School's finally over! Vacation!" Harry Potter beamed with happiness. "And how are you, Richie?"
"Wonderful. I passed my exams and now I'm free until September, like a bird in the sky-just keep flapping my wings. Remember I wrote to you about finding Donkey?"
"How could anyone forget something like that?" Harry tried not to laugh, but couldn't hide his smile. "I've never laughed so hard. You described that farmer so funny. I wonder if his children will be attending Hogwarts with us?"
"Most likely. I didn't specify the ages of Mr. Creevey's children. Perhaps some of them will enter Hogwarts this year, or maybe even after us."
"And I learned a new spell!" Harry boasted, then gasped, covered his mouth with his hands, and looked at Stephen.
"Don't worry, Harry," Richard patted his comrade on the shoulder. "Steve works for the secret service and knows about wizards. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, Donkey's been with us from the very beginning."
"Sir," the driver said with slight indignation, "I ask you not to divulge any classified information about where I work and what position I hold. And about other agents, too, sir."
- Sorry, Steve. It won't happen again.
A word is not a sparrow; once it's out, you can't hit it with a blaster. Harry had already heard the information he needed and stared at the driver with admiration.
"Sir, excuse me," said young Potter, "but are you just like James Bond?"