Your Home From Now On

Given Mr. Crouch's position at the Ministry of Magic, the adoption procedures were quickly completed.

When they Apparated in front of the Crouch residence, Lucretia was still a bit dizzy, her small face even paler.

This was her second time experiencing this method of magical travel; the last time, that Auror had taken her to St. Mungo's Hospital in the same way.

Madam Crouch supported her shoulders. "Take it slow, deep breaths. It's a bit disorienting the first few times."

Lucretia looked up at the mansion before them.

The evening sun cast a golden edge on the stately building, but heavy curtains blocked most of the light, making the entire house appear somewhat gloomy.

Mr. Crouch followed her gaze to the second floor. "Barty should be in his study at this hour. I'll go call him down. Oh, and..."

He pulled two beautifully wrapped boxes from the inside of his robes.

"Welcome gifts for you both."

Madam Crouch took the boxes, a look of relief on her face.

She knew her husband had gone to Diagon Alley specifically to buy the book her son had always wanted, Advanced Dark Arts Defense Theory, and had also picked out a collection of fairy tales for Lucretia.

Mr. Crouch strode upstairs after speaking. "I'll go check on him first."

Lucretia stood in the foyer, noticing the ancient family portraits hanging on the walls.

The figures in the paintings scrutinized her with curious eyes, muttering softly amongst themselves.

She instinctively moved closer to Madam Crouch.

Immediately after, a muffled argument could be heard from upstairs. Though the content was unclear, the tone was evidently unpleasant.

Madam Crouch glanced nervously at the stairs, her hand tightening on Lucretia's.

Finally, footsteps sounded.

A tall teenager followed Mr. Crouch down the stairs.

Lucretia looked up, meeting a pair of cold, gray eyes.

Little Barty stood midway down the stairs, his fingers resting on the carved banister, looking down at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

He wore neat, dark casual clothes, his hair slightly disheveled, and a smile of forced politeness on his face.

But the moment he lowered his head, Lucretia clearly saw a flash of barely concealed disgust in his pale gray eyes.

Mr. Crouch looked at his son, his tone somewhat stern. "This is Lucretia. From today on, she is a member of our family. I expect you to show the proper courtesy of the Crouch household."

Lucretia said softly, "Hello."

Little Barty nodded, his voice flat, almost indifferent. "Welcome."

Madam Crouch quickly tried to smooth things over. "Look at your gifts. Barty, this is the book you've been wanting."

Little Barty took the box, his eyes lighting up as he unwrapped it.

But when he saw that Lucretia had also received a set of hardcover books, the joy on his face vanished instantly, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly.

His voice held a hint of restrained sarcasm. "Thank you, Father. It seems you finally remembered I wanted this book. How... timely."

Mr. Crouch's expression immediately turned stern. "Barty!"

Little Barty apologized immediately, but his gaze remained cold. "Forgive me, Father. I misspoke. I like your gift very much. I have homework to do, so I'll go back to my room now."

He turned and went upstairs quickly, almost fleeing.

Lucretia held her new book, sensing the tense atmosphere.

Madam Crouch said softly, but with evident worry, "He just needs time to adjust. Come, I'll show you your room."

Lucretia followed Madam Crouch upstairs. As they passed Little Barty's closed door, she heard the sound of heavy page-turning from within.

She lowered her eyes. It seemed getting along with this sudden "brother" would not be easy.

Fortunately, she had long learned how to survive amidst hostility.

This time, however, she hoped to use kindness to dissolve that hostility, to repay Madam Crouch's gentleness towards her.

Madam Crouch led Lucretia to a room at the end of the second floor.

It was a south-facing bedroom with a small balcony in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The furniture in the room was brand new: a light-colored solid wood desk and wardrobe, with pale purple bedding on the bed.

Several pots of blooming daisies sat on the windowsill, clearly prepared with care by Madam Crouch.

"This is your room," Madam Crouch said. "I wasn't sure what colors you liked, so I chose something simple and elegant. If you want to change anything, just tell me."

Lucretia stood in the center of the room, still half in disbelief that all of this was prepared for her.

At the orphanage, they had all slept together, each person only getting a narrow iron bed and a worn-out cabinet.

"I like pale purple very much."

"That's good."

Madam Crouch stroked Lucretia's long hair and then called out, "Winky!"

With a soft pop, a small figure suddenly appeared in the room.

Lucretia looked in surprise at the creature that only reached her waist.

It had huge bat ears, eyes the size of tennis balls, and was wearing a neat tea towel.

Madam Crouch introduced, "This is Winky, our house-elf. She'll help you tidy your room, make some desserts, and you can call her if you need anything. Anything you can think of, she can almost certainly do for you."

"Greetings, Miss. Winky is honored to serve you."

The house-elf said in a high-pitched voice, bowing deeply.

Lucretia gazed at the magical little creature with curiosity.

She could feel the magic contained within Winky, a very warm, innate energy.

Without thinking, she crouched down, bringing her gaze level with Winky's.

"Hello, Winky," she said, extending her hand. "My name is Lucretia. It's nice to meet you."

Winky stared at the hand extended in front of her, her large eyes filled with confusion and unease.

No wizard had ever treated a house-elf like this, looking her in the eye as an equal, and wanting to shake her hand!

Winky's voice trembled as she took a few steps back, almost pressed against the nightstand. "M-Miss? Winky can't... this isn't... Winky is just a house-elf..."

Madam Crouch was also stunned.

She had never seen anyone try to shake hands with a house-elf.

But looking at Lucretia's sincere eyes, she suddenly understood that perhaps the child simply didn't know about the hierarchy in the wizarding world.

Lucretia seemed to sense Winky's unease and withdrew her hand, but remained crouched. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to be friends with you. You seem very kind."

Winky's large eyes immediately filled with tears. "Miss is too kind... Winky doesn't deserve it... Winky has never had such a kind young master..."

Lucretia said softly, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket. "Don't cry. Here, for you."

This sent Winky into a complete panic, and she began to tug hard at her ears. "No, no... Winky can't accept anything from Miss... It's the rules..."

Madam Crouch looked at Lucretia's slightly uneasy eyes and said gently, "Winky, don't be like that. Lucretia is new here and doesn't quite understand our customs yet. However... I don't think there's anything wrong with such kindness."

Winky stopped tormenting her ears but still stood there helplessly.

Lucretia felt she might have done something wrong and quickly stood up straight, but her face still wore a friendly smile.

She said to Winky, "I didn't mean to put you in a difficult position. We can get to know each other slowly."

Winky's large eyes shimmered with grateful tears. "Miss is truly too kind... Winky will take good care of Miss."

With that, the house-elf covered her face and vanished with a pop.

Madam Crouch watched it all, a warmth rising in her heart.

This girl had a special affinity about her, moving even the usually reserved Winky.

"You are a very special child," she said softly. "But remember in the future, house-elves... they have their own rules and customs. We can learn about these slowly."

Lucretia nodded. "I understand. I just thought she looked very cute, like a little angel."