When Eileen was certain snuffles was going to follow her, Eileen stood up and headed out of the cramped ally. Most of the muggles who’d been staring stopped the moment she looked their way. Good, they should mind their own damned business. The walk back home was the best since she’d had since arriving in London. It probably spoke of how of poor company she’d suffered over the years, if her best walk about town was with a dog. As comfortable as things were, Eileen was very relieved when she caught sight of her new home.
The whole front of it was enchanted to confuse muggles. Looking at it too closely, or for too long, might leave them with the urge to go to some missed appointment. The house was nice, but it couldn’t be compared to the extravagant home of her childhood. Still, it was practically heaven in comparison with Spinner’s End.
Eileen suddenly felt obligated to welcome Snuffles to his new home, So she explained “So this is it. Then. Certainly beats an ally, doesn't it?"
With that she made her way to the front door, when she reached for the doorknob instead of getting out a key she whispered “A LADY red upon the hill. Her annual secret keeps. A lady white within the field in placid lily sleeps.”
The door opened with a clack, and she pushed it open wide to make sure there was enough room for snuffles. The very moment they were inside, she called out “Nigel!”
There was a loud pop as a unusually small house elf with extremely watery eyes appeared. Nigel looked disdainfully from Eileen and then to the large black dog. The house elf didn’t like her, but it never openly disrespected her before. From the increasingly sour look on its face, it looked like he might make an exception this once.
“What is all this about, miss Eileen?” He asked in a squeaky voice, that sounded much like a sulky child forced to do chores.
While Nigel wasn’t exactly being rude, but she knew house elves knew better than to question their betters. She did not enjoy being judged by house elves, of all the creatures, she’d spent most of her adult life disrespected by everyone around her. Eileen snapped, “ I will not tolerate any disrespect from you, Nigel. You are to get my guest some dinner, preferably some steak. You are to treat this dog with the same level of respect as you would my son.” She paused to push back her dirty black hair and glare down at him “Am I understood?”
The house elf looked like he’d bitten into a mud flavored bertie bot’s bean, but he did not say anything else. Instead he disappeared with a long bang, no doubt to go and retrieve Snuffles next meal.
She looked apologetically at her dog as if he might be put off by Nigel’s attitude. “ Hopefully, this will be a good enough lunch. I should’ve just gotten the damn food myself. Miserable thing.”