To keep herself occupied and in a vain attempt to make time speed up, she started to clean the kitchen. Augustus had been able to cast a stasis charm on his meal before he left, a trick many learned after years of countless interrupted suppers. The rest, however, Hermione cleared off the table. Out of respect for her personal feelings on the matter of house-elf slavery, he'd long ago sent his elderly house-elf to his home in France. He'd even promised her that he would never allow another one in his house in Cornwall again. Considering the thick layer of dust that covered much of the house, she knew he was keeping that promise. Wizards could so rarely see the dust they lived in and Mrs. Rookwood certainly didn't cross the Channel if it wasn't absolutely necessary.