AN: Hi everyone! I know I have not posted anything for a long time. Battling depression and writing doesn't mix – at least not for me.
Here now the first chapter of a new story: A FRIENDS ADVICE
ENJOY!
Wilyoldjane
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!
Chapter 1 – A Sound Advice
Harry stared into the dancing flames of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. For the first time since he had saved little Ginny Weasley from the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle, to the rest of the Wizarding World better known as Lord Voldemort, he was really alone.
Hermione, petrified through the now dead basilisks gaze, was still in the hospital wing. The restoration draught would be ready sometime tomorrow and Madam Pomfrey had assured Harry that his best friend would be back to her old self soon.
Harry's other best friend Ronald Weasley had left Hogwarts that night together with his brothers and little sister. After nearly loosing her only daughter and youngest son, who had followed Harry down to the Chamber of Secrets to save his little sister, Mrs Weasley had insisted on taking her children home early. Headmaster Dumbledore had readily agreed and Harry didn't blame her. He just wished that someone would care enough to do the same for him.
All in all Harry had not had a good second year. Not only whispering and pointing continued to follow him wherever he went because of him being The Boy Who Lived – the only person who ever survived the killing curse. No, things had gone from annoying to bad when something continued to attack and petrify students and from bad to worse when Harry unwittingly revealed that he was a parselmouth, not knowing that the ability to talk to snakes was seen as dark in the Wizarding World. The whispering and looks had turned to open fear and sometimes hostility, even in Harry's own house Gryffindor. Only few of his fellow lions had stood up for him, mainly Ron, Hermione, the Gryffindor Quidditch team and, to Harry's great surprise, his dorm mate Neville Longbottom.
'Penny for your thoughts!' a voice pulled Harry out of his memories of a less than stellar school year. Surprised he looked up. He had been sure everyone had gone to bed.
'Hey Katie!' he greeted the blonde witch, who took the seat next to him. 'I thought everyone went to bed already.' Katie Bell was a year older than Harry. They both had joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team the year before and the muggleborn witch had been one of the few people who had scoffed at the idea of Harry being a dark wizard just because he was able to talk to snakes.
'Couldn't sleep!' she answered. 'You?'
'Me too!' the raven haired boy admitted. Katie nodded. For a moment both sat in comfortable silence.
'So what electives are you planning to take next year?' she finally asked.
'Divination and Care for Magical Creatures.' Harry answered. Katie's eyebrows rose.
'Why those?' she asked. 'I mean Care is kinda cool but Divination is rubbish from what I've heard.' The young wizard shrugged.
'I signed up for them 'cause Ron is taking the same classes. Hermione has singed up for all, so …' he trailed off, shrugging again. Katie's eyes grew big.
'She's singed up for all of them?' she asked incuriously. 'She's planning to eat and sleep sometime next year, is she?' Harry chuckled.
'Yeah, I guess.' Than he sobered, 'What did you mean with that Divination is rubbish?' he asked.
'The course is useless when you don't have the talent,' Katie explained. 'And I've heard that Professor Trelawney likes to predict her students deaths – not that ever someone died, but well.' She trailed off. Harry frowned when he processed what he had just heard. He imagined what it would feel like if Professor Trelawney would predict his death in the very first class of the year and thought great, just great. It would grant him even more attention, because half of his classmates would clearly believe it und just wait for him to drop dead right in front of them; so much for an easy class.
'So what do you suggest?' he asked his friend.
'Take Arithmancy or Ancient Runes instead.' Katie advised. 'They are required for a lot of jobs – it all depends on what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts.' Harry sighed.
'Why don't we get any advice before choosing our electives anyway?' he complained. 'Its not that I have the slightest idea what I'm going to do after Hogwarts, not to mention what jobs are there in the Wizarding World.' Katie's eyes widened when he said that.
'What do you mean, you don't know about what jobs there are in the Wizarding World?' she questioned. She knew that Harry's relatives didn't like magic, but 'Didn't you get the muggleborn package when you started Hogwarts?' Her friend and teammates dumbstruck expression gave her the answer. 'Wait, I will be back in a few.' With that she raced up the stairs leading to the girls' dorms.
Quietly Katie slipped into her dorm, careful to not wake any of the other girls. Quickly she opened her school trunk which was luckily mostly empty anyway with her stuff neatly packed away in her wardrobe. She found the pamphlets about the Ministry of Magic, the most important laws, Wizarding economy and society and jobs right there together as well as an overview over the core subjects taught at Hogwarts with her first year books. Checking that she hadn't missed any she closed her trunk and slipped out of the third year girls' dorm without anyone the wiser.
Over the next hour both poured over the pamphlets with Katie answering Harry's questions as well as she could. In the end Harry decided that he would approach his head of house the next day to change his electives from Divination to Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. He would also write to Ron. Maybe he would be able to convince his redheaded best friend to take one of those two classes as well.
A FRIENDS ADVICE
His talk with his stern Head of House went better than Harry had expected and she changed his electives for the coming school years without complaint. She even graced Harry with one of her rare smiles.
'Your mother would be proud of you, Mr. Potter. She took the same electives, you know.' Harry smiled shyly at Professor MacGonagall.
'Really? I didn't know that, Professor.' MacGonagall frowned.
'Didn't your aunt tell you?'
'Aunt Petunia never speaks about my parents, Professor.' Harry told his Head of House, not noting the stricken look on her face. 'Thank you for letting me change electives.'
A FRIENDS ADVICE
The hours up to the end of the year feast Harry spend in the library, flipping through a copy of 'Magical Beast and where to find them'. He had already read about Acrumantulas, mentally correcting the part about there none being in Britain. He also read up upon Basilisks. Finally he reached a passage about house elves.
'House Elves are very useful magical creatures. They are dependent on being bonded with a witch, wizard or magical family line. A bonded elf is very loyal to his master/mistress and can be tasked with numerous responsibilities like cleaning, cooking, taking care of small children and so on. While bonded elves easily can live up to two hundred years a free elf looses its magic within five years and dies shortly after. A bond is severed by gifting the elf with a piece of clothes.
Harry read the part about house elves with growing horror. If this was true, Dobby would die before Harry left Hogwarts! He couldn't let this happen! He had to make sure; the somewhat odd elf would be OK.
Taking a few deep breaths Harry forced himself to calm down. He had to make sure that this was true. But who should he ask? After a few moments Harry finally decided to ask Dobby himself. Since Harry was sure that Madam Pince would not appreciate the excitable elf disturbing the peace of her domain Harry grabbed his things and went in search for an empty classroom.
Finding one was not really an issue. Hogwarts was huge and clearly build to accommodate much more students that were attending at the moment and so Harry hadn't to look for long to find an empty classroom not too far from the library. Putting his book bag on one of the tables he called for Dobby.
'Master Harry Potter sir is calling for Dobby?' the excitable elf asked his eyes staring at Harry in adoration.
'Yes Dobby.' Harry answered, slightly unsettled by the hero worship. 'I've just read something about house elves and I wanted make sure if this is true. You are the only house elf I know. Would you like to help me?' Dobby nodded so fast that he should by all rights have hovered a feet above the floor by the way his ears were flapping up and down.
'Dobby would like very much helping the Great Harry Potter sir!'
'OK! Dobby, I've just read that house elves need to be bound to a witch or wizard or they are loosing their magic. Is that that true, Dobby?' Dobby looked at him with his big eyes, notably less exited than only moments before.
'It true, Master Harry Potter sir!' The elf's answer made Harry's heart sink.
'Oh, I'm so sorry, Dobby!' he said but the elf shook his head.
'Dobby is not! Dobby not might become old now but Dobby now free from bad master.' The elf solemnly said.
'But you are going to die!' Harry cried out.
'But dying better than to work for nasty Master Lucy!'
'Couldn't you find another, better wizard or witch to bond to?' Harry asked, desperate to save his friends life. Dobby's ears dropped.
'No wizard taking elf been freed by former master. They think free elf be bad elf!' Harry bit his lip, an idea forming in his mind.
'Would … would you like to, to work for me, Dobby?' he asked hesitantly. The small elf's eyes became big as saucers.
'Master Harry Potter sir wanting Dobby?' he asked. The sheer hope in his eyes face was painful to see. 'With bonds?' Harry nodded.
'If that's what you want Dobby.' He said. Dobbys enthusiastic response left no doubt that yes, he wanted to bond to Harry. 'So how do we do this?' Harry asked when Dobby had calmed down again.
'Harry Potter must state that he wants Dobby to be his elf and than Dobby accepts.'
'This is all?' Harry asked. Dobby nodded. Within moments Dobby was bonded to Harry as his house elf.