Hermione passed the book to Ron, who looked at the chapter, and then back at the crowd. "Chapter… Two, Dobby, would you like to read this one, and I'll take the next one?"
"Oh, yes sir!" The house-elf jumped to his feet eagerly.
"Why would Dobby be warning Harry?" Arabella inquired frantically.
"I have a feeling we'll read about it," Arthur said, trying to be a comfort to both Arabella and his own wife.
…
"You were spying on my godson!" Sirius accused Dobby.
"Leave him be," Harry ordered, causing the Marauders to give him shocked looks. "I mean, please leave him alone."
"Much better," they chorused.
….
"Not a good time for you to show up, Dobby," Ginny worried, causing the house-elf's lip to tremble.
Harry gave her a hard look. "It's all right, Dobby, keep reading."
…
Harry recalled that Dobby's ensemble had actually made him grateful for Dudley's oversized, but otherwise functional hand-me-downs, not that he would ever say so in front of Dobby.
…
"Please, no!" whispered Remus. "Don't alert the Dursleys."
…
Molly Weasley's alarmingly raised eyebrows reiterated to Harry what a bad idea it would have been to have asked his question that way.
…
"Well, look at that," spoke Tonks with a chuckle, "you got both your questions answered at once."
…
The Marauders, Harry, and Arabella simultaneously shivered in revulsion. They had all heard that laugh come out of Petunia's mouth before.
…
"I think we'd all like to know the reason you've arrived, Dobby," said McGonagall.
…
"The beginning is usually the best place to start a tale," remarked Dumbledore philosophically.
…
"Bad move, Harry" winced Sirius.
"Why?" Colin asked.
…
"That's why," the animagus replied, becoming increasingly worried for his godson. "House-elves aren't used to being treated politely."
…
"So basically house-elves are treated like second-class citizens?" fumed Hermione.
"Tis as it has always been, miss," Dobby sighed.
…
"Truer words were never spoken," huffed Hermione in agreement with Book Harry's characterization of Dobby's owners.
…
Ron cursed. He had heard Hedwig show her displeasure many times, whenever she was confined to her cage on the Hogwarts Express. Dobby had to wait for Molly Weasley to finish scolding her son before he could read again.
…
"Did your masters know?" inquired McGonagall. Dobby shook his head.
…
"His owners would notice," Sirius conceded, "but they'd probably think he'd punished himself for a broken a vase or something."
…
"That's barbaric," Hermione declared.
"It's harsh, even by Pureblood standards," Tonks agreed.
…
"He can't leave without losing control of his magic," Remus explained, going into "Professor mode" again.
...
"You'll never serve them again," Harry promised.
"You know who they are," Arabella assumed, but Dobby spoke before Harry did.
"Lulu says they is to find out by themselves, Harry Potter."
The twins pouted.
…
"Oh stop," Ginny begged, "his uncle will hear you!"
"This already happened, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore reminded her.
...
"That's because Dobby never knew Lily," Remus whispered to Sirius.
…
The mentioned witch blushed.
…
Hermione gave Harry crushing hug. "I'm sorry."
…
"Because it's probably more a trauma than a triumph for him," Arthur pointed out. Dobby nodded, looking ashamed.
…
"Sorry, but I'll never stop saying thename,, " Harry remarked confidently.
"Good to know, cub."
….
"Sorry, mate," Ron sighed.
…
"You bet he escaped." Sirius whooped, glad to have something to celebrate.
….
"The Dursleys are actually ignoring the ruckus you two are making?" Arabella gasped.
"Well, paying attention would mean admitting that something in their life isn't 'perfectly normal.'"
"Good point, dear."
…
"Yeah, why?" Sirius echoed Harry's question. "What is going on under your nose this time, Dumbledore?"
…
Arthur and Molly Weasley paled, remembering just how terrible that year had indeed been. Their daughter…their little Ginny would never be the same.
….
"That a fair point," Tonks spoke. "Even if Harry was specifically named in this plot…"
"No," Sirius shuddered. "Don't even suggest that."
Tonks glanced at her cousin, alarmed and instantly apologetic. "What I meant to say is aren't there better people to tell, like Aurors for instance."
…
"Glad I'm not the only one who's confused," said the redhead cheerfully.
…
"Merlin forbid," whispered Molly, as the grin slid off of Fred's face.
…
"Yes, Harry," Remus replied, smiling slightly. "Even house-elves know who Dumbledore is."
…
"Thank you, Dobby," Dumbledore acknowledged.
…
"But no one has ever accused your master of being decent," Harry pointed out. Dobby gave a wheezy giggle as if he enjoyed having an inside joke with Harry.
…
"Don't do that," Molly scolded Dobby.
…
"Vernon's coming," groaned Hermione.
...
"I'm sure the Masons appreciated your timing on that one, Harry," remarked Ron. "I know I wouldn't want to hear Vernon's idea of a joke."
…
"I can make you the same promise if you ever threaten Harry again, Dursley!" Sirius growled.
…
"You do have friends," all the current students assured Harry.
…
"How did you know that they weren't writing?" McGonagall, Sirius, and Remus asked at once.
…
"What other emotion besides anger did you expect, Dobby?" George wanted to know.
…
"Yes, he has," chorused the Weasleys, the Marauders, Hermione, Tonks, and Arabella.
…
"He didn't send you any rock cakes, did he, Harry?
"Not this time, Colin," Harry replied, and the boy practically did a jig at being addressed,
"Excitable, isn't he?" mouthed Sirius, raising an eyebrow.
"That's Colin for you," Remus whispered back.
…
"Because Privet Drive is so much better," Hermione scoffed.
…
Tonks glared at the elf. "You are aware it's against the law to enter a minor into a magical contract? You could land in front of the Ministry for that."
"Dobby knows it, Miss."
"Don't turn him in, Tonks," Harry wheedled.
"This is very serious, Mr. Potter," McGonagall explained, on behalf of a pale Remus. "If you had given your word, and broken it, you magical core would have exploded, and almost assuredly killed you."
"Oh." Harry felt a sudden surge of discomfort and quickly waved Dobby on.
…
"There's always a choice," countered Hermione.
…
"Because I'm sure the story's just riveting," snorted Fred.
…
Tonks bit down on her thumbnail.
…
Arabella winced. "I assure you nothing that can come of this will do Harry good."
….
"Damn it, Dobby!" hissed Sirius.
…
"Who's Veron calling 'disturbed'?" Ginny shouted.
…
"Double damn!" said Sirius, "It's the ministry."
…
"Joke?" Ron repeated. "Are we still talking about the Dursleys here?"
"Did you just make one, little brother?" Fred inquired, equally aghast.
Ron glared.
…
"Doesn't the Ministry know that Muggles would definitely notice an owl flying through the living room window?" a confused Colin wanted to know.
Tonks shrugged. "As I'm quickly learning myself, most of the people who work at the Ministry are a bunch of raging hypocrites. No offense to you, Arthur."
"None was taken," Mr. Weasley replied. "Don't worry, Harry, Tonks and I will make sure this is wiped from your record."
…
"He had a good reason for not divulging the no-magic rule, " Remus remarked bitterly. "It was the only leverage he had."
…
"Yet another reason for me to hate cats!" Sirius declared.
….
"Which I'm sure they considered incredibly generous," McGonagall snapped.
…
"I was the one who potty trained Harry while they were on vacation," Arabella replied. "Best thing they ever did for him was going on vacation."
Harry buried his head in Remus's robes, feeling this was a bit of an over share. At least Mrs. Figg had failed to mention that he had been going on four years old at the time. It was not something Harry figured his godfather (whose comfort Harry couldn't seek because he could see that Sirius was too distressed in his own right) needed to know.
…
"It's all right, Sirius," Tonks tried to comfort her cousin. "Obviously Harry got out of there because if he didn't, there wouldn't be much of a book, now would there?"
…
"Give me the damn book, Dobby," Harry ordered getting to his feet.
"Harry!" Molly Weasley cried.
Remus wasn't too fond of the language either, but he felt it best to get to the bottom of the matter, rather than scold. "What are you going to do with it, cub?"
"I'm going to throw it into the fireplace," Harry replied. "I'm going to burn every one of these stupid books! Sirius just got out of prison. After dealing with those bloody Dementors every day, the last thing he needs to hear about is my childhood."
"We must read them, Harry, sir," squeaked Lulu, who had popped into the garden at the first sign of her master's outburst. "There be lives to be saved because of it, sir."
"Lulu's right, pup," whispered Sirius. "And anyway, I deserve to hear everything. The reason you're with those wretched people in the first place is that I went off half-cocked to avenge your parents instead of taking care of you as I should have."
"No Sirius," Remus said sternly. "You can listen to me if you want, but even if you don't, Harry, Tonks, and I will tell you as often as you need to hear it. There a several people responsible for the state of Harry's childhood: Voldemort, Albus, the Dursleys, and of course, HIM. You are not on that list, Sirius."
Sirius didn't seem to believe Remus, but he didn't protest, so Dobby read on.
…
"Much as I know you love your owl, Harry, I think we'd all rather you ate all of the soup yourself," said Hermione.
"I certainly would," Molly and Arabella agreed
…
"And in any case," chuckled Arabella, "she appears to be a very proud creature,"
"That she is," Harry replied. He stroked the owl in question. Hedwig had just flown out of Ron's open window, apparently thoroughly worn out by Pig's hyperactivity.
…
"Someone from the staff would most definitely come get you, " Dumbledore assured Harry.
…
"That Harry could sleep hungry was only a testament to how much practice he had doing so," thought Hermione sadly.
…
"Three 'someones' actually," Harry amended, as the three Weasleys bowed.
…
"That is being the end of the chapter," Dobby announced.
"Thank Merlin!" breathed Sirius.
