This is not a work of J K Rowling
A/N:I am not really proud of the first chapters of the story. I decided to publish another chapter to help get people to the good parts.
Chapter 3
Harry had just woken from another nightmare about Cedric, the graveyard and Voldemort. He decided to use the whirlpool again to see if it would work to calm him down again like last night. As he was thinking of the day ahead, he had decided to do his shopping in the muggle world first and then go to Diagon Alley for the rest. The problem was he wanted to buy more clothes but couldn't think of how to carry around a large purchase under his invisibility cloak or while going through other shops. He really needed to shrink his packages in order to make his trip practical. Now that he was an adult in the muggle world, he wasn't sure if that would let him do magic in the wizard world. Harry didn't realize that he was mumbling while he was thinking.
"If I can't do magic, then maybe I could get someone else to do it for me, but who?" Then an idea struck him and he whispered to himself. "Dobby could do it."
Harry jumped when, with a small pop, Dobby was standing just outside the whirlpool. Harry had no intention of calling him, but here he was.
"The Great Harry Potter Sir called Dobby. What can Dobby do for the Great Harry Potter Sir?"
"Dobby, I didn't mean to call you, but now that you're here, I want to ask you a question. But first, I'm not wearing any clothes and I feel very uncomfortable talking to you like this. Could you wait in the other room for a few minutes while I get out of the water?"
"Dobby is happy to do whatever the Great Harry Potter Sir asks of Dobby." With that, there was another pop, and Dobby was gone. Harry quickly left the whirlpool, dried himself off, and dressed in another fluffy bathrobe that the hotel had provided while he was gone the day before. Dobby was sitting, excitedly waiting for Harry, when he emerged from the bathroom.
"Dobby, I need to make some purchases tomorrow, but I can't carry them around with me while I do more shopping, do you think that you could follow me without being seen and shrink them for me?"
"Dobby can doos that for the Great Harry Potter Sir! Dobby is so happy that the Great Harry Potter Sir called for Dobby. Dobby wants to help the Great Harry Potter Sir do anything the Great Harry Potter Sir wantses done."
"Dobby, do you think that we can shorten what you call me. Do you think that you could just call me 'Harry'?"
"Oh no, Dobby could never do that. It would be most disrespectful. Is 'Master Harry' alright?" Harry thought that would be an improvement, and that he could work on the "master" part later. He was just too tired to deal with it in the middle of the night.
"That will have to do for now, thank you, Dobby"
"The Great Har… Master Harry thanked Dobby? Master Harry is so kind and considerate to thank Dobby. Dobby doesn't deserve…"
"Stop. Dobby, I just thanked you. That doesn't make me special. I appreciate your help, and it will make it much easier to do what I have to do."
"Dobby understands, Master Harry. Dobby will doos whatever Master Harry wantses done."
"Alright Dobby, I would like to get started at 7:30 this morning, would that be okay with you?"
"Whatever Master Harry wantses Dobby will doos."
"Alright Dobby, I'll be ready as well." With that settled, Harry was wide awake again. He was glad that he was going to get the help that he needed but he wished that it could have waited until later. With nothing else to do, he returned to the whirlpool and tried to relax and get sleepy again. Twenty minutes later he returned to bed and slept peacefully until his alarm clock woke him. Harry quickly got dressed, had breakfast from room service and was ready a few minutes before Dobby arrived.
"Dobby, could you pack my clothes and shrink them for me?" With a snap of his fingers it was done, and Harry put them in his pocket. He grabbed his notes, folded them and slipped them in another pocket. "I'm going to walk about three blocks to a clothing store and buy some new clothes. After I leave the store, I'll try to find an alley where I'll meet you, and you can shrink my packages for me."
"Dobby will follow Master Harry and doos as Master Harry asks."
"Thank you." Harry heard a sniffle but didn't say anything, he didn't want to deal with how great he was again.
Harry stopped at the front desk when he was leaving and checked out of his suite. He gawked at the bill, he didn't know if you would ever get used to paying so much for things. After living with the Dursleys for so long without any money to his name, spending any amount of money felt strange. After putting the charges on his card, he left and walked to the clothing store.
Since Dobby was going to shrink everything for him he decided that he was going to buy a lot of clothes. He ordered at least a dozen sets of pants and shirts along with another three pair of shoes. He added more socks and underwear and was happy that he remembered to buy pajamas this time. His arms were very full when he left. The saleslady offered to send them to his hotel again but he told her that he had checked out. He indicated that he would hire a taxi to help him get to where he was going and that she shouldn't worry. Harry left with his arms very full and found an alley not too far away. Dobby appeared and shrunk the packages with a snap of his fingers and Harry put them in his pocket.
"Dobby, I intend to go to a grocery store next, do you think that you can shrink and keep frozen what I want to buy?"
"Dobby can doos that Master Harry."
"I'm not sure where a store is, but I'll have a taxi driver help me. Do you want to follow me in the taxi, or do you want to have me call you when I'm there."
"Dobby has not ridden in taxi before, Dobby wantses to go with Master Harry." Dobby was practically jumping up and down at the thought of riding in a taxi.
"When I'm done with my shopping and have paid the bill, I would like you to place a notice-me-not charm on me, shrink my purchase and keep frozen what needs to be. When I reach the parking lot, would you then remove the notice-me-not charm before I get back to the taxi?"
"Dobby will doos what Master Harry asks."
"After getting back in the taxi, I'm going to go to the Leaky Cauldron and go through to Diagon alley. I don't care then if you stay invisible then or not."
"Dobby understands."
Harry did as he told Dobby he would, and the taxi driver dropped him off in front of a large grocery store. He told the driver to wait for him, and he went inside to the frozen food section. He loaded the cart with frozen pizzas and Coke and went to the checkout station. The cashier asked him if he was having a party, and Harry just smiled and told her yes. The rest of the trip went as expected. After the taxi driver dropped him off he quickly passed through the pub and entered the alley without anyone paying attention to him.
It was nearly 11:00 and he had to hurry, the Dursleys should be leaving soon and Dumbledore would be advised that he was missing. That reminded him that he had left most of his things, including his photo album at Privet Drive.
"Dobby, would you go to my old room on Privet Drive and pack all my things and bring them to me? I especially want my photo album."
"Dobby will doos that." With a pop he was gone. Less than a minute later, he heard another pop and Dobby was back with his things shrunken. "Dobby gots everything, Master Harry."
Harry went to Madam Malkins and bought new robes for general wear as well as school. There was no reason to leave all of his school shopping for later. Dobby shrunk the packages again and he continued to Scrivenshaft's Quill shop and bought a large supply of parchment, quills, ink, dicto-quills and some fancy quills that had metal points. They were to write in different handwriting, he didn't know if they would be useful but they looked fun to try.
He next went to a trunk shop where he bought a new trunk large enough to hold his new clothes, a drawer for business papers and a separate compartment for his school supplies. He also added a self shrink option so he didn't have to lug around a trunk when he went back to school. He paid for the trunk and then placed his Scrivenshaft purchases in his trunk along with his other shrunken purchases from earlier, shrunk it and placed it in his pocket.
Harry was looking forward to the next shop, he had been thinking about Terwilliger's Outdoor Shop all day, it was going to be the most important stop of the day.
~~oo000oo~~
Remus Lupin knocked on Arabella Figg's door.
"Arabella, something has happened with the Dursleys, and I need to use your floo to call Albus."
"Oh, dear. Are they alright? Is Harry okay?"
"The Dursleys seem fine. There is no sign of Harry."
Remus went to the fireplace and threw in a handful of floo powder and called out "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts."
"Remus, what a pleasant surprise, is everything alright?"
"Albus, there are three large cars in front of the Dursley house. There are uniformed men loading suitcases into cars and they escorted the Dursleys into the cars. There is no sign of Harry. I don't know what is going on other than it looks like the Dursleys are leaving. I don't know if it is willing or not."
"Stand aside, I'm coming through."
Before Albus came through the cars had left Privet Drive and were on their way to the airport. Albus and Remus walked to the house, unlocked the door and entered. They went upstairs and found the door with all the locks on the outside and Albus wondered about the meaning of that.
"Do you know the meaning of these locks?" Albus looked at Remus.
"This is Harry's room, they sometimes lock him in," Remus said. Albus frowned, he thought that the Order members had been exaggerating. It seems like things were worse than he thought.
Albus looked inside and found a broken desk, chair and a sagging bed. There was no sign of anyone being there recently. He checked for magical signatures and found a recent trace of a house elf.
Albus checked the rest of the house and found the clothes closets empty. Wherever the Dursleys were going it looked like it was going to be for an extended trip. He hurried back to the floo at Arabella Figg's house and called as many Order members as were available and sent them to the airport to try to find the Dursleys. Little did he know that Harry had already thought ahead and had a private jet waiting. The Order was going to be checking the terminals. they wouldn't think to check the private flights. It would take weeks to track down the Dursleys - that is, if they would ever find them at all.
~~oo000oo~~
It was nearly 1 o'clock, and Harry needed to hurry.
"May I help you young man?" The shop keeper asked.
"I would like to buy a wizard tent. I want one of the best ones, and I have a list of features I would like."
"Let me know what you are looking for, and I'll see if I can help you."
"I need a large tent, with air freshening charms, and some way to light the interior so that it is easy to read at night. I want a fully functioning bathroom with a whirlpool, spa, hot tub, Jacuzzi, or something similar. I would like there to be book shelves and a nice desk. I want a fully operational kitchen with an oven, cooker and a way to keep some foods cool and others frozen. If there is some way to have a self stocking pantry, that would be good, too."
"That is quite an order, and it will be expensive."
"That's alright. I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes. I should also mention that I need it immediately."
"Making a tent like that takes a lot of time, a custom order usually takes weeks to prepare." Harry hadn't thought of that and he had so much depending on this purchase. It seemed like his plan was going to be unworkable.
"However," the shop keeper continued, "I have a tent that has what you want in stock. It was ordered by a big game hunter but he was killed while on safari before he could pick it up."
"That would be great!"
"I'll warn you that his taste in decorating might not be what you are expecting. But the tent meets your needs, and it is available immediately. Would you like me to show you what it looks like?"
"How difficult is it to set up?"
"You only need to tap it with your wand, and it sets itself up."
"Then I don't need to see it, I'll take it." Harry knew that time was short so he paid for the tent and left the shop.
As soon as Harry stepped outside, he was accosted by a very unhappy owl. Hedwig had found him and wasn't happy to be left at the Dursleys. She nipped at his ear until it was bleeding and she kept slapping him with her wings.
"Hedwig… Hedwig please stop. I'm sorry that I left you alone. I couldn't take you with me, honest. I haven't forgotten you. I was going to have you come to me." Harry had to make a story up quickly, he hadn't planned to deal with Hedwig and he needed to come up with something quick. "I'm glad that you found me, please come with me girl and we will make everything alright. Okay?"
Hedwig finally calmed down some, her feathers were still ruffled but she had stopped pecking at him and beating him with her wings.
"Dobby, do you think that you could go to Eyelops' Emporium and get some fresh owl food and treats for me, then meet me in Gringotts' lobby?"
"Dobby can do." Harry gave him several galleons and with a soft pop he was on his way to Eyelop's while Harry hurried with Hedwig on his shoulders to Gringotts. When he went inside he was greeted by Nearfang.
"Good afternoon Mr. Potter, would you like me to show you to Varnok?"
"In a few moments I would appreciate that. I'm waiting for a house elf to bring me some things before I'm ready." As soon as Harry finished saying that Dobby came running across the lobby.
"Dobby gots the owls's food and treats like yous asked, Master Harry."
"Thank you, Dobby. Would you please come with me? I have an idea that you might be able to help me with."
Shifting his attention to Nearfang, he said, "I'm ready to see Varnok now."
The trip to Varnok's office seemed shorter somehow. It didn't take long before Harry was seated in front of Varnok's desk.
After some pleasantries Harry started to get down to business. "I don't know how much that Ragnok may have told you. It is my plan to take a tent to the Potter vault and spend at least a few days there, if not longer."
"Ragnok mentioned that to me. That is most unusual, but there are no objections."
"I also would like to make arrangements for my owl to join me. Occasionally I would like to have her take a message for me. Because I won't know when she returns, will it be possible for her to use your owlery, or can I be notified of her arrival so that I can pick her up and return her to my tent?"
"I don't see that as a problem. We can set up a magical bell that will ring in your vault when she returns to the owlery."
"That would be most appreciated. Also I would like to know if it is possible to have a house elf travel to my vault through your wards, perhaps to bring me things or deliver items and messages?" At this Hedwig became upset, it was her job to take messages. She slapped him with her wing to remind him. Varnok smirked at Harry's owl and answered as if nothing happened.
"Bonded house elves are free to bring things to and from a master's vault at anytime. While goblins can't limit the movement of house elves we can stop them from using their magic within the walls of Gringotts. Moving items to or from a vault takes magic so that is prohibited. House elves are restricted by their nature from doing any damage to anyone's property. They are able to visit other people's vaults but are unable to speak of it because of their bonds of secrecy. Most customers with bonded house elves seldom visit their vaults." Harry's head fell, he was hoping that he could hire Dobby to help him to interact with the outside world. His leaving the vault often would be cumbersome and dangerous.
"Well that answers that, Dobby isn't bonded so my idea isn't going to work."
"Master Harry," Dobby interrupted, "Dobby wouldst be most happy if Dobby could bond with Master Harry. Dobby wouldst be very most happy."
"What about your freedom? I thought that you liked being free."
"Dobby is happy to be free of old bad master, but being free isn't fun anymore. The other elves make fun of Dobby and call Dobby names. Dobby would like to be Master Harry's elf." Harry thought about it for a few moments. He knew that he would be in trouble with Hermione, but it would make Dobby happy to be bonded once again, so Harry decided to throw caution to the wind.
"Dobby, will you be my house elf?"
Dobby was jumping and dancing around the office. "Oh yes Master Harry, Dobby wantses nothing more than to be your elf."
"What do I have to do?"
"Master Harry has'd to accept the clothes that set Dobby free." With that Dobby snapped his fingers and the old sock of Harry's that was used to set him free was in his hands.
"Dobby, I accept this sock and your bond to me. If ever you are unhappy with our bond I want you to promise me that you will tell me so that I can free you once again."
"Dobby promises."
Varnok interrupted. "With that taken care of, is there anything else that I can help you with before you travel to your vault?"
"I only need a way to call for a cart to bring me back to the surface when I need to return."
"All of our vaults are equipped with a bell just inside the vault door. Ringing the bell will send someone to pick you up."
"It sounds like I'm all set. Could you have someone take me to the Potter vault please?"
Nearfang entered the office and soon Harry, Hedwig, and Dobby were with Nearfang in a cart speeding down the tracks. Dobby was squealing with excitement, he had never ridden in a cart before and he loved it. Hedwig was not going to show any emotion, she was trying to be regal but it was difficult to do when she was shifting from side to side on Harry's shoulder.
After what seemed to be a long ride the cart stopped in front of vault number eleven. With a prick of blood Harry was recognized as the lord and the door opened without a sound. Harry stood and looked around, the vault was huge, and it was full of books, armor, furniture, portraits, jewelry, mirrors and an assortment of items that Harry didn't recognize.
He turned to Nearfang and asked. "If you would wait for a few moments so that I can make sure that the tent will open properly, I would appreciate it." With that Harry set the tent on the floor and tapped it with his wand. A giant lion's roar accompanied the tent unfolding and forming what looked like a grass hut. Harry was taken aback, but he had been warned. He believed that all the features that he needed were inside so he sent Nearfang on his way and decided to open the curtain leading inside.
~~oo000oo~~
Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley were impressed. Even though it felt like they were heading into exile, at least they were going in style. They were boarding a gleaming corporate jet that looked like it could easily seat twenty people and other than the crew, they were the only ones on board. It seemed that in no time they were rocketing down the runway, and the thrust was much more than a normal airliner. They were held back in their seats and they were at cruising altitude in mere minutes.
~~oo000oo~~
Albus Dumbledore was worried, he didn't know what was happening, but he didn't like it at all. Harry was missing and the Dursleys were gone. There was no word from the airport that the Dursleys had been spotted and he had no idea where they were headed. They could be going anywhere in the world and it was unlikely that they would be found if they were not stopped at the airport. He had put the word out on Diagon Alley for any sight of Harry Potter.
Later the fireplace flashed green and Carol's face from Carol's Candy Shoppe was in the flames.
"Albus!"
"Carol, what can I do for you?" Carol's Candy Shoppe made the most delicious lemon drops, he had been buying them for years.
"I heard that you were looking for Harry Potter. I saw him walking out of Terwilliger's with a white owl and a house elf with him."
"How long ago was that?"
"About an hour ago, I just learned that you were looking for him."
"Can you tell me anything else about him."
"I'm not sure, but it looked like he was carrying a tent."
"Did you say a tent?"
"That is what it looked like."
"Would you mind if I came through?"
"No problem, come ahead."
Albus stepped through, and after he thanked Carol, he made his way to Terwilliger's Outdoor Shop.
"May I help you?" The shopkeeper asked
"I hope that you can. I'm looking for Harry Potter, and I heard that he was in your shop not long ago."
"I did have a young man in earlier, I thought he looked familiar, and now that you mention it, it looked very much like Harry Potter. Hm… imagine that, Harry Potter comes in the store and I didn't even realize him. I must be getting old."
"Yes, yes… we are all getting up there in age. Now can you tell me anything about him."
"He was looking for a tent. He was quite specific about what he wanted. It seemed like he was going to spend a lot of time in it as he wanted all the features. You know kitchen, bathroom, and he wanted a spa of all things. That isn't something that I sell every day. Most unusual in fact, I don't remember that last time that I was asked for one. Of course there was that one in '82…"
"Yes, yes… did he happen to say where he was going?"
"Let me think? I don't think so, I don't think he mentioned it. I did sell him an African safari model. It was a very special tent, not another one like it. Took me a long time to put that one together, it was a real challenge. It was one of my best projects now that I think of it."
"An African safari model you say? Do you remember anything else that might be helpful?"
"No, can't say that I do. Harry Potter you say? I wish I would have paid more attention, I always wanted to meet him. Such a shame."
"Thank you for your time."
"You wouldn't be interested in a very nice Arctic model, it has the best heating charms that I have ever done. You won't find another like it."
"Perhaps another day."
Albus hurried out of the shop and went back to Carol's, he might as well restock his supply of lemon drops while he was here. He needed to know which direction Harry was walking.
After hours of asking shopkeepers and patrons in Diagon Alley, Dumbledore couldn't find a trace of where Harry went, he went back to Hogwarts and decided to call off the search at the airport. It seemed that he hit a dead end. He called for a meeting of the Order that evening to discuss the latest developments.
~~oo000oo~~
Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a jungle… trees and vines everywhere. The call of jungle birds were echoing throughout the tent, along with the rush of water. He looked to see a small pool of water with steam rising from it and a small waterfall cascading into it. If he didn't know better he would be sure that he was in the deepest part of Africa. It looked like there was a sun in the roof of the tent, he could feel the warmth radiating onto his skin. He really didn't know what to think, this was incredible. There was even grass growing next to the path that he was standing on. At least he thought it was grass, maybe it was artificial, he didn't know. He just hoped that he didn't have to mow it.
Dobby didn't say anything, he just kept looking around. He had never seen anything like it. The plants were completely different from anything that he ever encountered. Hedwig only took a few moments before she took flight and landed in one of the trees. She didn't seem to be upset or surprised at all.
After what had to be at least ten minutes, Harry decided to see what else was in the tent. He followed the path that he was on and slipped between some vines. It was like a whole new world. There was an English styled oak paneled office with a large desk with bookshelves nearby. The floors and walls were covered in stuffed animals and mounted heads; rhino, zebra, antelope, and even a full sized stuffed elephant, standing in the corner. There were so many creatures and animals that he didn't even know some of their names. There was hardly any space between them. It was too much… he was just going to have to change it. He didn't know what he was going to do with the all of them but they were not going to stay.
After leaving the study – at least that was what he called it – he followed a different path and found a short hallway behind more vines leading to bedrooms. Behind the large door at the end of the hall, he found what must be the master bedroom. There was a large comfortable looking bed, but the walls and floor were covered in more stuffed animals and heads. Whoever had this tent built was fixated to say the least. There was no way that he could sleep with dozens of dead animals staring at him. There was a bath adjoining the room and it looked fairly normal other than the zebra patterned wallpaper covering all the walls. A person could get very dizzy in this room, and he was going to have to have Dobby try to change it.
Harry looked in the other rooms off the hallway and found three more bedrooms, each with animals of their own. He also found another bathroom with leopard print wallpaper. Dobby was going to be very busy for days dealing with this… this… he didn't know what to call it, but he knew that the animals and wallpaper had to go.
He left the hallway back into the jungle and took another path that he saw. Again he went through vines into a nice kitchen and dining area. At least this room looked normal. He found the freezer and cooling cabinet, there was a sink, oven, cooker, and a pantry full of food. This was going to be alright after all.
Back in the jungle he found the last room, at least he thought it was the last room, it looked like a lounge with comfortable looking couches and chairs. Again all the walls and floor were covered in animals and heads. The guy must have had serious mental problems, no one in their right mind would ever want to have this many dead animals around. Harry thought that Mr. Terwilliger was very lucky that he came along to buy this tent, because no one else in their right mind would ever touch it.
After having a look around the tent he decided that he better let Sirius know that he was alright. He went back to the study, took out his trunk, expanded it and removed the parchment, ink and quills. He didn't know if he could do magic or if it could be traced through Gringotts, but he wasn't going to take any chances until he knew for sure. After he wrote a short note, he asked Dobby to deliver it. He didn't want to hurt Hedwig's feelings, but he didn't want to have to travel back up to the surface and use her to send it. He told Dobby to take it to Grimmauld Place and leave the note on Sirius' bed. He also thought that he would write a note to Hermione and Ron to let them know that he was okay as well and that he would contact them again in a few days. Tomorrow was soon enough and Hedwig could get some exercise.
Dobby was back within moments and they started changing things. Harry asked Dobby to un-shrink the things from Privet Drive. Harry emptied his old trunk and piled his old clothes up so they could throw them away later. His school books and photo album went into the study. When the trunk was empty, He and Dobby started shrinking animals and heads. As Dobby would shrink them Harry gathered them up and dumped them in the trunk. It took a long time to clear the study and Harry's bedroom. The trunk just barely held all things removed from those two rooms. He didn't know where he was going to find more trunks to empty the lounge and the spare bedrooms.
Without the animals in Harry's bedroom, there was room for some armoires. He went back into the vault and looked amongst the furniture and found what he was looking for. He didn't know how old they were, perhaps they were hundreds of years old, but they would do nicely to hold his clothes. He needed Dobby's help to move the heavy things, but they got them into his room. They took his clothes and robes out of his trunk and put them away. The last thing that Harry did was have Dobby put the pizzas in the freezer and the Coke in the cooling cabinet.
With just a little more work, they would be all set.
~~oo000oo~~
The mood was tense at Grimmauld Place. Harry Potter was missing and no one had any idea where he was. Sirius was beside himself with worry and Remus was not far behind. Molly Weasley was fretting and was flitting around the room offering food and drink to everyone. Tonks was not saying much, after the yelling that she heard on Privet Drive she was very understanding of Harry's need to escape. Nobody should have to live with people like that.
Dumbledore entered the kitchen and sat at the head of the table.
"As you all know the Dursleys left Privet Drive for some kind of a trip. They were being escorted for some unknown reason and we don't know if they left willingly or not. We had our people at the muggle airport but there was no sign of them. Later I had a floo call from Diagon Alley from someone who saw Harry with his owl and a tent."
"A tent! What would Harry be doing with a tent?!" Molly Weasley was nearly yelling.
"Yes Molly, I confirmed that he indeed bought a tent. I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to everyone that I could about Harry's whereabouts. I asked everyone in the Leaky Cauldron if they had seen him pass through and no one had. I checked the travel shops to see if he had bought a portkey and they said they hadn't seen him. I looked for his magical signature to see that he may have side-along apparated and I found no trace of him.
"Albus, do you have any idea at all where he might be?" Sirius asked impatiently.
"All I have to work with is that he bought an African safari tent... I'm afraid that Harry has left for Africa."