All character and places in the Wizarding World are the express property of J. K. Rowlings. All Credit to her. I am just playing in her sandbox.
The Tweak
Year Two
Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley were racing their bikes down Privet Drive, trying to out run one another home. Fat drops of warm summer rain were falling and the boys laughed as they whizzed through puddles, sending up arcs of water, and up the driveway of number 4. Still laughing and breathing heavily the boys put away their bikes and left their wet shoes on the sheltered back veranda. Tumbling into the kitchen with puppyish enthusiasm they greeted Petunia with damp hugs and happy hellos before running noisily upstairs to clean up before dinner. All in all they were in the kitchen less then a minute leaving Petunia feeling like a pair of cyclones had torn through her orderly little world. Minutes later this feeling was reinforced by an ungodly yell from Harry's room. Dashing upstairs she found her nephew, still damp from his shower clutching his desk chair much like a lion tamer would, and her son, armed with his cricket bat and trembling, facing off with a odd little creature, painfully skinny with bulging green eyes, a long thin nose and huge, bat like ears. It wore a filthy pillowcase and seemed to be covered in cuts and bruises. It's huge, frightened eyes blinked at them all. She recognised the creature, and her quick mind put two and two together, she hoisted the frying pan she had unconsciously brought with her. The creature squeaked and pulled on it's ears, it looking utterly terrified. It's fear stayed Petunia, and her compassionate nature, much like Lily's but for so long suppressed by bitterness, came to the fore.
Slowly she lowered the frying pan and signalled to the boys to lower their own weapons. The small creature seamed more afraid of them then they were of it. She was still wary though, she knew what this creature was, a house elf, usually only found with Pure Blood Families. The big question was why was a House Elf in HER house, and who did he belong too. This one was nothing like the Potter elves, who had, according to Lily, been infectiously happy and eager to please.
"Aunty.. I know I'm the Wizard here.. but what is that?" asked Harry, his voice slightly plaintive. Dudley nodded in agreement.
"He is a House Elf. House Elves are sentient magical creatures who are usually bound to serve a Wizarding family. What I would like to know, is who he is, why he is here and who he belongs too?"
The Elf shrunk away from her sharp gaze. "I is Dobby ma-am... I.. I is not here to hurt any one.." he looked nervous.
"Ok Dobby.. why are you here? Did your master send you?"
"No No! If Dobby's master knew he was here... Dobby does not know how to begin.." the elf looked anxiously around, his small hands with their long fingers worrying at his pillowcase.
"Why don't you sit down and tell us what you an?" offered Dudley. He'd always had a soft spot for the little guy. Dobby burst into tears. Dudley backed away, horrified.
"Dobby is sorry, 'hic. No one has ever asked Dobby to just sit down, like he was a.. an equal." Dobby sniffled. Petunia frowned. Dobby seemed nothing like the elves her sister had described in her letters home. Though, she thought, the Potter's had been different then most Purebloods and had probably treated their elves differently. Petunia was smart enough to see that Dobby held no more value to his family then as a servant, or more accurately, a slave as he had obviously been mistreated, abused and beaten and frequently.
"Dobby is here to warn Harry Potter Sir that he must not go back to Hogwarts... Dobby hears things Sir, Madam, there are bad things happening, very bad things planned for Hogwarts. Harry Potter Sir is too important.. he saved us all from He who Must Not Be named and if Harry Potter Sir goes back he will be in great danger." the elf trembled then threw himself towards the bedroom lamp shrieking
"Bad Dobby!" Dudley snatched him up and held him, Harry cried out "Dobby don't!" and the little elf drooped. "Dobby is sorry.. he nearly told his families secrets, he had to punish himself." Petunia winced. It had been an aspect of the House Elf's bound that Lily had loathed. Now Petunia understood it. She took a deep breath and addressed the little elf with great seriousness.
"Dobby, thank you for your warning but you know Harry must finish his education, he HAS to go to school so that he can control his magic. Now that we know of the danger there are things we can do, and Harry will know to be very very careful. We will warn people, and we will watch. If it makes you feel better, and you can do it without getting in trouble, you can watch out for Harry too. Or why don't you go tell the other elves of Hogwarts, they are loyal only to the school after all."
Dobby's eyes glowed with excitement but then he shook his head. "Harry Potter should NOT go back to Hogwarts, it is too dangerous." He had begun to wring his hands when Hedwig swooped through the open windows. She took one look at the elf, screeched in fury and DIVE BOMBED the poor elf. Several confused seconds of high pitched shrieks, Owlish screeches and confused shouting and Dobby disappeared with a loud CRACK. Hedwig, feathers ruffled but looking very pleased with herself sat perched on Harry's bed, a bundle of letters in her claws. Harry recognised the writing on several of them and realised Dobby had been stealing his mail! And he had thought his friends had forgotten him.
Just as all was calm again an official looking owl swooped in, scaring Vernon as he came in the front door from work, knocking of his hat as it came in the same door. "Ruddy Owls" he grouched, before quickly apologising to Hedwig. "Not you girl, your special." Hedwig's pride was not something to insult. They perused the Ministry warning and Vernon snorted. "I'll go see Ted Tonks. He helped me sort out all that Boy Who Lived nonsense and those awful Harry Potter adventure stories, he can probably fix this."
Harry grinned. He had been relieved when his uncle had sorted out that mess. His uncle had been incensed people were making money from Harry and he wasn't getting a penny. Harry's trust account was now much bigger and Harry had had the goblins send a sneaky Thank You to his uncle. Of course Uncle Vernon thought the goblins had done it, he had shown them the stock market and the clever creatures had taken to it like ducks to water, more then ever securing Gringotts wealth.
"Harry, write quickly and see if Hermione and Ron can come to Thorpe park for your birthday." Petunia smiled at Harry who grinned back. "It should be a real eye opener for Ron, why don't you invite the twins and his sister too. Let's show them how Non magicals have fun." Aunt Petunia smirked, already imagining the sheltered magicals reaction to the Theme park. She'd gone with Lily when she'd taken the Marauders and it had been hilarious.
"Yes Aunt Petunia." chirped Harry.
Harry's twelfth birthday was the best one yet, and after a day of madness, rides and unhealthy food, plus lots and lots of laughter with and at his friends and family, Harry was ecstatically happy and utterly exhausted. It had been an incredible day. He lay in bed smiling, thinking about Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in the fun house with the crazy mirrors, giggling like two little kids, the Weasleys faces almost the entire day as they saw so many new things, went on rides and ate new food. Harry thought about how pretty Hermione's eyes looked, twinkling as she hid her giggles behind her fingers and how loud girls screamed on rides. He remembered both girls grabbing him and Dudley in the Ghost House, and Aunt Petunia shrieking just as loud at the fake spiders as eleven year old Ginny Weasley. He smiled as he remembered Mr Weasley, sent to chaperone the twins, who had been having as much fun as any of them and had to be dragged away from the dodgem cars. Th Twins had had eyes glittering with ideas and schemes when they'd all piled in to the Weasley's blue ford and trundled off. It had been a great day and Harry looked, one more time at the instant picture they'd had taken at the Park. He, Hermione, all the Weasleys and Dudley hamming it up in front of the roller-coaster. Everyone was grinning madly whilst messing with one another.. the twins were dangling a grinning Ginny by her ankles, arms reaching up over their heads, her long her hair touching the ground and one hand each side firmly gripping her brothers waistbands. Hermione had Ron in a loose headlock, his arm curled about her legs, ready to tip her over. Harry was on Dudley's back, giving him Bunny ears and Dud was faking trying to dislodge him, all grinning up at the camera as if caught playing. Harry grinned as he fell asleep. Best Day Ever.
Of course going school shopping was a pain. The Lockhart books were over priced and Harry was embarrassed to be singled out, Uncle Vernon put him in his place quick smart though and Harry insisted on giving the free books to the Weasleys. When Arthur Weasley attacked Mr Malfoy Harry wasn't surprised to see his Uncle, in the pretext of stopping the fight, 'accidentally' break Malfoy's cane and coincidentally his wand. The nasty silver blade that fell out of the other end caused some whispering tho. The best part, thought Harry, his Uncle was an 'ignorant muggle' and there was nothing Malfoy could do. How could the muggle POSSIBLY known wands were sometimes hidden so nefariously. Of course Vernon was nothing such but the arrogance of the pure bloods worked against them that day.
Harry spent the last week of the summer with the Weasleys, his family had to visit his Uncle's sick sister. Due to mutual hatred Harry was happy anywhere but with Aunt Marge. Dud would have gone to his mate Duncan's place but Marge actually liked him and had asked to see him.
