warning: here harry is sold into slavery.

Chapter Four

They arrived into the middle of hell.

Paddy knew it was hell as it was dreadfully hot and there were creatures that were most decidedly not human roaming about in clothes as if they were. Also red seemed the dominant color, and provided the dim lighting that made it possible to see all the hideous, scary creatures that roamed about. The sky was black and there was no moon or stars or anything. The ground was like that of a cave and the small rock scattered on it hurt Paddy's feet. That was when he realized he was shoeless.

"WELCOME, to The Devil's Crown!" The mad old wizard roared startling a female looking lizard woman into hissing at him in disapproval. Paddy just looked at him in horror. The old man ignored him and, huffing once in laughter, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the crowd.

Paddy stumbled and nearly fell a dozen times before they turned and waded out of the worst of the crowd. He immediately stepped on what seemed to be something's tail and was actually grateful the old man just pulled him along instead. The snap of sharp teeth just barely missed him. They seemed to travel miles before the old man slowed and allowed Paddy to walk under his own power. Despite them slowing down he was still forced to run to keep up.

"Now the thing to know about the Devil's Crown is to never stop moving!" The old man barked, sounding like a teacher but weaving like a drunk, pulling Paddy along with him. "That is when they get you! You wonder who they are! They are everyone! Everyone here is either dark, a dark creature, hunting dinner, or going to be dinner. This is the underground, Paddy. The unspoken depths of the earth and the best kept secret of all magical kingdoms! NEVER come here, unless you have someone to protect you!"

The ring of his last sentence hit Paddy hard and he grimaced when he recognized it as an order. It had been said so forcefully he doubted if he'd be able to disobey. As if he needed protection! He was the great Harpy Plotter! Wait that was wrong. The wizardly- wizarding- wizard child who - dash it all he couldn't remember. He'd had countless stories written about him, he- he was an action figure!

But it seemed as if no one care- or recognized him at least, not that he could even recognize the species of anyone either. The old man just pulled him along, humming happily, until they finally reached a dark door that he banged on with his head.

Paddy stared at him in dismay. Morgum was indeed mad. Who was going to protect him now?

The door opened, however, and a human looking woman peered out, blinking in surprise when she saw the mad old man.

"Morgan! What are you doing here?" She hissed but was smiling and pulling him, and Paddy too as the old man still had a hold of his arm, inside and closing the door. It was dark, too dark to see, and the noise of the outside seemed to fade complete causing Paddy to sigh in relief. It would have hurt human ears but apparently elf ears were far more sensitive.

A match hissed in the silence and suddenly he could see faces. The woman looked human still, he'd been half afraid she'd change into something in the dark, but Morgum looked madder still as he seemingly gazed about the dark room as he if he could see everything.

"You've changed things since I was last here, Bryn" He muttered gruffly, finally turning his wild blue eyes to meet hers.

Her laugh was a ting of sound. "It's been a while, old man." She smiled at him softly, and Paddy felt suddenly uncomfortable, as if he were intruding. Then she blinked and the look was gone. "Well, business, then?" She glanced once at Paddy before turning around, taking the light with her. "Follow me."

They walking in the dark for a long time, nearly an hour. Neither the Morgey or Bryny spoke. Paddy spent the time pondering why his elf brain screwed up people's names. By the time they arrived he had concluded it was the result of the effect of the memory charm. Brain cells must have been permanently damaged to induce such a specific area of memory loss and it must happen to every house elf. Which meant every house elf must have been turned into one, which boggled the mind and had Paddy wishing he could bang his head on a door. Or into a wall.

They arrived at a door that opened into a great circular room. In the middle was a long wooden table and all around were doors, many of them piled with chains, locks, and glowing with magic. It looked like a dungeon of some sort and considering where he was it more than likely held vicious and dangerous creatures.

Bryny led the way to the end of the table where she seated her self gracefully and Morgey fell into the chair causing it to protest. Paddy wasn't offered a seat but wasn't offended. He was too busy looking around at the various locked doors, wondering what horrible scary, monsters lay behind them. Bryny made an odd motion and a blank scroll appeared. Another odd motion and a quill with an empty inkwell also appeared.

"Now, it's name?"She began in a no nonsense tone picking up the quill and dipping it in the seemingly empty inkwell. Paddy's eyed a door with a widow as the mad old man answered.

"His name is Paddy, he's a he, and he only recently got made into a house elf."

Bryny blinked her eyebrows shooting up. "And how did that happen?"

Morgey grinned showing off his rotten teeth. "Magic."

She snorted. "I suppose he's young then? That would explain the hair." She made a few marks on the scroll.

Paddy blinked. Did he have hair? He touched his head and found he did. A bit surprised he pulled a fistful of it over his face into his eyes. It was white and kinda fluffy. Hmm. He'd never heard of a house elf with hair.

"Ach, well Paddy's unique. He's quite powerful, got so much magic that quite a bit of leaked out during his transformation."

"Really." Bryny looked intrigued then her face fell. "I don't suppose you might forget and let me know about the process-"

"Now, Bryn, that's a family secret, and you're not quite family." His grin widened though. "Now if you'd agree to marry me . . ."

Bryny snorted and shook her head make more notations on the scroll. Try as he might Paddy couldn't see any actual writing on the paper.

"Now you've put a temporary binding spell I assume?" Bryn nodded before he could. "And he'll need a permanent binding spell, a grounding spell, slavery spell, blood spell, and silencing one?" She frowned. "You won't make much gold off him, Egeus."

Morgum looked unconcerned. "S'alright. My wards'll be charged for years, I'm already quite pleased."

Bryny didn't answer, apparently she was all business at the moment. "50 of your galleons."

Morgum snorted. So did Paddy. He was worth much more than that.

He grunted and picked some dirt out of his nails. "500"

Bryny's eyes sparkled. "Done."

Morgum grinned. "That's nice Bryn m'dear." He stood. "Come here, Paddy, got to take the bindings off you."

Paddy was half way to him before he stopped suddenly. All the sudden it occurred to him he was about to be sold into slavery! Quite rightly he became furious. And his magic reacted like never before. Instead of building within, and leaking out; shaking things, making them explode, as any powerful wizard could it began as a storm deep in the earth. He could feel the magic all the way down, feel it climbing slowly through the dirt and stone and water and-

"Now, now none of that m'lad." Morgum lashed out with his hand and caught Paddy's arm. With a gasp he squirmed as something wrapped around him, like invisible chains, and he thrashed once, before the pain became too much. Sagging in the dark wizard's grip he stopped fighting, unable to. For a moment his mind was clear.

Harry. His name was Harry P-

With a whine and a few painful clicks spells fell around him, climbing into his nose, and mouth, and ears; wiggling up into his nail beds and down into more person areas to slid painfully inside him. Then a gold spell seemed to coat his skin and seep inside. Suddenly he was dropped to the earth, where he could feel his magic rolling underneath but couldn't touch it. Hissing Parseltongue curses he endured the pain until it got too bright to bear and he slipped into darkness.

As this is fanfiction I feel perfectly justified in stealing lines from published works. But I will admit, if you caught the line, that it doesn't belong to me. There might be another line like it but I can't remember where it is. Anyhoo, the one in this chapter belongs to Disney.

So, did you like the story? I know, short chapters, but considering I wrote this whole story in a week I feel perfectly justified in presenting it the way I see fit.

Happy Reading.

Fitful

ps: my favorite bit was the Harpy Plotter addition. I laugh whenever I read over it.