Harry stood, still stunned, as house elves fussed about him with swathes of fabric, quickly measuring and testing out bits and pieces before returning moments later with fully formed sleeves and robe parts. He had seen the quick work at Madam Malkin's, but that paled compared to the swift work of the house elves when their master had demanded something. Within twenty minutes, at most, Harry stood in front of a long mirror they had brought in, looking better dressed - by a stretch - than he had at the Yule Ball. The collar on this robe was very high, nearly brushing his jaw.
The house elves had disappeared so quickly, he hadn't had time to thank them. He knew they would probably have ignored such praise or given him odd looks. He had to remind himself that not all of the house elves had grown up around him. These had the same servile demeanour of the ones Harry had seen from well-to-do families in Britain. Somethings changed…
"Ah, Harry!" cried Albert Williams, his host-of-sorts. "Looking quite dapper there. Perfect!"
"Why are you doing this?" Harry asked, glancing at the other man in the mirror as he entered the room.
"This?" Albert asked. "Parties? Soirees for the best of Gibraltar and beyond? Because, one must have entertainment in this life, young man. That is simply the way of it."
"No," Harry said, "I don't mean that. I mean, this. Bringing me here for your party. Why are you doing that?"
Albert smiled, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm doing a favour for an old friend, eh? Now, come on. Plenty of people to meet. Might be some surprises!"
Harry started to ask what surprises, but was quickly led out of the room and down the closest stair. Albert excitedly opened the door to a large parlour. The space was full of gentleman from young adults in most odd styled robes to elderly old men in old, formal robes. High collars were common in the crowd, and Harry understood why the one he had received had that adornment.
"Everyone! Welcome, welcome!" Albert said, his voice ringing in the room. "I apologise for my delay. I was seeing to our special guest. And here he is! As I told you, as I told you, all the way from England, the Harry Potter!"
A round of applause filled the space, and Harry felt lost in a strange crowd of adults. He didn't recognise anyone, and they all looked amused, as though observing some strange magical creature being paraded through their party. Maybe he was just imaging things. Perhaps Albert was correct and they would ultimately be helpful to him. He had little choice but to give it a chance, at least, for a while.
"Now, enjoy yourselves, everyone!" Albert declared, arms raised. "If you are in want of anything we will provide."
Then, he stepped aside and drink trays floated expertly through the room, never inconveniencing anyone, but exactly where they were needed when they were. Harry could see them sweeping through when someone wanted to set down a glass to take it away. Another would be there not a moment later with another full glass ready for the guest. Harry eyed the drinks going around warily, deciding no amount of encouragement would induce him to have any.
The party swirled around Harry, and it seemed that most of the crowd had considered him like a side show. They were all busily interested in their own conversations. In a way, Harry preferred that. Too much attention might not be the best. He didn't think he could really trust anyone here, Albert included.
"Well, well," said a voice from very close.
Harry felt the hairs raise on his neck. He knew that voice! How… how could it be here? Spinning around, Harry looked up at a smug smile beneath cold, observant eyes.
"You!" Harry said, his voice louder than he had expected.
"I could say the same," said Lucius. "One never knows what one will find at such parties. I must say Albert's standards have slipped, but…"
"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded, stepping back and drawing his wand.
"Come, come," Lucius said, not moving. "There is no need for such unpleasantries. It would be most unseemly as a guest to cause a disturbance. Do you not agree?"
"What are you after?" Harry asked.
"All questions and no responses," Lucius said, sighing. "I really ought to have the next Headmaster teach a course in manners."
Harry glared. The man was clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting out of Harry. The young man wanted nothing more than to let loose a few choice spells, but Malfoy had done nothing here but make a few comments and sip what looked like firewhiskey.
"There, isn't that better?" Lucius asked, chuckling. After a moment, he leaned closer and whispered, "Don't get me wrong, Potter. The moment this party is done, you'll be on your way back to England. I've promised Albert to see to it… personally. Old friends help one another out, do they not?"
"The city is sealed," Harry said. "You can't go anywhere. None of us can."
"Ha!" Lucius cried. "Is that what they've told you? We had all wondered what could keep you away for so long. Who knew it was something as simple as that? In any case, enjoy the party… while you can."
"You won't touch me," Harry said as the man turned, slipping back through the crowd.
Lucius said nothing else, and was soon gone. So, that was it. Albert had sold him out to Malfoy and the Death Eaters. How could he have been so blind?
"Ah, you've met with Lucius?" Albert said, appearing beside him suddenly. "Excellent, I had hoped to make an introduction later. Old family, that. Perhaps you've heard of them? Oh, either way. He came at my call."
"You sold me out," Harry said, looking up at the man.
"I beg pardon?" Albert asked.
"Lucius Malfoy," Harry said. "He's a Death Eater. He works for Voldemort."
"Oh, don't be so…" Albert said, sounding flustered. "Old family… couldn't possibly be… you really shouldn't make such allegations, young man." Shaking his head, he laughed. "Ah, youth. I can remember the things I would believe about adults in my youth. You'll learn, son."
"No, he's literally working for Voldemort," Harry said. "I've seen him."
"That is no longer amusing, Harry," Albert said, frowning and lowering his voice. "You'd best keep such inflammatory statements to yourself. Maybe in England they allow such disrespectful talk, but this is Gibraltar! We keep our elders in respect. Best remember that."
"I- but!" Harry tried to manage as the man patted him on the arm and disappeared into the crowd.
Harry was bewildered. Did Albert really not know? Wouldn't Dumbledore have said something if they were talking? Granted, how could Dumbledore know that Albert would call down someone from England to take Harry back, particularly that the person he chose would be someone like Malfoy? Harry tried to reason itself out to him. This could be a complete coincidence. A small voice in the back of his head kept repeating, 'It doesn't feel like a coincidence…'
A house elf tray near Harry slipped smoothly through the crowd, sliding even to Harry and then, out of nowhere, tipped, spilling a drink down the side of Harry's arm. He jumped, feeling the shock of cold from what had to be a specially designed cold drink. It felt as though he had leapt into the school lake during winter. Harry could barely feel anything on his left side. None of the other party guests around him seemed to notice, and the house elf did not stop, making a bee line for one of the doors.
Harry, irritated, followed. House elves were not sloppy or clumsy. If a house elf spilled something on him, it had been intentional, and he wanted to know what and why. With much less aplomb than the house elf ahead of him, Harry moved through the party, not gaining any new attention, somehow, despite jostling more than one in his path.
Opening the door at the end of the room, Harry could just hear the patter of house elf steps in the deep quiet of the hall. Following his ears, he rounded a corner, and pursued the sound as fast as he could. Despite their size, house elves moved quite swiftly. He hardly noticed anything in his chase, and soon had no sense of direction. Harry couldn't have found his way back on his own without much difficulty. It occurred to him that the home of Albert was a maze of corridors. What confounded Harry was that it made no sense for house elves to have to go through so many twists and turns to reach the room from the kitchen.
The sound ahead of him stopped, and Harry pulled out his wand, concerned. Had this been a trap? Was he being drawn away from the party?
Carefully, he edged around the corner, and - at last - he saw a lone figure facing him. His wand was at shoulder level in a second, spells reaching out to his tongue to be unleashed.
"Harry Potter!" cried an overjoyed, high-pitched voice. "It is again an honour."
The house elf bowed such that his nose scraped the ground. Harry lowered his wand, looking at the elf carefully.
"Dobby?" he asked. "Is that you?"
"It is, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby replied, rising from his bow. "Dobby is pleased to see Harry Potter."
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"Dobby is here for his master, Harry Potter," Dobby replied. "But Dobby will not let Harry Potter get in trouble. Dobby can lead Harry to safety."
"Is that why you spilled the drink on me?" Harry asked, looking around. He saw no one else.
"Yes, Harry Potter," Dobby said. "Dobby needed to get Harry Potter's attention, sir. And house elves are not allowed to speak to wizards here."
"Are you going to get in trouble?" Harry asked.
"Dobby will look after himself, Harry Potter," Dobby said. "We must go, before master looks for Harry Potter."
"I-" Harry began, but at a pleading look from Dobby, he stopped. "Okay, lead on."
"Come," Dobby said, opening a door to the right.
Harry kept his wand out, held down by his side as they went. He trusted Dobby enough, but that didn't mean it would be perfectly safe. The only point of comfort he had in this plan was that there was no chance Lucius would have thought to trick Harry with his house elf. Lucius barely saw the poor house elf, much less thought of him as someone that would be trusted by anyone. Still, Harry's hand gripped his wand a little more tightly as they descended into a long, dank tunnel. The path ahead was long and straight.
"Dobby heard about the path from the other house elves," Dobby said. "When he heard Harry Potter had come to the manor, he wanted to see Harry and warn him from coming to the party, but Dobby was not allowed in to see Harry Potter."
"That's okay," Harry said. "You found me when you could, and if I had never shown up at the party, people would have been looking for me."
Dobby nodded his little head. "Where will Harry Potter go?" he asked.
"I need to go back to England," Harry replied. "I have to help my friends."
"They has been looking for Harry Potter," he said. "The Ministry and Dobby's master. Dobby is afraid Harry Potter will not be safe for him."
"I know," Harry replied. "But I can't not go. They could be in trouble, and I cannot just run from Voldemort."
Dobby looked worried. "They will catch you, Harry Potter," he replied. He looked over at Harry. "Master says all ways into England are watched."
"Then, I'll just have to be cleverer," Harry said. "Can you tell me what has happened since I… since that night?"
Dobby shook his head. "Dobby does not know much, Harry Potter, sir," he replied. "And master has forbidden Dobby from telling anyone most things, but Dobby will tell what he can, Harry Potter."
"Only what will not get you in trouble," Harry said, remembering Dobby trying to hurt himself over things he said.
Dobby thought for a moment, the only sound the pat of their feet on the hard, stone flooring. Harry noticed everything was well illuminated, but there were no torches, no apparent sources of light. Indeed, it seemed as though the air itself gave off a faint glow, creating an almost misty atmosphere but having the opposite effect. Instead of obscuring their view, this mist - if you could call it that - made everything clearer, brighter.
"Master," Dobby said, "has been promoted to Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement. The Minister has hired other new… heads of departments. Headmaster Dumbledore has left Hogwarts, and has not been seen. Professor Snape has been made the new Headmaster by the Ministry. Many people have not been seen, students and professors, Ministry workers. Dobby does not know where they have gone."
Harry gaped while listening, but thoughts occurred. When Dobby had come to a pause, he asked, "Is the Minister the same?"
"Yes, Harry Potter," Dobby said, nodding. "He makes many speeches, but Dobby does not hear them. Only we house elves move freely as before, doing our master's works. Witches and wizards rarely travel outside of their homes, work and Diagon Alley. That is all Dobby can tell, Harry Potter. Please do not be angry."
"Why would I be angry?" Harry asked. "That is a lot of useful news. Thank you, Dobby."
"You are welcome, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said, bowing low while he walked.
"I can't believe they made Snape the Headmaster," Harry said. "Well, I can, but it doesn't seem a job he would want."
"The Minister himself bestowed the title, Harry Potter," Dobby said. "So Dobby heard."
"Very curious," Harry said, frowning.
All of the appointments were clearly a power grab by Voldemort and his followers. He would wager anything that other department head appointees were more of that gang. Harry was just concerned about the previous heads, and most everyone else. Dobby hadn't said much to hint about the people he cared about, but it was unlikely Dobby would know much. They could be in that category of missing, like Dumbledore. But they could as likely be just waiting for word of Harry to come back, the twins waiting at the Burrow or Hermione with her parents. It would be summer holiday now.
"Up this way, Harry Potter," Dobby said, putting his hand on a side wall as the bricks disappeared.
A stairwell appeared behind the dissolving wall. Dobby ascended and Harry followed. As he stepped out of the corridor, Harry looked back down the way they had come. Nothing. All was quiet. They rose up and Harry found himself an the house elf on the outskirts of the city. The towering buildings ran off into a blur with the darkness of late night. No stars dotted the heavens, so only the distant city lights provided anything by the way of illumination. This did not, however, seem to deter Dobby.
The house elf led Harry directly ahead, up to a large barrier, a solid silver ring about three meters high that seemed to run around the edge of the city. Looking left and right, Harry could not see an end to it either direction.
"Do you… know how it works?" Harry asked.
"Dobby does not, Harry Potter," Dobby said. "The house elves do not have magic for this barrier. Wizards and witches with a wand can get through it, but we must be summoned by our masters from within."
"Did he cast a spell?" Harry asked.
"Dobby did not see master enter," Dobby said, shaking his head. "But Dobby is sure Harry Potter can work it out."
"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said. "You'd probably better get back. Your master will notice I'm gone and might look for you."
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said.
"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said. "And, please, just call me Harry."
"Y-you're welcome, Harry P-…. H-Harry," Dobby managed, dipping his head as he ran back towards the tunnel entrance.
Harry turned back to the silver barrier, stepping right up to it and touching the surface. It was solid, hard, by all appearances it was just a block of metal. He thought about it. There had to be some sort of magical trick to it. Both Bar and Dobby believed he could figure it out. If they had faith in him, it must be possible.
He began testing spells from Alohomora to breaking spells. None of them seemed to do much. The silver structure remained firmly in place. Looking up Harry wondered if he just needed to go over it. The problem was that the top of the barrier looked like the horizon, like it was just a painting of the horizon. If Gibraltar was actually something like the Golpwin's box, then the horizon could be magically created. It didn't look like going over was a possibility.
"Open up!" Harry said after trying dozens of spells. "It cannot be this difficult."
"It's not," said a voice from behind him,"but there is a trick to it."
Harry turned. "You?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"
Fred smiled, his wrinkled face smiling. "We wondered when you would try just going to the edge," he said.
"What?" Harry asked. "You knew there was a way out and didn't tell me? Who are you working for? Did Voldemort send you to hold me until Malfoy could take me back?"
"Oh, nothin' like that, lad," Fred said, shrugging. "We, Agnes and me, we saw a young lad in trouble. If you had seen how you looked when you stumbled onto our doorstep… would you have wanted to let the lad go running back into the same trouble that led to that? Now, I told Agnes we'd never stop you from going, but she was insistent we keep you safe as long as we could."
"But, I need to go and help my friends!" Harry exclaimed. "Was anything you said true? Or did you make up all the troubles with the Guard? Was all of it a lie?"
"No, lad," Fred said, putting out a hand as if to calm Harry. "That was all true. And they do lock down the barrier from time to time. The way out isn't so hard, though. The barrier isn't exactly special."
"Wait, was Bar sent by you, too?" Harry asked, his mind whirring. "Was he supposed to distract me?"
"Who?" Fred asked. "We saw you'd found some friends and were off and busy. Agnes and I thought it a good thing. If you settled for a bit, perhaps the world you came from would be a bit better by the time you went back. Such things aren't for children. No children should have to fight Dark Wizards. Honestly, lad, we meant no harm by it. We just wanted to look after you a bit. Is that… bad?"
Harry sighed. He was torn between his frustration and understanding. Looking at their position, it made sense… but he needed to get back. Couldn't they understand that? Couldn't they understand that, right or not, he had to fight, he had to help his friends?
"Lad, if it were me," Fred said, looking about as if someone was about to appear, "I'd be doing the same thing."
"Are- are you here to take me back?" Harry asked, sighing.
"No, lad," Fred said. "You weren't back, so I suspected you might be going for the wall. If you weren't through…"
"You're… you're here to help me?" Harry asked, surprised.
"If you want help, that is," Fred said. "If you'll take my help. Least I can do for not helping before… but…" He looked about. "Don't tell Agnes I helped, mind. She's hell bent on keeping you until you're of age."
"I won't breathe a word," Harry said, chuckling. "What's the trick?"
"Pretty simple one," Fred said, smirking. "One most wouldn't be willing to try. Sprint at the wall full speed. Any hesitation and you'll hit the barrier and fall back. It's designed to keep people who may not really want to leave from leaving."
"That's it?" Harry asked. "Just run at it?"
"And don't hesitate, boy," Fred said sternly. "Don't make me carry you back to Agnes with a broken nose."
"Got it," Harry said, nodding. "I'll go then."
"Good speed to you, son," Fred said. "And do be careful out there. Whatever you're going back to, if it becomes too much… you can always come back to us."
"Thanks," Harry said. After a pause, he said, "for looking after me. I … do appreciate it."
"You're welcome lad," Fred said. "Now, you'd better go before the Guard notices us."
"Alright," Harry said, turning back to the silver barrier. "Here goes."
It still appeared solid as anything. His body didn't want to make the run. Warnings were blaring in his brain, telling him this would hurt, and it should. Harry just told his mind it was like Platform nine and three quarters. You could run through that solid-looking wall, too. He had to go through this barrier, and no doubt many ahead. It was worth it, though, to get home, to help Hermione, everyone. Taking a breath, Harry ran, straight ahead, not looking back. No hesitation.