Chapter 14: It's good to be home

"Do you understand, Dobby?", whispered Draco, who was standing next to Nan in Malfoy manor.

"Yes, young master, sir!", replied Dobby quietly, "Dobby will does as master say!"

"You are allowed to block the entrance to the platform, but nothing else. I've got the diary.", said Nan.

"Come on, Ginny dear! Let's go together through the barrier.", said Molly Weasley to her only daughter.

Everyone else had already gone onto the platform 9 except Harry, Ron and Nan.

"You think that elf will try anything to keep us from school, Harry?", asked Nan.

"I hope not," Harry replied before crashing into the wall with Ron.

"Uh-oh," they said at the same time.

A guard came to see what happened, "Oi! Boy! What do you think you're doing?"

Harry muttered, "Sorry, lost the control of the trolley."

"What are we going to do now?", Ron grabbed his head.

Nan thought for a second, "Let's send an owl to Dumbledore, we need to tell him what happened. Let's go and wait by the car."

"No! I got a better idea!", shouted Ron, "We'll fly the car to school!"

Nan looked shocked at him, "You're mad! We mustn't do that, we'll be seen, or expelled!"

"Come on Harry!", shouted Ron, oblivious to Nan's warnings.

Nan now looked desperate, "Harry, you can't go! I'll find a safer way, I promise!", she grabbed his arm.

"Are you going or not?", shouted Ron at him.

Harry shrugged, "I'm sorry Ron, but I think it's too dangerous to fly a car to school.. I think Nan's right.."

Ron looked angrily at Harry, "Alright then! Go with her!", he shouted, and left.

"Oh, no! The train leaves at 11AM, we've missed it!", said Harry.

"Don't worry Harry, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," she winked at him and activated the portkey that brought them to her house.

"Is this your house?", asked Harry.

"That is where I live, yes.", replied Nan, "But that's not important right now, Dobby!"

"Yes, miss Nan?", Dobby appeared out of nowhere.

"I told you to call me just Nan.. But never mind that, can you apparate us into Hogwarts?", she asked cheerfully.

"Of course, miss Nan. I'm an elf.", he said, happy to help Harry Potter, "You must holds my hands.", and with that, he side apparated with them.

After they apparated in front of the Great hall, Harry almost fell on the ground, "I feel dizzy.."

"It's okay, everyone feels like that when apparating for the first time.", said Nan softly, "Thank you Dobby, you may go now."

"It has been a pleasure for Dobby, miss!", he squealed and disapparated.

Harry felt confused, "How did you-"

"Make Dobby apparate us here even though he tried to stop you from coming to Hogwarts?", Nan finished his sentence, "Well, it's Draco's elf, so he just ordered him to listen to me. Are you alright now Harry?", she said after Harry's face regained some color, and hugged him, "Let's go and say hi to Dumbledore!"

"So, your friend Ronald should come this night with his father's car?", asked grinning Dumbledore.

"Yes, sir.", they replied.

"And I'd be thankful if someone who isn't Snape or Filch wait for him, headmaster.", requested Nan.

"That's professor Snape, Ms. Watson.", corrected her Dumbledore, "And it was very accountable from you not to go with Mr. Weasley, ten points to Gryffindor each for your responsibility."

Dumbledore now turned away from them, "Now, I'd recommend you to leave your belongings in your dormitories, and come to dinner in a few hours. You are dismissed."

"Let's go to the kitchens, I'm hungry..", said Nan when they left Dumbledore's office.

"You know where the kitchens are?", replied Harry. He didn't even suspect Nan knew so much about the castle.

"Of course, I've been there loads of times. Come on, this way."

Harry stood there in awe when Nan tickled the pear and it transformed into green door, which led to the kitchens.

The house elves raced with each other to get first to Harry and Nan, so they can offer them something to eat and drink.

"We'll have some sandwiches and pumpkin juices, thank you very much.", requested Nan politely while the elves were literally bowing down to her kindness.

"Let's have a bet.", said Nan suddenly.

"A bet?", replied interested Harry.

"Yeah. I bet in five galleons that Ron will crash into the Whomping Willow."

"Deal."

"Oh dear, we are in trouble.", said Filch when he saw Ron getting out of the Ford Anglia.

"Where were you three? And what happened to your wand, Ron?!", shouted Hermione at breakfast the following day.

"I stole my dad's car after we couldn't get through the barrier..", Ron tried to explain, "But Nan didn't want to let Harry go with me," he shot her an evil look, "So I.. Kind of flew the car to school and crashed into the Whomping Willow.."

"WHAT?!", yelled Hermione.

"YES! You owe me five galleons, Harry Potter!", shouted Nan victoriously.

"You had a bet? About what?", Ron sounded offended.

Nan grinned, "I had a bet with Harry for five galleons that you'd crash into the Whomping Willow when you came.", explained Nan.

"Hey!", shrieked Ron.

"Is that why your wand is broken?", pointed out Hermione.

"Duh," replied Ron who was trying to glue his wand with duct tape, "And I got out with a detention for a month.. With Filch."

Hermione now turned to Nan and Harry, who were looking innocently at her, "And how did you two get to school? I hope not in a dangerous, stupid way like Ron?"

Nan coughed for a second, then replied, "I asked Draco's house elf to apparate us into Hogwarts.", and then she stood up, "That reminds me, I gotta thank Draco. Harry, why don't you tell Hermione about all this stuff, maybe she'll know what Dobby meant."

A few moments later

"Hey Davis, Greengrass, how are my two most favourite Slytherins?", said Nan while hugging those two from behind.

"Hey!", shouted Draco who sounded offended, "I thought I am your most favourite Slytherin."

Nan looked at Daphne and Tracey for a second, then at Draco, and back at those two, "I'm sorry girls, you're a close second."

Draco grinned happily while Nan sat between Daphne and Tracey, "Just wanted to thank you for letting us use Dobby to apparate into school, I really didn't want to go with that maniac Ron," she laughed at that, "He's a bad driver, by the way."

At that moment, a grey owl entered the Great hall carrying a red, sealed letter and collided with the Gryffindor table. It was Weasley's owl, Errol.

After a huge laugh from everyone around, Seamus shouted, "Look everyone! Weasley's got himself a howler!"

Trembling, Ron opened the letter slowly, and then it started yelling at him;

"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME! — Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud."

As soon as the howler stopped shouting, it tore itself.

Everybody seemed too shocked to laugh, except Dumbledore who tried to hide his laugh by coughing.

"Let me introduce you to your new defense against the dark arts teacher. Me.", smiled Gilderoy Lockhart while entering the classrom, "Order of Merlin, third class.", he walked downstairs, "Honorary member of the Dark force Defense league. And five times winner of Witch Weekly's most charming smile." Hannah and Hermione looked completely charmed, "But I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her," he smiled dumbly which almost made Nan vomit. "That's debatable," she said loudly, but Lockhart ignored her.

"Now, be warned; It is my job to arm you against the foulest known to wizard kind.", he drew out his wand slowly.

"Let me guess, Cornish pixies?", shouted Nan, at which everyone started laughing their asses off.

"Just you laugh, Ms. Watson, but let's see how would you deal with real Cornish pixies!", he shouted and released the pixies from the cage that was hidden just a second ago.

Nan just casually waved her wand at the pixies, and after one silent Immobulus! the pixies were floating frozen in air.

"Very good," smiled Lockhart, "ten points for Gryffindor. But what spell did you use, if I may know?"

Nan looked shocked, "That was a simple freezing charm, professor, don't you know it?"

"Yes, yes, of course," he continued grinning, "Another ten points for doing it silently, Ms. Watson!"

Author's note: Well, this one had 1,5k words. A nice introduction to second year at Hogwarts, thank you very much. Oh, and we've almost hit the 19k mark! As always, stay tuned up for the next chapter.