"Harry!" Hermione, Ron and Draco looked up from the couches in the common room, but Harry had eyes only for Hermione. "Are you-?"
"I need a favour," Harry said, waving off Ron's questions and ignoring Draco's stare. "Your timeturner, how far back does it go?"
"What?" Hermione asked, reaching up to toy with the chain. "Harry-"
"Wormtail was there," Harry said.
"Honestly," Draco said, "I leave you lot alone for a morning-"
"But seriously," Ron said, "what happened? Everyone's saying Sirius attacked Cho, and we were both there when the street exploded-"
"It wasn't Padfoot," Harry said, "it was Wormtail in disguise, and he didn't attack anyone in the teashop…" He quickly told them what had happened, both in the teashop and then later, in the alleyway, both with Wormtail, and then his argument with Padfoot.
"Well," Ron said, when Harry was done, and looked at Hermione, "no wonder Sirius' dog sounded mad when it was talking to McGonagall."
"He's absolutely right though," Hermione said, sounding thoroughly exasperated. "What were you thinking going after someone like Wormtail without your wand-?"
"I wasn't," Harry said, cutting off Draco who'd clearly been about to say as much. "Well, not about that, anyway, I just couldn't let him get away, but he did, and that's where I need you, Hermione."
"I don't like where you're going with this, Harry," she said, frowning.
"Look, Padfoot said we can't change what happened today, and he can't, but we can-"
"No," Hermione said, shaking her bushy head. "No, absolutely not, Harry, I'm sorry-"
"No?" Harry stared at her.
"Hermione, if he went back, he could catch him," Ron said, staring at her.
"But he didn't go back," Hermione said. "Or Wormtail would already be caught."
"Because you've said no," Harry pointed out. "If you say yes-"
"The answer's no, Harry, I'm sorry." Harry looked at her, betrayed.
"What if he went back and did something to help him or Black, though?" Draco asked thoughtfully. "Wormtail escapes either way, but maybe Black or Potter are better off-"
"Yeah," Harry said, seizing on that idea, "what if-"
"No," Hermione said firmly. "There is no 'what if' because I wouldn't say yes, not for this."
"Not for-?" Harry repeated. "Hermione this is the man that betrayed my parents to Voldemort, and ruined Padfoot's life! He hurt you-"
"And that's awful, Harry," Hermione said patiently. "I've never said it wasn't, but those things happened too long ago to be changed-"
"But today didn't," Harry said, trying to get her to understand. "We can change-"
"You can't just go back and change the past every time something bad happens, Harry," Hermione said, starting to sound frustrated. Harry was feeling incredibly frustrated with her too. "And yes, today Wormtail did get away, but it could have been much worse. What if you go back and change things and someone's hurt, or killed because he panics and lashes out?!"
"That wouldn't happen," Harry said. It would be very like Wormtail to lash out, but Harry wouldn't corner him in a place where anyone else was at risk. "I'd go and get Padfoot, and we'd catch him as soon as he left Puddifoot's-"
"Then you'd be seen," Hermione said. "You cannot be seen-"
"Then we'd leave as soon as we had him," Harry said. Ron and Draco were both very quiet.
"And if you messed up, somehow? What if he got away from you, and Sirius was even a second slower getting to your past self in the alleyway?"
"That wouldn't happen," Harry said again, frustrated.
"You don't know that!" Hermione exclaimed. "And neither do I, which is why you can't!"
"You know what I do know?" Harry asked. "That the longer Wormtail's free, the more likely it is that someone will get hurt or killed, and if you're not willing to help me now, then you're as good as helping him!"
Hurt flashed over Hermione's face but was quickly replaced by anger and she leapt to her feet.
"I am helping you," Hermione snapped. "You might be willing to risk yourself, Harry, but I'm not, and if Sirius was here, I think he'd say the same!"
Furious, Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Hermione had already turned on her heel and marched up the girl's dormitory stairs.
"Well that was brilliantly handled, Potter, congratulations," Draco sighed, sinking back into the couch.
"I suppose you agree with her," Harry grumbled.
"I think you both made good points," Draco said frowning. "But at the end of it all, the timeturner's hers and she gets to decide who uses it."
"You didn't mean it when you said she was as good as helping him, did you?" Ron asked. He looked a little shell-shocked.
"Sort of," Harry said, and then huffed, getting to his feet. "Not really, no." He ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "I'm going to the kitchens." He hadn't had lunch before Wormtail interrupted, and breakfast had been hours ago, so he was starving.
"I'll come," Draco said, hopping up. "I haven't seen Dobby for a while, and I want to ask him if he knows anything about Father's mind abilities. Weasley?"
Ron glanced up at the girl's stairs but Hermione was well and truly gone – Harry felt a little guilty, but only a little because he was still angry with her – and shrugged.
Lots of people were milling about the halls speculating about the explosion in Hogsmeade but they either didn't see Harry, or hadn't yet heard of his role in it all, so they were able to get downstairs without any trouble.
Harry tickled the pear and the three of them slipped inside. A hundred little heads turned their way at once, ears flapping. Then:
"Master Draco and Harry Potter and Master Wheezy!"
Dobby dove forward, beaming, and swept into a low bow before hugging both Draco and Harry and shaking Ron's offered hand rather enthusiastically. He'd still wore the silk pyjama shirt embroidered with 'DM' that Draco had freed him with, and Harry had seen the bright blue tie and football shorts last time, but the violently orange sock to go with his single Gryffindor sock was new, as was his tea-cosy hat.
"Barmy," Ron muttered, too low for anyone but Harry to hear. He was grinning.
"Dobby," Draco said, smiling. "Have you got a moment to talk?"
"Oh, yes, Master Draco," Dobby said, nodding eagerly. "Dobby is always having time to be speaking to Master Draco and Harry Potter and Master Wheezy!" He waved a hand and led them over to a quieter corner of the kitchen, the other elves bowing as they passed, like they had on other visits. Draco didn't even seem to notice, but Harry wasn't used to it – Kreacher was hardly a conventional house elf – and Ron looked a little uncomfortable. "Would the Masters like a cup of tea?"
"That'd be brilliant," Harry said. Three elves rushed over with a laden tea tray at once. "And something to eat, if you wouldn't mind?" More elves were over within a minute, offering Harry sandwiches while Dobby served them all tea. "Great," Harry said. "Thanks."
Delighted, the elves bowed and scurried off, but watched from their benches, doubtless wanting to be ready if Harry or the other two wanted anything else. It was a bit unnerving.
He and Ron ate and chatted while Draco quizzed Dobby on Lucius Malfoy. Ron wanted to know about what had happened before Wormtail interrupted Harry's date with Cho.
"I can guess the rest," Ron said, and patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "We - Hermione and I – saw her crying in Hogsmeade." He smiled, but it was more of a grimace. "But- I mean, you got her wand back-" Yes, he had, and she'd been impressed and grateful. Harry felt his face warming up. He'd forgotten all about that during his argument with Hermione. "-so maybe once she's settled down she won't hate…" Ron leaned back in his chair suddenly. "What?"
"I don't reckon she hates me," Harry mumbled, still unable to quite believe his luck that she didn't. And he couldn't decide whether he wanted to tell Ron about it or whether he wanted to keep it to himself. He'd wanted to tell Padfoot but Padfoot had been with Robards and then had sent him off with other Aurors. Harry still couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed at that. "She- er- we-"
"You what?" Ron asked, looking curious.
Harry's face felt even warmer now. Kissing girls had been a topic of conversation in their dormitory several times before – since Seamus kissed Lavender last Hogsmeade trip - but that had mostly been teasing Seamus and then wondering what it was like. It was a bit different now that it had happened to him.
"We- er-"
"They kissed," Draco said, glancing their way for just a moment. Ron's eyebrows shot up. "Didn't you?" Harry nodded sheepishly.
"Ha!" Ron said, triumphantly, and then burst out laughing. Several of the house elves gave him wary looks and Harry found himself grinning.
Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to Dobby saying, "But are you sure…?"
"So?" Ron asked, when he'd composed himself. "What was it like?"
"It was- I dunno, good? Nice?" And it had been. Harry hoped he'd get to kiss her again.
"Nice?" Ron snorted. Then he grinned rather slyly. "Not brilliant or bloody great?" Harry snorted too; that was what Seamus had said about Lavender.
"Shut it," Harry muttered, but Ron kept grinning.
"Winky!" Dobby exclaimed suddenly, and Harry saw a tiny elf sway as it turned their way. She was wearing a Hogwarts teatowel in a toga-style, and she had a bottle of butterbeer in each hand (one of those was empty) but it was undoubtedly the elf from the Hog's Head. But what did that mean? Did it mean anything at all? Maybe elves had to help out in Hogsmeade on the days students were there…? "Master Draco, this is being Dobby's good friend Winky. Winky, this is Dobby's Master Draco." The elf sank into a wobbly curtsey. "And Master Draco's friends Harry Potter and Master Wheezy-"
But Harry doubted Winky had even heard Dobby introduce Ron, because she'd started to wail as soon as she heard Harry's name, and backed up a few steps, albeit rather unsteadily. House elves smelled different to people, and it was harder to read their scents, but he'd had a bit of practice with Kreacher, and he thought she smelled panicked, and a bit afraid.
Was she just naturally highly strung – she'd come across that way in the pub – or was there more to it? Kreacher had always been a bit of a grouch, and Dobby was ridiculously cheery, but most of the other house elves he'd met were friendly – occasionally shy – and polite. He'd never had one that was afraid of him before, and- yes, it was of him. Her eyes hadn't left him since Dobby said his name…
"Why don't you come and sit with us, Winky?" Harry asked quickly. Draco and Ron were both giving him odd looks. "Any friend of Dobby's is a friend of ours."
"Yeah," Ron said slowly. Winky appeared to be trying to hide behind her bottle of butterbeer, and her eyes flicked to the door several times.
"Yes, do sit," Draco said. It was his best Malfoy-voice, but it appeared to have done the trick, because Winky's shoulders slumped and she staggered forward and crawled onto the bench.
"Have you worked here long, Winky?" Harry asked. She burst into tears. Ron looked rather taken aback. Draco seemed baffled.
"Winky is coming to Hogwarts just before Dobby, Harry Potter," Dobby said eagerly. "Winky is looking for work-" Winky looked sadly down at her butterbeer bottle. "-like Dobby is and Professor Dumbledore is giving her work."
"So a few months ago?" Harry asked, and Dobby nodded, ears flapping.
"Winky is missing her old master," Dobby said, reaching over to pat the other elf on the knee.
"Her Master?" Harry asked, seizing on that. He was paranoid, he was sure of it, but there was something about all of this... "So she was-"
"P-poor Master!" Winky shrieked, yanking on her ears. "Winky's poor master!" She flung herself on the floor with a wail that turned into noisy sobs, and kicked her arms and legs around like Harry had once seen Dudley do.
"Winky's Master is going to prison, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered, watching Winky with sad eyes. Harry frowned, but his heart started to race and he now very much doubted Winky's appearance in Hogsmeade had been purely by chance. Padfoot hadn't been injured when she spilled the butterbeer on him and she hadn't attacked any of them, but there was more to this, he was sure.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, shuffling over to avoid Winky's flailing. "What for?"
"Dobby isn't knowing, Master Wheezy, sir," Dobby said nervously.
"It's not Dobby's business," Winky said, hiccoughing. "Winky is not prying into Dobby's business and so Dobby should not be prying into Winky and her poor Masters!"
"Masters?" Harry asked. Winky stopped talking at once and went very still, but the look she gave him was furious, despite her red face and running nose. Was it possible Winky was somehow in league with Wormtail? If her Masters were Death Eaters, perhaps they'd put Wormtail in touch with her- but no, because Winky was working here, now, so Dumbledore or someone was her Master now… But if Wormtail had stumbled across her by chance, Harry could see him exchanging information about Winky's old Master or Masters or whatever for her help.
"Winky is a good elf, Winky isn't sharing her Masters' secrets, no she is not! Not to Dobby, and not to Harry Potter!"
"Winky will not be rude to Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked angrily, jumping to his feet. Draco hid a snort behind one hand.
"Oh, no," Harry said quickly, "Dobby, that's all right-"
"-and," Dobby continued shrilly, "Winky is needing to remember that Professor Dumbledore is Winky's Master now. He-"
"Quiet, Dobby," Winky said, making a shushing gesture with one hand. The other hand wrung the Hogwarts-toga she wore. She suddenly looked very afraid, but Dobby ploughed on:
"-is the one that is giving Winky work after Winky is being freed-" Winky cringed and Harry frowned. Something clicked into place in his head – only a suspicion – but based on Winky's reactions he thought it was likely. "-and-"
"Oh!" Harry said, taking a very obvious look at his watch. "I completely forgot I have Quidditch practice!"
"But it's a-" Harry elbowed Ron as subtly as he could manage. "Oh, yeah, right, Quidditch practice." He made to stand, looking a bit confused.
"Nah, don't leave because of me," Harry said, and Ron slowly sat down again, looking bewildered. "Draco still wanted to talk to Dobby."
"Right," Ron said uncertainly. Draco just nodded.
"It was nice to meet you, Winky," Harry said. "Bye, Dobby." And how was he supposed to get this across to the other two without Winky catching on? "I- er- I'm glad you've got another friend here, Dobby." He looked at Ron and then at Draco, who, thankfully, were both looking at him. "You should- er- keep her close." Ron's eyes brightened with understanding – thank Merlin – and Draco was harder to read but he didn't smell confused. "Save me a seat at dinner."
"Yeah," Ron said as Harry left. "Hey, Winky, you don't reckon you'd be able to get me another cup of tea, do you…?"
As soon as he was out of the kitchens, Harry pulled out the mirror.
"Sirius Black," he said, breaking into a jog. The mirror's surface was dark. "Padfoot? Sirius Black."
"…isn't a bright side. He got away." By the time Sirius and Robards had gone after Peter, he'd been well and truly gone; he'd apparated within a tiny area a few times to confuse the trace readers, but they'd still managed to track him to the Leaky Cauldron where he'd Flooed to the Ministry. There, he could have Flooed out, or left on foot, or had someone waiting for him, but however he'd escaped, they hadn't been able to find him, even using Padfoot's sensitive nose.
"There is. At least you got there in time to do something this time," Remus continued, reaching out to refill Sirius' teacup.
"Ta."
"In the past you've been dead-" They both grimaced at that. "-or not able to get there until it's all over."
"If I hadn't got there today it would have been all over," Sirius said. "Peter would have Stunned him and vanished, and Harry'd be dead by now." He swallowed.
"But you did get there," Remus said. "And that's made all the difference. Peter got away and that's-" Remus took a deep breath and there was a deep, sad anger in his scent. "-unfortunate, but if you'd tried to stop him instead of- I'm- if- without that Shield charm, Sirius…" His Shield charm had cost him the chance to catch Peter, but Sirius couldn't find it in himself to regret that choice at all. He'd make the same one, a thousand times over.
"That's your bright side?" Sirius asked, laughing without humour. "That Harry and I weren't blasted to bits?"
"Yes," Remus said, absolutely serious. "Of course, Padfoot, you and Harry- I've lost you twice now and I don't think I've got it in me to handle a third time. And Harry…" He shook his head. He looked so haunted that Sirius couldn't even find it in himself to tease him. Not that he felt much like teasing at the moment anyway.
They sipped their tea in rather heavy silence.
"I've- Dora and I have been talking about coming back," Remus said.
"What?" Sirius asked. "But, what about your job-"
"I love my job," Remus said, looking fondly around his neat office. "And I do quite like it here, but with everything going on at home… And Dora's over there half the time now anyway with all this World Cup planning-"
"Good thing, too." Sirius had bumped into her at the Ministry and told her what happened and after hearing it, she'd told him Remus had a free lesson and given him her international portkey home. Rather guiltily, he realised he wasn't sure how she was going to get home, but he'd needed to speak to Remus – to fill him in on the Peter situation as well as just to talk - and hadn't given any of it much thought beyond that.
"Apparently." Remus' mouth twitched. "I- we feel very… disconnected over here. We miss you, and Harry and Marlene, and Dora misses her parents."
"Well, you can't come back until Christmas," Sirius said with a grimace. "You've loaned your cottage out, remember?"
"How could I forget?" Remus asked wryly. "Not that that's long; Christmas is next week, Sirius." Sirius glanced at the planner on Remus' desk, a little surprised. He could have sworn it was still two weeks off. He shook his head. "But no," Remus continued. "I'll finish the school year out here, but after that…" There was a knock at the door. Remus glanced at Sirius, who waved a hand. "Come in."
A very pretty blonde girl in a Beauxbatons uniform poked her head through the door, but the smile on her face slipped off when she saw Sirius. She glanced at Remus, confused, and said something hesitant in French. Sirius – who'd learned it as a boy but not practiced since – caught what might have been an apology.
Remus said something back and the girl smiled, murmured a goodbye, and left.
"She often comes by for tea," Remus said, by way of explanation. He smiled wryly. "She's on her way to becoming my French version of Matt."
"You mean she's a-"
"Not a werewolf, no." Sirius took that to means she was something else and Remus took a sip of tea. "Quarter-Veela." Sirius' eyebrows shot up, but he could well believe it. "As you can imagine it's caused a few problems with her classmates." He suspected that was an understatement. "Madam Maxime's very fond of her as well."
"Does she breathe fire?" Sirius asked, grinning.
"Sirius!" Remus said, appalled.
"Just asking," Sirius said, putting his hands up. Remus rolled his eyes. They sipped their tea in companionable silence; mostly, Sirius thought – about Harry, about the visit to Snape he'd need to make in the near future, about Peter and how he'd got the best of them again and how he and Crouch and Voldemort were just always several steps in front… He let out a gusty sigh; a headache was building behind his eyes.
"Thinking about Harry?" Remus asked. Sirius couldn't tell if he was more sympathetic or amused.
"In part," Sirius muttered. "He just-" He paused as Harry's voice called out of his pocket, then frowned and took another sip of his tea. The adrenaline of it all had probably worn off by now, and Harry was doubtless feeling guilty and wanting to apologise again. Remus arched an eyebrow as Harry called again.
"What if it's important?" he asked, just as Sirius fished it out of his pocket, scowling; the same thought had just occurred to him.
"Padfoot!" Harry sounded distinctly relieved, and slightly out of breath, but didn't appear to be injured or even upset.
"What, Harry?" Sirius sounded rather terse, even to his own ears, and the other two seemed to think so as well; Remus pursed his lips on the other side of his desk, and Harry cringed. Sirius sighed, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but Harry spoke again before he could voice it.
"I- sorry," Harry said weakly, "I just- I thought you'd want to know… that house elf from the pub today? Her name's Winky, and she works at Hogwarts." Harry gave him a hopeful look. It was an interesting coincidence, but – unless Sirius was missing something – nothing more.
"All right," Sirius said slowly. He glanced at Remus, who shrugged. "And?"
"Well," Harry said, scrunching up his nose, "that's- I'm not actually sure." He made a face. Sirius wasn't sure what his own looked like. Bewildered, or perhaps exasperated. "But I've just- I've got a feeling about her…" Sirius exchanged another look with Remus, this one sharper. "I think she's involved, somehow."
"Involved with what?" Sirius asked.
"Wormtail," Harry said. "Maybe."
"Harry," Remus said, and Sirius turned the mirror in his direction, so that he and Harry could see each other. Harry's made a surprised but pleased sound, and Remus smiled. "I'm not discounting it as a possibility, but why would a school elf be helping Wormtail?"
Sirius could think of a few reasons, most of which revolved around the elf being hoodwinked in some way.
"That's the thing," Harry said slowly. "The way she was acting… I'm not sure she is a school elf."
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked sharply.
"Like maybe she wasn't actually freed before she came here," Harry said, scrunching his face up. "Like I said, I don't know, it's just a feeling…"
Sirius understood the implications at once; if Winky the elf wasn't at Hogwarts because she'd been freed, then it was likely she was there on someone's orders… but whose? While lots of Death Eaters had had house elves, Voldemort had never had his own. Peter hadn't had one growing up, and if he'd acquired one since Sirius was sure it would have been mentioned in an Auror file. He supposed Polkov was a possibility, or Crouch-
"Where's Winky now?" Sirius asked. His voice came out strangled. He'd met Winky before today – almost a year ago – in St Mungo's. He'd barely spoken to her then, despite being in her company on and off for several days. In fact, all he'd really seen of her then was the back of her head as she lay, weeping, over Crouch Snr's bed. Sirius jumped to his feet.
"I've got Ron and Draco distracting her," Harry said.
"Good," Sirius said. "I-"
"Where are you?" Remus interrupted and Sirius paused, dreading the answer.
"I'm just about at Dumbledore's office," Harry said. "I figured he's the best one to talk to-"
"Absolutely," Sirius said, relieved. "Harry, I think she's Crouch's elf." Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Ask Dumbledore, though, he'd know, and see if you can work out whether or not she's free without tipping her off. I'll be there as soon as I can." He just needed to beg an international portkey out of someone at the French Ministry first. Harry nodded seriously and the mirror went blank. "Sorry to rush off, Moony-"
"I was going to have to kick you out anyway," Remus said, waving the apology away. "My next lesson's in ten minutes."
"I'll let you know how this goes," Sirius said, pulling the office door open.
"I'll be back on Monday anyway," Remus reminded him. "Christmas, remember?"
"Right," Sirius said. "Thanks for…" He gestured vaguely around the office, but Remus seemed to understand and gave him a little smile.
"Any time."