Chapter 38:
A few days later Sirius and Remus returned to the headmasters office. The sword of Gryffindor was now displayed behind him on the wall and the diary was still on the desk. Both men sat down as Dumbledore looked at them with both sadness and glitters of hope in his eyes. He loved Harry and he could not bear to reveal the truth just yet. Not when he finally had a chance at happiness with his godfather and honorary uncle.
"What now Dumbledore?" Sirius asked. "There can't be much more to this than asking Harry and finding out himself."
"Which is why I have called him here," Dumbledore nodded. "He should be here shortly. Sirius, you are living at Grimmauld Place now, correct?"
Sirius huffed. "Until I can find someplace better. I've cleaned it up. Even got Kreacher to do some work. Most of the dark stuff has been taken out, Moony here helped me check it over. That's the only way I could agree to let me give him a place to live."
Remus rolled his eyes. "I agreed because I want to be with you and Harry. And it's only while I'm looking for a job."
Harry walked in just then looking in between Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore confused. He sat down in the chair Sirius pulled out between them. "I got the note. Am I in trouble for something? I thought Ron, Neville and I didn't lose points right? Did something else happen?"
"Nothing else for you to worry about," Dumbledore shook his head. "But we should talk about what will happen when you leave school this summer."
"There's no conversation to have about it," Sirius protested. "He comes home with us. That simple!"
"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore sighed. "Harry's safety is something that is of the utmost importance to the wizarding world. While he was still with his relatives, though he wasn't safe from their abhorrent behavior he was safe from Voldemort and his followers. Here I was able to keep my eyes on him to make sure nothing got to him. And while I have faith that both of you are able to take care of Harry I would like to make sure that there is no possibility of any of you being harmed."
"So what do you suggest?" asked Remus.
"The fidelus charm," Dumbledore said.
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances both upset. The fidelus charm hadn't worked before because they had placed their trust in the wrong person. It was a scary risk to take. "We might need to talk about it."
"Do it," Harry told them. "I want to live with Sirius and Uncle Moony this summer. You just need to choose a better secret keeper."
"We'll do it then," Sirius said seeing Harry's desperate glance.
"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Now—"
He was cut off when the door burst open and Lucius Malfoy burst in with Dobby cowering behind him. Harry's eyes widened with realization as Malfoy looked at Sirius and Remus with disgust.
Dumbledore had no change in tone. "Good evening, Lucius."
Dobby scurried after Malfoy as he walked in. He sneered at Dumbledore. "So! You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."
"Well, you see, Lucius the other eleven governors contacted me today. IT was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls to tell the truth. They'd heard that Harry Potter was missing along with his friends, Augusta Longbottom's grandson and two of Arthur Weasley's children, and they wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."
Sirius snorted and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as Malfoy went pale and had a murderous look on his face. His eyes were full of fury. "So have you stopped the attacks yet? Have you caught the culprit?"
"We have."
"Well? Who is it?"
"The same person as last time, Lucius. But this time Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."
Dumbledore held the diary up and watched Malfoy closely with Sirius and Remus also following his lead. Harry kept his eyes on Dobby who was pointing to the diary then Lucius Malfoy before hitting himself hard on the head. Malfoy looked at Dumbledore drawing out his words as he spoke. "I see…"
"A clever plan. Because if Harry her and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why – Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…" Dumbledore's eyes bored into Malfoy's. Malfoy showed no emotion as Dumbledore continued. "And imagine what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families."
Sirius grinned in agreement glaring at Malfoy while Remus was looking at the man warily. Dumbledore continued to explain the consequences of what could have happened calmly. Malfoy stiffly agreed with him it was fortunate Ginny was okay. Dobby was still hitting himself in the head pointing to Malfoy and the diary. Harry's eyes widened. He looked to Malfoy. "Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?"
Sirius and Remus turned on him confused and surprised. Both seemed like they wanted him to stop before he got hurt and were quite proud at the same time.
Malfoy turned on him with a snarl. "How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?"
Harry's eyes glowed brilliantly as he calmly met Lucius Malfoy's eyes with a determined and harsh look. "Because you gave it to her. In Flourish and picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"
Sirius's eyes widened and he cursed several times under his breath. Remus looked at Harry then Malfoy who was clenching his fists for a small moment before letting them go. He told Harry to prove it.
Dumbledore smiled at Harry then looked at Malfoy. "No one will be able to do that. Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If it happens again several people I'm sure will make sure they are traced to you."
Malfoy stood for a moment and his right hand twitched over his pocket before he turned telling Dobby they were going and pulling him along through the door. Harry watched as they left and Harry's eyes fell on the diary. "Professor Dumbledore, can I give the diary back to Mr. Malfoy please?" He turned to Sirius and Remus. "I promise I'll be right back. I just need to do this."
"Yes, but hurry," Dumbledore told him.
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances once again. Sirius sighed. "We can come with you.."
"Go Harry," Remus told him. "But we'll be coming back for you if you're not back in fifteen minutes."
Harry was already running out the door as Remus said the last sentence pulling off his shoe as he hopped down the stairs, then his sock stuffing it in the diary as he ran. He could hear Dobby squeaking as he continued to punish himself and ran down the corridor. He caught up with them right before they reached the stairs. "Mr. Malfoy, I've got something for you."
He forced the diary into Lucius Malfoy's hands as Malfoy scowled pulled out the soc and threw it aside looking at the book from Harry. He narrowed his eyes. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter. They were meddlesome fools too."
He turned calling Dobby to come but Dobby didn't he was looking at Harry with a smile and wide teary eyes. "Master has given a sock. Master gave it to Dobby."
"What's that? What did you say?"
"Got a sock. Master threw it and Dobby caught it, and Dobby- Dobby is free."
Malfoy stared at him for a moment then spun lunging at Harry. "You lost me my elf, boy!"
Dobby shouted too. "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"
Lucius Malfoy was thrown back down the stairs three at a time and fell at ta crumbled heap before getting up quickly pulled out his wand aiming it at Harry but Dobby stood in front of him raising a hand. "You shall go now. You shall not touch Harry Potter."
Malfoy snarled at both of them and turned to march away swinging his cloak around him. Dobby was looking up at Harry now who was looking down the hall. He had five or so minutes to get back to Dumbledore's office. The elf was looking up at him though. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"
"Least I could do, Dobby. Just promise never to try and save my life again."
Dobby smiled nodding rapidly.
Harry looked at him smiling. "Well, I'd better go. They're still waiting for me up there."
Dobby hugged Harry as he turned to go. He started to sob."Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew! Farewell, Harry Potter!"
He disappeared with a crack and Harry watched in shock for a second before running back upstairs and sitting down as Sirius opened the door yelling at Dumbledore about helping Harry. He looked at Harry in surprise. "Harry!"
"Sorry," Harry said sitting back down. "I tried to be faster."
Remus smiled looking at him then his eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to your sock?"
"Oh," Harry said. "That. I put it in the diary."
"Why?" Sirius asked him.
"Mr. Malfoy tried to throw it away. Gave it to his elf by accident," Harry shrugged. "I owe Dobby. He tried to warn me, though he did almost kill me by trying to help."
"This elf tried to kill you?" Sirius asked.
"Nothing to serious I'm sure," Dumbledore assured him. "As long as Harry is safe, which is why we need to decide on the secret keeper. Once and for all."
"Just have Sirius do it," Harry suggested. "I mean, can't you just have the person under the protection guard it?"
"You can?" Sirius and Remus asked together.
"Yes," agreed Dumbledore. "But it puts Sirius under double the risk."
"Doesn't matter," Sirius told him. "I'll do it. Is that okay with you Harry?"
In response Harry tackled him and Remus with a hug before he ran out to tell Ron and Hermione more excited for this summer than the last.