Potter wonders what Dumbledore thinks that he's achieving by not using his name directly. The headmaster segued immediately from discussing the "truth" behind the petrifications to the cruelty inherent in bullying. He might have phrased it as the power of unification and the dangers of allowing students to slip through the cracks, but he's fooling no one. A few students may look bemused, but most are simply amused, throwing glances Potter's way and snickering whenever there's a sufficient pause to do so. Potter tries to ignore them, but he can feel that his face must be red from anger and shame. Beside him, Draco glares at anyone who looks their way for too long, and Blaise keeps telling him to just eat his breakfast and pretend that the mockers don't exist. At least Potter's friends don't appear to the be the odd Slytherins out; most of his housemates seem convinced that this is a ploy by Dumbledore to turn them against Potter and that to be any less than completely supportive of the boy would be to allow Dumbledore to manipulate them. It's a fickle sort of support, but Potter will take what he can get.
"Does it really matter anyway?" Blaise consoles. "The year's almost over. Let these idiots return to their homes and spend a summer doing nothing to advance themselves. No one will remember this by next year."
But Potter's not looking forward to going home, either.
Unfortunately, time never has and never will bend to the whims of a single individual, not even one who's already mastered death. For many students, any callousness that Dumbledore's speech inspired in them is soon replaced by a panicked need to relearn or simply learn anything that they might have missed over the course of the year. Potter is no less distracted, and before he knows it, it's time for the exams. They're easier than he expected, and he's not sure if "he" knows more than he thought that he did or if the teachers actually took pity on their students. He suspects the first. Ron certainly looks upset enough during dinner that Potter knows his friend struggled through the tests, and, though it's hardly an indicator of how she actually did, Hermione is a nervous wreck. "Oh," she keeps muttering to herself, "I knew I should have studied that a bit more." No amount of reassurance will calm her, so after dinner, Potter wanders off alone to unwind. It's not very effective. By the time that curfew sets in, he's more than ready for bed.
This time, when there's a sudden crack around midnight, he's too tired for panic.
"Dobby?" he whispers, forcing his heavy eyes to open and focus. "What are you doing here?"
The house elf beams at him, though how he can be so cheerful when whatever wounds caused him to need so many bandages must be hurting a great deal, Potter isn't sure.
"Dobby wanted to make sure that Mr. Potter was alright, sir!" The house elf squeaks, and Potter's face breaks into a relieved smile.
"I'm fine, Dobby. You had me scared for a moment, though! I thought you had more bad news to deliver."
Dobby turns a bit red as if blushing, empathetically shaking his head… Potter's eyes narrow in suspicion.
"Dobby, there's more than that, isn't there? Come out with it. What did you mean to tell me?"
"Well, sir…" Dobby hesitates, eyes landing on anything but Potter. Potter wants to groan. Of course the house elf isn't allowed to tell him anything! How to get around that?
Then his curtains are moving, and he realizes that he has a larger problem on his hands.
"What is that noise… what on!... Potter, why is my house elf on your bed?"
"You're Malfoy's house elf?" Potter asks Dobby in shock. Dobby doesn't respond, too busy staring at Draco in terror. Draco, for his part, is still staring at Potter, and Potter wants to groan. "He came to warn me at the beginning of the school year about an evil being here…"
Now Draco turns to Dobby in confusion. "How would you know anything about that?"
"Please, young Master. I'm not supposed to tell you."
"But only my father could…" Draco freezes, turning pale. Then he shakes his head in denial. "What could my father have to do with this? It's not like he hired Lockhart, and that kid was the one behind it all! No… no, Dobby, don't you lie to me, you stupid house elf, don't you—!"
Potter has to grab Draco to keep him from striking the cowering house elf. It's enough to watch Dobby punish himself for disobeying his orders, and he doesn't want to see Draco add on to that!
It's around this point that Potter realizes that Blaise is probably watching them all silently, and he wants to curse until his throat gives out. Could this day get any worse?
Abruptly, Draco frees himself and turns on Potter, demanding, "What the hell is going on here!"
Potter shrugs, trying desperately to find a way to convey the wider truth to Draco without incriminating himself or giving up the secret of Tom. "Perhaps… perhaps Nitin wasn't acting of his own free will? Maybe something possessed him, and the item came from your father, or…?"
"My father wouldn't—!"
"Don't be dense," Blaise finally interrupts. "Of course he would."
The two boys glare silently at each other (or at least in each others' general direction; why had no one thought to turn on a light?), and Potter turns back to Dobby. The house elf looks absolutely terrified, and Potter just wants to flop back onto his bed in exhaustion. Of all the nights for this argument…
"Dobby, just tell me whatever you wanted to tell me," he sighs. "It's alright. Draco won't tell his father, I don't think, and Blaise… well, he really shouldn't be here right now, but I guess it doesn't really matter."
Dobby doesn't look convinced, but he nods even as his hands go to pull his large ears as punishment. "It's still here, sir."
"… You're going to have to be a little clearer than that, Dobby."
Dobby glances nervously at the onlookers, but he bravely turns back to Potter and says in what he must think is a whisper, "the diary, sir."
"What diary?" Draco asks just as Blaise questions, "Potter, what on earth is he talking about?"
"… ah. I see. Yes. Well, thank you, Dobby. Yes, I know that the diary is… somewhere, but that doesn't exactly help as I haven't the faintest idea where. That's fine, though. I'll handle it, really." Potter sounds guilty and he knows it, but, really, what can he do? It's the truth; he has no idea where Riddle's diary is. And he will handle it! He already convinced Riddle not to hurt anyone, right?
Draco is less appeased. "What diary?! What does my father have to do with a stupid diary!"
"Please, sir!" Dobby begins backing away again, looking ready to disappear. Potter begins to feel bad for him. If Draco is this angry, how would Mr. Malfoy react if he knew how he'd been betrayed?
"Wait, Dobby."
The house elf stops to stare wearily at Potter. Potter sighs again, feeling the beginnings of a headache building, but he manages to get out, "Are you going to get in trouble for this?"
Dobby shifts his weight anxiously. "Dobby will have to punish himself for this, sir."
"Of course you will! Stupid house elf."
"Shut up, Malfoy. He first came here to save my life!"
"Yes, well." Unable to think of a suitable response, Draco resorts to sitting down on his bed to sulk. Potter rolls his eyes at the immaturity in front of him before a thought hits him.
"Draco, how much control do you have over your fathers' possessions? Specifically, say, the servants?"
"If my father ordered him not to talk, he won't talk. You saw him!"
"Yes, I did, thanks for assuming I'm that dense. I was wondering if you could free him."
"Free him—No! No, I'm not going to free him!"
"Why not? Really. He tried to save my life. He's risking horrible punishment by coming here to try to save people again. Obviously, he's not treated well."
"He's a house elf! He lives to serve us. What would a freed house elf even do, anyway? He relies on us for survival!"
"He's half dead! Look at him, he's half dead!"
They all pause to really look at Dobby, and Dobby's eyes have gone wider than saucers.
"Young master could free Dobby?" He whispers, and there's so much hope in his voice that Draco has to look away.
"My father would kill me…"
Potter fishes desperately. "Even if it would win you Harry Potter's favor?"
Draco glances at him as if to say, keep talking. Potter quickly adds, "You wanted me to visit your house this summer, right? Well, of course I'm meant to promote unity, and it'd be rather important for me to celebrate a family choosing to take a step towards the light by releasing their poor, rundown, hero of a servant."
"How will you spin him off as a hero? I don't want my father involved in this."
"He came to warn me about the Basilisk. He's a house elf, of course he can sense a disturbance as powerful as the release of another magical creature."
Blaise's laughter sounds before Draco can respond. "Potter, you're a true Slytherin, you know that? Go on, Draco. Free the elf. I'll vouch for you."
Draco scowls at Blaise's winning smile, but then he hesitantly removes one of his socks and holds it vaguely in Dobby's direction. When no one moves, he flushes. "Take it, you stupid thing!"
Dobby obeys almost reverently. Then he turns shining eyes towards Potter.
"Harry Potter has freed Dobby!"
Draco looks like he wants to protest Potter getting all the credit, so Potter quickly says, "Oh, don't mention it. You understand the story we're telling people, right?"
Dobby nods forcefully, tears falling from his large, large eyes. Potter laughs uncomfortably.
"Alright, Dobby. Thank you. You can leave now. Just… never try to save my life again, alright?"
Blaise snorts at that, but Dobby nods, smiles so widely that Potter half fears his face will crack, and then disappears with another loud pop. As the echoes fade, silence descends upon the room. Then Blaise snorts.
"Potter, you can explain tomorrow. I'm going to bed."
It's a good idea, and Potter does the same. Surely a good night's sleep will let him come up with a suitable story for the involvement of a diary!
XXXXX
He wakes up with no idea what he'll tell Draco and Blaise about the diary but no idea how to put off doing so. Normally, if he needed a break from his fellow Slytherins, he would eat at the Gryffindor table. Right now, that somehow seems like a bad idea. With the teachers supposedly on the lookout for any acts of peer abuse (because if another student is allowed to be mistreated, they too might try to release an ancient evil beast, isn't that encouraging), no one is being blatantly cruel to Potter, but the stares follow him everywhere that he goes. He's forced to remain among the Slytherins as much as possible, and even Ron and Hermione are reluctant to come near him too often.
Soon, however, Potter realizes that this works to his advantage. Who would want to have a serious conversation with him when every minute spent talking could make them a more appealing target? Besides, the school year is winding down, and Draco and Blaise have better things to worry about than a conversation they had while half asleep. Slowly, Potter is able to relax. It looks like Tom's secret will be safe with him, after all.
Before he knows it, the school year is over, and everyone is heading home. He schedules the meeting with Draco and his family, he bids goodbye to Blaise, he gives Ron and Hermione his phone number, and then he's off the train and returning to the Dursleys. They reach the house without a problem, and Potter makes it all the way to his room before the panic crashes over him.
Now that he's back with the Dursleys, he finally has to consider which alter didn't see a problem in Lockhart sexually abusing them… and, more importantly, why.
XXXXX
A/N: As always, thanks to all who read, reviewed, favorited, and subscribed! I don't know how regular updating will be after this, what with the new semester and all, but I'll try to continue at a decent pace. In the mean time, I do have another Harry Potter story that you could look at, though it is just beginning (and shameless Bellamione slash).
Vandenberg: Yes, because reviewing to tell me that you'll no longer read accomplishes so much. :)
Biblioholic: I've answered your question through private messaging because of the length of my answer. If anyone else wants to see the answer (in regards to how to help a victim of abuse), please feel free to ask.
Thanks to Michy Drarry Shipper, Lexisfightingrobots, katerena, InDaBayou, and . for the reviews!
