Harry entered the room of requirement the next evening after dinner, "How are you Merry?"
"I'm doing well." He replied with a grin, "You had a very lovely ginger with you last evening."
"Madam Amelia Bones." Harry explained, "Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She was upset when she found out Dumbledore expected me to kill off Voldemort."
"Less upset now, I would think." Merry nodded.
"Only upset that I'm not joining the aurors now." Harry chuckled.
"Well done." Merry nodded, "Now let's discuss a few other things I want you to try. You've done really well with all the spells so far. What I'd like you to do today will involve some harder visualization and more concentration. We're delving into self-transfiguration. Similar to how I had you grow your hair; this is affecting your body. Are you familiar with the metamorphagus talent?"
"Yes, Tonks is a metamorphagus." Harry nodded, "She can make herself look like anyone else."
"But she is restricted to human morphing." He stated.
"Mostly, but she can do a pig nose and a duck's bill as well as a few other things like that." He remembered her doing that last summer.
"That is fun." Merry nodded, "You're familiar with the animagus transformation."
"Yes, but I didn't think we had time to do that." Harry looked a bit confused.
"An animagus becomes the same animal every time and it gets easier each time you do it." He explained, "However, it is possible to transfigure yourself into an animal without that skill. The good part is you can do a different animal every time. The bad part is; it's a lot harder to do. I have used this in battle."
"Ok, how do we do this?" He asked.
"First off, pick an animal." Merry instructed, "I would start with something easy to visualize, around your same size."
"Like a large dog?" Harry asked, "Maybe a grim?"
"I'd say more like a poodle." Merry grinned, "Have you seen a grim?"
"My godfather Sirius was an animagus, a grim like dog." Harry sighed, "I could probably visualize him the best."
"Might be a bit harder on you emotionally." Merry pointed out.
"Maybe but at least it's a good memory." Harry shrugged.
"Meditate on his dog form for a while." Merry nodded, "Look at it from all sides and as many details as you can get."
"Right." Harry sat and fell into his meditative state. He had no idea how long it had taken but he was sure he knew exactly what Padfoot looked like, "I've got it."
"Now keep it in mind and push your magic from the center out all directions." Merry said softly.
After a few minutes a dog was sitting in Harry's place. He got up and walked around the room sniffing at different scents. After a few minutes he went back to the portrait.
"Visualize yourself and pull the magic back." Merry instructed.
It took a while longer before Harry was back in his normal self, "That was hard. How long did it take?"
"It's after curfew." Merry answered, "About ten thirty."
"I can't believe that was five and a half hours. Seemed like maybe half an hour." He sighed tiredly, "I'm exhausted. I wonder if it's worth the effort to go back to the dorm."
"Call up a bed then." Merry grinned, "Get your elf friend to let your friends know."
"Dobby?" Harry called as he moved to the bed.
"Yes Mr. Harry Potter Sir, what can Dobby gets you?" he popped up.
"Would you find a way to quietly inform Hermione that I'm sleeping here please." He started to lay on the bed but got a whiff of himself and asked for a shower instead.
"She is saying you better not be hurt." Dobby returned after a few seconds.
"I'm not, I'm just really tired." he replied, removing his clothes. "Can I get a snack with some protein and a change of clothes for tomorrow?"
"I's be getting these cleaned and brought back." Dobby popped away.
Harry was finished with his shower and sitting on the bed in his towel by the time Dobby returned. He handed Harry the plate and snapped his fingers. Harry's laundry popped in cleaned and pressed.
"Thank Dobs." Harry grinned as he ate, "You're a life saver."
Dobby popped away with a grin on his face. The next morning Harry arrived in the great hall at the same time as Hermione.
"Well, you look like you're in one piece." She stated.
"Just overly tired, tried something new last night." He grinned.
"I've got no plans for after dinner." She stated as they entered the room.
"Harry!" Ron waved from down the table.
Hermione and Harry joined him and Lavender, "Morning."
"Where were you last night?" he asked quietly but Lavender was glued to him so she'd spread anything Harry said.
"Sorry, I stayed up late studying and got up early." He answered and slide his eyes to Dumbledore, "You know."
"Right, don't study so hard." Ron dropped it knowing no one could know about those lessons, "I thought maybe a date I could tease you about."
"Nothing so fun." Harry sighed.
"Harry." Lavender huffed, "What's good about being the boy-who-lived if you don't use it to get dates?"
Harry dropped the fork he was using as Ron tried to get her to stop, "Lavender, there is not one good thing about being the Boy-Who-Lived and I refuse to use my parent's deaths to get dates."
He stood and stomped from the room. Everyone in the hall had heard his statement, as it had been just shy of yelling. Hermione was the only person in the hall to move immediately. In fact, no one else moved for nearly a minute. Professor McGonagall was the next to move and she stood, "Ms. Brown. That will be twenty points for whatever thoughtless comment made Mr. Potter's statement necessary."
"But he loves flaunting his fame." Severus sneered at her.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake Severus." She huffed at him, "You are one of those people who thinks he likes his fame. You're all being very obtuse. Being the Boy-Who-Lived is tantamount to saying the boy-whose-parent's-were-murdered-in-front-of-his-one-year-old-eyes. Not even you can really believe he enjoys being called that."
"Of course, he does." Severus snapped back, "He enjoys being called the chosen one even more."
"Severus that is enough." Albus called out but didn't say another thing.
Harry and Hermione hadn't gone far. However, after the argument seemed to be over, they headed for the kitchens.
"I can't believe my stomach still wants me to eat." Harry huffed, "Usually it's in knots after something like that."
"Well, look at the bright side." She grinned, "When Pomfrey corners you about eating you can say we went to the kitchens and had a balanced meal, out of view of the idiots in the great hall. I'm sure you'll get to hear Lavender's apology before bed tonight."
"If I go back." Harry huffed.
"You need to." She tickled the pear, "If you quit sleeping in the dorm, it's just going to be brought to the professor's attention and then they'll start looking for you. You can get away with it once in a while but every night will have them on you likeā¦"
"Grease on Snape?" he asked.
"You're impossible." She grinned, "But yes, just like that."
They finished breakfast and headed toward first class. They had transfiguration so they made their way to her classroom. She was waiting for them by the door as they were the last to arrive.
"Mr. Potter." She began.
"We ate in the kitchen." he told her softly.
"Very well." She smirked, "She lost twenty points. Do you mind if I ask what she said and why?"
Harry gave a brief overview of the conversation and she grimaced.
"Very thoughtless indeed." She waved them to their seats.
Before class even started Lavender stood and turned to Harry, "I'm sorry, I never looked at it from your point of view. It was a thoughtless and crass statement. I apologize."
"Accepted." He nodded to her and Ron, "I don't think you were the only one who didn't realize my point of view. If anyone had, I would have never had to deal with a moniker of that sort."
"Thank you." She sat by Ron and he gave her a hug as she wiped her tears.
"Well done, Ms. Brown." McGonagall stated and then started class.
That evening Harry showed Hermione the dog he'd been able to become.
"You became an animagus, in one night?" She demanded.
"No, I mastered the art of human to animal transfiguration in one night." He grinned, "I am not stuck a black dog forever. I've not tried anything else yet, but technically I am not an animagus. The only way I can become faster at transfiguring into an animal is to visualize it and memorize its details ahead of time. Then I can bring up the memory, have a quick view of it as a reminder and do the transfiguration."
"If you're not an animagus you should be able to change things about the dog form." She stated, "Try doing a different colored coat."
Harry changed back into the grim like dog and then concentrated and changed its coat to brown. Then he changed his eye color and after that the tail changed from straight out to curled up. He then returned to human.
"Well?" he asked when she remained silent.
"You are not an animagus." She agreed, "You need to get some more animals under your belt. If you ever need to use this dog form, and someone sees. It would be best to be able to prove you are doing transfiguration not transmutation."
"Explain the difference." Harry demanded.
"Transfiguration is when you transform the outward appearance of something; to convert into a different form, state or substance while transmute is to change, transform or convert one thing into another, or from one state or form to another." She explained, "You look like an animal but you're not one. An animagus becomes the animal and has to fight its instincts. Animagus will even gain some of the characteristics of their animal. You shouldn't."
"I like her." Merry stated from his portrait, "She may be as smart as a Ravenclaw but she can bring it down to a level everyone else can understand. That's why she's made it into Gryffindor, well that and her bravery I suppose."
"Actually, Ron is the reason I can bring it down." She smirked, "He can be rather obtuse for a magical person."
"He's just a normal wizard then." Merry grinned, "A lot of them are that way. Blood purity, in its oldest form, is from obtuse people who can't believe someone new to magic can be just as good or better than someone who was exposed since birth. They don't realize you've been exposed to it since birth too. You just didn't have a name for it and not every single thing you did was magic related. Your horizons are far broader than theirs."
"I think their horizons are a narrow pin point." She huffed, "They condemn a whole species to slavery."
"Which species is that?" Merry asked.
"House elves." She grumbled.
"House elves are a far sadder tail then that." He stated, "They were sold into slavery by their own species."
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Full elves used to be part of the magical world." He explained, "They had a monarchy and the monarch of the time wasn't very nice. When a group of elves rebelled against some order he gave, he basically used elven magic to force them into a subspecies and forced their nature into subservience. When his own people refused to use them as servants, he sold them to witches and wizards. We were grateful and for many generations they treated the elves like family. However, witches and wizards soon forgot and began to treat them like animals instead. Some think it is actually the elven magic that makes us forget but I think it's just the arrogance of magical kind. Many people still treat them with dignity."
"Can the magic be reversed?" she asked.
"Only by an elf, a full elf not one of the condemned." He answered, "But their nature enjoys taking care of others so don't try to take that part away or you'll make them unhappy. Work on a way to force witches and wizards to treat them with kindness."
"I'm wanting to get them pay, vacation and sick days." She stated.
"They won't accept pay normally." He shook his head, "Time off is offensive. However sick time would be appreciated as well as better treatment. No orders to do themselves harm is the best thing I think you could demand. A way to remove ownership of abusive masters who won't change is another."
"But everyone deserves time off." She insisted, "We all get tired and need rest."
"They aren't human and you can't hold them to human standards." Merry explained, "You wouldn't tell a centaur to live in town, or make a vampire sunbathe to gain color. You can't change how they are made. You can only make wizards treat them well. You would make them unhappy by forcing them do nothing for a day."
"But they could pick up hobbies, like reading, or knitting." She insisted, "They won't be doing nothing."
"They are not allowed to learn to read, it's part of the spell." Merry told her, "Knitting is helping and they can do that but who would they knit for if not their family? Most families allow the elves to do what they like. If they have one that likes to garden, that becomes his duty. As long as all the needs of the family are met, they can operate how they like. Your friend Dobby, is a bit different for an elf. I don't know what happed to make his home life like it was. But most elves are not as independent as he is. Those who are, also have traumatizing pasts."
"What about breaking up family groups?" she demanded, "It's bad to remove a child from his mother and father that way."
"Again, that's part of the spell." Merry offered, "I told you the monarch wasn't nice. His intent was to make them subservient in every way. The children are viewed as new workers that are just learning to help out. If they are sold off, well that's one less to teach. It's not cruel, it's just the way they were made. Be as mad as you want at the elven monarch who did it. But don't try to change who they are or you'll make them miserable."
"But Dobby likes being free." She insisted, "Can't they all learn to enjoy it?"
"He's not free." Merry grinned, "He just bound himself to someone who lets him do whatever he wants."
"Who?" she demanded.
"Who do you think?" Merry asked.
"Don't look at me." Harry squeaked when she turned on him, "I didn't bind him to me. Merry said he bound himself. It was his choice. Dobby!"
"Yes Mr. Harry Potter sir?" he popped in, "Is you ready for yous snack?"
"Yes, but first I have a question." He stopped him from leaving, "Are you a free elf or are you bound to someone who allows you the freedom to do what you want."
"I is bound." He twisted his ear, "But master doesn't know it yet."
"Dobby, did you bind yourself to me?" Harry asked.
"Yes sir, Mr. Harry Potter sir." Dobby looked down.
"Ok, Dobby, your orders from now on are to do as you wish." Harry told him, "And to just call me Harry."
"Yes sir, Harry sir." Dobby looked up, "Is you mad at Dobby?"
"No. Though I wish you had told me." Harry knelt down to talk with him, "As long as you don't try to save me by maiming me, and you call me Harry, I will not be mad."
"Yes sir, Mr. Harry sir." Dobby popped away but a snack for him and Hermione popped into being a few moments later.
"No Hermione I won't free him because it was his choice and I won't make him unhappy." Harry stated before she could ask.
"Ms. Hermione, what is the issue if he has ordered him to do as he wishes, short of maiming him and calling him anything but Harry?" Merry asked.
"It's just that slavery is bad." She huffed.
"It is, but we didn't make them be that way and we can't change the magic that does." Merry explained, "You need to get passed the muggle part of your upbringing to recognize the magic in use is out of our control. We are to try and make the best of their situation as the magic is demanding it to be."
"I'll try." She gave in.
"Good, now you need to go someplace quiet and think on that." Merry told her, "Harry will not be quiet in here today so it's probably best if you go to the library or something like that."
"Sorry I got mad at you." She turned and gave Harry a hug.
"Just don't forget, its Dobby's choice." He replied, "I want them all to be happy too."
Harry waited until she left before he turned to his mentor.
"What animals have you been visualizing?" Merry asked.
"I want to fly." Harry grinned, "I've visualized several birds. I'd like to try for an owl."
"Alright." Merry grinned.
A few hours and animals later Merry stopped him, "Mr. Draco Malfoy is trying to access the room of hidden things."
"Has he done this before?" Harry asked.
"Yes, many times recently, I've been in the room but he's down an isle that I can't see from any wall." Merry explained.
"I'll hide and allow the room to change and him to enter." Harry pulled his invisibility cloak out and threw it over his shoulders as the room changed and the door opened.
Harry made sure he was silenced before he followed the Slytherin. He watched Malfoy work on the cabinet for nearly half an hour before he realized what was around them. He'd been moving slowly around the blond to see what he was doing but as he passed by a certain section, he felt it. He almost threw off the cloak then and there to start digging through the shelf at his side. Instead, he memorized the path from the cabinet to the door and left. When he returned to the common room, he borrowed some parchment and a quill from Hermione. Within a few moments Ron called from the other side of the room.
"Harry, Hedwig is at the window." He stated as he opened said window for the bird.
"Excellent timing girl." Harry stated as she flew across the room, "Take this to Sharptongue."
She took the owl treat from Hermione as Harry tied the letter to her leg. Ron was still by the window and shut it after Hedwig left. He moved over to his friends leaving Lavender for a bit.
"Is something going on?" he asked, "She usually only pops in that way when somethings up."
"This is part of the things I'm learning from Dumbledore." Harry whispered, "I'll explain when I can but here and now are not the place or time."
"Let me know if you need anything." Ron nudged him.
"I will, but right now it's out of my hands." Harry shrugged.
Ron returned to Lavender's side and Hermione put her book down, "That was a very short note."
"Can't put details in a letter." He shrugged before he went to his dorm and returned with his book bag. He started his own homework, "We'll be ready."
She stopped making notes and looked at him puzzled for several moments, "For what?"
He looked up at her with a sardonic look on his face. When she shook her head, he wiggled his fingers at her. It took a few more moments before she realized what he wasn't saying. She face palmed.
"I'm an idiot." She muttered.
"No, just distracted with homework." He chuckled, "Just in time though."
"Three days till Hogsmeade." She grinned.
The next morning Harry was in the great hall bright and early, as soon as Dumbledore arrived, he wrote the note and used a switching spell to exchange it for them man's napkin.
"Sir, do you still like Ice Mice? HP" he read the note to himself and looked up at Harry and gave a slight nod.
Harry ate his breakfast and left as soon as he could. He arrived at the headmaster's office just ahead of the man himself. Harry gave the password and the two of them walked up.
"Can you open you floo for a goblin." Harry suggested.
"Do you have it on you?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, I didn't want to touch it." Harry shook his head, "I have no idea what would happen."
"Probably for the best." Dumbledore agreed and opened his floo.
A few moments later the fire flared and the head of a goblin appeared, "We're coming through."
Dumbledore nodded in reply and returned to his desk. The fire flared again and three goblins entered the office.
"Mr. Potter, it's good to see you." Sharptongue greeted him.
"You as well Sharptongue." Harry greeted, "The bell for first class should be sounding momentarily, I'll ensure the halls are clear then we can proceed."
"Where will we be going?" Dumbledore asked.
"The room where things are hidden." Harry answered, "It's a facet of the Room of Requirement. I have it pinpointed to a small area. It shouldn't take long."
The bell went off and Harry pulled out his map. He scanned it and found everyone was in their classes so they all headed out and made their way up to the room. Harry opened it and within ten minutes the horcrux was found and destroyed. They then checked the map again and headed back to the office. Harry and Sharptongue were back several feet and the other two goblins were questioning Dumbledore about things they could see in the school.
"When do we need to kill it?" Sharptongue asked quietly.
"Saturday." Harry answered, "Between eight in the morning and noon."
"It will be done." He was assured.
