A Helping Hand by Blue Star

Disclaimer: J. K Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. I just own his story. ^_^

Author's Note: Writer's block is evil. Well I finally got chapter 7 done (yay) and I do hope you like it! Sorry if it's too boring and slow. I tried my best!

Chapter 7

Vagabond Thoughts

When it is time, you will weep for the happy days of your youth. A Terrible cloud of immaculate evil is about to rain down upon this world. See if you can live through the first phase…

Voldemort. The Dark Lord's testament. Try as he might in his dreams, Harry could not get the chilly voice of the Dark Lord out of his head. Tossing and turning in the large bed all night long, the taunts of Voldemort rang throughout his brain and when he awoke from the endless nightmare the next morning, he felt sick and exhausted.

Every dream he dreamt during the long night was a forbidding nightmare with Voldemort breathing down his neck. Voldemort's high laughter filled his mind until he thought it would explode with the sound. In his nightmares Harry tried to escape but the Dark Lord easily followed him, howling with laughter and wicked jeers. When Harry awoke an empty darkness met him while the cold of the room consoled his clammy skin. But he did not dare move or even breathe too loudly. Passing a glance ever so often to a near-by window, Harry waited for Voldemort to show himself. But that never happened.

Slowly he grew aware that the pale morning sun was filling his room and bicker of birds chirping their indignation had started just outside the bedroom window. Harry never felt so much in love with the morning. The night was finally over. A sigh of relief filled his mouth and he finally relaxed into the bed. Having a dream, which prophesied his death and the bizarre conversation with Voldemort in the middle of the night, a bright morning seemed strangely wonderful but terrible. He wandered what would happen next. Would a crew of dementers just fly into his room and burst into song? Or would Voldemort just happen to stop by for morning tea?

The image went into his mind and Harry couldn't help but smile at the thought. Well, maybe singing dementers would be more frightening then Voldemort…or Snape for that matter.

Harry was still an inch from dozing again and he settled further into the warm bed. Morning could wait a bit more, he thought, pulling the blankets to his nose. I need to think…and sleep. What the heck happened last night? Did it even happen? No. It was too ridiculous. It couldn't have happened. He couldn't have challenged his greatest enemy. The whole thing seemed stupid. It was just a dream.

He bit his lower lip and looked up at the shadowy ceiling. His mind was wild with the memory of the pervious night and Voldemort's mysterious voice. He didn't even know if it was real or not, which was a terrible thing. If it was real he would know if it was, right? And why didn't Snape hear Voldemort or his voice as he screamed at the wizard? Did Voldemort put a spell on the room or something? Was Snape lying? What if Snape had gone back to his previous occupation without anyone knowing it? What if he was a spy for Voldemort just like Peter was?

If that ain't a happy thought, Harry told himself with a frown. I'm living in the same house with a man who is on the same side as Voldemort. Would I just serve myself on a silver platter just to get it over? How about an apple in my mouth and an order of lady fingers on the side?

No, Snape couldn't be evil, Harry told himself. Dumbledore would have had known. He would have had me send to stay with Sirius or Ron. Dumbledore is a powerful wizard; he would know what the best thing to do was. And no matter how I don't like the outcome, I'm stuck here until further notice. It's a whole lot better then staying with my uncle, that bloody git.

Harry didn't feel bad about calling his uncle names. The bastard deserved it. Of course Harry was ready to damn that little elf for giving him away to Snape. How could she have done that to him? For all the days Harry had become aware and friends with elves never once had he thought them evil…well, there was Winky…but Dobby certainly wasn't! Maybe her appearance gave her away. She was just too cute and innocent-looking that Harry couldn't expect her…

Suddenly Harry felt himself dramatically pale. Cute?! Innocent-looking?! Ha! Had he just called her those names? What was wrong with him? Well, one thing is for sure. He wasn't going to be fooled by anymore of her tactics! No, sir-e! Not no game and not one lie! From now one he would just ignore her and everything thing she said. Despite her appearance, deep down under she was just a child with a taste for mischief.

Harry was deeply insult that she had deceived him out and was filled with outrage. He glared up at the ceiling, swearing that he would never live this one down. No matter what, he'd never trust her again. She was too shady.

He sighed suddenly. Oh well, at lest she would be able to tell me if last night was for real. Maybe it was? Then what? Would the chat he had with Voldemort just be a hallucination? What did it prove? Nothing? Anything? Harry didn't know; or he didn't want to know. Whatever happened it sure was pretty strange. That he knew and understood.

What if Voldemort had talk to him? At least he still had his life. But at what cost? Was there something all the more terrifying on its way?

Harry didn't want to think about it. In fact he was starting to get too hungry to concentrate. When was the last time he ate? With a loud yawn he wondered if he should go back to bed and just wait for something to happen. After a second he had made up his mind as he slowly slipped back into a peaceful sleep. The morning light warned off the nightmares for the time being.

~*~*~*~

It was obviously later in the day when Harry woke up. Evening light had settled into the room and it was perfectly silent. He wondered what had awaked him in the first place seeing that everything seemed normal. Rubbing his eyes and sitting halfway up in the bed, the answer became quickly known. Lecai was sitting very close-by on the bed, half an inch from poking his side with her long fingers. Harry squinted down at her and she offered a nervous grin. Today she was dressed in a long green robe with golden fish printed on to the velvet robe.

"What do you want?" Harry curtly asked the little house elf. His voice was hoarse but he didn't care at the moment.

"Lecai was getting worried. Harry would not wake up. 'Tis pass five in the evening and Harry still sleeps. Heruamin wondered if Harry was ill," Lecai told Harry, not obviously offended at Harry's tone of voice.

"Well I'm breathing so that's a good sign, right? I'm tired and I had a very long night." Harry paused. "Hold on did you just say what I thought you said? Snape is worried?!"

Lecai offered a quick nod. "Heruamin was worried Harry lost Harry's marbles last night. Heruamin wondered if he was need to brew another potion to wake Harry up." For a moment, Harry stared down at the elf, wondering if he should believe her or not. "Hmm…" he said and nothing else.

"Heruamin sent Lecai up here to check on Harry and to wake Harry up if Harry still slept. Heruamin wanted Lecai to tell Harry that dinner is almost ready and to give Harry his new clothes," Lecai quickly said. "Also to tell Harry where the bathroom was."

"Is that all?"

"Um…Lecai is positive it is, sir."

"All right. You gave me the message now leave," Harry told the elf as he slowly sat up.

As was expected, large tears quickly rose up in Lecai's big eyes and rolled down her face. "Is…is…Harry mad at Lecai? Did Lecai do something…wrong?" The little elf all but squeaked out her last word like a bird. Harry spared her a long glance. "You got me in trouble last night, remember? You told me that you won't tell and then, as if by magic, Snape showed up and found me! You told me that you wouldn't tell him!"

Lecai's bottom lip quivered and she sniffled. "Lecai got confused, sir. Lecai didn't want to get into trouble with Heruamin. Lecai…"

"So that was why you told be about the letter from my Godfather and why you were the one who suggested that I go read it?" Harry asked.

"Lecai did not suggest!" the elf protested in more squeaks. "Lecai only tell! Lecai's a good girl!"

"Yeah right!" Harry replied. "Well it's going to be a long time before I trust anything you say! Jeez, there never is a normal house elf!"

Lecai squeaked in indignation and suddenly she was gone. She had vanished into thin air. Harry stared at the empty space of air where the elf was just moment before reaching out to touch it, a bit distrustful. Nope, the elf definitely had vanished or at least had moved very quickly somewhere else.

"Lecai?" Harry asked in a wary voice. He glanced around the room and found it as empty as before. "Lecai, where are you?" When nothing but silence answered him, he gave a heavy sigh and stood up.

He found that there was a pile of clean clothes at the end of his bed and he felt a pang of guilt. Snape gave him a new pair of clothes and he insults his house elf. Not a polite way to return such courteousness. Carefully, Harry moved through the clothes a found everything he needed-jeans, a flannel shirt, socks, and underwear. Just to be safe, Harry lefted up the pair of jeans to his body and found them to be a good fit. He put them down on the bed again and looked about the room. There was a door on the other side, hidden in shadow. That must be where the bathroom is. Gathering up his new belongings, Harry made his way towards it.

It was even better than the Prefect's private bathroom at Hogwarts! Harry stopped short of dropping his things and gawking in the doorway. It was huge and green! It almost seemed like a forest almost. There was a huge tub to his right and a sink and toilet to his left along with a very old-looking mirror. Clean white towels hung in the air against the back wall and the soft glow of candles filled the room with light but he didn't know exactly where the candles where. Anything mystery was that the gigantic tub was already filled with warm water and bubbles. Harry quickly discarded his wardrobe on the marble sink and ventured over to it. Slowly he ran his fingers along the tub's rim before carefully sliding his fingers into the water. It was warm.

"The bath is for you, Deere."

"Excuse me?" Harry turned around and looked about the room. "Lecai?"

"Wrong. I'm Morgana, the Magical Mirror. You must be Harry Potter."

Harry looked at the old mirror. As it spoke, the smooth reflective surface gently vibrated. "Oh…Hello," he awkwardly spoke. Well it certaintly wasn't everyday that mirrors spoke, well at least not outside of the Magical World.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Lecai told me all about you last night. She's very happy that you are here," the mirror continued to speak in her soft, almost granny-like voice.

Harry's face flooded with color. "Oh...um...I didn't know…um is this bath for me by any chance?" Harry pointed to the full tub.

"Of course. Just get right in. I won't look, buttercup," the mirror answered him but Harry wasn't so sure. With a sigh he turned his back on the mirror and quickly undressed, tossing his old nightclothes into a careless pile. Then he slipped quietly into the warm water. It came up to the middle of his chest when he stood.

"Okay…I'm in now," Harry told the mirror.

"There is soap and shampoo to your left by the way."

"Thank you very much." Harry turned and grabbed a bar of soap. It smelled like lemons but the color was green. Quickly Harry gave himself a good lather and washed the soap sods away by dipping into the water. When he came up, the shampoo was levitating inches from his face.

"Shampoo for Harry."

When he grabbed it ("Thank you.") he found that it wasn't levitating but held up by something.

"Lecai!" Harry was so surprised by the elf that he dropped the bottle into the water and moved far away to the other side of the bathtub. "What are you doing here?!"

"Lecai was here the whole time. Lecai was hiding behind the towels, sir," the elf smiled. "But Lecai was a good girl. Lecai closed her eyes too. Now Lecai help Harry with Harry's bath like a goof girl."

"Er…I think I got it," Harry stammered. "Can you leave now, please. Bathing isn't a public thing any more."

"Harry doesn't want Lecai's company?" The little elf offered a very pathetic pout then. "Lecai will be good and help!"

"You really don't have too, Lecai," Harry quickly told you. "I just want to finish my bath and have something to eat. I don't need your help."

"What if Harry trip and go under the water?" Lecai asked. "Lecai must stay here and do her duty to protect Harry."

"Well with my luck I'm probably drowned. But that won't happen. Now, Lecai, please go! I want to finished my bath before the water gets cold."

"That won't happen, dreary," the mirror spoke up. "The water is magic. Guaranteed not to turn cold until your bath is over. Same with the bubbles."

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed the shampoo bottle as he flowed to the top of the white bubbles. He squired some of the liquid onto the palms and worked it angrily through his hair, glaring at the smiling elf.

"Oh! Harry is going to get a bad headache!"

You are giving me a bad headache already, Harry thought. When he was done with that, he took a longer dip into the water and ran his hands through his hair to get out of the shampoo. He surfaced again and to his surprise Lecai was still watching him.

"Okay, I'm going to get out now. Could you please leave now so I can dry off and get dressed?"

Lecai nodded and stood up, leaving a large towel on the rim of the tub in her wake. Harry reached for the edge to left himself out of the water when Lecai's shrill gasp paused him from doing so.

"Harry's hurt!" Lecai cried as if her own hand had been cut. "Harry's hurt!"

"What?"

"There on Harry's arm!"

Quickly he looked at both his arms and wiped away the bubbles. After a moment he saw what Lecai was crying about. On his left forearm arm where was a medium sized bruise but he didn't feel any pain. Harry poured water over it and tried to scrub it away, thinking it was dirt. But he ended up wincing. It definitely was a bruise.

"I must have bumped it on something during the night," Harry murmured. Then he shrugged. "Well it's not like I haven't had a bruise before. It's nothing to worry about."

Lecai still didn't look convinced as she stared at the dark spot on Harry's arm. "Lecai didn't do her duty. Harry got hurt. Lecai didn't save him," she mumbled quickly. "Lecai sorry."

"It's all right, Lecai. Happens all the time. Now can you leave so that I can get dressed? It's starting to feel like I'm standing on two prunes." Lecai's light giggles filled the room as she turned and fled from the bathroom. Sighing, Harry quickly got out and started to dry himself in the peacefulness of the room.

Author's Note: I think the bathroom scene is my favorite. It was funny (or at least I think so). Well did you like? Hopefully I'll have the next chapter done in a bit (what should happen next? And will someone please tell me if I had Hedwig come home to Harry yet. I'm too lazy to look. I don't think she has. Oh boy). 'Til next time we meet!