A Helping Hand by Blue Star
Disclaimer: J. K Rowling is the amazing author of all things Harry Potter. But this story is mine.
Author's Note: Well, some of my lovely readers and reviewers are very smart! ^_^ Bravo! Exactly what will Harry's new bruise be? Hmm? Nothing or something? Like I would tell! Heehee, you will have to read and be surprised. If you don't like the plot twist that's fine but please don't call it annoying and insult me. It will make me sad and I will cry. (0.0, ß tear) Well, much thanks to J. Lynn on her update on Hedwig's situation. She needs to come home now. J Thanks to all who reviewed. Much love. 3
More Elven talk:
Khila amin – follow me
Mellon - friend
~*~*~*~
Chapter 8
Fear and Frowns
Harry was starving by the time he emerged from the bathroom. His stomach growled as if in protest and he laid his hand on it to quiet the sound. He was a thin kid to begin with but recently he began to drop the weight he had put on at Hogwarts. That usually happened during the summer time when the Dursley's feed him stale bread and day old cheese. He quickly reminded himself that Lecai had told him that dinner was ready and put out of his mind any thoughts of the Dursley's. There was even a delicious smell sipping into the bedroom from the other door. Instantly Harry's mouth began to water. Never in his life did he feel so starved.
"Lecai will show Harry where the dinning room is!" the little elf suddenly exclaimed. Harry looked as saw her standing on the newly made bed (with new sheets and all!) and looking very eager for the job. He didn't know if he liked the fact that she just started to pop up out of nowhere. It was truly alarming.
Harry ran a hand throw his untidy hair and mumbled, "Um...okay. But could you stop appearing out of nowhere for a while? You are scaring me a bit and I'm sorta jumpy already."
As soon as Harry had said that, the smile on Lecai's face turned to pout and tears swelled up in her eyes, making them all the more large. "Lecai's scary?" Her voice was high-pitched again as if she was keeping herself from sobbing. "Lecai mean no harm. Lecai do her best to protect Harry and make sure Harry is comfortable. That is Lecai's job-Hiccup-Now Harry feel jumpy! Lecai not doing a good jog at all! Heruamin will be disappointed with Lecai!"
Harry panicked at her state and quickly raised his hands, palm up, to console the troubled elf. "No, no…don't cry. Please, don't. It's not your fault really. You are doing your job very, very well. House elves everywhere should proud of you for your great jog as a…house elf." Harry couldn't believe that he had kept a straight face throughout what he said but Lecai loved it. Her tiny frame swelled with pride and the tear quickly vanished.
"Does…does Harry really, truly, positively think so well on little ol' Lecai?" she asked in a small whisper. Her hands were clasped nervously in front of her green velvet robe as he eyes peered shyly at him in awe and wonderment.
"Of course!" Harry forced a smile and before he knew it Lecai had thrown herself off the bed and into his arms. She just about knocked the air out of him when she hugged him. Harry didn't know what to do but nervously patted her on the back.
"Lecai feel so loved! Harry is great!" the elf cried happily.
"Er…um…thanks?"
"Now Harry must follow Lecai to the dinning hall! Dinner is ready! Lecai call tell!" In a hurry she tore herself away from Harry and pounced to the door. "Khila amin, Mellon," She spoke in Elven by the bedroom door.
Harry started to walk towards Lecai but something-a certain sound-held him back. It was at the window behind him and sound like a small tree limb scrapping the window in the breeze. He glazed at the corner where his belongings laid and notice once again the empty owl carrier. Hedwig still wasn't home. The sound at the window almost reminded him of the times his snowy owl would come to his window at the Dursleys' late at night and want in after flying around the block.
I hope she is all right, Harry thought. I miss her.
"Sir!" Lecai's sudden shouting drew him from his thoughts. "Sir, there is a bird outside Harry's window!"
"Huh?" Harry quickly spun around and saw not just any bird. But a large snowy owl fluttering at the window! "Hedwig!" with the speed of lightening, Harry ripped open the window and in flew the owl. She hooted angrily as she flew once around the room before landing on Harry's shoulder and then hooted some more.
"Oh, I'm so glad you see you!" Harry smiled. "Did you find the place all right?"
Hedwig glared at him with her sharp golden eyes and hooted again, ruffling her feathers as if in indignation. Harry laughed and reached up to pet her but she quickly bit his fingers with her beak.
"Ouch! Still mad at me, huh? I'll bring you something to eat later, all right? You must me starving." A less angry coo came from Hedwig as she flew from Harry's shoulder to the bed. "Sleep if you have too, Hedwig," Harry told his pet. "I'll be back soon."
~*~*~*~
"Dinning hall is right through here!" Lecai announced importantly as she reached up for the doorknob on her tiptoes. "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is always served here."
I know, Harry thought with a yawn. I was here last night. But Harry kept his ramblings to himself. He didn't want to bring up the issue with Lecai while Snape was on the other side of the door. Best act as if nothing happened.
Even as Lecai tried to open the door, Harry could smell the most delicious food in the next room. It reminded him of Hogwarts and his stomach growled in hunger. How long had it been since he had eaten? For a moment, Harry felt so hungry that he felt sick. But it quickly passed.
"Um, how many other house elves are here, Lecai?" Harry asked.
"Let Lecai think…three others. But you won't see them. They always stay in the kitchen or in the garden. Harry need to stay away from them. They are picky," Lecai replied as she opened the dinning room door. "Go in, sir."
"Thanks." Lecai quickly ushered Harry in as she closed the door behind him. The dinning room was a lot brighter than it was last night and the table was cleared away and covered with a long white to hold all the platters of food. At the top of the table, by the fireplace, sat Snape. There was only one more seat at the end.
"Harry is here, Heruamin!" Lecai announced.
"I can see that, Lecai," Snape quietly spoke. "That is all. You may go."
Lecai bowed and silently exited the room through the same door, shutting it silently. Harry remained standing, nervous, while his eye hungrily watched the food. He never felt so hungry in his entire life!
"Well, potter, are you going to sit down or remain standing?" Snape asked irritably from his seat. Like always he was glaring at Harry and dressed in long black robes. Harry didn't want to ask if they were the same ones from last night. But the idea put a small smile on his face while he quickly sat down.
Dinner was very quiet while Harry ate. He tried not to eat so fast but everything tasted so good that he wanted to try a bit of everything. There was chicken, beef, ham, soup, bread, salad, and sweets. Harry was drinking butterbeer (yum) with his large meal while Snape had something that looked a lot like wine. Harry didn't even need to refill his plate when he was clean. To his surprised, the plate was refilling itself with more food. When he was full he finally had to whisper to the plate to stop and it did! He just hoped that Snape didn't hear him. When he was done, her gathered up some fruit and bread into a linen napkin and quickly crammed it into his pocket for Hedwig.
When the meal was finally over Snape waved his hand over the table and everything vanished as quickly as it had come. Harry quickly sat up in his seat and looked across the table. Without saying anything, Snape stood up in a rustle of robes and walked to a silver serving tray in the corner of the room. Harry hurried the chime of glass knocking together and a pouring of liquid.
"Don't bother leaving here so soon, Potter," Snape said from the corner as he turned around. In his hand he held another glass of dark wine. "As you well know you're Godfather is away on business but I had taken you away from that despicable home of yours in hope that Black would soon come to collect you. That is no longer the case. I have spoken with Dumbledore about this earlier this day about what I am to do with you. He would think it unwise for you to be anywhere but …here…for the time being."
"What?!" Harry couldn't help but interrupt with pure disbelief. Snape glared it him with a look that said he didn't much like the situation either. Harry quickly looked around the room for something to bang his head against hard enough to wake him from the nightmare. Would he be staying his entire summer vacation with the Potions Master? That thought was a way too scary. It was impossible. Suddenly spending time with dementers didn't seem all that bad. "What about Ron's family? Or Hermione's? One of them might be willing to have me. Can't I go back to Hogwarts two months early?"
"You can have my word that I fought just as hard against this arrangement as you are now," Snape replied, his lips forming an angry scowl. "Dumbledore won't allow for it however. The Ministry is suddenly very busy with the new war. All the staff has been called to the ministry to help out so Hogwarts is as empty as your head at the moment. While you are here, however, Dumbledore asked for me to train you in higher defense against the dark arts and some spells to restrict the activity of darkness within yourself. If ever you are faced with a dark wizard, you can be assured that you are somewhat better equipped for battle. Do you understand, Potter?"
Harry sighed and slowly nodded. This will be the ugliest summer I've seen, he thought with a frown. This really sucks.
"There is doubt in my mind that you don't know the calamity of the situation," Snape continued with a smirk as he moved slowly toward the table. "The Dark Lord has once again raisin and the world will never be the same again."
"I know that," Harry rebuked. "I was there when it happened."
"Yes, well one cannot erase such horror from one's own mind so quickly," he replied, his voice as low as a whisper but Harry heard every word he spoke. "But the reality is that this will be a war unalike from any other. Dumbledore wants you prepared and it's my job to help you. God knows what you will face in your future." Snape stopped and drank a bit from his glass.
Harry didn't moved. Somehow he knew that Snape wasn't quite finished. His eyes began to wonder around the room when he heard soft laughter close by his ear. Then things started to get dimmer and blurry. Harry blinked. No use. It was like he was looking through a dark cloud or something. Still Harry could hear that same cold laughter ringing in his head.
Yes, please pay attention, my dear boy. This is one thing that might actually save you in the end Might, that is. Listen closely for your own good. Learn and become strong enough to fight against me. You actually might be better than that father of yours.
Harry couldn't breath suddenly. A feeling of dread washed over him and he froze. It was Voldemort again. He looked at Snape and saw that nothing in his express changed. It was like he didn't even hear Voldemort speak. How could that be? It was so loud and clear. Or was Harry just losing his mind? Like a ton of rocks, an unpleasant feeling of sickness weighted down Harry's stomach at that thought.
"Potter, are you listening to me?" Harry's mind began to clear and he suddenly heard Snape's voice once more. He looked up, startled, as if awaken from a dream. The room was suddenly very real and anything Harry had felt before simply vanished.
Harry looked at Snape with confusion running across his face. "What?"
A noise outside the room caught both of them by surprise. Both Snape and Harry turned to the door before it was flung open and banged against the wall with amazing force.
"Heruamin!" Lecai shrieked from the doorway. She was gasping for air as if she had ran a mile but was no doubt very frightened by something. Harry saw how pale she was and how wide her eyes were staring at Snape and was quickly worried. It was as if she were being chased by a monster or something. However Snape appeared to be little affected by his elf's sudden appearance.
"What it is, Lecai?" he asked in an almost lazy voice.
The elf didn't answer and for a long moment nothing happened as Lecai's eyes slowly wondered around the room. Harry didn't dare to breathe or move under the heavy weight of the silence as he stared at the strange elf. It was as if Lecai felt something in the room she didn't like. But it was obviously gone or not even there since Lecai gradually straightened up and her face flushed with color.
"What is it?" Snape asked his elf again.
Lecai quickly turned to Snape like a rabbit caught by a face. "Um… Heruamin, Lecai um…."Nervously, his small hands were rubbing together in the lap of her robe. "Lecai thought she heard something outside the kitchens and then in here when she was going upstairs…Lecai must have been fooled. Heruamin not hear something funny?"
"Besides an adolescents babble, I have not."
"Oh, Harry not hear something funny?" Lecai looked over at him, her eyes piercing some how.
"Um…" For a moment, Harry thought that Lecai had heard Voldemort's words too. But how was that possible? "No. I didn't hear anything….Sorry."
Lecai continued to look at Harry for a moment before nodding her head. "Lecai just hearing noises in her own head then," she murmured as she backed out of the room. "Lecai's sorry." With a nod, Snape acknowledged her departure.
Harry didn't bother looking. He sat there in his chair thinking of something-pondering Lecai and her fear. She didn't look like she just heard a random noise or the wind howling outside. She looked petrified beyond all limits. She had that same look of fear hat he saw on Cedric's face before he died. Harry shuddered. It was as if a real ghost had shaken her up in the hall or, worse, she did hear a terrible something. But was it a disembodied voice? Well, anyone would be that scared when they heard thee Dark Lord's voice. It sounded like real, audible evil.
Harry looked at the doorway. Did Lecai hear Voldemort just like he did?
At the end of the table, Snape emptied his glass and cleared his throat. Harry tore his eyes away from the empty doorway and looked over at him.
"The magic I will be teaching you is very advanced and powerful," Snape said after a moment. It was like nothing had happened. "You best be prepared physically and mentally for it. We will begin tomorrow after lunch so that you have another full night's rest. You may go."
"Um…thanks," Harry murmured and he stood up. "See you in the morning, sir." Silence was all that followed as he made his way through the shadows of the hallway to the staircase. After tonight, though, Harry didn't really want to walk in the darkness and he jumped a good foot from fright when Lecai suddenly appeared on a step at the staircase.
"Lecai! Don't do that!" Harry exclaimed. "You are going to give me a heart attack."
"Lecai apologizes," the elf quickly replied as she grabbed Harry's hand. "Lecai will walk Harry to his room. Lecai will do her duty as elf and never leave Harry unprotected. Lecai will do her job so that Harry will not be hurt."
Harry rolled his eyes as he was dragged up the steps by the determined elf. "Lecai, if it is about the bruise, it wasn't your fault! It's not serious at all!"
He heard Lecai give a loud sigh. "If Harry will not protect himself, then Lecai will do the protecting." They had finally reached the door to his room. Lecai pointed to it and said, "In. Harry learns new magic tomorrow so Harry needs his sleep."
"Now?! I'm not even tired. I've slept all day," Harry told the elf but she shook her head and continued to point to the room.
Rolling his eyes, Harry walked inside the room and shut the door. He leaned against it and closed his eyes, wishing that he could have stayed with Ron instead. Snape's house was getting stranger by the day.
Author's Note: I promise next chapter will be much more exciting! I have some really good ideas for the story line so it will start to keep up. But what do you think of this one? Yay or nay? **sighs** I don't know what to think of it, honestly. ^^; I promise it will be better next chapter.