A/N: Thanks to Shreve who was my only review of my last chapter and is one
of my faithful reviewers. I think there might've been one more but I can't
remember who it is so when I look it up ill put it in here.
Disclaimer: Don't sue me its not mine if you recognize it from a book.
The Greatest Battle Chapter 8
"Harry, this place is beautiful," Hermione said exasperatedly. She was right too. The grounds were fairly large and perfectly tended. The manor which was easily as large and probably larger than Hogwarts was not really so much a manor as a castle. It was made of stone, much like Hogwarts, but it looked more like the castles people think of when they think about the times of Merlin or medieval royalty.
"Well should we go in or do you want to stay out here all day and get wet." No one had realized that there was a storm about to hit. With that Harry and Ginny led the group into the main hall of the castle. The inside of the house was much more beautiful that the outside let on. As soon as they walked inside everyone looked around in awe. There were wonderful paintings lining the walls and there seemed to be an aura of power within the hall. As soon as they were all inside the doors slowly shut and a house elf appeared.
"Welcome to your home master." The elf bowed its head so low its nose almost touched the floor.
"Master?" Harry looked at the elf confused.
"Yes, we have waited fourteen years for the return of you sir. I hope that you find the condition of your domain acceptable" Harry stared at the elf dumbly for a second before responding.
"Wha- yes I do. It's wonderful. What is your name."
"I am Euan. I am the supervisor of the elves here in your domain and also your personal elf. I live to serve the master of the manor, that is you."
"But you're wearing clothes, so you're free."
"All the elves here are freed. Their former masters released them all. They serve you by choice, not by obligation. Your father was my master. He set me free out of kindness but I wished to remain his servant so he allowed me to stay and serve as the 'head elf'. I now serve you as I did your father."
"Thank you. I'm sure that your help will be needed." Dumbledore said. Harry just looked at Euan with an expression somewhere between confusion and amazement.
"Are you and your guests hungry my lord?"
"Are we?" Tonks spoke up for the first time since they had entered, "We haven't eaten in (she looked at her watch) 45 minutes! I'm starving!"
"Please follow me if you wish to dine. If you do not then please allow the other elves to take your bags and show you your quarters." Tonks, Harry, and Ginny were the only ones to follow Euan. Harry and Ginny only went so that they could keep Tonks company. Euan led them down a hall with many portraits of dishes and wonderful spreads of food. "This is the hall leading to the dining hall. Please enter through the doors at the end of the hallway. Master if you wish I will lead you to your private dining area."
"No thanks, Euan I think ill eat with my two lovely friends here." Harry replied politely. Then he took Ginny's hand and led her into the dining hall.
If what they had seen in the paintings outside was considered a large spread then what was set out for the three people who entered was nothing short of gigantic. There was everything from simple dishes like pizza and spaghetti to exotic dishes like bouillabaisse (A/N: strangely this word was in my spell check. It's the right word too). They all sat at the table, which was big enough to sit three. "Ooh, buffet style!" Tonks said and she grabbed a plate and started piling food on it. Harry didn't eat much but did eat some so he wouldn't seem rude. Ginny just ate a simple salad with some breadsticks. After they had finished their meal they decided that it would probably be best to go find everyone else. As they got up to leave they heard a crash in the distance. They only had a second to look at each other before they took off running towards the noise. It took them several minutes to find where the crash had come from. It turned out that Ron had found what appeared to be an armory. The only problem was that when he tried to go in quite a few of the objects in the room decided to attack him. The crash they had heard was a fair amount of weaponry falling to the ground when Ron had slammed the door of the room shut so the arsenal wouldn't turn him into a redheaded kabob.
"Harry, you really need to put up signs about things like that." Fred and George, who had just arrived on the scene, decided to comment. "I mean we like a good prank as much as anyone, but we don't have anything that'll kill you, yet. Not to mention the whole bloody, pierced by 50 swords look is sooo last year."
"Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind." Harry said this with a grin on his face from the twin's antics. "Euan, could you put signs up saying which rooms are particularly dangerous to my guests. I kind of like them alive:"
"Right away master." With that Euan was off to tell the other elves Harry's request.
"If anyone is interested, I have the school letters." This voice was Sirius'. "Here you go, one for each of you" he said, passing a letter to Ron, Harry, and Ginny. This was a painful reminder of just how close school was to starting again.
"Ron, yours looks a bit heavy.Five Galleons says he got Head Boy, eh George?" Fred looked like he would split his own ribs if Ron had made head boy. "Are you kidding Fred? There's no way Ron made Head Boy. Not after all the stuff he's gotten into! You're on!" George looked as though he was already counting the money when Fred shouted triumphantly. "HA, see I told you he got Head Boy. I knew it. That's exactly what Bill and Percy's letters looked like." Suddenly they heard an ecstatic scream from the room down the hall. A second later they saw Hermione running out.
"RON, HARRY, GINNY! I MADE HEAD GIRL!!!!!" She was squealing at the top of her lungs and hugging Ron so tightly that he looked like he might pop. "I wonder who made Head Boy?" She said thoughtfully. Harry caught Ginny's eye and grinned.
"I hope it isn't Malfoy. That'd be horrible!" Harry said this with sincerity in his voice. If Malfoy had been Head Boy, Harry might have just had the worst year of his life.
"No, I think it's probably a Gryffindor. There's no way it would be a Slytherin!" Ginny decided to comment this time.
"Wonder if its someone we know?" Hermione said.
"You could say that." Ron finally spoke up
"Really who is it?" Hermione asked
"Me" Ron mumbled
"Who? I didn't hear you Ron."
"Me, I'm Head Boy." Ron looked at her. Suddenly, as if a trance had been lifted from her she squealed and resumed trying to make him explode by hugging him.
"Ron, that's wonderful. We have to tell your mom!" She said excitedly
"What's wonderful? And what's all the noise about?" Mrs. Weasley said as she came into the corridor.
"Ron's been made Head Boy!" Hermione exclaimed. Mrs. Weasley's face lit up and she grabbed Ron in one of her famous rib crushing hugs.
"Oh my! I can't believe it! Fourth in the Family! This is so wonderful!"
"Mrs. Weasley, is Ron supposed to be that color?" Harry asked.
"Yea, purple doesn't really suit him mum." Fred and George said, causing Mrs. Weasley to glare at them and release Ron. He looked very grateful and was gasping for breath.
"Well, bed time, all of you. Now. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. We have to go to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies. Now go!" Her tone insisted she would not stand for argument.
Suddenly Euan appeared, "If you would follow me I will lead you and your friends to your rooms." They all stood around for a second and then followed the elf as he walked through the house stopping at each person's respective room and allowing them to enter. Before long the only ones left were Harry and Ginny. "Your room is through here master." Euan pointed to the final door in the corridor.
"What about Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Her room is also through this door" Euan answered. Harry and Ginny just looked at him.
A/N: Sorry but I'm really tired and I thought Id leave you with a bit of a cliffie :-P O well. Review. Thanks to all the reviewers and big props to Shreve and all my other faithful reviewers.
The Greatest Battle Chapter 8
"Harry, this place is beautiful," Hermione said exasperatedly. She was right too. The grounds were fairly large and perfectly tended. The manor which was easily as large and probably larger than Hogwarts was not really so much a manor as a castle. It was made of stone, much like Hogwarts, but it looked more like the castles people think of when they think about the times of Merlin or medieval royalty.
"Well should we go in or do you want to stay out here all day and get wet." No one had realized that there was a storm about to hit. With that Harry and Ginny led the group into the main hall of the castle. The inside of the house was much more beautiful that the outside let on. As soon as they walked inside everyone looked around in awe. There were wonderful paintings lining the walls and there seemed to be an aura of power within the hall. As soon as they were all inside the doors slowly shut and a house elf appeared.
"Welcome to your home master." The elf bowed its head so low its nose almost touched the floor.
"Master?" Harry looked at the elf confused.
"Yes, we have waited fourteen years for the return of you sir. I hope that you find the condition of your domain acceptable" Harry stared at the elf dumbly for a second before responding.
"Wha- yes I do. It's wonderful. What is your name."
"I am Euan. I am the supervisor of the elves here in your domain and also your personal elf. I live to serve the master of the manor, that is you."
"But you're wearing clothes, so you're free."
"All the elves here are freed. Their former masters released them all. They serve you by choice, not by obligation. Your father was my master. He set me free out of kindness but I wished to remain his servant so he allowed me to stay and serve as the 'head elf'. I now serve you as I did your father."
"Thank you. I'm sure that your help will be needed." Dumbledore said. Harry just looked at Euan with an expression somewhere between confusion and amazement.
"Are you and your guests hungry my lord?"
"Are we?" Tonks spoke up for the first time since they had entered, "We haven't eaten in (she looked at her watch) 45 minutes! I'm starving!"
"Please follow me if you wish to dine. If you do not then please allow the other elves to take your bags and show you your quarters." Tonks, Harry, and Ginny were the only ones to follow Euan. Harry and Ginny only went so that they could keep Tonks company. Euan led them down a hall with many portraits of dishes and wonderful spreads of food. "This is the hall leading to the dining hall. Please enter through the doors at the end of the hallway. Master if you wish I will lead you to your private dining area."
"No thanks, Euan I think ill eat with my two lovely friends here." Harry replied politely. Then he took Ginny's hand and led her into the dining hall.
If what they had seen in the paintings outside was considered a large spread then what was set out for the three people who entered was nothing short of gigantic. There was everything from simple dishes like pizza and spaghetti to exotic dishes like bouillabaisse (A/N: strangely this word was in my spell check. It's the right word too). They all sat at the table, which was big enough to sit three. "Ooh, buffet style!" Tonks said and she grabbed a plate and started piling food on it. Harry didn't eat much but did eat some so he wouldn't seem rude. Ginny just ate a simple salad with some breadsticks. After they had finished their meal they decided that it would probably be best to go find everyone else. As they got up to leave they heard a crash in the distance. They only had a second to look at each other before they took off running towards the noise. It took them several minutes to find where the crash had come from. It turned out that Ron had found what appeared to be an armory. The only problem was that when he tried to go in quite a few of the objects in the room decided to attack him. The crash they had heard was a fair amount of weaponry falling to the ground when Ron had slammed the door of the room shut so the arsenal wouldn't turn him into a redheaded kabob.
"Harry, you really need to put up signs about things like that." Fred and George, who had just arrived on the scene, decided to comment. "I mean we like a good prank as much as anyone, but we don't have anything that'll kill you, yet. Not to mention the whole bloody, pierced by 50 swords look is sooo last year."
"Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind." Harry said this with a grin on his face from the twin's antics. "Euan, could you put signs up saying which rooms are particularly dangerous to my guests. I kind of like them alive:"
"Right away master." With that Euan was off to tell the other elves Harry's request.
"If anyone is interested, I have the school letters." This voice was Sirius'. "Here you go, one for each of you" he said, passing a letter to Ron, Harry, and Ginny. This was a painful reminder of just how close school was to starting again.
"Ron, yours looks a bit heavy.Five Galleons says he got Head Boy, eh George?" Fred looked like he would split his own ribs if Ron had made head boy. "Are you kidding Fred? There's no way Ron made Head Boy. Not after all the stuff he's gotten into! You're on!" George looked as though he was already counting the money when Fred shouted triumphantly. "HA, see I told you he got Head Boy. I knew it. That's exactly what Bill and Percy's letters looked like." Suddenly they heard an ecstatic scream from the room down the hall. A second later they saw Hermione running out.
"RON, HARRY, GINNY! I MADE HEAD GIRL!!!!!" She was squealing at the top of her lungs and hugging Ron so tightly that he looked like he might pop. "I wonder who made Head Boy?" She said thoughtfully. Harry caught Ginny's eye and grinned.
"I hope it isn't Malfoy. That'd be horrible!" Harry said this with sincerity in his voice. If Malfoy had been Head Boy, Harry might have just had the worst year of his life.
"No, I think it's probably a Gryffindor. There's no way it would be a Slytherin!" Ginny decided to comment this time.
"Wonder if its someone we know?" Hermione said.
"You could say that." Ron finally spoke up
"Really who is it?" Hermione asked
"Me" Ron mumbled
"Who? I didn't hear you Ron."
"Me, I'm Head Boy." Ron looked at her. Suddenly, as if a trance had been lifted from her she squealed and resumed trying to make him explode by hugging him.
"Ron, that's wonderful. We have to tell your mom!" She said excitedly
"What's wonderful? And what's all the noise about?" Mrs. Weasley said as she came into the corridor.
"Ron's been made Head Boy!" Hermione exclaimed. Mrs. Weasley's face lit up and she grabbed Ron in one of her famous rib crushing hugs.
"Oh my! I can't believe it! Fourth in the Family! This is so wonderful!"
"Mrs. Weasley, is Ron supposed to be that color?" Harry asked.
"Yea, purple doesn't really suit him mum." Fred and George said, causing Mrs. Weasley to glare at them and release Ron. He looked very grateful and was gasping for breath.
"Well, bed time, all of you. Now. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. We have to go to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies. Now go!" Her tone insisted she would not stand for argument.
Suddenly Euan appeared, "If you would follow me I will lead you and your friends to your rooms." They all stood around for a second and then followed the elf as he walked through the house stopping at each person's respective room and allowing them to enter. Before long the only ones left were Harry and Ginny. "Your room is through here master." Euan pointed to the final door in the corridor.
"What about Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Her room is also through this door" Euan answered. Harry and Ginny just looked at him.
A/N: Sorry but I'm really tired and I thought Id leave you with a bit of a cliffie :-P O well. Review. Thanks to all the reviewers and big props to Shreve and all my other faithful reviewers.