A/N: okay just like I promised I got this bad boy out. Thanks to those who read the last chapters and to those who took the time to review.

Chapter 4

Precious Hermione

"HARRY! What d' yeh think ye're doin' down here?"

Harry's heart leapt, as he saw the immense form of Hagrid came down the street toward him and the hag that was harassing him. The Hogwarts gamekeeper came striding toward them, with his big black eyes blazing the hag quickly retreated.

"Hagrid!" Harry croaked in relief "I was lost- Floo powder-"

Hagrid took Harry by the scruff of the neck and soon they were out of the dark magic street of knock turn alley and were standing in front of the white marble of Gringotts Bank.

"Yer a mess," Hagrid said brushing Harry off nearly knocking him over. "That's bad business skulking around Knockturn alley,"

Harry explained what had happened and also what had happened during the summer. With Gollum's strange appearance and being locked away with him in his room.

"Lousy Muggles," Hagrid growled "If I had known…" he was abruptly cut off by another voice.

"Harry! Harry! Over here!"

Harry looked up to see Hermione speeding down the Gringotts stairs with her hair flying behind her.

"What happened to your glasses" she sputtered pulling out her wand and quickly repairing them and began talking a mile a minute asking them questions. Only a few moments passed by when the Weasleys came sprinting toward them.

"Harry!" Mr. Weasley panted "We'd hoped that you had only gone a grate to far…" wiping his bald patch "Molly's frantic…the creature…we don't know where he went…something about the…Precious"

"Great," Harry rolled his eyes, "Well maybe he's gone for good."

"What creature?" Hermione asked curiously

"Gollum," Harry said

"he's a pest," Ron added

"He sounded pretty dodgy to me," Hagrid said

"He's the coolest!" Fred argued

"He tried to eat Dudely!" George interjected excitedly.

"What!?" Hermione strained confusedly "Who or what is Gollum?"

Before they could give her any more gruesome details as to who Gollum was, Mrs. Weasley came storming down the street pushing several wizards unfortunate enough to get in her way. Practically dragging and Ginny behind her as the small girl struggled to keep up with her mother's steps

"Oh Harry- Oh my dear- you could have been anywhere--" She quickly pulled out a large brush began to wipe away all the soot that Hagrid had missed "and now we've lost that no account Gollum!" she hissed

"WHO OR WHAT IS A GOLLUM!?" Hermione demanded loudly, red as Ron's hair as the whole street seemed to stop and stare at her.

"Well," Hagrid said finally trying to break the silence "I gotta get go'en, See yer at Hogwarts" striding away taller than anyone else on the packed streets.

Harry tried to explain to Hermione who Gollum was but was so caught up in the bustle as Mrs. Weasley continued to try to clean him and demanding details of her own about where Harry had been, all the while Mr. Weasley was herding them up the steps of Gringotts. The crowd and confusion was further added to as they met Hermione's parents who were waiting inside the bank soon they were streaking down the tunnels of Gringotts in a goblin driven cart, to retrieve their money from the vaults. Harry tried in vain to cover his money from the Weasleys view trying not to show them how well off he was. Hastily he shoved his coins into a leather bag and they were off again.

"So what is this Gollum thing!?" Hermione demanded once they were outside again standing outside on the steps of the bank and everyone save Harry, Ron, and her had split up.

"Well he's…" Harry began but was cut off as a very large and dangerous looking goblin with a crooked nose approached him from inside the bank.

"Harry Potter?" he asked as the children backed away slightly before the massive goblin.

"Y...yes," Harry responded

"Come with me, the manager of the bank needs to speak with you." the goblin said. Harry and his friends looked to each other as the goblin waited for them to enter the bank. Cautiously the trio began to move, Harry saw Hermione fidgeting nervously with her wand inside her pocket as the goblin began to lead them through the corridors of the bank until they were in front of a very fancy looking door on the second floor of the bank. The goblin stopped them and entered the room then returned.

"The manager will see you but, only Mr. Potter." he said. Nervously Harry walked through the door jumping slightly as it slammed behind him.

"Master!" he suddenly heard his eyes shooting to the corner where he saw Gollum chained against the wall screaming frantically.

"Do you know this thing!?" a voice demanded as Harry looked to see a small well dressed goblin sitting behind a massive desk looking quite angrily at him. "He appeared in my fireplace and immediately began to wreak havoc!"

"I…I…I…" Harry stuttered.

"Then when I had my guards capture him he began screaming your name!" the goblin continued "are you responsible for this?"

"Please Master!" Gollum sobbed "We only wants to be free we were looking for the Precious! We swears we are not theives don't let the cruel goblins hurt us!"

Harry sighed heavily knowing he couldn't abandon Gollum to the goblins, "Yeah I know him," he groaned

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"So this Gollum is the reason Harry didn't get our letters?" Hermione quizzed Ron as they waited for Harry.

"yes and…" Ron started but was cut off as the door opened and Harry came out with Gollum handcuffed and blindfolded behind him, Hermione gasped and grabbed Ron's arm upon seeing the creature.

"Is that him!?" she breathed

"Yes this is Gollum," Harry sighed, "Some how the floo powder took him here."

"Why is he blindfolded?" Ron asked

"Goblins are very suspicious," Hermione stated "they probably don't want him to see any of their corridors, because he appeared here, in fact he's lucky to be in one piece." Gollum began to make a whining noise and the trio decided that they needed to get out of the bank as the goblin that had lead them there was looking rather peeved at them.

"What I don't understand," Harry said while they walked "is how he ended up here. I mean, I stuttered when I used the floo-powder but I was only a grate or two off. How did he end up in Gingotts?"

"Well he didn't even try to come to the Alley," Ron said "He blurted out 'the Precious' then threw down the floo-powder."

"Well that must be it," Hermione said as they finally exited the building "the floo-network must have tried to take him to this 'Precious' and when it couldn't it took him to Gringotts a place where 'precious' things are."

Harry kneeled in front of Gollum, "Alright Gollum listen up," he said crossly

"Yes Master, good Master helps Smeagol, yesss," the creature responded.

"Alright," Harry ordered, "We're going to release you now and once we do you will be perfectly obedient and be good, and no more trying to sneak off and eat people."

"Yesss, Master, good Smeagol will be nice, yes," Gollum responded as Harry took the key they had given him and undid Gollum's handcuffs, both the key and cuffs immediately apparated back into the bank. Harry looked to his friends as he hesitantly undid Gollum's blind fold, the creature hissed as the sun hit his eyes.

"AHHH! IT BURNS OR EYESES!" he screeched "the nasty yellow face! We cannot see!"

"The poor thing," Hermione said

"You mean drama queen." Ron sneered sarcastically, they began making their way toward the Flourish and Blotts. They crowded there way into the building, as they entered the darker room Gollum's vision began to clear looking around warily at the large crowd until his large eyes full upon someone he had never seen before.

"Who is that precious!" he suddenly began tugging on Ron's arm "Who is that precious" he continued pointing toward Ginny and Hermione who were both staring in awe at Gilderoy Lockhart signing autographs of

"That's Ginny, Gollum" Ron said annoyed "you've seen her before,"

"Stupid Red hair boy!" Gollum hissed "not her the one next to the Master,"

"Oh that's just Hermione," Ron shrugged

"Hermione!" Gollum repeated in a sing-song voice. It was just then that Harry was pulled up front by Gilderoy to have his picture taken, Ron had to hold the creature back as he tried to rush up too.

"It's okay," Hermione said trying to calm him down "he'll be back," Gollum had an awestruck look on his face as Hermione tried to comfort him.

"Yes Precious," he said in a way that made Hermione nervous, Harry managed to get himself away from Lockhart and tried to leave but was stopped by a familiar young despicable wizard.

"I'll bet you loved that Potter" Draco Malfoy sneered " Famous Harry Potter can't even walk into a book store without getting his picture in the front page."

Ginny was about to say something to defend Harry but stopped as Gollum leapt from behind Harry and tackled Draco and began to pummel him. Draco screamed like a little girl, Harry stood dumbfounded not knowing what to do and not terribly wanting to get between Malfoy and his beating, he could over hear the crowd saying something about Gollum looking like a 'house elf' and that they had never seen one act in that way.

"WHAT THE DEVIL!" They heard a man say, Harry looked to see Lucius Malfoy come storming in, wand raised. Harry quickly pulled Gollum off of Draco before the wizard could cast his spell. Mr. Weasley put himself in front of Harry. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS ARTHUR!" Lucius Malfoy fumed "WHAT IS THAT THING THAT ATTACKED MY SON! IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF TRUE WIZARD BEHAVIOUR!"

"Calm down Lucius!" Mr. Weasley said his hands shaking tensely "Your son's fine Harry's…er…um…house elf is very protective of him."

"I should have that thing destroyed!" Lucius growled, "You disgrace wizard kind,"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces wizard kind, Lucius," Mr. Weasley said coldly.

"Having creatures attack innocent boys and associating with muggles…" Malfoy said "and I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

There was a thud of metal as Ginny dropped her cauldron upon seeing her dad tackle Lucius and begin to pound him. They hit a bookshelf, books toppling on top of them, chaos erupted as Harry could hear Fred and George cheer for their dad and Mrs. Weasley shrieking, Gollum laughed evilly and began to throw books. Finally the store clerk managed to break them up and kick them all out.

They left Diagon alley very much subdued, with Mrs. Weasley so furious that even Gollum dared not make a sound. Finally they had to go their separate ways.

"Goodbye Harry! Goodbye Ron!" Hermione said as she left the Leakey Cauldron with her parents. "See you at school!"

Harry and Ron waved back to her but stop as they heard Gollum call out "Yes! Preciouss! We will see you at school. Yesss!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other

"He's not going to school with us!?" Ron gasped

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Okay thanks for reading, I'm at the crossroads now. I want to hear your suggestions on what should happen now and especially how much of the book I should write. Any ideas will be considered. Thanks