I'm sooooo glad that you guys (and girls) liked the last few chapters. Well if something doesn't make sense to you now, I promise everything will come to light in the end. In fact, most of the things I put in the story contributes to the story at some point esp towards the ending… BUT! I'm not gonna divulge anything further than that… )
Chapter 24: The Magic Carpet
Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak from his drawer and crept back to the common room. He had gone back up to his dormitory after saying goodnight to Janieve. Somehow, he began wondering why Janieve had looked so tired. She had gone up to her dormitory earlier than Harry every night and she was usually up later than everyone else. There was only one explanation – she had sneaked out whenever the others were asleep. Harry wished fervently that he was wrong though.
He walked down the stairs towards the darkened common room. He saw a jerk of movement, a flash of violet lights, and the Gryffindor door swung shut. Harry's heart beat quickened as he hastened to catch up with Janieve.
He climbed through portrait hole and saw the swishing movement of Janieve's ponytail. He quickly wrapped the cloak over his head as she made a turn over a corridor. But as Harry turned down that corridor, she was nowhere in sight. How could she be gone so quickly? He made yet another turn and another but she was not to be spotted.
Well, she could be out for a walk, he reasoned with himself, that did not necessarily meant she was working for Voldermort. However, as much as he tried to coax himself into believing this was nothing, Harry couldn't help but found Janieve's recent peculiar behaviour suspicious.
Harry decided to head back to the Gryffindor tower and take his Marauders' Map. As he whipped around, he felt something grabbed his leg and began dragging him away from the Gryffindor tower.
Harry looked down and saw Dobby the house-elf.
"Dobby, let go!" he cried. "What are you trying to do?"
"Harry Potter sir must come with Dobby. Dobby has something to show you," he said urgently, still pulling at Harry's thigh and Harry slide little by little across the floor.
"What is it?" Harry asked. He wondered if this had something to do with Janieve.
"Just come with me sir!"
Harry managed to persuade Dobby to let go of him before following him to the painting of a bowl of fruits. It was the door to the kitchen. Dobby tickled the pear and the pear giggled and a door knob appeared on the painting. They entered the kitchen.
A dozen house-elves immediately swam to Harry. They pushed a chair under him and served him all sorts of delicacies. Harry refused them profusely.
"Harry Potter hadn't been coming to see Dobby," Dobby said accusingly. The other elves shook their heads in disapproval of Dobby's attitude.
"I'm sorry Harry Potter sir. Dobby wasn't blaming you sir. Dobby just missed Harry Potter and his friends," Dobby said quickly.
Harry suddenly realised that Dobby wasn't going to show him anything about Janieve and regretted coming with him. However, he noticed Dobby's large eyes looked down in sadness and he felt a pang of remorse. Dobby had been very nice and helpful to Harry over the past four years but Harry had never had a thought about him unless he needed his help.
"I'm sorry Dobby," Harry said, "I've been busy."
Dobby's face lit up and he thrust a yellowing package towards Harry. "For you sir," Dobby said, "Dobby thought Harry Potter would find it useful."
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Your Christmas present!" Dobby squealed. "Dobby could not find Harry Potter during Christmas so I could not pass it to you earlier."
"Well, thank you Dobby," Harry said. He guessed that it was probably another of Dobby's colourful socks.
At a little past two in the morning, Harry crept up to the Gryffindor common room with his father's cloak over himself, while juggling over all kinds of pastries in his hands.
When he entered the Fat Lady Portrait, he saw a mane of black slipping up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.
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Janieve woke up to feel someone watching over her. She reached for her wand and pointed it at her intruder.
"Expelliarmus!" she shouted.
The man was flung five feet away from her bed, his hands clutched tightly to a gigantic brown package,
"I'm sorry Harry!" Janieve cried. She jumped out of bed and ran towards Harry. Harry winced in pain as Janieve helped him to his feet.
"Your reflexes are getting quicker everyday," he muttered.
"I'm sorry Harry, I thought you were an attacker," she said apologetically. "How did you get up to the girls dormitories anyway?"
"I flew, of course," he said smugly.
"But what are you doing here?" Janieve asked.
"Obviously to see you," he replied.
"Why?" she probed.
"Do I need a reason to see you?" he asked.
"Well, no," she answered.
"However, I do actually have a reason for seeing you," Harry said mysteriously.
Janieve looked at him questioningly.
"Ta-da!" he said, presenting the long brown package in front of him with both hands.
Janieve smiled coyly. "What this?" she asked.
"Open it," he said, and she took the package from him. She unwrapped it gingerly and squealed in delight when she saw the content. It was a Nimbus 2005.
"When did you buy this?" she asked, smiling giddily.
"New year. During our Diagon Alley trip," he said. "I wanted to give it to you earlier but I haven't had a proper chance to do it. We hardly see each other nowadays."
Janieve shifted her gaze guiltily. "Can I try it?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course!" Harry replied.
Janieve dragged Harry down the Great Hall, out of the castle, and towards the Quidditch pitch. She was determined to spend some quality time with Harry and not let her guilt bogged down on her.
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"I'm actually quite surprise Voldermort hadn't been trying to harm anyone of us since before Christmas," said Ron. "Check mate," he added.
Harry looked despairingly as what remained of his Chess set. There was no way out of this. "Well, I'm just glad. But I can't help but worry what he's up to. He might just sprung up on us when we least expect it. It's unlike him to leave us alone," Harry said. "I give up." Harry watched his Kingdom eaten up by Ron's with mild fascination.
"Perhaps he's just too busy killing the muggles and recruiting dark creatures," Ron said confidently.
They began packing up the chest set. Harry went to lie on his bed while Ron laid sprawled on the floor beside Harry's bed.
"Time flies, doesn't it?" Ron said reminiscently. "I can still remember when we were in first year. Hermione really pissed us off then, didn't she? What this?"
"What's what?" Harry asked.
"This," Ron said and held up a yellowing package with a scrunched up nose that reminded Harry of Narcissa Malfoy.
"Oh that. It's a present from Dobby," Harry said carelessly.
"Why haven't you opened it?" Ron asked.
"You can do it for me," Harry said.
Ron tore the wrapper with one outstretched hand to reveal not socks but a mat. It was about five feet by three feet long with colourful threading.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
Ron scrutinised it for a moment before looking up at Harry with an incredulous look. "I think it's a Magic Carpet!"
"What?" Harry spluttered. "Isn't that illegal?"
"Apparently," Ron confirmed.
"Why did Dobby give this to me?" Harry asked.
"Beats me," Ron said. "You should throw it away."
"I don't know. It could come in handy," said Harry.
"Don't tell me you're even considering using it," cried Ron.
"I'm not. But that doesn't mean I won't," Harry said resolutely.
Harry quickly squeezed the carpet into the bottom of his drawer. Why Dobby had given him that was nowhere near comprehension to him. However, Dobby had always acted upon Harry's interest and Harry thought it was finally time to repay Dobby with trust.
