(As promised, here's a change in scenery! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than most, but don't worry, I'll make it up to you later. Hehehe... Enjoy!)

Chapter Eight: Surprise!

In Diagon Alley Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione broke up with Luna, Fred and George who had to get her own supplies and the twins had to check up on their booming business venture. Harry's gang all went to get their robes, parchments, books, potion supplies and anything else they could think of. That night and the next they slept in the Leaky Cauldron, at Dumbledore's expense. It would have been pretty boring if they didn't have the past events to talk about.

When they dragged their trunks through the barrier of platform 9 ¾ and got on the Hogwarts express there was only one carriage left, near the back of the train. When Harry and his friends filed in no one noticed two small figures in the corner, having a nap under a travelling cloak.

During the ride Ginny and Ron had a lightning round of exploding snap while Hermione caught up on her reading, plonking a large dusty tome on her lap to do so. They were visited by Terry Boot, the Creevey brothers, Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas, Anthony Goldstein, Luna, Neville Longbottom, who was looking for his elusive toad, and several other students who took part in Harry's after school activity, the DA, wanting to see if Harry was alright. It was during Neville's, Lee's and Dean's visit that they noticed the figures.

As Ron was about to poke the cloak with the end off his old broom, it shifted and a head popped out. "Hello, Sirs and Misses." The little House Elf said as she pulled her way from the covers and jump into the middle of the floor. "Is there anything Krill can do for you?"

"Hello, Krill." Neville said with a friendly smile as he sat down next to Ginny and Hermione. "What are you doing on the train by yourself?"

"Krill isn't by herself, sir. Krill is with her master."

"Ah, must one of the new student this year." Ron said sagely as Ginny slapped his hand, winning the cards underneath it. "Probably a pureblood or something."

The door violently slid open and Draco Malfoy and his cronies joined the gang. "Weasley, Granger, your both suppose to be in the prefect carriage, if you don't think we're too common for your tastes. I suggest you go. Now." Draco spotted Krill standing in the middle of the floor, cowering slightly when his sneering gaze fell on her. Pulling back his foot he kicked Krill into the wall beneath the window. As Harry and Ron got up to defend her sparks ran through the wooden floor, towards a panicking Draco, encasing the annoying boy and his supporters in what looked like a clear plasma ball. So when the Slytherin boys put their hands against its wall, plasma lines were created.

"How dare you." The figure in the corner slowly got up, its cloak delicately folding away to reveal a boy in an old fashioned poets shirt and deerskin breeches, floating towards the prisoners, sparks falling from his eyes and hands as he hissed at the older boy. "To punish a servant you have no power over. Leave, mortal! For this act, you have disgraced your name in my eyes!" A pop was heard and the large plasma ball disappeared. Dean, Lee and Neville had their wands out and were pressed against the walls.

"Toby! That was bloody brilliant!" Ron laughed. "What are you doing here?" He and Harry had moved over to shake Toby's hands, all smiling.

"Well, Jareth wanted me to check out the House Elves at Hogwarts so I would be out the way when he puts his moves on Sarah." Toby shrugged, walking over to the dizzy Krill and helping her onto his lap while he rubbed her sore back with a gloved hand.

"And your not bothered?" Ginny asked. "I mean, she's your sister."

"Well, yeah. I mind a little. Who wouldn't? But Jareth's way better then the mortal boys she use to bring home. All they every thought about were her boobs and getting into her underwear. At least with Jareth I know where he stands. Well… when it comes to her anyway." Krill was crying and thanking her master for saving her.

"Don't you think you went a little overboard with Malfoy?" Hermione asked casually as she carelessly flicked through her large book.

"A little." Toby was beginning to feel guilty. "But I only knocked them out and left them in their carriage. When they wake up they'll think it was all a dream."

"Not a dream, mate." Ron chuckled. "A bloody nightmare."

"Um… hello? 'Scuse us? But, what the dung is happening?" Lee asked his friends as he began to lower his wand.

"I'm Toby Williams. Prince and heir of the Underground, Lord of the City of the Goblins, bla bla bla…" Toby said airily with a dismissing wave of his hand. "I'm just going to look around Hogwarts. Check the House Elves are all okay, stuff like that."

"House Elves? I thought you were the prince of Goblins?" Dean asked, coming alongside his friend, scratching his head.

"House Elves are a type of Goblin." Hermione put in, before Toby could open his mouth. "In 1454, the wizard Regan 'the Flammable' found a way to enter the Fae realm. When he got there, he captured over a dozen goblins, brought them back and put various enchantments on them. One such spell was one of servitude, which was first broken in 1502 by the Elves of the dark wizard Daskar in a battle between Daskar, the bad witch Slith the Black and the good wizard John Vilu von Jaska and his wife to be, Kriss O'Brien, when Daskar threw his cloak at his House Elves. Amazingly Kriss, a muggle, won the battle for John when she set Daskar's cloak on fire and hit Slith with a cauldron of hot soup, by swinging it over her head and letting go of the handle…"

"Geeze, Herm, you don't half go on!" Ron interrupted, sighing as everyone sniggered and she gave him a look that could scare the whiskers off a lumberjack.

"As I was saying… Most Goblins have found a way to work around, or get rid of the enchantments on them. But the spell on House Elves says that their master must free them, willingly or not. That's why the kind of Goblins at Gringotts look different than the House Elves. Because they got rid of their enchantment soon after coming into this world. Those who wanted to stay in this world formed their own government and laws, with the help of the witch Loka Whitehaven, her friend, the wizard Gregg Kinsman and the Goblin King."

"Thank you, oh dictionary of knowledge." Toby said, mock saluting Hermione. "I bow to your wisdom. But I think you should get going to the Prefect Carriage. They're thinking of sending someone else to look for you. I suggest you get Malfoy as well, he's not up yet."

"How do you know? Are you a Legilimens?" Harry asked him.

"A what? No, I can only read minds. Not very well, but I'm learning. I just need more practice. And even then, the person has to concentrate a bit."

"That's what Legilimens means." Hermione said with a grin as she stood and walked with Ron to the door.

"Why was he called Regan 'the Flammable'?" Toby suddenly asked Harry, Neville and Ginny as their friends left the carriage.

"Because the bloke found a way of magically lighting his own farts." Dean sniggered as he plonked down alongside Ginny.

"So every time he farted, a jet of flame would shoot out." Lee continued as he sat by Harry.

"But why 'the Flammable'?" Toby persisted.

"He couldn't find the counter spell, and he liked wearing long robes." Harry snorted as Lee and Dean chuckled.

The Train came to a stop and the students filed out. "Don't worry Toby. We'll take you up to the castle." Harry reassured Toby as he, Ron and Hermione walked down the corridor to get off the train.

"I think I'm suppose to meet someone out here. Some guy called 'R. Hagrid'?" Toby wondered.

"Oh, Hagrid! You'll like him. He's half Giant, but he's cool. Has a fetish for dangerous creatures, but I suppose they're only dangerous to us."

"Half Giant? Cool! So, in theory, he's one of my subjects." Toby gave a brief smile.

"How'd you figure?" Ron asked before Hermione answered for the prince.

"As we saw in Grimmuald Place, Trolls live in the Underground. Giant's are just Troll's crossed with Humans. There was a lot of Troll rapes reported in the 1200's in some of the older books in the library before the Toll reapportion laws in 1243." Hermione supplied.

"I don't expect any special treatment from him, or anything." Toby said as they jumped the steps and he readjusted his bag on his shoulder.

"Where's Krill?" Ron asked as they heard Hagrid's cries from the other end of the walk.

"First years! Come on! Look lively! First years, this way!" Toby stood on his tiptoes to better look over the crowds heads and see the man.

"I sent her up home while you were gone. She'd get lost out here." Toby explained as they walked. "She's only really here to make sure I make it okay."

"Okay there, Harry? You alright?" They came up to the large, hairy man in a huge moleskin coat and boots holding a lantern on a large pole as first years filed past him, to mill in a mob nearby. Toby noticed that people often asked Harry that, he made a mental note to ask about it in the near future.

"Is it okay if we took Toby down to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, clapping a hand on Toby's shoulder as they all looked up at Hagrid.

"Toby?" Hagrid bent down to get a better look at the prince. Toby sighed to himself then brought his bag around, opened it up and began to root inside. When he finally found what he was looking for, he pulled it out and put it on. It was a gold circlet with a slight point around the forehead.

"Prince Tobias of the Underground, at your service, sir." Toby pulled off an old fashioned bow.

"Oh! Dumbledore said yeh'd be comin'. Welcome ter Hogwarts, yeh're Majesty! I'm suppose ter take yeh, but if ye'd like ter go we' Harry…"

"Yes please!" Toby grinned up at Hagrid.

"Right, off yeh go then. I'll tell Dumbledore yeh're goin' with em' then."

"Thank you." Toby hugged a now blushing Hagrid in thanks, as he was pat on the head.

Hagrid had not been expecting Toby's response and was a little surprised. "Ehem. Go on then." He chuckled good naturedly as Ron and Harry took Toby off him and they quickly ran for the carriages that were leaving any minute. 'How'd a sweet kid the likes o' him get mix up we' the likes o' the Goblin King?'

(I hope Hagrid's speech isn't too out of charicter. Oh well... can't change it now! Heres the weekly shout outs!)

Actually, beside all the "update soon" comments I don't think anyone askes any questions...!

Wow...! I'm in shock.

Well for everyone out there, here's some thng to wet your appitete.
In the next chapter you can expect:
A new charicter (Of my own design of course.)
Toby in Hogwarts! (Duh!)
And what Solleret was doing in the middle of a muggle city! (Bet no one thought about that! Huh?)

So stay tuned!