Chapter Five:
Non-Magic House Arrest
A/N: This so far is one of my most favorite chapters to write, so I would really appreciate reviews of this chapter. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did. This is one of the longer chapters in this FanFic. Don't worry, there will be more action soon enough, even though there is still sometime before the Worldwide Wizard's Dueling Tournament begins.
Harry awoke the next day, after a long dreamless sleep. 'Ginny must have slipped me some Sleeping Draught last night, I never sleep in this late,' he thought to himself as he looked out the window realizing it was sometime in the afternoon. He grabbed his glasses of the nightstand and proceeded to dress himself. It was then that he realized something was wrong. He looked back at the nightstand and realized his wand was gone. After he searched the room he went downstairs not only to find that his wand was missing, but Voldemort's was missing as well. Harry decided to floo Ginny at work, only to find that all the floo powder had been taken out of the house as well. That left Harry with apparation. Harry closed his eyes picturing his destination. He then concentrated on it and waited for the strange, sickening feeling to overtake him. It never came. "Damn…" he shouted. He went to leave out the front door to find it magically sealed. He was a prisoner in his own home.
"Dobby," Harry yelled. There was a loud crack behind him.
"Yes sir," answered Dobby nervously, giving Harry a look the reflected extreme caution, "What does Master Harry Potter need?"
"I need to know EXACTLY what is going on here," said Harry in a calm, but slightly agitated voice.
The nervous look on Dobby's face told Harry that he knew exactly what was going on, "H-Harry P-P-Potter m-mustn't be angry with Dobby… B-But… Y-Your Geeeenny… and your Hermy-own-ninny… thought it would be best i-if Master H-Harry Potter got some r-rest…" Harry could easily tell Dobby wished to be anywhere but with Harry at the moment, "Y-Your Geeeenny… t-took your wands and the f-f-floo powder and then…"
"Hermione set up anti-apparation wards, and probably ever locking spell she knew on all of the windows and doors leading outside of the house," He finished for the stuttering house elf.
"T-They also said to Dobby that he m-mustn't tell M-Master H-Harry Potter, b-but Harry Potter will find out soon enough…"
"Out with it Dobby!" ordered Harry, trying to stay calm.
"T-They've sealed your room!" Dobby blurted.
"But I just… came out…" Harry started to reply, until realization set in. "Which room Dobby," asked Harry.
"T-The b-b-basement…" replied Dobby glumly.
Harry then rushed to the Dueling Practice Room. Sure enough it was magically sealed. Having known Hermione for so long he knew exactly what wards she would use, provided she hadn't recently invented any new ones recently. A strange feeling came over Harry, almost as if he could sense the wards on the door. Without his wand however, he would not be able to get past the wards on the door, unless…
"Master Harry Potter mustn't do that," warned a second, high pitched voice, it was Winky, "the Mistress will be very angry! Mistress says Master Harry Potter must get some rest!"
"Winky should not order Harry Potter. Harry Potter great wizard! Harry Potter our Master! We must do as Harry Potter tells us!"
"Dobby and Winky are free house elves! Only that Kreacher serves Mistress Geeeenny and Master Harry Potter! Winky and Dobby get pay!" argued Winky.
"Can the two of you be quiet," asked Harry, placing his right hand on the door. He then closed his eyes in concentration. At first nothing happened. Then his hand began to glow with a faint white aura. Harry began to slowly and carefully unweave the charms spellbinding the door. The door began to glow with a faint blue aura, then, started to shake slightly. Soon it started to glow with a darker blue aura. There was a white flash of light and Harry was sent flying from the air from the door.
"Winky warned Harry Potter, Harry Potter should have listened," said Winky, "The mistress will be displeased if Harry Potter does not rest!"
"I'm fine! I don't need rest!" said Harry.
"Well, at least Harry Potter should be more careful," said Dobby, "Dobby doesn't want Harry Potter to injure himself!"
"Dobby, can you go and get my wand from Ginny?" asked Harry, but before Dobby could answer Winky cut in.
"Master Harry Potter, Mistress Geeeenny asked Dobby and Winky to be good house elves and watch over her Harry!" she said dutifully.
"Yes, Winky is right. Dobby and Winky make sure Master Harry Potter causes no harm to himself," Dobby said to Harry. Harry then got an idea.
"Kreacher," said Harry, and then after a moment passed and Kreacher did not appear, "Kreacher?"
"Umm…" Dobby looked nervous while Winky only looked at her feet. "Mistress Geeeenny Potter… t-took K-Kreacher with her w-when she left this morning…"
'This is outrageous!' Harry thought furiously to himself. He stood up and walked to the door and placed both hands on it. Both hands started to glow with a bright white aura. This time Harry was simply going to break through the charms, rather than simply unravel them. The door began to shudder and shake as it started to glow from a faint blue aura to a dark blue one. Harry fought against the repelling charm. The door started to glow with a deep crimson aura. With an orange flash of light, Harry was launched from the door mush harder than last time.
Dobby saw the fury all over Harry's face and was fearful. He wasn't fearful of punishment, because both Harry and Ginny both went out of their way to not even punish Kreacher, but for Harry's safety. As much as he and Winky wanted to help their master, they knew that no matter how angry Harry got. His temper and fury were dwarfed by that of Ginerva Potter. While neither had ever been angry with their house elves, Dobby remembered many times when his Mistress was angry with either her brothers or her husband.
"Dobby, I need in there, my invisibility cloak is in there! Could you help me release the charms on the door," asked Harry, with an almost pleading voice.
"I guess if Harry Potter wishes…" said Dobby, somewhat hesitant. Before Dobby could snap his fingers, Winky popped out of the room, and then popped back in holding a flowing silver cloak.
Harry groaned. Dobby, he knew, would do anything for him and could be easily fooled at times like this. Winky, however, was less easily fooled and tended to be more loyal to Ginny. Then again, Winky had been holding Harry's wand when she was fired by Barty Crouch, so she had blamed Harry for her freedom. At least neither Winky or Dobby complained even a quarter of the amount that Kreacher did whenever asked to do something for Harry and Ginny, and when she wasn't drunk, like now, she was generally better than Dobby at doing work around the house. Not that she was a harder worker, because no house elf worked harder, especially for Harry, than Dobby. Winky just had a habit of doing things right the first time.
Again thinking fast, Harry got yet another idea. "Winky, I need you to take the cloak to Ginny immediately!" Harry ordered, as she popped out of the room again, he turned to Dobby, "I need into the Practice Room Dobby, if I don't train, the whole world could be in danger again," lied Harry, "So Dobby, and I need you to release the wards on the door."
"As Harry Potter wishes," said Dobby. He snapped his fingers and on the door.
"Thanks Dobby," Harry said as he opened the door. The next thing he knew he was sailing through the air, yet again.
"Dobby wants to know why Kreacher be bad house elf and attack Master Harry Potter!" shouted an angry Dobby.
"Filthy blood traitor Mistress ordered Kreacher to," replied Kreacher, "said to stay in room and not let anyone else in, including filthy half-blood Master with ugly scar!" said Kreacher, "Master said to listen to filthy blood traitor Mistress, she tell Kreacher to not listen to ugly scar headed, half blood vanquisher of the Dark Lord for one full day!"
They all heard two snaps as the door slammed shut and the wards put back in place. "Dobby!" shouted Winky, "You are to see mistress Geeeenny now! Dobby and Winky are to not open that door for any reason!"
Dobby looked back at Harry with a small look of sadness. Harry nodded, gritting his teeth. With a pop Dobby was gone. Now Harry had to think of a whole new way to get into the practice room and get by Winky and Kreacher at the same time.