Disclaimer: Mom said it's my turn with the Harry Potter content, JKR

Chapter 13

It had been almost a week since Harry's unexpected visitor arrived, and he was still playing the conversation over in his head whenever he was alone. Currently, he was lying awake in bed as dawn was just beginning to break, his mind racing as he recalled Dobby's warnings.

After Dobby had introduced himself as a house-elf, a creature who willingly served his master's every need (which prompted Hermione to bristle), he had advised the pair that anyone who went to Hogwarts would be in grave danger. He refused to admit how he knew such things, insisting that he couldn't reveal it without speaking against his master.

Then, the elf admitted that if the pair felt cut off from their friends due to a lack of letters, they wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts at all, so he'd intercepted all of their mail, including Harry's pleas to Gringotts. After barely resisting the urge to strangle him, Harry told Dobby they would do no such thing – they were going to Hogwarts and no amount of interference could stop them from doing so. The elf responded by bursting into tears, which made Hermione quite sad but Harry had just felt rather uncomfortable. The bushy-haired witch decided to sit on the bed with the creature, wrapping an arm around its shoulders to alleviate his frustration.

Through the tears, Dobby confessed that he had planned to perform magic at the Granger residence in an effort to get them expelled for underage magic. Harry felt rage boil in his veins, but before he could open his mouth Hermione began offering kind words in a soft voice, trying to convince the elf that it wouldn't work and that he should stop fretting. Harry admired her compassion, and even felt some of his anger dissipating at the sound of her voice.

Dobby eventually calmed down, spewing all kinds of apologies for his threats to use magic. Hermione – and Harry, albeit begrudgingly – forgave him, and they made the elf swear to stop hindering their mail and trying to prevent them from going to Hogwarts. Dobby nodded dejectedly and disappeared with a small pop into thin air.

Since then, the two of them had busied themselves with all matter of things and made a point of talking about anything besides their sudden warning. For one, it took them hours to read through the myriad of letters they hadn't had the chance to read. All of their friends from Gryffindor had written them, most of them multiple times to make sure everything was alright. Harry had been bombarded with birthday messages, and Ron had sent him a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages as a gift. The Weasley twins had sent him some fake wands that exploded upon trying to cast a spell, and most everyone else had sent him some magical candies. The pair happily wrote back to all of their friends, agreeing to say that they'd come down with the flu and didn't want to germ up any letters that their friends would be touching. Both felt uneasy telling their classmates that Hogwarts would be the home of some grave dangers according to an elf.

Letters from Hogwarts arrived the next day with their school supply list, and the Grangers agreed to take them to Diagon Alley the next Saturday. Harry and Hermione received a frantically written letter from Ron, who told them he was glad that they were better, and asked if they would be in Diagon Alley come Saturday.

Harry was ecstatic at the thought of seeing another friend this summer, as well as meeting the rest of the Weasley family he'd heard so much about. But he couldn't quell the nervous knot that formed in his stomach at the thought of Dobby's forewarning.

"Harry?" A familiar voice whispered from the other side of the bedroom door. He blinked, sitting up straight as he was ripped away from his train of thought.

"Hermione?" He mumbled, and he saw the doorknob slowly turn. The bushy-haired witch poked her head in.

"Can we talk?"

"You usually just start talking without giving me a choice – "

"I'll take that as a yes." She huffed, gingerly closing the door behind her and walking over to Harry's bed. "So," she sighed, plopping down on the side of the bed, "I think we should tell Ron about Dobby when we see him in Diagon Alley." She said matter-of-factly, spinning around so she could sit cross-legged and face Harry.

"OK." Harry said, hoping to hear an explanation. He remembered how Ron had cowered in the bathroom when he was face-to-face with a troll, and immediately decided that telling the redhead he'd be in more danger was not a wise idea.

"I know he's a git, but hear me out. Besides you and me, he was the only person who knew about the Stone. He kept his mouth shut about that, didn't he?" Harry nodded reluctantly. "Plus, I think someone who lives full-time in the wizarding world might know something about whatever Dobby was talking about. What other purebloods do you know that you're certain wouldn't tell anybody?" She explained, wringing her hands nervously in her lap.

"OK." Harry repeated, still unsure. It did make sense, and perhaps fresh ears regarding the warnings were needed. He and Hermione had silently been repeating their cryptic encounter in their heads in hopes of finding some new details. "You're not just doing this because you feel bad about not bringing him to get the Stone?" He asked with a smirk.

Hermione scoffed. "Honestly, Harry, if we could survive chess without the prat…" She sighed, sporting a smirk of her own. The two shared a laugh, before Hermione turned back to Harry expectantly.

"So what do you think?" She asked almost pleadingly. "I want to know what's going to happen."

"I do too." Harry sighed. "Alright. We can tell him. But it'll be hard getting him alone. He's got three brothers and a sister, plus his parents will probably be with him."

"We'll figure something out." Hermione smiled. "Don't we always?"

"You always figure something out." Harry was smirking again, and Hermione's cheeks turned pink. She ducked her head hurriedly, then met his eyes again.

"I'll go get ready. We'll probably be heading out soon. Mum wants Dad to take her out for a nice lunch in London while we do our shopping." She sighed, carefully swinging her legs over the edge and sliding off the bed. "I'll see you downstairs."

Harry nodded, and watched her tiptoe out of his room, closing the door behind her. He sighed, falling backwards and letting his head hit the pillow. He lied in bed for a few minutes, turning over their bizarre encounter with Dobby one more time before dragging himself out of bed to get ready.

By the time he had arrived downstairs, showered and dressed in his grey Henley shirt from J. Crew and black jeans, Hermione and her parents were relaxing in the living room, bacon sizzling in the frying pan. The four of them shared a pleasant breakfast, going over once again what time the Grangers wanted to meet Harry and Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron once they were done all their shopping.

They clambered into Mr Granger's Jaguar and set off towards London, cruising along the motorway. Harry and Hermione felt the anxiety of talking to Dobby melt away as their excitement for re-entering the magical world grew. By the time they pulled in front of the Leaky Cauldron, they were practically bouncing around the backseat and dashed out into the open after a rushed goodbye.

The pair strolled through the entrance and waved hello to Tom before reaching the seemingly normal brick wall that guarded the entrance. Hermione eagerly tapped the correct sequence of bricks and soon a large archway led them out into a bustling street full of equally excited witches and wizards – Diagon Alley.

"Gringotts?"

"Gringotts."

Hermione beamed and grabbed Harry's hand to drag him through the street, running as fast as their legs would carry them. They stumbled through the entrance to the goblin-run bank, and Hermione quickly ran over to one of the many exchange tellers to convert the muggle pounds her parents had given her.

As he watched her fork over paper note after paper note, Harry suddenly realized he couldn't let Hermione (or her parents) pay for her school supplies. The Grangers had undertaken a significant financial burden by having him for the summer without a second thought. It was the least he could do for Hermione and her parents, he felt. He decided he'd make his trip to his vault and withdraw enough Galleons to pay for every robe, book, and material his friend would need.

"I've never gone down into the vaults before. What's it like?" Hermione asked as she bounded back over to Harry. They were quickly met by another goblin, who offered to take them down to Harry's vault.

"You'll see." Harry smirked.

Hermione's face had turned green the moment the cart lurched forward, whizzing down the caves and passing vault after vault. Harry hastily shovelled a few handfuls of Galleons into his bag before Hermione could get a good look at the small fortune in his vault. Soon enough, the two were back above sea-level, with Hermione breathing heavily.

"You could have warned me…" She groaned, placing her hands on her knees as they stepped out of the bank and into the sunlight. Harry didn't notice his friend's discomfort, however. What he saw was a familiar patch of blonde hair over pale skin skulking away from a dingy-looking street, accompanied by a much taller frame with equally blonde hair.

"Is that Malfoy?" He whispered, and Hermione's queasiness seemed to vanish as she whipped their head in the direction of the Slytherin. This time, it was Harry who instinctively grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her towards the pair of blondes.

He assumed it was Malfoy's father when he caught sight of a sneering face that bore an unsettling resemblance to their classmate's. He pulled his son behind a corner and Harry and Hermione crept as close as they dared, staying around the corner and out of eyesight. They strained their ears to pick up the hushed conversation.

"I don't want to hear you complain about teachers playing favourites again! You are a Malfoy, that alone commands near unmatched respect in our world. I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam, but instead you're being a bitter brat in public." They heard a voice hiss. Harry turned to Hermione, beaming, and she blushed and looked to the ground. "I only offered to let you help me sell those…items because I thought you had earned that privilege." Malfoy's father continued. "Perhaps I was wrong. You wouldn't want me to scrap buying you a racing broom from today's schedule, would you?"

"No." They heard Malfoy mumble dejectedly.

"I thought not. Come, Draco."

Harry and Hermione frantically dashed backwards, trying to put as much space between the Malfoys and themselves as possible. They quickly marched down Diagon Alley, and Harry pulled her in front of Madam Malkin's robe shop before he spoke.

"What do you think he was selling?"

"I don't know, Harry, but I don't have a good feeling about it. That street looked shady, I doubt he was getting rid of his old hair extensions."

Harry stood dumbfounded at Hermione, before they burst into laughter.

"You pick interesting times to crack jokes, you know that?" He managed to gasp out, holding his sides.

"I'm sorry, but he's got better hair than I do. It was all I could think of, besides whatever sinister things they're planning, of course." Hermione chuckled, wiping a tear away from her eye. "Do you think it has anything to do with what Dobby said?" Harry shrugged.

"Ron seemed to know a bit about the Malfoy family on the Hogwarts Express last year. Remember? He told us how they sided with You-Know-Who before, you know." Harry pointed to his scar. "We'll talk to him when he gets to Diagon Alley, but nobody else. Sound good?"

Hermione nodded, and took a deep breath. Harry saw her brown eyes were darkened with concern, possibly worry. She turned to meet his eyes and they instantly brightened.

"Shall we start shopping?" She asked excitedly. Harry grinned, and they waltzed into Madam Malkin's. After getting fitted for new a new school uniform, Hermione walked up to the counter to pay for her wardrobe additions.

"Oh, sweetheart, your friend was nice enough to pay already." The mauve-dressed woman smiled, pointing to Harry, who was suddenly staring at the ceiling awkwardly.

"Harry?"

"Yes?" He practically squeaked.

"What do you think you're doing?" She marched over to him.

"Trying to count the ceiling tiles."

"There's no tiles on the ceiling, you prat."

"Ah, that's why I'm having so much trouble – ow!" He groaned as he felt a fist collide with his shoulder. "That was not a proportional response…" He grumbled, rubbing his shoulder with one hand and holding his new robes in the other.

"You're not paying for me, Harry Potter."

"I've got an entire summer's worth of meals, clothes, and birthday gifts to make up for, Hermione. It's the least I can do." He finally turned to her, his eyes steely with determination. Hermione sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Now, I think you need some new quills." He grinned, strolling out the door nonchalantly to Amanuensis Quills next door. The pair steamrolled through shop after shop, with Hermione groaning every time she tried to sneak off to the counter only to be told Harry had already paid.

At last, when Hermione dragged Harry away from the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, the two of them caught sight of a crowd of redheads.

"Harry! Hermione!" A voice called out. Ron Weasley sprinted through the throng of people and ran up to them, a grin stretched across his face. "It's great to see you both!" He panted. Harry and Hermione grinned back. "I was really worried something happened – I'm sorry you two got ill. Some way to spend your summer, eh?" He nudged Harry, but suddenly turned serious. "I honestly thought I'd scared you both off, especially you Hermione. I thought all that rubbish I said about you in the beginning of the year finally caught up to me." Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Harry couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.

"Oh, well, it wasn't – " Hermione stammered incoherently.

"Either way, I'm sorry. I know if someone treated me like I treated you I would have dropped them like that." He snapped his fingers for effect. "Cheers to you for still being nice to me and all. I'm going to try and be better about it this year."

Harry stood in stunned silence, and after shooting a glance to Hermione she looked equally astonished. 'Is Ron apologizing?' Harry thought to himself. He wracked his brain and couldn't remember Ron uttering the word 'sorry' once during the entirety of first-year, and definitely not towards Hermione.

"Thank you, Ronald." Hermione said, finally composing herself. "We actually, need to talk to you about – "

"You must be Harry! And Hermione!" A voice cried out from behind Ron. The children turned their heads toward a sea of red hair, led by a thin man with glasses. He had a bit of a bald spot on his head, but his hair was fiery red just like the rest of the Weasleys. "I'm Arthur, Arthur Weasley."

The pair quickly introduced themselves to Mr and Mrs Weasley. Mrs Weasley didn't hesitate to throw her arms around them, causing Harry to bristle uncomfortable and Hermione made a strange sound in her throat.

"Oh, it's wonderful to meet you two!" The redheaded woman exclaimed. "I see you two have been busy shopping already. Have you been to Flourish and Blotts yet?" The pair shook their heads, hoping to wait until Ron arrived to do so.

"Well, how about we meet there in a half an hour. We've got to swing by Gringotts and get Ginny a wand!" Mrs Weasley pointed triumphantly at a young girl behind her. Harry turned to the redheaded girl and her cheeks instantly matched her hair, and she dashed behind her mother with a squeak.

"She's been off her rocker about meeting the great Harry Potter!" Fred Weasley grinned, clapping Harry on the back.

"So brave…" Mused George.

"So handsome…"

"So – "

"Boys!" Mrs Weasley glowered, and the twins shut their mouths, but gave Harry a pair of sly smiles.

"Mum, can I hang around Diagon Alley with Harry and Hermione a bit? I haven't seen them in so long." Ron asked innocently. Mrs Weasley paused, but nodded her head.

"Just make sure you're at the bookstore by 2. Don't want to miss the signing!" She smiled before whisking the rest of her family towards the white marble bank.

"Blegh. She and Ginny won't shut their mouths about Lockhart. Insisted we go when he's signing books. Honestly, he seems kind of pompous." Ron muttered.

"Lockhart's signing books today?" Hermione asked excitedly. "We can actually meet him! He's written practically the whole booklist!" She squealed. Ron gave Harry a dejected look, and Harry couldn't help but snort.

"Ice cream?" Harry asked, and both his friends grinned. Harry led them to Florean Fortescue's parlour excitedly, and the three of them talked about the upcoming year.

Harry suddenly recalled a mental promise he'd made one year ago on the Hogwarts Express – he remembered Hermione gushing about how strawberry-and-peanut-butter was her favourite flavour at the small shop and how he'd internally vowed to buy her one. He grinned to himself, proud that he'd remembered such a detail for his friend, and happily purchased three large cones of the very flavour.

"You remembered!" Hermione beamed as he handed over her cone. Harry felt his cheeks grow warm.

"Of course I remembered, Hermione. What kind of friend would I be if I forgot?" It was Hermione's turn to blush, and she busied herself with her ice cream.

"So, you said you wanted to talk about something?" Ron managed to speak, his mouth full of ice cream. Harry and Hermione exchanged uneasy glances, and told him everything. They told him about Dobby hiding their letters, trying to block them off from Hogwarts so that they would be safe.

"Wonder why he didn't warn me…" Ron speculated absent-mindedly. Harry noticed his tone wasn't spiteful, but of genuine curiosity. He began wondering if something set him and Hermione apart, but quickly returned to hear Hermione's retelling of Malfoy and his father's conversation.

"Hey, that had to feel good, knowing you live rent-free in Malfoy's head?" He asked Hermione with a grin. Hermione sighed, and Ron turned serious again.

"Well, there's not much I can tell you about what – what was his name? Dumbo? Dobby, sorry – there's not much I can tell you about what Dobby said. I haven't heard anything about threats against Hogwarts, and it sounds like he was pretty vague on purpose. House-elves can't speak ill of their masters, it's like it's burned into their little brains that they can't, otherwise they try and hurt themselves as punishment."

"That's barbaric!" Hermione gasped.

"But!" Ron added with a small smile. "I think I know what Malfoy and his dad were on about. My dad works for the Ministry, and they've been conducting raids to try and seize dark objects from former supporters of You-Know-Who." He spoke the last part in a whisper. "You said Malfoy was selling stuff in that dingy street over there? That's Knockturn Alley, full of all kinds of the wrong sort. There's a store called Borgin and Burke's that Fred and George really want to visit because it's got all kinds of cool artefacts, but lots of them have dark magic. That's probably where he sold that stuff. No way Mum would let them anywhere near it.

"Malfoy's dad is a pretty powerful guy, but if even he is getting nervous enough to sell his evil artifacts and what-not, then I guess my dad's doing something right." Ron concluded. Harry nodded pensively, wrapping his head around the information Ron relayed them. It paid to have friends in the magical world 24/7, he decided.

"You understand nobody can know about this, right?" Hermione whispered, glancing around the table. Ron nodded.

"Just like the Stone." He smirked before dragging a finger across his lips as if he were zipping them closed. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to Harry.

"Do you think there's any connection between the Malfoys being suspicious and Dobby's warning?" He asked Ron, who shrugged.

"Doesn't seem like there's enough to go on. Granted, the Malfoys have been causing trouble for a long time. I'm sure that smarmy brat wouldn't mind making life miserable for everyone at Hogwarts." Ron sighed, pursing his lips as he thought about what he'd been told. "I'm glad you guys came to me, though. At least I know ahead of time that…you know, the safest school in Britain is now a danger zone." He smirked, but his voice was wobbling from nerves.

"There's also the chance that we're looking too far into things." Hermione placated.

"Yeah, maybe Dobby's just another member of the Harry Potter Fan Club that wants him all for himself!" Ron snorted, and the three of them were laughing again, just like that.

"Oh, bloody…it's almost two o'clock. Guess we should head over." Ron grumbled, getting to his feet. The trio strolled over to Flourish and Blotts, grabbing copies of The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 2 as they walked in before meeting up with the Weasley clan towards the front of the line.

A wizard wearing forget-me-not blue robes stepped out from behind a stack of books, and the room broke into applause. Harry swore he saw Mrs Weasley swoon. The man, whom Harry realized to be Lockhart, flashed a dazzling smile and waved to the crowd. Suddenly, he locked eyes with the bespectacled wizard and froze.

"It can't be!" He shouted. "Harry Potter!"

Harry felt his stomach plummet. The last thing he wanted was to be ogled at by the one person in the wizarding world that seemed to garner attention like he did, but before he could react the wizard seized him by the arm and dragged him forward. Harry felt his head swim as photographers began clicking away and Lockhart began shouting to the crowd and something about Defense Against the Dark Arts, his arm in a vice grip around the boy's shoulders. Through the flash bulbs and the moving people and faces he was able to catch Hermione's eye, who was staring at him with concern.

"Here you are, Harry, free of charge!" Lockhart cried out, handing him a stack of brand new books. Harry staggered under the sudden weight, and quickly shuffled over to Hermione and the Weasleys. Hermione held her hands out to support him, but Harry dumped the books into her arms.

"I don't want these." He managed. "I think I need some air." He gasped out, making his way towards the exit. He stepped out into the fresh air and leaned against the brick wall, breathing heavily.

"Harry, are you alright?" He heard Hermione ask. He turned his head to see his bushy-haired friend slip out the door and approach him.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I just…" Harry groaned. "I really hate all the attention I get for this." He pointed to his scar dismally. "I've spent an entire summer being a normal kid, and now, being thrown back into the spotlight like that was just…I don't know."

"Nauseating?" Hermione offered.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Nauseating."

"It's alright, Harry." She carefully grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the wall. He lifted his head to meet her eyes. "You'll always have me, and I know the real you. And believe me, the real you is nothing special." She smirked, and Harry couldn't help but laugh. Suddenly, a pair of bodies came crashing through the door, and Harry yanked Hermione out of harm's way.

Harry caught sight of a familiar blonde mane tangled with a balding patch of fiery red hair and realized it was Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy. A crowd of Weasleys and eager observers followed them outside, and eventually the pair were pulled apart.

Harry saw Mr Malfoy thrust a battered textbook towards a very flustered-looking Ginny Weasley before storming off, his son following suit after sneering at him and Hermione. Harry felt compelled to follow Mr Weasley's example, but Hermione gave him a gentle squeeze.

Harry turned and saw he still had his arms wrapped around Hermione from pulling her away from the fight and quickly let go, turning back towards a disgruntled Mr Weasley to avoid making eye contact with his best friend.

"Harry, it's almost 2:30, we should get back to the Leaky Cauldron." Hermione whispered. Harry nodded, and the pair quickly re-entered the store so Harry could buy his own set of books before they left Diagon Alley. They left the store and said their good-byes to the Weasleys before making their way back towards the muggle world.

The duo met Hermione's parents in the pub, and they were nervously eyeing Tom, the barkeep, and Harry heard Mr Granger mutter something about a "toothless walnut."

"Did you two get everything you needed?" Mrs Granger asked as they walked out of the tavern.

"Oh yes we did. This one insisted on buying me everything. Everything." She added, shooting a half-glare, half-smile at Harry.

"Harry!" Mr Granger stopped walking suddenly just before they reached the car. "Harry, no. I can't ask you to do that – "

"Then don't." Harry responded with a wink. The dentist stared, dumbfounded, before cracking a proud smile and chuckling to himself.

"Using my own words against me. No wonder you're friends with my daughter…" He sighed as he slid into the driver's seat. Harry grinned and clambered into the backseat, and before they were even moving they were eagerly reading through their new books, asking each other questions and pointing out all sorts of details.

"You two know you have an entire school year to read those – "

"Hush, Dan. Let them have their fun." Mrs Granger smirked at her husband as they made their traveled down the motorway, the two children eagerly poring over their tomes.

A/N: Welcome back to our regularly scheduled daily updates! This will be the last chapter for some time that does not at least partially take place at Hogwarts. Hopefully you all enjoyed my little call-backs – the ice cream mention from Chapter 1 and the "Then don't" exchange from Chapter 10. I'm way too proud of those if I'm being honest. Also, Sorkinism #462784, proportional response. Had to do it.

So, this chapter gave a Spark Notes of Dobby's conversation because I was afraid writing that in too much detail would be too boring. Also, redeemed Ron? *Gasp!* I've said before I'm not a huge fan of outright character-bashing, so don't expect that. Gradually, Ron's going to grow as a character in this story – something he did not do in canon. To think Hermione would ever…ugh. Truth be told, this chapter is probably the most similar to canon out of any chapter I've written so far. Sorry, but plot has to plot. Next stop, Hogwarts!

Once again, thank you to all of my diligent reviewers, followers, and favorite-rs, you guys are incredible. If you like this chapter, or any of my previous chapters, please do write a review/follow/favorite this story, it does wonders for my confidence. This is my first fic after all. Thanks again, and stay safe!