Tracey was back in Daphne's study the next morning. "Dear Harry" she read over Daphne's shoulder. "I have to admit that I've been in the restricted section of the library a couple of times…" Tracey stopped and shook Daphne.

"Have you gone completely mad! You cannot tell him that, we'd get into so much trouble if anyone knew about our Saturday night guilty pleasures."

"Trace" Daphne whined elongating the 'a'. "You've ruined my letter. Will you stop shaking me!" She said more forcefully.

Tracey, who hadn't realized that she was still shaking her friend, stopped and apologized.

"As for sharing information with Potter, I'm making sure that I keep it personal enough to spark trust but vague enough to not get identified."

"Oh, okay. Then you should have said as much." Tracey suddenly smiled "its sweet how you are trying to form a bond with him."

Daphne rolled her eyes as she took out a fresh piece of parchment and started writing again. "I'm not trying to bond with him. I just need to know his secrets, he's vulnerable, I'm hoping he'll tell me everything so I can figure out my next move."

Tracey refrained from passing a remark and let Daphne do her thing.

"Nighty!" Harry greeted the tiny elf with a genuine smile. As usual the elf didn't wait around, she handed him the letter which he immediately tore open and popped away.

Harry,

I must say that you are full of surprises, but so am I. I've been visiting the restricted section in the library, off and on since my first year. I am fascinated by all the knowledge that's tucked away in there. Not many people know this but there's a secret section in there which leads to some pretty interesting reads. I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts.

A concerned shadow.

'Well, the person was going to be in Hogwarts again next year' he thought as yet again he wondered who this secret friend was.

Tracey squealed in laughter upon reading Harry's response. "They didn't." She said for the tenth time.

"Apparently they did." Daphne replied looking amused. She safely tucked the letter away in a secret drawer in her desk.

"Could you imagine what Draco would do if he ever found out?"

"Tracey shhh!" Daphne chided her, making sure that Astoria wasn't around. "Nobody can know this; Snape would skin them if he ever found out that lions had snuck into our common room. And can you imagine what the rest of the Slytherin's would do? It'd be pandemonium."

"Aww, getting all protective, are we?"

Daphne scowled. "I'm not getting protective. I just need to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. I can't risk my plans being ruined."

Harry woke up in the middle of the night. He'd once again witnessed Voldemort's return. He followed his new normal and started writing a letter, but this time he didn't want to write about the graveyard.

He hesitated but something inside pushed him and he, for the first time in his life, started writing about his life with the Dursley's.

Daphne awoke to Harry's letter. She was still groggy when she started reading it, but she was half way through when she tasted salt. Touching her face, she was surprised to see that tears were silently running down her cheeks and the contents of what she was reading suddenly hit her.

She couldn't understand how anyone could be so cruel, especially to a child. She quickly shoved the letter under the pillow when she heard footsteps.

"Daph! What are you still doing in bed?"

Daphne quickly rubbed her eyes, making sure to wipe any trace of emotions away. "It's really early Tracey, what are you doing here?"

"Uh hello! Earth to Daphne! Summer tradition ring a bell? I'm leaving for France tonight with mum and dad. We always do a brunch before either one of us goes on a trip."

Daphne groaned. "Brunch isn't for another four hours Trace."

"But we have to make a list of things, you know my dear old mum, the woman you call an aunt needs to know that she's doing everything in her power to spoil us rotten! What's up with you? You seem out of sorts today…"

"Nothing, still waking up." Daphne lied smoothly.

Tracey frowned but she didn't see any reason for Daphne to keep secrets from her so she dropped it. "Tori's already downstairs with a copy of Le Magique. There's a new scent that I'll be getting a bottle each for and we totally need to add some Parisian fashion to our wardrobe. the models in that magazine look so hip. Hurry up and join us."

Daphne watched her skip out of her room. Guilt was gnawing at her but for some unknown reason this was a part of Potter that she didn't want to share, not even with her best friend. She quickly took out the letter and hid it in her dresser.

She sat down with a quill in her hand and stared at the blank piece of parchment, weighing her words. She heard Tracey talking to her nana, the woman was mostly fine, but there were times when her demons would come to haunt her.

They'd come silently out of the blue and her nana would beg them to leave her in peace.

They had always been politically neutral but it came at a price, sometimes you simply had to do things to keep your status quo in check. During her lifetime, her nana had done many such things, not caring who she hurt as long as she and her loved ones got what they needed.

Dear Harry,

I can't relate to your situation but I can safely say that I understand the weight of responsibilities. One day our demons will catch up to us all, they always do. I hope your family realizes that before it's too late.

A concerned shadow.

It had been a little over a week that Harry had been writing to CS. Their lack of interest in trying to dig out information from him or trying to sympathize with him because they believed that they understood what he'd been through was refreshing. He'd poured his heart out in the letters, initially he'd been extremely weary, only writing when a gruesome nightmare had him at his wits end but slowly it had become a habit.

His godfather had written a single letter, telling him that he was declared a free man and that they would be coming to get Harry soon but his friends still hadn't written. It irked him that they were ignoring his existence, but he managed to keep himself busy.

Today he found himself dressed in very expensive formal robes, unlike his green dress robes which were nice, these screamed money from miles away. His secret friend had advised him to dress well, they'd told him that if he wanted to be respected, he needed to start dressing like it. His previous attire reminded the public that he was an orphaned boy, but he needed to show them that he'd grown up to be a respectable young man.

Picking up the Portkey that the minister had sent him, he said the password and was whisked away from his room.

The minister was waiting for him in his office. "Right on time Ha…" he stopped when he got a good look at the young man "excellent choice, Mr. Potter. You represent every bit of a hero that the wizarding world needs."

Fudge led him to a conference room, Harry caught a black Auror and a green haired Auror narrowing their eyes at him, ignoring them he followed the minister to the podium.

"Minister Fudge, why have you called for a press conference?" One of the reporters asked as cameras started flashing.

"I have called this press conference because I want my ministry to be transparent with the wizarding public. It was brought to my attention that a new Dark Lord is rising." He paused as several reporters gasped, scribbling away furiously.

"Who is this Dark Lord?"

"We are not sure of his identity at the moment but he hopes to overthrow the ministry. I assure you that whilst I'm in charge, I will not let that happen."

"How did you come by this information?"

"During the third task of the Triwizard tournament, Mr. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived was kidnapped by this upstart Dark Lord. Yet, once again, he managed to fight off a dark lord and proved that he is truly a hero."

"If you knew of this, why has it taken so long for you to inform the public?"

"I wanted to make sure that we were prepared, before we made any announcements. I want you to rest assured that we've been working restlessly to ensure everyone's safety."

"Mr Potter, there were rumours that you killed Cedric Diggory. The real Hogwarts champion. What do you have to say about that?"

"Cedric Diggory was a remarkable wizard and was the true Hogwarts champion. As the minister has already told you, I was set up by this Dark Lord. If it hadn't been for his men rigging the tournament my name would never have been drawn. The tournament was only for those of age."

"Why would this Dark Lord go after you?"

"Because I destroyed Voldemort." A collective gasp was heard through the room Harry ignored it and pushed on "he was hoping to make his debut by doing what Voldemort couldn't. Clearly, he failed."

"But you are only a child. Is this Dark Lord really any threat if a mere child could fight him?"

"And he was just a baby when he caused you-know-who's downfall. A Dark Wizard that all of Britain feared." Fudge answered, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer.

"Mr Potter, will you be working with the ministry to protect the wizarding public?"

"Of course…" Fudge was cut off by Amelia Bones clearing her throat.

"I believe that as head of DMLE, I should answer this question. Mr. Potter, will of course be working with the minister, but it is the duty of trained Aurors to protect the wizarding public and I assure you that we are fully prepared."

"Madam Bones, is it true that you have prepared a team of HIT wizards?"

Fudge was positively glowing as they left the conference room, Amelia winked at Harry as she rushed down to her office. She had to meet with the head Auror, she knew that none of them were going to appreciate being blind-sided but it had been necessary.

"Harry, you did splendidly. Between us, I think together we can achieve greatness." Fudge said as they walked up to an extremely irate blond.

Lucius Malfoy was gripping his cane with all his might as he watched the duo walk towards him, since when had, Fudge started listening to someone other than himself.

"Ah, Lucius. I believe you have met Harry Potter."

Lucius inclined his head "it's good to see that the next generation is taking an interest in politics." He said with a smile but the glint in his eye betrayed him.

"I'm simply being a Good Samaritan and looking out for my fellow witches and wizards. Besides, next year is election year, I thought the public should know what a splendid job the minister is doing." Harry replied smoothly, Fudge simply looked giddy at the praise.

A flash to his right suddenly gave him an idea. Turning around he saw two reporters, who'd managed to bypass the security and had made their way towards the trio.

"Of course. If you'll excuse us, I have some business to discuss with the minister."

"But of course, though I don't think you should be so modest about it. The public should know that the Malfoy's are donating a large sum to the Auror Department. I'm sure the minister will keep the public up to date with all the improvements that your donation provides."

Lucius narrowed his eyes but turned to look at the two reporters scribbling away, a sudden flash captured them all standing together.

Harry left smiling; the minister had jumped at the opportunity of more positive publicity dragging Malfoy with him as they answered questions.

Dear Harry,

I am so proud of you; you give the marauders a whole new meaning. That prank you pulled with Malfoy; I would have loved to witness it. He'll be donating a hundred thousand galleons according to our sources at the ministry. I think you've earned yourself a marauder name, we'll discuss that when I see you.

Padfoot.

Harry smiled, mentally going over names that sounded fitting as he opened the next letter.

Harry, how could you be so irresponsible. You were not supposed to leave your aunt and uncle's house, do you know how much danger you are in? You met Malfoy, what if he'd done something to you? And since when are you corresponding with the minister? Why didn't you talk to Dumbledore first? I am so angry with you at the moment.

Harry's good mood evaporated as he crumpled up the letter. It wasn't signed and was written in a hurry but he recognized the neat writing as Hermione's. Still scowling he unrolled the third letter.

Harry,

I love to dance; I know it sounds strange but it is such a versatile hobby. It's great for keeping in shape, it comes in handy during social gatherings and most importantly it is bloody useful in combat.

As for your thoughts in the previous letter, I think that you should talk to him. You can't expect people to read your mind, well actually a select few can by using Legilimency, but still.

A concerned shadow.

He smiled again; it was funny how a complete stranger could lift his mood so easily. Maybe he should take up dancing lessons, he thought to himself as he started reviewing his notes again.

The Dursley's had left an hour ago for some garden competition that they'd been nominated for; he'd spent most of the day in his room reading. So, he found himself alarmed when he heard voices downstairs, with his wand at the ready he crept out of his room expecting to find death eaters.

"Put that away boy." A gruff voice said from the darkness.

"Professor Moody?" Harry asked, confused.

"Why are we standing in the dark." Another familiar voice said and cast a Lumos.

"Lupin!"

"Harry, it's good to see you." The familiar voice now accompanied by a face said smiling up at him.

Harry walked into number 12 Grimmauld place three hours later, accompanied by his entourage. Sirius immediately engulfed him in a hug, just as he stepped into the dilapidated house.

Harry returned the hug half-heartedly, "I need to talk to you." He said.

"Harry. We will be talking later, young man." Molly Weasley said in a no-nonsense tone with her hands on her hips. "The kids are waiting upstairs; you can join them. Come on, there is a meeting now."

Sirius sent Harry an apologetic look, promising to talk to him later as Molly ushered him up the stairs.

"Harry!" A familiar voice yelled as bushy hair blinded his vision and arms wrapped themselves in a bone crushing hug around his midriff.

"We have all been so worried! And oh! I am so angry with you Harry Potter…"

"Hermione, give him some space." Ron said, walking over at a more sedate pace to greet him.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Both of them immediately wilted "we came straight from the station. Hermione joined a couple of days later. Apparently, this is headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, it's a group…"

"Yeah, I know about it. So why didn't you guys write?" He asked in an uncharacteristically calm voice.

"Oh Harry, Dumbledore said it was dangerous. If someone intercepted the mail it could put you in danger. We wanted to write, we have so much to tell you…"

"I'm tired, I think I'm going to rest for a bit." He replied instead, walking away and entering a random room.

Ron and Hermione were left staring at each other, they weren't sure on how to react with this new version of their friend. They'd both mentally prepared themselves for a shouting match.

Harry could feel his anger bubbling inside him, all he wanted to do was shout and scream at them and maybe he would have had he not found an alternative to relieving his stress. He just hoped that Nighty would be able to visit the house as he started scribbling on a parchment.

Daphne had been sitting with Tracey when Nighty popped in with a letter. Daphne immediately unrolled it and started reading, a frown marred her usually smooth features.

"What's that about?" Tracey asked.

"It's Harry, apparently I'm doing him a favour by getting rid of those two dead weights."

"Oh, it's Harry now, is it?" Daphne scowled at her, making her giggle.

"It's just, do you remember when your father found out that my father was teaching us dark spells. He sort of flipped and forbade you from visiting, till dad got him to see sense." Tracey nodded "what did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't stop visiting, we would both sneak into each other's houses, regardless of what anyone said."

"Of course." Tracey replied.

"Well, Ha-Potter nearly died last month and not only was he abandoned in that god awful place where he is unwanted, but neither of his friends bothered staying in touch. Their excuse being, Dumbledore asked them not to write."

"Aww, someone is melting your cold heart."

"It's not that Trace, are they his friends or are they just with him fighting the fight? Who's fighting for him?"

Tracey looked like Christmas had come early "oh, the wizarding world better watch out! The Ice Queen will now be fighting for their saviour. Is it love in the air?"

"No, it's not love. Call it, I don't know compassion. Yes, I feel compassion for him."

Tracey immediately sobered up "are you going to write back to him? It's given you the perfect opportunity to deepen the rift."

Daphne bit her lower lip "he's really vulnerable at the moment, I haven't told you half the things he's shared, I don't think… maybe, yes. Get me some parchment."

Tracey handed her the parchment and sat down quietly observing her best friend, Daphne Greengrass was a force to be reckoned with. Merlin knew the only reason Tracey, a half blood, had not only survived but thrived in the snake pit was because of Daphne. And now the golden boy had her attention, maybe once this was all over, she'd let Po-Harry know that he should thank Draco Malfoy for his good fortune.

Harry was surprised to see Nighty pop back in, he hadn't expected such a quick response but he was glad. He hadn't expected to be able to hold his anger if he was interrogated by Hermione or put down by Mrs Weasley.

Dear Harry,

I can't tell you what you should do and how you should react, but I can give you some advice. First off, I'd suggest you play your cards close to your heart. Second of all, remember you have seen and lived through more than most grown wizards have, don't let anyone disrespect you by treating you like a child. At best you are their equal at worst, they can advise you but not boss you around.

As for family, family is much more than just blood. You know that first hand, but actions speak louder than words. I spend one week every summer in a resort in Greece. Everyone knows me there and they cater to all my wants and needs, but they most certainly are not family.

I would also suggest that you talk to him honestly.

A concerned shadow.

Harry sat on the bed ignoring the knocks on the bedroom door as he thought over the words. When Mrs Weasley's voice rang out, announcing dinner he made his way down. Ignoring the furtive glances that Ron, Hermione and now even Ginny were throwing at him.

"How did you get Malfoy to donate to the department?" Auror Tonks immediately asked as he walked into the kitchen, her hair was bubblegum pink today.

"I see you've met my niece, don't call me Nymphadora, Tonks." Sirius remarked, ruffling his hair fondly.

"I bumped into her at the ministry, she was wearing her hair blue that day." Tonks' eyes widened.

"That was you? I mean I had doubted myself for a minute but with the glasses and the cloth- I mean, I had a very different image of you in my head." She finished lamely, her hair turning a bright red.

"Harry, I cannot believe how irresponsible you've been. Do you know how worried you've had us all? How could you go gallivanting around town when Dumbledore had given you specific instructions. I'll be keeping a very close eye on you young man."

"I think what Molly's trying to say is, thank you Harry, for not only alerting the ministry but pulling it off so brilliantly." Sirius cut in sending a glare at the woman who simply huffed and started ordering everyone around to help set the table.

Dinner was a chaotic affair, with Tonks entertaining everyone with her metamorphmagus abilities and the twins filling Harry in on their latest creations. Once dinner was over, Mrs. Weasley started clearing up.

"Come on, off to bed you lot. We'll carry on cleaning the drawing room tomorrow…"

"Come on Harry, let's go up to my room." Sirius said.

"And what do you think you are doing? I hope you are not planning on sharing any details with him about the Order, you know what Dumbledore said." Molly said with narrowed eyes.

"I know perfectly well what Dumbledore said. But I will let you know that as his godfather, it is no one's business what I talk about with my godson."

"It is my business."

"You are not his mother." Sirius snapped, losing his patience.

"I am as good as. Who else does he have! It's not like you were around to look after him." She retorted with a superior look.

Harry watched the haunted look flash over his godfather's face and all the anger that he'd repressed came bubbling up with vengeance. "Mrs. Weasley, if spending a week every year at your house makes you as good as my mother then McGonagall might as well adopt us all seeing how we spend 9 months under her care. I would also like to point out that this is not the Burrow. You are currently in Sirius Black's house; I suggest you stop treating the place like you own it. You have no authority over me and I would advise you to watch your tone when addressing me or my godfather in the future."

Harry found his voice shaking slightly as he delivered his message, but he managed to do it in a calm tone. The looks of shock and hurt that were displayed by most of the occupants in the kitchen, helped douse the flames that were lashing at his insides.

He strode out of the kitchen before anyone could react leaving Sirius to quickly follow.

"That was brilliant!" His godfather said with a laugh as they walked into his room.

"I shouldn't have had to do it. You are supposed to be responsible for me, not the other way around." Harry said, making Sirius sober up "that's what I want to talk to you about. You are my godfather, but do you even want to be it or was it just something that my parents forced onto you?"

Sirius couldn't help but feel hurt at Harry's insinuation "Harry, I have loved you since the day I held you. If James hadn't chosen me, I would have hexed him till he agreed to make me your godfather."

"Then why did you abandon me?"

Sirius blinked several times not knowing how to answer that. "I- I was blinded by anger…"

"I'm not talking about Pettigrew. I'm talking about now. I saw Cedric die and I nearly died myself, yet I was left all alone. You didn't even spend the night with me at the hospital wing. You didn't write to me. You didn't bother coming to see me. I have been living with constant nightmares, I see him dying over and over again every single night. And every morning I wake up, alone. Would my dad have abandoned you or your son? Didn't my grandparents take you in against your family's wishes?"

Harry paused trying to control his ragged breathing "you left because Dumbledore gave you orders."

"I was just doing the little that I could do at the time. I wanted to feel useful in this fight…" Sirius tried to say in a weak voice.

"WHAT ABOUT ME!" Harry screamed letting all his pent-up anger loose he felt tears streaming down his face but he didn't care. "Everyone's busy fighting Voldemort. My entire existence revolves around the bloody bastard but what about me! Does nobody want to fight for me!" He let himself crumple to the floor as he cried his heart out.

They didn't know if it had only been minutes or if hours had gone by. Sirius had wrapped himself around Harry's body, letting the boy cry his heart out, crying himself. Suddenly Harry stood up, "I'm going to bed" he announced without looking at Sirius, he allowed Sirius to guide him towards a bedroom but shut the door once in not bothering to say another word to the man.

Sirius went back to his bedroom; he was about to pour himself a drink but he stopped. Harry's words ringing in his ears, he was right, Sirius was supposed to be his family, while everyone else ran around fighting for the light Sirius was supposed to be looking out for Harry. How could he have made the same mistake again? How could he let a cause; any cause come before the boy he considered a son.

He woke up to a damp pillow, getting out of bed he immediately got ready. Walking to Harry's room, he knocked before opening the door, surprised to see Harry awake and dressed reading something.

Harry looked up with puffy eyes "Sirius I'm sorry…"

"No." Sirius said, shutting the door and walking to the bed "Harry, I'm sorry. You were right, I want you to know that you are my priority. Always have been, but from today onwards I'll make sure to show it. Everyone else can go to hell as far as I'm concerned."

Harry gave him a weak smile "thank you Sirius."

"What have you got there?"

Harry bit his lip, not sure on how Sirius would react to his secret friend. Not seeing any way out, he decided that honesty was the best policy. So, he spent the next hour telling Sirius everything and showing him the letters.

"Wow, this person is clearly smart. I bet she's a secret admirer, a hot one hopefully."

"That's what you get from everything I've told you?" Harry exclaimed not being able to stop from laughing at his godfather's pout.

"Well, would you prefer an old man writing to you? I think a young beautiful girl sounds more appealing."

"So, you are not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I've been writing to a complete stranger sharing really personal details."

"And this stranger hasn't once asked you, leave alone, told you to do anything. All they've done is read and give advice, the only time they actually made you do something was when they told you how to treat the goblins, asked you to visit St Mungos and told you how to tackle Fudge. And honestly all of those things were only for your benefit and apparently mine."

"Yeah, that was a last-minute addition on my behalf, I wasn't sure if it would work."

Sirius grinned "well it did and now it's my turn to do the looking after. How about we start by, me, showing you a couple of tricks that make studying easier then we can spend the day redecorating." Sirius laughed at Harry's expression "I don't mean cleaning, I mean redecorating. It is our house after all, it should represent both of us."

"That actually helped a lot, thank you." Harry said a couple of hours later.

"No problem kiddo, it's a good thing you've got your fathers brains. You need to be able to think outside the box to understand the method."

Harry nodded and stretched "too bad I wasted my time with divination…"

Sirius paused. He looked like he was debating with himself, eventually it looked like he'd made a decision. "I need to tell you something, Harry, but you cannot share the information with anyone. The Order is protecting something that only you or Voldemort can retrieve, it's a prophecy that refers to him. I cannot share the details of it with you, because Dumbledore has a theory. According to him, these dreams that connect you to Voldemort, he might realize that you can occasionally spy on him and he might use that to his advantage."

"So, I am endangering everyone around me?" Harry asked, suddenly pulling away from Sirius.

"No, you don't know anything of importance so even if he were to go through your head, he'd just see a teenage boy's mind. Maybe he could try to set you up, by sending a fake vision using someone you love. That's why I think it's important for you to know, I don't want you to make yourself a sitting duck."

Harry didn't look convinced, Sirius laughed suddenly.

"It's just that look…" he said, his eyes tearing up. "You had the same look when I brought you your first broom. Lily was going on and on about how unsafe it was and you were obviously picking up on her energy. When she wasn't looking, James and I scooped you up and plonked you on the broom. Needless to say, you refused to get off it after that. I'm going to ask you to trust me once again…"

A warmth filled him up, upon hearing Sirius' words and no matter how much his mind wanted to worry he couldn't help but smile. He trusted Padfoot, more than anyone else in the world.

"Now all we need is an elf that doesn't hate me."

Harry immediately perked up, "I might know one or two…"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Call them and see if they are interested in working for us."

"Dobby." A pop was accompanied by an excited elf who launched himself at Harry.

"Great Harry Potter be calling Dobby?"

"Er yeah, I wanted to ask if Winky is still looking for a family." Harry said, trying to extricate his legs from the elf's grip. "Could you bring her here?" He added when Dobby nodded.

A second later, a filthy, swaying elf was standing next to Dobby. "Normal, really isn't your brand of choice, is it?" Sirius remarked, looking sceptical.

He turned to the elves "I am Harry's godfather. Master of this house, my current elf is useless and has let the house go."

Winky immediately perked up her big round eyes trying to focus on the room. "Would you like to work for me?" Sirius asked the elf who immediately nodded, swaying even more. "Good, but I need an elf who likes work. You will come back tonight, if I see you are still intoxicated, I will not be happy."

"Winky is wanting family. Winky is being very good elf."

"What about you Dobby? Wouldn't you like to work for my godfather? He can pay you." Harry said to the elf who didn't seem to be averse to the idea. At Sirius' questioning look he explained Dobby's past and what the elf wanted.

Sirius sighed looking at the hopeful elf "I can pay you but I cannot risk having a free elf." He turned to Harry "I'm sorry, Harry. But…"

"Dobby no needing to be free, Dobby just wanting to buy socks." The elf cut in, sticking out a foot that had a sock with unicorns on it.

"Are you sure?"

The elf's ears flapped vigorously as he nodded "Dobby like working. There not being much work for Dobby at Hogywarts."

"Excellent." The bonding ceremony was quick, Sirius asked the elves if they wanted to work for him, Sirius Orion Black, they both agreed and it was done.

"First order of business then, Kreacher!"

An old wrinkly elf popped in "the foul boy who broke mistress's heart calls. Kreacher should kill them all in their sleep. Mistress…" he stopped muttering under his breath upon seeing the two new elves.

"You is being bad bad elf." Dobby admonished him, as Winky looked at him in shock, not understanding how an elf could talk like that about their master.

Harry jumped as a light left Dobby's hands, if possible Kreacher looked even worse than before.

Sirius simply grinned as he watched the elves "Kreacher and Winky, Dobby is now the head elf. Dobby, I want you all to wear clean coverings and all the elves should have socks."

"What just happened?" Harry asked as the three elves popped away.

"Normally the oldest elf becomes the boss, making sure that all the other elves in the house are doing their job. But if an elf feels that the head elf is lacking in any way then they can challenge them. Now, even if Kreacher wants to, he cannot disobey me by finding a loophole in my command. Dobby will make sure that he stays in line."

"I hadn't thought about elves having hierarchies."

"How do you think Manors are managed? Or take Hogwarts for that matter, if Dumbledore has to go telling every single elf what their duties are then he'll spend all his life doing just that. The head elf senses the needs of their family member's and makes sure that everything runs smoothly."