If you want good ideas of what the marble sculpture in Godric's Suitcase looks like, do a google search on 'rolling ball sculptures' and check out www eddiesmind com. Especially look at his orthodontist office ceiling under 'monumental sculptures'.
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Chapter 16
…And More Elves
The students arrived back at Hogwarts with no problems. Harry and Neville popped to Longbottom manor, Hermione popped directly to the station and Luna popped home to her father so they could take the train back with the other students. Harry took Godric's Suitcase with him. They couldn't' bring themselves to take down the holiday decorations, and as the fairies were teaching Luna their magic, they wanted them to feel at home, so they all had a festive home to hang out in between school obligations.
Professor Snape did insist on Harry coming down to the dungeons for 'occlumency lessons' the second day back, which Harry agreed to without hesitation. The potions master wanted a chance to stammer out his thanks for a most generous Christmas gift, and apologize for having to continue the 'greasy git' act. Harry graciously waved it off, with apologies of his own for not realizing sooner how valuable the remains of the basilisk were.
Harry sent Winky with his thank you letter to Remus, who sent it back with the happy news of his engagement to Tonks, thanks for Harry's gifts, and the news that the Aurors had indeed taken Hermione's research to heart. All the jailed Death Eaters were now transfigured into 1-foot square cubes of human 'meat', with most of the water removed. It sounded gross at first, but the cubes were humans in stasis – living but peacefully asleep and unaware of anything. They couldn't die, age, dream, or come to harm as long as they stayed in their protective containers. Harry had nailed it right on the head – they were cans of human Spam until transfigured back into human form. Stacked safely in the basement of the Weasley's new home, and unknown to anyone but Arthur Weasley himself, they were totally unreachable by Voldemort, who probably would have no idea what they were if he even saw them.
Ginny Weasley had a tough first full day back to school. Breakfast the next morning she was greeted by the sight of a crowd of Gryffindor girls gathered around Hermione oohing and aahing over an ENGAGEMENT RING. The youngest Weasley stormed up, glared at the ring and sniffed "tiny stones", before flouncing off. She sat as far from Hermione as she could without eating breakfast on the floor.
Then somehow Ginny found herself cursed with temporary Veela attraction. It would have been easy to blame the twins, but there didn't seem to be any way for them to have pulled this prank. The fiery red-head found herself followed by boys everywhere she turned. At first it was amusing – even enjoyable. But by noon it was anything but – guys fighting over her, throwing themselves at her, shouting out the most stupid things. It didn't help that Lavender was jealous of the attention and Ron was furious at her. Stupid brother.
She ran into tiny Professor Flitwick and he got down on a knee (so his head was almost level with her knee-cap) and professed his undying love. Then Draco Malfoy, of all people, jumped on the top of the Slytherin table and started singing on the top his lungs "I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok" to the stunned girl. Enough was enough. She fled to her dorm in tears.
Luna smiled, watching the youngest Weasley flee the Great Hall, a small hoard of young men in hot pursuit. "Mischief managed" she thought to herself, patting the empty vial of Veela simulator potion in her robe pocket.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0Harry was leaving potions with Hermione, when he remembered he left a book under his chair. He promised Hermione he'd catch up with her later and ran back. Leaving the classroom again, with book in hand, he heard laughter from behind a statue and was struck with blinding pain.
Collapsing to the ground, Harry's stomach was slashed open as if by a knife. Falling, he sent telepathic word to his three friends and two elves. Just before blacking out, he saw Malfoy stepping out from behind a stature, leering at him malevolently. Harry marveled for the briefest moment of time how much blood was pooling under him.
"So trusting, Potter. Never travel the halls alone when people are out to get you. The Dark Lord will reward me for this…"
Another rule that Malfoy had forgotten, however, was "never waste time gloating". Harry's friends all popped in at that moment and struck him with paralyzing hexes. Neville scooped up his heavily bleeding and unconscious friend, and popped him up to the infirmary. Hermione walked up to the frozen Slytherin, murder in her eyes.
"I don't know why Dumbledore has let you stay in this school, Death Eater," she hissed in his paralyzed but terrified face, "but they only reason we have allowed it is because you have let the order know about every raid coming up this year. I wonder what your precious Dark Lord would do to you if he knew YOU were the leak?"
Draco started trembling in fear, eyes wide, mouth opened in a silent scream.
Hermione could feel her link with Harry, and knew he was being healed, so she allowed herself the luxury of taunting the evil boy just a moment more. "Not to worry, dear," she smirked, snapping his wand in two in front of his eyes, "we will take care of everything." With an angry flick of her narwhal wand, she transfigured him into Spam, and ran without a backwards glance to the infirmary. Luna smiled dreamily, picked up the can of Malfoy, and popped into Godric's Suitcase with the worried elves.
Luna placed the can of Draco Spam down in front of the foursome's favorite couch, and thoughtfully looked at it. Winky spoke up nervously "Mistress, can he escape from that?"
The pale witch smiled down at the elves, watching Dobby hesitantly poke the can with his toe. "No, Winky. I promise Malfoy is completely unconscious, with no idea he's even asleep. Do me a favor, and make a cushion for the top of the can, and oh, how about a beaded fringe? Here's a good choice for fabric…" she reached into a stack of Winky's material and brought out a bolt of the most lurid, feminine, tacky pink floral fabric imaginable. "I think he will make a darling ottoman for muddy feet, don't you?"
O0o0o0o0o0o0oHarry came to, feeling groggy and weak, his stomach hurting painfully. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Madame Pomfrey's face peering down at him, and was amazed to see Sirius smiling down at him instead. He snapped his head back and forth, surprised to see himself in an endless field of soft grass, rolling hills, and occasional trees.
Sitting up with a groan, he grabbed Sirius arm. "Sirius!" he breathed reverently. "Am I dead?"
"No cub," he smiled giving Harry a hug. "It takes more than that to take down a Marauder, though it was quite the powerful and unsporting curse to throw at someone unaware."
"Then where are we?" Harry looked around in puzzlement.
"You are very close to crossing over, Harry. You are here for just a moment. Voldemort has tapped into some very dark stuff to grow stronger. To even it up a bit, it has been decided that my soul is to travel back with you, and live in my portrait. No longer will it be my image, but truly me in the painting."
Harry felt a couple hands on his shoulders and looked in back of him. There were his parents, smiling with love at him. With a strangled cry, he threw himself in their arms, and cried unashamedly.
His parents stood back and poured love into him that was tangible. "Harry, go to Godric's Hollow and fetch our portraits. We have been allowed to come back too. You must be strong and study hard – the time to defeat Voldemort is coming."
"But I was told Godric's Hollow was destroyed!" Harry cried, feeling them slip out of his grasp. Everything was growing foggy around him, and he realized he was returning to his body. "No! I want to stay with you!"
"Get our portraits, Harry, and we will be with you. Talk to Hagrid" his mother called as he slipped into darkness again.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0oThe next time Harry awoke, it was to see the nurse bending over him with a concerned expression, like he had come to expect. Hermione was slumped over in a chair next to his hospital bed, sleeping restlessly, and he winced with pain.
"Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey spoke softly. "How are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare."
"My stomach hurts, but other than that, I'm ok." Harry tried to sit up, but failed.
"Please lay down, Mr. Potter. That slashing spell you suffered cut your torso quite deeply – the muscles are still repairing. We did stop the bleeding and restored the blood, but you are going to have to take a couple more days to recover." She poured out some potions, felt his forehead and adjusted bandages. "Your dragonhide vest saved your life you know."
As if on cue, the headmaster entered the infirmary, eyes twinkling away. "Ah, Harry my boy, feeling better?"
"Ummm" Harry muttered while strengthening his mental shields. "What happened? Last thing I remember is leaving the classroom, intense pain, and I thought I saw Malfoy laughing at me."
Dumbledore sat down in a chair on Harry's other side, glanced over at the sleeping Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping you could tell me. All we know is that Mr. Longbottom and Miss Granger here happened to come down the hall at just the right moment to find you before you, ah, bled to death. They have no idea what happened, but ran you up to Madame Pomfrey. Mr. Malfoy has disappeared and doesn't appear to be in Hogwarts any more."
Harry didn't have to fake the look of surprise on his face. "Malfoy has threatened me quite a few times since his dad got arrested. Frankly, sir, I'm amazed you have allowed him to stay in school, as he has proven time and time again to be a danger to the students. Perhaps he assumed he had killed me and ran off to join Voldemort or hide with his mother." Harry looked away from the headmaster in disgust.
Dumbledore flashed a brief look of anger. How dare he question my authority? Perhaps Severus is right – too arrogant to be used properly. He resumed the calm and grandfatherly look as he continued speaking. "Ah, yes, well I had always hoped that giving him another chance would persuade him to the path of light. I suppose what you suggested is what must have happened to him. Any chance you might have banished him to another dimension with accidental magic or something?" Harry shook his head no. "If you hear anything, please let me know." The ancient wizard stood up, patted Harry's knee and left the room.
Madame Pomfrey straightened out Harry's sheets and left for her office. Hermione sat up and grasped his hand. "Sorry to fake sleeping like that, Harry. How are you feeling?" She gazed into his eyes, pouring love and concern into her look.
Harry smiled at her, giving her hand a squeeze. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm fine – sore and weak, but fine. So what did happen?"
Hermione gave a grim smile and filled him in on the new footrest in Godric's Suitcase. "It's just a good thing we wear our dragonhide armor at all times. If you hadn't wore it, that hex would have cut you" and her voice trembled and broke "completely in two". She broke down crying against Harry's arm as he stroked her hair and comforted her.
"I guess that means I need a new vest?" Harry smiled as impishly as he could manage.
O0o0o0o0o0o0oAs soon as Harry was released from the infirmary, he sent a telepathic message to everyone to meet him in Godric's Suitcase. They all popped in about the same time, and Harry went straight to Sirius' portrait.
"Did I imagine that, was it a dream, or was it real?" he asked the painting of his Godfather. Hermione and Neville looked at him curiously.
"It's really me cub. How are you feeling now?" Sirius smiled at him. The portrait did feel different to Harry. He turned around and smiled at his friends.
"Malfoy succeeded for a tiny while" he sighed sadly, "and I got to spend a brief time with Sirius and my folks in the beyond. He came back with me, and it's the real him in the painting now. Before I came back my folks told me to speak to Hagrid and go to Godric's Hollow to fetch their paintings and they would be in them. I'm not sure what that's about, but both Hagrid and Dumbledore had told me that Godric's Hollow had been totaled."
Sirius looked at all of them with pride. "Luna has been updating me on what's been happening since the Ministry of Magic. I'm really proud of all of you. Sorry I didn't know Luna and Nev before I wrote my will" and he winked at them. "Didn't I tell you Dumbledore was a manipulative jerk?"
Harry smiled grimly. "Accio twin's vest" he said and gestured toward the boy's 'dorm'. Flying through the open door toward him came the florescent spangled and embroidered dragonhide vest the Weasley twins gave him for Christmas. He put it on with a grin. Hey – dragonhide is dragonhide, no matter how ugly.
After chatting with Sirius awhile, Harry sat down on the sofa. "Here, Harry – put your feet up – you look like you need a rest" Neville said, steering him to a seat in front of the Spam footrest. Harry looked at the tacky pink ottoman, resplendent in long pink beaded fringe. It was painful to look at.
"Is that…?" Harry gently prodded it with his toe.
"Yes" Luna nodded with satisfaction. "Here, let me prepare your feet" and she waved her wand over his shoes so they were coated with mud. Harry propped his dripping and dirty feet up on the can with a sigh of contentment. "We were covering our shoes with dragon dung, but it was too hard on dear Winky to get the odor out of the room."
"Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby tugged Harry's sleeve and whispered in his ear. "Dobby likes to sit on it and break wind, sir. He was a really bad master, sir."
Winky probably didn't appreciate the tea Harry sprayed all over the wall upon hearing that.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Harry sat alone in Godric's Suitcase. It was 2:30 in the morning, and he couldn't sleep. He paced the floor, trying to form a plan for defeating Riddle. How was Riddle powerful exactly? And what was the new 'stuff' he was 'tapping into'?
Sitting heavily in a chair, he faced his good penseive. Wincing with the anticipated anguish to come, Harry started to extract every memory he could concerning Riddle – each time he had confronted him, and everything he ever heard about him from Dumbledore and others. As much as he didn't want to think about the painful times, it was necessary. The four of them would study the memories together.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Harry was done with classes for the day after returning to a normal schedule. He walked slowly down to Hagrid's hut with Hermione. He hadn't visited his first friend in a while, and missed him, so it wasn't just that his parents had told him to visit the half giant.
"Harry! Hermione! Come sit for some tea!" Fang jumped on them with wet slobbery kisses, and the giant set to fussing with his large iron kettle and chipped tea pot.
Harry took a peek into Hagrid's thoughts while he set out the mugs. Blinding loyalty to Dumbledore – gratitude for keeping him at Hogwarts, giving him a job. But why didn't Dumbledore let him back in to continue school after Riddle was found out to be Voldemort? Why such blind loyalty? Strong love and loyalty to me too. Faint hints of suspicion about Dumbledore, but there seems to be tampering in his thoughts. Harry rubbed his Potter ring, and sure enough – the mantle over the fireplace was charmed for loyalty to the headmaster. He put a goblin shield around it when Hagrid's back was turned. Ah – the night of my parent's death has certainly been tampered with. I bet I can recover the true memory.
"How are ya feeling, Harry? What's new with you kids? I haven't seen you in forever!" He beamed at them with his kind beetle-black eyes.
"Well, we're engaged, for one" Hermione smiled widely, gently taking Harry's hand and showing off her ring with the other.
"Wha, wh wh, huh? You mean you and Ron, don't cha?" Hagrid stared at the ring, bewildered.
"No, Hagrid" Harry laughed. "Hermione and I are getting married as soon as we graduate."
"Dumbledore told me you and Ron was in love" Hagrid stammered uncomfortably. "I had no idea you and Harry had anything going."
Hermione frowned gently. "Professor Dumbledore wanted Ron to go out with me. I can't imagine why – we have nothing in common. I always liked him as a friend, but he's turned pretty nasty this year. He has never asked me out, so I don't know what all the fuss is."
"Why would Dumbledore do that?" Hagrid turned his honest face to them, one at a time. "What would he care who you go out with?"
Harry patted Hagrid's massive arm. "Hagrid, Dumbledore has done a lot of things we don't understand. When Malfoy attacked me this week, I spent a bit of time on the other side. I met Sirius and my parents, and they told me to visit Godric's Hollow to fetch their portraits. Dumbledore told me their home was leveled after the attack. But who would have done it – Voldemort was gone. They told me to talk to you."
"But Harry, the house was destroyed! It was nothing but smoking rubble when I found you!" Hagrid looked confused.
"Then how did Harry survive unscathed when he was in a crib on the second floor?" Hermione asked gently.
"Now that doesn't make sense!" Hagrid agreed, with confusion all over his face.
"Hagrid, if you trust me, I can fetch the proper memory." Harry looked at him intently, and the giant nodded in permission.
Harry gently probed deeper in to Hagrid's mind. He found the magical blocks and the planted false memories, and removed them carefully. Hagrid blinked and shook his head a couple times and stared at him with an open mouth. "Oh Harry, Harry I'm so sorry! Professor Dumbledore did this! But why, Harry?"
"What really happened?" Hermione asked, squeezing Harry's hand for support.
"Oh Harry – I remember now. And clear as if it were yesterday!" Hagrid sat down heavily, and scratched his shaggy head. "Dumbledore called me into his office; gave me the address to yer parent's house. Said they'd been attacked and killed. Told me to fetch yer and meet him at the Dursleys. I took a portkey he made, and as soon as I got there, Sirius met me on his motorbike. He was mad with grief, howling like a crazy man about being betrayed. Didn't act like a guilty man no how. We both ran into the house – the house was fine, except showed marks on the wall from a battle." Hagrid got up and grabbed an earthenware jug from the mantle and took a swig. "Yer pa was there on the floor of the parlor, Harry. Dead, with a peaceful look on his face. Sirius was blubbering and holding him. He looked up, with the look of a dead man himself, and said to me 'Hagrid – I as good as killed them myself. I made them use Peter as their secret keeper. He had to of betrayed them to Voldemort – he's the only one who knew where they were. We suspected Moony, and I insisted that they use Peter as their secret keeper.' That's what he told me, Harry. I ran up the stairs to your nursery, and there was your ma on the floor. No signs of a struggle in the room – her laying there all quiet and peaceful, and You-Know-Who's robes and wand laying there on the floor. That's when you started cryin', so I took you out of yer crib. Sirius had covered yer pa with a sheet, and was heading up the stairs to take care o' Lily. He told me to take the bike to get you to safety, and he'd meet up with me as soon as he buried them. I delivered you to Dumbledore, and he left you on the Dursley's doorstep, just like a bottle o' milk. I asked if he really wanted to do that – why with them? Why not ring the doorbell and meet them first? Professor McGonagall argued with him too. He oblivated both of us!"
Hermione and Harry both patted the giant's arms, while Harry glared out the window at the direction of the castle. "Hagrid – he's really been messing with us. Here – look at this" and he handed him a copy of his parent's will. The giant read over it, glancing at him constantly.
"Oh Harry – this is bad. This is real bad. What do we do?" Hagrid took another swig from the jug, and brushed a tear from his eye.
"We do nothing for now, Hagrid" Harry sighed. "Pretend you don't know – everything goes on as before. Don't look Dumbledore in the eyes – try to avoid him. Just trust me – I am working on some things, and it will work out in the end."
"Where did you learn occlumency, Harry? Even Dumbledore ain't that good at it." Hagrid looked up from the table and peered at the boy.
"It's a secret for now, Hagrid. Rest assured that I'm preparing to take down Riddle for once and all, and then I'll deal with our headmaster." He nodded sagely. "Hermione, my love – would you like to see my parent's home? I think I can get there using Hagrid's memory." She nodded, stood up and linked arms with her fiancé.
Harry concentrated and the two of them popped away, to Hagrid's immense astonishment.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o
The young witch and wizard popped into the front garden of a lovely home. It was a bit larger than Privet Drive, but old and charming, with timber framing and a thatch roof. The snow covered the lawns, so they couldn't tell much about the landscaping, but Harry noted with satisfaction that it felt like home. "Dobby? Winky? Could you two please join me?" Harry sent to his elves, which popped to his side immediately.
"Where are we, Master?" Winky asked, looking at the house.
"I wanted to share this with you two" Harry smiled sadly. "This is my parent's home. Perhaps this is the house we will live in after graduation."
"The great Harry Potter brings lowly elves with him at such a special moment?" Dobby gasped, hero-worship all over his face.
They walked up the snowy walk to the front door. Trembling, Harry tried the door knob, which was unlocked. The heavy oak door swung open on rusty hinges, and they were met with a blast of stale, dusty air. A house-elf, old and frail beyond belief, popped into the entry way and met them. "Who are you, and how dare you invade the House of Potter?" he stood as straight and aggressively as he could. But when he scrutinized Harry, he gasped and cried "Lord Potter, sir? Returned after all these years? Forgive an old elf sir – I will gladly punish myself" and he proceeded to slowly totter over to the wall for a good head-banging.
"No – no punishing – please! What's your name?" Harry knelt down to the ancient elf.
"Tippy, sir. My family and I have served the Potters for generations. I'm a bad elf to have you seeing the house like this, but my wife died and I can't get around like I use to." He looked at the floor in shame, tears dripping down his wrinkled pointy nose.
"Tippy, I'm glad you meet you. I'm sorry about the loss of your wife. The place looks fine – it's not like you were expecting company. I was told that the place was burned to the ground when my folks died – I just found out this week that it was a lie." Harry looked around with excitement. "Are you in any shape to show me around, Tippy?" He eyed the elf with concern – he really was sickly looking.
The old elf was crying with joy. "You are kind, Lord Potter. I can manage, sir." He led them into the parlor and insisted on serving tea for the two of them. Winky and Dobby were looking around, sizing up the place.
"Three more cups, Tippy. I want you guys to join me" Harry smiled. "We have a lot to catch up on. It was then Harry glanced up at the fireplace and saw the two portraits of his parents, grinning down at him. "Mum! Dad!" He cried and jumped up to run to them. "Is it really you?"
"Just like we talked about in the beyond, son" his father beamed at him. "I take it you spoke with Hagrid?"
"Yes, Dad. The mantle in his hut had been charmed by Dumbledore for blinding loyalty. Once I shielded that and sorted in his true memories, I was able to find the location here, and gain another ally." Harry had his hands planted on his own mantle, looking like he would jump into one or the other paintings any second. His mother laughed with a lovely, merry song of amusement, and joined her husband in one frame, to make talking easier on them all.
Harry turned and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Please join me?" he asked her, and she got up and walked to the mantle by his side. "Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Hermione Granger."
Lily wiped tears from her cheeks and eyes as James smiled broadly at the nervous young witch. "We have been watching you from the beyond" Harry's mum sniffed with a tearful smile. "Harry could not have chosen a better witch for his soul mate and life companion."
James nodded in agreement. "You are the only person I've ever seen give Lily a run for her money in charms. Absolutely brilliant! We are ecstatic to welcome you to the Potter family."
"Thank you, Mr. And Mrs. Potter" Hermione murmured, blushing. "I never imagined I'd meet my future husband's parents quite in this manner." She looked at the portraits deeply, noting just how much Harry did take after his father, and how his mother's eyes were also that mesmerizing emerald green.
After a lengthy conversation Hermione politely excused herself to look to Tippy and see if she could help him. As Harry spoke long with his parents, she sent Winky to Hogwarts briefly to fetch some good homemade chicken soup and warm bread for the frail elf, and insisted on feeding him like a child.
"Dobby?" Tippy asked the first elf of Potter, "Are the master and mistress always this kind? Do any other elves have masters like this?"
"We are lucky, we is" Dobby nodded so vigorously his ears flapped. "Many wizards are changing their attitude because of the great and kind Harry Potter and his Grangey."
Hermione then transfigured a log from the yard into an elf sized overstuffed chair, and enchanted it to work like a floating muggle wheelchair. "Harry needs you, Tippy, as a member of the family he lost so long ago. No more taxing yourself – you have earned a rest. You are to stay with us, but you must keep your health and strength!" The old elf looked bewildered, shocked, and overjoyed at the same time.
Harry joined them after a bit. "I guess I better charm the house for time saving" he smiled, "before we end up being here a week without realizing it." He waved his hands around the room in goblin magic. "Hey, Tippy. My folks are concerned about your health. I see Hermione has been taking care of you. But what do house-elves do for retirement?"
"Most wizards just give us clothes when we are too old to work" the elf stuttered fearfully.
"Gosh – none of that – you are a Potter! And no cutting your own head off" Harry winced, recalling Kretcher. A disgusting tradition in the Black household was that any elf that was too old to carry a tea tray had to cut his own head off and the Blacks would mount it on the wall. "Seriously – what did the Malfoys do when an elf gets too old to put in a hard day's work, Dobby?"
"It never came up, Harry Potter Sir," Dobby said nonchalantly. "No elf under the Malfoys ever lived that long."
Hermione gasped in shock, and promptly picked up Winky and gave her a tearful hug. Harry just glared darkly out the window.
"Well, this Lord and head of two houses will start my own traditions then" Harry proclaimed. "You, Tippy, will be in charge firstly of finding another elf to do the work around here. Then, I need you to start writing the history of the Potters as far back as you can recall. I have very few stories of my parents; none of my grandparents; and your family has worked with mine for generations. Any supplies, materials, or research you need, just charge it to the vault. You would be doing me a service I could never pay back, and hopefully can end your days healthy and having felt more than useful."
House-elves were quick to tears, but it was endearing more than embarrassing. Tippy floated his chair over to Harry, took his hand and wept long and hard. Then, looking at him through glistening eyes, he said "Tippy knows the perfect elf, with Lord Potter's permission. My granddaughter Cookie is enslaved to the Malfoys – I would do anything to rescue her from that Hell."
Harry whistled long and low. "OK, Dobby, Winky? Is it legal to take another wizard's elf? Will it hurt the elf to take them without the master's permission? If so, how do we get around it?"
"Very difficult without clothes, master" Winky spoke up, frowning and playing with the hem of her apron. "Many wizards put a curse on their elves, so if they leave without their master's permission, they die horrible painful deaths. I'm sure the Malfoys would do something like that. Clothes cancel the curse."
"Malfoys use the curses" Dobby winced. "Malfoys use very nasty curses."
"OK. Lucius and his dear son are both Spam, so that leaves Narcissa to convince to free her elves – all of them. How many does she have?" Harry frowned and sent out an elf message to the Malfoy house.
"The Lord Potter knows elf-magic?" Tippy breathed in a worshipful tone.
"Dobby and Winky taught them, and his friends. They is the Hogwarts founders! They is going to kick You-Know-Who into next week!" Dobby beamed proudly.
"I've got it" Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded in agreement with the unspoken but shared plan. "I'm going to visit Malfoy's Manor and rescue your granddaughter Cookie and the other three, and put a stop to Narcissa ever torturing another elf again."
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0oAt a telepathic signal from Cookie, Harry popped into Malfoy Manor under the invisibility cloak. Although heavily warded, house-elf magic was able get him through without a ripple. Harry sat comfortably on the floor against a wall in a room that appeared to be an intimate family parlor – not as grand or intimidating as the formal 'public' rooms Harry could see through the large doorway. Malfoy Manor appeared to be huge and ostentatious, to say the least.
Narcissa Malfoy staggered into the room, where a very frightened house elf brought her a light breakfast, and left her alone the moment she could. The once proud and beautiful mistress of the manor was a wreck, to put it bluntly. She was sprawled on a sofa, half dressed and unwashed, eyes glazed with borderline insanity. It was nine in the morning, and Harry could smell the firewhisky from where he sat across the room. Her eyes slowly revolved around the room, unfocused and flashing with imagined injustices.
"Draco darling, is that you?" she suddenly called out. Harry slowly looked around to see if she had heard him or something else, but came to the conclusion anything Narcissa was responding to came out of her alcohol addled brain. "Draco, why don't you contact me? All you had to do was kill Potter and bring his body to the Dark Lord – what is taking you so long? Lucius? You were supposed to break out of Azkaban two weeks ago – did you take our son somewhere?" The ragged blonde rubbed her left arm unconsciously, and Harry could see the dark mark plainly. He started probing her thoughts.
It was disgusting, to say the least, reading the thoughts of a Death Eater who was teetering on the brink of insanity. She was certainly no innocent victim, but a willing participant in Voldemort's schemes. The woman had no idea what had happened to her husband, or why she hadn't heard from him – Azkaban was certainly not a secure prison, but quite the joke to the Death Eaters who saw it as a vacation from Voldemort's control and torture. Narcissa also was confused as to why Draco hadn't contacted her – Dumbledore had evidently failed to let her know that her son was missing from Hogwarts or that he had attacked a fellow student almost killing him.
Gladly backing out of the woman's memories, Harry started to plant ideas in her head. It wasn't hard to do – the woman certainly had no occlumency training, and being so drunk and crazed it was almost like putting her under an imperius, except he was merely putting suggestions in her head – not commands. Harry had serious doubts about the legality of what he was doing, but as there was no way to trace it back to him, (unless you knew goblin magic), he wasn't going to lose sleep over it.
After a bit of mind probing, Narcissa Malfoy sat up straight and glared around the room. Elves. She hated the sneaky little things. You could never trust them – look what happened with that traitor Dobby. Slimy little creatures – when the Dark Lord came into full power, they would be gone. She knew how to treat the inferior little animals. She staggered to her feet and lurched unsteadily out of the room, returning in a moment with old baby clothes of Draco's. "Cookie! Icy! Kiki! Lolly!" she screeched in a most unfeminine tone.
The four elves popped in before her, faces to the floor, backs tense awaiting punishment for some imagined or exaggerated infraction of their never-pleased mistress. But to their amazement the blond woman flung clothing at all of them and hissed "go – out of my house – NOW! I never want to see your filthy faces again!"
Harry sent the bewildered elves a quick message to follow the mind-link to Tippy in Godric's Hollow, where he would join them in a moment. Before leaving, Harry planted in Narcissa Malfoy's mind the command that every time she would even consider having another house-elf in her employment, she would get violently ill. With a grin he watched her run out of the room, hand clamped over her mouth. Satisfied, he popped away.
O0o0o0o0o0o0oThe four poor elves from Malfoy Manor were in sad shape. Wearing the customary ragged Malfoy tea towels, bruised, beaten, and half starved, they were trembling with exhaustion and fear. The haunted look of shame and defeat hung about them like a tangible cloud, as they nervously glanced at Harry, Hermione, and the three elves in Godric's Hollow.
Harry popped in and removed his cloak, smiling gently at the four that Hermione was making a fuss over. She was handing out bowls of stew, treating wounds and trying to calm and soothe them. Cookie was clinging to her grandfather Tippy, crying piteously. "Who's up for adoption?" Harry asked cheerfully. The four new heads snapped up with life not seen in them yet.
"Winky, please help these guys get bathed, and come up with some uniforms. NOT clothing – uniforms you can wear with pride. Then if you wish, we can do some vows and you can all join the Potter household." Tippy, Winky and Dobby all smiled and nodded at them, sending them telepathic encouragement. Stammering gratitude, within an hour the four new elves were fed, cleaned, and wearing clothing much more respectable than torn Malfoy tea towels. Harry and Hermione found themselves now the masters of seven house-elves.
"What would S.P.E.W. ever say?" Harry smiled smugly at his bride-to-be.
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I've had some requests to explain why Lavender dumped the punch bowl on Ron's head at the ball. Nothing deep – I was imagining she would get fed-up by Ron paying more attention to Harry and Hermione than herself. Most ladies go through great pains to prepare for a ball, and would like to have attention paid to them!
There were a couple complaints about Ginny having Viagra. Yes – I guess that was sort of strange, but I'm sure the twins have their hands on all sorts of odd things they are working with to use for WWW – she could have nicked it from them. It was merely a way to show the depth of her immaturity – a way of saying "If you don't want ME then something must be wrong with YOU! I am considering rewriting the chapter where Ginny gives Harry some chocolate frogs spiked with love potion instead – that would add some drama and conflict. But I do hate the thought of ruining Harry's first great Christmas! What do you guys think?
Good point was made about Harry still using his Potter ring to see auras when he doesn't need it. Remember – the goblin magic uses finger gestures – the ring can be rubbed very stealthily.
Author Snarky Rant:
Some folks think I have too little romance; some feel there is too much. Harry is just right, Harry is too romantic, Harry is too gentlemanly, etc. Sorry guys! I really, really can't write romance! I do not have a romantic bone in my body! I hate dancing, proms, and weddings! I can only write a Harry that I am personally comfortable with. And being a mom, I'm not going to write about a 16 year old boy with a harem of intimate girl friends.
Some folks are surprised by Harry getting engaged before he even kisses Hermione. I have friends from India who have very happy and successful arranged marriages who never even MET their wives until their wedding day! I think Harry, being so abused, would be shy and uncomfortable with physical contact until he felt extremely 'safe', if that makes sense. He is bonded with Hermione, but he still lacks self-confidence. Since the wizarding world still has arranged marriages, I don't feel this would be entirely unheard of.
Please keep sending suggestions though – I use the ones I like or can use, and I'm really interested in people's opinions on this. If the reviews are too flame-y, I'll simply print them out and use them to clean fish on – it's bass season down here!