Author's Note: Last time I posted, I had seriously backed everyone into a corner, including myself. Let us just say that I get lucky. A lot.
This chapter is dedicated to Als. Without her support, I would still be moping with my writer's block. I love you, Als.
After I got inspired, there was a minor delay: the first part of this was on file on my old pc. Which was sitting, dismantled completely, on the floor of our spare bedroom. So, I kind of played by ear.
Also, I apologize if I repeated any material from previous chapters. But I bet you all are used to my incongruencies, aren't you?
And this song has become my official deception-writing song.
Warnings: Same.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, though I own the explanation of why house-elves can Apparate on school grounds.
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"Shhh…We'll find him. We'll get Dad, and Lupin, and Moody—anyone we can find! The Order's got to help us!" I soothed, holding her tightly.
"And just how are we going to find him?" Suddenly, she shoved me away and scrubbed the tears from her eyes. "Ron, be realistic! We haven't the slightest idea!"
"All the more reason to go to the Order!" I was angry now, and I felt my face starting to get hot.
"Why? So they can take what we've learned, scold us a little for not consulting them sooner, and then leave us behind while they go off to look for him! I think not!"
"So what do you suggest?" All the fight had gone out of me; I hadn't the energy to argue with her anymore.
Hermione was silent for a moment, other than her attempts to calm herself and think. Then, she turned abruptly, saying only "Come on!" before sprinting off toward the nearest staircase. I trailed behind, wondering what she was thinking now.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
"Dobby!" Hermione gasped, ripping open the painting of the fruit basket. Then I realized what she was thinking. Dobby had managed to find Harry at his uncle's house in our second year. Dobby could help us.
Around a dozen high, squealing voices assaulted us when we burst through the hole. Most seemed to be saying something to the effect of "Dobby is not here, sir and miss!"
After a few moments of relatively incoherent chatter, one of the larger elves spoke up. "Sir and miss, Dobby is not here. Dobby is cleaning the Hospital Wing at this moment. Shall I tell him that you visited, sir and miss?"
"Who is visiting for Dobby? Is it Harry Potter sir?" came the familiar squeaking voice from behind us. "Oh no, it is Ronald Weasley sir and Hermione Granger miss! What can Dobby do for you, sir and miss?" We turned just in time to see him bow as low as possible.
As inconspicuously as possible, I shooed the rest of the elves away, not necessarily wanting anyone else to know about this. Meanwhile, Hermione was relating our—problem—to the small elf.
"Harry Potter sir is in trouble, Hermione Granger miss?" Dobby's eyes were even wider than usual.
"Yes. Can you find him for us?"
"Surely I can find him, Hermione Granger miss, but what if where Harry Potter sir is being kept is Unfindable?"
I looked at him quizzically for a moment, but then Hermione replied, "You mean Unplottable?" Dobby nodded, eyes still abnormally wide. Hermione paused, looking thoughtful; I continued to watch the pair of them, only just following the thread of conversation.
"Even if something is made Unplottable, you can still travel there," Hermione mused aloud. "So, if you can find Harry, can you take us to him?"
Dobby brightened. "Yes, Hermione Granger miss, I can do that!" His ears flopped as he nodded, then he crack!-ed (1) out of existence.
Hermione sighed, and I thought she looked rather worn-out. It kind of scared me, actually. Before I could begin to actually worry, however, Dobby reappeared, looking rather grim. "It is not safe there, Hermione Granger miss, Ronald Weasley sir. It is a bad place." He shook his head for effect.
"But we have to go!" This was out of my mouth before I even realized it, and I stood firm when Hermione looked in my direction. "I have to." I added, more softly, but no less insistently.
"I do, too. Will you take us, Dobby? For Harry's sake?" Pleading was generally not in her nature, and it showed in the stubborn set of her jaw.
Dobby looked from me to Hermione and back, and then sighed, ears drooping. "Yes, I will." Holding out his bony wrists, he added in a defeated tone, "Hold on tight, and be careful, Ronald Weasley sir, Hermione Granger miss."
With that, he crack!-ed into nothingness again, and this time we went with him. Immediately, it was much worse than when I Apparated myself; it felt like I was being squeezed through a very small tube, a tube which would be very small even for someone Dobby-sized, and I instinctively clamped to Dobby's wrist even tighter, dreading what would happen if I were lost in the vertigo. Privately, it made me rather ill.
In a moment, though we were through, appearing in the shadow of roughly-cut stone corridor. I looked around, squinting in the flickering torchlight, looking for Hermione's comforting silhouette.
"Dobby," I gulped, "where's Hermi—" CRACK! "—one? Damn (2)."
I was certain that things had just gotten a great deal worse.
(1) Dobby can do the house-elf equivalent of Apparition inside Hogwarts grounds because he uses a different Apparition space. (This is relatively canon; he and Kreacher Apparate and Disapparate on the grounds several times in HBP.)
(2) The house-elf Apparition space (which is the only one open on the Hogwarts grounds) must have smaller magical capacity, just out of necessity, since they aren't allowed wands. Ron and Hermione cannot Disapparate on the grounds, making Dobby's magical signature the only acceptable one in the Apparition space. However, Dobby's power plus Ron's power plus Hermione's power is more than any elf should ever be permitted to have, therefore, all three of them cannot "fit" through the system. Because Ron gave Dobby clothes, and because clothes are a potent symbol for any house-elf, some of Ron's magic is melded and compressed by the link, enabling Dobby to sneak through with him as just an exceptionally powerful elf. Hermione, however, has no such bond, and has more potential capacity than Ron anyway; therefore there is no way that she could successfully make it through the house-elf Apparition space.
Author's Note: Not quite as long or as good as I'd hoped for, but oh well! At least I can write again!
