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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Eight: The Return of Dobby
Five days later found Harry, Hermione, and a healthier Ron sprawled out in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was studiously shuffling through papers while seated on a couch while Harry and Ron argued with one another. The group was currently taking a break as their grand quest to find and locate the hidden Horcrux had thus far turned up nothing.
While Hermione had mainly worked on copying and analyzing the information they had gained on the Game of Death thus far, Harry and Ron had visited nearly every single room in the Castle with few exceptions. And while they had been able to cross out Dumbledore's office for obvious reasons, the discussion about how – or even if – they should go about trying to go some of the other places was what had led to the current argument.
"For the last time, Ron, I am not going to go into Snape's living area. Horcrux or no Horcrux, do you know what would happen to me if he ever found out? Because I sure as hell don't. Nor do I want to find out." Harry grumbled from one of the common room's couches. "And I don't plan on going into Flitwick's, or Sprout's, or any other teacher's private area either."
"C'mon, Harry, we've checked just about everywhere else," Ron whined from his place on the common room floor. "We've been to every abandoned classroom; searched all the hidden passageways on the Map; crawled into every tiny alcove; combed the Trophy Room; got ourselves chased out of a testing area. We even had Hagrid help us tear apart his hut. There literally is nowhere else left to search!"
Harry closed his eyes in frustration. Ron may have been whining, but there was a ring of truth to what he said. They really had checked out everywhere they could think to look, even going so far as to use the Marauder's Map to check whether there were any rooms not known to the general student body.
There had actually been quite a few. But while it was good to know about them, each room had been filled with nothing other than decaying furniture and massive amounts of dust.
Looking for something to distract himself from their lack of progress, Harry turned to his best friend. "Any luck on your end, Hermione?"
The bushy-haired girl looked up with a pensive look on her face. "Yeah. I just finished going over the levels of everyone you've used 'Observe' on thus far. I've compared them and cross checked each one against our own stats, which has allowed me to come up with a general framework that can be used to extrapolate what 'level' a Hogwarts student is at based on their age and year."
Harry blinked and looked at Ron. The other boy shook his head and remained at his place on the floor, clearly not wanting to get involved in the discussion when Hermione was in full on geek mode.
"Well, uh, that's awesome," Harry said after turning back to the girl. "But, erm, could you explain it to me? Because I'm not quite sure what you meant by that."
Smiling, Hermione nodded and joined Harry on his couch. There she brought out her notes on the subject and explained them in detail.
First was that while the overall levels, number of traits, and titles of people did not seem to be affected by their House, they did change dramatically between the various age groups. And considering that they were at the end of the school year, when everyone had presumably had a chance to do what the 'Help' feature called 'leveling up,' Hermione had created a general range for the average student.
1st Years: Level 10-15
2nd Years: Level 15-20
3rd Years: Level 20-25
4th Years: Level 25-40
5th Years: Level 40-55
6th Years: Level 55-70
7th Years: Level 70-100
Seeing that put into writing by Hermione helped Harry to finally get a handle on where he stood in comparison to his peers. He was strong for his age, which he had always known, but he was nowhere near being at the level of a seventh-year student. Though according to Hermione, both she and Harry were something called statistical outliers. A term which had confused him and caused Ron to stare at her dumbly before she had sighed and gone over it again in plain English.
It turned out to be a fancy way of saying that both Harry and Hermione were different than everyone else. A fact which Ron took great pleasure in reminding her that he had already stated as much back when he was in the hospital. A comment which had caused Hermione to chuck a pillow in Ron's general direction and promptly derailed their work for the next few minutes as Harry played referee between his two squabbling friends.
When the group had gotten back on track and poured through the notes some more, something else became apparent. Every year seemed to have at least two or three people who, like Harry and Hermione, seemed to break away from their peers. Though only one person had even come close to being as far apart from their year mates as Harry and Hermione were from their own.
Cedric Diggory
Cedric is the Golden Boy of Hufflepuff. He is nice, athletically talented, academically successful, and popular with every House in Hogwarts. Yes, even Slytherin. Girls love him, boys want to date him, and everyone agrees that there is a sparkle in the air every time the light strikes him. Cedric himself embodies the traits upon which House Hufflepuff was founded. You will not find a kinder, more loyal or humble student in the entire school with the possible exception of Harry Potter.
Age: 17
Golden Boy
Hufflepuff Prefect
Heir Apparent to House Diggory
Level 76
Stats:
STR: 68
DEX: 70
CON: 62
INT: 90
WIS: 101
CHA: 160
Traits:
Humble
Loyal
True Friend
Kind Heart
Charms Adept
Blue Blood
Dedicated
Gullible
School Quidditch Player
Harry found Cedric's description to be was somewhat odd since it had mentioned him too, but the power packed into Cedric Diggory's robust frame was no laughing matter. The older boy had three titles, eight traits, and stats which rivaled those of Harry and Hermione. He was also more balanced in his attribute distribution than either of the two Gryffindor's.
In any case, the more names Harry looked at, the more he found that the vast majority of Hogwarts students had little to differentiate them from one another in terms of traits or titles. Most had no titles, and they generally only three to five traits with the three most common traits being Normal Citizen, Quidditch Fan, and whatever their blood status was. None of which seemed to give any special bonuses either.
By that standard, Ron may have been selling himself a little short in his speech at the hospital. The redhead might be a little behind them in level, but he was still better than many others in their year. Seamus and Dean had only made it to level 22, while Lavender and Pavarti were lagging at level 21.
Which felt somewhat odd to Harry since Pavarti's twin sister, Padma, was at level 24. But he guessed that it just went to show how even twins could be different depending on how they applied themselves. It was a theory both he and Hermione wanted to confirm by catching Fred and George with 'Observe'. But every time Harry had tried, one of the two boys had spotted him and attempted to figure out what he was trying to do. And though he trusted both boys to keep a secret, Harry wanted to keep knowledge of the Game of Death confined to as small a group as possible for the time being.
As he and Hermione poured over the information on the Game of Death, Harry felt his earlier frustration begin to lift. And by the time she had begun to pack the material away in her ever present bookbag to avoid the prying eyes of nosy students, Ron had asked Harry if he had received any news about Sirius.
Harry laughed sheepishly. He had gotten news – good news, in fact – but he had forgotten to share it with Ron. "Oh. Uh, yeah, I did. Let me tell you about it."
After Harry and Hermione had left Ron at the Hospital Wing five days ago, the two of them had headed straight for Professor Dumbledore's office to talk with him about the Horcrux issue. Only to come face to face with a mildly irate Professor McGonagall, waiting at the entrance to the Headmaster's office as though expecting to see them. With her gorgeous jet-black hair gathered into a tight bun atop her head and dressed in her Head of House robes, the older woman had cut her usual picture of both beautiful and fearsome.
"I don't know how Albus manages to do it, but the old coot was right yet again," the austere lady had muttered under her breath upon seeing them. "As you might surmise, the Headmaster anticipated that you would need to speak with him about some matters – which, for the record, he did not inform me of despite my being your Head of House – and asked that you be informed of his absence. He was called away by the Director of Magical Law Enforcement for an important consultation early this morning on what he called, and I quote, 'an urgent mission of mercy and justice'."
Message delivered, the clearly annoyed McGonagall had then looked straight at Harry. He had gulped, wishing that the Headmaster had sent the message by Hedwig or some other owl instead of irritating the woman in front of him. The elderly wizard had probably wished to be discreet, but the brilliant man had clearly failed to anticipate the repercussions which would result from using Minerva McGonagall as a messenger girl.
"Now, the Headmaster said that you would understand what he meant and has asked that I send him any return message you might have for him in return." The formidable witch and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts had then raised one slim eyebrow at the students in front of her. "And while I am willing to do so for two of my most favourite students – a fact which you are not allowed to talk about on pain of censure and detention – understand that this will not be a common occurrence. I am not your post owl and I will not be treated as such."
The older woman's fierce gaze had burned as she spoke, and Harry had felt as though it could pin them to the corridor's stone walls should the woman have so desired. "Am I understood?"
At that Harry and Hermione had known to frantically nod yes to the professor's words, almost babbling nonsensically in order to make sure that their Head of House did not direct her apparent anger towards either of them.
Thankfully the professor had taken their frantic nodding for the positive response that it was, and her gaze had softened back to its usual level of sharp, smoldering intensity. "Excellent. Now then, do either of you have a message to pass along to the Headmaster?"
That had been a tricky question to answer. Because while they did have information to pass along, and they really did trust Professor McGonagall, they were not sure if they should bring her in on Harry's new secret.
After a short bit of heated whispering, Harry and Hermione had eventually settled for writing out a simple message on a piece of paper and asking that Professor McGonagall pass it along as soon as possible. The beautiful woman had nodded her head in assent, the annoyance finally beginning to fade from her stern features. Then with a swift 'good day' the stern professor had walked down the hallway which lead to her personal quarters.
But now it was five days later. Five days of frustrated searching and time spent talking about numbers and levels and what they all might mean. And as Harry finished relaying to Ron what Dumbledore's absence meant for Sirius, his worry over not having made any progress over the quest returned. They had seen Professor Lupin packing up his office just the other day and that could only mean there was not much time left.
Ron's stomach gave a loud grumble. And, as if it were magically induced, Harry's stomach chose to chime in with its own grumble as well. The two boys looked at one another and shook their heads.
Hermione glanced at them. "Hungry?
"You have no idea," Ron mumbled. "Because Harry was so into the search, he forced us to skip lunch! On top of missing out on breakfast. I feel like I could eat a whole cow."
Knowing that he could not expect much out of his friend in his current state, Harry stood up and gestured for Ron to follow. "Let's go and visit the kitchens for something to eat. It's a long time 'til supper, and neither of us will be able to think clearly if we don't get some food in us."
Ron perked up immediately at the offer. "Brilliant! I love going there. Those House Elf blokes always have some spare food lying around."
From her place at the table Hermione gave the pair a mild stink eye. "I wish Fred and George hadn't mentioned the trick of getting into the kitchen to the both of you," she said archly. "But if you must be going, then please make sure to thank the House Elves for all of their hard work around here. The poor dears don't receive nearly enough thanks as it is."
"Aye aye, Professor Granger," Harry called out playfully as he began to walk away. "Would you like us to bring you something to snack on?"
"No. But thank you for asking. Just try not to take too long; I have a few more theories that I want to run by you when you return and can double check them using the 'Help' feature."
Harry nodded in reply. Then he pushed the portrait of the Fat Lady open and stepped outside, Ron right beside him. The two made their way past a few giggling fifth year girls who tried to block their path. One of them tried to say something to Harry, but he waved her off and said that they were off to the kitchen. Though he did promise to bring her something back since it was only polite. Ron complained under his breadth at the interruption but given that the boy was no doubt starving it was rather lukewarm of him to complain so little.
Once Harry and Ron had reached the secret passageway which lay beyond the gaggle of girls it was just a quick jaunt to their destination. It was not long before they were soon standing in front of a painting which depicted a bowl of fruit. Ron's eyes gleamed as he stared at it and both of their stomachs gave a second rumble in anticipation for what lay beyond. Harry tickled the pear in the painting just like Fred and George had shown him earlier in the year, and together they watched as the hidden passageway to the Hogwarts's kitchen appeared where the portrait once hung.
The last thing Harry expected to happen, though, was for a tiny gray missile to burst out from its confines and hit him directly in the chest, bowling him over. But his confusion and worry over the sudden assault was short-lived.
"Harry Potter! It's yous, it's really yous! Yous has comes to visits your Dobby on his first week of working here. Oh, thanks yous sir, thanks yous! Dobby always knew you were the greatest and most kindest of wizards." The little gray form of the Elf sobbed and blew his over-sized nose on the fabric of Harry's black school robes. Only to immediately try and scrub it out with his hands. "Bad Dobby, bad! Please mister Harry Potter sir, don't move; let your Dobby clean his mess for yous before yous tries to stands up."
It took a moment for the elf's frantically spoken words to enter Harry's oxygen starved brain. But when they did, he could feel a wide smile crossed over his features. The excitable bundle of energy Harry remembered from his previous year had not changed at all.
Harry managed to sit up with a groan as the energetic House Elf gave up on its scrubbing and cleaned the dirtied robes with a wave of its gnarled hands. Gesturing between Dobby and Ron, Harry decided to make some introductions. "Dobby, it's nice to see you again. This is my friend Ron Weasley. He's one of the nicest wizards you will ever meet, just like me. And Ron, this is Dobby, the House Elf I talked about meeting last year, and someone who is also my friend."
Dobby's already large eyes went wide as saucers until they looked big enough to fit a roast duck. "I-I I'm a friend of the great Harry Potter?"
Harry nodded. "Of course you are."
"Waaaaaah! Mister Harry Potter really does have the biggest and bestest heart of any wizard!" Dobby began to sob once again. The tiny elf once again shoved his head into Harry's chest and wiped his nose all over the freshly cleaned robes. Expecting it this time, Harry gave his strange friend a pat on the back and let the elf get the tears out of his system.
"Blimey, Harry, you weren't kidding!" Ron exclaimed. "He really does seem to like you an awful lot."
"Oh yes! Dobby certainly does like mister Harry Potter sir, oh yes he does, yes he does indeed." Dobby bobbed his too large head up and down as he spoke. "And it is a pleasure for Dobby to meet you too, Harry Potter's Wheezy. A pleasure, a wonderful pleasure."
Watching as Ron tried to make sense of Dobby while the elf excitedly shook his hand, Harry gave his elf friend a look over. What he saw was good, as Dobby looked markedly better than when Harry had last seen him.
Gone were the bandage wrapped fingers and emaciated figure. Gone was the haunted look in his eyes and the hunched, beaten posture when standing. Replacing them were what looked like healthy skin, more meat on his small bones, and a bouncing step which burst with joyous energy. The tiny fellow had also ditched the filthy pillowcase and now wore what looked to be a three-piece suit from three very different suits; the slacks were green, the shirt canary yellow, and the jacket a dark blue with red polka dots all over. It certainly caused the elf to cut quite the bizarre figure, but one which made Harry smile. Because the look of joy in the small elf's eyes could not be faked.
"So, Dobby," Harry said with a laugh, cutting off the bouncing elf from continuously shaking Ron's hand. "Why didn't you tell me that you were working here at Hogwarts? I would've come down to see you right way if I had known."
Dobby hesitated for a moment, his large eyes widening in shock. It caused Harry to frown as an ugly possibility reared itself in his mind. "You are still free, right Dobby? I mean, you weren't forced by some other wizard to be their servant again, right?"
The elf waved his hands frantically. "Oh no, no, no! Dobby is certainly still free, mister Harry Potters. He is being paids for his work now by the Dumbledore, and is evens getting times off now, that he is."
"That's wonderful news then, Dobby. I'm really happy for you!"
Strangely, Harry's words did not make his friend happy. Instead, Dobby turned his gaze to the floor, his face downcast. "But now Dobby feels bads," the elf squeaked out. "Dobby had hoped to surprise you next year, after Dobby had been assigned to your dormitory so that Dobby could serve you properly like a real House Elf should."
Oh. So that was why he looked sad from what Harry had said. Given the elf's attachment to him and his employment at Hogwarts, finding out that he would be working in Gryffindor tower came as no great surprise. And thankfully, helping the elf cheer up would be much easier than finding the stupid Horcrux.
Harry reached out and gently grasped the elf by his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I mean it, Dobby. Seeing you like this is much better than waiting. And I am very happy to see you doing so well for yourself. Truly."
"Do… do yous really means it?" Dobby asked tremulously. Then, as if hit by a sudden revelation, the small elf jumped high into the air. "But of courses yous means it! Harry Potter would never tell a lie. And now that yous is here, Dobby is very happys too! Yes yes, very happys indeed."
"I don't know about never telling a lie," Ron chimed in with a grin. "But Harry definitely means it. And so do I if it means we can get some food."
Feeling his cheeks beginning to heat up under the continued praise, and knowing that Ron was just aching to tease him over it, Harry tried to change the subject back to his initial purpose for coming to the kitchen. "Well, erm, Dobby, what do you say about helping Ron and me get some food to take back up to the Gryffindor dorms? We missed out on breakfast and lunch while searching for something important, and we could really use something to tide us over until supper."
The small elf's eyes widened once again at Harry's words. "Yous is asking Dobby for help already? Just after meeting him again?"
"Um… yes? Is that okay?" Harry had not anticipated it being an issue for his strange little friend. But perhaps that had been him assuming too much. To that end he held up his hands in a placating gesture. "But if you don't want to, or if you're in the middle of something, then that's okay too. I don't want to be a bother since you just started working here, and…"
"No! No, mister Harry Potter is not being a bother, not at all!" Dobby's shout was so loud that the heads of several other House Elves popped out of the kitchen portal to see what was going on. "This bees no worries. No worries at all, as they say. Mister Harry Potter and his Wheezy will be stayings right here while I fixes yous both food to eat and help yous mind what yous is missing."
In a whirl of energy and magic the tiny House Elf then dashed into the midst of his fellows. The curious faces of the other House Elves seemed to look satisfied at Dobby's actions and disappeared from the portal.
Standing beside Harry, a puzzled looking Ron shook his head. "Y'know Harry, you really do have some of the weirdest friends. I mean, between Dobby, Hagrid, Oliver Wood, Moaning Myrtle, the twins and Hermione, you're surrounded by a whole bunch of absolute loonies."
Harry shot his friend a sideways glance. The other boy's tone and choice of words bothered him. Especially since several of the people he had named were also friends with Ron. "I hope that you're including yourself in that bunch too Mr. 'I can eat from my plate without using my hands.'"
This comment started a long, juvenile argument which lasted until Dobby brought them a meal fit for a family of eight. The elf also insisted that they eat in the kitchen instead of returning to the Gryffindor Tower so that they could catch up with one another. And Harry, being the polite person he was, could not find it in him to say no. He listened intently as Dobby bounced from topic to topic, only adding a few words here and there as seemed appropriate.
But after Harry was feeling well and truly stuffed, and the last bit of sauce had been wiped from Ron's place with a piece of freshly baked bread, it was time for them to get going. The Horcrux would not find itself and they had already looked in the kitchen days ago, somehow missing the excitable House Elf when they did.
"Well Dobby, it was great to see you again," Harry said as he stood up from the makeshift table Dobby had fashioned for them. "Please stop by the Tower to say hi whenever you get the chance. I'll be leaving for the summer soon, but I'd love to see you before I go."
"Of courses mister Harry Potter sir! Dobby will do so before yous leaves and will do so all of next year too whenever Dobby has the time." The House Elf nodded his head enthusiastically as he spoke. Then, as though remembering something, Dobby scratched his head and gestured for them to stay. "But before yous goes, mister Harry Potter, Dobby might be able to help yous one more time. Dobby heard yous mention that yous were looking for something, but that yous could not find it. Is that true?"
Harry nodded his head while Ron gave a satisfied burp. "That's right. We'll probably be looking for it tonight as well. Could you spare any help for us?"
Dobby's eyes turned downcast. "Unfortunately, Dobby is stills learning about the things at Hogwarts and cannot leave the kitchens without one of his seniors."
"Oh. Well, like I said before, don't worry about it. I'm sure that we'll be able to find it if we look hard enough."
As Harry turned to leave, though, a tug on his sleeve forced him to turn around. Dobby, a determined look on his face, had grabbed hold of it. "Before yous goes, mister Harry Potter sir, Dobby knows the perfect place that yous can look if yous haven't already gone. It's someplace which most wizards don't seem to knows of, and Dobby heard tell of it from the other House-Elves when he first came to Hogwarts last year."
A place which most wizards did not know? That sounded interesting, though Harry doubted that such a place was not included on the Marauders Map. Harry looked at Ron to gauge his interest, but the redhead just shrugged his shoulders in confusion.
Having nothing to lose by hearing the elf out and everything to gain, Harry gestured for Dobby to continue. The little elf's large eyes glowed in the kitchen's firelight as he leaned in close. "Have yous ever heard of the Come and Go Room? Or as wizards name it, the Room of Requirement?"
Harry and Ron stood in a stone corridor like any other at Hogwarts, shock written all over their features. To the point where Harry would later think that even seeing Draco Malfoy dressed in pink robes with curly long hair could not have torn his gaze away.
Because not only had Dobby's words led them to a room that was not on the Marauder's Map. The elf's words had led them to a place like nothing Harry had ever seen, and one which was not known to even the Game of Death.
Ding!
You Have Discovered a Hidden Dimension
Beyond this Door Lies Treasure and Dangers Untold
Go Forth at Your Own Risk
Ding!
Due to an Unanticipated Discovery the Game of Death is Currently Updating
Interfacing with the Dimensional Eddies to Update the Gamer's Map with New Information
Update Will Conclude Once All Information Has Been Downloaded and Assimilated by the Game of Death
Ding!
Quest Alert Notification
Explore 'The Room of Requirement'
Few Have Ever Encountered It and None Have Mapped It
Discover the Origins of the Room, Master Its Secrets, and Solve its Enduring Mystery
Reward:
The Explorer Trait
+50% Ability to Learn Any Space/Time Magic
50 Free Levels
Do you Accept?
Yes or No
The Game of Death had a map? Harry had not seen anything about previously. Though perhaps the reason why was because the Game needed Harry to explore more areas. Or something like that. Either way, that sort of thinking would have to wait until later.
Because right now Harry had a very large problem on his hands.
From floor to ceiling, the massive room, which had confused even the Game of Death, had to be easily three times the size of the Great Hall. At least! And when Harry looked from his right to his left, he was unable to see an end in either direction. Endless space stretched on as far as his eyes could see. He had an idle thought that if a player squeezed the turns and ignored the upper altitude component of the game, then playing Quidditch in this place was not completely outside the realm of possibility.
But that would have been impossible due to the contents of the room. For the entire place was filled with stack upon stack upon stack of discarded items.
Some stacks were made from broken chairs and couches. Others were composed of massive piles of books, or hills of old clothes which looked to have fallen out of favor long before the birth of even Professor Dumbledore. Still other piles were a complete mishmash of items, containing everything from broken broom handles to a giant armoire filled with liquor. Each jumble was more eclectic than the next and none of it looked organized. As though all the junk of the world had been brought to this one place and then left, untended, for generations.
If there was any place in Hogwarts where Voldemort could have hidden a Horcrux, then this was it. Harry would have made that wager in a heartbeat and dared anyone to take it.
But knowing that fact and being able to do something about it were two very different matters. There was no way that Harry and his friends could comb through everything within this room before Professor Lupin was forced to leave. Not even if they asked Neville, the twins, and everyone else they knew to help in the effort. Harry was honestly not even sure if they could search through the whole place even if they were to spend their entire lives on the task.
Thus, the jam in which he was stuck was well and truly bad. And as he looked Ron in the eyes and saw his friend give him a blank look in return, Harry knew that they were both equally lost.
So the pair did what they always did in situations like this. They closed the door, turned around, and proceeded to make their way back to Hermione. In the hopes that their brainy friend might possibly have an answer to the conundrum that Dobby's assistance had brought to them.
A/N: I hope that you all enjoyed seeing Dobby. His positive, bubbly energy makes him a true joy to write. It's also quite fun to work on his broken speech pattern, while I hope that you enjoyed my teasing of the Room of Requirement. More on that to come in the next chapter, though it won't really be explored in detail until Level 2 and beyond.
Fun fact which I did not realize until I did some research for this fic. According to both Pottermore and the HP fan wiki, in the HP novels Minerva McGonagall was said to have black hair rather than the grey hair possessed by the inestimable Maggie Smith in the HP movies. And since I am basing this story off the novels instead of the movies… bingo, presto, a McGonagall with lustrous black hair. If you are having a hard picturing her as such, then just look up Maggie Smith's pictures from when she was young. Gosh is she gorgeous.
Until Next Time,
Elsil
