Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling who allows us to enjoy her characters in Fan Fiction. Thanks to the kind lady!
Note to readers: This story is written for fun and laughs. When someone sends an email that they are disappointed that I am writing slash, I shrug and move along to other things. To be honest, I don't plan on any 'ships' because this story will end after fifth year. I like leaving some things–like who is lucky enough to 'catch' Harry Potter–up to your imagination. If you want Harmony or Lunarry(?), go write it and put it on FanFiction! Yes, writing takes time but the only way to get a story just as you like it, it is to start writing!
Fanfiction is great because you get feedback from interested readers and a platform to express your imagination. And I believe we all need more imagination in our lives. Besides these chapters are writing themselves when I have time to get on the keyboard and Iggy told me that 'he' likes the story.
The Hogwarts Express ran through the winter countryside of England and Scotland carrying the students back to the castle for the winter term. There was usually a great deal of snow and rain at Hogwarts in winter so everyone expected to spend almost their entire winter within the castle and the greenhouses. Hermione, Lavendar and Parvati pressed Harry, Neville and the other boys to promise they would help them avoid the snowballs between the train and the castle. Susan and Hannah smirked and swore to teach any boy stupid enough to throw a snowball their way what would happen.
The staff greeted the returning students with several Aurors present and making certain there were no monsters or instances of underage magic cast at other students. Fred and George Weasley underwent a complete search by the Aurors without protesting.
Ernie McMillian was lost as to what he should do. His homelife was difficult as neither parent knew how to prepare food, clean the house, clothes, or anything. He had returned to Hogwarts with dirty clothes. And he kept looking around for Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom to appear from out of nowhere and curse him.
'Uncle Harold asked me lots of questions about the perfume and he wasn't happy that I didn't know anything. Mom was the one who saw the bottle,' he remembered. 'Why did they think it was a good idea to try and steal it, I don't know."
In the Great Hall, Ernie was about to sit down at the Hufflepuff table when Cedric Diggory and Luna Lovegood appeared at his side and took him to a place at the table away from his second-year classmates.
"McMillian, my neighbour, Luna Lovegood just came to me and asked for a favour," Cedric informed Ernie.
"Yes, Ernie," Luna continued. "Cedric here is the perfect Hufflepuff student and I asked him to take you under his wing for the rest of the year and teach you want that truly means. Then maybe some invisible creatures will be revealed to you."
"Uh…thanks," Ernie stumbled with his words. But Luna just smiled and gave him a hug.
"I asked some elves I know to find your house elves and get them to return home. I think they'll show up in your dorm room tonight and bond with you–not your parents–but they'll return home and take care of your brother and sister, and the house. Stevie and Gracie won't be hungry again," she whispered.
Now Ernie's thanks was heartfelt. "I planned to save all the biscuits and fruit I could from supper and send it home but then I realized I didn't have an elf to call and none of the ones here know my family."
Luna stepped away, back to the Gryffindor table, while Cedric gave Ernie another one-armed hug and said, "Luna is a great person and I've known her all her life. She'll make a good friend if you are honest with her."
"I'm glad to be back," Ernie confessed.
Harry watched Luna talk with Cedric Diggory and then the two of them approached Ernie McMillian. The boy was separated from his year and sat with Cedric after getting one of Luna's hugs.
Luna simply smiled at Harry when she sat across the table from him and began to put food on her plate. Ginny and Colin were asking Luna questions about their reading assignments while Neville was discussing a potion with Hermione and Parvati.
[I still can't find Hogwarts,] Iggy informed Harry while the boy ate.
[Luna said for you to check in the wardroom,] Harry reminded his cloak. [But before you do, check that there's not any traps. I don't want anything to happen to you.]
[There are seventy-some very happy house elves in the castle who don't like the headmaster anymore,] Iggy replied. [I'll take a dozen of them with me.]
Neville said, [Can you send a couple ghosts there first? Will the ghosts listen to you?]
[Good idea!] Harry agreed.
At the staff table, Headmaster Dumbledore and the other professors noticed how their food appeared on the table a full minute after the food was delivered to the children. And Albus was not provided with any cutlery for another five minutes while the children were eating. When Professor McGonagall grumbled about 'sloppy elves', her water goblet was suddenly empty and when she poured more water into the cup, it splashed over the rim, soaking the tablecloth.
Severus Snape ate quietly and without comment. His mind focused only on potions and the letter he would write to Professor Sprout after dinner outlining the potion ingredients, he hoped she could provide this winter from her greenhouses.
Professor Pretzel did not mind the delay in her meal but she did note the delay in Dumbledore receiving his utensils and McGonagall's problems with her water goblet. Upon closer examination, she found that the headmaster's robes were wrinkled and in need of laundering.
'The elves I spoke to were very happy when I returned,' she thought. 'And the classroom and laboratory were spotless. What has Dumbledore done to earn the ire of the house elves here in the castle?'
The meal continued to be strange for the head table–the dishes of food disappeared before the appropriate time. Only after the children were served desserts did any dishes with sweet confections appear at the head table and none of the professors received coffee or tea with their dessert.
"Elf!" called McGonagall and only after thirty seconds, the elf in charge of the kitchens appeared standing on the table in front of Minerva, with her foot in Minerva's dessert plate.
Yes, Professor Kitty?" the elf asked politely but without a bow.
"Where's my tea? I always have tea with my dessert.?"
"Is dessert not right?" asked the elf innocently.
"No, it isn't right!" insisted McGonagall.
"Will fix," said the elf and with a bow, the elf and all of the desserts on the head table disappeared. Professor Sprout had a mouth full of cake that simply vanished before she could swallow.
Professor Flitwick frowned as his strudel vanished and he turned toward Dumbledore and McGonagall to ask, "What have you two done to tick off the elves?"
"Elf!" commanded Dumbledore. "Dessert!"
Without a moment's delay, a large plate of lemon tarts appeared on the staff table with plates and forks for each member of the faculty. Without hesitation, Dumbledore plated up three tarts and quickly began eating the sour flavoured tarts. McGonagall took two tarts but the other members of the faculty were reluctant to partake of the dessert.
Professor Sinestra whispered to Professor Pretzel, "I'll just ask an elf to bring me tea in my room before retiring. Anything is likely to happen if the elves are displeased with the headmaster."
At the Gryffindor table, Harry and Neville exchanged glances and grins while Luna frowned and said, "Oh poo. Now I shall have to lecture the elves for a few hours."
Once they were back in the common room and settled into chairs for a time before time for bed, Harry asked, "Hermione, where have you found any information on wards?"
This began an informative lecture about the different types of wards that existed, an outline of the types of power and tools that were required to create, power and maintain wards, and the skills that a witch would need to 'raise' wards.
"We'll have to study Runes, Arithmancy, and Advanced Charms before we can create wards."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry replied. "I'll study all those things."
"Potter, do you want to be a warder?" asked Seamus.
Ron Weasley looked over–his chess match with Neville was going badly for Longbottom–and said, "That sounds like work. I'd rather play quidditch."
With a combination of ghosts and elves helping him, Iggy found the cage that confined Lady Hogwarts on one side of the wardroom. After a two hours of study and examination, Iggy determined that Dumbledore siphoned off a third of the power of the wards protecting the castle to form the cage where the spirit slept. She tossed and turned in a fretful sleep as Iggy sat back considering what to do.
After a time, the entity appeared in Harry's dreams and woke the boy up to talk.
[Heir Peverell, I am not certain how to proceed,] Iggy confessed after sharing his discoveries and conclusions. [How do I get Lady Hogwarts out without making Dumblemore suspicious of someone powerful–me–being in the castle?]
[How will he know you set her free?]
[It's the nature of wards; someone has to 'hold' the ward and always gets told what's going on. Remember how Lady Longbottom knew the moment she stepped from the floo that a thief was in her home?]
[Can you make it appear that Hogwarts freed herself? Do something that makes it feel like she exploded or pushed out from inside this prison cell?] asked Harry.
[Let me study the wards some more,] Iggy said. [Go back to sleep.]
[Night Iggy,] Harry said as he turned over and fell back asleep.
At breakfast the next morning, Harry told Neville about the late-night conversation with Iggy but that the cloak hadn't spoken yet today. Luna arrived with Ginny and Colin about that time and she whispered, "Iggy will sleep today but be back tomorrow. I was up late yelling at the elves! You need to tell me everything that happened with headmaster and his visit to Longbottom Manor. Daddy was unhappy he didn't have any of the photos of the headmaster to print in the Quibbler. We have a seer who specializes in reading the wrinkles on an old man's buttocks and foretelling the future."
The service at the head table was somewhat better at breakfast–Dumbledore's tea was cold and very strong. That was better than the previous morning when it was extremely hot and very weak. His food remained questionable but the other professors were served properly if still a moment or two later than the students.
After receiving their schedules, the students spread out for their classrooms, the library or their dormitories to wait until it was time for a class. The day passed quietly because Headmaster Dumbledore found himself locked inside his office once he returned from breakfast. The portraits of all previous headmasters were empty, Fawkes was out hunting, and none of the ghosts would appear when called.
Stymied for the moment, the headmaster turned to his pile of correspondence that he had ignored over the holiday. When it was time for lunch, his meal appeared on his desk and sat on several parchments from the ministry. But rather than make an issue with the elves, he quickly ate this meal and returned to his work. At supper, his door did open and allow him to walk out to the Great Hall. Just as he sat on his throne overlooking the Kingdom of Children, he felt the wards burst–Lady Hogwarts had freed herself.