CHAPTER 02:
"What is that thing?" Bella asked in a shrill voice.
"That's very rude Ms Swan. Everyone, please meet our dear friend Dobby, Dobby these are…" Hermione trailed off looking at Harry and then at the Cullens.
Emmett smirked. "I'm Emmett. That's my girl Rosalie. Our parents, Dr. Carlisle and Esme. That's Alice, her mate Jasper and lastly Edward and his human Bella."
Dobby bowed in greeting to the vampires then turned to look at Harry. "Harry Potter is making friends with vampireses. Why?"
"Long story," Harry shrugged. "Dobby, can you help us with the layout of the Malfoy Manor? A few of our friends are caught there and we want to go get them back."
Dobby shuddered but nodded and Hermione immediately summoned a large parchment and a muggle pen. Jasper took the items from her and sketched the whole building plan at inhuman speed as Dobby went on to describe the whole place in painstaking detail. When all was done, he stood beside them as they planned and plotted the best ways to reach the dungeons, the place where the prisoners were most likely kept.
Hermione was twisting her pout this and that when she finally sighed. She was just the logic of the three, Harry was the blind bravery and Ron was the strategist. With him God knows where, she wondered how well their planning would fare. Sighing, she turned to Dobby and smiled, "How would you have done this Dobby?"
"I, Miss, would apparate to the dungeons and grab them prisoners and come back," he shrugged easily.
Harry stopped what he was doing and turned to Dobby askance while Hermione's jaw flew open.
"Are you trying to tell me we can apparate inside the Malfoy Manor?" Harry spat out.
"No wizards except my old masters but Dobby cans Harry Potter. House elves can come and go in the Manor," he replied importantly.
"You shitting me!"
"Language Harry," Hermione scolded him. She then turned to Dobby. "So Dobby if we ask you to get our friends, could you do that for us please?"
"For Harry Potter and his friends, yes Miss."
"So Dobby, can you pick these prisoners and get them here?"
Dobby nodded.
"Thanks Dobby," Harry hugged the little creature.
"Dobby will be back." And with that he snapped his fingers and was out.
"Well, fuck me sideways!" boomed Emmett's laughter.
Not more than ten minutes later, Dobby was bowing low in front of Harry again. "Your friends, Harry Potter," said Dobby as three more magical beings popped into the Cullen's hall.
"Luna!" Hermione ran to her friend and hugged her close. "I hope you're okay? Were you tortured? Were you.." Hermione trailed off at Luna's characteristic faraway look.
In her soft, dreamy voice Luna replied, "No, Hermione. I'm absolutely alright. Not much on welcome, the Malfoys; but I wasn't tortured or anything. He-who-must-not-be-named has recently come across an old piece of blood magic and for that he needs the blood of the four founders. Since their off-springs are no more, he was thinking of using the students who best embody their house traits. They captured me first, on the night of Bill's wedding. Malfoy is already with them, though they aren't treated too well, considering its their home and all. They have Ginny on a tight leash for Gryffindor, though I believe his first choice was you followed by Ron. Lastly, they are looking for a magizoologist by the name of Rolf Scamander for Hufflepuff, since they can't lay their hands on Tonks and have Justin Finch-Fletchley as back up."
"How did you gather all this information while in prison?" Jasper asked impressed by the girl's resourcefulness.
"When one's in a war, one learns to have big ears," Luna smiled at Jasper and pulled out two large human-like ears that were joint by a string, from her back pocket. "I really must thank George for giving me a pair along with Ginny," she said fondly.
Turning next to Olivander, Hermione quickly wiped off her tears, trying to keep their first meeting's fond memories at the back of her mind as she took in his torn body. "I'm sorry but we need to move him to a bed or something."
Jasper quickly stepped ahead and picked up the battered man, thanking the gods above for his magical injuries being the non-bleeding type. He did not want to think how he would have reacted to these prisoners of war had any of them been bleeding!
The second Jasper set Olivander down, Hermione was by his bedside with Carlisle shadowing her. She pulled out her wand again and muttered in a string of words in Latin,. Slowly, colour returned to the old wizard's face and he offered his young healer a soft smile. "I always knew you were meant for great things Miss Granger," he rasped and laid his head down in the pillows, closing his eyes.
"Should I hook him up on an IV?" Carlisle asked from behind Hermione. "He looks too frail for my comfort."
Biting on her lower lip, Hermione nodded and made way for Carlisle to take over tending to Olivander, running down the steps straight into Harry's arms.
Instinctively, Harry reached for her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. "He is really weak Harry. I'm not sure if he'll make it through this," she wept on his shoulder.
Harry rubbed soothing circles on her back and murmured soft words of comfort in her ear. Seeing everyone's eyes on them, he shook his head, "For those of us raised outside the magical world, Mr Olivander is the first most magical person we come across in London. He owns and runs a wand shop in Diagon Alley – the magical shopping street in London and all our wands are from his store. He.. he just makes our first magical purchase – our wand, so special. A wizard is nothing without his wand and the wands of most witches and wizards in Britain are made by Mr Olivander."
"He.." Hermione wiped her teary eyes and her red nose on the long sleeves of her t-shirt, "he tortured him for information about a wand. Mr Olivander did not know where it was but he did pass on the information to him about Grindlewald having it last. I need to know what is so special about the wand he is looking for. It may help us."
"He knows Mione. The wand was with Dumbledore and he has taken it from his grave. He has it now."
From Dumbledore's grave? What was so special about the wand that he had to rob a grave? Just when Hermione was lost in these thoughts, Luna's serene voice cut in.
"Now sir, if you wish to snack, we can wait outside. But I must warn you that if you drink her dry, you will lose the lovely amber of your eyes and turn them red at least for the next couple of months," Luna informed Edward without batting her eyes.
"There's the Luna we all know and love," Harry grinned. "Blunt to the point of rudeness."
"Must be a witch trait," Emmett laughed looking at Hermione then at Luna then back again. "I think the next few days just got exciting."
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