"I'm really curious to see what these circumstances are," Astra said.
"Me too," Mia said.
Those who did not know nodded.
"Chapter Two," Gideon narrated. "Dobby's warning."
"Dobby?" Malfoy asked. "As in our old house elf, Dobby?"
Harry and Kara exchanged a glance. They had a feeling that Malfoy might not have been told the full story of Dobby or cared enough to find out much beyond there was no more house elf.
"Yes, Draco," Narcissa said.
Well, Dobby had been Narcissa's house elf, but Lucius acquired him as per their marriage agreement. According to Lucius, he had been forced to free Dobby, after Dobby had become addled when handling a dark artifact, despite Lucius telling him not to.
Narcissa had a feeling over the years something babout that story did not add up. Perhaps this book would shed some light on what exactly happened?
"So, your first meeting with the infamous Dobby," Kara said.
"The one and only," Harry said with a fond smile.
Harry notices the strange creature on his bed for the first time.
"Oh, that must have been the first time you've seen a house elf," Sirius said.
"The very first," Harry said.
"Well, the elves are not supposed to be seen when there's work to be done," Regulus said. "Treat them right, and you cannot have a more loyal servant."
"They should be free," Hermione grumbled.
The Weasleys and Harry, along with Kara, Lita, Nora, and Sara all wore "oh shit, here we go" looks regarding Hermione being triggered on her "Favorite subject."
"Oh, Hermione, don't start," Ron groaned.
"In theory, I agree," Junior said. "But, you're fighting against their inner nature to free them. Generations of them being conditioned to serve humans. You need to first remove the house elves who are mistreated from rotten families, and then work from there. But it's in their nature to serve and protect. My house elf, Winky, she's a good friend."
"You're really fond of her?" Zari asked.
"Yes, and she was with me, more than my parents," Junior said. "Well, Mother was there when she could be, but she wasn't well for a lot of my time. Father on the other hand, he takes notice when I do thinks that will make him look good to important people."
Interaction with Dobby, as the Dursleys suck up to the Masons downstairs. Harry admits that it's not the best time for a house elf to be in his room.
"You really don't know anything about house elves at all?" Regulus asked.
"I do now," Harry said
"Obviously, but then you were ignorant," Regulus said. "They have their own kind of twisted pride. And they can feel insulted when they cannot properly serve the people around them."
"It's true," Sirius agreed. "Don't underestimate what they are capable of. Some people underestimate them and pay dearly."
Harry wished older Sirius would have heeded that warning, but there they were.
"Trust me, I know," Harry said.
Harry and Dobby have an interaction leading to Harry offering Dobby a seat.
The purebloods in the room all groaned.
"Oooh, no, wrong move," Regulus said.
"Your heart was in the right place," Junior said. "But, house elves are conditioned to stand in the presence of a human. They feel they're not equal to them."
"They're abused," Hermione said.
"No, it's their culture," Kara argued. "You have to understand it, before you can make changes."
"Well, I don't think they should be slaves," Hermione said.
"And when they disagree with you, you're going to find change is almost impossible," Nora said. "Small steps reform. Big ones make you lose any and all ground."
Hermione crossed her arms. She was still bitter that barely anyone supported her crusade to save house elves. She wanted to make house eleves understand there was a better way. The problem was, they were uneducated and did not know better. They refused to listen to reason, about why it was wrong they were enslaved.
"She's really hung up on house elves, isn't she?" Astra murmured to Harry.
"A little," Harry said.
"I understand her basic point," Astra said. "But, she's not understanding where they're coming from."
"Some people don't want to understand," Kara concluded.
Dobby starts wailing and Harry tries to apologize for offending him.
"You do realize, you're making it worse," Bellatrix said.
"Now, I do," Harry confirmed.
"This elf really is neurotic," Astra said. "Is anything you're going to be able to appease him?"
"Not really," Malfoy said. "And yes, if this Dobby is the former Malfoy elf, he's very neurotic. Father really did a number on him over the years."
That explained much.
Harry tries to appease Dobby, and tries to get him to be silent. However, when Dobby agrees to not meet too many decent wizards, he backtracks.
"Digging the hole deeper every time you open your mouth," Sara said.
"Should have been in politics," Lita said.
"I agree with Astra, he's very neurotic," Natalie said.
"He's going to get my son in trouble," Lily groaned. "What is he playing at?"
"House elves don't risk everything to visit a human outside of their family," Junior said. "Not without a good reason."
"I would have wanted to punt the damn thing out of the window by now," Mick said.
Hermione gave Mick a very disapproving look but he did not back down.
"I can't say I would necessarily blame you," Sam said.
"He really doesn't understand what he's doing," Hermione said.
"The problem is, you're right," Remus said.
Ava made sure to keep a close eye on the time couriers. She knew what was coming up soon and it caused her to shake nervously thinking about it.
To be honest, Ava was angry about what was going on herself.
Dobby causes a ruckus and so does Hedwig.
"Oh, I'm not sure how Vernon didn't come stampeding up the stairs now," Lily groaned.
"Give it time," Harry said.
Astra leaned closer to Harry. Every second ticked by with tension. She just knew something bad would happen.
Harry and Dobby have a chat about Dobby's family and how Dobby has to punish himself. And how Dobby's family has to remind him to do extra punishments.
"That really isn't right," Ruby said. "Poor thing."
"Yes, neurotic and loud as Dobby is, I can't help and feel a little sorry for him," Astra said.
Hermione glared at Malfoy for a second.
"You're not Kryptonian, Granger," Malfoy said. "And for the record, I never ordered any elf to punish themselves. I was snide to them. Rude to them. But, never abusive. That dickhead you're looking for is my father."
Dobby explains how a house elf must be set free. Harry says that makes the Dursleys almost seem human.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Zari said. "These are the same people who have to rehearse for a dinner party."
"To be fair, between the Dursleys and Dobby's master, it's hard to say who is worse," Harry said.
"I'm biased against the Dursleys right now," Astra said.
"Think we all are," Sara said.
"They're really awful," Ginny agreed. "But, Dobby's dear master really jumps ahead by the end of this year on the Dickhead meter."
Then again, Ginny had her own reasons to hold a grudge against Lucius Malfoy.
Dobby causes another ruckus when Harry asks to help him.
"Well, you tried," Hermione said with a wistful sigh.
"Give, that I was really wishing that I didn't given all of the noise he was making," Harry said.
"Not your fault," Sirius said.
"Reminds me of when I worked in retail," Sara said. "Nothing I could say would make anyone happy."
Dobby gushes about Harry's greatness. Harry starts to talk about Hermione, but backtracks.
"Unfortunately, I can see why that would be a sore subject," Sara said.
"I can't believe you would think that we would forget about you," Hermione said.
"Could you really?" Ron asked.
Talk about Voldemort, with Harry saying the name and Dobby reacting badly.
"And there he goes again!" Frost yelled. "I'm astonished that Dursley isn't up there right now."
"We all are, at this point," Natalie said.
"Dobby must not be as loud as you thought he was," Sirius said.
"No, more likely Petunia's fake high pitched laughter drowned him out," Lily said.
"For the moment at least," Harry said. "But, Dobby really was pushing his luck and starting to get on my nerves."
"Given how neurotic he was, I can't blame you," Junior said. "Dealing with a house elf like that, there's just no winning. But that's down to the garbage human being who was his master."
Harry stops himself thinking about Ron as well.
"I have a bad feeling about what's going on here," Lily said. "And I better not be right."
"What is it?" Natalie asked.
Lily waved off her friend. Astra caught Lily's eye and realized.
"I hope not either," Astra said.
Dobby's gushing ends up with the dramatic statement that Harry must not return to Hogwarts.
"What?" Peter asked.
"He said Harry wasn't supposed to return to Hogwarts," Remus said.
"Why?" Peter asked. "What does he know? Seems a bit dodgy that this house elf just pops up out of the blue with a warning of doom and gloom."
Peter Pettigrew, as it were, had a point.
"Sounds to me his master might be bragging about something or other," Nora said. "And Dobby overheard because he's not as stealthy as he thought he was."
"Sounds about right," Narcissa murmured underneath her breath.
"He has to return to Hogwarts," Ruby protested. "It's not like he can stay at the Dursleys."
"No, no sane reason for him to be there in the first place," Natalie said. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Harry told her.
"I should have been there."
Harry almost said she was for a while. But that would lead to a lot of questions which both Harry and Astra felt would derail the reading.
"We all should have been there," Sirius said. "I better be breaking out of prison at any moment, if I'm still alive."
"Really, there's no excuse for us not to be there," Remus said. "Unless we're all dead."
Once again, Harry kept his comment to himself.
"There's not going to be a happy ending," Bellatrix said. "That damn elf is going to screw everything up."
"It sure seems that way," Astra practically grumbled.
Dobby gives his warnings that Harry Potter will be in mortal danger if he goes back to Hogwarts.
"Well, yes," Lita said. "In a sense he will be."
"Hogwarts can be a very dangerous place," Zari said.
"Especially when Harry's involved," Kara added.
"But, it's not worth saying there," Ruby protested.
"I just wish he would come out and tell you why he's here," Mia said.
"House elf," Junior said slowly and clearly. "They can hint with plenty of innuendo if they really fight it. But, they can't say outright. Especially if it goes against their Master's wishes. It won't be there fault, for example, if someone guesses."
"Which means Dobby is playing games," Lena said.
"Dobby can't keep Harry away, can he?" Peter asked.
"Well, if he could find a way, he would," Sirius said.
"And Dobby seems desperate enough to try something underhanded," Lena added. "And Harry doesn't know what a house elf is capable of."
"Tricky blighters," John murmured. "Maybe it's a good thing they have restrictions on them."
"You can't be serious," Hermione said. "Are you saying it's good they're slaves?"
"I'm just saying there might be a reason why they are," John said. "No one knows where they came from. No one knows how it started. But, there might be a reason. They might be dangerous if left unchecked."
"They don't seem dangerous though," Ruby argued.
"Appearances are deceiving," Harry reminded her.
"Harry, you can't…"
"Hermione, kindly don't tell me what I can and can't do," Harry hissed angrily. "There's not a simple answer with house elves. And I thought you would understand that by now."
There was tension in the room.
"Let's keep going," Ava said.
"Yeah, I want to know what this neurotic little fuck is planning," Astra grumbled.
Harry tries to get out of Dobby who is behind the Master Plan. Only it's not Voldemort or it's not some kind of mysterious brother.
"Oh, imagine the Noseless wonder having a brother," George groaned.
"Can't see it," Zari said. "So, it's not him?"
"It's not Voldemort," Harry said.
"Interesting choice of verbiage," Lena commented.
"What are you saying?" Astra asked.
"We'll find out when it's time," Lena said.
Dobby knows who Dumbledore is and he gushes about the man.
"Hope he washed that towel," Lita said.
"Wait, do house elves get to clean their uniforms?" Zari asked.
"Yes," Junior said. "Even the house elves who are the most mistreated will have an ordinary uniform. It's a reflection on the family."
"I'm still waiting for Dobby to get you in trouble with the Walrus," Astra said.
"Not much longer," Harry said.
"Wonderful," Astra said dryly.
Dobby catches himself speaking ill about someone and throws a ruckus. And this attracts Vernon's attention.
"Damn it!" Astra yelled.
"This is what attracts him," Lily said. "For fuck's sake."
"Calling Dinky Duddydums little is pushing the boundaries of believability," Frost said.
"Calling Dursley human pushes that," Natalie said.
"My thoughts exactly," Astra said.
"Good thing you got Dobby into the closet," Nora said. "Because, I'm not sure how you would explain that to Dursley."
"Something tells me that having a magical creature in your room wouldn't go over too well," Sara said.
"Not particularly," Harry said.
Harry stuffs Dobby in the closet in the nick of time. Vernon comes up and snarls at Harry about ruining the punchline to his Japanese Golfer Joke.
"If it's the joke I'm thinking about, it's not that funny," Sirius scoffed.
"Masons surely could not be enamored with it, would they?" Lena asked.
"Given how they're buying the Dursleys' act, they don't seem like the brightest," Zari said.
Harry talks to Dobby after Vernon clears off, about saying that Hogwarts is the only place where he thinks he might have friends.
"Oh, Dad," Ruby groaned. "And I thought I had problems when I was twelve."
"Harry's problems are in an entirely new league," Sam said. "And surely he didn't…"
"We'll find out soon," Ava said.
Dobby slyly remarks about friends who do not write to Harry Potter.
Astra almost jumped up and glared at the image of Dobby.
"That interfering little bastard!" Astra swore.
"I'm kind of impressed," Regulus said. "He must have been searching hard for any kind of loophole he could use to stop Harry's mail."
"Either that, or he punished himself harder," Ginny said.
"I might go with that," Ron said.
Harry finds out Dobby has been stopping his letters.
"Damn," Mia said. "That little…and I was feeling a little bit sorry for him."
"We all are," Ruby said. "I can't believe he would do something like that."
"Dobby thought he was helping," Hermione argued.
"The problem was he thought he was," Harry said. "But, his help could hurt."
The Weasley twins shuddered knowing what happened later that year.
"He didn't hurt you?" Lily asked.
"A little…"
"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT ELF!" Lily shouted.
"Thanks," Peter murmured. "Didn't need that ear."
"Sorry, Pete," Lily said. "But, seriously, I can't believe that he would do something to put my son in danger like this."
"I've never seen a house elf go to this length," Junior said.
"Lily, are you alright?" Sara asked.
"I'm not," Lily said. 'I will be when I strangle that filthy little mail stealing b…"
"Okay, why don't you save your murderous rages for the end of the year," Harry said.
"Ava?" Sara asked.
"They're locked down tightly," Ava said.
"Good," Harry said.
"Why is it a good thing that the time couriers are locked down?" Astra asked. "What's going to happen now?"
"Gideon, please continue," Harry said evasively.
Dobby tries to get Harry to promise he's not going back to Hogwarts. Harry loses his temper and lunges for the letters.
"Hey, there's Lily's temper coming out," Sirius said.
"It was a noble attempt," Lita said.
"And now he's going to do something nasty," John said. "Because he's gotten it into his brain that he needs to do everything necessary to keep Harry from Hogwarts."
"Oh, damn," Natalie said.
"He's right," Regulus said.
"That damn elf," Lily practically spat.
"Yeah, I can see the resemblance," Mia said looking from the Harry on the screen and the Lily in the real world.
When Harry refuses to consent, Dobby regretfully says he has no choice.
"Maybe, you should have agreed to not go back to Hogwarts and did it anyway," Zari said. "I mean, what's the worst you can do?"
"That would have locked Harry into a magical oath," Junior said. "House elves have powerful magic of their own. And Dobby was trying to bind Harry to his agreement."
"He would have," Narcissa said. "He would have known how to do it."
"You've really got to be careful around them, if you're not a house elf's master," Nora said.
"Could a family use a house elf to trick another family into a binding oath?" Lita suggested.
"It's been done before," Regulus said. "The wizard or witch who is foolish enough to do it would be a social pariah though."
"He has no choice, he says," Kara said. "That never goes well when anyone says it."
"Then, now, forever," Mia murmured darkly.
"Story of my life," Harry added.
Dobby ends up in the kitchen, levitating Petunia's pudding. Over the heads of the dinner guests. Much to Harry's horror.
"Oh, fuck," Mia said.
"My thoughts exactly," Harry said.
"Don't you dare," Astra hissed. "Don't you dare."
"Bloody hell," Ginny said. "He's really going all in."
"I don't suppose pleading would help?" Sam asked.
"Doubtful," Sirius said. "Anything other than an agreement would work."
Harry tries to plead with Dobby. Dobby tries to get Harry to promise not to go back to Hogwarts.
"He's still giving you a chance to agree," Regulus said.
"Harry's too stubborn," Kara said. "For better or for worse."
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't," Lita said.
Dobby says he must do what he does for Harry's own good.
"Hey, it's my least favorite words in the English language," Harry said dryly. "All strung together."
"That damn devil elf," John groaned.
Everyone waited in suspense. Astra clutched on Harry so tightly that once again Harry began to lose circulation in his arm.
The pudding splatters all over the dinner guests and the Dursleys.
No one said anything. They felt like twelve year old Harry did, frozen and numb. Unable to believe that this is happening at all.
Vernon tries to smooth things over, making Harry clean up, and promises to beat him.
Everyone was still silent. Lily was shaking mad and everyone seemed afraid to be the one to set off her temper.
"He didn't say that in front of these people did he?" Astra asked.
"He said it under his breath," Harry said. "When they were out of an earshot."
"So, they're going to not ask questions about why their nephew is so disturbed they have to keep him upstairs," Zari said.
"They're Muggles, that would require them to think,," Bellatrix said.
"Well, these Masons were buying the Dursleys and their phony baloney nice act," Lita said.
"Exactly," Bellatrix said.
"And I thought that I would be pleased to see these assholes humilated," Astra said.
"Aren't you?" Mia asked.
"Not when it gets Harry in trouble," Astra said.
Harry cleans up, until an owl comes in. Which causes chaos.
"And to add to a perfect night," Junior said. "The Ministry of Magic and their impeccable timing!"
"Mrs. Mason must not be a fan of Hitchcock," Sara said.
"What?" Ava asked. "Oh, because she's mortally afraid of birds."
"Or she saw the movie too many times," Mick added.
"I'm beginning to see why the Dursleys were assured that business deal would happen," Zari said. "They're cut from the same deranged cloth."
"Wankers," Sirius said.
They found it hard to disagree.
Vernon demands Harry read the letter.
"He might need an exorcism," Natalie told John.
"I think I'd be saving the demon from him," John said.
"He's lost his mind," Kara groaned.
"Implies he had anything to lose," Ruby said.
"Well, yes," Kara said.
Everyone was in pins and needles.
Harry reads Mafalda Hopkirk's letter warning him about performing underage magic.
"Oh, we just made your life that much more inconvenient!" Frost cried out. "Have a nice day."
"Send an owl with an underaged magic warning and further expose magic in front of Muggles who don't know about magic," Ginny said. "Makes perfect sense to me."
"It really doesn't," Ron said.
"I was being sarcastic, dear brother," Ginny said.
"Oh, were you?" Ron asked.
"Prat," Ginny grumbled.
"She raises a good point," Ava said. "If the Ministry wants to keep magic a secret, why did they send an owl in such a way which would expose magic even further?"
"Because they have no brains," Sirius said. "At all."
"I agree with Black," Junior said. "There's so many things wrong with this. No one from the Ministry visited the house to investigate the matter. Not trying to modify the memories of the Muggles in questions. Not interviewing the person who was supposed to perform the magic. The most rudimentary scan would show that it was a house elf who disguised his magic as a human signature."
"Ravenclaws," Bellatrix said, but she had a fond smile.
"Who the hell is the Minister anyway?" Junior asked. "Surely not my father."
"No, Cornelius Fudge," Harry said.
"Well, that explains everything," Junior said in thinly disguised disgust.
"And where's Dumbledore in all of this?" Kara asked.
"I want to know that," Lily said.
"Me too," Sirius said in agreement.
"We all do," Remus said.
"Seems like your dear leader dropped the ball, big time," Bellatrix said. "But, the Dark Lord surely is the monster and not Dumbledore, who uses children as pawns."
"And they can both be in the wrong, funnily enough," Harry said.
"I'm beginning to think we're fucked either way," Lily said.
"We have Harry," Nora said.
"And the fact he hasn't flipped out and murdered these idiots really shows what he's made of," Severus said. "They would have found poison in their tea if it was me."
"Thankfully, Harry's not you," Astra said.
Astra did not mean to snap at younger Snape like that, because he did not do anything, yet.
"Let's keep going," Sara said.
"Oooh," Lita groaned. "Guys. We should all take a deep breath and calm down because this next part is the Dursleys at their lowest."
"That's not keeping me calm," Astra said.
"I wish we had more brownies," Zari said in a deflated voice.
Vernon remarks about how not being able to perform magic slipped Harry's mind.
"And Petunia's as well," Lily said.
"A lot slipped your sister's mind," Nora said. "Like how to get onto the platform."
"Like she'd help Harry," John said. "I bet she was hoping he would do something stupid."
"Yes," Lily practically growled. "That spiteful bitch."
Natalie was holding onto Lily and Harry held onto Astra, because they were anticipating the blowup. And Kara grabbed Ruby's shoulders gently, while Sam grabbed her daughter's hand.
Vernon threatens to lock up Harry and says he will never go back to Hogwarts. And if he tries to escape, they will expel them.
"He's not an animal!" Ruby roared. "You can't just lock him like that."
"And what kind of justice is it that you can get expelled for defending yourself?" Mia asked.
"That's not the worst part," Junior said. "They can only trace the magic in the area, and not the person who performed it. Granted, they should do a deeper investigation to figure out what happened."
"But, if that happened, they might accidentally find out Harry's being mistreated by his relatives," Ginny sniped. "That's not part of the master plan. Great man, that Dumbledore!"
"The best," Sirius said, not too impressed with the man dropping the ball with his future godson.
Remus squirmed a little bit. He always felt he owed Dumbledore, because Dumbledore allowed him to go to Hogwarts with his condition.
Vernon laughs like a maniac and drags Harry upstairs.
"Send him to Arkham," Lena said. "He should be locked up with the clown."
"Oh, please do," Sara said with a smile.
"Poor Joker, even he doesn't deserve Vernon Dursley," Kara said.
"I'd say we just have Harley and Ivy take a crack at them," Frost said. "Considering how fond they are of Harry, it won't be a happy ending."
"I can live with that," Kara said.
"This is someone who is not well," Malfoy said. "He's been driven around the bend. Potter…I'm sorry."
Especially considering it was his family's house elf who did this.
Harry's new living arrangements are shown, complete with bars on the window and a cat flap on the door.
"BARS ON THE WINDOW!" Lily screamed. "CAT FLAP ON THE DOOR! THE HELL PETUNIA!"
Natalie and Remus held Lily back. She looked feral and about ready to smash through the screen.
"I hate the Dursleys," Frost groaned.
"We all hate them, it's only natural at this point!" Bellatrix yelled. "They're savages! Savages!"
"Vernon paid a man to fit bars on the window," Lena said. "No one questions this."
"Vernon said that I was disturbed," Harry said. "He told the man I tried to kill myself by jumping out of the window first."
"That's what he said?" Kara asked.
"Yes, that's what he said," Harry said. "Granted, the guy was not the most honest and upstanding type."
"Harry, let me go," Astra said. "Please."
"Ava, make sure those are out of her reach," Harry said.
"And Mia and Ruby as well," an anxious Sara said.
"And Lily," John said.
"You can't just stand by and watch this, can you?" Lily asked.
"For me, this is ancient history," Harry said. "A long time ago."
"Ruby, it's fine," Sam said. "Calm down, breath."
"Aren't you mad?"
"Furious," Sam told her daughter, "But, you know your powers. They need to control them."
"I'm in control,' Ruby said.
Hermione had been in numb shock since she heard about the bars. She took a deep breath.
"Those were real?" Hermione asked.
"Did you think we were just joking?" Fred asked her.
"I…I didn't want to believe they were real," Hermione said.
"Because, Dumbledore was wrong in sending him there in the first place!" Mia said hotly. "Harry would have been justified wiping out the entire Wizarding World! And you all would have had it coming!"
"No one knew how bad it was," Harry said.
"Which proves you're a better person than most," Kara said.
"A noble idiot," Astra said.
"If you say so."
"But, you're my noble idiot," Astra said.
The two exchanged a smile
"Severe frostbite can be made to look simple," Frost murmured.
Three days time passes, with the Dursleys not letting up.
"They don't just want to kill him," Peter said. "They want to torture him. I don't think V-voldemort hates the Muggles as much as these Dursleys hate Harry."
"What did he ever do to them?" Natalie asked.
"Well, it's more of the fact that I exist," Harry said.
Here Sirius and Remus flinched. And even Severus raised an eyebrow.
"It's because of who your mother is," Severus said. "I've never seen a person more pathetic and petty as Petunia Dursley. You're your mother's son."
"You really think you got your revenge on them?" Astra asked Harry.
"Oh, everything they've done is known," Harry said.
"They'll never be able to run,' Kara said.
"Not enough for me," Lily said softly.
The hopeless situation is recapped and Harry feels like he's going to starve to death.
"Just because your stupid business deal didn't happen!" Ava yelled, finally losing her head. "The fact this is a fixed point pisses me off!"
"Let it out," Sara said.
"The greatest hero who ever lived is treated like this," Mia said.
"I'm not…"
"History disagrees with you," Ava said.
"You're great because you're my dad," Ruby said.
Everyone smiled, despite the dire situation Harry found himself in.
Despite having little food, Harry gives what he can to Hedwig.
Everyone smiled at Harry's selfless act.
"Always thinking of others," Kara said fondly.
"Hedwig really deserved what I could give her," Harry said. "We were in this together."
"I'm glad you had someone," Lily said.
Harry wonders if anyone would come for him, if he did not show up at Hogwarts.
"Well, someone might notice if Harry Potter didn't show up," Malfoy said. "Just a hunch."
"By then, it would be too late," Peter said. "They're going to kill him slowly. Even with magic, he won't last another few days at this rate."
"Dumbledore better get off his wrinkly ass and do something then," Sirius said.
"I never thought I would see you this helpless," Sara said. "Which is justifiable."
"This was when I was at my lowest," Harry reminded her. "Isolated from my friends. If I tried to escape, I would be expelled. If I didn't try to escape, I would be starved. I was just trying to keep myself alive, hoping that someone would notice something wrong."
"All because of a bloody house elf," John said.
Astra leaned closer to Harry. She did not want to look at Harry's younger, slightly malnourished self.
"They did not need to lay a hand on you to completely destroy you," Sirius said. "Emotional scars are deep."
Regulus flinched. He knew that Sirius spoke from experience.
Another one of Harry's weird dreams about being an underaged wizard behind bars at a zoo.
"I would say this is because of the lack of food," Lita said. "But, you have some weird dreams."
"I would like to have the Veela supermodel dreams more often," Harry said.
"Me too," Sara agreed.
"But the mind is a rather strange thing," Harry said.
"Circus animals are treated better than you are," Nora said. "You…I…I'm wondering why you didn't get any assistance when you were younger? Because, you tick all of the boxes for a fairy godmother."
"That might be because Harry's timeline is so fixed in time at a lot of points," Ava said bitterly.
"Still, I would have liked to help you," Nora said. "If I could."
"The only thing that's stopping us from time traveling right now is because Ava won't tell us the passcode for the time courier," Astra said.
"And for good reason," Harry said. "Besides, help is in the way."
A groggy Harry wakes up to see Ron on the other side of his window.
"Well, the cavalry's here!" Fred and George cheered in unison.
"How did you get up there?" Astra asked Ron.
"We'll find out next time," Ava said.
"I really hope you're right and the Dursleys don't get any worse than this," Astra said. "Because, I can't even fathom them topping this bullshit."
"Me either," Lily said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"This is them at their worst," Harry confirmed.
"Well, this was another chapter of pretty much every single adult failing Harry on every single level possible," Ava said. "Special note goes to the idiots at the Ministry who can't do their job properly and actually investigate the matter."
"You live in a future where Cornelius Fudge somehow became Minister of Magic," Junior said. "My condolences."
"So, at least someone is going to rescue Harry," Lena said.
"Let's find out how," Natalie said.
"Yes," Lily said. "Let's."
The group prepared for the next part of the reading. They really hoped they could breathe more easily after the nerve racking chapter that they just finished.
To Be Continued.