Summary: In which an unhelpful house elf makes an appearance, Hermione has an idea, and Harry is not one of the un-dead, thankyouverymuch.
Who Killed Mr. Potter?
Chapter 8- A New Suspect
"No!" Ginny wailed. She stumbled over to the couch where she collapsed sobbing uncontrollably.
Hermione looked at Ron.
"Where'd Harry go?" she asked him shakily. Ron gently pushed Hermione down onto the couch as she was looking a bit pale.
"How am I supposed to know?" Ron said, examining the spot where Harry's body had been lying only half an hour earlier. "But look, he was dragged out of here, see, because the rug is rumpled in the corner," Ron pointed out to them.
Ron turned back to face the girls just as the door slammed behind them. They all jumped and turned around quickly, wands out.
Dobby the house-elf stood in front of the closed door.
"Dobby! What are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed.
"Dobby was only coming to see how Harry Potter was doing with meetings, miss," Dobby said, bowing low.
"Yes," Ron said. "But how did you get in? The front door is locked."
"Dobby noticed that sir, but Dobby has his own way to get through locked doors," The house-elf explained. "But, begging your pardon, why are you wearing those clothes?"
Ron looked down; he had somehow forgotten that he was wearing a horrid yellow suit.
"Never mind that," Ron said quickly. "How long have you been running around in here, Dobby?"
At this question, Dobby's eyes suddenly lowered and he started wringing his hands. " Dobby just...Dobby was...," his voice trembled nervously as he spoke. All were taken aback when Dobby suddenly charged at the wall, hit it with a loud thud, and fell to the floor, unconscious.
They all had sat stunned for a few moments when Hermione unexpectedly popped up off the couch.
"I have an idea! Follow me!" Hermione ran out of the room followed closely by Ginny and Ron.
"Why are we at the library again?" Ron asked petulantly as he noticed where Hermione had led them. "There aren't any words in the books, remember?"
"I was thinking that we have to want the words to appear, this is the room of requirement after all," Hermione explained patiently as she led them inside and started scanning book titles. "If I find the right book, we might be able to figure out who the murderer is!"
"Ah ha!" She yelled triumphantly, pulling out a thin paperback entitled: Clue, Mystery at the Masked Ball. Hermione opened it eagerly and began to read the words on the once blank page.
Ron rolled his eyes, knowing that Hermione would be reading for a while.
"Hey Ginny," he said, brightening. "Want to see something cool?" Ron strode over to the fireplace and slammed a book on the mantle. He jumped back before he could get pulled in a second time.
Ginny screamed as Harry's body came toppling out of the fireplace.
Ginny knelt down over Harry and started crying...again. Hermione, startled from her reading, knelt down but didn't start crying, instead she took Harry's limp hand her own.
"We are so stupid!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Why didn't we check for a pulse?" She put her fingers to his wrist, desperately hopping that she could find something, anything to show that Harry wasn't dead.
"He's still alive!" she exclaimed triumphantly as she felt a faint pulsing. Hermione pointed her wand at his chest. "Enervate," she said, loud and clear.
Harry immediately opened his eyes and groaned, a hand slowly reaching up to touch the lump on his head.
"What happened?" Harry asked the three stunned teenagers hovering over him. They were all wearing slightly fearful expressions as though Harry was one of the un-dead about to attack them.
When they didn't respond, Harry blinked up at them. "I had the strangest dream!"