Chapter 4
It's a Mess
Returning to No. 12 Grimmauld Place depressed Harry as it always did, but this time not so much due to memories of his late godfather, Sirius Black, from whom he inherited the house, as to the empty, lonely atmosphere of the mansion. In the past, the house bustled with activity, both from the presence of his friends and use of it by the Order of the Phoenix. The Order could no longer utilize the house as its headquarters, given the treason of Severus Snape, a former member of the Order. Before Dumbledore died, the house was protected by the secret keeper spell, but since Dumbledore had been the secret keeper and was now deceased, Snape presumably could reveal the address to anyone. Amazingly, so far as anyone knew, neither Snape, Voldemort nor any of his death eaters had attempted to attack 12 Grimmauld Place since the headmaster died.
Tonks, McGonagall and a few others had escorted Harry to his house, and McGonagall then led Harry through the series of spells needed to replace the anti-apparation protection, as well as other measures that Harry only half understood. He also took the necessary steps to control the floo network to the house, deciding to close the floo in the kitchen all together and to limit the floo in the sitting room to persons given written authorization by Harry. Even with these protections, the Order would not use the house any longer, as it simply could not run the risk, but at least Harry could live there in relative safety. In any event, it would be much safer than 4 Privet Drive after July 31st, Harry's birthday.
Later in the afternoon, while chatting idly with Tonks, Remus Lupin arrived to help Harry with the final protection to the residence. Tonks took her leave to return to her auror duties, and Harry and Remus sat alone. Each thought of how much the other man had lost in his life; neither dwelling on his own losses. In addition, Harry felt for his former professor, now exposed to the wizarding world as a werewolf, and as such subject to blatant discrimination. Lupin worked for the Order, but the Order consisted of volunteers. In other words, Lupin did not have a paying job, and his financial distress greatly distressed Harry, who through no merit of his own was a wealthy young man who would never need to worry about finances. The young man had many things to worry about, but gold was not one of them.
After Tonks left, Harry felt able to speak freely with his father's last living friend. "Profes. . . I mean, Remus, what can you tell me about what is going on?"
"Well, Harry, I can tell you pretty much everything, because not much is happening. Voldemort has been lying low since Professor Dumbledore died. There were several attacks in the week after the funeral, but nothing for the last two weeks. Don't ask me why, because nobody knows. Of course there is no word on Snape, whom I expect is laughing by Voldermort's side." Remus uttered this last sentence with the same bitterness that Harry felt.
"What about the Order? Tonks told me it's in chaos right now," asked Harry.
Remus paused before answering, "I guess you may as well know, Harry. The Order is in complete disarray. A few of the members think it should disband and that Voldemort should be left to the Ministry." Harry scoffed at this notion, and Remus nodded his head, "My feelings exactly. Part of the group wants either Arthur Weasley or me to serve as head of the Order while another part prefers Kingsley Shacklebolt. But the problem isn't so much who will be the new leader, though that is certainly important; the real problem is that the Order has lost its nerve. Nobody wants to put together a coherent strategy to counter Voldemort. I wish I could be more optimistic, Harry, but things just are not going well."
Indeed Harry could divine this merely by looking at Remus. The middle aged man appeared to have aged ten years in the past three weeks, his face haggard and drawn. Surprising himself, Harry was not overly upset about the state of the Order, and in fact he found himself only mildly interested. After desiring for two years to be a part of the Order, Harry now knew that he must remain separate from it. Dumbledore had never told anyone in the Order about the prophecy or the horcruxes. If Dumbledore felt he must keep this information from the knowledge of the Order, then he must have had a good reason. Voldemort still did not know the full prophecy, and Harry needed to take care to keep it that way.
"You will get it together before long," Harry remarked unconvincingly. "I think you or Mr. Weasley would be fine leaders, or Kingsley for that matter. You should just pick one and get on with it."
"You are completely correct, and Arthur, Kingsley and I have all three offered to bow out in favor of the others, but this just provokes more argument." Remus leaned back in his chair and sighed, "It's a mess, Harry." Each man lost himself in his thoughts, though their thoughts focused on different subjects.
Finally, Lupin shook his head and stood. "Let's get to the business at hand, shall we?"
In order to establish a new secret keeper, several steps needed to be taken. The first of these required that the house be renumbered; otherwise, anyone who had previously been given the address of 12 Grimmauld Place could still locate the mansion even if a new secret keeper was designated. Fortunately renumbering the house was as easy as placing new numbers by the front door. Harry decided to pick the number 17 in honor of his birthday, so Remus transfigured the 2 into a 7 and then adhered the two numbers to the front of the house with a sticking spell. No. 12 Grimmauld Place automatically became No. 17 Grimmauld Place, and anyone coming to the first address would not be able to see anything, even though completely sure of the location. Harry shook his head and thought to himself, Magic is incredible.
The most important decision, of course, involved whom to designate as the secret keeper. Harry and Remus named all the possibilities: Hermione, Ron, Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, Hagrid, Arthur or Molly Weasley, even Fred or George Weasley (though they realized the confusion that might cause and the humor the fun-loving twins could make of it). This turned out to be such a difficult and important decision, that Harry and Remus went round and round with the pros and cons of each person. Foremost in Harry's mind was the possibility that one of these people could be captured and forced to provide the information by means of torture or veritaserum, the truth-telling potion. Harry thought that the secret keeper should be someone he trusted completely yet would be unsuspected by Voldemort and his henchmen. Suddenly the light bulb lit over Harry's head.
"Remus," he inquired, "does the secret keeper have to be a human? We've talked about Hagrid and you being secret keepers, but under the law, as stupid as it is, neither of you are considered human. At least not completely human." Harry was not quite sure how to put it, but Remus nodded his head in understanding.
"Yes, I remember discussing that very point with your parents and Dumbledore, and Dumbledore said that I would be able to act as secret keeper if they wished, so I guess a non-human can act. Why? What are you thinking?" asked Remus with his eyebrow raised.
"I'll tell you in a little while, but I want to think this over for a few minutes. Would you mind leaving me alone for half an hour or so, Remus. I promise I'll make my decision by then"
"Sure," responded Remus, "I need to check on something anyway. Can you give me written authorization to use the floo?"
Harry quickly scribbled out "Remus Lupin is authorized to use the floo at No. 17 Grimmauld Place," which Harry hoped would do the trick. Remus read the note, nodded his head, and in a moment left in a flash of flames.
After Remus' departure, Harry called loudly, "Dobby, can you come here please?" Harry had barely finished the sentence when Dobby arrived with a pop. He was particularly well-dressed, at least in Dobby's mind, as the elf had clothes of every color and variety known to man covering every inch of his body except his face and hands. Harry worked hard to suppress a chuckle.
"Harry Potter, sir," began Dobby with his unique nervous excitement, "Harry Potter called Dobby. Dobby is happy to be of service to Harry Potter."
"Thank you, Dobby. I appreciate you being here." Harry paused as the tiny house elf shuffled his feet before him, not being quite sure how to proceed. Finding no better way, Harry asked, "Dobby, do you know what a secret keeper is?"
"Oh yes, Harry Potter, Dobby knows. Dobby hears masters, bad masters, talk about secret keepers. Secret Keepers keep houses secret, Dobby thinks, but Dobby does not know how it works. Masters never said anything to Dobby, Dobby only hears his masters," Dobby explained in his convoluted style. Harry long before became used to Dobby's manner of speaking and understood him perfectly.
"Right. Well Dobby, I was wondering if you would agree to be my secret keeper for this house. The way it works is that nobody can come to this house unless you tell them the address either by speaking it or writing it to them. It is a way to control who can come to my house, because I need to be safe here." Harry did his best to explain this as simply as he could, but it was not easy as Harry had trouble fully understanding it himself. Then a worrying thought came to him. "Dobby, do you know how to write?"
"Yes Harry Potter, Dobby writes. Dobby does not write very well but Dobby can write. If Harry Potter helps Dobby, then Dobby can write better."
"That's fine, Dobby, I can help you with that, and it wouldn't be very hard. What do you think, Dobby, would you be my secret keeper?" asked Harry.
Dobby trembled, overcome with emotion, and he could not speak for almost half a minute as he tried to control his sobs of happiness.
Finally he managed to respond, "Harry Potter is a great wizard. Only Harry Potter would think to ask a little house elf to be a secret keeper. Dobby feels honored, but Dobby wonders why Harry Potter does not pick a friend, his Weasel friend or his Granger friend."
"I thought about them Dobby, but I think you are the best choice. I trust you, and you have proven that you won't betray me. And nobody will think that I would use a house elf as my secret keeper, especially Voldemort and his death eaters who don't think about house elves for more than two seconds. But I know better, Dobby. I know that house elves are strong and good, but have been mistreated by wizards for centuries. By being my secret keeper, you will be a huge help to me, Dobby, as I have an important task to perform, and I need to be sure that my house is safe."
"Of course Dobby agrees. Dobby is happy to be secret keeper. Thank you, Harry Potter, Dobby will not betray you," Dobby managed to say between sobs. He then began to think, and Harry said nothing as he could see that Dobby had more to express. "Dobby is worried though, Harry Potter. What if Dobby is taken by bad wizards and the bad wizards hurt Dobby. Dobby may say house numbers if Dobby is hurt too badly."
"That is true, but it's the same for wizard secret keepers too. I understand, though," Harry assured the elf, "I don't want you to think that you have to be my secret keeper. You should know that it could be dangerous. I won't be mad at you if you say no."
"Harry Potter does not understand. Dobby wants to be secret keeper. Dobby does not care about danger. But Dobby can be secret keeper and not be able to give house numbers to bad wizards, even if bad wizards do bad things to Dobby," Dobby explained.
Harry felt a little uneasy about where this was going, so he asked, "How can we do that, Dobby?" Dobby paused and looked unsure of whether he truly wanted to say what he was about to say.
"Harry Potter can make Dobby his slave. Then Dobby will not be able to give house numbers, not if Harry Potter orders him not to." Though clearly shaken by his suggestion, Dobby stood more firmly than before.
Harry was shocked.
"Dobby, I don't want you to be my slave. You are my friend, and you are a great friend. Slavery is a terrible thing. I already have Kreacher as a slave, and I hate it. I would free him if I could, but . . ."
"Dobby knows Harry Potter is a great wizard and does not want a slave. But Dobby knows that what Harry Potter must do is most important. What Harry Potter must do will help house elves too. Dobby thinks Dobby can help Harry Potter, but free house elves do not keep secrets well. Bad wizards can do bad things and make free house elves tell secrets. But slave house elves cannot tell secrets if their master orders them not to tell secrets, even if bad wizards made slave house elf drink the truth potion."
What is going on here? Harry asked himself, running his hand through his hair. This was not what he expected at all, but he had to admit that Dobby had a point. Dobby could get into places that a wizard could not. House elves possessed their own powerful magic that could be useful to the mission, but clearly Dobby knew that he would not be able to resist if tortured by "bad wizards," or if given veritaserum. Still, the idea of enslaving Dobby was repugnant. He stood up and paced the room deep in thought as Dobby stood nervously, not knowing whether to say anything further or not.
After what seemed like minutes, Harry finally turned to the elf and said, "I haven't decided yet, but please answer a couple of questions for me, Dobby. How could I make you my slave if you have already been freed? I thought that house elves were slaves only if they were born into slavery."
"Harry Potter is right, a house elf is only a slave if born a slave. But a free house elf can become a slave if the free house elf agrees." Dobby still moved nervously, and his hands gestured wildly as he spoke. "Dobby thinks that Dobby must help Harry Potter. Dobby can do things that wizards can't. Dobby can go places wizards can't. But Dobby would tell secrets if he is a free house elf, Dobby can't help if bad wizards do bad things. Only a slave house elf cannot tell."
This is a war, Harry reminded himself, not a game. In a war, sometimes drastic measures must be taken. All of the factors caroming inside of his head indicated that Dobby was right. Making Dobby his slave was a smart tactical more in this war, even if it ran against everything Harry believed in.
"OK Dobby, even though I don't want to do it, I can see your point. You are a great house elf, to be willing to give up your freedom to help me defeat Voldemort, because that is what I have to do. Before you make your final decision, you should know that this will be extremely dangerous. I will probably die, and if you become my slave, you may die too. I want to be absolutely honest with you, Dobby. Don't agree to become my slave if you can't accept this." Harry's voice shook with emotion, and he felt his hands twitching uncontrollably.
"Dobby is not afraid to die. Dobby must help Harry Potter kill the dark wizard. Dark wizard is very very bad. Very bad to wizards and very very bad to house elves. Dobby accepts to be the slave of Harry Potter. Dobby knows that Harry Potter will not do bad things to Dobby." The house elf spoke with a simple dignity that moved Harry deeply.
Before speaking again, Harry considered this one more time. Was this the only way? Was he really justified in enslaving another living creature, even with that creature's consent? With great reservation, Harry decided that he must.
"Dobby, if you still agree, we will do it. I will make you my slave with your consent," Harry spoke gravely. "But I will promise you the following. You will be my slave in name only. In my heart you will always be my friend, not my slave. When I have defeated Voldemort, or when I die in the attempt, I will free you. And if I survive, I will do everything in my power to improve the condition of house elves and the treatment of house elves by wizards."
Dobby was crying freely now and sobbed, "Harry Potter is greatest wizard. Dobby accepts being slave to Harry Potter. Dobby would not accept for any other wizard, but Harry Potter is a great wizard and needs Dobby's help."
"OK Dobby, if we're going to do it, let's do it. But I don't know how to do it, and also I'm not seventeen yet and can't do magic without getting in trouble with the ministry. Do we need to wait for my birthday? It's only a few days away."
"Harry Potter does not need a wand. Harry Potter only needs to put his hand on head of Dobby and say 'Dobby I make you my slave.' Since Dobby is a free house elf, nothing happens until Dobby does house elf magic. Harry Potter will feel house elf magic but will not feel pain. Then Dobby will be the slave of Harry Potter," explained Dobby.
"OK. Let's do it then," affirmed Harry, glancing at the fireplace, "Remus will be back soon and I don't want him to know about this. Ready?" Dobby vigorously nodded his head.
Harry placed his right hand on Dobby's head and stated firmly and loudly, for it seemed proper to do so, "Dobby I hereby make you my slave." Dobby immediately waved his right hand in a circular motion and said something in a lilting language Harry did not understand. Dobby stopped moving his hand but continued for several seconds to mutter more elvin spells until at last it ended, and Harry suddenly saw a green glow around Dobby and around Harry's right arm. Harry's arm numbed slightly in this green aura, but Harry knew not to move his hand. After ten or fifteen seconds, the numbness subsided and the aura disappeared. Dobby stepped back and removed one of the three hats on his head and dramatically handed it to Harry, and it was over.
A lump formed in Harry's throat as accepted the hat and looked down on his slave; now he had another responsibility, another reason to defeat Voldemort. Dobby said nothing but looked up serenely, and Harry wondered if perhaps Dobby felt relieved to be a slave again. It was more "normal" for house elves; it was what they knew. Harry immediately decided to act to head off certain problems.
"That's done, then, Dobby. Well, I have a few orders I will give you right now. First, you will tell nobody that you are my slave, unless I tell you that you can. This must remain only known to us. Especially, you must not tell Hermione, because if you do she will kill me on the spot. Second, you shall not punish yourself for any reason, even if you think that you have done something wrong. Do you understand?" asked Harry gravely. Dobby nodded his little head. "Fine. I know I can't pay you if you are my slave, but I can give you money if I want, so you will accept a 'gift' of ten galleons per month from me, and you will take one day off per week to do whatever you want." Harry's conscience felt a little better, but he still did not want Hermione to find out about this. She might be more dangerous than Voldemort.
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Harry heard crackling noises from the fireplace, and he knew Remus was returning.
"Stay here for a minute, Dobby. We need to talk to Remus." Remus stepped gracefully from the fireplace in the manner of a pure-blood wizard who has used the floo his entire life.
He brushed a few ashes off his shoulders, and asked, "So what have you decided, Harry?"
"I have decided to name Dobby as my secret keeper," responded Harry confidently, for he guessed that Remus would not approve of this choice, and he wanted to make clear that his mind was made.
"Dobby?" exclaimed Remus, who until that moment had not noticed the presence of the house elf. "Are you sure, Harry? I mean, I've never heard of a house elf secret keeper. Of course, that could be an advantage, couldn't it."
"Exactly," agreed Harry, pouncing on the opportunity, "Wizards think so little of house elves that they would never believe that any wizard would name one. But I trust Dobby as much as any wizard I know, and I also know that he is extremely talented and resourceful." Harry could see a residue of doubt in the old marauder's eyes, so he continued with his argument, "Dobby knows how to write and can do everything necessary to be a secret keeper. You said that a non-human can be a secret keeper, so there is no reason why I can't name him. I've thought this over, Remus, and my mind is made. Dobby will be my secret keeper."
How could he argue against that, Remus thought, so he conceded, "OK, Harry, I can see your point. It was just a surprise at first. Shall we do it then?"
"Yes, right now if we can," replied Harry, unsure of whether there were any preparations, potions or such involved. You never knew in the magical world.
"Good. We can do it now, but it takes a long time, so be patient. It is not an easy spell to perform and requires some preparation, which I already did. We should be done by tomorrow," concluded Remus.
"Wow, by tomorrow?" asked Harry surprised, "Well, let's get started." Over the next several hours, Harry was a part of the most complicated magic he had ever experienced. In fact, a potion was required, three of them, each taken in precise amounts at different times. Harry wondered whether the amount of the potion needed to be reduced for Dobby, given his diminutive size, but Remus assured him that size mattered not. They performed more spells than Harry could remember, but fortunately Remus had it all organized. Great care was required, for otherwise they would need to start all over again.
Finally, late in the evening they finished for the moment. They now needed to wait at least ten hours but no more than ten hours and twelve minutes (How do they know that? Harry wondered) for the final binding spell to be performed. Remus agreed to sleep at Grimmauld Place that evening so that they could complete the secret keeper spell in the morning.
"Great," exclaimed Dobby, weary of so much wizard magic, "now Dobby has much work to do. Dobby will start in the kitchen." Before either of the wizards could respond, Dobby had disappeared with a pop, not willing to waste the seconds needed to walk.
"Well, Harry, I must admit that I had my doubt about this. But the more I think about it, I think Dobby is a good choice. He really is an extraordinary house elf. I've only seen one like him in my life, but that was years ago," reminisced Remus.
"Really, who was that."
"Oh, her name was Daisy. She was my great aunt's house elf when I was a boy. We were close to my great aunt and saw her often, several times per month. Daisy was amazing. Seemed that she could do anything. House elves truly are powerful creatures. I don't know what would happen if more of them were freed or if they somehow were able to break the enchantment over them. They have a lot to complain about, don't they? I'm not sure wizards could control them if they ever rebelled." Remus was in full thought now. "Fortunately for us, their nature prevents them from trying to end the enchantment. If they are treated well, they generally seem to be quite content serving wizards."
"I think you're right," agreed Harry, "The real question, to my mind, is why do so many wizards treat house elves like dirt? Look at how the Malfoys treated Dobby for so many years. Don't they know that they should let sleeping dogs l
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The next morning, Harry arose to find a delicious breakfast on the table for Remus and him.
"I have to admit, there are a lot of advantages to having a house elf," thought Harry as he enjoyed the best meal he had eaten all summer. At Privet Drive, Harry ate well enough, but he hardly gave food a thought, and he realized that he had forgotten how enjoyable eating can be. Remus also enjoyed the meal, and Harry was sure that he did not have the opportunity to enjoy many like this.
Remus checked his watch often. They needed to be sure not to miss the time window to complete the secret keeper spell, and finally he indicated that the time had come. They climbed the stairs back to the sitting room, though there was no need to. It just seemed like a more suitable room than the kitchen for such a formal act.
"OK Harry, you stand here, and Dobby, you stand there," directed Remus, placing the two about two feet apart. "Harry, place your hand on Dobby and on the sofa. It just has to be any part of the house. The sofa will work. Dobby, place your hand on the sofa too." Remus checked his watch one last time.
With two slashes of his wand and a final incantation, Harry suddenly felt dazed and feared that he would fall. He held on to Dobby and the sofa, however, and after several moments, he regained his balance. For perhaps the first time ever, a house elf was a wizard's secret keeper. Despite himself, Harry felt proud.
"Thanks, Remus. I had no idea this was so complicated, but I'm relieved now." Harry commented, shaking hands with his former professor. "Now, Dobby, you are not to give out my address to anyone unless I specifically authorize you to. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Harry Potter. Dobby will not say house numbers to anyone."
"Well, I think you can start right now. Go ahead and give the address to Remus. Tell him, 'Harry Potter's house is located at Number 17 Grimmauld Place.'"
Dobby turned towards Remus with severity and repeated the words as best he could, "Harry Potter's house is at Number 17 Grimmauld Place."
"That will do fine," smiled Remus, patting the house elf on his shoulder, "You have done very well."
Dobby bowed slightly to acknowledge the compliment and looked about to break into tears from his excitement and emotion. He smiled at both of them and then popped away again, probably off to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"Now remember, Harry, nothing is perfect, not even a secret keeper spell. You are probably as safe here as anywhere, but you still have to be careful at all times," admonished Remus, "You know as well as I that a lot of people want you dead. Be careful."
"I will," promised Harry, who helped Remus gather the few belongings he brought and saw him to the floo.
As Remus was about to leave, Harry detained him. "Remus, I've been thinking that I'd like to go to Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore says I should too, that I should do it on my birthday. Do you think you'd be able to take me? I don't know where it is."
Remus' eyes betrayed his surprise, but he smiled sadly, "Sure, Harry, we'll do it the morning of your birthday. I'll warn you though; there's not much left to look at." Harry nodded, and Remus stepped into the flames, twirling out of sight.
"Soon," Harry thought, "I will go to the Burrow. Soon I will see Ginny." He was not sure if he was happy or not, but he certainly knew he was nervous.