Edelweiss
Chapter Seven: Surprise!
All the cheer Aludra was feeling just days before was gone as she sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the House Cup to be announced – she knew that they had no chance. They were in last place last she checked, and there was no way that after Harry's last stint they would win – even if he saved the day.
"C'mon, cheer up Ally," Fred said with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, "So we lost this year – we'll just beat them all next year!"
"Not if Harry decides to perform any more of these stunts," Aludra murmured into her arms.
Earlier that day Harry had finally woken up and she had run up only to burst in on a sobbing Hagrid and a faintly amused Harry. She'd wanted to throttle him for making her worry, but she decided that she would let them have their moment – she had all summer to try and kill him.
Suddenly there was silence, and Aludra looked up to see Harry walk awkwardly into the hall. Then the silence was gone and replaced with the roar of the crowd as they began to talk excitedly, people standing up to get a better look at the Boy Who Lived. Aludra just put her head back in her arms. She waited until the babble died and Dumbledore began to speak to look up.
"Another year gone!" He said cheerfully, "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…
"Now as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy two."
Aludra's heart dropped to her stomach as the Slytherin's broke out into raucous cheers – she even spotted the little blonde Malfoy prat banging his goblet on the table as he cheered. She resisted the urge to gag and cry at the same time. George patted her back sympathetically.
"It's all right, Ally – we've always got next year and a whole new arsenal of pranks to use on them," he soothed. Aludra grinned before returning her attention to Dumbledore.
"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore, "However, recent events must be taken into account."
Silence, and Aludra was pleased to see the Slytherin's smiles fade the slightest bit.
"Ahem. I have a few last minute points to dish out…Let me see. Yes…First – to Mr. ronals Weasley…"
Aludra almost gave herself whiplash as she turned to face her cousin and his friends. Ron's face had turned a delightful shade of purple from embarrassment. She glanced to the twins to see they were looking at each other with raised eyebrows.
"…for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Aludra was among the people that stood and cheered loudly – Gryffindor had moved up to third place. She glanced to see the Hufflepuff table look dejectedly down at their plates. Aludra thought of feeling bad for them, but really she couldn't – she was to darn happy!
"Second – to Miss Hermione Granger…for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Aludra glanced at her cousin once more to see Hermione burry her face into her arms from embarrassment. The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers once more and Aludra did the math in her head – they were just fourteen points behind Ravenclaw. She glanced to their table and saw them all look at Dumbledore nervously as they predicted his next announcement.
"Third – to Mr. Harry Potter…" Dumbledore said and the room was so quiet that Aludra could have sworn she heard a pen drop – she looked to her left to see a first year who had been furiously writing something – possibly the math? – blush and look up at the headmaster, "…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
Aludra screamed and hugged the twins with all her strength – which was actually quite impressive. The Ravenclaw's sighed and look down dejectedly at their plates while the Slytherin's fought between looking relieved or angry.
"We're tied!" she screamed, "Oh my God, we're tied! We aren't failures!"
Dumbledore raised his hand, and the room slowly silenced itself.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore with a knowing smile. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
The cheers that resulted from this final announcement were so loud that Aludra felt like all the spectators of the Quidditch World Cup had been forced into one room a thousand times too small – she wouldn't have been surprised if her ears started to bleed from the noise. Of course, it probably didn't help that she was screaming at the top of her lungs and was the first person to wrap her arms around Longbottom and hug him. Even the other three houses were cheering over the loss of Slytherin.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, "we need a little change of decoration."
He clapped his hands and in an instant the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge serpents were replaced with regal lions and Snape was shaking McGonagall's hand with a clearly forced smile. Aludra finally disentangled herself rom the mob of hugging and returned to throw her arms around the twins, who laughed and returned the gesture.
In Aludra's joy, she'd forgotten that the next day came with their exam results. Her heart thundered in her chest as she stuffed the results in her robe and didn't look at them until she managed to secure a compartment on the Hogwarts Express with Fred, George, and Lee. It was only when the train started that she pulled the results from her pocket and read through them.
"How'd you do?" Lee asked as he bit the head of off a ice mice. Aludra smiled slightly.
"Straight O's save for an Acceptable in Herbology," she recited, "I won't be dying today!" the three laughed.
"That's good," George said.
"Who would we ever replace you with?" Fred asked with a grin.
Suddenly, they were pulling into Kings Cross Stations. As Aludra looked out the window she saw her family waiting eagerly, Noah staring with wide eyes and Ryan dead asleep in Adelaide's arms, and smiled.
.
The summer passed by so fast Aludra didn't know how to handle it – Noah was eight and even more eager to go to Hogwarts now that Aludra and Harry were both enrolled while Ryan was six and still possibly the most adorable baby Aludra had ever seen, even though a sudden growth spurt made Aludra's lack-of-height even more apparent.
However, something about the summer seemed off – whenever Harry came over to visit with the rest of the Potters he was sad and lonely looking, going as far as to seek out Aludra for companionship. She (being the loving and sacrificing person she is) allowed him to bask in her wonder but warned him that the moment school started he had to be five feet away from him at all times. She couldn't let her reputation be tarnished, now, could she?
Aster was possibly even more adorable at five then she was at four, and had finally stopped repeating her words like a broken record though when she got excited she fumbled over words and often lost her train of thought. It was endearing, in an annoying kind of way.
Then it was July 31, and everyone was working together to throw Harry a birthday party to out class his other birthday parties – and it was Aludra's job to keep him away from the living room. So she was stuck playing hide and seek – a game she had never particularly enjoyed – with her baby cousin – who she also had never particularly enjoyed. When her mother had requested this of her, she agreed only if she didn't have to eat anything she didn't like and got a minimum of two pieces of cake reserved for her.
Unfortunately, Adelaide retorted that she would look after Harry and she would do it without getting anything in return and if she didn't do it she would eat an extra helping of everything she didn't like and only one small piece of cake.
"Got you!" Harry called as he thumped her on the back, "Now go back to your room and count to one hundred!"
"You got to count to fifty!" Aludra complained, "We keep increasing the number like this and we'll be counting all day!"
"So?" Harry asked – he was clearly having the time of his life, and how Aludra had no idea, "C'mon, Ally – what else can we do? Mum says not to come down stairs!" Suddenly his eyes lit up, "I got it! A Scavenger hunt!"
"…are you…? Ugh – fine," Aludra agreed. She led Harry to her room and pulled out a scrap of parchment and began jotting down a long list of things she knew to be upstairs, before sneaking out her wand and casting a quick Germino and handing the copy to Harry.
"Whoever finds them all come back here and wait for the loser."
"Don't you have the advantage, though?" Harry asked, "You live here."
"Nah – it's just stuff like 'something blue and old', 'something bendy', nothing specific. I don't even know if some of these things are even in the house," she shrugged, "now GO!"
Before Harry could react she was running out of the room and down the hall. Harry murmured a quiet 'darn' under his breath and followed at a slower pace, observing everything around him.
"Something sticky," he murmured, before he entered Noah's room – which had once been a horrible pink color according to Aunt Adelaide. It was now painted a soft blue and instead of one large bed there were two twin sized beds for whenever Harry spent the night.
Harry quickly dropped to his knees in front of the toy box and began pushing the miscellaneous toys aside until he came across a muggle toy that had always confused him – it was a sticky plastic like hand that stuck to everything (including dirt and dust) until all the stick was gone. He grinned in triumph and glanced at the list.
'Something soft'
He grinned as he turned to his bed, only to freeze. He stared at the strange little creature that he had heard of, but never actually seen – it was a house elf with large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes about the size of a tennis ball. They stared at each other for a long time before the elf slipped off the bed and bowed so low its nose touched the ground.
"Er – hello," he said nervously.
"Harry Potter!" the elf squeaked in a high pitched voice that echoed slightly, "So long has dobby wanted to meet you, sir…Such an honor it is…"
"Th-thank you," Harry responded as he took several step backs until he was sitting on the edge of Noah's bed, "Wh-who are you?"
"Dobby, sir," the creature squeaked, "Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf."
"Oh – really?" he asked, "Um, not to be rude, but this might be a bad time – see, this is my Aunts house, and I'm not supposed to go downstairs…and Aludra might walk in and tell on me for talking to a…er…house-elf."
He heard Aludra curse as something fell and thumped against the floor.
"N-not that I'm not pleased to meet you," Harry was quick to clarify, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"
"Oh, yes, sir," Dobby said in an earnest voice, "Dobby has come to tell you, sir…it is difficult, sir…Dobby wonders where to begin…"
"Um, why don't you sit down?" Harry offered, motioning to the opposite bed. To his horror, the little elf burst into tears.
"S-sit down!" he wailed, "Never…never ever…"
There was a pause in the noise down stairs.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered hastily. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"
"Offend Dobby!" the elf squeeked, "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard – like an equal-"
Harry tried to comfort the elf and shut him up simultaneously as he ushered Dobby to the bed, where he sa t and began hiccupping, looking like a large, ugly doll.
"Is everything okay up there?" Sirius's voice called from the base of the stairs.
"Fine!" Harry called back, "I just – er – stubbed my toe! Ow!"
Another pause, before Harry turned back to Dobby and smiled awkwardly, "You can't have met many decent wizards," he said in attempt to cheer him up. Dobby shook his head, before suddenly, without warning, he leapt up and started beating banging his head furiously on the window, shouting "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Don't – what are you doing!" Harry cried as he jumped up and pulled dobby back down to the bed.
"Dobby has to punish himself, sir," said the elf who was now slightly cross-eyed, "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"
"Your family?"
"The Wizarding family Dobby serves, sir…Dobby is a house-elf, bound to serve one house and one family forever…"
Harry knew all of this, of course, but he didn't want to appear rude. "Do they know that you're here?" he asked curiously. Dobby shuddered.
"Oh, no, sir, no…Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir-"
"But wont they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"
"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…"
"Oh. I'm sorry…but can't anyone help you? Could I help?" Harry offered, feeling for the little creature. He then wished he hadn't offered as Dobby dissolved into wails of gratitude.
"Shh! Please, please be quiet! If Aludra comes in…" he glanced over his shoulder and made sure the door was closed firmly. Aludra knocked angrily.
"What's going on in there!" she demanded.
"N-Nothing!" Harry called as Dobby quieted, "Ah – one of Noah's toys went off!"
Silence, before he assumed Aludra had just walked off.
"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby…Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…"
Harry felt his face heat up in embarrassment before saying, "What ever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts, that's Hermione, she-"
He stopped talking then, because it hurt to know none of his friends had written him at all over the summer.
"Harry Potter is humble and modest," Dobby praised reverently, "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-"
"Voldemort?"
Dobby clamed his hands over his ears and let out a low moan, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"
"Sorry," Harry apologized quickly, "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron-"
He stopped himself again. Dobby leaned forward with wide eyes before whispering in a hoarse voice, "Dobby heard tell that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago…that Harry Potter escaped yet again."
Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes shone with tears.
"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with the corner of the grubby pillowcase that passed as his outfit, "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later…Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."
Silence.
"W-what?" Harry stammered, "But I've got to go back – term starts on September first. I need to learn magic, so I can become an Auror like Dad."
"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."
"Why?"
"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, who began trembling all over, "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"
"What terrible thinds?" Harry asked quickly, "Who's plotting them?"
Dobby made a funny chocking noise before suddenly banging his head violently against the wall.
"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing his arms and forcing the elf to stop, "You can't tell me. I understand But why are you warning me?" He froze, "Hang on – this hasn't got anything to do with Vol – sorry – with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added as Dobby began to return to the wall. Slowly, the elf shook his head.
"Not – not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir." Dobby eyes were wide and pleading, as if he were begging Harry to read his mind and simply pluck out the answer.
"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"
Dobby shook his head yet again.
"Well, then, I can't think who else would have a chance at making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," Harry said, "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing – you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"
Dobby bowed his head, "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir-" his voice dropped to an urgent whisper, "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't…powers no decent wizard…"
Before Harry could react, Dobby bounded off the bed and reached for a toy from Noahs trunk. Harry got to him just in time and slammed the lid shut before holding Dobby's hands at his side.
"I need to go back to Hogwarts," Harry whispered urgently, "My friends…"
"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.
"I expect they've just been – wait a minute," Harry frowned, "How do you know my friends haven't been writing me?" Dobby shuffled his feet.
"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best-"
"Have you been stopping my letters?"
"Dobby has them here, sir," said Dobby as he stepped nimbly out of Harry's reach and pulled a thick wad of envelopes from his pillowcase. Harry could clearly make out Hermione, Ron, and even Hagrid's different scripts. Dobby just blinked anxiously up at Harry, "Harry Potter mustn't be angry…Dobby hoped…if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him…Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir…"
Harry wasn't listening and quickly grabbed at the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.
"Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not go back to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you wont go back, sir!"
"No," Harry said angrily, "Give me my friends letters!
"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," the elf said sadly. Before Harry could move Dobby had bounded out of the room and began running down the stairs. Harry was only a few steps behind, but it was enough. When he reached the foot of the stairs he looked towards the kitchen only to see Dobby crouched on top of the counter, and a beautiful cake floating dangerously in the air while the adults sat on the back porch and levitated the decorations and lit the porch lights with red and gold.
"Dobby!" Harry hissed angrily, "Don't! Put that down!"
"Harry Potter must promise!" Dobby retorted.
"I can't – I need to go back! Please Dobby, Aunt Adelaide will murder me! I'll get grounded for life!"
"Harry! You aren't supposed to be downstairs!" Aludra's voice scolded from the top of the stairs. She took her sweet time coming down, and Dobby shook his head sadly as the cake began to float away from the counter. Aludra turned and faced Harry with a frown, her hands fisted on her hips and her back to the floating cake, "Upstairs, now, and I won't tell your mum you were peeking."
Harry opened his mouth to warn his cousin, but it was too late. The cake had reached it's mark just as Adelaide and Lily turned to return inside, giving them a perfect view of the duo and the cake as it fell and covered Aludra with cake. No one saw Dobby, and no one heard him as he disappeared.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"
Harry felt his stomach clench as his mother glared angrily at him and Remus, Sirius, and James entered the house with disappointed/amused frowns on their faces. Aludra's mouth was hanging open and her eyes were watering, but she quickly snapped her mouth shut and glared angrily at him.
"I didn't do it!" he defended, "It wasn't me! I tried to warn her, but it was too late!"
"Who did it then?" Adelaide demanded.
"I-It was a house elf!" Harry said truthfully. Adelaide just raised an eyebrow, before turning her head back to Sirius.
"Go get Ally cleaned up, please," she said. Sirius was quick to comply and led his daughter up the stairs – Harry distinctly her the sound of her sniffling.
"Our house elves aren't here tonight, Harry," Adelaide said with a tick in her brow, "I gave them the night off."
"It wasn't one of you elves! I didn't know him!"
"What was his name, then?" Lily demanded. Aster peeked at Harry from behind James's legs and looked innocently up at her father and murmured something that he didn't respond to.
"D-Dobby," Harry said after a pause. The mothers anger flared.
"And you can't even think of a proper name!" Adelaide screeched, "I mean, you could have gone with anything and instead you just choose to take Nobby's name and switch the first letter? Really?"
"Harry James Potter, we are going home this instant! You are grounded, and you can forget about your birthday presents! You'll get them at Christmas – maybe not even then!" Lily said angrily, before turning to Adelaide and frowning apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Addy, I know you spent so much time on making sure his cake was perfect."
By now, Adelaide was in tears that she tried desperately to keep back. She murmured a chocked, 'It's okay' before she raced up stairs to avoid the sorrowful glances. James finally stepped forward with Aster in his arms and a disapproving frown on his face.
"Harry – I'm very disappointed in you," he said, "You went to far – go apologize to Adelaide and Aludra right now."
Harry had never hated anyone as much as he did at that moment – he knew that next time he saw Dobby, it wouldn't have a happy ending.
.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things concerning belong to J.K. Rowling. I own Adelaide Black, Annalisa Bertucci, Aludra Hope Black, Ryan Sirius Black, and Noah Antares Black.
A/N: Honestly I was surprised at how many of you wanted Aludra to get with Wood! I never even thought of him…but now it sounds like a really good idea! But I'm not saying that's what'll happen…:)
So, since the options were narrowed down to two choices, I'm going to post a poll on my profile with the options and I want you to choose your favorite – it's easier to keep count that way. :)
Song of the Chapter: "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera – whenever I see the music video I can barely keep from bursting into tears. It makes me think of my grandfather. :( I miss him so much.
B.E. Nomads