It wasn't until the next day, when Hermione and Ron came to visit, that Theodore decided to tell the AA what happened. He wouldn't go into great detail, but merely wrote in the AA notebook that his ex-father tried to get him to see the supposed 'error of his ways', he ran away to stay with Harry's family as a result, and now Eric (with Sirius and Lia's help) was going to bring charges against Mr. Nott for child abuse. The AA responded to the news with shock and horror (plus relief that Theo was now someplace safe and his ex-father was going to be brought to justice) and Susan offered to go to her Aunt Amelia and see if her aunt could use her position as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to help Eric. After getting Eric's opinion on the matter, Theodore wrote back that Susan could talk to her aunt, but asked the AA to keep his situation quiet until matters were resolved.

"I'm amazed that you still thought of Peri in the middle of all this," Harry remarked once Theo was done writing.

Theo shrugged. "I didn't want to risk my ex-father doing something to her, even if she's technically bound to me since I inherited her after Mother's death. So I had to set her free so that she'd no longer feel any bindings to the whole Nott family. It's just a formality, since she's still going to be in my service."

"But you thought to give her scarf right after Mr. Eric finished questioning you. I don't think I could have remembered something like that in your place. When I was in a similar situation, I was more concerned with what would happen to me now that Aunt Lia had rescued me."

"Harry, it's not like you had a house-elf or anyone else to worry about," Hermione pointed out. "So of course your main concern was about yourself. Theo, I'm glad you're away from that horrid father of yours. If you need anyone to talk to, Ron and I are available."

Ron nodded. "We helped Harry after he was rescued from his aunt and uncle, so we have some idea of how to help you."

"Thank you, guys," said Theo gratefully. "Er, how have things been? Have any of you figured out why Harry's not getting any letters?"

"None of the AA or my godparents have any idea, unless someone's intercepting my post," Harry replied. "The thing is, we don't know who would do such a thing, or why. And if someone is, they were only intercepting letters sent to me directly via owl post, since I have no problems with getting the ones Justin sent via Muggle post or the ones sent to Ron and Hermione to pass on to me."

The day after that, Harry, Theo, and the Blacks moved to Grimmauld Place. Since Theo didn't need Peri to wait on him all the time, with her permission he loaned her to the Blacks to help keep house. This arrangement would continue throughout the school year, as she wasn't needed at Hogwarts either.

In the last week of July, charges were brought against Mr. Nott and he went to trial. He tried to wriggle out of the child abuse charges, but there was a record of the two charms (which had been used to levitate the cane and cause it to beat Theodore) performed near his son. There was also a record of the attempted Stinging Hexes. That, the pictures that Healer Ellie had taken, Theo's testimony (which included the fact that his father was going to force him to become a Death Eater if Voldemort ever returned to power), and the backing of Sirius, the Fawleys, and Madam Bones sealed Mr. Nott's fate. A few people in the Wizengamot, namely ones that were allied with Mr. Nott and Madam Dolores Umbridge, voted not guilty, but the majority did. He was sentenced to ten years in Azkaban, fined five hundred Galleons, custody of his son was transferred to the Blacks, and his assets were granted to Theodore, though most of it was to be held in trust until he came of age.

With Mr. Nott brought to justice, Theodore was able to relax, though the Blacks decided to stay at Grimmauld Place since it was safer and there'd be more room to host Harry's and Neville's birthday party (the two had decided to combine celebrations, since their birthdays were only a day apart). Justin was spending the week as well, since it was more convenient than having his parents bringing him all the way from their home in Devonshire the day of the party and leaving the next day.

On the morning of the thirty-first, final preparations for the party were made and by noon, all the guests had arrived. Upon seeing Ginny and Luna, Harry realized that he'd drifted apart from the two, though he still considered them friends. Then again, it was only natural the drift occurred, as he now had the AA and they had spent the last year hanging out with each other or with Colin Creevy and another Muggleborn boy in their year named Liam Stanley that Lia had visited to notify about the wizarding world.

The AA was playing some board games in the drawing room set aside for them when there was a crack and a house-elf, dressed in a ragged and dirty pillowcase and looking extremely downtrodden (especially in comparison to Peri), appeared in their midst. All of them stared in surprise as the house-elf spotted Harry and rushed over to him. "Harry Potter!" said the house-elf in a high-pitched voice. "So long as Dobby wanted to meet you, sir...Such an honor it is..."

"Th-thank you," said Harry looking bewildered. "Not to be rude, but why do you want to meet me? And who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," responded the elf.

"I know you!" exclaimed Theo. "I saw you when I visited the Malfoys. Dobby, what are you doing here? Do the Malfoys even know you're here?"

Dobby's large eyes grew even larger as he swiveled to look at Theo. "Oh no, Dobby did not know Mister Theodore Nott was here!"

"Calm down, Dobby, I won't tell the Malfoys you're here," Theodore said gently. "And shouldn't you have some idea of where I was? You're friends with Peri."

Dobby shook his head. "Dobby and Peri have not visited for a month, sir. All Dobby knows is that Mr. Nott is in prison for hurting you and you is not living with him anymore, sir."

"All right, then why are you here, Dobby?" asked Theodore. "Just wanting to meet Harry shouldn't be enough to make you risk punishing yourself to do so."

Dobby looked around the room. "Sirs and misses must be part of the Amity Association that Dobby has heard of." The group nodded and he continued, "Harry Potter is valiant and bold, and his friends are good too. But Dobby has to protect the Association, to warn them, especially Harry Potter!"

"Warn us?" Dean said blankly. "Warn us of what? Are we in danger?"

Dobby nodded. "Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts. Sirs and misses should not go back too, but Harry Potter is in the most danger."

"Not go back to Hogwarts?" asked a bewildered Susan. "But it's the safest place in Britain! And we love it there!"

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "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?" asked Harry in surprise.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts Scchool of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly 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 things?" demanded Tracey, "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then hanged his head frantically against the wall. Terry, who was closest, grabbed the elf's arm to stop him. "Please, don't hurt yourself, Dobby. We get that you can't reveal family secrets. And Tracey, did you forget that he works for the Malfoys? So it's obviously the Malfoys, or at least Mr. Malfoy, that's behind whatever plot."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," said Tracey. "Well, if the family you work for is behind this plot, then we can tell Professor Dumbledore and have him stop it."

Dobby bowed his head. "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, miss. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Mist-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sirs and misses" - Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper- "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't... powers no decent wizard..."And before anyone could stop him, he bounded over to the side table, seized the lamp on top of it, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps.

Padma snatched the lamp away before the noise could attract the attention of the adults. "Dobby, could you please hold off on punishing yourself until you return home?" she asked, though the look on her face said that she'd rather he not punish himself at all.

"Look, Dobby, I understand your concern, but I'm going back to Hogwarts and so will my friends," said Harry. "We like it there, and now that we know that there's a plot that Mr. Malfoy is behind, we'll let Professor Dumbledore know so he can put a stop to it."

Dobby shook his head. "Harry Potter mustn't go back! Dobby hoped you wouldn't when your friends didn't write to you."

"They did write to me, I just - wait a minute, how do you know that I wasn't getting direct letters from the AA?"

Dobby shuffled his feet. "Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best -"

"So you're the one that's been stopping my letters!" Harry cried angrily.

"Yes, Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pilled a thick wad of about two dozen envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out a scribble that looked as though it was from Hagrid on the top one and another that he recognized as Hannah's handwriting. He presumed that he would find the rest of the AA's letters in the remainder of the pile.

Dobby blinked anxxiously up at Harry. "Harry Potter mustn't be angry...Dobby hope...if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him...Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir..."

"That's not going to work, Dobby," Harry sighed. "Three of my friends I visit constantly or they visit me, so when I wasn't getting post from the rest of the AA, they just sent their letters to them to pass on to me. Now, can I get my letters, please?"

Dobby shook his head. "Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he give Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"

"No!" said Harry angrily, "Give me my friends letters!"

Ron reached out and grabbed Dobby by the arm. While the elf struggled in his grip, Anthony bent down and grabbed the letters, though it was a bit of struggle to pry them out of Dobby's hand. "Look, we appreciate your concern for Harry, but we're not afraid of whatever the Malfoys are planning. Professor Dumbledore will put a stop to it, and the Malfoys will be investigated."

Susan nodded. "My Auntie Amelia is Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's not going to let Mr. Malfoy get away with whatever he's got planned. And I know Harry's godparents won't, either. Mr. Sirius will work with Professor Vicks, I mean Mr. Eric, on digging up evidence against Mr. Malfoy. So please -"

A knock on the door interrupted just then and Sirius asked, "Is everything all right? It's time for the cake and stuff." Dobby managed to pull himself out of Ron's grip and Apparated away as Sirius opened the door.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, taking in the scene. Everybody started talking at once until he stopped the babble and asked Hermione to answer. She explained about Dobby's unexpected appearance and his warning. "That's troublesome, but I will let Professor Dumbledore know that the Malfoys are plotting something to happen at Hogwarts. Susan, it would be a good idea to let your aunt know so if any legal actions need to be taken against Lucius Malfoy, it can be done. Now, let's put the warning out of your minds for the time being so we can have Harry and Neviile's birthday cakes, all right? You guys don't want to worry Ginny, Luna, and Colin, do you?"

The AA nodded and they followed Sirius out to the dining room for the cake and refreshment portion of the party.