Hari's feet led her up to the seventh floor in the direction of the common room before she could think about how terrible of an idea that was. She slowed down in an empty corridor and fell back against a wall that housed a horrible tapestry of dancing trolls.
I can't go back to the tower; everyone will want to ask me questions. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool brick wall. I need somewhere to hide, she thought. I need somewhere to hide.
A tingle of magic had Hari opening her eyes. There was a door across from her. A door that had definitely never been there before. Hari would have noticed this door; it was wooden, like many of the castle's doors, but it was also beautifully carved and accented with little flecks of gold. She stood nervously and looked around. No one else had entered the corridor, so she approached the door carefully and entered.
Hari found herself in a small sitting room. The walls were painted in different shades of blue that got closer to black as her eyes moved upwards. Stars shined on the ceiling, basking the room in soft light that was only aided by a roaring fire. Her legs carried her to a plush couch and she collapsed under the pressure of everything. Wasn't it enough that a Dark Lord wanted her dead? Wasn't it enough that she had no family? That she was all alone? Did she really have to compete in a death tournament on top of everything else?
"I need help," she whispered to herself.
Hari's head shot up at a small pop next to the couch.
"Master Hari Potter is being needing help!" Dobby exclaimed happily. "What can Dobby do?"
"Dobby?" Hari asked.
"Yes!" Dobby exclaimed. "How can Dobby being making it better for Master Hari Potter?"
"Dobby," she laughed, wiping away more tears, "I've told you to just call me Hari." She smiled sweetly at the little elf. He'd always looked out for her, in his own way. And she'd visited him in the kitchens a lot, but he still called her Master.
"Dobby is a free elf!" Dobby defended himself. "Dobby will calls Master Hari Potter what Dobby wants. And Master Hari Potter is being needing help, so Dobby will help."
Hari sniffled again and patted the couch next to her. Dobby looked at her and at the couch suspiciously for a moment before slowly sitting next to her. Even then he looked a little nervous, as if she'd punish him for doing what she asked.
"Do you know what's happened, Dobby?" Hari asked.
"Yous discovering the Come and Go Room!" Dobby said. "The elves are being happy about this."
Hari was confused as to why the elves would be happy about that, but pushed the thought aside. "Do you know about the tournament that taking place here this year?" she asked, and Dobby nodded. "They're saying that I have to compete. They're saying I'm going to lose my magic if I don't."
"No!" Dobby exclaimed, suddenly frantic. "Master Hari Potter cannot bes losing her magics! Master Hari Potter is too importants! How can Dobby fix it?" The elf began wringing his hands together in anxiety, and Hari reached out to stop him.
"I don't know, Dobby," she said sadly, keeping a firm grasp on his hands. "I needed a place to hide, and this door appeared…"
"The Come and Go Room," Dobby said, nodding along to himself.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The Come and Go Room is whatevers you bes needing it to be," he told her.
"I asked for help…" she began.
"And it bes calling for me!" Dobby finished. "You stays hiding, Dobby will bes taking care of it."
And then Dobby was gone with another soft pop. He appeared a moment later with another elf and a basket of food.
"This is being Sparrow," he said, introducing the elf. "Sparrow and I will bes being assisting you untils you are being ready to leave."
"Hello Sparrow," Hari addressed the smaller elf. She reached out her hand and Sparrow took it after glancing at Dobby nervously and receiving a strong nod. "It's an honor to meet you," Hari said grasping the elf's small hand in both of her own. "My name Is Hari Potter, but you can call me Hari."
Sparrow's eyes widened and shot back and forth between Hari and Dobby. "Dobby is being right about Master Hari Potter," she said quietly. Hari was endeared by the sentiment, but grew a little concerned when Sparrow's eyes took on the same frenzied expression that Dobby often wore around her. "Sparrow wills bes bonding with Master Hari Potter now."
Before Hari could do anything, Sparrow's magic jumped out and attached itself to Hari's magic, which had leapt forth to accept and encompass Sparrow. The warmth spread from her chest out to her fingers and toes, causing Hari to giggle.
"Nos fair!" Dobby called. "Dobby bes wanting to bonding with Master Hari Potter!"
"I thought you wanted to be free?" Hari asked, still feeling a little giddy from the bond.
"Dobby bes wanting to be Master Hari Potter's elf more than Dobby is wanting to be being free," he said sadly. "Now Dobby will never bes having the chance." Big tears began forming in Dobby's eyes and Hari found herself crouched next to him.
"You can still be my elf, Dobby," she said. And without any conscious effort, Hari's magic shot out again, enveloping both of them in that beautifully warm golden light. Dobby began crying even more though, and threw his arms around Hari's waist.
"Dobby is finally being Master Hari Potter's elf!" he cried out joyously.
"Just Hari," she said. Dobby removed himself from Hari's lap as he felt the command take hold.
"That bes feeling wrong, though," he said.
Hari scrunched up her face in thought. "Well, I guess you can call me 'Miss Hari.' But not master! Same goes for Sparrow," she said.
"Okays Miss Hari!" the elves said together.
"Dobby, how did that bond work? I thought there was, like, paperwork involved?"
"There is usually beings paperswork," Dobby said. "But that is whens a wixen is being claiming an elf, not whens an elf is being claiming a wixen."
"What's the difference?" Hari asked.
"This is being stronger!" Sparrow told her. "Yous be being an honorary elf now."
Hari sat back and looked at the two little elves. "What… what does that mean?" she asked, but the door opened and a golden head of hair peered inside.
"Hari?" the boy said.
"Cedric?" she called back. "What are you doing here?" she sniffled and tried to wipe the evidence off of her face.
"I don't really know," he admitted.
"Yous asked for help," Dobby said. "The room bes calling me, but the castle bes calling him."
"What does that mean Dobby?" Hari laughed, obviously used to the small elf's antics.
"It be being meaning that it is closer than we be thinking," Dobby muttered, and then he was gone.
"Sparrow will be bringing tea," the other elf said.
"Don't you have a party to attend?" Hari asked, deciding to ignore Dobby's mutterings for the time being. "I believe it's even being held in your honor."
"I'm sure there's a party for you too," he replied, taking a seat next to her on the couch.
Hari didn't respond, just looked towards the fire and wiped at her eyes again. "I didn't do it," she finally whispered.
Sparrow popped back in with tea before disappearing again.
"I believe you," he told her, and her head snapped in his direction.
"You… do?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, warm, grey eyes meeting fierce, green ones.
Hari could have kissed his beautiful face right there and then, but instead she turned away. "No one else is going to. It'll be just like second year."
"Well, this time, you've got me in your corner," Cedric said. "At the very least, I can get the Puff's on your side too."
"You shouldn't bother," Hari said, still staring into the fire. "It'll just make you a target too."
"I wouldn't mind," Cedric said softly, and reached out to take Hari's hand. She flinched at first, but let him grab it. "You don't have to do this alone. If someone's trying to kill you, we'll make it difficult for them."
Hari studied Cedric's face for a moment. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Any time," he replied. "I should probably go make an appearance. Will you be alright?"
"Yeah," she replied softly.
He squeezed her hand softly and took off for his party.
Hari stayed in the Come and Go room that night and for a majority of the next day, though she didn't get much sleep. Dobby and Sparrow stayed with her and began explaining what it would mean to be an honorary elf.
While sequestered in the room, Dobby and Sparrow taught Hari the history of elves. They'd once been an independent nation, capable of wonderous magical feats. But the wixen were scared of them and of their magic. Elves are most powerful when they are together, so the wixen separated an enslaved them. Centuries of breeding lead to the house elves that are recognized today. The main difference was that today's elves needed a bond to stabilize their magic. While working at Hogwarts, Dobby could anchor himself to the castle while keeping his freedom, but most elves didn't last long if they were freed. Their magic would get more and more unstable until it eventually killed them. They also taught her about elf magic; what if felt like, how it differed from wixen magic, and how to access it.
Hari thought it was quite like radio frequencies. Wixen magic was the strongest and easiest for her to access, but if she focused really hard (and had a little help) she could tune into the elf frequency. It's pulse was softer and smoother than wixen magic, which was loud and sharp. It was difficult, but Sparrow said it would be easier with time.
Hari and her new elves had also gone over some very important rules. Sparrow was adamant that she not be paid, but bartering with Dobby about his salary would go down in history as one of Hari's favorite memories. He'd started by asking for five knuts per month and she'd countered with five galleons per month. So Dobby went up to seven knuts and Hari countered with two galleons. In the end, Dobby would be receiving three sickles per month with two days off. Sparrow had been standing in the corner looking scandalized the whole time.
She'd also ordered them to eat when they were hungry, sleep when they were tired, and let her know if they needed a break or if she was asking them to do something they were uncomfortable with. Hari doubted that they'd ever use the latter rule, but felt the need to say it anyway. They'd be staying in Hogwarts most of the time, but Dobby was tasked with delivering mail between Hari, Sirius, and Remus, and Sparrow would be tutoring Hari in elf magic when she could spare the time. Between classes, Sirius, and the tournament, Hari already knew she'd be spread thin this year.
After eating dinner with the two little elves, Hari finally found the courage to leave the room. Dobby and Sparrow returned to the kitchens, and Hari dragged herself to the common room.
She found it empty of everyone except Neville.
"HARI!" Neville yelled and rushed to hug her. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking!"
"I found a secret room," she said quietly. "Why aren't you at dinner?"
"Oh, well, I…" Neville looked away with embarrassment, "I was just worried about you," he finished softly.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have run away. I was just… scared."
"We were too," he told her. "Ron was a little angry at first," Neville rolled his eyes, "but then you didn't show up in the common room, and all the prefects were called out to look for you; except for the Hufflepuffs, of course. McGonagall's been in a tizzy!"
Both kids laughed at the idea of McGonagall in 'a tizzy,' but then Neville explained that the castles rumor mill was going crazy. Everyone saw her face just before she'd entered the room; they'd seen her tears and her fear, and some of what she'd said after her name was called had gotten out. People were asking questions. Questions they'd always been asking, but they were louder now. Mostly about what really went down during all of her adventures. Ron and Hermione had spent hours in McGonagall's office telling her all the gory details of the last three years. Fred and George had been called in as well, but Neville didn't know what about.
"I should probably let someone know I'm back, shouldn't I?"
"Yeah," Neville laughed, "Hermione will probably hex you into next week, so be on the lookout."
Hari felt a bit sick at the comment. "Go with me?" she asked hopefully, and Neville nodded.
They were making their way to the headmasters office when they ran into McGonagall.
"Harriet Rose Potter!" she yelled as she rushed forward and pulled Hari into a tight hug. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she scolded.
"Sorry Professor," Hari mumbled.
"And just where have you been all this time?" she asked after letting Hari go and putting on her stern teacher mask.
"The elves call it the Come and Go Room," Hari explained. "I'm sorry I ran away, Professor. I was just overwhelmed and I… well I could have handled it better."
McGonagall pulled her lips into a tight line, trying to look disapproving but failing. She looked sad instead. "I think we all could have handled it better, Miss Potter. Come now, let's go inform the headmaster of your return."