Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A Haphazard Plan

Madam Pince was getting both agitated and suspicious. I could tell by the frequency of her thinly veiled glares, and how often she walked past our table. We couldn't afford to procrastinate any longer. Not when a house-elf was searching our trunks. There hadn't been any sign of Dobby since that night. Maybe Fred and I spotting Dobby in the act had scared the house-elf enough that he wouldn't try to search for the diary again. It probably didn't help that I had called Dobby out by name. Especially since I had never met him before. But, it was wishful thinking on our part. Surely, there's no way Dobby would just give up. That would be too easy.

So, here we were. Sitting at a table in the library with tall stacks of books that we probably wouldn't reshelve. Which, now that I think of it, may explain why Madam Pince was looking so disconcerted. But her unease was unavoidable since Fred, George, and I had two very important questions that we needed to find answers to. Those questions are;

1. How do we destroy a Horcrux without fiend fyre or basilisk venom?

2. How can we make our trunks house-elf proof?

The problem with both questions was the lack of available information. Any information regarding Horcruxes, for obvious reasons, was in the restricted section, and the only students who had access to those dangerous books were NEWT level scholars or those who had written consent from a faculty member. And even though it's not restricted, information on house-elves is limited. Specifically, house-elf magic. I blame the wizarding world's history for believing that wizards are the most powerful race. Because of that, it appears that researchers never thought to learn from other magical races. Except for the goblins. All the goblin wars kind of made it hard to ignore their strength and knowledge.

That meant that the only thing we could think to do was scour every book that mentions dark magic or house elves in the hopes that we would find one little fact that we could build upon. After two hours of this, we hadn't made any progress and I felt an irrational temptation to hunt down Hermione and tell her everything about my past life, what I knew, and what I changed just so I could get her to do all the research for us.

Feeling like my eyes would pop out of my skull if I read one more word, I decided to rest for a moment. Closing my eyes, I let my head lay on top of the pages of A History of 18th Century Magical Objects. After reading the first chapter, I think the only thing more boring than this book is the person who wrote it. And that's coming from someone who, in their past life, had to read the Communist Manifesto and The Divine Comedy in undergrad. I had only closed my eyes for a minute when I heard Fred say, "George, I think Holly's dead". I grumbled at him without picking my head up.

"No, I don't think she's dead", George said. "I think she just realized that she doesn't like reading as much as she claims to".

"Huh", Fred continued. "I guess all those times she had a book open at home was just a ruse".

"A farce".

"To make us think that she actually liked books".

"When she really just didn't want to play with us", George finished.

At that, I slowly looked up but allowed my chin to keep the weight of my head on the open book. "Fiction is completely different from nonfiction", I said in defense of myself. "And playing blind man's bluff with you two was absolute torture".

From the other side of the table, Fred and George grinned at me. But it wasn't with their usual energetic energy. They were also feeling the strain of having no success. "Maybe we should stop for today", Fred suggested. "We won't get much done if all of us are frustrated".

George nodded his head as he closed the book he was reading. A book titled; Elves in the House. Why could I have gotten that one? That title sounded a lot more interesting than the book I was currently using as a pillow. "I think I've been reading the same line for the last five minutes", He admitted as he reached up to rub the bridge of his nose.

"None of us found anything useful", I reminded them. "This means another sleepless night". Since the Dobby incident, we've been sleeping in shifts and rotating the diary between the three of us. And the lack of sleep was starting to affect us. We were yawning during class, passing out during history of magic lectures, and black bags had started forming under our eyes. If it wasn't for Alicia allowing me to borrow her special face cream to hide said bags, I'm not sure I could stomach seeing Adrian during all this. It's funny really. As Jessie, I had cared too much about my appearance. As Holly, I generally don't give a damn about how I look. But now that I was operating in the dating scene again, I do care about what Adrian thinks when he's looking at me. I'd describe it as a clash of identities if I didn't know any better.

Fred nodded and used his left hand to ruffle his hair as he sighed. "It's not like we would have been able to sleep tonight even if we had found something". He was right, of course. Even if we had found answers to our questions, the odds of us being able to apply said answers, before nighttime rolled around, was thin. "I'll take tonight's shift", Fred offered. "It's my turn anyway". Except it wasn't Fred's turn. He had stayed up last night. Sometimes, Fred took his role of eldest triplet a little too seriously.

Finding the energy, I forced myself to sit up. "No", I said, shaking my head once. "I'll stay up tonight. I know Wood scheduled an early quidditch practice tomorrow morning, and I don't want you two to fall asleep when you're a hundred feet off the ground".

"Oh, but it's okay if we fall asleep when we're eighty feet off the ground?" Fred asked in sarcastic humor.

I ignored him. "Besides, I'm behind on my charms homework. I can use tonight to catch up, and I can sleep in Binns class tomorrow".

"It's too bad that Dobby can't destroy a Horcrux", George said in a contemplative tone with his arms crossed over his chest. "Then we'd just have to figure out a way to recruit him, and both our problems would be solved". A moment passed as George thought, and Fred and I just stared at him. Not much was known about house-elf magic. Were they powerful enough to destroy a Horcrux? If they could, then we were a trio of idiots that had approached our problems from wrong angles.

"Do you think-" I started to ask.

"That we should try that?" Fred finished for me. George broke out of his thoughts and blinked at us in confusion.

"If it worked, it would save us a lot of time", I said.

"It would kill two pixies with one spell", Fred agreed.

Oh, this was exciting. Especially, if it meant we didn't have to do any more research. I leaned forward. "Dobby already knows the diary is bad, so if we can convince him to help us, then we'll have a way to destroy it and we won't have to worry about Dobby taking it." Fred nodded his enthusiasm. "And then we'd just have to figure out a way to talk to him to get him on board".

Fred stood up and clapped a hand on George's left shoulder. "George, you're a genius", he declared.

George shrugged, having caught up to our line of thought. "I think it's too soon to get excited, but I'll take it. I am a genius. Thanks for noticing".

George was right. With that spontaneous plan, there were some things we hadn't thought about. Firstly, we didn't know if house-elves could destroy Horcruxes. So, assuming we got Dobby to help us, there was still the chance that we'd fail and then we would have revealed ourselves to Dobby for no reason. Secondly, there was Dobby's status to consider. Right now, he was property. Magically bound to the whims of the Malfoy family. At any point in time, if the Malfoys got even a little suspicious of Dobby, they could ask him anything and he'd have to answer. That's not the type of ally you want to have. So, if we chose to ask Dobby for help, we'd have to free him first. Except, none of us could figure out how to force a Malfoy to give him clothes with said Malfoy being unaware. Also, if house-elves are able to destroy Horcruxes, why would we need to ask Dobby for help? There's a whole kitchen full of house-elves at Hogwarts. We could just take the diary down to them and ask them to destroy it. They'd probably be thrilled to help.

Ultimately, we had to weigh the pros and cons. Pro: we would have a seemingly unlimited workforce of house-elves to help us prevent a war. Con: at any point in time, they could reveal what we're doing to Dumbledore or any staff member, and then I could potentially be exposed. Con: house-elf magic won't be strong enough to destroy a Horcrux and then a bunch of house-elves will know things we wished they didn't. Con: They could refuse to help us. Con: We do nothing to help Dobby, he remains enslaved, and then there's no one to rescue Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they are trapped in Malfoy Manor during the Deathly Hallows. If that still happens.

After much deliberation, we decided to act on impulsivity and test our luck with Dobby. That way we could focus on two things and continue to put off finding a way to destroy the scary Horcrux. We would figure out a way to rig a house-elf trap and a way to free Dobby. The first one, we felt was completely up our alley, and we were actually eager to design a trap. If it worked, maybe we could make a Percy-sized trap for fun. The second one, we knew what we needed to do. It was very simple in theory. Get a Malfoy to give Dobby an article of clothing. But we had no idea how to actually achieve it… You know, I think this might be a 'one step at a time' sort of problem.

Despite offering to let Fred and George sleep, they decided to stay awake so we could start right away. After dinner, we staked out prime real estate in the common room; right in front of the fire. In a rare stroke of luck, none of the NEWT level students asked us to move. Though that may be partially due to the fact that the three of us were sitting on the floor in a semicircle with Fred's empty trunk, some string, exploding snap cards, old socks, miscellaneous potion ingredients, and our wands between us. After our first three years at Hogwarts, most of our fellow students don't approach us when it looks like we are up to no good. Though, some people never learn.

When we were trying to figure out how we could get Dobby to go into the trunk and not be able to apparate away, Percy approached us. He stood over us and adjusted his gleaming prefect's badge that was pinned to the front of his robes. "Whatever it is that you three are doing, stop", Percy demanded.

I looked up at our third eldest brother and raised an eyebrow. "You're not even going to ask us what this is?"

Percy briefly glanced at the empty trunk before looking back at me. He folded his arms across his chest as if that confirmed his decision. "It doesn't matter", he said firmly. "Whatever this is, I know that it will break at least one school rule, and I know that I won't like it". Well, at least he was being honest with himself. That's a quality worthy of being envious of.

"How do you like that?" Fred asked rhetorically, smirking at Percy, before turning his head to talk to George. "He doesn't trust us, Forge".

George scoffed before saying, "I know Gred. If it wasn't for the red hair, I'd think we weren't even related". I rolled my eyes and tried to share a commiserating look with Percy. Fred and George had officially started one of their bits. But Percy kept his eyes locked on our identical siblings, completely on guard in case they tried to pull something. Really, though. I should feel grateful that Fred and George are participating in their old antics. This would be their first bit since George punched Fred. It was an improvement.

"And after everything we've done for him", Fred continued as Percy took his turn to scoff.

"Providing him with countless opportunities to assign us detention".

"Making sure he was never bored while he was on duty".

"And this is the thanks we get", Fred and George said in sync, shaking their heads in disapproval at Percy.

Unsurprisingly, Percy wasn't moved. I doubt anyone would have been moved by that little speech. "I promise, we're not breaking any rules", I broke in before Percy could say something that would give my fellow triplets more comedic material to work with.

Percy pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, before angling his head down so he could look squarely at me. Which seemed like a pointless action to me. Why would he adjust his glasses before looking down? Wouldn't gravity negate his adjustment? "How do you know that?" Percy asked me, sounding like he was calling me on a bluff.

"Because, I am positive that no one has attempted what we are trying to do", I answered confidently. And I truly meant it, too. Who tries to trap someone else's house-elf in a school trunk?

"What can we say, Perce", George said with a carefree shrug.

"We're trailblazers", Fred finished.

Percy sighed very deeply as if dealing with us took time off his lifespan. "If I hear anything", Percy started to say as he unfolded his arms so he could point a finger at each of us in turn. "Involving you three and a trunk, I will make sure that you have detention every Saturday until the end of term". Percy finished his threat before he stalked off, not giving Fred and George the time to rile him up further. We were used to Percy's threats, so as soon as he was out of earshot, we shared a quick laugh before returning to work.

"How are we going to get the trunk to close once Dobby's inside of it?" George asked lowly enough so we weren't overheard. A few people had started to go to bed, but we were still being careful. It helped that no one but us knew who Dobby was at the moment. But we didn't want anyone connecting the dots down the road.

"I think the bigger concern is preventing him from escaping by apparition", I countered.

"We'll have to look into anti-disapparition jinxes", Fred reasoned.

But I shook my head. "Those work on humans, but if it worked on house-elves too, then he wouldn't be able to apparate into Hogwarts whenever he wanted to".

We didn't get to talk about potential solutions, because three more people decided to approach us. Despite it being late enough that everyone in their year should be in bed.

"We want to help", Ron said with Harry and Hermione standing by his side.

"You want to help us reinvent Fred's trunk?" I asked, trying to make what we're doing sound very unappealing.

Hermione rolled her eyes as if she thought we were insulting her intelligence. "You're trying to figure out a way to keep your trunks safe from intruders", she said, all-knowingly. Well… I started to think as I exchanged a look with Fred and George. She's half right. Sort of. "We want to make sure our trunks are secure too".

"Why?" I asked.

"As you pointed out to Holly, whoever is going through people's trunks is targeting us Weasleys", George said, as he played with the string.

Hermione squinted her eyes at me. "You told them about what we talked about?"

I shrugged as Ron rolled his eyes. Why wouldn't I tell Fred and George? "She tells them everything", Ron informed his female friend. And really, that shouldn't be surprising. We are triplets after all.

"So," Fred started to ask. "Have any of you tried to lick your own elbows since you last talked to Holly?"

Funnily enough, all three second-years started to look a bit embarrassed. "I think what we really should be asking", said George. "Is what these three want to hide in their trunks".

There's a thought. "That's right", I said, taking George's comment and running with it. "Someone has already gone through Ron's trunk, so why would they do it again when there are four other Weasley trunks they haven't gone through yet".

Fred hummed to himself. "It is suspicious", he said.

"What could three second-years have that they don't want anyone to know about?" George asked. Of course, we were fairly confident that they didn't have anything they weren't supposed to. After all, we had the Diary. It was currently in my book back that resting against my side. And we still had possession of the marauders' map. There wouldn't be any time turners until next year, and the half-blood prince book wouldn't come into play until after Fred, George, and I had left Hogwarts. We were really just asking the second-years these questions to make them uncomfortable and distract them from the project we were currently working on.

"I think", Hermione started, mostly to prevent us from questioning them further. "That you know more than you're letting on". Now it was our turn to feel uncomfortable. That comment was a little too close to the mark. But we need not worry. "You", Hermione singled out Fred. "Told McGonagall that you saw a house-elf try to go through your things. So, clearly you know more than us". I was able to relax a bit. Clearly, the younger Gryffindor girl didn't suspect a whole lot.

But her comment did give me an idea. Hopefully, one that would stick. "Hermione, do you know what a house-elf is?"

"They're in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them". She answered, but it didn't sound very convincing.

"What about you, Harry?" I asked.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck like he wasn't sure if answering me meant he was taking a side. Silly boy. There weren't any sides yet. "Sirius has one. He isn't very nice". That must be Kreacher. Well, that's a piece of information to file away for later.

Fred nudged me. Probably to silently ask me what I was doing. But I didn't look away from the second-years. I'll just have to explain later. "Ron, can you tell Hermione what a house-elf is?"

Ron sighed, seeing this as pointless. But he complied with my request. "A house-elf is this little batty creature that works for wizarding families". That was eloquently put.

George seemed to agree, based on the snorting sound he made. "Work is probably the wrong word", he said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione genuinely asked. Finally distracted from what we were doing with Fred's trunk.

Harry exhaled loudly from his nose. "House-elves, they don't have a choice in who they want to work for, and they don't get paid", he explained unevenly. Evidently, the concept of house-elves didn't sit well for Harry. Hopefully the same will still be true for Hermione.

"They're slaves?" Hermione asked at a higher volume, sounding personally offended. Good. Both Harry and Ron gave her a confirming nod. "That's barbaric", Hermione declared. Perfect.

"So, maybe", I said, bringing their attention back to me. "You shouldn't be asking yourselves why someone would go through Ron's and Percy's things. But who would use a house-elf to go through someone's things?" And a seed was planted.

"Then we can figure out how to help the house-elf", Hermione said, taking the bait. With a new goal at the forefront of her mind, Hermione said to Ron and Harry, "Let's go". She turned, heading for a different part of the common room. They moaned and grumbled after her, but nevertheless, followed. I'm not sure what she thought she could accomplish tonight. Curfew had already passed. So it wasn't like they could leave the common room. All they really could do was talk. But that was probably it. If I was Hermione and I had just learned about an enslaved species, I'd want to press Ron and Harry for every little thing they knew concerning house-elves.

But the important thing is that it left Fred, George, and I alone to build our elf trap and give ourselves sleep deprivation.