Dobby's Friend
DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. Looking forward to the next movie!
When he is freed by Harry Potter, Dobby becomes the house elf of the boy-who-lived. With permission and assistance from the grateful Hogwarts house elves, the determined Dobby takes steps to ensure his wizard is safe and able to recover from years of neglect by every adult in his life. And the adults have to pay the price for abuse and neglect.
CHAPTER 06: 7 July
That same morning, there was a short memorial service at Hogwarts for Professor Snape that only the professors and Hagrid attended. Albus was the sole speaker standing beside the urn of ashes. Then, Albus used his powerful wand to capture a memory of Professor Severus Snape and send it to an artist to create a portrait to hang in some part of the castle. The headmaster would use his magic to animate the painting with some movement and possible words, but it would not be a true magical portrait.
The headmaster left from Hogwarts for the annual ICW conference in Bern, Switzerland immediately after lunch. This meant Dumbledore missed the frantic floo call from the DMLE (a mole in the DMLE) to tell him about the sudden, mysterious deaths at Azkaban. Again, none of his spies told him about Harry Potter bring free.
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12 July Azkaban MysteriesEdward Tonks (#68 Unspeakable) apparated with Saul Croaker (#23 Unspeakable) to Azkaban to investigate the strange deaths that occurred among the imprisoned Death Eaters. The Department of Mysteries was most interested in the fate of Augustus Rookwood –former #54 Unspeakable. It was important to confirm that the wizard was truly dead and not replaced by a homunculus or glamoured corpse.
The first disgruntled person that the Unspeakables met was DMLE Director Amelia Bones arguing with Auror Alastor Moody (retired).
"If he is a Death Eater, why was he skipped by whatever killed the others last night?" yelled Moody.
"Who's still alive?" asked #68.
"Sirius Black is the only prisoner on the Death Eater hallway who's still breathing this morning," Moody explained. "Bones here is not certain what to do."
"Let me check him," Unspeakable #23 said, stepping to the door of Black's cell and casting a spell through the little window in the door. A moment later, the wizard inside shouted, "Stop! It tickles!"
"So, who is dead?" asked #68.
Director Bones said, "Dead by asphyxiation are Robert Travers, Augustus Rookwood, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange, and Bellatrix Lestrange."
In their discussion, the Unspeakables learned the bodies had been examined multiple times already and they remained in separate cells to ensure there was nothing magical present to feign death and allow the prisoners to be revived. Amelia Bones and #23 ventured into the cell containing the body of Bellatrix Lestrange to begin yet another examination.
Moody stood beside #68, outside the cell holding Sirius Black and asked, "Black, what happened last night?"
"There were strange voices in the hall talking about nasty Death Eaters," said the man within the cell. "Bella shouted about the Dark Lord coming to free her to kill mudbloods and everyone who didn't bow to the Dark Lord. Rookwood told her to shut up. Then they all began choking."
"I remember one of them – don't remember which – shouted about his lungs being on fire. And it took a long time for them to die. Rookwood lasted the longest and screamed the most."
Moody asked, "Didn't the guards come?"
"No, those wankers never come down this hall after dark. Afraid of the Dementors hiding in a shadow or a Death Eater grabbing their arm through the cell door."
Glancing into the cell where #23 performed a magical autopsy, #68 suggested he be allowed into another cell to begin a second autopsy.
"No," Moody replied. "One at a time so I can keep my eyes on both of you. Rookwood was an unspeakable…How do we know you're not sympathizers or marked DE's yourself?"
"We'll be here all day," complained #68.
"Fine with me. The boss lady is just as concerned about this as you are."
"Why?" asked the unspeakable.
Moody asked, "Cause this is the third strange death among wizards in just two weeks."
Arguing, the unspeakable replied, "Witches and wizards die all the time."
"But not in strange…" Moody paused. "Not in these strange ways without leaving any clues. The Malfoy deaths weren't caused by any magic we could find. There were no poisons, but all the victims died in agony. Then the other day, Severus Snape spontaneously burst into flames. That never occurs without some agent such as a potion in their blood or soaked on their clothing being present. But analysis of the ashes showed nothing."
From inside the cell, #23 shouted, "Tell him."
"Tell me what?" demanded Moody.
"There was another spontaneous combustion the day before Snape burned up. I was present in Gringotts with two other Unspeakables for a meeting with the goblins. One of my companions pulled her wand out during the meeting. The goblins sliced her wand in half and then she burst into flames. She didn't even have time to scream before the fire consumed her body and bones, leaving a small pile of ashes and no smoke."
Moody grunted and said, "Not goblin magic then."
From his cell, Sirius Black said, "It is Mother Magic herself! She reached out and smacked an Unspeakable and Severus Snape."
The inmate laughed and enjoyed himself because Alastor Moody looked disturbed and the Unspeakable appeared to be lost in thought.
Once Croaker was finished with six virtual autopsies, he updated Bones, Moody, #68, and Sirius Black in the hallway. "All of them suffered terribly for the many minutes it took for them to die. Their lungs and air passages are scarred with lesions, and tears. They did feel as if their lungs were on fire for the entire time it took to die."
"But nothing else was wrong – their stomachs are fine, their eyes and brains, muscles, bones are all in the condition you'd expect after eleven years in Azkaban," explained #23.
"Yeah, perfectly wonderful Azkaban," crowed Black from his cell.
Moody looked at Amelia and asked, "Did you attend Black's trial all those years ago?"
"No, did you?"
"I never had a trial!" Sirius insisted. "After Peter escaped, I was knocked out in the field and woke up here! No trial, no questioning, not even a chance to talk to a solicitor!"
Bones frowned and directed Moody, "Go to the archives and tear them apart for everything and anything on Sirius Black. I'll go interview Crouch…something stinks bout this whole thing."
"Yeah," shouted Sirius. "Ask Crouch about his perfectly healthy son who dropped dead the same day his mummy and daddy visited him in Azkaban!"
"What are you talking about?" demanded Moody.
"Barty brought his wife to visit Junior here in Azkaban. In the cell just opposite mine. The old lady was on death's door and could barely walk. But Crouch brought her here and they stayed in Junior's cell for almost an hour without any guards coming around."
"They argued but I couldn't hear what they said, but Mrs Crouch walked out of here fine without any assistance when they left. And Junior never said anything again. The other Death Eaters called out to him, but Junior just wept and died the next night."
"Something stinks to Avalon, Amelia!" swore Moody. "Director, I strongly suggest that we move Prisoner Black to the most secure cell in the Ministry where only you or Rufus Scrimgeour can release him. There's no telling who might want him dead."
Sirius spoke up, "Eh, Malfoy is the only one who wants me dead. He thinks his boy will be Lord Black if I'm dead."
"Malfoy is dead," #68 informed him. "His wife, son, and guests all died a few days ago during dinner."
"Wow! Today just gets better and better!" Sirius declared.
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