Chapter 2
"Okay," Bruce said, "before we start the next chapter, there is something that has been bothering me. There have been several instances throughout the last book, and the first chapter of this book, that made me angry, and upset. However, I haven't felt even an inkling of the other guy trying to make an appearance. Why?"
Shadow Lightning appeared, and explained, "That would be my doing. I had the kitchen staff put calming draught in all of your food and drinks. Not enough that you would all be forced to remain calm, as that would just cause you all to panic, but just enough that you wouldn't get as mad as you would have otherwise. For you Dr. Banner, the calming potion is more powerful than for everyone else. I didn't think that you would want to risk Big Green making an appearance."
The hall was silent as everyone thought this over. Bruce was the first one to speak up, "Thank you."
With that, the rest of the hall followed suit.
Chapter Two: Dobby's Warning
"Why would Dobby be at Potter's house?" Malfoy muttered under his breath.
Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.
As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall.
"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"
…
"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir… Such an honor it is…."
"Potter, why is Dobby at your house?!" Malfoy shouted across the hall.
"I don't know!" Harry said, "Who is this Dobby anyway?"
"Dobby is a house-elf, in the service of the Malfoys." Snape explained, only to stop those two from screaming across the entire hall.
"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"
"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.
"Oh - really?" said Harry. "Er - I don't want to be rude or anything, but - this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom."
Aunt Petunia's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.
"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but er, is there any particular reason you're here?"
"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…."
"Why don't you sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.
To his horror, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears.
"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never … never ever…"
Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything -"
"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal -"
Several heads turned to look at Malfoy.
"What?" Malfoy said, "He's just a house-elf."
The stares and glares increased in intensity, causing Malfoy to stare determinedly at the book, doing his best to ignore all the looks he was getting.
…
"You can't have met many decent sorcerers -er, wizards, as you call us-," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.
Dobby shook his head.
"Oh-oh, burn Malfoy!" Ron grinned.
"Shut up, Weasel!" Malfoy sneered.
"Enough you two." said McGanagall.
Ron and Malfoy turned away from each other, not before they gave each other their best looks of disdain.
Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
Harry winced, and looked at the book in concern.
"Dobby - what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed - Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.
"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eye. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…."
"Your family?"
"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir…. Dobby is a house-elf - bound to serve one house and one family forever…."
"Do they know you're here?" said Harry 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 -"
Hermione looked about ready to protest. But Harry stopped her, hissing, "You don't know the situation. You might just make it worse. Find out all the details before you jump in and try to intervene."
Hermione seemed to calm down some. She still looked like she wanted to do something about it, but now with Harry's help, she has regained her rationality back, and has decided to do everything she can to free Dobby and all the other elves who are living in the situation like Dobby.
"But won't 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 remind me to do extra punishments ..."
Harry and Hermione weren't the only ones who seemed to be displeased with this. All of the Muggle raised students and the people sitting at the Avengers table were upset at this. Mafloy received many glares.
"But why don't you leave? Escape?"
"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…."
"Something has to be done." Hermione said, fervently, "We can't just let this continue! This is slavery!"
"This is wrong!" Harry said passionately, frowning at all of the confused looks he and Hermione were getting from many of the pure-bloods.
Harry stared, his mind going a million miles an hour, trying to figure out some way to help.
Harry and Hemrione looked at each other, silently communicating with each other.
Steve, Toni, Natasha, and Loki looked at them with pride in their eyes. Bucky hid a small smile as he watched them.
"And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said, "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"
Many looked at Harry in sympathy. Hermione and Ron wrapped their arms' around Harry, and gave him a gentle one armed squeeze on either side.
Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.
"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here -"
"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby…. Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…."
"How does Dobby know so much about me?" Harry asked.
"Hey, Malfoy!" Ron called, "You don't have a crush on Harry do you?"
"What?!" Malfoy said, looking horrified, "No!"
"Why would you ask that?" Harry asked, looking a little green around the gills.
"It's the whole pulling pigtails thing." Hermione explained. Ron nodded along to what she said. Harry meanwhile looked horrified at the thought. Looking a little green around the gills.
…
"Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "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 suddenly shone with tears.
"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "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."
Murmurs broke out throughout the hall, everyone wondering what was going to happen here.
There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.
"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back - term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world - at Hogwarts."
"Yeah!" Ron said, "Harry belongs here!"
"Yeah!" came the cry from many around the hall.
Harry grinned at his friends, happy that he has good friends and has people who are supporting him like they are.
"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?" said Harry in surprise.
"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, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"
"Malfoy, what is your elf going on about?" Daphne asked.
"I don't know." Malfoy said, "It's not like my parents tell me everything they are planning."
"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"
The whispering grew. Each person is curious and worried. Some even naively hope that they will find out who is plotting what.
Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.
"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on - this hasn't got anything to do with Vol- - sorry - with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod your head," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.
The worry that everyone felt, increased.
"Please," Harry muttered, "Not again."
Slowly, Dobby shook his head.
"Not - not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir -"
Many around the hall seemed to sag in relief.
But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, his mind was in overdrive, thinking over everything that he knew about Voldemort. But seeing as he didn't know that much about him, he couldn't put together a hypothesis yet.
Those of higher intelligence, those older and wiser, nodded their agreement. All thinking about what could possibly happen the next school year. It was a long, unpleasant list.
"He hasn't got a brother, has he?" he asked, half just to make sure, half joking.
Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.
"Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing - you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"
Growls echoed around the hall at the mention of Dumbledore.
Dobby nodded his head, his ears flapping as he did so.
…
A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!"
"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned.
"What - the - devil - are - you - doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke…. One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!"
"You even think about touching my kid," Toni growled, "and I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
Steve placed his hand on her shoulder, as though to keep her in place and to help calm her down. However, he looked just as angry as Toni does.
He stomped flat-footed from the room.
Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet.
"See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got - well, I think I've got friends."
"Harry…" Lily said softly.
"Of course you've got friends, Harry!" Hermione said, hurt that Harry would even think that. Ron nodded along, frowning sadly at him.
"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.
"What?" Ron said, his mouth hanging open. "There is no way. Absolutely no way that we haven't been writing to you."
Hermione nodded, and frowned at the book.
"Malfoy what has your elf done?!" Daphne asked.
"I don't know!" Malfoy said, "This is happening in the future, remember!"
"I expect they've just been - wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do you know my friends haven't been writing to me?"
Dobby shuffled his feet.
"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best -"
"Have you been stopping my letter?"
"Malfoy!" Ron shouted angrily.
"I told you," Malfoy said, "I don't know what's going on!"
"Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.
"See Harry," Ron grinned at his friend.
"I told you we'd send letters to you." Hermione said, smiling at Harry.
Harry smiled gratefully at his friends.
Dobby 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…."
"We would never forget about Harry!" Ron shouted.
"Yeah!" cried most of the hall.
Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.
"Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives 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!"
"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.
Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.
Harry paled as he thought about what this crazy elf could possibly do to get him into trouble.
…
Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.
"Please no." Harry mumbled under his breath, staring desperately at the book.
"No," croaked Harry. "Please… they'll kill me…."
"Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school -"
"Dobby… please…"
"Say it, sir -"
Thinking quickly, Harry said, "Alright. Alright, I promise that this September, I will not get on the Hogwarts train."
"Harry you realize that if you give your word, that if you make a promise, that you will have to keep the promise. No matter what." Remus explained.
"Well, I know that now." Harry said sarcastically. "Besides, this hasn't happened yet, so we don't need to worry about it right now."
Dobby looked at him for a moment, then he smiled, and said, "Thank you sir."
The mountain of cream floated back to the counter, and was gently placed back where it was before. Dobby jumped down to where Harry stood, and handed him the bundle of letters, then disappeared with a pop.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, sagging in his chair.
In the other room, the conversation went on, as if Dobby was never even here. Uncle Vernon was just about to make his deal - when the owl came flying through the window.
And with that, Harry gave into the urge he had been suppressing, and let his head drop down to the table top. Thumping his head against it a few times for good measure.
…
Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.
"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on - read it!"
Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.
As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1985, Paragraph C).
We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.
Enjoy your holidays!
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic Office
Ministry of Magic
Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.
"You didn't tell us you weren't to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it…. Slipped your mind, I daresay…."
He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy…. I'm locking you up…. You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out - they'll expel you!"
And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs.
"Leave Harry alone!" Ron yelled.
"He didn't do anything to you!" said a second year Hufflepuff.
While the hall broke out into a one sided shouting match with the book, Harry paled even further than he already had, as his mind thought up all the things that Uncle Vernon could and probably would do to him if he were to find out that he's not allowed to do magic outside of school.
Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window. He himself fitted a catflap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom in the morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.
It was complete pandemonium. Harry looked around at the complete chaos that was happening. This went on for another ten minutes before McGonagall was able to bring some semblance of peace and order back to the hall.
…
Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks,
"What's that supposed to mean, Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Harry kept his eyes trained on the table, refusing to look at anyone, as he shifted in his seat.
"Harry…?" Ron said gently.
Reluctantly, Harry slowly said, "Uncle Vernon is always threatening to kill me. It's only a matter of time, by now."
The hall was silent as Harry words seeped into every crack and crevice of the hall.
"WHAT!?" Hermione shreeched. With that, the rest of the hall followed suit.
What would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go?
"To answer Mr. Potter's question," McGonagall stood up and said to the whole hall. "Yes. If a student fails to show up at Hogwarts on September 1st, and a letter has not been sent to inform us that you will not be here, and why, then a teacher, usually your head of house, will be sent to investigate."
The murmurs that had broken out at book Harry's question, quieted down and nearly disappeared with McGonagall's explanation.
The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep.
He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE SORCERER attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him.
"Oh Harry." Hermione said softly, laying one of her hands on Harry's shoulder.
"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone … cut it out… I'm trying to sleep…."
He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone.
Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.
The hall broke out in cheers.
"Hell yeah!" Fred shouted.
"Fredrick Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
Harry grinned at Ron, "Thanks for coming and getting me."
"Of course I'm gonna come get you." Ron said, grinning. Sounding as if it is the most obvious answer. "You're my best friend. Of course I'm gonna help you."
