The kids had finally made it to the great hall, after being escorted by Professor McGonagall. Compared to their friends, Harry and Ron were hungry, tired, and nervous about the consequences of their actions. Since the Great Hall was empty at this late hour, they quickly sit down at the nearest table. Not even a few seconds later, a plethora of dishes appeared on the table to everyone's delight.
As soon as they sat down, Ron sighed and said: "I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich.
"So did I," said Harry, taking one, too.
"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "How many times have you two flown that car?"
"Five or six times why?" Fred asked eating some turkey.
Before Ron could answer his older brother's question, Thomas told them his guess. "Muggles must have seen the car flying. Otherwise, I don't know why our Headmaster would have wanted to have all of us in his office when, no offense Ron, Harry, you two were the ones at fault for flying it. However, as well all know about this, our professors and headmaster might want us to stay silent about this while they deal with the consequences."
Everyone's eyes went wide open before they all sigh. No matter what will happen, the truth was this was indeed a harsh violation of the law. Meanwhile, the second youngest Weasley swallowed and took another huge bite before asking Thomas why could he and Harry pass through the barrier. "Say Thomas, you told us that you will explain why couldn't we get through the barrier?"
Thomas nodded and cleared his throat. "I have a suspicion regarding that Dobby, whom I had seen at the Malfoys, the very same that kept Harry from getting the mail over the summer," he said. "I think he might have something to do with the barrier incident."
Everyone looked at him with curiosity and confusion. "Dobby? Who's Dobby?" Daphne, Tracey, and Luna were the only ones who didn't know who Dobby was so Daphne had to ask about him.
"Dobby is a house-elf."
"Why would a house-elf keep Harry from getting the mail?" Luna asked tilting her head slightly as she looked at Harry.
"Because he was trying to warn me not to come back to Hogwarts," said Harry. "He said that there was a plot to make terrible things happen here and that I was in danger. But I don't know anything more than this."
"Who's his master?" Fred wondered out loud.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that it's someone from the Malfoy family," said Thomas. "As I said before, I saw Dobby at their manor when I was there for a meeting with Lucius. He looked terrified and miserable. "
Tracey slowly and somewhat scared asked Thomas, stuttering slightly at the mention of Lucius. "H-how come you left that place unscathed?" Being bullied by Draco for being a Muggle-born, made her fear his father even more, mostly due to the rumors about him being a Death-Eater.
Daphne also wondered how Thomas had managed to escape from the Malfoy manor without any harm. She knew that Lucius Malfoy was a powerful and influential wizard and that he hated anyone who was not pure-blood. She knew that he would not be happy to see Thomas, who was a half-blood and a friend of Harry Potter.
Thomas simply smiled at them and told them that Draco's father wanted to "thank him" for saving his son's life last year. "Well, at first, I didn't want to 'visit' their house, but I was kind of forced when I stumbled across them in Diagon Alley. At first, I thought that Lucius will only thank me and I could be on my merry way, but the man had other plans. He asked me what will I want as a reward, which I refused since I don't want to own anything from that man's house that could get me in trouble with the Ministry."
'Not that I'm not already not so liked by them, but still, no point antagonizing them even further.' Thomas thought, knowing very well that Ministry wasn't all that happy that one of their own wizards was friends with the devils.
The two girls looked even more confused. No one other than his friends know about what happened in the forest when Thomas, Michael, and Draco were put in detention since Dumbledore didn't want this to get public, and for a good reason. The fact that a stray devil had attacked two students was nothing short of a direct confrontation between the Ministry and the devils and Dumbledore didn't want another great war to happen.
"Thank him? For what?" Daphne asked curiously, wanting to find out what Thomas did to earn Lucius Malfoy's favor.
"Yes, thank me, like in wanting to reward me so that he will not owe me a favor. Since a few months ago, in our first year, I…"
Before Thomas could finish his explanation, Harry interfered with Daphne's displeasure. "Wait a second Thomas. She's a Slytherin! Why are you telling her anything anyways? For all we know she could be friends with that git."
As soon as he heard Harry's words, Thomas turned towards him and look him dead in the eyes as if he was an idiot. Yes, Daphne was a Slytherin, but compared to the rest of her housemates, she was kind and not a stuck-up blood supremacist. However, Thomas could understand why Harry was being so paranoid, especially after what happened to him.
Shaking his head at Harry, Thomas then explained to his friend who Daphne and Tracey were. "Sorry, Harry, but I trust Daphne and Tracey, especially when Daphne went to Snape to help you. She's not a spy nor is she a blood supremacist like Malfoy, otherwise she would have befriended her friend Tracey, who is just like me a Muggle-born wizard."
Harry looked skeptical, but he didn't say anything more. He knew that Thomas was a good judge of character and that he wouldn't tell anyone anything that could harm them.
Seeing that Harry more or less understood that picture, Thomas continued his explanation. "As I was saying, I saved Draco's life last year when we were in detention in the Forbidden Forest. We were supposed to look for a wounded unicorn, but instead, we found a stray devil. While Draco, surprisingly enough, got ready to defend himself, I couldn't let someone with zero experience face such an opponent so I created a path for him to escape and search for help. That's why Lucius wanted to reward me. I don't know why, but he felt like he owes me a favor for that, when I didn't ask for anything in return."
Just as James was about to comment on that, Snape walked into the great hall and glanced at their table. Other than Thomas, everyone put their heads down, even Luna who didn't know the stern-looking professor. Snape didn't say anything for a few good seconds before he then suddenly called Harry's name. "Potter, you and Weasley alongside Mr. Grayson, Miss Greengrass, and Miss Granger follow me. The rest of you are free to go to your rooms."
Hearing the way Snape called his friends, Ron muttered under his breath, "That's just plain favoritism. Why does he always speak so differently to Thomas, Hermione, and even that Greengrass girl?"
He didn't notice that Snape had stopped and turned around, his eyes narrowing at him. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Weasley?"
When he heard Snape talking in a cold voice, Ron felt a shiver down his spine and shook his head quickly. "No, sir, nothing at all."
Snape stared at him for a moment longer, then snorted and resumed walking followed closely from behind by Thomas, Hermione, Daphne, Ron, and Harry.
Once they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office, Snape said a password and it moved aside, allowing them to walk up the spiraling staircase. The door to the office opened on its own as they approached, letting them inside of a warmly-lit room and the seemingly always-busy Headmaster, who sat behind his ornate desk, the twinkle in his eyes ever-present as he peered over his half-moon spectacles at the students who had just entered.
"Ah, Severus, thank you for bringing them here," Dumbledore greeted Snape, who simply nodded in response before stepping aside. After that, the old man's gaze fell upon the two boys who had caused quite the ruckus over the last few hours. "Harry, Ron, are you both alright?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Ron nodded his head beside him, having the same pale face as Harry.
Dumbledore gave them a reassuring smile before turning his attention to Thomas, Hermione, and Daphne.
"I have heard from Minerva and Severus about your... theory regarding the events of today. Is it true, Thomas, that you believe a house-elf may be responsible for Harry and Ron's inability to pass through the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"
Thomas nodded, meeting the Headmaster's gaze with a serious one of his own. "Yes, sir. I believe a house named Dobby, which I have seen inside of the Malfoy manor, could have tampered with the barrier. Harry here can be a witness that the house-elf warned him about a plot against him and tried to prevent him from returning to Hogwarts over the summer."
"Interesting," Dumbledore mused, stroking his beard. "A house-elf meddling with such affairs... it seems we have much to discuss. Not to mention the incidents that you two, Harry and Ron had caused for the Ministry."
Harry and Ron tried to defend themselves by saying it wasn't their fault and that they had to arrive at Hogwarts somehow, but Snape cut them off with a sneer. "Silence, you two. You have no idea how much trouble you have caused for the Ministry and the school." Snape hissed at the two boys, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES before he begins reading out loud. "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower … at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss while hanging out her washing … Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to the police … Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" Snape said, looking up at Ron and smiling with a nasty grin on his face. "Dear, dear … his own son …"
"Professor, please, we didn't mean to," Harry pleaded. "We couldn't get through the barrier. We had no choice but to take the car."
"Rubbish," Snape spat. "You could have waited for someone to help you or contacted the school by owl. Instead, you decided to act like reckless fools and endanger yourselves and others. You are lucky that the Ministry decided not to cut your magic, thanks to the headmaster's intervention."
Compared to Harry who understood that what they had done was stupid and dangerous, Ron only got angry and was about to open his mouth to retort, when Hermione quickly put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't make it worse, Ron. He's right and you know it."
Hearing his friend say that, made him clench his teeth and closed his mouth, but glared at Snape with hatred.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "Severus, I appreciate your concern, but I think we should hear them out. Perhaps there is more to this story than we know." He looked at Thomas and asked, "Thomas, do you have any evidence to support your claim about the house elf?"
Thomas shook his head before answering, "No, sir. Other than what my eyes had seen and my words, I don't have any other proof that this actually happened."
"Yet, Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass, and you have deducted that young Harry and Ron, here would use a magic car to fly to Hogwarts. Impressive I have to say." The old man then took a sip of some beverage before nodding his head slightly. "I have decided what to do now that I've heard all parties responsible. Since you three have come to your professor for help, I will award Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaws 25 points each and at the same time, Harry and Ron will be put in detention until the winter break. I think that will be a good enough punishment for them."
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