Dobby was as happy as a house-elf could be. He had a new master, the Great Harry Potter, and a new home. But what made this even better was that the new home hadn't been cleaned in 15 years. Dust covered everything, the bathroom needed to be thoroughly scoured, bedding would need to be washed, and the refrigerator had a few things that might even be alive! Dobby had known his master was a great wizard but he had no idea that he would choose such a wonderful place to live.
Harry, on the other hand, was in a bittersweet mood. Everything here had belonged to his mother so long ago. The woman who had given birth to him, loved him, and then died for him. He had no memory of her and knew very little of her. He slowly made his way around the flat, examining everything closely. There was so much to take in. He found a stereo with a record player in the living room and flipped through her collection, bands and albums he'd barely heard of if at all. The Dursleys were not the type of family to listen to music, as one might imagine. He did recognize a band called Fleetwood Mac and found an album with a pale green cover and a picture of two children on it. The title, Future Games, seemed auspicious.
As the music crackled to life, Harry began looking around the rest of the flat. He told Dobby to make sure to check with him before getting rid of anything. One bedroom was sparsely decorated, with little more than a bed, night table, and an empty dresser. The other bedroom had clearly been the one his mother had used. There was a small desk in one corner with a few papers scattered over it. He opened a drawer and found several notebooks. He opened one and saw what appeared to be a combination of diary and notebook, with school notes from her Hogwarts years. Harry quickly organized these by year, setting them aside to read later. Her handwriting had been quite lovely, making Harry feel a bit ashamed of his own sloppy script. Of course, getting used to quill & ink had been a rough transition but he still felt that he should improve. He didn't want to disappoint her.
All at once, a chill crept through him. His mother had sat here, years ago. She had written at this desk. Her parents had died and she set this place up as a home after her 6th year at Hogwarts. Had she already been in love with his father? Did she have many friends? She would have been preparing for her NEWTS then, which classes did she study that far? So many questions to ask, and what did he really know of her? Her name. What her eyes looked like. That her older sister was a completely awful bitch. And that she had died, her sacrifice somehow saving him according to Dumbledore.
Harry collapsed on the floor and wept. He had learned many years ago that life was not fair. But something about this place made it clear just how cruel the world really was. This wasn't even his parents home, he had apparently never come here. There must have been so many more belongings of his parents at the home where he lived. His father's family, as old as it was, should have left him all sorts of things. Photos, books, history. All the things that a child should have of their family, and all of it had been kept from him. Instead he was cast aside, forgotten.
Even returning to their world, all these wizards and witches merely told him how much he looked like his father, only with his mother's eyes. Hagrid had given him a photo album, which was nice in a way. But mostly it had made it just that more painful for him. The photos of his parents may as well have been strangers with how little he knew of them. Everything poured out of him till his sobs eventually ground to a halt. He felt empty yet also cleansed. It had been years since he had allowed himself to cry. He had decided long ago not to let the Dursleys get such a reaction from him. This had been cathartic though. It hadn't even taken that long- the record was still playing.
He pushed himself up off the floor and called for Dobby. "Well Dobby, what do you think of the place?"
"It's wonderful! So much work for Dobby to do!" Harry couldn't help but smile at his friend's excitement.
"Well, I'm glad you approve. Is there a place here for you to stay? I assume house-elves have to sleep like humans?"
"Yes Master Harry sir. House-elves like to sleep in cozy little places."
"Is there some place you'd like here?" Dobby led him to a linen closet in the hall near the bathroom.
"Dobby would stay in here."
"Are you sure that's enough room Dobby? You could stay somewhere bigger if you like."
"Its just right size for Dobby," he answered happily.
"Alright then Dobby," Harry said while looking around. The bathroom would definitely need work. "Why don't you start with the bathroom, then get the emptier bedroom & your closet ready for us to be able to sleep tonight. But first I'd like for you to check on Pansy. I take it she hasn't called for you today?" Dobby shook his head no and Harry continued, "then I'd like you to go to her as soon as she is alone and tell her that I've found a home and we will be working on cleaning it. Ask her if she needs anything but make sure no one sees you when you speak with her."
Dobby left and Harry went back into the living room. He turned the record over and went back to the desk in his mother's room. He made a list of things to accomplish this summer. He'd need new clothes, something that fit for once would be a nice change of pace. He'd need to go to Diagon Alley for a number of things. More spellbooks was at the top of his list, but he was sure that there would be a number of other things that would come in handy. He made a note to himself to ask if Pansy needed anything before he went shopping. He didn't know how much her parents might allow her to do and figured that she might want him to get her some items while he was out. Harry certainly had enough money that he could afford whatever the Parkinson and Potter criminal enterprise might need. He smiled at her demand that her name came first. He also thought about some of the things she had said and how much some of her suggestions might have been just in jest. He would need to find a solicitor to write up a betrothal agreement, just in case. Then he remembered her idea of sleeping with him to break the typical pureblood betrothal contract that her father might try to set up for her.
That was an idea that was suddenly more appealing than ever. It was just the night before that he had kissed her for the first time. And the dreams he'd had afterwards were like nothing he'd experienced before. He woke up to a wet bed but felt content. Dreaming of her was amazing. Harry wondered if she'd dreamt of him and then realized he needed to focus. He would need to study this summer a lot. Not just magic, but everything he could learn about women. He wanted her. He wanted her to be with him, but even more so, he wanted to make her happy.
He was free now, all thanks to Pansy. Her knowledge of the magical world, her willingness to help him, a simple conversation one afternoon- how little it took for her to save Harry's life. At least that's what it felt like to him. Another summer with the Dursleys, especially after the year he'd had, might not have been something Harry could survive. At least not without murdering those worthless bastards.
He shook his head to clear them from it and thought about the girl again. Was she his girl? A girlfriend? It seemed like it, although a part of Harry needed confirmation from her. Regardless, he might need to know a lot about women soon. There was no way he'd let her father sell her off to someone like Malfoy. That meant Harry might have to do something he'd only dreamt of and certainly had no idea how to do properly. And for Pansy, he would make sure he knew everything he could. He would make sure she enjoyed it as much as possible.
Of course, this could all be a pipe dream and not something that would come to pass, but Harry wanted to be prepared. If the knowledge wasn't needed in desperation soon, he knew that it would still be useful some day. He was determined that whenever the day did come, Harry would show Pansy just how much she meant to him.
Dobby returned and told Harry that Pansy was eating dinner when he tried to check on her so he would have to return later that evening. Harry hadn't noticed how late it had gotten. He went down the street and got a quick bite to eat at a fast food place before returning to meet the Brightwells. The tea shop was a bit busier than when he had come by earlier but not packed by any means. There was a young woman with brown hair behind the counter that Harry guessed was probably in her twenties talking to a customer. He looked around and spotted Mrs. Brightwell who was leading an older gent that he assumed was her husband over towards him.
"Mr. Potter let me introduce you to my husband, Mortie."
"It's a pleasure to meet ya," the old man said with a grin. "Come this way, the Mrs. said you wanted to chat with us."
"Thank you Mr. Brightwell," Harry said as he followed them into a back room.
"Just call me Mortie."
"Then please call me Harry. Mr. Potter always makes me think a teacher is about to start berating me."
"And you can call me Ruby, dear." The older woman led Harry to a chair in an office. "Now, what all can we do for you?"
"Well, I only recently became aware of this place. I found out that my mother had owned the building and apparently rented out the bottom floors that you've been using ever since then, is that right?"
"Yes. I hope that you aren't here to kick us out, lad," Mortie said with a chuckle.
"That wasn't my intention."
"Good, but if you want to talk about raising the rent, you should probably come back with a solicitor. The contract we had with your mum expired a long time ago but we've kept to it in the years since as we didn't know when we'd hear from you."
"I'm more interested in privacy than money at this time. If you can both swear not to tell anyone my whereabouts, I'd be pleased to continue with the same arrangement."
"Why are you so concerned about privacy?"
"Mortie, don't be a fool. I'm sure he gets quite enough of people staring at him or whispering about him. I can imagine that being the boy-who-lived would get a bit tiring."
"That it would, but this past year was particularly stressful so I'd like a chance to relax and have a peaceful summer."
"I'm sure you deserve it, Harry. Mortie and I aren't gossips, that's why people like to come to our shop. They know its a place where they can lay down their troubles. You have our word not to tell a soul."
"Thank you. I'll let you get back to work then; I've got plenty to do myself upstairs."
"Have a good night, deary, and let us know if you need help with anything."
The Brightwells showed him out and he went back to his flat. He looked around at what all had been done and thought that he would probably master the Scourgify spell this summer. Not seeing Dobby around but noticing that he had already started on the bathroom, Harry got his wand and went to work.
Pansy had finished eating and returned to her room that evening, hoping to get word from Harry, when she heard a pop behind her. She turned to see Dobby smiling at her. "Dobby has come to check on miss Pansy for master Harry." Dobby looked quite pleased at having a new master, officially.
"Did everything go okay at Gringotts today?"
"Yes, miss Pansy. The Great Harry Potter got his family magic ring. He took us to a new home. It's a wonderful place." Dobby had an awestruck look that worried her a bit with what Pansy knew of house-elves.
"What makes it wonderful Dobby?"
"So much work for Dobby to do!"
"Is it a large place then?"
"Not too large, but much work for Dobby. Dobby needs to get back home soon but the Great Harry Potter sir wanted to check on his miss Pansy to make sure she was alright. Dobby is to ask if miss Pansy needs anything."
Pansy smiled in relief that things went so well and was quite pleased at Dobby calling her Harry's miss Pansy. "I'm fine for now Dobby. If I write something for Harry, can you deliver it to him?"
"Yes miss."
"Good, I'll call you later when I'm finished. Tell Harry I'm doing well and will write him later. And good luck with the cleaning!" she added hastily as Dobby quickly left to get back to his work with glee.
Meanwhile, Harry had been casting Scourgify for what seemed like hours on end. He worked on the kitchen sink and the counters. He opened the cabinets and drawers, casting it over and over again. He was avoiding the refrigerator, he hoped Dobby would be back to deal with it. If there were food left in there, who knows what could have happened in the fifteen years since his mother had apparently lived here.
"Master Harry!" Dobby yelled in surprise, and Harry flinched as he turned. "Master Harry is too good at cleaning, master must save work for Dobby to do!"
"Sorry Dobby, I just figured we had a lot to do to get this place livable," he answered and turned back to the cabinet he'd been cleaning. All of a sudden, he realized part of what Dobby meant. He must have set his wand down at some point, possibly to flex his fingers after repeatedly casting Scourgify, and that meant that for some time he'd been casting the spell wandlessly. That was supposed to be difficult from what he remembered, but he did joke that he'd probably master casting the spell. Maybe the practical experience of this afternoon had just pushed him harder than he'd thought. "Dobby, did you see me cleaning without my wand?"
"Yes, master Harry sir! Just like a house-elf! Master Harry is an even greater wizard than Dobby thought!"
"Can I see how you would do it?"
"Dobby can show master Harry sir!" the little elf happily proclaimed. He pointed his finger at a still dusty area of the cabinet, then snapped the fingers of his opposite hand and dust vanished from several inches of the cabinet.
"You don't need to say anything to use magic? Could I do that too?"
"Yes, master. Dobby just focuses on the magic needed and tells it where to go. Dobby knows the great Harry Potter can do the same."
Emboldened by his little friend, Harry tried to cast Scourgify without saying a word. He tried just thinking the word, but nothing happened. Then he tried thinking of the cleaning effect he wanted to produce and saw a small area of dust disappear. He reached for his wand and tried again to cast without saying anything. While using his wand, an even larger area of dust disappeared. "Dobby, do you mind if I work on these cabinets for awhile to practice this magic? I'd like to see how much better I can get. I have a feeling the refrigerator might need a lot more work- work that only the great Dobby can handle!"
Dobby agreed happily, and Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as Dobby opened the fridge door and squealed with delight. That squeal was more than a little bit worrying, but if Dobby was happy then Harry assumed he could just eat out for awhile. Harry went back to practicing casting Scourgify silently. He noticed that the more he practiced the spell, the more powerful the cleaning effect was, even without saying anything. After a few more minutes, he set his wand down. He focused on the effect and pointed with his empty hand but nothing happened. He tried again, but mimicked the wand movements this time and got a result. It wasn't a very large area, but there was definitely a bit of dust that vanished. He continued over and over while trying to also pay attention to how the magic felt as he was casting. After awhile, he stopped the wand movement and just pointed with his hand again. This time, Harry focused on the feeling of the magic and felt it flow out his hand and cause the cleaning effect to occur.
Harry shouted in triumph. Magic was so simple! It was all about willpower and concentration. The wand movements and words were mere tools to get the desired effect. Accidental magic was proof that they weren't needed. He understood now, they were steps in a process. Once you could master the steps, the process was obvious. The answer was obvious. He thought back to his muggle school days when he would get in trouble for not showing all his steps in mathematics. They were so simple that Harry often skipped writing everything out and his teachers would mark off for it. It was just as well really- it was always better not to out do Dudley by too much lest he suffer the wrath of his awful aunt and uncle. The idea that magic was just like math in this way would annoy the hell out of all the stuck up wizards that looked down on muggles and that pleased Harry more than he thought it would at first. He was becoming more disillusioned than he had realized with the magical world.
Harry picked the wand back up and tried an experiment. While he cast the spell using the traditional wand movement and incantation, his attention was on the sensation of the magic. This time, he could tell that the wand definitely enhanced the magic effect. That made sense, but the words used didn't seem to truly matter. The words must be to focus the concentration of the spellcaster to get the proper effect. But the wand, with its magical core, focused the effect itself and made it more powerful. This new understanding meant Harry had several ideas about how to practice magic this summer to become more powerful. Today was a great success.
"Master Harry sir?" Dobby looked over at Harry as he set his wand down.
"What is it Dobby?" Harry was sweating a bit and felt like he could use a break.
"Miss Pansy sent a message for master Harry," Dobby said as he handed Harry a letter. Harry had been so focused on his experiment that he hadn't even noticed the little guy leave. Harry thanked him and went to take a seat and began to read.
Dear Harry,
I'm happy for you. Dobby told me you have your family ring and a place to stay. Congratulations, but please be safe.
I've had a bit of good news as well, my father is out of town and it sounds like he should not be back till next month. You might have seen my mother at the station; she seemed really pleased to see me, obviously.
I am going to try to keep busy with summer school work. I've also been thinking of what I would want to take with me if I am able to leave. If you can get to Diagon Alley, you should buy some special school trunks. They have several options beyond the basic model with extra storage. Mine has two compartments, one for clothing and another for books and supplies. If we could get ahold of something larger, I could pack up a bunch of belongings in preparation for getting out of here. More clothes would be obvious, but my parents own a lot of books on magic that would be wonderful to take as well.
I know of a couple of places that my parents stash valuables also. Depending on how I get away, I might be able to raid them as well. After all the crap from them I've suffered, I plan on taking everything I can get. Besides, we could probably use the money. They're bound to cut me off financially at some point and who knows how much I'll need to pay for school.
I want to see you again as soon as possible. Clearly, the good luck kiss worked. And I bet you want to get lucky again don't you?
Harry spit out the water he'd been drinking as he read this. She wasn't even here and she was embarrassing him. 'Alright Pansy, time for two to play this game. And you're damn right I want to get lucky again. As much as possible, as soon as possible.' He went back to reading the letter.
With luck, my mother will pass out early one of these nights and maybe Dobby could bring you over. If not, you'll just have to dream of me.
If you work hard and get things ready, maybe some of those dreams might come true.
Sweet dreams,
Pansy