Preparing for Battle
A few minutes later it was a much calmer Harry who spoke to the elves, "You know neither of us believes in owning slaves but we both like you two very much so we offer you the bond of friendship rather than servitude. If this is acceptable we can work out the other details as we go along as you seem to know more about our situation than we do."
Dobby and Winky barely glanced at one another before answering together, "We accept!"
Getting off their chair Harry and Hermione, still craving contact by holding hands approached their little friends and placed their free hand on top of each elves head. No sooner had contact been made when a golden glow enveloped the quartet with magic seeming to pour out of the couple and into the elves.
As the glow dissipated a much changed Dobby and Winky were revealed. Both were now at least four inches taller and while Dobby seemed to have gained a fair bit of muscle, Winky was now noticeably female but it was in their facial features that the most striking changes had occurred. Their cartoonish features had been redrawn and the effect was startling. Gone was the overly large round head, tennis ball eyes and bat like ears to be replaced with an oval proportioned head, smaller eyes and although their ears were still pointed they were less than half their original size.
Before anyone could speak Dobby took charge, "My Lord and Lady it's not safe here. We must get you somewhere that no one can find us. There is still much we need to explain and many questions to answer. Please come with us."
Allowing no time for discussion Dobby took hold of Harry while Winky clasped Hermione and the four of them disappeared without a sound, just seconds before Dumbledore and McGonagall burst into the room.
Finding the classroom empty and knowing that the locking charms he had just disabled must have been cast from inside the room it was a very worried looking Dumbledore who turned to his Depute, "Are you sure they were in here?" he asked.
Only to be meet with an angry "YES" from the now scowling McGonagall "and it's high time you told me what's going on Albus, start talking!"
....
The four appeared silently in a room that was almost familiar, as it resembled the Gryffindor common room in size, shape and colour of décor but there all similarities ended as the furniture, fixtures and fittings could only be described as luxurious.
There were shelves filled with ancient looking books while one wall was almost completely made from glass with a door leading onto a large balcony which had stunning views of the lake confirming they were still inside Hogwarts castle.
The corridor at the back of the room led to a maser suite and three other very large bedrooms but before they could explore further their attention was drawn to a magnificent fireplace or rather to the portrait above.
The portrait was of a knight but this was no Sir Cardigan, no this knight had nobility etched into every feature and with his long dark hair and goatee beard combination he really was hansom in a sort of roughish fashion, but it was the sword he carried that attracted Harry's attention, he knew that sword, he had killed with that sword.
"Godric Gryffindor!" he whispered.
No sooner had the words left his mouth when the painting came to life, "At last, welcome heirs to the Gryffindor apartments, it's been so long since I've had company please take a seat and we can have a chat."
Harry and Hermione had received so many shocks lately that they just took the fact that one of the founders wanted to have a chat with them as an everyday occurrence, 'Harry said his life is never normal, maybe this is what it's like to be Mrs Potter' thought Hermione. She started laughing then found she couldn't stop until Harry pulled her over to sit beside him on the sofa facing Godric where she buried her head into his chest and the laughter became tears.
Harry was going to ask what was troubling her when the thought came 'she doesn't want to marry me, can't really blame her and now she's afraid to tell me.'
This sent Hermione off on a rant, "Harry James Potter, stop that right now. I've dreamed about marrying you for years. I've even chosen the bloody dress but never for one minute did I think you would want to marry a bushy haired, bucktoothed, book…" The rest was lost as Harry returned the favour from earlier and they kissed until she calmed down although both were now anything but calm.
When they next took notice of their surroundings a teapot and two cups as well as an unbelievable range of snacks and cakes covered the table in front of them.
Harry glanced at both Dobby and Winky and raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner. He held their gaze until Dobby snapped his fingers and another two cups appeared beside the other sofa which both elves sat down as the four of them smiled and enjoyed their tea together.
This short oasis of normality revitalised Hermione who moments before was suffering from information overload and had more questions needing answers than at any time since discovering magic existed. Suddenly she felt as if she had regained some of the control that had been spiralling away from her as she withdrew parchment, quill and ink from her bag. Hermione was trying to get some solid ground under her feet, "Ok lets write down the facts we know and we can add to them as we get questions answered," she said with authority in her voice.
They all smiled at this, even the portrait, "Harry and I have a soul bond which effectively means we're married," she stated.
Both elves nodded their heads in agreement while Harry had a smile from ear to ear as Hermione continued, "because of this bond we are now emancipated adults."
Again both elves nodded while Harry suddenly realised the implications of this fact, "No more Dursleys!' he shouted.
The look of joy on his face melted Hermione's heart and she mentally placed 'dealing with the Dursleys' onto her list of things to do. She then summed up their information, "Now Harry is the heir of Godric here so we are now Lord and Lady Gryffindor and own the castle and Hogsmead."
At this Godric decided to help the lovely young Gryffindor couple, the talking painting added, "Well actually there's more to it than just owning the castle, Hogwarts is so much more than a building. When we constructed this wondrous castle we wanted her to be sentient so each of the founders entrusted a part of our soul into the castle. This has nothing to do with those abominations called horcruxes which we'll cover later but rather as a labour of love. Hogwarts answers to the sitting headmaster unless he strays away from the light and our current one has done some things that he should go to prison for."
A memory came to Harry and Hermione and as they watched it unfold the anger that it evoked was unparalleled to anything the teens had ever felt and at the end only one word was whispered "bastard!'
Before anything else could be said Godric interrupted, "The portraits and ghosts have just reported that Albus is going to find someone called Sirius and then a family called the Grangers. For some reason he is desperate to stop you getting to Gringotts and from past experience he will go to any lengths."
"We have to do something Harry, my parents wont have a clue what's going on."
"We have some advantages," said Godric "his phoenix just had a burning day and the castle has closed the floo system so he is having to walk to the edge of the wards while anyone touching an heir can apparate from the castle."
Harry now had a task with defined goals so sprang into action, "Hermione and Winky get a room ready for Sirius and see if you can find any clothes he could wear, Dobby and I will grab him and be right back then the four of us will collect your parents. Let's go Dobby."
Dobby grabbed Harry's arm and they were gone before any of the ladies could object to the plan.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone