--
"Trust me. Okay you got the location where we are headed" He paused as if reading something. "Good lets go" With that the other suits grabbed a hold of the entire group and headed to the seal once more. The armor around Harry completely reformed and he placed his hand on the Gryffindor gems and the entire group vanished from sight to a shout of "Harry, Wait".
Leaving behind a group of panicking teachers and one fuming redhead
--
The group of 15 figures landed softly on the floor of what looked to be the antechamber area to what looked to be an Old style manor. The group looked around at the décor and wondered where they were when Harry's suit faded from sight. The other armor suits took up positions along the walls. A pensive look on his face Harry stepped away to the side of the group and swore as he realized something.
"Shit what to do….ok, ok uhm, I know. Dobby I call you."
pop and the little hyperactive house elf appeared in front of Harry smiling. The little elf looked and acted like he was on a Sugar High. Bouncing happily on sock clad heels he looked up at Harry.
"Mister Harry Potter Sir, Yous Call for Dobby. Dobby comes to Serve The great Harry Potter Sir."
"Harry? What do you think you are doing?" Hermione asked dangerously.
"Me? I am just going to give Dobby a job. That is if he would like to work for me. Dobby, would you like to Urk," Harry suddenly was knocked from his feet by the actions of the ecstatic little elf.
"Yes. Yes Dobby has wanted to be Master Harry Potter Sir's House elf ever since The Great and Wonderful Harry Potter rescued Dobby from his Bad family."
Hermione came over to where Harry lay on the floor under the still hugging little elf
"But Dobby don't you want to be free? Not be a Slave?" Hermione asked
"Miss Grangy not understand. House elf must have family. If House Elf no have Family We's lose our magic. If We's lose our magic, we dies"
"Oh my god. What have I done? All my hats and …" Hermione looked at the suddenly shy Dobby
"Dobby wishes to thank Miss Grangy for all the nice hats she made Dobby" Dobby giggled at the now stunned Hermione.
"Hermione Do you mind? I wish to give Dobby his job. Ok good. Dobby, I wish to work for me, by looking after Ginny Weasley back at Hogwarts. Keep her safe from those that harm her. You are to get any help you need from the House elves of Hogwarts. For now I want you to follow three simple rules. One: No more punishing yourself. Two: you are not to call me master for I am your Friend. Three: you will keep my secrets. Can you do that?"
"Dobby will be honored to do that for the Great Harry Potter who is Dobby's Friend"
"Okay when you get back to Hogwarts bring Winky here, as well as the others belongings, and we will offer her the same thing"
"Thank you, Harry potter sir for looking after Dobby's Winky" with that Dobby popped out leaving Hermione still sitting there stunned and a confused Harry.
"Dobby's Winky?" Harry muttered to himself.
Harry shook his head before trying to stand and walk back to the rest of the group but as he did he was suddenly over with dizziness and collapsed to his knees. He was quickly surrounded by his concerned friends.
Tonks waved her wand a couple of times over Harry casting diagnostic charms on him.
"Shit. Crucio nerve damage, bludgeoning spell damage, what look to be a few bone breakers and to top it off Magical exhaustion. We need to get him to St. Mungos."
Harry's eyes snapped open and he looked at Tonks for a couple of seconds then his eyes seemed to lock onto something else in front of him that only he could see.
"No, no hospitals. Just get me to the door." Harry said pointing at the doors leading into the manor on which there was a large crest.
The twins helped Harry stand and walked him, their arms under his holding him upright, over to the door, where Harry placed his hand on the crest and asked "ok now what?" his eyes once more glazing. The group looked concerned that it may have been not such a good idea to come with Harry. It was starting to look as if he might have a couple of Issues.
"I Lord Harry James Potter-Black Here by Command Potter manor to open."
Harry waited but nothing happened
"Why is it not working? WHAT? You have got to be kidding me. That Meddling old coot. Okay, okay I will calm down but later you and I are going to have a long talk. Here goes nothing: I, Lord Harry James Gryffindor Ravenclaw Hufflepuff Emrys Potter-Black, Here by command Potter Manor to open for its rightful lord and master."
At the first surname, the group looked at Harry in surprise. By the third most of the group's mouth were hanging open, but on the fourth Tonks fell over and Hermione was once more stunned.
The doors parted and the group was able to see into an elegant Entrance hall with white marble statues and ornate staircases. As the group entered five faint pops came in rapid succession and five neatly dressed house elves stood surveying the group from the bottom of the stairs.
"The master has returned"
But at that point Harry slipped into unconsciousness.
--
A week later Harry found himself sitting in a study, in an office chair with his feet on the desk sipping a butterbeer, listening to what had happened while he had been missing from Tonks who was lying nearby in a squishy sofa chair, Neville, who was leaning near the door with Luna in his arms, Ron and Hermione who were sitting close together on a couch. Luna had a soft almost shy smile on her face. The twins were in the muggle room watching the television that James & Lily Potter had charmed to work, according to one of the House elves.
"So I ran away to live a life of sin according to Miss Weasley, According to Snape I had just plain Fled like a coward, DumbleDork said I was hiding from the stress of it all and I should be guided back to my loving family for my own safety and Remus?"
"Remus said you wanted to go on holidays, we should let you although he seemed a little miffed, that you did not take him with you" Ron snickered.
"Okay so at lets he did not think the worst of me. What about the Prophet?"
"They were unusually quiet nothing about you but at least they are reporting Death Eaters attacks honestly. Well as honest as the Daily Prophet is. Now Harry please tell us where you got the Armour and all the other neat stuff? Please?" Hermione practically begged.
"Okay, Okay. This is what I know from what Lorica told me. He was made to help defend against the basilisk from the chamber of secrets. According to the legend, Slytherin and Gryffindor argued over whether to allow Muggle-born students into Hogwarts. When Gryffindor apparently won, Slytherin left the school, but not before building the Chamber. Correct? Well here is where it differs from the legend. It seems Salazar Slytherin the first was not the dark wizard everyone thinks he was. His son Salazar the second was. He is the one who put the Chamber into Hogwarts while his father was in the Dark forest in Germany helping the natives. When the other Founders found out they kicked Salazar's son out of Hogwarts and when Salazar the first came back the four true founders tried to remove the chamber but they could not, because the father did not have his son's Parseltongue ability, so they had to lock it down. And then they created Lorica just in case anyone managed to get thru all the charms and enchantments that they had put on the entrance."
"Lorica? That means body Armour doesn't it." Tonks queried, remembering her school Latin.
"Yes it seem Lorica was meant as an automated defense against the 'Monster'" Here Harry made the quotation gestures. ", in the Chamber of Secrets"
"Then why did it not work when Tom Riddle first opened it and how did he open it if the Founders put spells on it" Hermione asked.
"I will answer the second part first. Hermione, what happened between the years 1939 and 1945 in the muggle world?"
"World War Two."
"Neville, Luna and Ron your question. Who was active during those years?"
"Uhm the Dark Lord Grindelwald?"
"Correct Luna. He used the conflict and confusion to attack key points of the wizarding world including Hogwarts, damaging the wards so much so that Hogwarts had to drain power from some spells to bluster it defenses."
"Harry? Where did you learn all this?" Hermione ask
"I was not sitting on my hands for the first two weeks of my holidays. I struck up quite the relationship with the owl order guy at Flourish and Blott's. I needed to study past Dark Lord so I can fight Moldiewarts"
"Oh okay what about Lorica? Why did it not activate when Tom Riddle opened the chamber in the first place? And why is it working now?"
"Well it seems the Department of Mysteries got a hold of him at the turn of the century. They wanted to study a founder's artifact. I can only assume Rockwood took Lorica to his manor to give to his Master but before he could, the Moldy one was put on hold by me. As for why he activated …" Harry scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well It seems the Chamber of Secrets left a lasting impression on me in more then one way. You know how I got stabbed by a fang of the basilisk and then Fawkes healed me? Well it seems I still have traces of the venom running thru my blood as well as phoenix tears from Fawkes. "
The others were dumbfounded at the news.
"So it seems when Lorica found traces of the poison in my system, He came fully online as it were thinking the chamber was opened and the Monster needed to be defeated. And because he detected the founder's bloodline in mine as well as the phoenix tears, He decided I must be a Defender of Hogwarts."
When he paused to take another sip of butterbeer Harry snickered into the bottle.
"What's so funny?" Asked Tonks.
"It seems when Lor took me as his Defender he scanned my mind to get a gist of the situation. Let's just say Dumbledork might have a hard few months ahead of him. It seems Lorica told Lady Hogwarts the back-story. Also Lor was pretty chuffed at me for defeating the basilisk at age 12 by myself"
"Oh. OOOH! Sirius told me a few things if it was as bad as he said, then good on Hogwarts."
"Well that's all I know at the moment I am going to have another talk with Lor tonight. It seems he is like you Hermione and he love the library. Don't know why but he does. But till then I got to go thru all this paperwork that Gringotts sent me about the Potter Estate. Don't worry Hermione, I asked the Goblins to see if they could find us some reliable tutors. See you guys at dinner?"
"Ok, see you at dinner Harry"
"Yeah bye Harry."
With that the others left the room leaving Tonks still struggling to get out of her chair. Harry laughed, rising from the desk he went over to help her out. With a sharp pull Harry managed to pull Tonks out of the chair but unfortunately Tonks tripped and fell onto Harry. The pair land on the floor with Tonks on top of Harry in a compromising position.
Harry raised an eyebrow "Why Tonks I did not know you cared. Aren't I a little young for you. Although…"
Tonks blushed and tried to push off of Harry but in doing so put her hand in an unexpected place. Once she realized where she had placed her hand she moved it as if it was on a hot plate. This caused her to fall once more on top of Harry, Her lips brushed Harry's as she collapsed
"Hmmm nice. Bit of a fast worker Tonks." Harry said with a large grin at Tonks' reaction to what has happened.
Tonks just lay there on top of Harry laughing softly as she asked. "What happen to that shy boy I met last year in the middle of the night?"
Harry laughed back as he reached up to brush a lock of Tonks' hair back behind her ear. "He came to the realization, after a death defying experience, that he should grab life while he can and stuff what anyone else thought it is his life. Like now" with that he reached up and gave Tonks a soft peck on the lips.
"Good philosophy." Tonks smiled down at him
Just then Hedwig flew into the room and land on the floor next to Harry and Tonks. The snowy Owl looked at Harry then at Tonks and back at Harry with a look that could only be described as "Hello, Hello, what's going on?"
The human pair took in Hedwig's look and just burst out laughing.
Hedwig being the proud postal owl that she was took offence at this and took off flying around the room diving bombing the giggling pair on the floor. It was not until Harry was hit it the head with his post for the second time that he was able to get himself under control.
"Ok okay come here Hedwig. We are sorry," Harry stated holding his arm up for her to land on. Once Hedwig had landed Harry made a big deal of soothing her down by tell her what a good friend she was and how much he loved her.
After about 2 minutes of this, Hedwig calmed down enough for Harry to get the post from her.
"Bill, Bill, Gringotts, Dumbledork, Bill, Weasley letter, Dumbledork, Ministry letter for a Nymphadora Tonks, Bill, Reply from instructor"
"What was that Harry?" Tonks said as she got up from the floor.
"Oh letter for you." Harry said handing her the letter in question.
Tonks opened it and read it, her face paled after a couple of second. "What the…"
"What is it Tonks?" Harry asked curious of her reaction.
"You are wanted in connection to the deaths of 12 Pure blood wizards"
--
TBC