Chapter 12

            His body fell. Harry hit the wooden planks hard. The noose had disappeared completely. Standing beside him was the same red haired woman who had hung him. He couldn't remember exactly how long he was up there, but he did remember the dream he had… Tom Riddle… Harry shook his head and attempted to get up.

            "My orders are to release you from the Docks," the guard said, "and to take you back to your original cell. As much to my dismay, I must comply with my orders."

            His stomach felt like it was being stomped on. First in fell down and now he was up again. His neck was free, but in their place, he had chains smacked onto his ankles and wrists once again.

            Off in the distance, on the opposite side of the island, there was one very tall western tower. Inside, there was a kitchen with several elves and above that kitchen were many storage closets and elf bedrooms, which were just as small or even smaller than a prisoner cell. And sitting against a wall in one quiet large bedroom was Dobby.

            He rested against a brick wall with his lies bound together with leathers straps, a piece of black leather glued to his lips and his waist chained to the wall. Another house elf, much taller than Dobby, stood nearby. It was the leader elf, Trixy.

            "I've been told some very disturbing things about you," she said and then hissed, "Dobby."

            She smacked him hard with the back of her hand. She spat at his face with a wad of spit and waited to see his response. But Dobby didn't say anything to her. He couldn't say anything because of the leather attached his lips. Instead, he just opened his eyes and focused in on the elf abusing him.

            "Do you know who I am?"

            Dobby tried to shake his head, but it hurt so much that he was only able dart his eyes back and forth.

            "My keeper calls me Trixy… And your keeper… Oh yes, you claim to have no keeper," she hissed. "That will not do, not do at all."

            She grabbed Dobby's chin and pinched it tightly. If Dobby could scream, he would have. Then, Trixy quickly grassed a brass rob and swung at Dobby's chest. There was a loud crack, but she continued beat his ribs.

            Dobby didn't know what he did to deserve this. It was horrible. But whenever Trixy pulled away, the pain also started to stop. There was a blow, then shooting pain, and then it was okay again.

            "If only I could kill you," she hissed. "I wish your pain could last forever…"

            "Stop it!" a high shrieking voice boomed from out of nowhere.

            Poppy stood just a few feet away near an ugly, polka dotted lamp. Her nostrils flared, and her cheeks had turned a shade of pink.

            "Oh, it's just you," said Trixy. "Here to have a little fun?"

            "Trixy hurts Dobby."

            Poppy ran over to Dobby's side and kneeled down next to his bruised body. She patted his side and caressed his plum colored cheek. He had several broken blood vessels that swelled under his skin.

            "Dobby will be okay… Just needs time to heal," she said. "Poppy never wanted to hurt Dobby."

            "Oh, please," said Trixy. She pushed Poppy aside. "You hate him just as much as I do. His freedom affects us all. What next? The other elves might follow him. I've already heard rumors of some elves 'researching' this freedom concept… They want to know more."

            "But they cannot be freed. Keeper would never—"

            "It's not the freedom that has me worried. Knowledge is power," said Trixy. "Remember that. Once they think it's possible, they will do whatever they can to have it… We must stop the source of this power. Dobby must die."

            "But he cannot!" Poppy yelled. "Even if Trixy found a way to do it, Poppy wouldn't let her kill Dobby! Dobby is a friend…"

            "Dobby is threat! A horrendous, despicable threat! He has already corrupted you, Poppy. You still speak in third person, like he does… Perhaps power has gotten to your mind."

            "No," Poppy whispered. "Dobby is not a threat. Poppy—I will not let you kill him."

            Trixy smiled and then glided her hand over the brass rod slowly. "It's already too late. It has been arranged by keeper for him to leave."

            "What is Trixy… What are you talking about?"

            Trixy smacked Dobby again with the rod, right in the eye. Luckily, it wasn't severe enough to pop his eye right out, but it did do something terrible. He could not see out of his left eye at all. Everything was black there.

            "Stop it, Trixy!" yelled Poppy.

She was about to use her powers to blow her away, but instead, Trixy turned around and smacked Poppy as well with the rod. Poppy flew a few inches backwards, right on top of Dobby's lap. Her ear was cut badly and blood poured out.

"I'm sorry, Poppy, but I can't allow you to interfere with the goodness of our kind… You and your little boyfriend will have to leave the island together… Where both of you will die."

            "Tom," said a sweet but raspy voice. "It's time."

            "Are you sure your father won't blame you for this?"

            "He doesn't even know we are still together."

            The woman glided across the room and kissed the man on the lips for only a moment. Then, she tilted her head back and smiled.

            "Your house elf… Did she create the distraction yet?"

            "Any minute now," said the woman. "Poppy is very clever. She won't let us down."

            "I can't believe you still love me," said the man. "Even after I tried to…"

            Arianna sighed. "Don't bring that up again, please, for me."

            The man, however, continued, and paced about his cell.

            "You told me that only a Chang's blood could get me out of here… I took it too far. I nearly killed your father—"

            "That was over four hundred years ago!" Arianna yelled. "I didn't speak to you for a full Muggle life time."

            "Don't say that word…"

            "What? Muggle? You're not one of them!"

            "I don't care how many times you insist I'm a wizard. I'm not," he said. "If I were, I'd be able to use powers like you."

            "You can and you have. Tom, you killed your parents. That's why they arrested you! I know, because I was one of the guards who came to Apparate you here."

            Thomas Riddle, who almost always went by the name Tom, clenched his large teeth together. He was holding back so much anger toward the woman he loved. So many times she told him he was a wizard, but he never believed it. Arianna continued.

            "The difference between you and common murderer here is that you really didn't mean it. I know that, but the others don't. You never meant to set that fire. It was all an accident."

            "How would you know what happened?" asked Tom.

            "Because we always make sure the crime as been committed here… We have our ways of seeing things. The watchers see all."

            "Are you telling me you saw me murder my parents?"

            Arianna hesitated and bit her bottom lip. "Yes… You were asleep in a small tent right next to your mother and father's. You had a nightmare where spiders were chasing you. In your dream, you found—"

            "I found a torch to burn them away…"

            "What you didn't know was that in reality, you created a torch, a very big one… It's common for young wizards to accidentally use their parents. However, the guards for some reason thought you murdered them."

            "I don't understand… They saw what you saw, right? They saw I didn't mean it…"

            Arianna sighed. "All I know is that one guard saw your future and pleaded with Minister Lee to have you kept here forever."

            "Perhaps she was right… I killed Minister Lee."

            "No, if we had let you go, that never would have never happened. I've already thought about that… It was something else. The guard never told anyone about it."

            "Then maybe I shouldn't leave," said Tom.

            Arianna's eyes opened up. She slapped Tom on the cheek and snarled. "Thomas, out of all the stupid things you've said, that one takes the toll of it. I've… We've been working so hard to get you out and now you're thinking of staying? The nerve."

            "What if that guard was right? What if I do something terrible? I'd rather stay here than to murder anyone else."

            Arianna kissed him again. "If I can forgive you for attempting to kill my father, I can forgive you for anything that that guard might or might not have seen. Now come on. Poppy should be finished."

            If only that guard had told what she had seen, she could have prevented so much death. If she had only let Thomas Riddle escape, Harry Potter's parents would be alive. She had seen a glimpse of a set future in which Thomas Riddle was imprisoned and had later escaped. She had seen the birth of a young lad also named Tom Riddle… She saw a shadow of this same lad who had grown into a changed man, an evil man who killed so many… She had seen Lord Voldemort.

            Harry woke up from his dream. He was in the same cell as he was in the day before, with Hermione and Ron by his side. They were quite surprised when he was thrown in with them that morning. Perhaps Arianna was telling the truth about helping them escape; she knew that Harry would be fine, and he was, for the most part.

            "Harry," said Hermione. "Can you get up?"

            He turned and nodded. As he pushed against the floor, he realized his chains were gone. "Did you find a way out?"

            "Not exactly," said Ron. "But we do have someone helping us. I think she's the reason we aren't chained up. And she promises us a way out."

            "Who?" asked Harry.

            "A guard," said Hermione.

            "Why would a guard help us?"

            "I don't know," continued Hermione. "But if she wanted us dead, she could have done it by now."

            "Well, if we could die," muttered Ron.

            "What?"

            "We're immortal here, Harry," said Hermione. "Everything heals itself."

            "Like my scar," said Harry.

            "We figured that's why you're in so much pain," said Ron.

            But Harry shook his head. "No, it started hurting before we even came here."

            Hermione's eyes widened. "And you didn't tell us?"

            "I was going to," he lied. "I just didn't want you to think He was after me."

            "What if He is?" started Hermione in a squeaking voice. "Maybe that's why we wound up here in the first place."

            "There's something else," said Harry.

            His dreams were getting more intense and more real. Harry barely remembered the ones he had on Privet Drive, but the ones he had on the island felt so real, like they really happened. He had to tell someone about them, before he lost his mind.

            "Go on."

            Harry took in a deep breath. "I've been having dreams, actually, more like nightmares. But they're very real."

            "What happens in them?"

            Ron and Hermione crowded around Harry and leaned in, waiting to here the truth.

            "Well, the last ones had the same people… It's silly really," said Harry and paused.

            "No, it's not," Hermione said. "It could be very important."

            "Come on, mate, we won't make fun of you for worrying too much."

            "Thanks," muttered Harry. He sighed and continued. "Well, there's this one man who's a prisoner. I think its happening here, on this island, but I don't really know."

            "Does he have a name?"

            "Um, well, yes," hesitated Harry. "Thomas," he paused and gulped.

            Ron nodded. "So, a guy named Thomas. What else?"

            "He has a girlfriend or mistress or something… She looks like Cho," remarked Harry, just making that connection now. "And the two were in love… And there was a name of a house elf I think… I don't remember it now."

            "Looked like Cho?" asked Hermione. "What was her name, Harry?"

            "Arianna."

            Ron and Hermione's eyes nearly popped out. It was the same woman helping them escape… And she was also in Harry's dreams?

            "Harry, that's the guard," said Hermione. "What happened in your dreams? Tell us everything."

            And Harry did. He went into great detail about everything he could remember. He even mentioned how Thomas looked like Tom Riddle, and how it was stupid thinking that. Hermione and Ron both thought differently on that.

            "If it was Lord Voldemort," Hermione said without even flinching saying the name, "then it explains why your scar hurts, even before you got here. Like a warning or something."

            "No," said Ron. "He couldn't have been alive then. You said it happened long ago, centuries. He wasn't even born yet."

            "True," said Hermione.

            "Thomas escaped or was going to," said Harry. "And that woman, Arianna, was helping him… It makes sense she would want to help us too. We have something in common with that Thomas man. We're innocent."

            "I thought you said that Arianna knew he wasn't innocent," said Ron.

            "Maybe she thought he was at some point," said Harry. "I dunno. But I do know that there's a good chance that Thomas escaped and that means we can too."

            Hermione nodded and smiled. "We just have to wait until the researching team gets here… However long that is."

            And they did just that. They waited.