Shadows Of Light

I wanna spit in their faces...

Ron called a meeting with his friends when another week had passed and there was still no news of Harry. Neville and Hermione arrived first - Hermione by door and Neville by Floo. Seamus and Dean came in together - Hermione got the door - at almost the exact same time as when Remus Flooed in. Luna arrived last - through the window by broomstick, of course - and handed Ron a radish. Ron thanked her - he was almost used to her oddities by then - and sat them all down in the dinning room with butterbeers and sandwiches.

"Thanks for coming, everyone."

Neville leaned forward. "So, you haven't heard from Harry either, then?"

"He's probably off training or something," Hermione mentioned, flipping through a stack of papers.

"Hermione, would you put those bloody papers away for once?" Dean snapped.

Hermione shot the darker skinned wizard a cold look. "This is important Ministry work, Dean. Not that you'd understand-"

"You sound like Percy, Hermione," Ron muttered. Hermione stared at him blankly for a moment while the others around the table snickered.

"Have you asked Albus where he is?" Remus asked after they'd all calmed down and Hermione had been talked into putting the papers away.

"See, here's the thing. Two weeks ago, Harry left the flat for a meeting with Albus and never returned. When I asked Albus where he was, he said that Harry had gone on an extended vacation-"

"As I said-" Hermione started.

"-without his clothing or cloak or broom or anything," Ron finished, as if Hermione hadn't spoken.

There was a long pause, then-

"Harry would never leave his cloak behind," Seamus whispered.

"I know he could care less about how he dresses, but even he knows better than to wear the same clothing for two weeks," Neville agreed with concern colouring his voice.

"Without his broom?" was what Remus picked up on.

Hermione let out a huff. "He probably bought some stuff wherever he's gone. You know Harry."

"I asked Bill to check for me - Harry hasn't accessed his Gringotts' account," Ron replied.

Hermione stood with a cold look. "I'm going. I have better things to do with my time than listen to you accuse the Headmaster of abducting a boy who has a tendency to disappear from time to time without a word. Good day." She spun on her heels and stalked from the room.

Silence followed Hermione, broken only by the slamming of the front door, while everyone traded startled looks.

"Maybe he has abducted Harry," Luna suggested to the ceiling fan in an airy voice.

"Worst-case scenario," Dean said quickly. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

"Maybe You-Know-Who has him?" Neville suggested.

Ron shook his head. "We'd know about it. If Snape didn't tell us, Malfoy would."

"I keep forgetting the great prat is on our side," Neville muttered.

Remus knocked on the table to gather everyone's wandering attention. "If Albus won't tell us where he is and Harry didn't leave any clues, we only have one option left."

"And that is?" Seamus nearly snapped. Dean placed a calming hand on his shoulder and glanced questioningly at Remus.

"Dobby," was Remus' simple response.

"He works for the Headmaster," Dean pointed out, acting as the voice of reason since Hermione had left.

"But he's not bound to the Headmaster," Luna said. "Isn't that right, Mr Chair Leg?"

Ron rolled his eyes at Luna. "Dobby!"

There was a 'pop', then Dobby the house-elf appeared next to Ron's chair, looking glum. "How can Dobby help Mr Harry Potter's friends?"

"Dobby, do you know where Harry is?" Neville asked, leaning over so he could see the house-elf better.

"Dobby does not, Wheezy. Mr Harry Potter was in Hogwarts until last week. Dobby hasn't found him." The house-elf's ears drooped with every word.

The humans around the table were drooping too. "Damnit," Ron muttered, dropping his head to the table tiredly.

"Doesn't Harry have a house-elf that's bound to him?" Luna asked Dobby, much to everyone's surprise.

Dobby's ears perked up. "He does, Miss Looney! He has stupid Kreacher!"

"Can we trust Kreacher?" Dean murmured. "I mean, I recall Harry saying once that Kreacher would help Voldemort before Harry himself."

"Kreacher is bound to Harry," Remus said, shaking his head. "If Harry might be in danger, he's obligated to help him out, no matter what he'd rather be doing."

Ron nodded. "Dobby, can you drag Kreacher here?"

"With pleasure, Wheezy," Dobby replied with a nasty glint in his eyes before popping out of sight.

"Why doesn't Dobby like Kreacher?" Seamus inquired.

"Long story," Ron and Remus chorused tiredly. Neville and Dean covered sniggers.

Dobby popped back into sight with a struggling Kreacher. "Kreacher will not help Stinky's friends! Kreacher will not!"

Ron gave Kreacher a cold look. "Kreacher, we think Harry might be in mortal peril. What is your job when that's the case?"

Kreacher gave Ron a furious look. "Kreacher will find Master Stinky now." He popped out of sight.

Ron let his head hit the top of the table again. "I hate that elf."

"Dobby hates Kreacher too," Dobby complained, plopping down onto the carpet.

The group sat in silence for a good fifteen minutes before Kreacher popped back into sight, looking like he'd just won the highest honour a house-elf could win, whatever that might be. "Master Stinky is with Crazy-Eye."

"And what are Harry and Mad-Eye doing?" Remus asked, starting to look annoyed.

"Crazy-Eye's making sure Master Stinky doesn't die a virgin," Kreacher chirped.

"WHAT?!"

Kreacher cowered under the seven furious glares that statement caused - even Luna had dropped her out-of-it act to glare at him - and muttered. "Master Stinky didn't seem to be enjoying it much..."

"I'm going to kill Mad-Eye," Ron hissed furiously.

"And Dumbledore," Seamus agreed nastily.

"Sit, both of you," Dean ordered, looking both angry and harassed. "We're not killing anyone if it'll make Harry's treatment worse. We need a plan."

All the humans re-took their seats. Luna glanced back up at the ceiling, but her clenching and unclenching hands showed her fury. Dobby kept Kreacher where he was with a warning look, then climbed up Ron's chair to sit on the edge of the table. Grumbling, Kreacher followed Dobby's lead and took a seat on the table as well.

"Where is Mad-Eye keeping Harry, Kreacher?" Remus asked.

Kreacher scowled at Remus. "Kreacher wasn't told to check, so Kreacher didn't," was the elf's smart reply.

"Dobby's going to hurt Kreacher," Dobby threatened.

Kreacher grabbed his ears and hunched over, giving Dobby a dark look. "Dobby will shut up," was his retort.

Remus let out a growl that didn't quite sound human. "Kreacher, you will go now and figure out where exactly Harry is being kept and then you will tell us. It is your duty to help us rescue him," he said in a voice that somehow managed to warn Kreacher just how much pain he'd be in if he fouled this up, even though Remus had spoken calmly and evenly.

Kreacher bowed quickly, eyes wide with fear, and popped away.

"Okay," Ron started in a strained voice. "We already know that we'll have Moody to contend with. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Neville coughed. "Could any of us manage to convince Mad-Eye that Dumbledore sent us to help him out?"

"Something tells me no," Dean volunteered. "For one, we don't even know why Dumbledore and Mad-Eye are doing this, never mind if it would be likely for Dumbledore to send some help for Mad-Eye."

"Dobby and Kreacher could help," Dobby pointed out in a pitiful voice. His ears had drooped so much that they were touching the top of the table. It seemed that the mere idea of Harry being tortured ripped him up inside.

"But will Kreacher help?" Dean inquired rhetorically. At least, it seemed rhetorical, and no one at the table answered. They had all fallen into their own thoughts about the mess that it seemed Harry had fallen into this time, or just Harry in general.

Ron decided it was ironic that Dumbledore would treat his 'weapon' worse than Voldemort would. His Lord was cruel, but he'd never hand one of his own people over to another to be raped - which is what it had sounded like when Kreacher had spoken.

Neville thought quietly of the medical potions that he had stock-piled back at his own flat and desperately wished he'd thought to bring them - not that he had one for what Harry was likely going through.

Dean recalled why he hadn't joined the Order with a pained sadness. It had only been Ron's quiet gaze which had held both himself and Dean back from declaring allegiance to Dumbledore. Instead, they'd declared a wordless allegiance to Harry and had slipped silently into a life with Muggles and each other - not that Harry knew that they had declared any form of allegiance to him other than friendship.

Seamus mentally ranted at the leader of the Light. Desperately, he wished that Harry and Ron kept alcohol in their flat, since he was dying for some to calm his raging anger, lest he do something that was, as Dean would say, 'most unwise'.

Remus brainstormed ways to slip past Mad-Eye's all-seeing magical eye. He found that he wasn't as horrified as he perhaps should have been when his thoughts turned from sneaking past Mad-Eye to save Harry, into sneaking up behind Mad-Eye and torturing him to death. Dumbledore's sudden appearance as a fellow victim was just a pleasant addition.

Dobby tested his weakened bonds to the Headmaster and decided they were thin enough so as to let him disobey him in this matter. Of course, he reasoned with himself, since Dumbles hasn't told Dobby that he can't save Mr Harry Potter, Dobby may do as he pleases.

Luna stared silently up at the ceiling, running through a list of magical creatures that she, her mother, and her father had created for The Quibbler once when they'd needed articles. The act normally managed to calm her due to the sheer effort it took to recall some of the crazier names, but it seemed impossible now. Harry was her friend and, aside from Ginny, probably the only person who understood her on a level that was deeper than the surface. Like the time he'd come to visit her and handed over a basket of pomegranates. Only her father knew that you were supposed to bring pomegranates when you were visiting a close female friend. Not even Ginny had caught on to that, actually...

Kreacher popped back onto the table, looking glum. "Master Stinky is in a small, abandoned warehouse in Muggle London. Kreacher thinks it's only a short human-walk from here."

Dobby stood, eyeing Kreacher darkly. "Kreacher will show Dobby so Dobby and Kreacher can bring Mr Harry Potter's friends together."

Kreacher glared at Dobby, but nodded, not daring to test the limits of the people in the room. "Kreacher will. Dobby comes."

Dobby bowed to Ron. "Kreacher and Dobby will return shortly, Wheezy, then wes can be making our plans," he offered, big eyes glittering with mayhem.

Ron smirked as the two elves disappeared, then looked around the table. "Well, let's decide on who's going and whatnot."

Everyone else nodded agreeably and got to debating.

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