The Truly Unexpected Task

The Truly Unexpected Task

Harry trudged up the stairs to his dorm room, desperate for a change of clothing. The only thing he was currently wearing that was dry was the exhausted smile on his face. As he reached the dormitory door and pushed it open, he began to berate himself one more.

How could he have been so stupid? How much time had he wasted down in the lake trying to free Hermione, Gabrielle, and Cho? He couldn't believe that he'd taken that song seriously. Dumbledore would never have let a student be put in danger, even for something as important as the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry still felt sheepish as he stood in front of his four-poster, dripping onto the floor. He sighed and began rummaging in his trunk to come up with dry clothes. Ron and Hermione were down in the common room waiting for him. Hermione had dried Ron out with a spell. Harry snickered to himself, remembering both of their faces. Hermione had worn a look of almost motherly concern as she cast her magic. Ron had been surprised at first. Then, he'd looked as though he'd died and gone to Heaven. Harry giggled quietly again and shook his head. Someday, he thought. Someday, Ron will finally get it. In the mean time though, watching his friend fumble about like this was priceless.

Harry had a new set of robes, shirt, trousers, knickers, and socks. He peeled all of the wet clothing off, reminding himself to ask Hermione about that drying spell. Suppressing a cold shiver, he stood in front of his bed, naked, and drew back the hangings of his bed to toss the dry clothing on it and get dressed. Then, quite appropriately, he screamed.

Standing on his bed was a small creature with large green eyes and a long nose. This creature stared at Harry with unfettered concern in the large emerald orbs.

"Dobby is sorry to have frightened Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby only wishes to know if Harry Potter found his Wheezy in time."

Harry stood there, chest heaving, trying to will his heartbeat back to normal. The shock of finding Dobby on his bed...again...had erased the fact that he was, in fact, standing naked from his mind.

"Yes, Dobby," Harry panted as his breathing became controlled again. "Wheezy--Ron, I mean, is just fine. Thanks for your help. I never would have been able to do it without you. That Gillyweed idea was first rate."

Dobby looked as if he were going to burst. "You is welcome, Harry Potter, sir!" With that, Dobby jumped from the bed and hugged Harry round the middle.

The fact that he was nude quickly returned to the front of Harry's mind. Now he added the rather profound discomfort of being nude and hugged by house elf whose head was now resting...well, in any case, his head wasn't any place Harry wanted it. Nor were his hands, now that Harry though about it.

So, naturally, the dormitory door bust open at that exact moment.

"Harry, are you okay? We heard you scream!" Ron shouted as he entered the room, wand drawn. He was followed by Hermione, Dean Thomas, and Neville, all of whom had their wands out and ready. None of those wands, or their owners was at all ready for what they saw.

Harry's head had whipped toward the door at the first shout and he now stood stock-still, embarrassment rolling over him in waves, frantically trying to think of a way out of this.

Ron, Hermione, and the others came to an instant stop once inside the room, failing miserably to hide their shock. Wands and jaws dropped immediately. Everyone was too stunned to speak for, what seemed to Harry, an eternity. Dobby, it seemed by his silence and his continued hugging of Harry, was oblivious to the predicament.

"This...this isn't what it looks like," Harry stammered. Dobby made to move away from Harry to address the others in the room but Harry, realizing what would be revealed, grabbed the house-elf by the head and held him fast. This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and the students who had come to Harry's rescue began giggling...and then laughing...and then howling.

"Merlin's beard, Harry," Ron managed between giggles, "I hope you at least bought him dinner." The room exploded with fresh laughter and Hermione collapsed on the floor, holding her sides.

"Get out!" Harry shouted still clutching Dobby by the head. The house-elf had now begun to struggle, clearly not realizing what was happening. Harry had never in his life wanted his Invisibility Cloak so badly.

The rescue party recovered itself and withdrew back down the stairs. Hoots and snorts echoed in Harry's ears as shoved Dobby away and dressed as quickly as possible. Harry was certain he'd never live this down.

Ron and Hermione could hardly contain themselves when Harry joined them in the common room to go to the Great Hall for dinner. His two friends shot glances at one another the entire trip and more than one snort escaped from each of them. Warning glares from Harry stopped the situation from getting out of hand any further than that.

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, anxious to put the whole mess behind him. Ron quickly joined him, but Hermione was not sitting at the table. She was instead, standing behind him...leering. "Well, Harry," she said, far too breathlessly. "I always wondered what you had hidden under those robes." The small knot of Gryffindor students who'd witnessed the affair exploded with laughter. Harry turned around to find Hermione raking her eyes over him and blowing kisses. Even though he knew it was a joke, Harry could not suppress the bubble of nausea in the pit of his stomach. Hermione flirting with him, even jokingly, was...wrong...on so many levels. Ron glowered at her as she joined the group at the table. She cocked her eyebrow and challenged, "Something wrong, Ron?" Apparently, he could find nothing to say on the matter that wouldn't reveal too much, so he busied himself with his soup.

"Y'know, Harry, Cho may regret going to the Yule Ball with Cedric when she hears about this," Hermione continued.

"Don't you dare," Harry warned.

"Or maybe Ginny would be interested in hearing all about your...attributes," she retorted with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Or how about Moaning Myrtle," Ron offered, causing everyone to groan.

Harry could only bury his head in his cloak and silently wished the evening meal was over.

Hermione rose from her place at the table, walked over to Harry and kissed him on the cheek. "We only tease you because we love you, Harry," she said earnestly.

"Not the way Dobby loves you, of course," Ron offered. "But we do love you."

As his fellow students enjoyed another round of hearty giggles at his expense, Harry wondered how bad a dozen years in Azkaban could really be and decided to write Sirius at the first opportunity.