Harry Potter and the Goblin Rebellion

Chapter 24 Sunlight and Darkness

Friday passed rather pleasantly. He had gotten over his initial embarrassment at hovering naked while salve was applied over most of his body, so he let himself relax and enjoy the process. After the early morning application, Mrs. Weasley arrived with a breakfast tray and fed him. During breaks between classes, or when various DA members did not have classes, he had a steady stream of visitors.

At lunch, when Mrs. Weasley brought his tray, Madam Pomfrey modified the hovering charm so that it supported him like an easy chair. She wheeled a cart over and raised it so that the tray would be held at an easy level for Harry to reach and feed himself. As Madam Pomfrey returned to her office, he stared at his tray. Mrs. Weasley noticed he was not starting to eat right away.

"Is something wrong, Harry? I thought I got things you like. I can call the elves if you'd like something else."

"Oh, no, Mrs. Weasley, this is fine. If there's one useful thing I learned from the Dursleys, it's not to be picky about what I get to eat. No, it's just ..."

"What, Harry? You can tell me."

"Well, this is going to sound stupid, or childish, but it's been nice being fussed over: letting Marietta work the salve in, getting fed last night and this morning, having people come to me and talk so nicely. I've always had to be so self-reliant that it felt good to just let go of things for a bit."

"There's nothing stupid about that, Harry. Everyone needs a bit of pampering at times. I'd feed you now, if you really wanted, but I have the feeling that would be even more awkward while you're sitting up."

"Yeah, of course. My arms are fine and I can reach everything here. I can't play the invalid like that. It's quite enough that you're here with me."

"I'm happy to be here, but I hope you don't mind if I'm not here for the evening hours, Harry."

"Another 'date' with that tall redhead?"

"You're getting your change of pace, we're getting ours - being here at Hogwarts is like a vacation for both Arthur and me."

"Please don't think you shouldn't go on my account. Seeing a couple that wants to be together like you two is really awesome. My aunt and uncle were usually together, but it seemed more a habit or a duty than a choice. I'd like to think that love can last. I'd like to think it can happen for me."

"It can, Harry," said Molly with her eyes shining, "and it goes so far to make the hard parts of life bearable, even beautiful if you can imagine that."

Molly Weasley smiled warmly at him and gave his hand a squeeze as he reached with the other to get a fork to spear a sausage. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville arrived halfway through lunch, bringing homework assignments and news of the hot chatter amongst the students.

As they left, Ron laughed and called to him, "Don't get used to lying around in bed. This is just a holiday from training. By Monday, I'll be dragging you out of bed at 4:30 if I have to. I need my best mate with me to go running around that lake."

"I'll be there," called Harry cheerily. Everyone needs a change of pace occasionally, but he could tell already that he would be ready to return to his commitments once he was released.

The early evening was even busier than the day had been, but finally the visitors drifted away to let him rest. Harry had just started to doze when he heard Dobby's voice.

"Beg pardon, Harry Potter, sir, I'm sorry I couldn't visit yesterday due to the Feast. How are you doing?"

"Oh, all right, Dobby, and I know you've been working hard," said Harry as he rolled, with the sheet pulling up a bit, "it's good to see ..."

Harry jolted, causing some painful rubbing to his newly growing nerves. Dobby wasn't alone but had Professor Flitwick and Melony with him. Harry suddenly became very concerned about how far the sheet had shifted when he rolled. He started tugging around it to make sure he was covered where he needed to be.

Melony grinned. "Mr. Potter, sir, there's no need to be concerned. Not only am I a healer, but a human's nakedness has as much interest to a goblin as a kneazle's body has to you."

"Maybe so, Melony, but I'm still going to be a bit concerned being naked around any female I can talk with," replied Harry.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter," said Professor Flitwick cheerily, "your instincts tell you to treat this young lady as you would any other young lady, whether human or goblin. All beings should be treated with respect. By the way, I want to thank you for the brilliant display yesterday. We discussed and worked on nothing else today but the Patronus Charm."

"Great!" said Harry, "That was the point of making a public display out of it. I hope you won't dock me points for missing class today."

"I think we can say you have established your command of the materials," said Professor Flitwick with a laugh. Then he got a bit sad and sheepish, "I'm sorry I didn't send my Patronus out there sooner - I felt like I failed my charge."

"Not at all, Glorfindel," said Harry with a bemused smile over using Flitwick's goblin name, "I know you would have been ready if I had been unable to conjure my Patronus. As it worked out, there just wasn't time."

"You're very gracious, Potter," said Professor Flitwick, "If it's any consolation for your ending up here, the effect on the students has been magnificent. Seeing how awful lethifolds could be, and knowing dementors are every bit as bad, they all want to master the Charm. I just wish you had been there - from what I can tell from the students you've worked the most closely with, you are probably the most effective practical instructor I have ever seen."

Harry smiled both proudly and shyly, "Oh, I have nothing on you, Professor. I think we at the DA have all been more highly motivated than classroom settings often allow. So what's up - a second date?"

"Third, actually," said Melony, "Glorfindel chaperoned us to Hogsmeade, but once other goblins came out for the evening, even though they weren't Gringotts goblins, we had to sneak around and finally return here. This time we decided to spend time here instead this evening. It's easier to avoid the elves, and if they do see us they only grumble."

Dobby's head poked out from under Harry's sheet. "As long as I'm with my Melony, I'm happy wherever I am."

Melony tittered at seeing that Dobby was crawling around underneath Harry's hovering body. "Oh, Dobby, you make me laugh. I feel like such a bad girl."

Harry frantically tried to reach underneath himself without throwing off his sheet. "Dobby! Dobby, get out from under there, please."

Dobby teased him "But Harry Potter, I slept a foot under you all summer - why would you mind me being here now?!"

"You know it's different when there was a mattress between us - and I had my pyjamas on. You're neither elf, nor goblin - you're an imp," said Harry as he finally caught Dobby's arm and pulled him out. Harry held Dobby up with both hands on Dobby's chest, like a father ready to toss a two-year-old, when Dobby grinned and disapparated, reapparating next to Melony. Flitwick laughed merrily, while Melony covered her face with her hands and giggled uncontrollably.

"Oh, I'm being such a bad goblin!" she said, blushing.

"How so?" said Harry, "We were just being silly; it ought to be worth a good laugh. Why would you feel bad about that!?"

Melony got control of herself and said "It is because I'm laughing, Mr. Potter. To a goblin, that's not good. Goblins don't laugh, or when we do, you can be assured that some wizard's the poorer for what ever brought the laughter on. We're supposed to be serious, very practical. A good deal can make us happy, but we're not to be frivolous. We're all work and business."

"Melony, I hope you know Dobby works as hard as anyone," said Dobby, with Harry and Flitwick agreeing, "But there can be fun along the way, too."

"Well, I'm certainly in agreement with that," said Flitwick, "but then the full-blooded goblins can barely tolerate my sunny disposition anyway."

"On the other hand, Professor, that has always made you one of our favorite teachers," said Harry smiling.

"Well, thank you, Potter. I guess it's the goblin in me that makes me wonder whether I am too perky in class."

"Not at all, Professor, we find you quite - Charming."

Flitwick laughed heartily, "Aah, it's not new, but I always enjoy that one."

Melony shook her head. "Well, this gives me something to think about, seeing these two odd but undeniably hard-working goblins as cheery as chipmunks. Maybe we don't have to be so dour."

"Melony," said Dobby adoringly, "that's the first time you've actually called me a goblin!"

"Well, Dobby," said Melony, "I had never really known what elves were like, but now that I have seen a bit of the elves here, I see that while you look like them, you are of quite different character. I can see the goblin in you now. I just wish the rest of my Hullabaloo could see it."

"Of course, Melony, you are very different from most goblins in being open to the idea of such an elflike being having goblin-nature as well," said Flitwick, "You are quite unique indeed: by the very fact that you can recognize the usual goblin disposition as dour, I know that you stand apart from that. Grishnack does not even see his demeanor as stern - he just sees more light-hearted folk as childish or worse - humanish. No wonder you look for a different way of living."

"Oh, but sometimes I get very sad, because Dobby makes me very happy, yet I do not see how we could ever get Grishnack's approval. And he's more accepting of Dobby than the other Gringotts goblins."

"Maybe if you learn more about how he is different from the full elves, you'll be able to make that clear to the others," said Harry.

"Perhaps, and besides, I very much enjoy the research."

Then Harry asked Melony "Speaking of Gringotts, how are things down there with the goblins?"

Her visage turned dark. "Bad, sir! Minister Fudge's latest proposal is to require removal of anti-apparation charms from all dwellings. After Dobby's hullabaloo was wiped out, all the goblins placed the same anti-apparation charms on their homes that Hogwarts has - we can Apparate in and out, but wizards and witches cannot. The law is drawn so that Hogwarts would not have to change, but the goblins' homes would be affected, as well as the homes of those wizards who cannot Apparate and so have figured they'd keep out wizards who can."

"That sounds like a direct attack on goblins' security. Does he give an excuse?" asked Harry.

"He says aurors need to be able to Apparate in so that they can fight any Death Eaters who might attack," said Melony.

"But they couldn't attack if they couldn't Apparate into the goblin tunnels," said Harry.

Professor Flitwick spoke very seriously, "Yes. That must be obvious to everyone. Not only that, but the goblins could adjust their protective charms to let certain wizards through in the event of an emergency, but Fudge dismisses that as undependable."

"Is he trying to cause the goblins to revolt!?" asked Harry.

"That's what we in the hullabaloos think," said Melony, "but we aren't sure why. We know he hates goblins, but this seems like the worst time for the magical world to have a civil war. Wiser heads have been counseling patience and trying to speak to as many wizards and witches in the Ministry as we can. Most of us figure that if Fudge wants us to revolt, that's the last thing we should do. But some have lost patience with the Ministry, since they keep going along with Fudge. If we would be forced to make our homes vulnerable to Death Eaters or other sorcerers Apparating in, then we may have no choice."

"Has the law passed yet?" asked Harry.

"No, it's just been proposed. Ministry procedures will keep it from getting voted on for a few months and then it won't take effect for a couple of months after that. If it comes down to it, we would most likely simply refuse to remove our protections and let them try to make us," said Melony sternly.

Harry nodded, "That makes sense: then you would have the advantage of not being the aggressors so that you have the full strength magic of goblins defending their homes."

"Also they would have the moral high ground of not starting aggression, but only peacefully refusing to comply with a law that unfairly discriminates against them," observed Flitwick.

"In addition to all that, there's some grumbling because of the mysterious death of the goblin who was found dead last week," said Melony.

"An unexplained goblin death!? I hadn't heard of that," exclaimed Flitwick.

"That wasn't in the paper," said Harry.

"We noticed that, and that fuels the suspicions," said Melony, "His name was Gribball, and ...

"Gribball?" interrupted Harry, "Isn't he the goblin who hit you, Dobby?"

"I don't know, Harry Potter, sir, maybe you were told while Dobby was not awake," answered Dobby.

"It was," said Melony, "He disappeared in the afternoon after he attacked Dobby. He was from a neighboring hullabaloo, and they all figured he was off sulking. We goblins can be kind of moody, and hide away sometimes. But after a few days, we started searching for him through all the places underneath Gringott's that he could have hidden and found nothing. Then last week his body was found in Knockturn Alley, killed from heliopathy."

"Heliopathy!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, "Knockturn Alley's too crowded and overhung to get that much sunlight."

"But that's what it was," said Melony, "I had to help examine the body myself. I'm not fully qualified yet, but I know those signs well enough."

"Then somebody must have moved his body after he died," said Harry.

"Or," said Flitwick, "found a way to bring strong sunlight where they want it."

"What are you saying, Glorfindel?" asked Melony fearfully.

"Well, if someone was going to attack goblins, the best way to do it is with the help of sunlight, right? But goblins have enough sense to keep out of the sunlight and to make their homes and businesses underground or well-sheltered from the sun. But what if somebody found a way to bring sunlight with them, mirrors or some way of generating light just as effective against goblins as sunlight? Then you could attack goblins in their homes with the sunlight making them as weak as moles."

Melony shuddered. "For a sunny goblin, you have suggested something very dark indeed. We goblins would be helpless. Such a thing could mean our extinction. I cannot doubt that if the goblins thought someone - especially the Ministry - was developing such a weapon, rebellion would be immediate, and unrestrained."

"Who could blame them?" said Harry solemnly. "But, Professor, how could we find out if such a thing is happening?"

"I'll talk to Dumbledore - he has plenty of connections all through the wizarding world. Melony, please keep this notion to yourself. Right now all we have is speculation based on a few scraps of information. The goal is to avoid unnecessary deaths - we don't want to set off any revolts without cause. But I will make you this pledge personally - if I find out that someone is doing such a thing, I will do everything in my power to put a stop to it."

"Me, too," said Dobby.

"Me, too," said Harry, "There's no excuse for such a thing."

"Well, let me look into it, Potter. You have your hands full with other matters. I can assure you that I will make sure we get to the bottom of Griball's death, if there are answers to be had. And on that sour note, Melony, it's time I got you back to your hullabaloo."

"Melony," said Harry "Thanks for visiting. I'm sorry we have to say goodbye so grimly."

"Well, it is perhaps good that I return in a mood befitting a goblin. But I am heartened that amongst the wizards we have such stalwart defenders as you three," Melony said, smiling awkwardly. She hugged Dobby and said goodbye. Then she and Flitwick disapparated.

Dobby jumped and squeaked. "I know I'm supposed to be sad and scared and grim after that scary talk, but I can't be - she hugged me!"