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Lynn's Fanfic

"A Summer Sky of Blue and a Visit from Dobby, Too"

“The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive … The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.”

Harry opened his eyes…he could see clouds? He lifted his head. Great, how was he going to explain this one! Aunt Petunia is going to love this – right in the middle of her chrysanthemums! Then his concern turned towards himself. Harry started gingerly checking his body for breaks – he knew calling for help would be a waste of time. The Dursleys wouldn’t come to his aid – they’d rather just leave him there to rot, perhaps he would be good fertilizer, they’d probably just cover him up with leaves.

Okay…toes, fingers, legs, arms – Harry had already lifted his head. He sat up slowly. Harry felt his head for cuts and knocked a few dried leaves loose in the process. He looked up to his window, what had happened? Oh yeah…Hagrid’s book, 5th year Greater Magical Creatures ("Extreme Caution Advised" in small print). The blast-end skrewts were nothing compared to the Nemean Lion or the Chimaera. Harry had simply been bored when he decided to open the book. Still a few weeks before the end of vacation and he was stuck in his room with nothing to do but study. Wouldn’t Hermione be proud?

Harry remembered that he had just turned to the page on the Chimaera, when it burped or something that could pass as a burp. The force knocked him backwards right out his bedroom window. Luckily, one summer when the Weasley twins rescued him, they had pulled the bars off the window. Harry shuddered when he thought about what a mess he might be if they hadn’t! As it was, he had landed in the soft soil bed with a muffled thud. Hopefully the noise hadn’t attracted any attention from the neighbours or worse, the Dursleys.

Harry got up and scuffed the dirt in the bed with his toe and tried to straighten out some of the crumpled mums…when he heard a strange, but familiar voice say, “Mr. Harry Potter, sir?”

Harry spun around. Oh no it was Dobby, the house elf. It was the better part of valour to stay away from Dobby. It could be too hard on your lifespan to have a visit from him, especially at the Dursley’s house. Never mind the flower bed, how would Harry explain Dobby? The last time he showed up was the night of the visit with the Masons – it was disastrous! Harry would be locked in his room forever if the Dursleys caught sight of him.

“Dobby, I need you to leave – NOW! I can talk to you at Hogwarts, but you have to go NOW! If my Uncle or Aunt see you, I’ll be in big trouble.”

“No, no Mr. Harry Potter, if Dobby got you into trouble, I would have to go iron my ears or hit my head against this tree.”

“Shhhhhsh!!!!” Harry hissed at Dobby who was speaking quite loudly.

“No, Dobby not get you into trouble,” Dobby quieted his voice. “Dobby only came to visit Mr. Harry Potter.” Dobby seemed quite excited and his voice began to rise as he explained why he had shown up.

“Listen Dobby,” Harry was hissing again. “Just tell my why you are here. You are not here to stop me from returning to Hogwarts are you?” Harry was beginning to get frantic. He didn’t want to be discovered talking to Dobby nor did he want to think about not returning to Hogwarts.

“Oh no, Mr. Harry Potter sir, you must return to Hogwarts, we miss you at Hogwarts.” Dobby bobbed up and down, and his voice getting louder.

“Ssshhhhhhshsh!” Harry clenched his teeth and his eyes shot to the open window above their heads.

“Harry. Harry!” that was Aunt Petunia. She was starting to raise her voice. “Where are you?”

“Look Dobby I have to go now.” Harry made a move to leave the flowerbed area but Dobby intercepted.

“Mr. Harry Potter can’t leave yet. Dobby hasn’t given him his birthday gift yet.” Dobby had simply waved his hand and Harry was frozen to the spot. Paralyzed.

Unable to move, but able to speak, Harry started to panic. “Dobby listen, could you give me my present later? I have to go.”

Dobby started to pout; he looked like he was about to cry. “Mr. Harry Potter doesn’t want Dobby’s gift?” It was more a statement than a question, and Dobby ran over to the nearest tree and started hitting his head against the trunk. The resounding thuds reverberated somewhat like an amplified woodpecker.

Harry, who was still frozen to the spot couldn’t see Dobby any longer but he could certainly hear the racket Dobby was making. He knew as well, that Aunt Petunia would certainly home in on the noise outside her kitchen window and come to investigate…a window that was open just above where he had landed. He had to think fast.

“Dobby, Dobby, I’m very excited about the present. What is my present?” Harry’s voice wavered. He was not only frantic about being seen by the Dursleys, but he didn’t want Dobby to leave because he still couldn’t move…He imagined that the Dursleys would simply put a lantern in one hand and plant flowers at his feet. They would tell the neighbours that they had a cousin who ‘was extremely talented with sculpture’ and leave him there. He could picture the leaves falling around his feet in the fall and everyone at Hogwarts wondering where he was…Christmas, they would hang lights on him and stand in the kitchen window and laugh and point. Harry gave himself a mental shake. He needed to get Dobby’s attention.

“Dobby, come here!” Harry had raised his voice to be heard over the knocking noise Dobby was making with his head.

“Harry is that you? What did you say? Are you talking back? Where are you?” Petunia was really working up a head of steam.

Dobby appeared back in front of Harry. Harry could hear Aunt Petunia working her way through the house, her voice getting louder as she approached. It was only a matter of moments until she either reached the window or burst out the side door. Harry’s mind was racing.

“Dobby, would you release me please?” Harry tried to smile but his face was frozen. “Then you can give me my present.” Harry wasn’t really sure he wanted it, but it might be better than becoming a lawn ornament.

Dobby smiled and bobbed up and down on the spot. “Certainly, Mr. Potter, sir, Dobby will release you and give you your gift too. Mr. Potter sir, would like Dobby’s gift?”

Harry could hear Aunt Petunia opening the back door. He could hear her voice piercing the silence in the air, “Harry! Harry, are you out there?”

“Yes, Dobby, Harry Potter wants, I mean I wants….want your gift. Now release me. Please!” Harry pleaded; he was trying to stop his voice from rising and sounding too urgent. He wasn’t enjoying the idea of being locked up until September or worse.

Dobby raised his hand and released Harry just as Aunt Petunia rounded the corner. “There you are. Didn’t you hear me? Ahhhhhh!” Petunia had stopped short once she had spotted Dobby. “What is that?” Sheer panic contorted Petunia’s face, and her eyes darted around the area looking for glimpses of her neighbours. “You know what this means don’t you. Wait until your Uncle Vernon hears about this!” her voice was pitched high and she spit the words out from between her clenched teeth.

Dobby took that moment to interrupt any reply Harry would have made. “Here is your gift Mr. Harry Potter sir!” Dobby bounced on the spot with excitement. A strange smile swept over Aunt Petunia’s face, like the ocean that washes a footprint away in the sand. Softens the edges, smooths out the ridges.

“Oh Harry dear, I thought I heard you outside. And who is your little friend?” Petunia now had a smile pasted to her face. She stood batting her lashes and waiting rather coquettishly for a reply from Harry.

Harry was shocked. He was not only shocked; he was utterly speechless. “Harry dear?” Harry mouthed the words soundlessly. Where did that come from? Just as he was trying to analyze what had happened, a dread overtook him as Uncle Vernon rounded the corner with a furious bluster apparent from his red neck right up to the roots of his hair.

Dobby turned to face Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon was already sputtering, “Look here. I’ll not have any more…” his voice faded away. “Well now Harry, don’t you know it’s not polite not to introduce your favourite uncle to your friends?” “How do you do. I’m Vernon Dursley” Uncle Vernon had stopped suddenly and wrapped a friendly and very meaty arm around Harry’s slender shoulders, so meaty that Harry almost buckled under the weight. Uncle Vernon gave Harry an overzealous squeeze that very nearly took the wind out of him.

Harry still couldn’t speak. His mouth was moving but nothing coherent would emerge. His knees felt weak and he couldn’t stop staring between Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia’s smiling face. Finally, he tore his eyes away from this horror and looked at Dobby.

“Does Mr. Harry Potter like Dobby’s birthday gift?” Dobby clasped his hands together in sweet anticipation.

Harry gathered his wits. “Dobby…uh…let me get this straight. Your gift to me is that the Dursley’s like me?” He just couldn’t fathom this to be true.

“Yes sir, Harry Potter sir. Dobby wanted to give you a gift. Mr. Harry Potter sir is happy?”

Harry didn’t want to hurt Dobby but he needed to know more about this. “Dobby, how long will this…uh…the Dursley’s liking me uh…last?”

Uncle Vernon gave Harry a shake by the shoulders from the arm that was still resting there. “What are you talking about boy? There’s never been any doubt about our feelings towards you. Always treated you like my own son. Isn’t that right Petunia?”

Aunt Petunia still wore the glazed smile and she nodded excitedly, “Oh my, why yes of course dear. Our own son.” She tilted her head and smiled even harder at Harry. Harry thought he was going to throw up. He didn’t know how to handle this ‘new’ Aunt Petunia.

“Dobby, how long?” The weight of Uncle Vernon’s arm was really becoming too much. Dudley chose that moment to walk around the corner to investigate the voices he had heard when he was raiding the refrigerator, and froze in mid stride.

“What’s going on here?” Dudley’s blinked several times. His unbelieving and beady eyes darted from his mother, to his father and then to Harry. He hadn’t even seen Dobby yet.

Uncle Vernon removed his arm and boomed at Dudley. “This is NONE of your business, and if I were you, I would go back into that house and straight to your bedroom! I’ll have none of that tone around my dear nephew Harry, do you hear?” Uncle Vernon made a menacing step towards a very startled Dudley.

An audible clunk was heard as Dudley’s jaw hit his chest. Dudley’s murderously accusing eyes shot to Harry. Harry’s face was almost bursting with the smile that he didn’t bother to contain. It stretched clearly from one side of his face to the other side.

And just when Dudley thought it couldn’t get worse, Aunt Petunia rounded on him too. “I expect that you will vacuum the house and start to prepare supper. It’s Harry’s birthday today. Your father and I have to take Harry shopping. Make sure you have the house ready by the time we get back. And don’t MESS IT UP!” Dudley cringed at the thought of work. This was obviously a nightmare. Work? Cook?

Uncle Vernon turned his back on Dudley and resumed his stance next to Harry. He casually slung his arm once more around Harry’s shoulders and made a step to herd him to the car. “Yes Harry, we have to hurry, there’s only six hours left for shopping today and we want to make sure that we get something special for our darling nephew.” He paused a moment and then continued, “How many gifts do you think you would like there Harry my boy? Would you fancy about ten?

Aunt Petunia’s face registered shock. “Why Vernon, I’m ashamed. We got that useless lump of flesh Dudley thirty-nine presents last year! Harry deserves far more than that. At LEAST fifty, do you hear, and not one less!” Petunia was adamant and stomped her foot to punctuate her point.

“Why of course dear.” Uncle Vernon was trying to appease his wife. “I don’t know what possessed me. Of course Harry deserves more than ten, why not make it an even hundred. Do you think that will fix you up my boy?” Uncle Vernon was smiling and squeezing Harry ever so tight, genuinely worried that it might not be enough to satisfy both Harry and his now angered wife.

Harry could do naught but nod his head. Enough of his breath wouldn’t come out for him to ‘squeak’ an answer.

“Alright my boy, I’ll go get the car. Petunia and I will wait in the drive. Say Harry, why don’t you invite your little friend back for this evening? The more the merrier, hey my boy? Hmmm, what do say?” Not waiting for a reply, Uncle Vernon strode purposely toward the car park, followed closely by a now appeased Aunt Petunia.

Harry was left in silence with Dobby, his body shuddering as he gasped and his lungs were rewarded by suddenly being filled once again with air.

“How long is this going to last…” Harry had to gulp he hadn’t quite regained his full composure…“Dobby, how long?”

“Dobby thought that you would like this gift to last forever, Mr. Harry Potter sir.” Dobby was looking up with his huge eyes appealing to Harry for some confirmation.

Harry smiled. He didn’t think that Dudley would survive like this forever. He didn’t even think he could stand to see Aunt Petunia’s horrific smile or the weight of Uncle Vernon’s arm around him that often, but it seemed to him that he could hold out for at least a few weeks, the last few weeks before he returned to Hogwarts. This could be fun. Dudley wasn’t going to enjoy it, but Harry was. A rather sadistic smile crossed Harry’s face.

“Mr. Harry Potter likes Dobby’s gift?” Dobby was wringing his hands together.

Harry smiled down at Dobby. “Dobby, I think that forever is too long…” Dobby’s ears went down and he immediately headed for the tree, which now bore a few dents where previously it had none. “But,” Dobby stopped in his tracks. Harry smiled as Dobby turned around and his ears perked up. “I would certainly enjoy it if this gift were to last until I got to Platform 9 ¾ on the day I left for Hogwarts.”

“Dobby can do this Mr. Harry Potter sir, Dobby can!” Dobby fairly leaped into the air with excitement.