Star-Crossed

Chapter Forty-Two: Doom and Dueling

Night fell soon after everyone left. Harry was sound asleep in the bed next to me, but for some reason I was wide awake. The pains running up my arm weren't allowing me to sleep. But it was the dreams that really had me fighting the exhaustion pulling at my eyelids.

I fell asleep for a split second hours earlier and in seconds that same dream plagued me. The whispers, the death, the blood. All of it flooded my sight and I lurched awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, paralyzed.

Harry hadn't even stirred.

Until now.

Kill.

I flinched and Harry jolted awake.

It was that voice again. That god awful, drawling, hissing voice.

Kill.

Harry and I met gazes and looked around in fright.

Time to kill.

Harry pushed his glasses on as I pulled myself onto my knees, looking toward the ceiling, listening to the chilling, monstrous sounds that filled the room now. I was leaning forward, trying to track it, but instead came face to face with a pair of incredibly large blue eyes.

"Hello!" Came the squeaky voice of Dobby as he sat on the edge of my bed, grinning broadly.

I gasped, jolting backward and falling onto my bed in surprise.

Both Harry and I breathed at the same time, rather surprised to even see the House elf at all, "Dobby?"

"The Potters should have listened to Dobby," He pointed at Harry, "They should have gone back home when they missed the train."

I frowned as the realisation dawned on me, "It was you. You stopped the barrier from letting us through."

"Indeed." Dobby nodded rapidly, "Yes, Ma'am."

Harry's anger shone in his eyes as he glowered at the house elf, "You nearly got the three of us expelled."

"At least you would be away from here." Dobby countered shrilly, he hopped to his feet, moving toward Harry earnestly, "The Potters must go home! Dobby thought his Bludgers might be enough to make the Potters see that-"

My anger pulsed higher at that. His bludgers? He'd sent those rogue bludgers after us, hurting us just because he didn't want us here?
"Your bludgers." I hissed, my jaw clenching, "You made those bludgers chase after us...they almost killed us!"

He turned back toward me, eyes even more wide, if it was possible, "Dobby feels most aggrieved, Ma'am. Dobby had to iron his hands." He raised both hands, revealing nasty burns wrapped in shredded fabric.

Harry scoffed, "You better clear off before my bones grow back, Dobby, or I might just strangle you."

Dobby whimpered and hopped off of the bed, obviously put off by the threat, "Dobby is used to death threats, sir." Harry and I both got up and approached Dobby, "Dobby gets them five times a day at home."

I sniffed, "I don't suppose you could tell us, why you're trying to kill us?"

"No, no," Dobby shook his head adamantly as he rounded my bed, still backing away from us, "Not kill you, no no, never kill you. Dobby remembers how it was before the Potter twins triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." He hopped up onto my bed and crawled over, emerging on the other side, "We house elves were treated as vermin, of course- Dobby is still treated like vermin-" His lower lip quivered for a second before he dissolved into sobs.