Child of Hogwarts: Part I

Chapter Five - Summer at Hogwarts

CHAPTER FIVE

Summer at Hogwarts

Harry woke sometime in the early evening, judging by the sliver of sky he could see through the gap in the curtains on the window opposite his bed. For a moment, he thought he had awoken in Gryffindor tower. The bed he lay upon felt similarly deep and comfortable, and it was even a four-poster lined with scarlet curtains, though the curtains had been left open while he slept. He could feel the magic of Hogwarts all around him, cradling him comfortably. Harry sighed as he stretched a bit, gathering his bearings as memories of the day flooded back. He knew he was at Hogwarts, although the room he was in was unfamiliar to him. He remembered that the headmaster had come for him – had taken him from his aunt and uncle's house. Harry remembered sitting in the headmaster's study, and that Dumbledore had fixed his cheek. He pressed a hand to his face to find that the swelling had completely subsided. He remembered telling the headmaster, McGonagall, and Snape about Dobby's appearance, but sometime after that he must have fallen asleep. He certainly had no recollection of being shown to the room he was in now.

A little confused, Harry pushed the covers back and slid off the bed, noticing that someone must have changed his clothes. He was wearing the scarlet and gold Gryffindor pyjamas he normally wore to bed at Hogwarts. He found his glasses propped against a candle on the bedside table. Looking around the room, he saw that his trunk rested against the foot of the bed. Someone had taken out his books and broomstick. The spellbooks, quills and parchment were stacked on a desk along one wall of the room, and his broomstick stood propped in a corner. A quick glance at the wardrobe showed him someone had also unpacked his clothing – robes and Muggle clothes alike were hung neatly from a row of hangers inside. Harry selected a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, and pulled them quickly on. He wasn't certain, but he thought he'd probably be allowed to do away with the wearing of school robes, seeing as it was now summertime. He was just shoving his feet into trainers when a sudden crack! startled him, and he whirled about.

For a moment he thought, wildly, that Dobby had just appeared in the room. It was, unmistakably, a house-elf. When the creature spoke, however, Harry thought it might be female. Her voice was even higher and squeakier than Dobby's had been.

'Master Harry Potter, sir,' the little elf said, dipping her head in a bow. Harry noticed that, unlike Dobby, she wore a much cleaner cloth over her tiny body, with the Hogwarts emblem over the right breast pocket. Harry thought it looked like a pillowcase with arm holes. 'I is Mina,' the elf continued. 'I is being Master Dumbledore's elf, sir. Master Dumbledore sends Mina to see if Master Harry Potter is awake, sir, and to show him the way to the stairs.'

'Just Harry is fine, Mina, thank you,' Harry said hurriedly. 'Er, where am I, exactly?'

'Master Harry is in his room, sir,' said the elf, looking confused and a little concerned. 'His room in Master Dumbledore's quarters, Master Harry.'

'Oh, er... right.' Said Harry, thoroughly bewildered. 'And, er, Mina – where is the headmaster?'

'Master Dumbledore is downstairs, in his study,' the elf said, brightly. 'He is with Mistress McGonagall, young master. They is waiting for you.' Harry nodded, and straightened from his crouch, trainers intact. The elf bobbed ahead, opening the door. 'The stairs is just down the corridor, Master Harry, on the right. Does Master Harry need Mina to show him?'

'No, thank you, Mina, I'll be fine,' said Harry, giving the elf a smile. He made his way from the bedroom in the direction the elf had indicated, and found himself at the top of the staircase he assumed he'd seen from the study earlier in the day. He followed it down quickly, catching sight of the headmaster and Professor McGonagall as he reached the bottom. They broke off their conversation and looked up at him, both smiling.