Call Me Vengeful

Shell Cottage

Chapter Twenty-Five: Shell Cottage
***Embry's POV***

I only open my eyes again when I felt the nice breeze surrounding us. Looking at our new surroundings I saw water and felt the wet sand underneath me. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that we'd escaped, that Dobby had once again come to my rescue when I was in need of it. I sat up when I did so my smile left my face almost immediately. Only a few feet away from me I saw Dobby standing there, clutching his stomach as red stained the rag he was wearing for clothes.

"Harry Potter," he whispered Harry's name, drawing the attention of the others.

"Dobby!" I choked out his name as I hurried over to him as he collapsed in the sand. I pulled him into my lap and cradled his head as my tears started to blur my vision.

"Dobby," Harry said his name as a strangled sob as he reached us, tears beginning to blur his vision as well.

"Just hold on, we're going to fix this." Harry promised him as he looked over to where Ron had his arm wrapped around Hermione's shoulders. "Hermione, the dittany in your purse! Hermione! Help me!"

"It's so beautiful," Dobby smiled as he looked up at the sky above us. "Dobby is happy that he may be with his friends...Harry Potter...Embry Black."

"Dobby," I sobbed his name as I held him tightly, his large green eyes staring off into nothing. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be. All those times I was supposed to die and he'd kept me alive...it wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

I heard the crunch of the sand underfoot and looked up as Luna knelt down beside Harry and I.

"We should close his eyes...don't you think?" She asked as she reached over and careful closed Dobby's eyes with her fingers. "There, now he could be sleeping."

"I want to bury him." Harry told us as he wiped some tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "Properly, without magic."

"He deserves that," I agreed as I held the light body of my first friend in my arms.

Harry nodded as he stood up and not ten minutes later he was digging a small grave that overlooked the water. As he did so I just sat there, rocking Dobby's body while Hermione made him a tombstone. When the grave was done I gently placed Dobby inside of it, kissing him gently on the forehead before stepping back and allowing Harry and Ron to fill the grave with sand and dirt again. When it was done I looked at it, the tombstone reading:

Here lies Dobby

A Free Elf

It was perfect.

"Why did you have him bring us here Ron?" Hermione asked after the small funeral for Dobby was over. We all just stood there together, looking at the water.

"It was our aunt's, we used to come here as kids." Ron told us as he started to lead us towards a house a little ways away. "The Order uses it as a safe house now, at least what's left of us."

"Are you alright Embry?" Luna asked as she and I walked together. "You're limping."

"I just messed up my leg, it'll be alright Luna." I assured her as we kept going. When we reached the house Ron walked to the door and knocked a few times. When the door opened I couldn't help but smile at the familiar face.

"Ron?" Bill looked at his little brother in surprise before taking in the rest of us. "Hurry on and get inside."

He ushered us all in, briefly giving Ron and I each hugs before closing door behind all of us. I looked around the small kitchen that the door led into and smiled at the feeling of being inside a home again.

"Bill, 'vat vas zat?" A familiar French accent carried into the room before I actually saw her. Fleur looked so different than from the last time I'd seen her at their wedding. She seemed tired and was dressed in a loose fitting dress that made her seem older than she really was. At seeing us she froze for a moment before coming over to me and hugging me tightly, enough to cause me to wince.

"Je suis si inquiète pour vous Embry. Vous venez et disparu sans nous dire où vous alliez! Ses fait des mois sans un seul mot de vous! Je te croyais mort!" She spoke in rapid French.

"I know Fleur, I'm sorry." I apologized, though I hadn't understood a word she had said to me. My apology seemed to satisfy her though as she nodded and released me from her death grip.

"Where have you all been?" Bill asked as Fleur started to help Ollivander upstairs to rest. "There hasn't been any news of you since Dad saw you all at the Ministry and that was months ago."

"We've been a bit busy," Ron rubbed the back of his neck as I sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, my leg already throbbing again from my pain. Some of my pain must have slipped onto my face because Hermione and Bill both gave me nervous glances.

"Are you alright?" Bill asked.

"I'm fine-" I began.

"Her leg and back are hurt." Hermione ratted me out as she came over and lifted the back of my shirt to look at the cut she'd bandaged before our meeting with Xenophilius. "It looks like it needs to be cleaned again, it might be infected."

"I'm fine," I assured her, only to receive a doubtful look from everyone.

"Fleur's pretty handy with that type of stuff, she'll take a look at it." Bill told us as he came over to me. "I'll take you upstairs and get you set up-"

"I'm fine, really!" I cut him off.

"Enough, Mum would have my head if I didn't help you." He shook his head. I huffed as he picked me up and I couldn't help but wince as he tucked one of his arms underneath my legs, brushing against the bandaged cut on one of them.

All I could really do was cross my arms across my chest as he carried me up the stairs. Once we reached the second floor we passed by an open bedroom where I spotted Fleur looking over Mr. Ollivander. The poor old man seemed to be nothing but skin and bones, I wondered how different his appearance had been prior to his imprisonment by Voldemort. Bill wasted no time in continuing onto a bedroom next door to Mr. Ollivander's in which a small bed was placed in the center of the room with a small table next to it and a chair in the corner, by the window. It was a plain room but it still held the comforting feeling that any Weasley room contained.

Bill was careful as he placed me down on the bed and covered me with a thin blanket. It almost seemed as though I were his child, only causing me to scowl at him even more.

"Get some rest, Fleur will come check on you after she's done with Mr. Ollivander." He promised before heading out of the room to rejoin the others. Though I wanted to argue with him I found myself unable to, lethargy sweeping over me without warning. As I gave into the newly acquired craving for sleep I could identify the feeling as that of a tiring charm.

Damn Hermione.