Harry frowned in confusion and said, "But, it's Saturday."
Nodding, she replied, "They sometimes work on a Saturday to cater to those people who can't get time off work to go to the dentist. It's quite profitable for them. I dare say that, since the Greengrasses were willing to bring me back here and I can floo home directly from here, they've used the opportunity before the summer break and we're away on holidays."
Nodding in understanding he stood with her as she rose to walk to the parlour.
Just before she reached for her trunk, he put his hand on her arm to halt her and said in a soft voice, "I'm truly sorry I upset you on the train, Hermione."
She smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I'm alright, now, Harry. It was just confronting - at the time. Hexing you and Neville helped."
Returning the hug he just nodded on her shoulder. Backing away and picking up her trunk by it's handle, she reached for the floo powder. Dashing the powder in she called, "Dentistry!" and was gone a moment later.
With a sigh of remorse, Harry headed out back to see how Neville was doing with Daphne's tour of the gardens.
For Harry, summer was proving to be, in a word, 'Brilliant!'.
However, on the evening of his birthday, where he received a small cache of very nice gifts, Harry was lying in bed ready to go to sleep when a house elf popped in standing on the foot of his bed. It appeared to be trying not to tremble in fear, and it's fingers were bandaged.
"Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts," it said.
"What?" asked Harry. "Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts," it said more firmly.
"What on earth are you on about?" asked Harry with a frown.
"Great danger will be at Hogwarts, this year, Harry Potter Sir," the elf said.
"Oh, great," he said, sarcastically. "There was a possessed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor when I turned up at the Sorting. What's it going to be this year?"
"Dobby cannot say, Harry Potter," said the elf. "The Great Harry Potter must stay away."
"Who's elf are you?" he asked.
"I is a Malfoy elf, Harry Potter," it said.
"So, Malfoy has something in motion to cause danger to me; right?" asked Harry. "Dobby cannot say, Harry Potter," replied the elf.
"Well that's just naffing great, isn't it?" he half-snarled in a mutter.
Looking at the elf, Harry firmed his voice and said, "Thank you for the warning, Dobby. I'll take it on board."
The elf popped away without another word.
Harry laid back down and was wondering what the year would bring when he finally dropped off to sleep.
The next morning, he approached Cygnus about the weird visit he received from the Malfoy house elf.
"I just cannot fathom why he would come here to warn me," muttered Harry with a frown. "And the warning, too, wasn't mentioning me in particular. It was 'Great danger would be at Hogwarts, this year.' Which leads me to believe he implies everyone at Hogwarts will be at risk. So, why would he come and warn me, in particular?"
"It sounds like you have a fan in a house elf," smiled Cygnus.
"Great!" grouched Harry. "It's bad enough I have young witches making moon-eyes at me whenever I go into Diagon Alley or walk the corridors of Hogwarts. Now I have house elves doing it."
"Is the Great Harry Potter getting annoyed with his fame?" asked Cygnus in a mickey-taking voice.
Harry just stuck his tongue out in reply.
Which, of course, made Cygnus laugh.
"But, what can we do about it?" asked Harry. "I don't like the idea of complaining to the Malfoys about it as the poor thing looked like it was being abused. I'd hate to learn they killed it for warning me."
"We do nothing, for now," replied a more serious Cygnus. "The warning is too general - for us to do anything else. All we can do is monitor the situation and see what develops."
"So, it'll be a case of 'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more'."
Three days later, the Daily Prophet carried a story of nine simultaneous raids on various properties of witches and wizards. Harry noticed one was on Malfoy Manor; or, more properly called, Black Manor.
Tapping on the article while he was sitting at the breakfast table, Harry asked Cygnus, "Cygnus? Have you heard of these raids carried out overnight by the aurors?" Frowning, Cygnus picked up his own copy and read the article.
"No. I didn't know about them," he said. "But they're all homes and businesses belonging to those who claimed they were under the Imperious Curse to escape prosecution after the war."
"So, they're all Death Eaters, then?" he asked.
Nodding, Cygnus replied, "Yes. So, it seems the aurors decided a lightning raid on their properties might have turned something up to prove their guilt."
Looking a bit longer, he further said, "Arthur Weasley was heading the raids. He's the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office within the DMLE. I wonder why he was involved." "Weasley?" asked Harry. "Any relation, you know of, with the Weasleys at Hogwarts?"
"Their father," replied Cygnus. "A good man, if a little henpecked by his wife."
"Cygnus!" scolded Isabel.
"Well, it's true," Cygnus defended himself. "Molly Prewett is a shrew, who is too quick to temper and voice. But, they do honestly love each other and their kids."
"Do you think they might have found anything?" asked Harry.
"I doubt it," replied Cygnus. "Malfoy is too shrewd and canny to have anything that might incriminate him in any wrongdoing easily found in his home."
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