Harry Potter: Love's Second Chance

Hermione glared at Harry with a "We'll discuss that another time" stare before turning back to Dobby. "I was…I mean, I am, just trying to help," Hermione said. She remembered a swarm of house elves attacking Death Eaters with their kitchen knives and their own magic just last night. She shook her head to clear the memory, because she also remembered seeing some of them die in the attack. "Dobby, you can tell the other elves that I promise not to put out any more clothes. There might be some out now, but once they are cleaned up, I won't put more out."

"Yes, Miss Grangy."

"Can you call me Hermione, Dobby? I'd like to be your friend as well," Hermione said.

"Her – mine – e," Dobby voiced.

"Yes, Dobby, just like that," Hermione smiled. "Can I be your friend, too? If you need anything you can come to me for help, or to talk just like Harry."

"You want to be Dobby's friend?" When the small elf saw her nodding, tears leaked into his eyes, "Dobby would like that."

"I'm glad, and I'm sorry I caused you so much extra work," Hermione replied.

"Dobby doesn't mind extra work. Dobby enjoys it," The elf replied.

"Hermione is my girlfriend, Dobby," Harry said.

"Her-mine-e is your life mate, Harry Potter?" Dobby asked as his tennis ball eyes grew even bigger.

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. "Yes she is, but let's use the word girlfriend, okay, Dobby?"

"Of course, Harry Potter, sir."

"Harry, Dobby. Just call me Harry."

"Dobby, how is Winky?" Hermione asked.

"Winky is not good, Her-mine-e. She drinks far too much butterbeer," Dobby replied sadly. "Dobby tries to help. Dobby gives her some of the clothes Dobby finds here, but it only makes it worse. Winky still pines for Winky's family."

"Maybe I can talk to her?" Hermione asked.

Dobby looked sheepish, "That would be bad. Winky don't like you. Yous insulted Winky's family."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Well, is there anything we can do for her?"

"If you know of a good family who would take her in, that would help. Dobby wanted her to stay at Hogwarts, but being free is not good for Winky," The little elf said as he sadly shook his head.

Hermione was about to say something else, when she heard Harry say "I know you want her to be free but don't say it, not now, please," she turned and looked at him for a second and the turning back to Dobby. "We'll see, Dobby."

"Dobby better get back to work. This tower needs to be cleaned before people wake up," Dobby said.

"Okay, Dobby," Harry said, and then to Hermione, "I'm going to buy every pair of bright color socks I can find for that elf."

"I'll help, love, he saved my life as well, but don't forget about Kreacher. We have to do something about him without trying to recover that locket of Regulus'."

"Let's talk to Sirius tomorrow," Harry replied. "He is the one person I would like to tell everything too. I'll use the mirror and check in with him. Remind me to do that daily. If only I had opened that mirror then..."

"We're back and you have the mirror," Hermione said. "You have the chance to make it right."

"I know but...I wonder how many hours and days he sat with that mirror, waiting for me to call him?"

"I don't know Harry, probably a lot. He was, I mean, is very lonely," Hermione replied. "We will make him a part of our lives; he is your family, so now he is my family."

"One more thing we have to do. We have to find Peter," Harry thought. "Saving Sirius and he not being free might be worse than him dying."

"Well, we know he was at Malfoy Manor when we were there," Hermione said. Ron and Harry had, of course, told her what had happened in the basement, and how Peter had lost his life. "Since we can now believe Professor Snape, maybe Professor Dumbledore can get him to tell us where he is and we can set a trap of some sort."

"He would know where Wormtail is wouldn't he?" Harry asked. "Why didn't Dumbledore make an effort to capture him?" The thought tickled a memory of a discussion with Dumbledore.

"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt... When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."

"Do you think Dumbledore would sacrifice Sirius's freedom to keep Wormtail near Voldemort?" Harry asked Hermione. "You know, because he owed me a life debt?"

"Possible Harry, but it might have been just impossible to get to him," Hermione replied, and then thinking of what Miranda has said about the Headmaster. "Harry, what if he didn't want Sirius free?"

"Why wouldn't he have wanted Sirius…" Miranda's warning came to him as well. "He wanted me locked away at the Dursley's. That would make me, and them, safe. If Sirius was free, I would have gone to live with him."

"But, then why let us rescue him four, I mean two years ago?"

Harry waited to see if Miranda was going to break in and give them the information. When she didn't, he finally thought, "Because he knew if we had to stay out of sight, there would be no way to capture Peter. Without Wormtail, Sirius has to be on the run, and Dumbledore had another asset he could call upon when needed, one that would be extremely grateful. Remember how he deliberately told us we must not be seen?"

"True, but if that's the case, Dumbledore will never ask Professor Snape about Peter, will he?" Hermione asked.

"Doubtful, but I guess that will be the indicator. If he helps us find Peter, then we might be wrong, but otherwise…" Harry replied trying to figure out exactly how he felt about the Headmaster, but he was too confused at the moment to think of him. He turned his attention to Snape, and tried to determine the truth of Severus Snape and what he should think of the Potions Master.

"Just last night I watched him die," He thought, "I can't believe he loved my..." but then something didn't add up. He looked over at Hermione and thought of the love he had for her. Then he remembered what Miranda had said about love.

"You know, when I went to bed last night I thought Snape loved my mother," Harry continued to his wife. "But if Miranda is right, then there is no way he calls her a Mudblood if he loved her. He lashed out at her instinctively."

"IF?" Miranda screamed in his mind. "Okay, kid, what part of I'M the Goddess of Love are you really having trouble with?"

"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean it that way," Harry thought meekly, "Can you tell me? Did Snape love my mother?"

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