Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

10. Imprisoned

It wasn't long after Cassiopeia's strange interaction with Draco, that Harry stopped showing up to meet her.
She would wait for hours in their usual spot, but he never showed up or replied to her owls.
Assuming that this meant he was in trouble, Cassiopeia headed to Privet Drive to check on him.
Cassiopeia watched the house and waited for the Dursleys to head out, before sneaking around the side of the building and entering the back garden.
From there she could see Harry's bedroom, and the reason he hadn't come to see her became clear. He had prison bars on his window, trapping him inside.

Thinking on her feet, Cassiopeia ran towards the shed and smashed the lock off the door, using a rock from the garden.
She then threw open the door and stepped inside.
It didn't take her long to find what she was after, as she knew the Dursleys had to have a ladder if they had put the bars on the outside of Harry's window.
She picked up the ladder and headed out of the shed, before propping it up against the side of the house.

As carefully as she could, Cassiopeia climbed up the ladder, not stopping until she reached Harry's window.
She carefully let go with one hand and reached through a gap in the bars, so that she could knock on the glass window.
Harry leapt up from his bed when he heard the noise, and he rushed to his window.
When he saw Cassiopeia on the other side, he frantically opened the window so that he could talk to her.

"Cee, what on earth are you doing here?" Questioned Harry.
"Checking on you of course. What's happened to you? Why are there bars on your window?" Demanded Cassiopeia.
"It's kind of a long story" admitted Harry.
"I'm listening"
"Alright, well a house-elf turned up in my bedroom and told me not to return to Hogwarts this year. He also revealed that he's been stopping all of my mail from arriving, which is why I haven't been getting my friends messages. I demanded that gave me back my letters and he refused. He tried to run away so I followed him downstairs, which is when everybody went wrong".

"What happened next?" Asked Cassiopeia.
"Well, the Dursleys were hosting a dinner party for Vernon's boss, so I was supposed to stay in my room pretending I didn't exist. Anyway, when I got downstairs I saw the elf looking at the dessert Petunia had made, with an evil look in his eye. I begged him not to, but he said he was doing it for my own good, to stop me going back to school. So, he used magic to make the pudding hover, and then he dropped it on Mrs Mason's head- the wife of Vernon's boss. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, an owl appeared from the Ministry reminding me not to use magic outside of Hogwarts, or I will be expelled. Even though it wasn't even me who used the magic, it was a house-elf" revealed Harry.

"So all in all, not a good day" commented Cassiopeia.
"No, Vernon was fuming. He put locks on my window and my door. I am only allowed to leave my room twice a day, to go to the toliet, once in the morning and once in the evening. All my school things are locked up in the cupboard under the stairs, so I don't have those to take my mind off how bad things are. Petunia even installed a cat flap in my door, to pass me my meals, because I'm not welcome downstairs anymore. The Dursleys are adamant that they aren't going to let me return to Hogwarts in September. I'm going to remain locked in my room forever" replied Harry.
"No, you are not" insisted Cassiopeia.

"Can you get me out?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I could bust you out of here no problem. Breaking and entering has never been a problem for me, especially as there are no magical enchantments around the property. Getting you out isn't the problem, it's what I do with you once you are free, that is the issue" explained Cassiopeia.
"What do you mean?" Frowned Harry.
"Well, you can't live with me, for I'm a wanted criminal. And if Dumbledore or the Ministry is able to track you to your new location, then they can track me. You are underage, which means you have the Trace on you, and all magic done in this area will be blamed on you, since there aren't any other wizards in Little Whinging. And I do not want to end up in Azkaban for kidnapping the boy who lived, or for my other crimes".

Harry's face fell, "So, you aren't going to help me?".
"I didn't say that. Don't worry Harry, I will find a way to ensure that you don't spend your entire summer in this place. And no matter what happens, you will go back to Hogwarts on September the 1st. You have my word" reassured Cassiopeia.
"Thanks Cee. I knew I could rely on you" smiled Harry.
"You can. I will always be here for you... But my main goal is keeping you alive, and right now you face bigger threats than the Dursleys. I need to figure out who hates you enough to send their house-elf to harass you, and stop you going back to school".

"Well, Dobby claimed that no one sent him. He said he'd overheard a terrible plot due to take place at Hogwarts, and he came here to stop me from going back there, so that I wouldn't get hurt. He kept hitting himself when he thought he had said something that his master wouldn't like" revealed Harry.
"Wait, the house-elf was called Dobby?" Questioned Cassiopeia.
"Well, that's what he said his name was" answered Harry.

Cassiopeia's mind began to spin as she tried to figure out what this meant.
She knew that Dobby served the Malfoys, but unlike most house-elves, he seemed to dislike his work. Which was probably because of the mistreatment he recieved at the hands of Lucius.
Draco's recent confession to her about his father's evil plans, was also playing on Cassiopeia's mind.
If Lucius's plans had involved Harry, then it would have made sense for Draco to send Dobby to stop Harry returning to school. That way Draco could do the right thing, without his father ever knowing what he'd done.
But since Dobby hated the Malfoys, he could well have been acting of his own accord.

"What's the matter? He's not your elf is he?" Quizzed Harry, interupting Cassiopeia's thoughts.
"No, my family's house-elf was called Kreacher" answered Cassiopeia, without thinking.
"Wait, I wasn't being serious. I was just joking, but you actually had a house-elf?" Asked Harry.
"All pure-blood families have one" admitted Cassiopei.
"But aren't they basically slaves?"
"Sort of, but most of them are quite happy as they enjoy serving the magical family that they are tied to. They aren't human, so they don't have the same thoughts and feelings that we do"
"And are they all odd looking?"
"Most do look quite strange, yes".

"So, if Dobby isn't your family's elf, then which family does he serve?" Questioned Harry.
"I can't tell you. I can't put Dobby in danger like that, especially as I don't know for sure which master he serves, or what his intentions are. If he really has gone behind his master's back, then telling his family what he has done could get him badly punished or even killed. Which is why I am not going to tell you who he serves" replied Cassiopeia.
Harry groaned, "Why do you always keep me in the dark and refuse to tell me things?".
"Because the wizarding world is a dangerous place, and I am trying to keep you safe. Which is why for now, I think it's best that you stay here".

"You're going to leave me here?" Frowned Harry.
"Only temporarily. I will return each morning to check on you, and bring you food, once the Dursleys are out doing summer activities. Normally I would come at night to hide my movements, but I can't risk breaking into the shed and using this ladder while the Dursleys are in the house. So, I will return tomorrow morning to look in on you, and hopefully I will have some news about this Dobby situation. But until then, keep your chin up and think about more enjoyable things, like returning to Hogwarts in September" replied Cassiopeia.
"Alright, I'll do my best" mumbled Harry.
"That's my boy".