The Protector

Burying Dobby

I felt the world stop around me. I opened my eyes when I heard the waves and birds. I transported myself to Bill and Fleur's cottage. I didn't know where they would be, but I knew I could start there.

I looked around. Four people were walking along the shore to the house. One of them was carrying something or someone.

I walked to them. They must've sensed I was there, because they turned around. All of them were familiar faces. But all gloomy.

Hermione ran towards me. I ran to her as well, with open arms. She hugged me, "Thank god you're okay! We were so worried!" She seemed to be...almost crying. I nearly lost my balance.

"I'm fine, really," I squeezed her in the hug. "How are you guys?"

I looked past Hermione. Luna, Ron, and Harry were walking towards us. She let me go. Ron was the next one to hug me. "We're alright," he sighed as he let me go. "But...not everyone."

I turned to Luna with a smile, "Luna. I'm glad to see you're okay."

"I'm not okay," she gave me a half smile. "But I'll get there."

I always liked her honesty. I turned to Harry. He wasn't happy. Really not happy, actually. I didn't say anything. I looked down to his arms. Dobby was lying in his arms. All bloodied.

Dead. He was dead.

I looked up to Harry, who had been crying. "Harry, I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"You weren't here," he seemed angry. "You took off to leave us for dead. What if I died, Bridget? What if they killed me? Or Hermione? Or Ron?"

"We best leave you two to talk," Ron walked away with the other two girls.

"Harry, you need to understand-"

"No," he shook his head. "You don't understand. This is twice that you've ran away. You have no idea how much you've been hurting me. Not having my best friend around. To talk to. To be with when I'm scared. Because I'm so scared, Bridget. I'm so scared and angry. Now, Dobby's dead. Everyone that I've loved...except you. And I can't let them take you too."

The thing was, I knew how that felt. But they were going to take him away. I nodded, "I know. But I wasn't the one who disapparated away, Harry. I need you to understand that. He did. Not me."

"Why didn't you try to get here faster then?" He cocked his head. "Why didn't you try to leave when he stopped disapparating? You just wanted to see your bloody traitor of a boyfriend, didn't you?"

"Stop it, Harry," I warned. "If anything, he betrayed Voldemort. He knew who you were and didn't tell Bellatrix. He fixed me," I showed him my arm. "He didn't want to become a Death Eater. He had to. Because of me. He needed to protect me. And if you could see Ginny right now, would you? Be truthful with me. Would you leave if you could to go see her?"

His face contorted. He knew I was right. He sniffled. He looked down to the dead house elf.

I sighed, "How'd it happen?"

"Bellatrix," Harry started. "She threw a knife as we disapparated. It hit him. We couldn't stop it."

I held out my arms. I took the elf from him, "Let's go bury him. He'd want that. To be buried by Minster Harry Potter."

He smiled a little, before he started to cry. I set the house elf in the grass. When I stood up, he hugged me. I hugged him back so tight. Then a thought came into my head that almost made me begin to cry too.

Someday, I won't be hugging Harry anymore. One day, he'll be gone. I'll never be able to see him again.

I held him tight. When I felt him get hushed, I let him go. I picked up the house elf and we headed for the cottage.

We walked in, "Do you have a shovel we could borrow?"

Fleur looked to us with sad eyes, "Of course." She walked towards their garage. Bill followed. When they came back, Fleur was carrying a cloth of some sort, and Bill was carrying a shovel. "Pick anywhere. We don't mind."

"Thank you," Harry took the shovel and cloth. We walked out towards the tall grass. For the rest of the day, we took turns digging. Since he was so small we didn't have to dig too far.

Harry set Dobby into the small hole. I began to put the dirt on top of the small elf once Harry moved out of the way. Hermione and Ron helped the best they could.

Here lies Dobby, a Free Elf.

The wind didn't blow in our favor that afternoon/evening. It didn't feel right. Something bad was happening.

I could feel it in the waves too. They crashed on the shore like it was agitated. "I feel the same way," I whispered to myself as I stepped into the sea.

There wasn't a storm though. That was the odd thing. Even when the wind blew cold and the ocean was chaotic and the clouds were slightly grey, there was no storm.

I found it oddly wonderful how something could be so calm yet so furious at the same time. It was like a paradox. 

It wasn't fair. How the world can seem so beautiful even when everything's goi to shit. Seems like that's been the case since the end of fourth year.

School came to my mind as I strolled about the beach. I wished Neville was doing alright. I wondered how Nigel had been since I left. Maybe Ginny is Captain of the Quidditch team since I couldn't be.

I guess I wouldn't know.

That next morning was calm. Nothing was happening except for slight wind. I stepped out of the house. Harry was up by Dobbys grave. I knew he'd still be sad.

I headed back inside, "How's everyone this morning?" I leant up against the doorway in the small dining area.

"Fine," Hermione took a deep sigh.

"Alright," Ron agreed.

"I'm quite sad." Luna walked over to the wind chimes that were ringing by the door. "But it's still beautiful here."

"This was our aunts," Bill explained. "Ron and I used to come here when we were kids. But now, the Order has decided to use it as a Safe House for certain people."

Harry came strolling in as Luna began to talk about the wind chime. She finished her sentence and looked to Harry.

My best friend walked up to the doorway of the kitchen, "I would like to talk to Griphook."

I groaned, "Harry, give the poor Goblin a break. At least until this afternoon."

"No, I need to see him now."