"Grasp my leg," Severus instructed as he held out his cloak and kept his other arm, burning from the Dark Mark, close to his side.

Dobby stepped under the massive black swath and wrapped his arms hesitantly around the wizard's towering leg.

He felt uneasy over the close contact, as did Severus, but they set their discomfort aside and concentrated on their mission.

The little elf held on tightly while they Apparated to the outpost and again as they Port-Keyed on to the Fastness.

Once they landed in the Reception Room he immediately let go and began his search for Harry.

Severus was surprised at Dobby's quick departure but hid his reaction as he was standing face to face with the two guards.

"The Dark Lord has requested you presence in the Throne Room," directed one of them.

"Immediately," added the other.

Severus offered a slight nod in acknowledgement, then exited the room and made his way down the long hallway.

As he passed by the dungeon staircase, he could do no more than cast a brief glance down its dark gaping hole for in front of him were a number of Death Eaters who had already arrived and were congregated outside the doors of the Throne Room.

Lestrange, Dolohav, Yaxley and Macnair were conversing amongst themselves while Mulciber, Nott, Rosier and Rookwood stood in silent anticipation.

"I rather thought I'd be seeing you this morning at the graduation," whispered Lucius when Severus came and stood next to him.

"Quite."

"Perhaps the Dark Lord is planning a little ceremony of his own," Lucius conjectured.

"Perhaps," Severus agreed - though he knew better.

They of course had all been summoned to watch their Lord and Master display his captured prey: The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One. After a few minutes, the heavy doors swung open to reveal Voldemort sitting atop the ornate dais and a very smug looking Avery standing to the side.

"Enter!" commanded the Dark Lord. He then instructed his subjects to form a half circle on either side of the dais.

When they had done so, Voldemort nodded to Avery who in turn exited the room.

Severus followed the Death Eater with his eyes and prayed secretly that Dobby would reach Harry before Avery did.

~~~~~SH~~~~~

Dobby paused at the sight of the two guards standing in front of the door at the bottom of the stairs. Even though they couldn't see him, the little elf was frightened and he pressed himself close to the cold stone wall.

He knew what he had to do yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. Dobby had never in his life used dark magic on a human, but he had no choice - he had to reach Harry.

Seconds later, before the guards had even realized that someone was there, each one was enveloped in a thick darkness that rendered them suddenly disorientated.

They fell to the floor and began to struggle against the inky black binds that held them tightly in its grasp and muffled their cries for help.

Dobby felt positively ill at what he'd just done, yet he moved past the struggling guards and on into the torture chamber. Once inside, he found himself in total darkness.

A snap of his fingers caused the chamber to fill with light and Dobby gasped when he realized he was standing in front of a massive contraption laden with chains and spikes.

He jumped back, away from the hellish devise and whirled around to search the room.

It was then that he saw Harry affixed to the far wall; the young wizard was ashen white and half naked, his jaw hung open and a thin curl of drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Dobby raced across the room.

"Harry Potter?" Dobby called out softly when he reached the unconscious teen, but there was no response.

He tapped on Harry's foot.

It was cold, very cold. "No Harry Potter! No!"

Dobby stepped back, released the Sticking Charm and lowered Harry gently to the stone floor.

"Dobby has come to save you," he whispered in Harry's ear. "Can Harry Potter be hearing Dobby?"

But Harry remained stubbornly still and silent.

Tears filled Dobby's eyes as he laid his trembling hand on Harry's chest then sighed with relief when he felt the gentle heartbeat coming from within.

A sudden commotion sounded from the hallway. Moments later the door slammed open and Avery burst into the room. "Get away from him!" he shouted.

"You are no more hurting Harry Potter!" Dobby shouted in return. He yanked Harry's limp body to him and disappeared before Avery could even utter a curse.

~~~~~SH~~~~~

"Enter," said Dumbledore.

Minerva entered the Headmaster's office and saw her longtime colleague and friend sitting at his massive desk, with Remus seated in a nearby chair.

"It's nearly time," she said softly in her Scottish brogue. "The guests have taken their seats and the students are assembled for the procession.

"So much for calling off the graduation ceremony," said Remus wistfully.

"Harry wouldn't have wanted us to do that."

"No, I suppose not," he agreed.

Albus rose from his desk with a heavy sigh. "Were you able to retrieve Harry's speech?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll ..."

"Albus," she interrupted. "Miss Granger has asked if she might deliver the speech in Harry's stead."

Dumbledore nodded. "She is of course Head Girl and one of Harry's closest friends. I don't know why I didn't think to ask her myself."

"You've had a lot on your mind," commented Remus.

"As have we all," he replied sadly. "I suppose we should make haste."

They were just about to exit when Poppy's Patronus appeared before them.

"They're back!" Remus called out.

Minerva turned to Dumbledore. "Go to him Albus; I'll oversee the ceremony."

"Thank you," he whispered. "Please join me, Remus."

The two wizards hurried over to the Floo.

"Send word as soon as possible," she added.

"We will!" Remus called back and then jumped into the green flames after Dumbledore.

~~~~~SH~~~~~

They Floo'd to the Mediwitch's office and raced into the infirmary where they saw Harry lying on a nearby bed with Poppy standing over him, incanting spells and charms.

They approached and stared down at the young wizard; he was deathly pale and his lips were slightly blue.

"Oh, no. Merlin, no."

Poppy paused her ministrations. "He's not dead Albus, he's hypothermic. Dobby said that the dungeon where he was being held was very cold and damp. We got him in time; he's going to be all right."

They breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to her work.

A movement across the way caught Dumbledore's attention.

It was Dobby. He was standing next to the bed opposite Harry's. He had his arms crossed in front of him and was staring down at the floor.

"Remus," whispered Albus. "I wish to speak with Dobby. Will you please send word to Minerva of Harry's condition?"

"Of course."

While Remus conjured his Patronus, Dumbledore walked over and knelt beside the upset elf.

"Are you all right?"

Dobby shook his head.

"Are you injured?"

Again, Dobby shook his head.

"Are you afraid for Harry? He's going to be fine."

"Dobby is already knowing this, Sir."

"Then what is the matter?"

Tears filled the little elf's eyes and he pouted greatly, "Dobby did a bad thing."

"What did you do?"

"If Dobby tells, Dobby is being punished," he cried. "Dobby is going to Azkaban."

Dumbledore took a hold of each little shoulder. "You are not going to be punished and you certainly are not going to Azkaban."

Dobby began to sob as he confessed what he had done to the guards and that he had shouted at the Death Eater, Avery.

The sage old wizard took a hold of the elf's hands. "Listen to me Dobby: this was an extraordinary event; you did what you had to do to save Harry. In my opinion - that makes you a hero."

"It ... does?" His voice hitched.

"Yes, my friend, it does." Dumbledore gave Dobby a hankie to wipe away his tears and looked up at Remus' approach.

"Scrimgeour and Robards want to know if Dobby was able to determine the location of the Fastness."

The two wizards looked to the little elf who nodded. "Yes Sirs, Dobby can be finding it again."

Albus stood up and faced Remus determinately. "Send word for the Minister to assemble his Aurors. Then contact the Order and have everyone meet beyond the wards outside the Front Gates. We're going to attack."

~~~~~SH~~~~~

Hermione saw a flash of lightening on the distant horizon. She was standing at the infirmary behind Harry's bed, watching the large contingent outside the front gates of Hogwarts.

There were about fifty of them, Aurors and Order members alike. Among them were Ron, his parents and the twins, and as they stood waiting for their turn to Apparate, their robes fluttered like bat's wings in the prevailing winds of the approaching storm.

"Mioni?"

She moved quickly and sat down on Harry's bed. "I'm still here," she said and brushed back his fringe. "You're safe."

He scanned the room with his droopy eyes in an attempt to get his bearings. "Guess I ... fell asleep."

"You did." She neglected to add the fact that his sudden sleep was caused by Madame Pomfrey's charm.

"These blankets ... so heavy. Hard to move."

She bit her lips and waited, knowing full well that he'd remember what happened when he first learned the news.

"Hold on ..." The images began to return and with each one his breathing rate increased.

"Harry - try to stay calm."

"What's going on? Why ... can't ... I ...?" He was trying to sit up, but couldn't.

"It's a Binding Blanket. Madame Pomfrey put it on you."

Harry continued to struggle beneath the specious layer of fluff.

"Stop! You know it won't move. You're just going to wear yourself out."

She was right and he knew it. He ceased his efforts and tried instead to clear his foggy brain.

"Here, have some water. Madame Pomfrey said you need to keep hydrated."

He rolled his eyes but accepted the water. Truth be told, he was thirsty - and tired and ached all over. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six."

"Has ...?" He could barely ask the question. "Has it started?"

Hermione got up and looked out the window.

"The elves have returned. Everyone is breaking up into smaller groups."

Harry's heart started to pound. "Has Sev come back?" But he already knew the answer to that question, for if Severus had returned - Harry knew he'd be right there with him.

"No, he hasn't." She returned to his side. "You have to trust Dumbledore's plan. Dobby's taken the elves to the Fastness and now that they each know where it is they can guide each group there and get them through the wards."

"But I have to go with them," he insisted. "Please Mione; get this thing off of me."

"Why? So you can collapse like you did this afternoon?" She was still upset with him.

Snippets of what had happened flashed through his mind: his shock at learning that Dobby had endangered his life to save his, his sudden worry about Severus' well being, jumping out of bed - falling straight to the floor and then struggling with ...

He gasped. "Did I hit Madame Pomfrey?"

"No, of course you didn't." She then added reluctantly, "It was me."

"What?"

"You didn't actually hit me; you were just sort of ... flailing ... a bit," she added weakly.

"Oh God." Harry scanned Hermione's face and saw the slight bruise on her cheek. "Mione, I'm sorry. How could I have done that?"

"It's referred to as an Altered Mental Status, Mr. Potter," said Madame Pomfrey as she approached the bed. "And it was caused by your hypothermia and dehydration. You woke up before I had fully restored your blood sugar and chemistry back to normal levels."

Harry was mortified. If he could, he would have covered his face with his hands.

The Mediwitch waved her diagnostic wand. "This is better," she said when she'd finished. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," he said dejectedly.

Madame Pomfrey smirked at his obvious lie. "You need to eat some food. If I remove the blanket, do you promise to stay put?"

This was his chance. "Yes." Just until you leave.

"All right then."

She removed the Binding Blanket and Harry immediately pushed himself to a sitting position.

Hermione conjured a couple of pillows and tucked them behind his back.

"All the elves are busy with this mission so I'm going to the kitchen to find you some food."

He waited until she was out of earshot to ask, "Where's Ron?"

Hermione got that little furrow between her brows, the one she got every time she was trying not to cry. Harry had noticed this trait when they were only first years, when everyone kept making fun of her.

"He's not going - is he?"

She nodded and the furrow increased. "Yes, he is. So are Dean, Seamus and a bunch of other seventh years."

"But they can't go; they're students."

"Not anymore - we all graduated today. The students have all gone home. The castle is empty except for us."

That was all he needed to hear. He tried to get up but Hermione grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"But ..."

He pulled back her hands and stood up. "Listen to me Mione - I'm going and you're not gonna stop me. Now, where's my wand?"

"They took it from you; it's at the Fastness."

He started to yell ‘No!' but stopped as Severus' voice echoed through his mind. Always maintain your composure.

"That's right," he whispered.

"What's right? What are you talking about?"

He stood in silence as he formed a plan of action.

"Harry? What are you thinking?"

"I've got a plan." With a wave of his hand, he changed his pajamas into a shirt and pants. "Is Dobby here?"

"I don't know."

Harry drew a deep breath, "Dobby!"

The little elf immediately appeared. Harry knelt and thanked him profusely for saving his life.

"And you're sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, Dobby is being fine."

Harry gave Dobby a big hug then released him and asked, "Can you tell me what is going on at the Fastness?"

The little elf did so and then Harry told him of his plans to return.

"Harry Potter is going back?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am, and I want to know if you'll take me."

The last thing Dobby wanted was to take Harry back to that awful place, but it was next to impossible to say no to him.

"Yes," he said with remorse. "Dobby will be taking Harry Potter."

But the expression that dawned on Harry's face filled Dobby with all the reassurance he needed.

"Okay, first I have to get my Invisibility Cloak. Then ..."

"Harry Potter?"

"What?"

The little elf sheepishly pulled the cloak out from under his tea towel outfit. "Professor Snape is telling Dobby to bring it when Dobby is saving Harry Potter, and Dobby is not having a moment to put it back."

"It's all right," he assured the worried elf as he snatched up his cloak and stuffed it under his shirt. "Now, we have to arrive in a place where no one will see us. Can you do that?"

Dobby pulled on his ear, thought for a moment and then nodded yes.

"I'm coming with you," Hermione stated emphatically.

Harry was about to say that it was too dangerous, but the look in her eyes told him he better not.

"All right then, let's go."

~~~~~SH~~~~~