What The
Chapter One
Disclaimer: I do not own or make any money from this or any story. All Characters belong to their creator or owner.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
A moment later Voldemort was killed by his own rebounded spell, his body hit the ground, but so did another. Two wands clattered on the marble of the Great Hall, as the second spell slammed into Harry chest; the rebounded Expelliarmus had mingled with the Avada Kedavra. The combination of the two spells, and a damaged soul from suffering the Killing Curse less than an hour previously, had a strange reaction, as the Deathly Hallows and the magic of Hogwarts caused an occurrence that no one could have predicted. It would forever remain unexplained, but Harry's soul was ripped from his body and thrown into a vortex of color and light. 'At least Voldemort was destroyed and I'll see my parents, Sirius, and Remus again…' thought Harry as he traveled through the vortex. After an eternity, or a few seconds, Harry found himself, or at least his essence, not in the afterlife- but floating above an empty Great Hall.
There was no spell damage evident and it looked like any other normal night at Hogwarts. Harry could see the House Elves cleaning but they paid no attention to him. 'It must be night time. They couldn't have cleaned up the damage from the battle so quickly. I wonder how much time has passed? All my friends must think I'm dead. Maybe I am..? Is this what it's like to be a ghost?' thought Harry. He tried to raise his arm but found he didn't have one. In fact, he didn't have a body. As far as he could tell, he was just a blob of energy that could think. He tried to talk to one of the elves, but like with his body, nothing happened. Harry thought, 'Not a ghost then. Or was my body destroyed and this is what happens to ghosts when their body is destroyed when they die? Figures. I can't even die like a regular person.'
A few minutes later, or was it a few hours later (Harry couldn't really tell the passing of time), Nearly Headless Nick floated through the Great Hall talking to the Fat Friar. "Can you believe that they're going to close the school?" said Nick.
"With all those students petrified and now one taken and probably killed, I can't blame them," responded the Friar.
"Poor Weasley's. And it was the little one's first year…" said Nick.
"It doesn't make sense though. She was a pureblood." said the Friar.
"Nothing makes sense these days." replied Nick.
They floated out of the Great Hall at this point and had not even noticed Harry. If they did they would have seen a very confused man. 'Petrified students? A Weasley taken? This is what happened in second year! What's going on? How long have I been gone?' Harry thought. He then redoubled his effort to move around. It took a while, but he managed it. 'Finally! But where should I go?' Pausing for a moment he decided to try to get to the Headmaster's office. It took several hours for Harry to even reach the corridor in front of the Headmaster's office. He passed a few teachers like McGonagall and Snape, plus a few ghosts along the way, that had paid no attention to him. 'I must not be a regular ghost. It also seems that I'm in the past, not the future if Snape is still alive. This can't be normal. But then again, when is my life, or death, normal.'
As Harry approached the office at a ridiculously slow pace, he saw Lucius Malfoy and Dobby pass right through him. Like everyone else, they paid no attention to him, but Dobby did look around confusedly as he passed through his …body?
Harry remembered what was going to happen next, he knew that soon Lucius would come back down the stairs from the office, and his younger, still alive, self would follow and trick him into freeing Dobby. Harry slowed his progress to the Headmaster's office to watch one of his most cherished memories take place again. As expected Lucius, followed by Dobby, soon made another appearance.
"Mr. Malfoy" the young Harry said gasping, "I've got something for you."
"What the-?" Malfoy replied when young Harry put a filthy sock covered diary in his hands. Malfoy then ripped the sock off the diary and tossed it aside. The spirit Harry saw it land in Dobby's hands, and suddenly felt himself pulled toward the elf. Lucius went on, "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days Harry Potter. They were meddlesome fools too." He turned to leave and said, "Come Dobby. I said come."
Dobby eyes were transfixed on the sock in his hand and said, "Master has givin' a sock. Master gave it to Dobby…"
"What's that?" spat Lucius. "What did you say?"
"Got a sock. Master threw it, and Dobby caught it. And Dobby…Dobby is free!" said the astonished elf. All this time, the older Harry's spirit was getting closer to Dobby.
Lucius was frozen for a moment and then lunged at the younger Harry shouting, "You've lost me my servant boy!"
Dobby yelled, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"
There was a loud bang and Lucius was thrown back, crumpling into a heap against the far wall. A moment later he stood up and pulled his wand. The spirit Harry was now at Dobby's side, and was expecting Dobby to threaten Lucius like he did last time, but then he felt his spirit being pulled inside of the elf, and had a serious case of vertigo overcome all his senses. He heard a shouted "Avada Kedavra!" and was vaguely aware of the flash of a green light. The next moment, there was an explosion of energy and he lost consciousness.
Harry didn't know how long he was out, and his body felt completely bruised and battered. "My body!" shouted Harry, sitting up quickly. It came out in a voice that was foreign to him, and he looked around in shock and confusion. He was surrounded by House Elves, all looking at him in wonder. Getting over his initial shock, he took a closer at his environment and noticed that he was in the Hogwarts kitchens.
A House Elf stepped forward and said, "Are yous OK Master Harry?"
Harry raised a green hand to rub his face. 'Wait a minute! Why is my hand green?' flashed through his mind. He then took a serious look at his own body and saw that he was in the body of a House Elf, and was wearing an old pillow case. An absurd thought assaulted him. 'Am I a House Elf!? How?' and he passed out once more.
As the world started to come back into focus, Harry heard Dobby's voice calling his name repeatedly. He thought, "It was all a dream. That was weird, thinking that I was a House Elf.' "Not now Dobby!" he shouted to silence the excitable elf. Again his voice sounded wrong, and he opened his eyes and saw that he was still in the kitchens and surrounded by confused looking House Elves. He looked down and saw his green body, still wrapped in the dirty pillow case, and shouted, "What's going on!?"
The same elf as before approached and said, "Yous being brought to the Hoggy Warts kitchens when yous be unconscious. There be a magical explosion outside Headmaster Dumby's office and student was hurt and visitor was killed. Headmaster Dumby asked House Elves to take care of yous thinkin that yous be a House Elf, but yous not. Trappy not know how it happen, but yous Master Harry Potter and Dobby at the same time. There also bes another Harry Potter who was being hurt in the explosion. He be in the hospital right now." This had caused Harry's brain to freeze up. "Is you OK Master Harry?"
Harry just looked at his hands, arms, and body. "I don't know, can…can you get me a mirror?" He asked. A moment later a mirror was placed in his hand, and peering into it, he saw Dobby's face staring back at him. 'Oh my god! What the hell happened?' He thought.
Dobby's voice rang out in his head. "Master Harry!"
Harry looked around and it took a moment to remember that he was now in Dobby's body. Aloud he said, "Dobby?"
Dobby's voice was once again in his head. "Dobby is with you Harry Potter. Dobby doesn't know what happened but Dobby is happy to be sharing his body with the great Harry Potter."
'Oh great,' thought Harry.
"It is great, Master Harry Potter sir. Dobby be bonded to the bestest master in the world," said the elf, not understanding the sarcasm.
'Can you hear my thoughts?' Harry said in his head. The elves were all still staring at him.
"Oh yes Master Harry Potter sir. Dobby hears what master be thinking."
'Please just call me Harry.' Harry thought. He could feel a headache coming on.
"Yes, master Harry Potter sir. Dobby wills."
'But- nevermind. Dobby do you know what happened? Can you do anything or are you just a voice in my…your… OUR head?'
"Dobby doesn't know. Dobby wills try something." It was silent for a minute before the elf said, "Dobby cans not move Dobby's body but Dobby cans feel it. Dobby cans feel Master Harry's presence in controls of Dobby's body."
'Great,' thought Harry.
Trappy once again asked, "Are yous OK Master Harry Potter?"
Harry realized that he was talking to Dobby in his head, and it would look quite odd from an outside perspective. "I don't know. I… probably. Can I have a little privacy?" Trappy nodded and the group of House Elves that was surrounding him left to do their normal duties. They kept glancing his way though. Harry was looking back on what happened to him in the last day. 'Has it been only a day? Did I really destroy Voldemort?' He heard Dobby gasp in his head.
"Master Harry has defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! But Its be happenin years from now. How its be that Master Harry has thoughts of things that nots happen yet?"
Harry sighed to himself. 'This is going to be hard to explain. I don't really know Dobby. I was in a battle with Voldemort and defeated him. The next thing I know, I'm five years in the past without a body. And now, I'm in your body with you in my- our head. Somehow, we bonded…or something.' Harry looked around for his wand, and then remembering that he didn't have one. 'I don't have my wand, I wonder if I can still do magic?'
Dobby then said, "Yous a House Elf now. Yous now have House Elf magic."
Harry thought, "But I don't know how to use House Elf magic.' He was starting to feel a little helpless.
"Dobby will teach yous to use House Elf magic. Dobby be proud to teach Master Harry."
'Can I learn? Wait a minute, if I'm in your body in the past, does that mean that Voldemort is still around and I have to kill him again? And did Trappy say that someone was just killed? Is the other me also in the hospital right now too?'
"Dobby doesn't know Master Harry."
Harry just slumped, and tried to accept the strange situation he found himself in. 'I need to find out what's going on. OK Dobby, how do I do magic as a House Elf?'
"You just think of whats yous want to happen and make it happen. Sometimes yous have to snap fingers to make its happen if yous need to do something big."
'That's all?' Harry thought. 'Let me try something.' Harry concentrated on the mirror that Trappy handed to him earlier that was now on the ground by his side. After a moment the mirror zoomed into his hand. "Cool!" he said aloud.
"Well done Master Harry," said Dobby in his head.
Harry put the mirror down and tried summoning it again. He was successful, so he tried something else. He focused on a cooking pot across the room. It came zooming into his hand like the mirror, upsetting an Elf that was washing it. "Sorry."
"Good job Master Harry." Dobby said again.
'What else can you, I do Dobby?'
"Yous cans do alots Master Harry. House Elves cans pop anywhere theys or master has beens before, wes cans pop things anywhere and dos almost anythings that masters cans. Wes be able to be not seen when wes want to and knows what masters wants to bes done."
Harry was thinking of what he had seen House Elves and other wizards do. He tried to perform a Lumos charm, and his hand lit up. It went out when he thought Nox, and then tried a Wingardium Leviosa, several pots and pans floated in the air. This caused many of the elves to look at Harry/Dobby again in annoyance. After he put them all down, he tried it again just thinking 'Up.', and the pots and pans floated up again. 'So I don't have to think of the spells, I just have to think what I want to happen. That should make things easier.'
"Yes Master Harry. House Elves just thinks whats they wants done and its happen."
'And how do you travel, pop from place to place?'
"Yous just think where yous want to be and see yous self there. Yous cans gos to anywhere yous been before, or where yous master beens before."
Harry decided to try it out, and thought about the Great Hall. He pictured himself standing near the head of the Gryffindor table, and all of a sudden he was there. Luckily it was still before breakfast, so the student's weren't up just yet. Harry thought about being back in the kitchens, and a moment later he was back. 'I can go anywhere?'
"Any wheres yous has beens or master has beens before." Responded Dobby.
Harry thought about all the places he knew and realized there were several that he couldn't remember ever visiting before. He knew the entire layout of the Malfoy manor and several other places. He also had a complete picture of Hogwarts, including many secret rooms and several more hidden passageways. 'How do I know all these places?'
"Dobby has beens to many of the places that yous be thinking about. Dobby doesn't know abouts some places though."
'So you've been to all the rooms in Hogwarts?'
"No. Dobby has nots beens to all of Hoggy Warts before. Dobby thought yous has been."
'No I haven't. I don't know how I know it.' "Trappy!" Harry called out.
"Yes Master Harry?" said the elf as it moved back toward Harry.
Harry looked at the helpful elf. "Do you know how I know all of the rooms in the castle, even the hidden ones? And why are you calling me master?"
"Yous be connected to Hoggy Warts some hows, and all elves feel that yous be our master even though yous be an elf. Trappy not be knowin' why this be but Trappy be knowin' that yous now master of all elves in castle. Bein' connected to Hoggy Warts means that yous know everythings abouts her."
"Her?" said Harry.
"Yes, her" said Trappy. "Hoggy Warts be alive and a girl. Trappy not be seein' her but knows she be a she. She sometimes be whispering things in Trappy's and other elves ears."
"What kind of things?" asked Harry.
A female voice rang out in Harry's head. "To look after myself and my charges."
"What! Who said that?" spluttered Harry, looking around for the new voice.
Trappy answered "That be's Mistress Hoggy Warts."
"Hogwarts?" asked Harry, looking at the wall of the kitchen.
"I am here, my son" said the female voice.
"Son? What is going on?"
"You have been bonded to me through the House elf Dobby. Your soul appeared in my halls, and this was the only way I could grant you the use of a body. I do not understand how you appeared when your soul was already here, in the body of a young boy."
"There was a battle in the future and I was hit by a spell. I woke up here as a spirit and discovered that I was in the past. I have no idea what happened… So you put me in Dobby's body? What about Dobby? Is he going to be alright? I don't want to take his life, especially if it was against his will." Said Harry.
"Dobby be's happy to be's with Master Harry."
"But you had no choice." Said Harry.
"Dobby didn't knows that this be's a choice, but Dobby would be's choosing this. Dobby cans help Master Harry, both young Master Harry and old Master Harry."
"But-" started Harry.
The female voice of Hogwarts interrupted him. "The elf Dobby willingly submitted to my request. There was nothing you could have done to stop it."
"I don't like it, but it seems that there is nothing I cans…can so. Trappy said that my younger body is in the hospital wing and that someone died, is this true? Who died?" asked Harry.
"Lucius Malfoy died when his Killing Curse rebounded off the other you. You survived but Lucius Malfoy did not. There was an expansive magical discharge from your young body and you have not woken up yet. A foul piece of dark magic was destroyed in the process." Said the voice of Hogwarts.
"Lucius Malfoy is dead? That didn't happen before. Does this mean that history can change?" wondered Harry.
The female voice said, "Time is an unknowable and wondrous thing. I do not know what is and what is not possible. It does appear that it can, indeed, be changed."
"So I can change things? I can stop Voldemort earlier and save a lot of people?" asked Harry.
"It is a possibility. It is also a possibility that the turn of events could have less than positive results," said Hogwarts.
"I won't let that happen." Declared Harry. "I'll do whatever I it takes to make things better, both for the wizarding world and my younger self. I swear that he won't have to go through the same things that I did." A flash of magic surrounded Harry's body following his announcement.
"Magic has accepted your vow. I will help you fulfill it in any way that I can," said Hogwarts.
"Dobby wills too"
Trappy said, "We House Elves will do's what we cans to help Master Harry."
Harry said, "Thank you, all of you. I have a lot to learn and a lot to do. I need to remember all I can about what happened in the next few years. It seems that it might change so I better make a plan. First though, what do House Elves eat? I'm hungry."
AN: Let me know what you think. Thanks to e8rocks and El Pirato for their help.