Considering past events, Remus actually felt a second of relife as he slammed down onto something that made a creaking groan of a bed instead of the much harder surfaces. Then the book smacked him in the face as it too impacted this place. He yelped in fury, jerking upright and pulling it off his nose, and immediately noticed a window. With bars on it. He couldn't breath, his skin was surely boiling off him at this very moment to be replaced with something so much worse, something wrong-

Instinct propelled him forward, he didn't even notice until much later there was glass in the way as he shoved that aside, the fresh air wafting in did nothing to relive him as he was now fully able to turn his head in all directions, pleading with the clouds to part- until his eyes found that glowing orb in the sky, and he finally breathed.

It as waning, at least five days old.

"Moony," a hand gently grasped his shoulder, and he whirled on the spot with an uneasy expression still in place. They'd been lucky this time, but the bars...where were they?

Sirius continued with an easy going smile, exuding calm in the face of his friend still breathing rather hard for no reason four out of the eight people here would understand. "Relax, I don't like being locked up either, but we'll get out as soon as we can."

"Right, yeah," he gave the jerky nod of agreement he knew was expected of him. Still, his eyes lingered on the black cord that had yet to really start fading from Sirius' throat, the way Prongs still kept his hand protectively close to him as he sat down uneasily on the foot of the bed. Injuries for them here meant something, and he was still convinced he'd cause the worst to all of them.

Grasping Sirius' hand on him for a moment longer than he really should have, he forced it away in the next moment, lest the stares continue, and went back to the book he'd so quickly dispelled from him while trying to eye the rest of the place, not to give away the small space hadn't been what had set him off. There was nothing to note of really, the simple bedding looked like an afterthought, a minuscule blanket hardly big enough for the childlike bed crammed into the corner. The shelves lined the wall all filled with broken or forgotten things, dust clear in the air as his nose continued dilating just a touch to fast. The smell of owl droppings was the most distinguishing from that, and he was now grateful for the air flowing through for this fact alone.

Then he froze as a soft hooting from behind him made that really register.

Regulus had landed very near the waste bin Hedwig's cage had been set upon, and reflexes alone had saved the owl from tumbling to the ground with him as the shock of his landing hit the room. The others hadn't landed much better, they never did, and the small space left many in each others company much closer than they normally would have preferred. Pettigrew had landed extremely close to him, his head smacking the wall right under the window. Lupin had nearly trampled him in his mad dash to pull that open, but he'd quickly flipped his agitated gaze from his friend back to the snowy creature hooting dully at them.

"So this is Hedwig eh?" Potter muttered, his own eyes sweeping the room the most critically. "I'm guessing we're still at the Dursley's."

"Mind like a steel trap that one," Regulus muttered under his breath. He really should have known the response he'd get, saying that so close to one of his mates, and so was unsurprised to see Pettigrew give him an angry glare for that, opening his mouth for some witty defensive retort he was sure, but then Lupin began, gratefully cutting that off.

"What's a Dobby?" Alice muttered for herself, only half her attention on what she was hearing as she found herself half hanging out of the room, through the door, that had a cat flap of all things in it. Or rather, who, she supposed as she kept wriggling her ankle in the tight space, since she didn't know many things that could provide a warning like the chapter Lupin was starting revealed would be happening. As if they needed anymore warning from this book something was going on in their life.

Her question was ignored, attention was caught right back on the story, they'd all been confused, curious, and concerned, all to varying levels per person, of what was in Harry's room in this muggle house. The answer came very quickly to all of them who at once understood that as a house-elf.

"How is it Harry's life keeps getting stranger by the day?" Frank muttered to Alice, who had only now been able to wrench her foot free of the cat-flap in the door. She was rubbing her ankle now and both were more convinced than ever this was all some mad set up more than a kids room, except for the fact Harry used to sleep in a cupboard. Apparently this prison like room was an upgrade from that.

Black sat himself on the window seal, half hanging out onto the bars themselves covering it, swinging his feet as if in boredom dangerously near Pettigrew's head, who was now alternately glaring at those feet and the Potter kids owl, like he couldn't decide which to be more annoyed with. Potter stayed at his chosen spot of the foot of the bed, watching Evans fidget with her hair as far from everyone as she could, with the most absorbed expression one could have.

Only Lupin continued to show his unease of this place, and Frank couldn't help but wonder at that, he seemed a very on edge sort of fella at times, while others perfectly at ease to go along with his mates. He did seem to get sick on and off an awful lot at school, but he couldn't imagine what that had to do with this room. They'd certainly been in smaller and enclosed spaces and he'd seemed more agitated than weary like now, still glancing at the bars every few lines in-between reading his way through this house-elf's inane chatter.

"You're kid is a bit off Prongs," Sirius snickered when Harry offered the house-elf a seat.

"He's never been around them before, I'm still just impressed he hasn't demanded the thing appareate him away from this place," he said back a little snippy, eyes still on the red-head, but his disdain when he looked anywhere else made it clear what he thought of being in this place. Had there been bars on the other windows on the top floor? He didn't remember, certainly hadn't taken a proper look in Dudleys room, but the cat flap bothered him greatly. He did not like this room, it was only just fit for that house-elf, but certainly not his child.

Regulus sighed heavily when Dobby started beating his head against the wall in self punishment, his hand twitching forward to stop this on instinct as if Kreacher were in the room.

He'd always had a liking for house-elf's, especially his own, who more often than his own brother would sit and hear him talk when his parents were done with their lessons for the day and sent him off. Sirius had been more prone to lock himself in his room after those times, but he'd had more an urge to wander, Kreacher always a help in those times, all sorts of stories about every room in the house that had never felt like his parents lectures.

For the first time, he quite liked Potter's kid simply for the way he reacted, just like Regulus would have. He jumped forward, trying to help the elf and make him stop punishing himself. He'd always hated watching Kreacher do that, and in fact had never had the gal to do this himself on the rare occasions he'd witnessed his own having to do the same. His mother would not approve if he got in the way of Kreacher punishing himself, this Potter kid was lucky Dobby's masters weren't around to tell Harry otherwise.

Lily couldn't help smiling at Harry's further interactions with Dobby. She couldn't help but be horrified at the poor things life, already having the urge to snatch him away and help him along to the Hogwarts kitchens. No elf deserved such a hateful life as the one he clearly lived, encouraging the little thing extra punishments! She honestly agreed with Harry, Dobby's owners and the Dursleys were of the same fold, and they all needed to take a nap with some Devil's Snare!

Her affection for this lad with her eyes grew more when he dismissed his own fame, calling it all rubbish. How nice it was to the ears, hearing of a humble Potter.

Peter watched Regulus roll his eyes of all things when Harry's pain at mentioning his friends came up, and frowned at Sirius' kid brother. How could anyone be so careless hearing of something like this? It was heartbreaking, everyone in here had someone who would acknowledge their birthday, Harry deserved the same. Then he really thought about that, and wondered, did Regulus? Sirius most certainly wouldn't with the way he treated him, his friend had confessed his parents treated birthdays more like a celebration of their past than present, hardly an acknowledgement of the person themselves.

...so did he? Peter raked his mind, but he really couldn't recall Regulus actually having any friends. Sure he was a member of the Slug Club, but so was Evans, and from what James said she never seemed chummy with those people. Certainly not friendly, yet cordial enough. Though Prongs had only been to one or two events, for her company alone. Surely Regulus had at least made friends in his own house? Yet Peter couldn't recall one recurring face around Regulus Black. He'd certainly never paid him much mind of course, he could easily be missing something, but he couldn't even remember the kid laughing before they'd dumped that water on Sirius.

Evans may have burst out laughing the loudest, but Peter had seen everyone at least crack a smile, Regulus especially as he'd snickered appreciatively seeing his older brother in that state.

His thought's were interrupted by Dobby finally getting to deliver his message, about Harry Potter not returning to school.

Remus' anxiously tapping foot froze, as did Sirius', his toes inches away from Peter's nose. James, still trying to flash flirty smiles at Evans, was stuck mid expression in what could have been comical if it wasn't so ludicrous. Evans fingers had frozen in place inside her hair. He swore even the owl stopped hooting in her cage.

Frank burst out with an uneasy laugh, glancing from Lupin to his girlfriend like he was still waiting for someone to join in. "That was a joke right? There's just no way, I mean..." he trailed off, looking more dumbfounded every second. Regulus couldn't blame him.

This situation was quite possibly the most insane in history. A house-elf, had snuck out of its masters house, and gone to warn some kid not to go back to school?!

"I thought crazy only ran in my house-elfs line," Sirius leered at the little book, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Clearly I was wrong, and that one needs to be gone as well."

Regulus gave him a nasty look for that and at once snapped, "why don't you take this seriously Sirius! How many times does it take you to learn when to shut your mouth and pay attention?"

Sirius gave him an unimpressed look for that, while Pettigrew gave an uneasy laugh while shifting his weight, clearly wishing to jump out of the way being in-between the two.

Lupin chose to ignore the lot of them, reading on and hoping for more, but got nothing but a terrible omen and no more help from Dobby, in fact quite the opposite as Vernon made an appearance. "Easy Prongs," he murmured encouragingly, though he knew better than to really try to stop him as he griped his wand tightly. Still, he tried to remind him, "nothing in here for you to be cursing-"

"Watch me," he vowed, though forced himself to relax back as Vernon did leave after threatening Harry, he still didn't like to think what that would amount to later.

"Why would Dobby know if Harry was getting mail or not?" Alice demanded sharply.

"Surely house-elf's can't do that," Lily protested. She certainly knew of them, when Sev had taken her to the kitchens in their third year they'd all seemed like polite little workers. She'd been explained the rest of their natures, but now she felt he'd left an important detail out, as if this was possible.

"Oh yes they can," Black answered her with a rude little sneer that wasn't for her. "Those are powerful magical creatures, they can do anything they want, though usually their magic is much more bound. Clearly those owners of his constantly abusing him didn't think to reign him in nearly as much."

Potter gave him an annoyed little frown he hadn't the chance to tell her that in a much politer way, but Remus kept going with even more unease now as Harry's night still got worse from there. All through his quarrel with Dobby over said letters and the house-elf's run through the house for escape they were all stunned silent at the proceedings, none of them had ever seen a house-elf so devious and determined! Active, obedient, even helpful were words for them, not this conniving little one doing his damnedest to keep Harry out of school, and with the air of winning at the Dursley's reaction.

"That, that!" James stammered, at a loss for words as Harry's expected letter arrived no matter how unjustly, Dursley hauled that kid back up the stairs, and their current surroundings were finally given a context no one had really asked for.

Pettigrew shifted restlessly on the floor, alternately glaring hatefully at the door and bars and back to his mate with genuine concern he was about to shut down from outrage with nothing to expel those feelings. He even got halfway to his feet, like he was going to go comfort him, but then Sirius jumped down from the seal and beat him to the punch, all three now squashed up on the tiny bed with Potter in the middle, all looking miserable for this kids fortune. Pettigrew hesitated an extra moment before sitting back down and muttering, "bloody, stupid, useless,-" he kept up a string under his breath now not glaring at anything.

"Three days!" Lily snarled none to quietly, but it still went unheard. Lupin was reading no more loudly than usual, but there was an undercurrent in his voice that made all other noise void. He seemed likely at any moment to switch into a threatening growl with this continued treatment.

Remus couldn't help it. He wished he could control himself more, but it grew harder by the line. Harry was being imprisoned! He knew that feeling better than anyone, if not bars than certainly being trapped in his own body. He'd just checked, but his eyes kept flitting to the window and away now with almost every breath he took, trying to convince himself this prison was not his, but Harry's, and that didn't make it better! He was so distracted by his own turmoil the words he was shooting out hardly even registered there at the end, and by the time he had realized what he'd been saying they were being pulled away once again.