Chapter 36: When Harry met Dobby
On a sunny Thursday morning, I walked up to Number 4 Privet Drive whistling the Harry Potter theme song under my breath. I had ridden a taxi over to the cookie cutter neighbor in order to pick up Harry, and it was currently waiting for me to get my young friend out of that hell hole.
Knocking on the door, I patiently waited for someone to answer it. There was a excited thumping on the other side, and a moment later the swung open, revealing a flush-faced Harry Potter, a large steamer trunk in one hand, and a caged owl under the other.
"Morning Harry," I greeted him, before nodding cordially at the owl. "And morning to you too, Hedwig."
Hedwig made a "Prek!" before ruffling her feathers.
"Don't worry, as soon as Harry is back at my place he can let you out. No need to stay cramped and cooped up over there," I assured the owl, who scrutinized me for a moment before deciding that I had nothing else of interest to her, and looked away.
"Need a hand?" I asked Harry, but he shook his head.
"No, thanks, I've got it," he assured me.
"Do you have everything?" I asked next, and he nodded at that.
"Yes. It's all in the trunk."
"Magic sure is useful, isn't it?" I hummed, and he made a noise of agreement. "Alright, head on over to the taxi. If you need help getting it in, just ask. I have to have a quick word with your aunt before we go."
He bobbed his head and hurried over to the idling vehicle, letting me turn my attention to his horse-faced aunt who was watching and waiting from the living room.
When it was clear I wasn't going to storm inside and do anything, she begrudgingly came over.
"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. I hope you've been doing well," I said politely. "I doubt Harry will see you again until the next year. He spent his minimum amount of time in this place, and as such, can stay with people who aren't… well, I can't exactly say what you are in polite company."
"Just take him and leave," she spat out.
"I will," I huffed. "And by the way, you have lovely roses. Very well taken care of."
"Thank you?" Petunia replied, taken aback and confused.
"I can give compliments where compliments are due," I said, turning away to head back over to the taxi, knowing full well that it was Harry's green thumb who'd kept the garden alive all these years. I wondered how they'd keep it nice and trim without him?
As I slipped into the taxi, I waved at Mrs. Figg, who was watching me go from her window with a conflicted expression on her face.
"I think you're going to enjoy yourself for the next few weeks, Harry," I said cheerfully as I buckled my seatbelt.
"I think so, too," he said happily, and we let the taxi driver fill the silence with 90's pop music.
"Now, it's not much, but for tonight, you'll be sleeping on the foldout couch," I said, directing Harry over to where he'd been sleeping.
"When do we have to leave tomorrow?" he asked as he placed his trunk and Hedwig's cage down.
"That is the fun part!" I drawled. "We get to wake up nice and early at six thirty in the morning! Our flight is at ten."
Harry winced a bit and I chuckled. "Yeah, flights can be a hassle. But! Good news, we won't have to take a taxi at least. Sam's dad will be driving us to the airport."
"That's nice of him," Harry said with a nod.
"Yup. Oh, and my friend Delilah will also be joining us," I said. "Well, technically she'll meet us in Paris later in the weekend."
"Your 'friend?'" Harry asked, a teasing expression on his face, and I pouted.
"Ugh, you and Sam, I swear…" I grumbled good naturedly. "And yes. She's a friend."
"More like 'girlfriend,'" he snickered under his breath and I rolled my eyes at his antics.
"Hilarious," I drawled. "Oh, and we're having dinner with the Grangers tonight. So wear a nice shirt or something."
"We are?" he asked, surprised. "That'll be nice. I haven't heard from anyone, yet. It will be fun to see her."
"You know, that reminds me… before I forget… INKY!" I called out, and my loyal House Elf popped in next to me.
"Sir?" he inquired.
"I almost forgot, but you said there was a House Elf watching Harry when I went to pick him up?" I asked, and Harry turned to gawk at me.
"Yes, young master Eddy. A naughty elf."
"And you caught him, I assume?"
"Like you asked, Young Master Eddy," Inky assured me.
"Great! Why don't you bring him here. I'm curious as to why he's hanging around my friend," I said, a note of steel entering my voice.
"Um, what are you talking about?" Harry asked, confused as Inky vanished from the living room.
"I was worried about you, so I sent Inky over to the Dursleys before I came to get you today," I explained. "I wanted to make sure your aunt and uncle had kept their promises. They did, surprisingly, but that wasn't what caught my attention, nor Inky's. Apparently, there was a House Elf observing you."
"Oh," Harry said slowly, not entirely understanding the magnitude of what I'd said, but clearly aware it was a big deal.
Further talk on the matter would have to be delayed, as Inky returned to the apartment with the sharp popping sound I'd grown to be familiar with.
What was unusual though was that Inky did not appear in a dignified manner, but in a rough tumble, his arms wrapped around another, equally small, figure. They tussled on the ground for a bit, squeaking at each other in a language I didn't recognize, before Inky managed to get the upper hand in the fight.
Inky may have been older and frailer than Dobby, but he was still able to overpower the other House Elf and pin him down onto the floor, letting us get a good look at him.
Dobby (for who else could it be?) was 3-feet tall and his big, watery green eyes were staring up at me and Harry in shock, which was returned in full as Harry stared back at him.
"Um, hello?" Harry said softly. "Who are you?"
"Dobby is Dobby, Mr. Harry Potter sir," Dobby said quietly as he looked up at Harry.
"Do you have to call me that?" Harry asked with a wince.
"Of course Dobby does! You are Harry Potter! You defeated the Dark Lord!" Dobby said excitedly.
"What?" Harry uttered, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'd like to know that as well," I said.
"Dark Lord was a bad man! A very bad man! He hurt House Elves! Used our blood for dark rituals! Now he's dead and we all dance and spit on his grave while praising Mr. Harry Potter sir!" Dobby said, his tone surprisingly vicious for a House Elf.
I clicked my tongue. "Alright, I suppose that answers that. But what were you doing over at the Dursley's house in the first place? Why were you bothering Harry?"
"Dobby wanted to protect Harry Potter sir! Dobby wanted to keep him safe!" Dobby protested.
"Safe, huh? Odd way of showing it. Lurking and watching from the shadows – or however House Elves do it – seems more like something a person who wants to hurt Harry would do."
"No! No! Never would Dobby hurt the great Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed. "Dobby wanted to watch over Harry Potter to protect him!"
"Is that it? Is that really all you did?" I demanded.
"Dobby also took letters from owls," Dobby admitted, looking down, ashamed.
"You did what?" Harry gasped.
"Dobby thought that if Mr. Harry Potter didn't hear from his friends, he wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts," Dobby mumbled. "So Dobby took your letters."
"That's not how it works, I'm afraid," I snorted. "Harry would have to go back to school regardless of his friends – or lack thereof."
"Wait, hang on a second, you were messing with my mail?" Harry demanded incredulously. "Is that why I've only been able to talk with Hermione through the phone, and Ron and Neville haven't sent me anything?"
"Yes! Dobby is bad, bad elf! Dobby stole away Mr. Harry Potter sir's letters!" Dobby whimpered, trying to bash his head into the floor, only for the carpet and the position he was in to muffle the thumping.
"Why?" I asked. I then raised a hand to forestall the blubbering answer. "Yes, yes, I know, you wanted to protect him. But why? Who ordered you to do this?"
"Dobby not told to do this! Dobby wanted to help on his own!" the young House Elf claimed, and Inky shot him an incredulous look, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
To be fair, I supposed it would shock another House Elf. Or anyone who knew about House Elves. Taking the initiative to do something without being told to do it was so rare it might as well be anathema to their kind. Especially if it didn't help their bonded family at all.
"Huh. Okay, then," I muttered. "What about your owner?"
"Dobby cannot say! Dobby cannot tell!" the House Elf wailed.
"Fine. Then protect him from what, exactly?" I demanded.
"Dobby doesn't know! Dobby only knows it will happen at Hogwarts!" Dobby whimpered. "Master-who-can't-be-named would only mumble to himself about 'it has to happen at Hogwarts!'"
I blinked. 'That's new,' I thought to myself. How Dobby knew shit was going to go down at Hogwarts had never been expanded upon in the books. Not to mention, Lucius only dropped Tom's diary into Ginny's cauldron after Harry had been rescued from the Dursleys and Dobby's interference at Privet Drive.
'That means Lucius Malfoy was planning to give the Horcrux away to a student from the very beginning. Possibly since the start or summer break, or a little bit before. But why?' I couldn't help but wonder. 'Could it be related to the Dark artifact crack-downs Mr. Weasley has been conducting?'
I rubbed the bridge of my nose in exasperation. I doubted I'd find any answers, so I turned my attention back to the issue hand. Namely, Dobby.
"Okay. So, you think Harry is in danger from your master. Said master has a plan that involves Hogwarts. And you decided to go against your master to protect Harry," I summarized.
"Yes, that is what Dobby has said," the House Elf confirmed, before letting out a pained squeak as Inky's grip tightened.
"Inky ought to punish Dobby. Disobeying orders, betraying family, messing around with young wizard… those are sins for a House Elf," Inky said darkly, applying more pressure to the other House Elf's arms, causing Dobby to whimper in pain.
"Enough, Inky!" I snapped, and he looked at me with a muted expression.
"Dobby is a bad elf," Inky said slowly, as if trying to explain this to a child. "Dobby has to be punished."
"Perhaps, but you can clearly see how fragile his bond to his family is," I retorted. In truth, I couldn't tell myself, but given how easily Dobby had been able to break free from the Malfoys told me it couldn't have been strong to begin with.
Even though Lucius Malfoy gave Dobby an article of clothing, it had been hidden in a book, and clearly didn't count since the pureblood hadn't known there was a piece of clothing tucked away. As such, a normal House Elf bond wouldn't register it as being broken. Clothing had to be given willingly and knowingly with the intent to break the union between House Elf and its master. How could the House Elves be told to do laundry otherwise?
Loyalty was a two-way street, even with magical bonds, however, and the mistreatment heaped onto Dobby by the Malfoys, along with Dobby's own rebellious thoughts, had led to a bond so weak it'd been broken by a technicality. Something magic absolutely loathed.
As such, Inky couldn't help but recoil a bit when he took a closer look at Dobby and 'saw' the state he was in, physically and spiritually.
"Oh." That was all Inky could say as he looked at the younger House Elf, before releasing Dobby from his grasp. The amount that went unsaid in that single word was immense, and for a moment, I knew that Inky was seeing himself in Dobby's place. Specifically, when Inky had been forced to serve my father, and had taken quite a few blows of his own when he was deep in his cups. The night I'd killed my father had not been the only time Inky had suffered at Erroneous Hunch Senior's hands. But it had been the last. For both of us.
"Dobby, you want to help Harry Potter, do you not?" I asked the younger House Elf while Inky was distracted by his own thoughts.
"Yes! Yes! More than anything!" he whimpered, crawling over to me on his knees.
"Then trust me. I have Harry's best interests at heart. I will keep him safe, no matter what," I vowed.
"But, but the master… he will make Hogwarts unsafe!" Dobby cried.
"I know," I told him. "I know who your master is, and what he wants to do. But I have a plan to stop him."
That caused Dobby to stiffen, and stare up at me with big, hopeful eyes. "You do?"
"I do," I promised. Dobby stared at me for a long time, before solemnly bowing his head.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between the House Elves and me.
"Sit down, it'll take some explaining," I said, running a hand over my face.
He did so, plopping down on the couch and looked expectantly at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dobby and Inky watching as well. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor, ears twitching as they strained themselves to listen.
"So, first off, how do I know who Dobby belongs to? Simple. Only three groups in Magical Britian have House Elves these days serving them. Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, and Purebloods. And I know Dobby belongs to the latter."
"You say 'belong' as if he's…" Harry began, only to trail off.
"Property? A slave?" I asked, and Harry nodded weakly.
"You're not wrong," I told him, to his horrified astonishment. "House Elves have been more or less enslaved for centuries by wizards. I won't go into how or why, because that's a lot to go over, but suffice to say, a House Elf needs to serve. It is a compulsive, intrinsic desire, as well as the only way to stay alive. A House Elf will wither and die without a magical family to serve, as they survive off of the magic provided by said family through the bond."
"Oh," he muttered slowly. "So, the House Elves at Hogwarts…"
"You've already met them? I should be surprised, but somehow, I'm not," I murmured, before nodding. "Yes, Hogwarts employs dozens of House Elves, keeping them sustained off of the magic of the very castle and its hundreds of inhabitants. Even without anybody living there, though, the House Elves could subsist off of the latent magic in the area for decades. Possibly centuries."
I then raised a hand to forestall any further questions. "Now, before I go off on another tangent, a key aspect of the bond is the Writ of Adornment. Give a House Elf an article of clothing, be it sock or shoe or even a wig, with the intent to sever the bond between elf and master, and the House Elf will be 'freed' from service. Though the freedom will be short lived if they cannot find a new source of magic to sustain themselves."
"Now, back to the main point, Dobby belongs to the Malfoys," I revealed, deciding to just rip that bandaid off. Dobby gasped in shock, and Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Huh… yeah, I can see it," he said, slowly piecing together a few things. Namely, why Dobby was so eager to help somebody who wasn't his master. "If Draco's dad is anything like that poncy git himself, I can't imagine having to live with and serve him."
Harry then continued to extrapolate the data. "And… because you're from a Pureblood Family yourself, you know the families that have House Elves. That's how you know who Dobby belonged to!"
"Good guess," I said, carefully avoiding confirming or denying it. I wanted to tell Harry the truth, but at the same time, some parts I wanted to keep secret. Like where my knowledge actually came from.
"Now it makes sense," Harry muttered, before tilting his head to the side. "But what's this plan of Draco's? Or, I suppose, his father? And how do you know about it?"
"Well, part of that is thanks to the Weasleys," I told him, fibbing a bit. "The Ministry has been cracking down on Dark artifacts recently, not entirely sure why, but Arthur recently got a bit of a promotion, and he's been tasked with hunting down some of said artifacts. Lucius Malfoy may have the Minister of Magic's ear, but even he can't escape a scandal if he's found in possession of certain forbidden things. So, he's hoping to get rid of them. And, from what Dobby is saying, he also plans to do something at Hogwarts. Which wouldn't be hard, seeing as he's on the School Board. Put two and two together, and we get the conclusion that he wants to fob off a nasty Dark artifact, possibly using a student as a patsy, that will cause trouble at Hogwarts."
"I see. Any idea what his plan is beyond that, exactly?" Harry inquired, and I bit my lip before replying.
"I think… it will have something to do with the Chamber of Secrets," I said slowly, deciding to reveal a little bit more.
"Another thing I have no idea about," the Boy-Who-Lived grumbled.
"To be fair, not a lot of people know about it. It's more of a myth than fact these days," I comforted him. "The Chamber of Secrets was supposedly built by Salazar Slytherin himself to protect the school, although some legends state it was built to purge the muggleborn from the castle."
"Slytherin again?" Harry grumbled, and I winced.
"Yeah… the house and its founder are… complicated," I muttered.
"How can you be sure Lucius Malfoy will do something with the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry eventually asked.
"I saw it happen in the future," I decided to say, and let Harry come to his own conclusions.
"Divination again? I'm starting to think I should take that when it's offered," Harry said.
"Eh, I'd advise against it, but you do you," I replied with a shrug. "Just be sure to write to me if something weird happens in Hogwarts. I'll send whatever help I can."
"Thanks, that means a lot," Harry said with a grateful smile. He then turned his focus over to Dobby, who wilted under his gaze. "Now, then, what do we do with him?"
"Does Harry Potter Sir wish for Dobby to iron his ears or stick his head in the oven as punishment?" Dobby inquired, and Inky, Harry, and I recoiled in revulsion.
"No! No, no, no!" Harry shouted. "Never do any of that to yourself!"
"But that is what Master M-Malfoy wishes me to do when Dobby messes up," the House Elf replied, quivering on the spot.
There was dead silence for a good minute before Harry stood up off the couch and approached Dobby. He then crouched down and gave him a tight hug, embracing the little being.
"S-sir?" he whimpered, eyes wide, and Harry just hugged harder.
"I will save you," Harry whispered, though it was loud enough for us all to hear.
I politely pretended not to see the tears streaming down either of their faces.
Eventually, they broke apart, and I spoke up.
"I think, for now, Dobby should return to the Malfoys," I said slowly. When Harry shot me an indignant look, I raised my hands in surrender. "Hey, I don't mean forever! I'm sure we can come up with a way to break the bond and free Dobby! But we can't detain the poor guy. House Elves might not be treated well by some, but if the Malfoys find out you're responsible for, uh, keeping Dobby away from them, they could sue you, and the Ministry would side with them. That sort of scrutiny isn't something either of us need."
"Do I have House Elves?" Harry asked after a moment, looking at me, and I frowned.
"I don't actually know," I admitted. "I think… House Potter would have been old and prestigious enough to afford one or two, but without consulting the goblins who manage your estate, we'll never know. I don't think you did, since a House Elf would have died before letting Voldemort so much as get near you or your parents, but who knows."
"Another thing I have to wait to find out about," Harry cursed another his breath. I patted his back sympathetically.
"Sorry about that," I said. I then frowned as I saw the clock on the wall and took note of the time. "Uh, better get ready for dinner, Harry. We don't want to be late."
"I don't want Hermione to scold me," Harry muttered, turning back to his luggage to get out some nice clothes. Which he did have, I'd made sure to buy him a couple nice shirts and pants combos that actually fit him before he went to Hogwarts.
Although, thinking about it, he'd probably need new clothes soon. He'd grown since I'd last seen him. All that Hogwarts grub had done the boy good.
'I'll have to get him some stuff while in Paris,' I decided.
Next, I glanced at Dobby and Inky. "If that's all, I think Dobby should return for now. But don't worry, I'll protect Harry. And find a way to free you."
"Thank you," Dobby said, trembling with tears in his eyes.
"Ah, jeez, don't cry, little guy," I said with a wince. Dobby bobbed his head, eyes still glistening, then vanished with a pop, leaving Inky to stare at the space he had been for a few moments.
"Inky must tend to the Mistress," he announced after a moment, and I nodded.
"Give mother my regards," I requested, and the elderly House Elf simply bowed before popping away as well.
'That went. Better than I thought it would,' I thought to myself. 'And I better not have jinxed us just now.'
Dumbledore POV:
Dumbledore was not happy. He wasn't quite angry, but he was peeved. Harry Potter had been supposed to find the trials he'd set up to guard the Philosopher's Stone. He'd set the whole series of traps for Harry, after all. The seven tests were never going to stop a skilled magic user like one of the professors, let alone Voldemort, no matter how weakened the man had become. They had always been meant to test the Boy-Who-Lived.
And those plans had been completely derailed. Not only had Harry Potter not become interested in finding the stone or stopping Voldemort, he'd been happy to let it lie, and then, when he did discover what was going on, had rushed to tell a teacher. A teacher! It was honestly impressive how un-Gryffindor-like Harry had acted in that instance.
Yes, going to get help from a teacher was the correct response for a student, but it was very frustrating for all of his plans to be ruined. Yes, things had turned out more or less alright, especially with Harry managing to show that he was, in fact, still protected against Voldemort, which was useful. But other than that, Voldemort had nearly gotten away with the stone, the mirror, and the body of a teacher!
And now here he was, listening to Missus Figg explain why she'd lost sight of Harry Potter.
"And his aunt and uncle just let him go with a stranger?" he asked incredulously. He wished Missus Figg had contacted him sooner. At least it'd only taken her an hour to work up the courage to contact him.
"Yes. They've always disliked the boy, I've told you this before, Headmaster Dumbledore. Besides, I can't really call the Hunch boy a stranger. From what I understand young Harry is close with him. I believe they met at the muggle school they attended together."
Dumbledore frowned heavily. The Hunches had been Dark Side supporters for years. They'd sided with Grindelwald, and then with Voldemort, and were believers in Blood Purity.
The unexpected death of Erroneous Hunch wasn't a blow to the Dark Side due to his lack of importance. Indeed, many poor Pureblood families had been Death Eaters, but only the rich and influential, like the Malfoys and Notts, had mattered in the grand scheme of things.
Hunch Senior's eldest son being a Squib was a sad thing, and his youngest child Rudolf was hardly impressive when it came to his schooling. As such, Dumbledore had never expected he'd have to care about the Hunch Family at all. But here he was, hearing from his agent that Harry Potter, his tool to build a brighter future for the magical world, had been in contact with Hunch Junior.
'I need to find out what Harry's been told, and how much the Hunch boy has influenced him,' Dumbledore thought to himself.
'I cannot let Harry's destiny be derailed.'
"Where does young mister Hunch live?" Dumbledore inquired.
"I do not know," Missus Figg admitted with an apologetic shake of her head. "I have met him just once, when his mother dropped him off into the muggle world, but that was at a café. He must live nearby, though. Perhaps you can find out where he is from the school records. Woolingsby is the name of the place."
"I will do so," Dumbledore said firmly. "Inform me when Harry Potter returns."
"Of course," Figg said. Dumbledore inclined his head with a grateful nod and then walked away towards the fireplace. A handful of green powder later, and he was whisked through the Floo Network back to his office.
'How long can Harry stay away from his home, anyways?' Dumbledore thought to himself with a chuckle as he sat down at his desk