Daddy’s Boy

Dobby's Warning

(Some of Dobby's conversation is taken verbatim from the second book)

The next day was a sunny and warm day. Harry and Hermione spent it reading and playing in the Potter's backyard, which was larger than the Granger's. Being surrounded by tall hedges also allowed the children to practise their animagus forms a bit, although Harry couldn't really fly as Snow. It wasn't big enough for that, but it was good enough for stretching his wings.

Hermione was also practising a somewhat different transformation, a way to keep her heightened animal senses while still retaining her human form. It was something Sirius had mentioned during the summer but was unable to instruct her or Harry on.

Harry joined her. While not widely known, the phoenix also has very acute senses of sound, smell and vision. Based on his own experience and on what he had read about other animals, Harry was sure that a phoenix could see better than an eagle, during daylight, and almost as well as an owl when in the dark; identify smells at least as well as a dog and hear like a cat.

Practising their sense of smell, they suddenly sensed a foreign being in the garden. Harry followed to where it came from – somewhere among the rose bushes. He thought he saw two big eyes looking at him, but they disappeared as he blinked. He wasn't even sure if he really saw them or only imagined.

It was much later, as he was getting ready for the night, when he found a house-elf standing near his bed. The elf was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase instead of normal clothes and looked quite thin.

"Harry Potter!" said the elf. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir… Such an honour it is…"

"Thank you," said Harry. "Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf."

"I know you are a house-elf, but who is your master?"

"Dobby is really sorry, sir, but Dobby is not allowed to answer this question."

It was clear to Harry that he would get no answer to this.

"Is there any particular reason you're here?"

"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…"

"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.

To his horror, the elf burst into tears.

"S-sit down!" it wailed. "Never… never ever…"

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything –"

"Offend Dobby!" the elf choked. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard – like an equal –"

"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leaped up and started banging his head furiously on the window frame, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Don't – what are you doing?" Harry asked, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"

"Do they know you're here?" Harry asked curiously.

Dobby shuddered.

"Oh, no, sir, no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir –"

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…"

"I don't think that's the right way to treat house elves," Harry said seriously.

"The family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…"

Harry stared.

"Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"

Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.

"Please, stop. I don't want you to cry," Harry said.

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…"

Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish."

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named –"

"Voldemort?" said Harry.

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"

"Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My classmate Ron –"

He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was not helpful.

Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights.

"Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago… that Harry Potter escaped yet again."

Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.

"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later… Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."

"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back – term starts on September first. I shouldn't miss school."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" said Harry in surprise.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on – this hasn't got anything to do with Vol – sorry – with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head.

"Not – not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir –"

But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry started thinking. Could this be about that dark object Malfoy tried to hide among Ginny's books? He knew that Malfoy used to be a Death Eater. Judging by his son's behaviour, he was still holding the same ideas.

"I know of a dark object which somebody tried to smuggle into Hogwarts," he tried a shot in the dark. "Could that be the reason for your concern?"

Dobby nodded, his eyes wider than ever. And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with ear splitting yelps. Harry moved almost as quickly, grabbed Dobby's hand and stopped him from inflicting harm on himself.

"Well then, that danger is over. I had the object destroyed, including whatever dark magic resided in it. That object will not have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry.

Dobby's eyes seemed to get even larger. "Is that really destroyed?" he asked in disbelief.

"Really and truly. I watched my guardian destroy it with fiend-fire and then get rid even of the ashes. There's not even a sign of that object ever existing."

A reluctant smile appeared on Dobby's face. "Well, maybe that danger is removed, but Harry Potter must know there are other forces working, and some may become very dangerous. Dobby wants Harry Potter to be extremely careful. Dobby doesn't want to lose Harry Potter."

Harry lifted his hand. "I promise to be as careful as I can and avoid dangers to the best of my ability, excluding playing Quidditch."

Both were surprised as a bright flash appeared to engulf Harry, making it into a magical vow, although Harry didn't even hold his wand. Harry felt a bit nervous about it. He had never intended this promise to be so binding; not consciously, at least.

"Dobby can calm a bit now, but Dobby will watch Harry Potter and try to help in any case of danger," Dobby promised solemnly. He bowed deeply. "Goodbye, Harry Potter!" he said, clicked his fingers and vanished.

Harry told Hermione about this weird visit. "Do you think he may be one of Malfoy's house-elves?"

"That may be," she answered pensively. "Neither father nor son impressed me as people who care for others, either human or house-elves. As the Malfoy history is full of dark magic, possessing such a dark artefact is quite natural for them. I wonder what he had in mind though. I don't think we would ever find out."

"I'd also like to help Dobby come free from that family. We'll have to think of a way to do it," Harry added.

"Yes, we'll think about it," Hermione agreed.

Harry didn't look forward to meeting the Weasleys again. Well, he didn't mind the twins too much, really. They were mostly fun and great company. He couldn't care less about Percy. It was the two youngest siblings he had a problem with. Ron, despite trying to look and act as a friend, was a burden he didn't like to carry, yet he needed to do it because of Dumbledore. No need to alert him prematurely to James's survival and Harry's abilities. Ginny, although he didn't know her too well, was evidently a fan-girl, enamored in Harry's perceived glory and fame. She couldn't even keep her composure near him, her face turning as red as her hair the moment they were close enough for him to notice. Her presence in Gryffindor common room (and Ron, at least, was sure that Ginny would be a Gryffindor, like all other Weasleys for many generations) could become a nuisance or even a problem if the girl didn't learn to control herself.

Still politeness dictated that they all meet at the train station and board together, or, what was probably the more realistic scenario, whoever came first would have to save places for the others, which translated to Harry and Hermione sitting with Ron and Ginny, at least.

Harry and Hermione came early, as usual, and saved a compartment. The Weasleys arrived just seconds before the train started moving. The twins only said hello before joining their older friends in another compartment. Percy didn't even say hello. Only Ron and Ginny stayed.

"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger," she tried starting some conversation with Ginny, "and this is my friend Harry."

It took Ginny some concentration to overcome her feelings, but Harry could see that she really tried. "Glad to meet you, Hermione, and you too, Harry. I'm Ginny, as you've already heard, I'm sure. Ron was talking a lot about you both during the summer."

"What did he tell you?" Harry asked, curious about what Ron had told. There wasn't much Ron could tell about his real adventures at Hogwarts, as Ron didn't believe him even when he told him the truth.

"Oh, he said you rescued Hermione from a troll, although he didn't know how. Can you tell me what really happened?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Some other time," Hermione told Ginny, "when we can get some privacy so that no uninvited ears hear about it."

"Sure!" Ginny smiled at her, glad that this older girl was talking to her as an equal.

Although it took her a conscious effort to ignore Harry's fame, it was evident that the young girl was trying hard to let her friendly, open character show, without letting her hero-worship cloud her behaviour. Harry thought she could eventually become a very good friend, certainly better than her brother.