Unexpected Visit from Dobby

"Well, why don't you sit down, and we can talk about it?"

However, his statement had the opposite of the desired effect, and the elf burst into tears

Harry could feel Tom's irritation in the back of his mind.

"S-sit down!" the elf wailed, shocked into hysterics, the volume of his voice causing Harry to wince,"Never...n-never, ever..."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, hoping the elf would follow suit, "I really didn't mean to make you upset. It wasn't my intention to offend you."

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

Feeling a little horrified for the poor thing, he tried to smile weakly. "You can't have met many decent wizards, then."

Dobby shook his head. Then, all of a sudden, he leapt up onto Harry's desk and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Wait, stop, what are you doing?" Harry cried, frantically tearing the creature away from the window.

Tom had gone from being irritated to laughing bemusedly in his mind, no doubt relishing in the pathetic creature's pain.

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

"The people who...own you?"

Dobby nodded. "The family Dobby is bound to serve forever..."

"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry 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 -"

A brutal shiver shook the elf's frame.

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" Harry asked with a frown, somewhat concerned with the plausibility of Dobby's plan.

"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..."

What horrible people, he could not help but think. Surely, the elf had its faults, but he clearly meant well. And he was rather cute, in an odd way. Yes, Dobby the house elf had most likely been divested of every last marble he ever had, but at least his evident insanity was endearing. Who could possibly wish him harm? Well, Tom did, but Tom took pleasure in everyone's pain. "Is there anything I can do? To make this whole thing easier for you?"

At that, Dobby erupted into wails of gratitude and awe.

"Please," Harry said frantically, "Please be quiet, Dobby. I'll be in a lot of trouble..."

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

Harry was just very confused now. "Oh...well, I assure you, Dobby, there's nothing particularly great about me. Not yet, anyway..."

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his impressively large eyes nearly glowing in the dark of Harry's room. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named."

"Ummm..."

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

Harry nodded slowly, wondering what the elf was getting at.

"Ah, sir," the elf gasped, dabbing the wet corners of his eyes with the hem of the...grubby pillowcase-looking thing 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."

"...what?"

"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."

Harry blinked. "Really?"

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

"May I ask what sort of terrible things are going to happen?"

Dobby made a horrible choking sound, and then started hitting his head violently against the edge of Harry's bed.

"Ok, ok," Harry said, trying to appease him. "I see, I understand. You can't say anything. It's alright, Dobby."

"...it is?"

Harry nodded. "I get it, I won't go back to Hogwarts, I promise you."

Dobby looked positively blissful, at that. "Really, sir?"

Harry nodded, trying to smile. "I'm sure my relatives will be thrilled to have me around longer, and then I can go to this lovely muggle school they had lined up for me..."

Ok, maybe he was laying it on a little thick.

Meanwhile, Dobby seemed to have bought his little act. "Oh, Dobby is so, so pleased, sir. Dobby is so happy that Harry Potter will remain here where it's safe."

Harry nodded with feigned fervour. "Thank you so much, Dobby, for coming to warn me. I really appreciate it." And he did...the sentiment, at least.

"Oh, Dobby is so, so happy to help, sir! Dobby hopes that Harry Potter has a very pleasant evening!"

And with one last adoring look, the elf disappeared, leaving Harry sitting on his bed with a puzzled look on his face.

That was unexpected. Very unexpected.

Alas, he was too exhausted to even think about it.

Sighing, he reached under his bed and pulled out the discman from Hermione, and popped a CD in. Placing the headphones on and collapsing into his bed, he fell asleep to the lulling dialogue of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major.

His sleep was dreamless that night.

....

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