Baking a plan and polishing a romance
Dobby silently appeared back in the kitchens after cleaning the Gryffindor common room all by himself. Not that he minded; it was pure bliss to be cleaning the very seats that the great Harry Potter may have sat on. As an added bonus every time he cleaned the Gryffindor common room he would get another colorful hat as a reward. As a free elf he could choose to wear the hat or not, however, Dobby had yet to choose to not wear the hats he had found as his very tall stack of hats on his head attested to.
So, it was not the cleaning that was unsettling to the little house elf. No, the problem was his perfectly baked little tart, his shiny polished pot, his beloved Winky. Currently lying in the corner of the kitchen, in a pool of her own sick.
Dobby rushed over to the corner with his mop and bucket ready to right the damage the contents of her stomach had done to her clothes – or the tea towel that she wore as clothes - and to the floor.
"Dobby help Winky," the elf said as he snapped his fingers, setting the mop in motion.
"Winky not want help, Winky is is a fr-fr-free elf and n-n-not wa-wa-want help," slurred the sad little elf between hiccups before she completely dissolved into loud sobs - and hiccups - with her face buried in her filthy tea towel.
"Dobby wants to help Winky. Dobby wants Winky happy," explained Dobby as he wiped Winky's face with his brand new hat.
"Winky's not happy. Winky is a free elf and not want to be a free elf," Winky said before she blew her nose very loudly into the bright wool hat that Dobby was holding.
Dobby's heart swelled as he realized that he was in fact helping his beloved. As he wiped her nose and looked into her very large, very liquid eyes, Dobby's heart smiled and his little face did it's best to convey that same sentiment. Then he lowered her down on to a cleanish section of her corner and brushed her tea towel skirt completely clean with a single swipe of his hand.
"Winky rest now. It makes Dobby happy to do Winky's work, it does," said Dobby.
Winky answered with a great snore that was far louder than her little body should have been able to produce.
Dobby set about cleaning up the rest of the kitchen until every surface was as shiny as a mirror. Towards four o'clock in the morning, Dobby went out to do Winky's work of gathering the eggs for the omelets and feeding the chickens and milking the cows. All the while Winky slept on, snoring peacefully in her dirty corner of the kitchen.
The kitchen was in full swing by six AM with many elves preparing for the day when Dobby came back from doing Winky's morning work. He looked over to Winky's corner to see her sitting up.
"Dobby is happy to see that Winky's awake. Would Winky like it if Dobby got Winky something to eat?" Dobby asked his shiny polished pot.
"Winky does not want anything to eat, sir," Winky said looking well rested and only slightly dirty.
"Winky does not need to call Dobby 'sir.' Dobby's not a 'sir.' Dobby is a free elf but not a 'sir'," said Dobby very proudly, as he looked at his perfectly baked tart.
"What does Winky want Dobby to do for her now? Dobby would like to help Winky'
Dobby's declaration set Winky off on yet another fit of crying. However this time she added repeatedly banging her head with a large menacing-looking rolling pin that had been abandoned on the counter top.
Dobby looked on with total calm and admiration. He knew how much peace he got from banging his head and he was glad that she was making herself happy and doing things in a house elfish manner.
Dobby then realized that it would be best if he let Winky hit herself a bit more and he continued on with Winky's work for the day. To his credit he did try to explain to Winky that he was going to do more of her work but the little elf was not entirely sure that his perfectly baked tart was able to hear him over her crying and the loud, satisfying 'wack' the rolling pin was making.
With a snap of his fingers Dobby went off to keep all the girls toilets clean during lessons. This was normally Winky's job because if she ever got caught cleaning she wouldn't upset the girl students being a girl as she was. But Dobby wanted to do this for Winky. He would just have to be very careful to not get noticed and draw attention to the fact that Winky was still feeling a bit out of sorts.
The first few hours of his task went very well and he was able to sneak out before any of the girls noticed anything other than a shiny clean bathroom. Each time he need to get out quickly he would go to the very messy toilet on the second floor and clean it between times of cleaning the more high traffic ones. Of course that was Moaning Myrtle's toilet and it was only by luck that he had not yet met up with the woebegone ghost. But like all runs of luck the world over, Dobby's luck ran out.
Appearing back in the second floor bath after a hasty retreat from the girls toilet on the third floor after a first year had walked in, Dobby picked up where he left off cleaning and started polishing the mirrors. 'Dobby does not know when this toilet was cleaned last. Dobby will ask about why it's been so long since the last cleaning' Dobby thought to him self.
Dobby was so involved in getting a particularly nasty spot off the mirror that he didn't notice the very loud splash until it was too late. Myrtle was looking at him in the mirror as she picked at her spots before he had a chance to react.
Almost as soon as she entered the bathroom from the toilet she was throwing challenges at the poor little elf. 'You are not a girl.'
'No ma'am Dobby is a boy house elf, I is called Dobby,' he explained to the rather rude ghost.
'Where is that other house elf, that lazy girl one?' the ghost demanded.
'Winky ma'am? Dobby thinks you are talking about Winky,' Dobby explained. 'Winky is not feeling well ma'am, Dobby is helping Winky with her work'
'Humph … not feeling well. SHE IS DRUNK!' the ghost screeched, causing the top of the little house elf's tower of hats to almost touch the wet floor behind him.
'SHE IS DRUNK, SHE CAN DRINK TO FORGET HER PROBLMES BUT CAN I? HAVE I EVER BEEN ABLE TO DRINK? NO! WHY? BECAUSE I AM DEAD!' Myrtle screamed then with a great wail and splash she disappeared past the u-bend.
Though she left quite a mess in her wake, Dobby was quite glad to see her go.
'Dobby is not liking that ghost,' thought the little house elf, 'Dobby thinks Myrtle and Peeves need to learn manners. Harry Potter has manners.'
Winky was still not adjusting to life as a Hogwarts free elf. This was very bad indeed that the ghosts knew this information; it would now be only a matter of time before she got kicked out. Then she would have to live a disgraced life and maybe even wind up working in one of those places on Knockturn alley. No, that would not be good, not good at all.
With that Dobby set about finishing his, or rather Winky's work for the day. Just before the dinner preparation had begun, he popped back to the kitchen to see Winky but Winky was nowhere to be found. He even asked Bucky - the rather stout elf who baked all the bread for Hogwarts
'Bucky has not seen Winky today, Bucky was hoping that she was doing her work, Bucky likes Winky, Dobby, but she is a lazy house elf who needs to stop drinking the Butterbeers,' said the rotund house elf.
With a great sigh Dobby went to the bottom shelf of the linen cupboard to nap before he needed to start his work.
When Dobby woke he went back to the kitchen to see if he could find his Shiny Polished Pot. He looked around among the bustling houses elves that were cleaning up after the evening meal. He finally found her digging in the bin for discarded Butterbeer bottles that might just have a bit left in the bottom. Not knowing what to say in response to that spectacle, the woeful little house elf set about cleaning the dishes.
As he worked Dobby realized that what he was doing would not help Winky at all and not only that but it now seemed that all of Hogwarts knew that Winky was not doing her work and not being a 'good house elf' free or otherwise. Dobby had been almost positive that when the great Harry Potter had seen her in that state she would have been embarrassed but that had been months ago now. Truth be told, Dobby needed his perfectly baked tart to be better, she was part his great plan. She was going to be part of the free family of house-elfs he was going have. He was a free elf who was able to pick his bride and he picked Winky. His Shiny Polished Pot was the prettiest house elf he had ever laid eyes on. She had big eyes and her ears had a nice shape not to mention that her nose was the best nose in all of Hogwarts.
After Dobby finished up the evening dishes, he went back to the bin to find Winky. She was still trying to get the last dregs of Butterbeer out of a bottle.
'Dobby needs Winky's help in cleaning the great Gryffindor common room. Dobby as a free elf can ask Winky for help.'
'Dobby does not need Winky's help, Dobby does it every night without Winky's help' Winky replied.
'Dobby does need help, Dobby can only ask Winky, the other elves won't go in that room anymore and Dobby needs Winky to help Dobby, not only that but all of Hogwarts needs Winky's help. Winky is the only other free house elf that can do this for the great Gryffindors,' the proud free house elf declared.
'Winky would really be useful again if she helps Dobby?' Winky asked with almost the same shine in her eyes that she gets from gazing at a full bottle of butter beer.
Dobby could only nod in his enthusiastic way sending his tower of hats teetering.
And with that they both appeared in the Gryffindor common room. Dobby took that moment to hold both of Winky's hands in his hands and in the darkened common room he stepped closer – avoiding her feet with his feet which were quite large now that he had all his socks on. He just could not stop himself from leaning in and rubbing his nose on her nose. He was truly elated when she nuzzled her nose back against his. At that exact moment, Dobby new that his great plan would one day not be just a plan, but a job he could work at. But for now there was important Hogwarts work to be done.
Dobby appeared in front of the great Harry Potter who sitting with his Wheezy and the bushy haired girl who was the true reason for his visit.
'Dobby how did you find us? No one is supposed to know where we are. Were you followed?' the great Harry Potter asked.
'Dobby is sorry for interrupting Harry Potter, sir. But Dobby came to buy something from the clever miss,' explained the little house elf.
Hermione put her book down and knelt in front of the house elf. 'Whatever you want Dobby I would be happy to give it to you for no cost'
'NO!' screeched the little house elf, 'Dobby is a free elf with his own gold and Dobby needs to purchase something for his Winky'
Dobby looked at the well worn and thread beard rug and seeming to gather his courage he said, 'Winky needs a bigger tea towel to wear, Dobby is going to pay for it'.
'Oh Dobby that is wonderful news I will be glad to make her something bigger,' cried Hermione
'Yes that is good news,' said Harry as he got up to shake the house's elf hand.
'Ummm, yeah, uh that's good news?' Ron asked rather than declared as he patted the top of the house elf's head.
As Dobby was looking in all the various places on his person where he could have stashed his gold Ron then leaned in and asked Harry and Hermione 'Why are we congratulating him that Winky got fat?'
Harry reached around the back of Ron's head and smacked it 'She is pregnant y' git!' he said more loudly than he intended.
With that Ron's ears got very red and said a very soft 'oh,' for his part Dobby looked like he may have also had a new slight reddish tinge to his coloring as well.