Before we begin...(Author's Notes):

So, hello! This is the first of the prompts-slash-minifics that I've been putting on HPFanfiction, on Reddit.

This story is basically about a concept I'd been sitting on for a while; what if a house-elf, owned a wizard? After reading 0800 Rent-a-Hero by brainthief (which briefly touches on the subject), I went and made a request on HPFanfiction.

It didn't pan out, apparently there's very little fanfic with house-elves owning wizards...so, I decided to write a prompt for one!

In this 'chapter', I try to set up a divergence from canon at the end of Chamber of Secrets, where a mix of magic accidentally bonds Harry to Dobby the 'wrong way around'. I tried to keep it fairly family-friendly, and set up as many elements (why it happened, how to free Harry, Dobby's motive, etc) as possible; unfortunately, I think I rambled on a bit much.

If you like the concept, please please write your own! I'm hungry for fanfic!

It started when...

Lucius looked down at Dobby, who was gleefully twirling his new sock around, before he turned his baleful gaze upon Harry.

"You've lost me my servant, boy." he stated coldly.

Harry just shrugged, "Like you ever deserved him. Hey, Dobby."

The free elf looked up at Harry, his expression beaming.

"What was it you wanted to say back in Professor Dumbledore's office?"

Dobby smiled wider before taking a deep breath, "It was bad old master Malfoy all along! He made the plan to use the bad book to kill the muggleborns, he put it in Miss Wheezy's cauldron! I was ordered not to tell!"

Harry smirked as Lucius looked gobsmacked, "Well, Mr. Malfoy? It seems your actions have a witness."

Lucius's expression darkened as Dobby skipped to Harry's side, "It seems your parents weren't the only meddlesome fools. Mark my words, Potter...you'll meet a sticky end soon enough."

Harry grinned cheekily at him; turning his back on the fuming blonde, he started to walk back to the headmaster's office-

"Imperio."

-when all of his thoughts seemed to slip away, everything vanishing from the Boy-Who-Lived's mind, to be replaced by a gentle feeling of relaxation and happiness.

Go to the window.

Harry turned without thinking about it, walking towards one of the corridor's large windows, gazing out at the grand vista of the lake outside.

Jump out of the window.

Harry put one foot up on the windowsill, then hesitated, as though there were a voice in the back of his head saying "This is a bad idea."

Jump out of the-

The foggy feeling in Harry's mind suddenly vanished as he stumbled back and turned around; there, behind him, Lucius was supporting himself on a nearby column, the cane in his hand smashed to splinters, staring with horror at Dobby.

Harry stepped up towards Dobby, who turned and looked at him with furious eyes, "Dobby saw it! Bad old master waved his cane and cast a spell on you! A very bad mind-control curse!"

Behind Dobby, Lucius picked up the largest remaining piece of his cane, before fleeing down the stairwell from the angry house-elf.

After that...

Albus Dumbledore stroked his beard, "I see...unfortunately, without neither the diary nor Mr. Malfoy's wand, we cannot prove his involvement in this years events, or his attempt to kill Harry...nevertheless, thanks to your testimony, I am certain his actions in the future will be much more closely scrutinized."

Dobby briefly looked abashed at the mention of his destroying Lucius Malfoy's wand, before he grinned cheerfully again, "Did Dobby do a good job?"

Albus smiled, "You did very well, Dobby. And you too, Harry...but, before you return to your tower, perhaps I should tell you a little more about the bond that you two now share?"

Skip a bit...

Dobby suddenly looked nervous, "Actually...Dobby would like a very big favor from Harry Potter sir..."

Harry slid off his chair and gently held Dobby's hands, "It's alright Dobby. You really saved my life, I'll do anything for you."

Suddenly, at that moment, a tiny spark of magic ran from Dobby's arm to Harry, and for a brief moment Harry felt as though he was being squeezed and hugged by some invisible force.

Harry let go of Dobby and fell over backwards, "What was that?" he wondered.

Dobby, strangely, looked astonished, "Dobby only wanted to ask if he could keep Harry Potter's sock!"

A little while later...

"Well, good sirs, I believe I have an explanation." the portrait of Quenton Pilliwickle, former Hogwarts Headmaster, said from his spot above the fireplace.

Harry both looked up at the painting, while Fawkes continued to nudge at Dobby, who still looked like he had seen a basilisk's reflection.

"It's quite simple, really," Quenton continued, "You see, it's a combination of three factors. Firstly, when you freed good Dobby over there, Lucius was, shall we say, less than willing; hence, the bond between the two was not properly dissolved, it was merely severed."

"Secondly," Quenton held up two fingers, "when Dobby repaid your generosity by saving you from that villain's vile curse, you, Harry, incurred a life debt to him, as sir Dumbledore has explained." The current headmaster nodded.

"Now!" Quenton held up his entire hand, "This is where things get interesting! For you see, Harry, when you said, and I quote, 'I'll do anything for you', and I know you meant it, you were holding Dobby's hands at the time. And that, my lad, was a textbook vow of homage."

"Of what?" Harry looked confused.

"Of homage! The traditional ritual where a vassal swears allegiance to their lord," the painting of Pilliwickle explained. "Nevermind, 'tis from centuries ago."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, "I believe I understand now, sir Pilliwickle. Spells can interact with each other in strange ways, and so too can magical bonds, even those of friendship and loyalty..."

"I do say, you've got the idea, headmaster. And what about you, young chap?" the painting asked, turning to Harry.

Harry thought about it, "Um...you're saying that Dobby's broken bond with Malfoy, my life debt to Dobby, and this vow of homage, all mixed to do...what?"

Quenton smiled...then suddenly looked embarrassed, "That is right, they mixed together to...well, actually, this is a touch awkward, but I believe that the three mixed to make a new bond of servitude. You are...well, it would seem, young Harry, that you're now the magically bonded servant of Dobby the house-elf."

Harry froze up; Fawkes noticed and started cawing loudly, peering around the room, eyes searching for another hidden basilisk.

And then after that...

"I have good news." Albus announced as he re-entered his office, "Mr. Stump from the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures assures me that clothes are not the only way to free a house-elf."

Harry and Dobby looked up from the game of checkers they were playing.

The headmaster settled comfortably back into his seat before continuing, "It seems that, harkening back to old feudal traditions, a house-elf...or other bonded servant," he added, looking at Harry, "can be freed with a gift of a plot of fertile land."

"I wouldn't mind being given Hogwarts, professor." Harry joked.

Dumbledore chuckled quietly, "I'm afraid that's not an option...In any case, I'm not sure magically conjured soil counts, so you may have to wait until tomorrow morning, but then, Harry, you will be free again."

A mumbled sound came from Dobby's direction. Dumbledore tilted his head, "Pardon, Dobby? I didn't quite hear."

Dobby looked up, first at Dumbledore, then at Harry, "Could...could Dobby please keep Harry Potter sir?"

There was a deafening silence for a few seconds, before Harry smiled weakly, "Um...Dobby, I know I said I'd do anything for you, but I wasn't thinking of something like this."

Dobby stared at Harry with an expression like that of a needy puppy. Harry shifted uncomfortably, "Why do you want to keep me, anyway? I thought you'd be leery of any kind of slavery after Malfoy."

Dobby's eyes widened slightly, "But that is just it, Harry Potter sir! Bad old Malfoy was a bad master! If Dobby owns a wizard, Dobby can be good master! And Dobby can prove he is better than that big dumb Malfoy!" the house-elf reddened slightly with that last daring comment.

For his part, the headmaster's eyes twinkled, "One of the better kinds of revenge, I would think."

"Professor!" Harry looked shocked, "You aren't considering leaving me like this, are you?"

The headmaster coughed, spluttering for a moment before regaining his composure, "I assure you, Harry, I have absolutely no intention of allowing you to remain in bondage, if it is against your will."

Harry sighed with relief...before his gaze turned confused, "Wait, why did you specify 'if it's against my will'? Uh, sir?"

Dumbledore looked at him. Then, sighing, the old man leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes, "I'm sure you know, Harry, that in a few weeks time, you must return to the Dursleys for another summer...despite their, shall we say, less-than-stellar behavior last time you saw them."

Harry opened his mouth, but Dobby beat him to it, "Master Dobby will protect his Harry from bad relatives," he growled fiercely, "Master Dobby can put fat muggles in a cage like they did to Harry."

Harry fought to stifle laughter as he imagined his uncle Vernon being transfigured into a walrus, before another thought occured to him and he looked subdued, "If you do that, I'll just get in trouble with the Improper Use of Magic Office again."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Dumbledore said lightly, "I can speak to Miss Hopkirk so that no more of Dobby's...mm, misdeeds, are blamed on you."

Some time later

Ron leaned back in his chair, "That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard, mate...I take that back, it's only the weirdest thing I've heard today. And you're actually considering staying as Dobby's...you know?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm not sure yet. Dobby doesn't have to obey the restriction on underaged sorcery, so I can finally have magic at the Dursleys. And it means they won't be able to put bars on my window again."

Ron's face twitched as he tried to frown and smirk at the same time, "Yeah, but imagine what'll happen if you fall behind on homework." The redhead pitched his voice and tried to do his impression of a house-elf, "If bad Harry doesn't do his schoolwork, bad Harry will be flogged with a haddock thiiis big!"

Harry snickered. Ron gave him a goofy grin, before frowning, as though expecting some other reaction; a second later, he turned towards the third couch, "No comment, 'Mione?"

Hermione looked up at Ron and Harry before shaking her head, "No, I'm just...sorry, this is hard to take in. I mean, you two actually fought and killed the basilisk, you were right and Lockhart was worse than a fraud..."

Ron tried not to look too smug.

"And Lucius Malfoy actually tried to kill you, Harry!" Hermione continued, "And now you've been turned into some kind of magical slave, it's just..." she trailed off.

"It's not that bad, honestly." Harry tried to assure her, "I mean, Dumbledore and Dobby promised I can be free any time I want. And, it means I get to have some magic over the summer."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind, mate." Ron commented. "I wouldn't go for it if it were me. I don't want to imagine what Fred and George would do if they found out I had to obey a house-elf's every word..."

Harry's face went white at that particular thought, and he silently resolved to never let a meeting between Dobby and the prankster twins come to pass.

And then after that

"Ah, Harry. Have you made your decision on whether or not to dissolve your bond with Dobby?"

Professor Dumbledore's expression looked serious, but his eyes betrayed a concealed sense of amusement.

Harry nodded, "As a matter of fact, I have, sir." Then he turned to the nervous elf standing next to him and knelt down to look him in the eye.

"Dobby," Harry started uncertainly; Dobby squeaked before looking back at him apprehensively.

"Well, I suppose I should call you Master now," Harry continued. He swallowed some nervousness, before he went on, "I, um...well, ever since we first met, you've been trying to keep me safe, even if, um, you didn't pick the best ways to do it."

Dobby held his breath as Harry's voice grew a little stronger, "And you did definitely save my life yesterday, that's a fact. So, um, to reward your selflessness, I..." Harry took a deep breath, "I would like to ask if I could be your humble servant, Master Dobby."

For a few seconds, Dobby was silent, his eyes bugging out, and Harry wondered if he had said something wrong by mistake.

Then, Dobby squealed with delight, "Yes! Yes! Dobby accepts!"

"Well said, lad," the portrait of Quenton Pilliwickle commented as the house-elf went into a happy dance, "I think you might have accidentally proposed to him just now, but well said."

Harry blushed and Dumbledore simply looked amused as Dobby bounced around the room, "Dobby is so happy, Dobby is free and he has his own wizard and he's going to be the best master ever..."

The headmaster coughed politely, causing the room to quiet, "Well, as joyous an occasion as this is, I do have one more matter of importance to bring up."

He reached under his desk, and literally brought up a large potted plant; a magnificent capsicum plant sporting bell peppers in every color of the rainbow.

"Your fertile land, Dobby." Dumbledore explained. "If ever Harry wishes to be freed, you can present this to him to make it so."

Harry just raised his eyebrows at the plant's flamboyant colors, while Dobby beamed, "Master Dobby appreciates this very much, Headmaster Dumbledore sir!"

Dobby then turned to Harry, "Could Harry Potter please be-oh no!" he cut himself off, eyes wide with horror.

"I assure you that Harry can handle your new land and care for it without accidentally breaking the bond between you." the headmaster helpfully supplied.

"Just as well, it'd be embarrassing to have to ask to be enslaved again." Harry quipped.

Dobby shut his eyes and took several deep breaths before looking at Harry again, "Could Harry Potter please be carrying Master Dobby's new pot plant?"

Harry smiled, "Of course, Dobby." But before he could move towards the potted capsicum, a knock came at the headmaster's door.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "Come in, miss Granger."

After a moment, the door was pushed open a slight bit, and Hermione Granger came edging through, "Um, hello Professor...could I ask Dobby something?"

"Miss Her-Money can ask anything she likes!" Dobby chirped.

Hermione twitched at the innocuous mangling of her name, "Um, Dobby, could you promise me something?"

"Anything!"

"Would you please make sure that Harry does all his homework over the summer?"

Harry just shook his head resignedly as the various portraits around the office collapsed into silent and not-so-silent laughter.