The Start.
Couple minutes after Draco was born he was given to house elf to take care of the baby. This elf was Dobby.
He stayed with Draco from very first minutes, fulfilling his every wish but over all that, he give him something even greater - Friendship.
Draco's first crawling was towards Dobby who hugged him and give him a small treat, praising him and earning big grin from Draco.
Dobby was there when Draco took his first steps, instead of trying to go to his mother or father Draco took his first steps towards Dobby, giggling when he finally was able to do it.
The first time when Draco got shouted at by playing too loud Dobby was there to wipe his tears and tell him that it's okay.
The first time when Lucius hit Draco was when Draco was a bit over 1 year. He earned bruising hit over his butt all because Draco come into the house and was too happy to see Dobby after their holiday.
After that hit Draco was left alone in his room, gasping for breath and waiting for his mother to come and hug him, tell him that his father didn't mean to hurt him, that he still love him.
But his mother never come. Instead Dobby come, pulling Draco in his lap, swinging him softly and wiping away his tears, staying all night just to make sure that Draco was okay.
After that Draco did get a couple more similar punishments from his father just because he was too close and too kind to trash that was their house elf.
That's how Draco learned to put on a mask, faking cold and ignorant person in front of his father while being full on kindness in front of Dobby.
And with every year Draco just got more and more sassy, but Dobby didn't mind, all he cared about was Draco being happy.
But not all apierence his sassines.
His father hated it. And he got to know it in a hard way.
He was ten, his father pulling off one more ball for his rich "friends", trying to push Draco to be friends with their children that was the same age as him.
Draco hated these parties, he couldn't stand it all, all these fake people playing on his nerve, so he couldn't help him, embracing his sassiness on full level.
-What a cute boy you are! - one of his parents friend pinch his cheek making red blotch spread over Draco's pale cheek.
- Well, but you yourself look like death itself vomit you back. - Draco turn on his heal and walked away.
Latter that night when all guests was gone, Lucius pulled Draco out of bed, dragged him down the hall and pushed him down to the ground.
-You need to learn some manieres. - Lucius demand.
- You need to learn love, father. - Draco snarled back, standing up straigt.
He didn't even saw the hit coming, he just felt his father's cane's silvery tip connect with his cheek.
Draco fell to the ground with loud gasp, slowly raising his fingers to touch his swelling cheekbone just to see blood smear over his fingers.
-Is that all you can do? Just hit me because I wasn't talking the same nonsense that you were babbling? Weak, even for you. - Draco looked up at his father with bored look.
What come next he didn't understand, one moment he was looking at his father, the next terrible pain was shooting through his body, pushing him to the ground.
-Manieres, Draco, maniers. - Lucius simply answer before aiming curse at Draco, again and again.
That night Draco's screams echo through the manor, scaring even birds outside.
After hours when Draco finally passed out from all the pain, Lucius simply left him lying there on the cold ground.
That's when Dobby come, carefully getting Draco to the bed, wiping away sweat from Draco's stone pale face, tucking puffy blanket around boy's sore body, simply sitting there to make sure that Draco was okay. At least as okay as someone could be after such curse.
Draco didn't leave his bed for three whole days, he could barely move at all, everything hurt so much that he spend most of his time just crying.
He watched his bedroom door with hope that maybe his mother will come but she never did and Draco didn't blame her, he knew that Lucius have told her not to as a second punishment to Draco because he knew how much Draco loved his mother.
Dobby tried his best to help Draco get through these days, feeding him and always being there to wipe his tears.
- Dobby, why my father hate me so much? - Draco looked up at the house elf with eyes so teary that it looked like liquid silver that was about to spill over the edges of the eye.
- Your father do love you Draco, he just don't know how to show it. He was raised this way, he just don't know any other kind of love. I am sorry, Draco. - Dobby hung his head low, feeling really sad himself, wishing that he could help more.
- Dobby? - Draco speak again after moment of silence. - Thank you for being my friend, my best friend. -
These words made Dobby look up right when Draco pulled him in a hug, pouring love in it.
That night Draco woke up in the middle of the night, calling Dobby who come immediately.
- Draco, what's wrong, my young master? - Dobby rushed to Draco's bed in slight panic.
- Dobby, I had an idea. Let's run away! You and me! Let's just run away from all this, from my father! - Draco eyes were shining in the dark with excitement.
- Oh, my young master Draco, that isn't possible… I can't leave Malfoy family till I'm not freed by the master himself and young master can't leave, his mother would be broken, she love you very very much. - Dobby was sad that he needed to wipe away the so rare excitement that rose in Draco but he needed to tell the truth.
- But… but… - Draco didn't know what else to say, he felt like crying again.
He didn't want to leave his mother but he wanted to escape the prison that his father was.
- But don't worry Draco, you will be able to leave soon. The day when you will turn eleven, that is soon my young master, you will receive a letter from Hogwarts, school of magic. There you will be able to escape your father for most time of the year. And when you will finish it, you will already be old enough to live on your own. - Dobby wiped away stray tear from Draco's cheek.
- But… That mean that I have to leave you too… To leave my mother… I don't want to leave you! You are my best friend! My only true friend! - Draco gripped at Dobby's hand, not wanting to let him go, he couldn't bare to lose his only true friend.
- You won't lose us, we will be here when you come home. I promise that, Draco. I promise that I won't leave you. - Dobby felt teary himself, he pulled Draco in a hug, tucking puffy blanket around him. - Sleep, my young master, you need your strength. Sleep, Draco, sleep. -