Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the franchise.

Chapter One

"Potter! What's your hurry?"

Harry had tried to make it out of the potions classroom after seeing Karkaroff show Snape something in his arm. He had managed to eavesdrop on them due to purposefully spilling his armadillo bile on the floor just at the end of class and staying behind to clean up the mess, but apparently Snape had guessed the truth.

"Nothing, professor – just trying to make it to dinner in time," he said quickly.

"You're not dismissed yet, Potter. There's still something we need to talk about," came Snape's cold reply, and he walked over to him so that he towered him like an enormous bat.

"What?" Harry asked, trying to keep the anger from his voice. He had already heard he was full of himself, believed he was above the rules and used all of his time to promote his fame. The only things missing from his list of insults today were that he was just like his father and that he thought everything in the world was about him.

"Firstly, I won't tolerate you listening to private conversations, so for that, I think… two hours of detention. Come here at this hour tomorrow: the first-year students will be making Hair-Raising potion, and there's guaranteed to be a mess afterwards. You'll have all the armadillo bile you could possibly scrub off the floor – without magic of course."

Harry managed to remain silent, for saying anything at this point would only result in more trouble.

"You have always had the habit of sticking your nose in where it's not wanted," Snape continued with a sneer, and Harry knew he was provoking him on purpose. "That's something you and your father have in common."

So there was that. One more to go, Harry thought and tried his absolute best not to start shouting. God, he was so tired of taking this crap from Snape and everybody else every single year. One year people talked behind his back and insulted him because they thought he was the heir of Slytherin, then because they thought he was a coward who fainted at the merest mention of Dementors, then because they believed he tried to steal Hufflepuff's thunder by making himself a Triwizard Champion, and now because of Rita Skeeter the whole wizarding world thought he had entered the Tournament just for additional publicity about his love life.

"And secondly, Potter, I'm giving you the one and only warning you'll receive to never steal from my office again –"

"I have been nowhere near your office!" Harry snapped, his vow of silence forgotten.

"Don't lie to me or I'll double the detention and take 50 points from Gryffindor," Snape told him, answering Harry's rage with his annoyingly calm and derisive demeanor. "Boomslang skin, lacewing flies, and now the gillyweed you used for the latest task – they all came from my private stores, and you were not in your dorms the night they were taken."

"I had nothing to do with that!" Harry insisted, and it was actually true in the sense that Dobby had stolen the gillyweed for him. As for the other things, they had in fact needed them for Polyjuice Potion in their second year, but Snape seemed to be accusing him of stealing them just recently. What was that about?

Neither Harry's anger nor claims of innocence, however, had convinced Snape the slightest.

"I thought I told you not to lie. Which reminds me," he continued as he produced a small vial of some clear liquid from his pocket, "do you know what this is?"

"No, but I haven't stolen any of that either."

"This is Veritaserum. Its use is strictly controlled by the Ministry, for even a few drops would suffice to make you spill your innermost secrets. In case you're wondering, Mr. Potter, now is the time to confess – otherwise my hand might just slip over your pumpkin juice and we'll hear the truth in the Great Hall tomorrow over breakfast."

"But I didn't steal anything!" Harry repeated, both furious and terrified at the thought of Snape carrying out his threat. "And I didn't have anything to do with the gillyweed. Someone… someone gave it to me."

Snape gave him a derisive smile.

"Of course. You would be so arrogant as to think you can just walk out there without any preparing and win the Triwizard Cup with the effort of a sneeze…"

Harry had had it for one day and was just about to scream bloody murder, but instead he surprised himself by smiling and casually asking Snape:

"Have you considered the possibility that it might have been someone else, professor? Not everything is about me, you know."

Snape just stared and blinked at him for a minute, apparently almost choking on the fact that Harry had robbed him of one of his favourite lines and used it against him. It didn't seem like he was going to say anything any time soon, and Harry assumed he might take his leave now. He had barely taken a step, however, when Snape found his voice.

"Stop right there, Potter!" he demanded, and seeing his glare Harry really thought he was going to curse him right there and then. "Just because you won't confess don't think you'll escape the severe punishment I've got in mind for you –"

Snape's voice was icy and dead serious, but he didn't get a chance to finish his threat before being interrupted by a rapidly speaking and very, very high-pitched voice.

"Harry Potter is innocent, professor! Don't punish Harry Potter, it was Dobby who did it! Dobby took the gillyweed to help Harry Potter! Dobby did it all on his own, Harry Potter didn't tell him to do it!"

Dobby had rushed into the classroom without any warning and was now standing protectively between Harry and Snape. Snape stared at the house-elf as if he had been a desk that had suddenly started to talk. It was clear that if he had expected someone to come to Harry's aid, it probably wasn't a house-elf wearing a whole drawer's worth of mismatched socks in his ears. The silence that ensued was blissfully long, but Harry knew that once it came to an end he would still hear his death sentence.

But when Snape opened his mouth the words that came out weren't the ones Harry had expected.

"You… are Lucius Malfoy's house-elf," he said slowly, eyes still fixed on Dobby.

Harry had to give Snape credit for recognizing him. Dobby hadn't been wearing so many socks back when serving the Malfoys, and Snape didn't seem like the type of person to put much mind to house-elves in the first place.

Even Dobby seemed surprised.

"Oh, yes. Dobby served the Malfoy family for a long time. Dobby remembers seeing the professor there sometimes. The Malfoy family was cruel to Dobby, but then good Harry Potter freed Dobby. Dobby is a free elf thanks to good Harry Potter and now works for Hogwarts."

Snape's angry gaze turned back to Harry, but something kept him from yelling at him, even though it was clear he really wanted to.

"The Headmaster will hear of this. Now get out," he finally said, and despite his confusion Harry was quick to obey.

"Thank you, Dobby," he said once they were safely out in the corridor.

"Anything for Harry Potter. Dobby was here dusting the portraits when he overheard what was going on and didn't want Harry Potter to get in trouble when it was Dobby who took the gillyweed."

Harry thought it was a miracle the elf could hear anything with his ears covered in so many socks but was grateful all the same.

"Well, you really helped me out just now. And by the way, thank you again for the gillyweed, too: I would never have made it without you. I hope you won't get into too much trouble for this," he added, but Dobby didn't seem the least bit worried.

"Dobby is always glad to help Harry Potter. But now Dobby must get back to work."

They separated, and Harry hurried up the stairs to finally get out of the dungeons. Now he would need to find his friends to tell them the news.

There was a thief at Hogwarts, and he or she was making Polyjuice Potion.

See you in the next chapter!