Dobby awoke in his little elf bed in his room in the attic. He could see sunlight streaming in through the open the window beside him as a light breeze awakened him and though the breeze was cool he was feeling much warmer, almost hot actually. His head felt heavy as he lifted it from his pillow. He sat up slowly and yawned and found his throat was dry and raw and it was also hard to breathe.

He let out a weak cough and swallowed leaving a slight burning sensation down his throat. He took a small handkerchief out of pajamas pocket to blow his nose but ending up sneezing into it first, then he let out another and harsher cough.

Dobby felt that he really wasn't feeling well. He remembered his masters and mistresses experiencing these symptoms in the past, and what did they call it? Was it a cold or flu? He remembered it always lasted at least a day or two and he would be waiting on them hand and foot all the while. Of course he didn't expect them to do so for him for how could they? He was meant to serve them not the other way around. He also knew he couldn't let something like a cold get in the way of his duties.

So he dressed and went down to fix breakfast for the Potters. At one point he sneezed again and nearly tripped over a step on his way down.

He entered the kitchen and set about making a breakfast of tea, toast, eggs, bacon, and oatmeal for his family. He worked a little slower at it today than he usually did and every now and then he had to turn his head away and sneeze into his handkerchief again.

Harry stepped into the kitchen wearing a dark red robe over his pajamas. "Good morning, Dobby," he said. "Something smells good."

"Good morning, Master Harry Potter, sir," Dobby replied, finding it hard to speak as his throat was now aching.

"I've got good news, Dobby," Harry said brightly as he took his seat at the dining table. "I've convinced the Ministry to allow elves to report any mistreatment to them and if they can be placed in a better household."

"How wonderful, sir!" Dobby said smiling as best he could.

Dobby began setting the table one plate at a time. Halfway through he felt another sudden need to sneeze but he fought valiantly to suppress it. However unfortunately just as he picked up the last plate which was Harry's dish of fried eggs he couldn't hold it in any longer and reaching for his handkerchief he had barely enough time to get it to his face before it hit and in its outburst he dropped the plate and it shattered on the floor and the eggs were splattered to bits.

Dobby stared horror struck at the mess he had made on the kitchen floor. "Oh no! Dobby's so sorry Master Harry Potter, sir! Dobby will clean this up right away and then punish himself good, he will, sir!"

"No, Dobby, no!" Harry said as he got up from his chair and bent down to Dobby's level. "There's no need to punish yourself over this. I realize it was an accident and you couldn't help it. It also seems to me you've caught a bad cold."

"What makes you think Dobby has a cold, sir?" Dobby asked sniffling and wiping his nose.

"Well," said Harry. "You're sneezing, you're nose is running, you're eyes are watery. That is what I and everyone I know is like when we have a cold."

"Dobby begs your pardon, sir. He left his window open last night," Dobby admitted ruefully.

"I see," Harry said. "Well, Dobby you just go upstairs to bed again and I'll clean this up for you."

"Oh no, Master!" Dobby protested while fighting off the urge to cough again. "Dobby cannot shirk his duties just because he is sick! He will clean this up and make you some more eggs."

"Dobby, listen to me," Harry pleaded. "Working will only make you sicker and I couldn't allow it as you're more than just my servant. You are my friend and also to my family and I believe you deserve no less respect than the rest of us do in times like this. So Dobby as your Master I shall order you to go back to bed and rest there until you are feeling well again and I will bring tea up to you."

Dobby couldn't believe what he had just heard from his master. He would bring tea to him? This was just unheard of in the world where he used to live with the Malfoys! He knew that Harry wasn't anything like his old master but in spite of living with him for more than a decade he still wasn't quite used to being treated like an equal all the time. Yet he knew he couldn't possibly disobey Harry at a time like this and so he went up to his room again and got into his pajamas and settled into his bed again to rest.

Then for the next three days Dobby laid in his bed clutching a handkerchief close to his face with a stack of extra ones at his side as he drank pumpkin juice and herbal tea which soothed his sore throat a great deal and he ate mostly soup which was brought up to him by one of the members of the Potter family. So touched was he by all of this attention and hospitality he would sometimes cry when one of them came up with something else for him.