Dobby's Tale: Not All Heroes Wear Capes…
Premise: Harry finds a stack of handwritten journals buried within a trunk after the war. What he discovers about his littlest friend.
No Pairings. AU.
/O/
12 June 1998…
Harry Potter, age 18, swore loudly as he tripped over the corner of an old trunk poking out from behind another box in the attic of Shell Cottage. Rubbing his toe after dancing around a bit in pain, he glared at the offending trunk before his face morphed into confusion. 'This looks like a traveling trunk but it's too small…' He reached out and pulled it out from behind the other box and looked at it trying to figure out how to get it open.
"What do you have there, Harry?" Hermione's voice startling him out of his introspective revelry.
"Sheesh, Hermione! Don't sneak up on me like that!" he yelped.
Hermione just gave him a lop-sided grin in response, "Right. So…what do you have there?"
"Dunno, just found it when it suddenly leapt out and smashed into my toe," Harry snarked back.
Hermione didn't verbally respond but did give him 'The Look.'
Shrugging his shoulders, Harry turned back to the trunk and found what appeared to be a thumbplate. Running his thumb along the embossed face, he felt a slight prick of a needle and the sound of a hidden latch being released. Upon opening the lid, both Harry and Hermione gasped at what lay within.
"Journals? Why are they so small?" Hermione queried.
Harry picked up one and opened it up to the first page. His eyes widened as he read the neat writing out loud.
'August 1990, Interesting discovery made in Young Master's room. Young Master apparently is interested in muggle comic books, specifically a character named 'Superman.' I've seen a couple of others in his collection; one named 'Batman' and another named 'Doctor Strange.' One thing that keeps coming to my mind is that all of these heroes wear capes. I have to assume that this is part of their mentalities: Heroes Wear Capes!'
'July 1992, I finally got to meet The-Boy-Who-Lived! Harry Potter in the flesh! I couldn't believe how small and thin he was. I don't know what those guardians of his were thinking but should the impossible happen, I will make it my mission in life to bring young Harry back to optimal health.'
"I…I think this is a journal written by Dobby," Harry stammered.
"Really?" Hermione replied, "I didn't know that elves could read and write." Harry just shook his head and continued to read, not even noticing when Hermione finally left.
'September 1992, That boy certainly is brave, I'll grant you that but still it would have been better to just wait for an adult to come by and assist him to either the train platform or to take him directly to the school. I know that I'll have to punish myself for what I did but still…such bravery! He and the redheaded friend of his flew the father's car to the school. Sometimes I wonder if being sorted into Gryffindor was the best place for him. He's intelligent, anyone can see that but with that redheaded twit that flits around him like a gnat it's almost impossible for him to let it out and shine.'
"Huh, didn't know that there would've been an adult nearby. Makes sense in hindsight, I guess," Harry mused as he reached for a later dated journal.
'March 1993, I have decided that the redheaded 'friend' of Harry Potter is nothing more than a loud-mouthed charlatan. One of these days I certainly hope that he either mouths off to the wrong person or he chokes on his meal! What Harry Potter sees in him, I'll never understand.'
"Don't worry Dobby, I got rid of him soon after that year. Git…" Harry growled.
'June 1993, If I could dance a jig of joy I would but not in my present location, I think the other elves here in Hogwarts would think me crazed. Harry Potter has brilliantly engineered the most wonderful gift he could give to me or any other elf in my place! I AM FREE! No longer will I have to do the bidding of that self-righteous, arrogant prick of a magical human! Oh, if only I had the foresight to kick the bastard after I flung him down the stairs!
"I'm glad you enjoyed your release Dobby," Harry sniffled happily.
'July 1993, Harry Potter doesn't know it and I hesitate to tell him but I've decided that my freedom isn't all that it's cracked up to be. No one wants to employ a free elf, they all want things to be as they were. I know of a bonding ritual that I could use to bind myself to him but I'm not sure if he would take part. I'll have to stop by his residence tomorrow.'
'July 1993 continued, I stopped by the Dursley residence where Harry Potter is staying. Unfortunately, he had an argument with the adults and left for parts unknown. I knew I should've attached an elf tracer to him! I'll just keep an ear and eye out…'
"Oh, yeah that was the time when I blew up Marge the Barge," Harry chuckled at the memory.
'November 1993, Finally caught up to Harry Potter! I managed to convince the Head Elf at Hogwarts to let me work there even if it is doing the most menial tasks. Eh, work is work I guess… Anyway, I finally managed to have a conversation with Harry Potter and after a bit of waffling, convinced him to bond with me. I know that I stretched the truth about how 'if an elf doesn't bond with a family then they lose their magics and die.' Not exactly how it works but I did get him to bond with me. Funny thing was, Harry Potter messed up the wording of the incantation! He was supposed to bond with me as my Master but he used the phrase 'Friend and Family.' I don't know why that made such a difference but my magic has never been stronger! It's almost like I drank a bucket of Butterbeer, everything seems so bright and vibrant!'
"That would explain why he seemed like he was on a sugar rush every time we interacted," Harry thought pensively, "I wonder if that would work on other elves?"
Hermione called up to him just then reminding Harry that lunch was being served and if he wanted any of it, he better get his butt moving. Grabbing the last journal in the stack, he curiously flipped to the end.
'March 1998, Just got word from Aberforth Dumbledore that Harry and his friends are stuck in the basement of Malfoy Manor. I know what I need to do but I'm terrified! My former master set up the wards to prevent me from returning so I must use every last bit of my magic to bull my way through. I may not make it out but if that should come to pass then I know I go to my death a free elf and friend of Harry Potter. May my soul rest easy in the Garden of Landrace.'
Sniffling through the tears, Harry got up and took the last journal with him so he could share it with Hermione. He sat heavily on the chair in front of the dining room table and slid the journal open to the relevant page. Hermione read it silently, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she looked back up at him.
"In his first entry, Dobby mentioned that Draco's comic book heroes wore capes. I think that quote ought to be modified a bit."
"To what?"
"Not all heroes wear capes, some wear pillowcases."
