"How is Moody settling in with the McKinnons?" Lily asked, sipping tea on the sitting room sofa, speaking of Moody's reunion with the woman he had loved but never took a chance on when he was alive: Marlene McKinnon. James, beside her, not at all interested in the conversation, was concentrated on a game of Exploding Snap with Sirius, who sat on the floor, legs crossed. Lily's question was directed towards Dumbledore, who still remained at the Potters' residence, despite Lily's gentle attempts to find out about his family.
However, before Albus Dumbledore could answer, a loud crack permeated through the room. At first, Lily was sure that it had been from Sirius and James's game, but they looked just as stunned as she did. Dumbledore, however, was smiling. The three younger people followed his gaze into the middle of the room, and they all sucked in a sharp breath. There stood a small, ugly creature with large, tennis-ball shaped green eyes: a House-Elf, and a particularly young one at that. "Hello, Dobby!" Dumbledore said pleasantly, genuinely pleased to see the elf.
"Master Dumbledore, sir!" the elf squeaked, tears of gratefulness leaking from his huge eyes. "Dobby is so happy to see you, sir!"
"Likewise! Dobby, I would like to introduce you to a few people." He nodded to Lily, James, and Sirius, who were all still looking stunned and confused. "This is Sirius Black, and Lily and James Potter. Harry's parents." He added this tidbit of information for the elf's benefit, and he said for the young people on the sofa, "Dobby used to work for the Malfoy family. When young Harry rescued Miss Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, he caused Lucius Malfoy to inadvertently free Dobby by hiding a sock in Tom Riddle's diary, which he returned to Lucius, fully knowing that he would toss it aside to his elf."
At this, Dobby cried even greater tears. "Harry Potter has made Dobby a free elf! Dobby is forever indebted to Harry Potter." He threw himself at the feet of Lily and James. "Harry Potter's parents!"
Dumbledore chuckled, amused. "Dobby, please – you do not have to grovel. Please, stand."
Lily, who was partial to the helpless creatures called 'House-Elves', smiled. "Here, erm… Dobby? You can sit and have my spot. It is very disorienting when you're new."
As Lily got up, she was startled by Dobby's heavy, happy sobs. "Dobby knows Harry Potter is selfless and kind, but Harry Potter's parents are, too! Thank you, Mistress Potter!"
James raised an eyebrow, but Dumbledore smiled knowingly, mouthing, 'He does this all the time. He adores Harry.' Then, to Dobby, he said aloud, though with the proper gentleness, "Dobby, I assume you have just died?"
Dobby nodded his head, his eyes round. "Yes, sir." His face went dreamy and he added, "But 'tis no trouble, because Dobby died saving Harry Potter and his friends, Master Wheezy and Mistress Hermy, with Mistress Luna and Masters Dean and Olly-vander."
Lily gave a small yelp when Dobby mentioned saving her son, squeezing James and Sirius's hands tightly. She yearned to embrace the small elf, and gladly would have, had James and Sirius not had such a tight grip on her hands. She did, however, gaze warmly at him.
Sirius, however, was unsure. "You saved Harry?" He said skeptically, frowning. Lily, who had never had the prejudice against other magical beings that Sirius and James had been raised with, elbowed him and scowled.
Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head. "Sirius, I've always said you would regret your treatment of house-elves. Dobby is not Kreature, Sirius, and you would do well to learn that. Besides, had you been kind to him, as your brother–"
"My brother," Sirius spat, scowling. He was ready to say more, but Lily shushed him. He mumbled under his breath, "Harry stuck up for me," and James sniggered.
"Padfoot, mate, if all your support comes from my fifteen-year-old son…" James shook his head and laughed again.
"Sir, Harry Potter is seventeen years old, sir," Dobby interjected squeakily. "He is young, but he is the greatest wizard of all time. He will defeat the Dark Lord, sir."
That shut James and Sirius up quickly, and Dumbledore tried to hide a knowing smirk. "We have no doubt, Dobby, that this is true. What we would like from you, though, is news of how Harry's doing. His parents, of course, would like to hear everything you can tell them of Harry, given your friendship."
Dobby almost blushed under what he considered praise. "Harry Potter freed Dobby. Dobby can tell you whatever you wish about Harry Potter and his friends." He blinked owlishly at Dumbledore. "Master Dumbledore, sir, should I tell Masters and Mistress about Malfoy Manor first?" At Dumbledore's nod, Dobby began. "Master Aberforth, Master Dumbledore's brother, sent Dobby after Harry Potter and his friends. Master Aberforth heard Harry Potter's voice from the mirror, sirs, and –"
"Wait! What mirror?" Lily asked, confused. Meanwhile, James and Sirius smirked.
"The two-way mirror, Miss," Dobby said happily, smiling. "Master Sirius Black gave it to Harry Potter when he was fifteen, but after Master Sirius's death, it had broken. Before Master Dumbledore's death, he gave the other mirror, Master Sirius's mirror, to his brother, Master Aberforth. So he can watch after Harry Potter, sirs."
"You mean… That mirror you two used to use during detentions?" Lily asked, looking from her husband to her friend, a grin plastered on her lips. "That's what saved my baby. That silly mirror." She giggled hysterically.
James poked her side, equally ecstatic at their son's survival, yet again. "And you always said the mirrors were only for troublemakers."
"I wish he would have found them sooner, though," Sirius said softly, sighing. "Maybe I could be with him now, if he had."
"Sirius," Lily snapped, going from happy to angry in about two seconds flat. "If you ruin this for me, I will kill you." As James opened his mouth to make a joke, Lily turned on him, too. "Don't you dare tell me that he's already dead, James Potter! My son survived, and this lovely little elf has come to tell us about it, and Sirius is going to pout because he died. Well, we died, too, but at least he got some time with Harry. Yet we aren't complaining." Lily glared fiercely, though there were tears in her green eyes. James took her hand, and Sirius looked apologetic. "I'm sorry for freaking out," Lily said, finally, after staring at them for a few more minutes.
"I'm sorry for complaining," Sirius said automatically.
"Dobby, I think you should continue," Dumbledore said gently. "This time… From the beginning."
Dobby nodded. "Dobby met Harry Potter before his second year, sirs. There was an evil plot to kill Harry Potter by… by my old masters. Dobby disobeyed orders to come and warn Harry Potter, but Harry Potter would not listen to Dobby! He insisted that he must return to Hogwarts, in spite of the grave danger! So, Dobby did not give him his letters back, and… Dobby also dropped a pudding on the Muggle woman's head." Dobby looked slightly sheepish, but Lily, James, and Sirius shared a grin.
"Please tell me it was Petunia," Lily said feverishly, smirking.
"No, Miss," Dobby said uncertainly, and Lily blushed deep crimson. Dobby continued. "Dobby Disapparated, and Dobby fears he may have gotten Harry Potter into trouble. But it was for Harry Potter's own good! He should not have been allowed to come back to Hogwarts!" Dobby looked fearfully at Harry's parents, who were smiling fondly.
"I remember when my mum didn't want me coming back to Hogwarts in our third year," James says with a nostalgic grin. "Tied my trunk to the end of my broom and off I went. I didn't make it, mind you – but it got my mum to send me back."
"You said something about having Harry's letters?" Sirius said with a quirked eyebrow.
Dobby blushed. "Dobby had to intercept them. If Harry Potter's friends were not writing to him, then maybe… Dobby thought that Harry Potter would not return to Hogwarts if he thought his friends had forgotten him." Looking panicked, he added, "Dobby offered them back! But Harry Potter would not agree to stay home."
James beamed. "He's brave, our son," he whispered proudly in Lily's ear, cradling her in his arms. Lily laughed, a delicious sound that, at one time, James had thought that she would never emit again. But then Sirius came, and Dumbledore and Moody, and now this House-Elf… He hugged her closer.
"Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts, even though Dobby locked the barrier at Platform 9 and ¾. Harry Potter and his Wheezy stole Master Wheezy's enchanted car and flew." Dobby looked a little irritated at this, and Sirius chuckled. He knew just how frustrating his godson could be if you were trying to look out for him, though he had to admit, the elf went to some very unusual measures.
"Dobby tried again, this time with his Bludger that was trained on Harry Potter, during his Quidditch match. If Harry Potter got badly hurt, then maybe he would have to return home." The little elf looked sheepish. "Harry Potter caught the Snitch, even after Dobby's Bludger broke his arm."
"You did do the thing properly, didn't you?" Sirius said admiringly, while James chuckled. Lily glared at them both. "He broke his arm! Why are you gits laughing?"
"Oh, Pomfrey probably fixed him in a trice, Lily, don't get so worked up," James said casually, grinning.
"Actually, Sir, Professor Lockhart tried to fix Harry Potter, but he, erm… He removed the bones from Harry Potter's arm." Dobby squirmed uncomfortably.
James sputtered. "That nutter? Dumbledore, you hired Lockhart to teach my son?" James, Lily, and Sirius all knew that Lockhart was only adept at one thing: memory charms. He was a few years behind them in school, and he was an evil little git then.
"The job attracted minimal applicants. I had to take what I could get," Dumbledore said simply, shrugging.
"Harry Potter had to take Skele-Grow and stay overnight in the Hospital Wing, where Dobby visited him – in secret, of course. They brought in Master Creevey and Dobby knew that Harry Potter must get away from Hogwarts! Dobby tried, but Harry Potter was quite angry with Dobby then…" He trailed off, his voice unbelievably high, looking a little hysterical. "Dobby does not know what happened next, except that Harry Potter defeated the bad things, and he set Dobby free." A slow, serene smile spread across the elf's face.
At Lily, James, and Sirius's questioning looks, Dumbledore explained. "Lucius Malfoy dropped one of Riddle's old school things – in this case, a diary – into Ginny Weasley's cauldron upon meeting the Weasleys and Harry in Diagon Alley. Ginny, thinking her mother had purchased her the diary, poured her heart and soul into the object, and in the end, she was possessed. That was the year that the Heir of Slytherin rose again, this time, in Ginny Weasley's body. Harry, realizing that the diary was what was keeping Riddle alive and sucking the life out of Ginny, proceeded to stab it with a basilisk fang, and there went Riddle.
"When Lucius Malfoy came to the school to, ah, 'investigate' my return to Hogwarts, he found Harry and I in my office. Harry, in a moment of extreme boldness, told Lucius that he had something of his. Harry followed Lucius and his elf out of my office, and he threw the diary at Lucius, knowing that he would in turn give it to his elf to hold." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Unknown to Mr. Malfoy, Harry had stuffed his sock into the middle of the diary."
"So, Dobby was free!" Dobby erupted with extreme joy, his grin wide. "Dobby and Harry Potter have been friends ever since."