Pairing: Dobby/Winky
Prompt: oblivious
Warning: unrequited love between House Elves.
Dobby looks at the elf in front of him, genuine concern written in his large green eyes. Her speech is slurred and she's gripping a bottle of Butterbeer in her small hand, oblivious to the world.
"Dobby is worried about Winky," he whispers to her. He's nice enough not to raise his voice because he knows that her head probably still hurts from the previous night.
Winky laughs bitterly and takes another swig of her Butterbeer. "Winky is fine," she tells him, half-heartedly. But she isn't. She's a bad elf. And bad elves get punished. It's no wonder that Master Crouch presented her with clothing, freeing her from servitude.
She allowed Master Crouch's son out of her sight. It was the only thing Master Crouch demanded of her and she failed. Obviously, she couldn't be trusted anymore. And that's why he let her go: she ruins everything she comes in contact with. But she loved working for Master Crouch. And, oh, how she wishes she could go back to serving him.
Dobby watches helplessly as Winky takes another gulp from her Butterbeer. He wants to comfort her. And he wants to tell her that her entire world hasn't ended, even if it seems that way, but Winky doesn't want his help. She doesn't want him to care because he's a disgrace to all House Elves. He's a disgrace because he's happy to be freed, to be allowed pay.
So he protects her on the nights that she's too drunk to sit on the chair. And after all his chores, he sits in the chair beside her, watching over her as she drinks away her sorrows. Sometimes, he wishes that there was something more he could do for her.
A/n – well, that was interesting. Topic number 10: creature – House Elf.
A bunch of thanks to l0stinl0ve for beta-ing this for me so quickly!
