A/n: Again nothing you recognize is mine.

Chapter 10 There's Someone For Everyone

When Harry awoke he noticed that Ethan was once again on the balcony with breakfast ready. Ethan looked up as Harry came out and a beaming smile lit his face. About halfway through breakfast Harry noticed that Ethan was no longer eating and instead was watching him with a pensive look on his face.

"Harry, can I ask you something? And promise that you wont say no right away, at least without thinking about it first?" Ethan's expression had a slight hint of hope to it but was mostly dominated by resignation like he believed Harry would say no, even if he gave time to think about it.

Harry cocked his head to the side, "What is it?"

"I would like you to be my boyfriend."

Harry was silent. He just knew that he was going to end up getting hurt… but he wanted this sooo bad. He remembered his decision from last night and decided that he wasn't going to change his mind. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Ethan looked so sad and defeated, having thought that Harry would say no.

"Yes. I would love to be your boyfriend," he replied with a small smile.

"Really? That's great!" Ethan said. His mind was racing. Harry said yes, he said yes, Harry said YES! I wont mess this up. I'll do my best to be the perfect boyfriend.

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After breakfast Ethan gave Harry a tour around the manor and then the grounds. As lunch neared Ethan called Bromley and asked for him to bring them a picnic lunch as it was a nice day out. Bromley promptly returned with the food before popping away again.

"Harry? I know you agreed to be my boyfriend but," Ethan paused hesitating slightly "I don't think it would be a good idea to go public with it." Seeing the resigned look on Harry's face he rushed on to explain. "It's not that I do or don't want people to know, it's just not safe. We can definitely openly be friends but I'm worried what could happen if we go public about being boyfriends. I don't trust Dumbledore and I have no idea what he might do if he found out."

Harry thought about it "…I don't want to hide. I want to be able to hold your hand in public and not have to sneak around to see you. But… I do understand." Mentally he added to himself that he should feel more grateful to get to be with Ethan at all.

Ethan gave a small smile and said "We can be open about our relationship here just not at school or in public, for now anyway. I'm sure one day we'll be able to be open about it anywhere. That is, if you still want that when the times comes."

Ethan reached over and squeezed Harry's hand before leaning over and grabbing the picnic basket that Bromley brought. Quickly laying out the blanket that had been on top of the basket for them to sit on he reaches in and starts pulling out the food and drinks before arranging it around them. After finishing setting everything out he looks to Harry to ask what he'd like only to notice him staring wide-eyed at the spread.

"Are the others joining us?" Harry asks and then shakes his head in disbelief when Ethan responds with a no. "So I guess this is something inherent in all house elves then? The need to overfeed anyone they come in contact with?"

Ethan just grins and starts piling food on his plate while nudging another plate to Harry to fill. "Yup. Bromley is actually pretty good about not bringing a lot." Seeing the skeptical look on Harry's face as he glanced around at all the food he gives a short laugh. "Believe it or not but this isn't that much, he used to be much worse. Where have you come into contact with house elves? I'm assuming at Hogwarts right?"

Harry starts to make up his plate while thinking. "Well, yeah. I know where the kitchens are and there's usually a ton of them there. I can show you if you'd like when we get back." A blush creeps up his cheeks. "I also might've, ummm …."

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I sort of tricked Lucius into freeing one of his house elves?" Harry replied, his voice going high and questioning at the end.

Ethan just stared at him for several long moments before bursting into peals of laughter and rolling around on the ground. Harry's face heated up more as each time Ethan tried to calm down he would glance at him and start laughing anew.

"It's not that funny! Dobby was…" He was cut off as at the sound of his name Dobby appeared.

"The Great Harry Potter bes callings Dobby?"

Ethan looked at Dobby taking in his mismatched clothes and stack of hats and then the surprise on Harry's face and was off again laughing so hard he could hardly breathe his face turning red.

"Great Harry Potter, sir, who bes your friend?"

Harry looked between the two before burying his face in his hands and spoke with a muffled voice "Dobby what are you doing here? I didn't call you. I didn't even think I could, I'm not your master." Harry stops speaking and peers suspiciously between his fingers at Dobby.

Ethan finally manages to stop laughing and tries to get his breath back while watching the proceedings interestedly.

Dobby looks at the ground scuffing his foot across the grass. "Dobby is being a free elf. Free elfsies can be listening to who they likes. Dobby be thinkings that the Great Harry Potter Sir would be makings a fine Master but Dobby be knowing the Great Harry Potter Sir's Grangy isn't be liking peoples having house elves so Dobby not be asking in case it bes upsetting yous."

Harry looked gobsmacked for a moment "But you like being free! Aren't you happy? Why… but…"

Ethan quietly interrupts "Harry, house elves need masters… Well, some can survive without but most need the magical connection they get from being bonded. The magic from the bond keeps them healthy and also increases their own magic. The stronger and closer the bond the better it is for them. They are magical beings, they need magic like we need food and water."

"Dobby, is this true? Why did you never say anything?" Looking suddenly panicked Harry tries to take in all of Dobby seeing if there is any obvious signs of injury or something wrong. "Are you alright? How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

Ethan quickly sits up and pulls Harry to sit in his lap seeing that he's upsetting both himself and Dobby. "Shhh, calm now." Seeing Dobby's distress he pats the ground next to him in invitation which he takes. "It's okay, Harry. He's here and he's fine. Now… now that you know a bit more about house elves would you be averse to taking one on?"

"But I don't know! All I know now is that many of them are better off bonded. How does one take care of a house elf? What do they need? (Looks at Dobby) What do you need? (Looks back at Ethan) I, I don't know what to do!"

"Shh, it's okay. How about you agree to take on Dobby if he promises to always tell you if he needs something and if he promises to teach you about his needs and the needs of house elves in general, hmm?"

Panic dying down some Harry looks over to Dobby and sees him practically vibrating in place, "Is this what you want?"

"Oh yes please, sir! Dobby be wantings this very much so! You woulds be doing this for Dobby? Dobby would, Dobby would bes doing anything for the honor of being the Great Harry Potters elf!"

Looking slightly startled Harry quickly leaned further back into Ethan's embrace. "Um, er, okay then. Is there anything we need to do like a spell or something for the bonding?"

"Oh no Harry Potter sir. All that be needings to be done is for yous to be stating that yous be wishing to has Dobby as your elf and for Dobby to be accepting."

"I, Harry James Potter, wish to take on Dobby the house elf as my elf if he so consents." He looked questioningly at Ethan as if to ask if he had don that right and Ethan nodded before motioning to look at Dobby.

"I, Dobby be accepting becoming a house elf to Harry James Potter." Suddenly magic snapped into place completing the binding. Dobby gave a huge grin before bursting into tears.

Harrys eyes got wide before he leaped off Ethan's lap "Oh no oh no, don't cry! I'm sorry! Please, I…" He glanced back and forth between Ethan and Dobby multiple times look lost and out of his depth "What do I do?"

Suddenly Dobby launched himself into Harry's arms, "Dobby is not beings sad. Dobby is beings very very happy! Dobby never thought in his wildest dreams that he would ever…" He broke into a fresh wave of sobs and popped away leaving Harry kneeling there feeling and looking bewildered.

Ethan tugged him back to sitting on the blanket and handed him back his plate. "He'll be fine I'm sure. Just give him some time. Now eat."

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When they entered the dining room at dinner time they got a few raised eyebrows at their clasped hands but no one said anything. They nodded polite hellos to everyone and Harry allowed himself to be pulled into the seat next to Ethan.

Severus looked at the two of them "We'll be heading back to Hogwarts after the meal."

Ethan nodded then turned to Tom with a mischievous grin, "Guess what father?" Harry just buried his head in his hands and groaned.

Tom looked mildly curious "Do I even want to know?"

Ethan took a moment to shoot the grin at Lucius before continuing "Harry now has his very own house elf." Harry started to lightly bang his head on the table before Ethan slipped one of his hands between his head and the table.

Raising an eyebrow in question Tom just continued to look at Ethan.

Ethan put on his best innocent look and stated "The elf that he has now may or may not have once belonged to Lucius at some point… and may or may not have been freed due to Lucius being tricked into it…. by Harry…" At this point the could no longer hold in his laughter.

"I… see." Tom snorted, "Congratulations Harry, you out-Slytherined a Slytherin."

Harry glanced up briefly and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat what you just said please." Tom said with the same mischievous look that his son had.

Harry sighed, "I said, the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin but I convinced it not to." As soon as he finished speaking he looked up startled at Severus who appeared to have choked on his drink and was currently spluttering.

This of course set off another wave of laughter from Ethan but this time including Harry and even Tom was chuckling.

"Yes Harry, I do believe I will be keeping you around."

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After the meal they all said their goodbyes and Lucius reassured Harry, as Ethan had said he would, that he wasn't mad about Dobby.

Tom placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Be safe. I want to hear from you regularly and remember you can always talk to me. I will miss you my son." With that he pulled him into a close embrace.

Harry looked away from them feeling slightly uncomfortable. Sure Tom seemed nicer but it was still weird and confusing to see him acting… well… human. Even more perturbing was the feeling of jealousy he could feel stirring in his chest. He resolved to ignore it as best he could for the sake of his friend. No, for his boyfriend and didn't that thought just make his insides bubbly and warm.

He was broken from his musings by the sound of Ethan's voice.

"Ready to go Harry?"

"Yeah, of course." He grinned and took the hand offered to him.

A/n: Well, it's been years and I'm finally getting back to this. I wanted to finish the whole story and put it all up at once as an apology for it taking so long but that's not going to happen. So instead I'm once again going to try and write and post regularly. Also, once again, I REALLY need a beta. It would help my chapters be better and would help to get them out more regularly. If you or someone you know would be interested please message me.

This chapter was supposed to mainly be about Harry and Ethan getting together but well… Dobby happened *shrugs*. So they got together but it wasn't the main point. Oh well.