The Red-Handed Elf

What if Dobby had been seen dropping the pudding at 4 Privet Drive by someone other than Harry?

Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.

Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, "...tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear..."

Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear.

Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.

"No," croaked Harry. "Please...they'll kill me..."

"Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school-"

"Dobby...please..."

"Say it, sir-"

"I can't-"

Dobby gave him a tragic look.

"Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter's own good."

The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered.

There were screams from the dining room, and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen, just in time to see Harry, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding, grab Dobby by the throat of his pillowcase from the top of the cupboard.

"What the bloody hell is that?" his uncle boomed out, catching sight of Dobby. Mr. Mason, wanting to see what the commotion was about, had followed Uncle Vernon into the kitchen right as Dobby snapped his fingers with a crack and vanished right out of Harry's clenched fist.

"What the bloody hell was that?" repeated Mr. Mason.

xxxxx

Harry stared sullenly at the wall in his small bedroom. He had a pile of letters in front of him at his desk, but he had answered all of them earlier that evening and was waiting on a response. He had been stuck in his room all day, and he had yet to even get fed.

Despite Harry's fairly pathetic attempts at lying to Mr. Mason about what he had seen, the man had still gone off in a rant about witchcraft and lunatics and had even tried to punch Harry in the face. The couple had left shortly, Mrs. Mason very confused and nearly hysterical. The boy wizard had received a letter about inappropriate usage of underage magic, and he had written back to explain the situation, not sure if he was going to be in trouble with the law or not.

Obliviators showed up fairly quickly, but not until after his Uncle Vernon had gone into a rage at him and slammed him against the wall by the neck. Harry had tried to convince the Ministry employees to obliviate his family, too, but they seemed to misunderstand him and assured him that it wouldn't be necessary.

A day had passed since, and Harry had only been allowed out of the room to use the toilet. His only consolation was that, according to a brief investigation by the Ministry, Dobby the house-elf belonged to the Malfoy family. That meant the elf was brought into line, Harry was able to get his letters back, and the whole thing about a murder plot at Hogwarts must have been an elaborate if slightly convoluted plan by Draco Malfoy to get him to stay away from Hogwarts.

At least he wouldn't have any crazy adventures or be involved in any dangerous plots this year, he'd already had enough of that, thank you very much.