The next morning came bright and early. Actually, it came a lot brighter and a lot earlier than I was used to. In Hawaii, the sun rises and sets around the same time all year, with only two and half hours difference between the longest and shortest days of the year. In Scotland, this was not the case. We'd gotten in late, around 7:30pm. The sun (and thus, the children) rose at like 4:45am in the morning.
This was, actually, probably a good thing. Libra and I both had meetings at Hogwarts to meet the staff and get ready for our new duties, and we had a new member of our household.
"Daddy daddy daddy daddy!" Marie shouted, jumping onto my bed and shaking me hard. Little girls, for some reason, seem incapable of saying your name just once.
"What is it sweetie?" I groaned, sitting up and cracking open one eye.
"An elf in the kitchen and he weird and I tell him make breakfast and he say yes so I say I like pancake and he said he make some pancake so now we have pancake for breakfast!"
"What?" I said, jumping out of bed. Thankfully, I was wearing some sweat pants as I'd been cold. I dashed down the stairs to the kitchen, where an elf dressed in a filthy towel was spooning batter onto a griddle on our wood stove.
"Good morning master sir," the elf said, bobbing his head and bowing so that his long nose got stuck in the pancake batter. There is no way that is sanitary. "I's is Dobby, yous new elf sent by Master Sirius. Dobby is a good elf, very good sir, he is happy to be serving the Great Harry Potter and his family."
I squinted at Dobby, still trying to figure things out in my mind. "And...and how do I know you're Dobby?" I finally managed. It wasn't like he resembled the CGI puppet in the movies or anything.
Dobby produced a letter from within his towel, and handed it to me, cringing slightly. I opened the letter and started reading as Libra came down the stairs behind me, carrying Marie who was still going on about eating pancakes. She liked pancakes, especially with bananas.
"Dear Murphy Family, Cousin Sissy sent over Dobby last night. I've included his contract for you. I gifted him to Harry and the house of Potter and their caretakers. He seems pleased to have the chance to serve Harry and a nice young family. Don't know why Sissy didn't like him, she's probably just rubbish to her elves. Signed, Padfoot."
"Well, that seems authentic enough," Libra said. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Dobby is a good elf, will serve Master and Mistress very nicely," Dobby said, wiping the pancake batter off the tip of his nose only to bow and stick it in the bowl again. "Dobby will show you, no need to punish Dobby."
"Yeah…" I said, squinting at the elf. "Huh. Harry!"
Nothing. I walked over the stairs and shouted up them. "Harry, breakfast, get up!"
There was a loud thump, and then some pattering feet on the roof. Then another set of thumps in the garden. Harry and Sarah burst into the house, fully dressed, red in the face, and guilty as sin.
"Yeah dad?" Harry said, panting slightly. Sarah had a manic glint in her eyes, so I had a pretty good idea of what they had been up to.
"Bring me the broom," I ordered.
"What broom?" Sarah asked, giving me her very best innocent look (don't let it fool you, she's usually guilty as charged).
Harry groaned and stomped out to the garden, bringing back the broom Sirius had given him for his 9th birthday. I took it stashed it in the corner. "You know the rules. No unsupervised flying."
"But daaaad! We're in a magic village! There's other kids out there right now flying their brooms!" Harry protested.
"Uh huh. And I bet their parents have rules about when they can fly too. No flying for a week. Now both of you wash your hands and go take over from Dobby. I need to talk with him."
Harry groaned and Sarah fake cried a little, but one look from Libra and they were both hopping to it. Dobby looked surprised when Harry took the bowl of batter from him and Sarah started setting the table, but he followed Libra and I upstairs to our bedroom.
"Right, so, first question, are you still working for the Malfoys?" I demanded.
Dobby looked slightly panicked, but quickly shook his head. "No master! Dobby is not working for them at all now! They was selling Dobby to Master Black and Master Black is giving Dobby to you. Dobby is ever so grateful, the Malfoys was not liking Dobby. But you will! Dobby is a good elf, Dobby will work hard and make master very happy, you will see."
"Right." I looked to Libra, who shrugged.
"Dobby, have you ever seen the Diary of Tom Riddle?" Libra asked.
"Dobby is not knowing this Master Riddle. Was he a friend of master Malfoys? Dobby cannot be telling old masters secrets, that is part of what is binding Dobby and his magic to master."
I held up the contract printed on parchment that Sirius had sent. "You mean this?"
Dobby nodded. "Yes, that is being Dobby's contract. He is serving Master Harry Potter and Harry Potter's family until Dobby is dying or Master is selling him."
"Cool. Hold on a second." I stuck my head out the door. "Harry go grab an old t-shirt and come to my room."
Harry trooped up holding the t-shirt a moment later, looking confused. "What, are you going to give me lickings with a t-shirt? I won't take Sarah flying without you again, I promise."
"No, you own Dobby now. You really want to do that?"
Harry wrinkled his nose. "No, that's wrong."
Dobby looked slightly panic stricken. "Oh please, don't be sending Dobby back! Dobby is a good elf! Dobby will iron his hands if Master Harry Potter is not liking him, he is a good elf, truly Dobby is, Dobby doesn't want to go back, Malfoys is not liking Dobby, this is making him do all sorts of things because he was a bad elf and-"
"Hey, will you shut up and let me go make breakfast before Marie starts crying for pancakes if I give you this?" Harry asked, holding up the t-shirt. "That's how this works, right?"
Dobby, for his part, was dumbstruck. After swallowing a few times (which made his comically oversized adam's apple bob up and down like he was a cartoon character), Dobby managed, "Harry Potter...Master Harry Potter is knowing if he gives Dobby clothes, Dobby is a free elf?"
"Yep." Harry tossed the t-shirt to Dobby. "Talk to my dad, he wants you to start some sort of elvish liberation movement or something. I'm going to make breakfast. Oh, James is up, I took him potty before we went flying and now he's playing in our room with my action figures. It's OK, he can have them I can't take them to school." With that, Harry turned around and went back down stairs.
Dobby, for his part, starting crying, wiping his eyes and nose with the t-shirt, which was an old one with "We Go Beach" on it.
"Well now you've done it," Libra sighed. "And I would have so liked to have a house elf. But you managed to find the one elf in the entire world who doesn't find happiness in slavery."
"Dobby is a slave no more!" Dobby declared, standing up proudly. "Dobby is a free elf! He can choose his own Master! And other elves is wanting freedom too! They is just not realizing it yet."
"That's actually what I was wondering about," I said. "Also, can I hire you? We sort of need a nanny since the both of us are going to be working now."
"Harry Potter's father is wanting to hire Dobby to serve Harry Potter's family?" Dobby said breathlessly. "Oh yes, oh yes! Dobby is happy to work for Harry Potter's family!"
"So how much do you want, elf?" Libra asked, giving me an annoyed look.
Dobby thought about this for a moment. "One galleon a month, and one day off every year."
"Sold," Libra said instantly.
"Dobby...Dobby isn't asking too much?" Dobby asked, looking nervous.
"Dobby, a good Nanny would cost me something like 50 galleons a week for part time work," I said. "Plus, most people want two days off a week, at least, plus vacation time which they want to be paid for."
"That is too much!" Dobby gasped, horrified. "Dobby couldn't be charging so much for the privilege working for the great Harry Potter and his family!"
"We already said we'd hire you for a galleon a month and one day off a year," Libra said. "No need to bargain. And you can of course feed yourself from the icebox and sleep in the house, as a regular house elf does. Though you can wear whatever you want I suppose, so long as you buy it with your own money."
"He can probably fit into some of the kids old stuff as they outgrow it," I observed.
Libra shrugged. "Either way, I'm not buying a house elf clothes. It's unnatural."
"Dobby will buy all his own clothes mistress," the elf promised.
"Oh, another thing. Don't call us master or mistress or whatever. Boss works. Or maybe just Mr. or Mrs. Murphy. The kids just call them their names, they don't need to put on airs."
"Dobby would never be so disrespectful," the elf declared.
"Fantastic. Well, here's a galleon," I said, pulling out my pants from the day before and extracting a gold coin. I handed it over to the elf. "You get paid on the first of every month. If you do good work, we can negotiate a raise during your quarterly review."
"Dobby is getting quarterly reviews!" the elf said, clutching the galleon and hugging it like it was his baby or something. "Oh happy day!"
"Yeah we're gonna figure all this out later. For now, we're putting you in charge of minding the kids while we're at work. No flying. No matter what Sarah tells you, she's not allowed on a broom."
"Marie cannot have any sweets, except for pudding at meal times," Libra instructed. "She can have as many fruits and vegetables as she wants, and she'll want a lot. James sometimes needs reminders to use the toilet, especially if he's playing outside. The children are not to leave the garden for today, when we come home we'll see about taking them around to make friends."
"Harry's grounded from his broom for a week," I told Dobby. "He can help you with meals and stuff. He also knows how to calm down all the other kids. Oh, and keep it on the downlow that he's Harry Potter. That's sort of a secret for now."
"Yes master sir, of course," Dobby said, nodding frantically.
"What did I say about the master stuff? You can call me boss man or something."
"Yes Master Boss Man," Dobby agreed.
"Oy vey," I groaned. Then I glanced at the clock on the mantle. "We'd better eat and head on up, it's a mile or so to the castle."
"Well I suppose that wasn't a complete disaster," Libra observed as we headed down stairs. "One galleon a month, and one day off a year? If that keeps him happy it will be well worth it."
"Come on, you know house elf slavery is wrong. We can end this, do something good," I said as we sat down at the table with the kids, who were already eating pancakes. Harry had gotten James dressed, but he'd let him bring a stormtrooper to the table. I took it and frowned at him, and James looked a bit guilty as he ate his pancake, which Dobby had cut up into squares for him.
"I just think we should focus on stopping Tom and keeping our children safe first," Libra said.
"Who says this isn't a part of that? Dobby saved Harry from being tortured by the Malfoys, remember?"
There was a crash, and we all turned to look at Dobby, who was staring at Libra and me amidst a sea of spilled orange juice and glass. He snapped his fingers, and the pitcher flew back together as the juice jumped down the drain. Magic. It's freaking weird.
"Dobby is very sorry master, Dobby is a good elf, please don't worry, Dobby will-"
"It's fine, we'll explain later," I told Dobby. "Well, maybe. Libra and I will discuss how much you need to know. Forget what I said for now, OK?"
"Yes Master Boss Man Sir," Dobby babbled, hurrying to get something else for us to drink.
"Wow dad, how many titles do you need?" Harry teased.
"Let's just hope we can cure him of that habit before he starts referring to me as the Big Cheese or something," I muttered.
Libra and I had to be at the castle by 8:00, so we left at around seven. Dobby assured us that he would take good care of everything, and Harry promised that he would make sure no one died. I wasn't sure who I trusted more, but I figured an elf that had saved Harry's life at the cost of his own couldn't be all bad.
"You've really got to watch what you say more often," Libra told me once we were past the village. We'd waved to a few people who had smiled and waved back. We were dressed in regular clothes, but it seemed not everyone wore robes around the clock, and we'd passed villagers in dresses and pants going about their daily lives, though some had worn robes and all the clothes looked about 50+ years out of date.
"Yeah, sorry. Still, you know what I told you in the notebook. Dobby died so that Harry could be saved from torture at the hands of the Malfoys. He's a valuable ally."
"I suppose. But he's a house elf. They're just sworn to serve their masters, even at the cost of their own lives."
"He was a free elf. He chose to go save Harry. Harry's bound house elf, Kreachur, betrayed him. It was the one Harry treated as an equal that saved his life, not the one he used as a slave."
Libra grunted, and I decided that was enough about that. "But hey, we're actually going to Hogwarts! You and me, on a magical adventure together, going to a mythical school."
"I've already been to one mythical school with you, David Murphy. And if you think you're going to get me into one of Hogwarts' broom closets, you should know I'm wearing what I wore for your last birthday."
Which is to say, not the sort of undies one shows of in front of your children.
"I'll make sure to keep an eye out for any and all available broom closets," I promised, and Libra giggled.
Hogwarts was a lot larger than I thought it would be. I mean, I've seen castles before so I know they're not exactly tiny, but this was closer to a sprawling college campus than a neat little fortress. In fact, calling it a castle seemed sort of wrong. It was closer to a fortified manor than anything else really. There were glass windows all up and down the place, some at ground level. There were hints of the original fortress in the crenellations and some of the older towers were clearly meant as military defenses, but the original building had been expanded on and built upon until it was hardly what one would call a military stronghold.
There were several large wings, and a dozen or so towers that jutted up from the foundations. However, the original wall had been built over in several places and knocked down in others for easier access to the courtyards, gardens, and outbuildings. The main gates were actually gone, the portcullis completely removed in favor of several decorative carvings and statues. The doors to the main hall were impressive, but while they looked fortified they also didn't look like they could stop a serious assault. But, then again, I guess the main defenses wouldn't be stone and mortar, but magical, so I probably was way off base.
As we approached, a booming voice called out to us.
"Oi, you lot the new professors we been waitin' fer?"
Libra and I turned to see the most massive being I have ever seen striding towards us. He was covered in shaggy black hair that was going grey, and stood at least 10 feet tall.
"I...yes?" I managed, gazing up, and up, and up at the massive man.
"You must be Rubeus Hagrid," Libra said, stepping forward and extending her hand. "I'm Libra Murphy nee Macnair. This is my husband, David Murphy."
"Good ter meetcha at las'" Hagrid said, his hand swallowing Libra's like she was a newborn. He pumped it enthusiastically, then stepped forward towards me. "I was so glad ter hear that lil' Harry was havin' a family that was lookin' after him proper like."
Hagrid's grip was not crushing, as you might expect. It was a delicate, gentle touch, like Hagrid was handing fine porcelain or a bird's wing. It was certainly not a dead fish sort of thing, but you could tell he was taking care not to crush your bones to dust or bruise you, which he likely could have done. The man looked like a wookie, and was probably stronger than one.
"Thank you," I said, trying to shake off my awe at the man. He was just so...big. And full of life and energy. His warm dark eyes sparkled, and his grin was huge and toothy, as if he couldn't imagine something more enjoyable than making my acquaintance. "And thank you for taking care of him so well. When he was a baby, that is. He still dreams about you and that motorcycle ride sometimes."
This was true, Harry had talked about the motorcycle dream a few times, and I'd told him about his ride with Hagrid, which probably reinforced the concept.
Hagrid blushed like a schoolgirl, dropping his eyes and shuffling his feet awkwardly. Which made the earth tremble, since instead of a tiny schoolgirl he was bigger than freaking Goliath.
"Aw, that's awful kind o' yeh ter say, Professor Murphy. I was hopin' yeh'd bring Harry up with yeh. Got some baby bowtruckles I could show him, yeh know."
"I'll be sure to tell him. He's got two little sisters and a baby brother you know, I'd bet they'd like to see what you have as well. Just, er, nothing rated above a double X by the ministry, OK? They're pretty little."
"Oh! No, I wouldn't be showin' kids nothin' too dangerous now. Got ter save the interestin' stuff for when they're a bit older, right? Well, come on then, the meetin's startin' soon. But I do like the little ones. Most folks, they think me an' the critters is dangerous or somethin' an' don't want me around their kids. I'm right surprised you is so willin' to send them off to me so soon after meetin' me and all,Professor Murphy."
"Anyone who takes good care of our son and has the highest praise of Remus has our trust," Libra said. "Please, lead the way."
Hagrid beamed, and happily led the way up to the Great Hall, practically skipping as he did so. Which let me tell you, looked really odd. I mean, the man looked like he could bench press the entire WWE roster, and here he was skipping along because we'd paid him a compliment and said he could show our kids some cool animals. I mean, how could anyone not love the guy?
Inside, there were teams of house elves scrubbing the entryway floors and walls. They parted way for us, though I recognized one. "Hey Nipsey," I said, waving to the elf as he paused in dusting a painting. Which was moving. It should have been disturbing, but again it mostly reminded me of a gif or something. "Long time no see. How's life been?"
Nispy dropped his brush and clutched his chest. "Master Murphy is remembering old Nipsy? Oh happy day!"
"Yep, I'm good, glad to hear you're the same. Harry'll be around before too long, make sure you say hi, he misses you sometimes," I said, waving we left.
The other house elves gasped and crowded around Nipsy, who began regailing them with some overly embellished tale or another.
"Well, that was righ' nice o' yeh," Hagrid observed as we left the entry way. "Little bugger looked pleased as punch he did."
"My husband is something of an elvish rights advocate," Libra said in a rather dry tone.
Hagrid beamed and slapped me on the back, rather gently for him I assume as I didn't go careening into the nearest wall. "Well that's good ter hear. Too many folks take advantage o' the poor creatures."
Inside the Great Hall itself, the tables were cleared away so that even more house elves could holystone the floors, and the candles were being restocked by the elves. However, the high table was still present, and around it sat some people who were all too familiar.
I recognized Remus, Dumbledore, and Aurora of course. And Snape, the jerk. McGonagall didn't look exactly like Dame Maggie Smith, but it was easy enough to pick out who the strict scottish school marm was with her spectacles and hair in a tight grey bun. Flitwick, interestingly enough, was an ugly little midget who probably was half goblin or something, though he had the look of someone who smiled more often than her frowned. The dumpy witch with rosy cheeks had to be Pomona Sprout, and she smiled and waved to us as we approached the table.
There was a kindly looking matron in an ancient nurse's outfit that had to be Poppy Pomfrey. Kettleburn had to be the old guy who had a nose that had the tip bitten off and more scars on his face than Remus did. The spacy looking hippy hunched over a tea cup was Trelawney. The mean looking old coot with the cat on his lap had to be Filch. The last one I knew was the lady in quidditch robes with close cropped hair that had to be Madam Hooch, the flying instructor and soon to be Harry's favorite teacher ever.
Interestingly, there were actually a good dozen or so people I straight up didn't recognize. Some of them looked to be support staff of various kinds, health aides and such, but others seemed to be professors of one type or another. I knew I wouldn't recognize the Arithmancy or Ancient Runes professors (I didn't even recall their names) but there were a lot of people that weren't in the books or movies.
There were four places at the table, one an enormous chair that could only have been for Hagrid. Everyone else was in the process of finishing breakfast, but as Libra and I approached with Hagrid they all turned and looked at us. Dumbledore smiled and waved.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy. Welcome, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
