Chapter 26 Meeting Dobby

Over the next few weeks, I found myself being pulled in all sorts of directions. The first years wanted help with homework assignments, Harry and Ron wanted my help with Divination homework, Hermione wanted to discuss what the second task could be, Draco was not admitting it, but he was hiding from the Slytherins.

Parkinson had somehow climbed up the ranks and was now leading a group of her own and she seemed to have it out for Draco. I was getting worried that he wasn't getting the sleep he needed. I found him taking naps when it was just the two of us.

Ron had even said something about how Draco's eyes were getting darker.

I was plotting a way to get him to sleep in the Gryffindor Common Room, but I just couldn't figure out how. I didn't want to get either one of us in trouble about it because even though we were cousins, it could just look really bad.

As for my lessons with Kassandra, I was starting to train myself to catch what I'm saying. I find that when my friends are asking questions about the general future I tend to open my mouth. Hermione was the one who caught onto that feature.

But when she tried helping me find the questions that made me open my mouth, we had a hard time with that. Because I was focused on keeping my mouth shut. But when Ron was being his dumb self she and I were able to come up with a plan to get me to stop opening my mouth right away.

I felt the tiniest of muscle spasms on the center of my forehead. But that was only for the big answers that Ron didn't know he was asking for.

My journal had gotten more full, but I still had room for more of my predictions, once Ron learned how to keep his mouth shut and stop asking about the big future questions.

Like what the second task was going to be.

I can only think of water and I wasn't going to be the one to tell Harry that he needed to figure out how to breathe underwater.

Like how Sirius was going to hide from everyone again.

I did answer that he was an Animagus so he could easily hide in plain sight. I didn't answer that he was going to be in a cave forty minutes away from Hogsmeade. That one I actually saw in a vision, but I wasn't sure when that one would be coming true, if it did.

Like how the school year was going to end.

I had to train my body not to react fearfully. So far I was succeeding, which I was proud of.

It helped that Draco's shade of blonde was almost white so if I did react, no one could really see the difference.

"Cassie." I looked up.

I was in the library studying, using the books to write my Transfiguration essay McGonagall had assigned us. I figured I would do my assignments that took the least amount of time and work my way to doing the hard assignments so that I wouldn't be distracted from them.

"Oh, hello Viktor." I greeted the man.

He sat down with a grunt and was looking over my papers.

"Vhere is your friend?" He asked casually.

I blinked at that.

"Do you mean, Draco?" I asked, putting my finger on the line I was just reading in the book I had pulled out.

"No, not him." Viktor shook his head.

"Then who?" I asked, I didn't have a clue.

His cheeks flushed a pink color.

"I do not know her name." He admitted.

I noticed that he had several followers.

Girls were peaking around the corners of the shelves and they were staring wistfully at him and glaring at me.

"Hermione?" I asked again, grinning slightly.

"That one, yes." He gave me a single nod.

"I don't know. I think she's around here somewhere, but she's already done with her homework." I answered, glaring back at one of the girls.

She flushed and looked away from me and hid behind a bookshelf.

"Okay." He stood up and left.

His entourage of girls followed closely behind him.

I had gotten used to Viktor and the way he came and went. I don't know if that meant he thought we were friends or if meant literally anything else.

Line break

When December started, it brought sleet and wind. I was thankful for the dragon hide gloves Narcissa had bought for me, as they were the best brand that money could buy. Not that I was short on funds but I haven't said anything to them about that.

The only downfall of being outside for our Care Of Magical Creatures was the trough full of single-malt whiskey, the horses preferred drink. It made me, and the rest of the class, lightheaded and that was a bad thing because we were still taking care of the Blast-Ended Skrewts.

"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid said to us.

We were in the pumpkin patch, shivering from the wind.

"Thought we'd jus' try an' see if they fancied a kip… we'll jus' settle 'em down in these boxes…" Hagrid gestured to several boxes next to him.

Ten skrewts remained, having killed each other because they didn't seem to have any other instinct for anything else. And I was giggling at the comfortable beds inside the boxes. Each was lined up with blankets and pillows.

"If they're killing each other, imagine what'll happen to those blankets and pillows." I muttered.

Draco and Ron were on either side of me, and they both let out sniggers at that comment.

"We'll jus' lead 'em in here an' put the lids on, and we'll see what happens." Hagrid explained.

"No thank you." Draco shook his head.

"For once, I agree with you." Ron was shaking his head as well.

It took only five minutes for chaos to ensue. The skrewts did not want to hibernate and had started a rampage.

Most of the Slytherins, and some of the Gryffindors, ran into Hagrid's hut for safety. Hermione, Ron, Harry, Draco, and I had remained outside along with several other students.

"I'm surprised you stayed." I said to Draco as we had our wands pointing at the skrewts.

"I'm not surprised you stayed." Draco retorted.

We all managed to wrangle up nine of the ten skrewts but Harry and Ron were trying to get the last one by shooting sparks to get it to go in the direction they wanted it too.

"Don' frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted. "Jus' try an' slip the rope 'round his sting, so he won' hurt any o' the others!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron shouted angrily.

The skrewt wasn't frightened by the sparks so I took out my wand and pointed it out the skrewt and muttered a spell.

A rope wrapped around his stinger and Draco and I both grabbed the other end and struggled to pull the skrewt away from Ron and Harry.

"I go' 'im." Hagrid pulled the rope from our hands and started coo-ing at the skrewt to get him with the others.

"Well, well, well… this does look like fun."

Rita Skeeter, wearing a magenta cloak with a purple collar that was furry, was staring hungrily at the situation.

"Who're you?" Hagrid asked Skeeter.

Harry made his way over to us and Ron followed him.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," I noticed that when she grinned, she had gold teeth.

"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid was frowning when he removed the rope from the skrewt.

Skeeter didn't respond, instead she was eyeing the skrewts.

"What are these fascinating creatures called?" Skeeter asked.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts." Hagrid grunted, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Really?" Skeeter lit up. "I've never heard of them before… where do they come from?"

I gave Draco a wide eyes look and he returned it. Hagrid never told us where he got the skrewts.

"They're very interesting, aren't they? Aren't they Harry?" Hermione spoke up.

"What? Oh yeah… ouch… interesting." Harry shuffled a little bit.

Skeeter turned her attention and beamed.

If her smile could reflect, I imagine we would have been blinded.

"Ah, you're here, Harry! So you like Care of Magical Creatures, do you? One of your favorite lessons?" Skeeter asked.

"Yes." Harry responded.

Hagrid beamed at that.

"Lovely. Really lovely." Skeeter then turned back to Hagrid. "Been teaching long?"

Her eyes started to travel to the students.

Several of us had cuts, bruises and burns. And the students in the cabin had their noses pushed against the glass.

"This is o'ny my second year." Hagrid answered.

"Lovely I don't suppose you'd like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experience of magical creatures? The Prophet does a zoological column every Wednesday, as I'm sure you know. We could feature these - er - Bang-Ended Scoots." Skeeter looked at Hagrid.

I was going to need a shower from how gross I was feeling about the whole situation.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid nodded eagerly. "Er - yeah, why not?"

"No!" I whispered.

Harry and I looked at each other in horror but we couldn't say anything. Skeeter and Hagrid made plans to meet up Friday for an interview, and then the bell finally rang.

"Well, good-bye Harry!" Skeeter called out as we started back towards the castle. "Until Friday night, then, Hagrid!"

"She'll twist everything he says!" Harry said under his breath.

"Just as long as he didn't import those Skrewts illegally or anything," Hermione said desperately.

We all looked at each other. I noticed that Gregory had joined us but Vincent was with Pansy and her group.

"Hagrid's been in loads of trouble before, and Dumbledore's never sacked him," Ron consoled us. "Worst that can happen is Hagrid'll have to get rid of the skrewts. Sorry… did I say worst? I meant best."

Draco ate lunch with us, along with Gregory. Gregory was a young man of very few words. Ron and Harry were still cautious with him around, but they were getting friendlier with Draco and I counted that as a win.

For Divination, we were still doing predictions and star charts. I hated the star charts but the predictions were easy. I still had my list from my first year and I had started to make a list of what happened in our second year to make the predictions easier to lie about since I didn't want to make too much of an effort with those. Trelawney didn't need to know everything I 'see' about the future, in a manner of speaking.

Harry was enjoying Divintation more now that he and Ron were friends again. They were sniggering through Trelawney's explanation of how Pluto could disrupt everyday life.

"I would think," she whispered, her annoyance obvious, "that some of us" - she looked meaningfully at Harry - "might be a little less frivolous had they seen what I have seen during my crystal gazing last night. As I sat here, absorbed in my needlework, the urge to consult the orb overpowered me. I arose, I settled myself before it, and I gazed into its crystalline depths… and what do you think I saw gazing back at me?"

"An ugly old bat in outsized specs?" Ron muttered under his breath.

Harry and I both fought to keep our faces straight.

"Death, my dears."

Parvati and Lavender both gasped in fear and covered their mouths.

"Yes," Trelawney nodded at them, "it comes, ever closer, it circles overhead like a vulture, ever lower… ever lower over this castle…"

She was staring pointedly at Harry, but something about how she said it started to bother me.

"It'd be a bit more impressive if she hadn't done it about eighty times before." Harry said as we got to the staircase. "But if I'd dropped dead every time she's told me I'm going to, I'd be a medical miracle."

"You'd be some sort of extra-concentrated ghost," Ron chortled.

We passed the Bloody Baron who's eyes reached mine and then flickered away.

"At least we didn't get homework this time." I added in.

"I hope Hermione got loads off Professor Vector, I'd love not working when she is." Ron said to me.

"Even if she didn't, she'd still be working." I pointed out to him.

Ron grumbled under his breath as we went to dinner. Where Hermione wasn't.

"Do you think she's in the library?" Harry asked.

"Maybe?" I shrugged as we finished.

"Let's go check." Ron said.

We wandered off to the library, where I checked out another book about potions to help with an essay about ingredients. But we still didn't find Hermione. I did spot Viktor wandering around though, as did Ron.

"Do you think I can get an autograph?" Ron whispered to us.

"Do you want to ask him?" I whispered back.

There was a giggle from a bookshelf over.

How we didn't notice seven girls before at first still baffles me.

"Nevermind." Ron said, his shoulders slumping a bit.

"Where do you think Hermione's got to?" Ron asked when we went back to the common room.

"Dunno… balderdash." Harry gave the Fat Lady our password.

Before the Fat Lady could swing forward, there was racing feet behind us. We turned around and Hermione skidded to a stop.

"Harry!" She panted. "Harry you've got to come - you've got to come, the most amazing thing's happened - please -"

She grabbed Harry's arm and started to pull him away.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"I'll show you when we get there - oh come on, quick -"

Harry looked back at Ron and I.

"Well, let's go." I shrugged to Ron.

"Oh don't mind me!" The Fat Lady called behind us. "Don't apologize for bothering me! I'll just hang here, wide open until you get back, shall I?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Ron called over his shoulder.

I let out a bark of a laugh.

"Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked after we went down six floors and started down the marble staircase into the entrance hall.

"You'll see, you'll see in a minute!" Hermione was excited.

She turned left and at the bottom of the staircase and I vaguely recognized where we were. George had brought me here for our date when I turned thirteen.

She turned us down a corridor with a bunch of paintings of food.

"Oh hang on…" Harry must have caught on to where we were going. "Wait a minute, Hermione…"

"What?" Hermione turned around to look at him.

"I know what this is about." Harry said, pointing to the big painting of the gigantic silver fruit bowl.

"Hermione!" Ron rolled his eyes. "You're trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!"

"No, no, I'm not!" She shook her head. "And it's not spew, Ron -"

"What are we now, then, the House-Elf Liberation Front? I'm not barging into that kitchen and trying to make them stop work, I'm not doing it -" Ron folded his arms and was shaking his head.

"I'm not asking you to!" Hermione was starting to get impatient with us. "I came down here just now, to talk to them all, and I found - oh come on, Harry, I want to show you!"

She grabbed Harry's arm again, pulled him to the front of the picture, and tickled the huge green pear. The pear squirmed, let out some giggles, and turned into a large green door handle.

I helped Hermione pull the door open so that she could push Harry into the kitchens.

Ron and I got in just as a house-elf squealed happily and ran into Harry.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

"Dobby?" Harry gasped.

"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" Squealed the little voice. "Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!"

Dobby let go of Harry and stepped back.

He had enormous eyes the size of tennis balls, and they were green. But not the tennis ball green sadly.

He was wearing clothes as well.

The Malfoy's current house elf wore a pillow case. I had made sure to start giving her clean ones and she did appreciate it.

Dobby was wearing a tea cozy for a hat, pinned with an assortment of badges; a tie patterned with horseshoes. He wasn't wearing a shirt though. He had soccer shorts that were meant for children, and two different socks. One was black, and the other was covered in pink and orange stripes.

He was adorable.

"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry asked.

There was a tugging at my side and I looked over.

A small house-elf with blue eyes was grinning at me.

"Mindy!" I knelt down to hug the house-elf.

"Miss Cassie!" She threw her arms around my neck.

"How are you doing?" I asked her.

"Just splendid, missus!" She was grinning.

Then I noticed that she, and a bunch of other house-elves, were wearing tea towels like a toga, with the Hogwarts crest stamped on it.

She offered me a small tray with a couple of pumpkin pasties on it.

"Oh thank you!" I smiled at her.

"Mr. George Weasley told me that these were your favorite, Miss Cassie!" She smiled at me.

I blinked at that.

"Does he usually talk about me?" I asked, casually taking a pumpkin pastry.

"All the time, miss!" She grinned at me.

"That's really sweet." I said, trying to stay friendly.

"He's awfully sorry for what he did," she looked at me with an innocent look on her face.

I let out a laugh.

"I know he is." I sighed.

I turned to my friends and there was a floating tea cup waiting for me.

"It was nice seeing you again!" I said to Mindy.

"It was nice seeing you too, Miss Cassie!" She waved to me.

When I stood up, Ron was looking at me with a weird expression.

"How do you know her?" He asked.

"When George and I went on our date she was the one who brought us our food and such." I answered.

"You've been down here before?" He asked, keeping his voice quiet.

"Yes." I gave a pointed look in Hermione's direction.

She was glowing like she had brought Harry a Christmas present.

Ron nodded in agreement and we followed over to them.

"This is Winky." He gestured to the little elf.

"The house elf from the World Cup?" I asked.

Winky suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh dear," Hermione said when we joined them. "Winky, don't cry. Please don't…"

Winky started to cry harder, and Dobby didn't seem phased by it.

"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" He squeaked.

"Er - yeah, okay." Harry nodded.

Six house-elves come trotting with a silver tray laden with a teapot, a jug of milk, and a plate of biscuits. Mindy was with them and she grinned happily at me.

"Good service!" Ron complimented.

The elves beamed with pride, but Hermione frowned at Ron.

"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked after we had fresh cups of tea.

"Only a week, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby answered. "Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indeed -"

Winky started to howl at the mention of this. Her nose reminded me of a squashed-tomato as snot started to come out of it.

"Dobby has traveled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work!" Dobby squeaked over Winky's howls. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"

I noticed that all of the house-elves looked away at once. I found it odd.

"Good for you, Dobby!" Hermione beamed.

"Thank you, miss!" Dobby grinned at her. "But most wizards doesn't want a house-elf who wants paying, miss. 'That's not the point of a house-elf,' they says, and they slammed the door in Dobby's face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid, Harry Potter… Dobby likes being free!"

The house-elves have started to edge away from us.

"And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed too, sir!" Dobby gestured to Winky.

She flung herself forward and started beating her tiny fists on the floor, shrieking louder. Hermione got on her knees and tried to comfort the poor thing.

Dobby continued his story, shouting over Winky's cries.

"And then Dobby had the idea, Harry Potter, sir! 'Why doesn't Dobby and Winky find work together?' Dobby says. 'Where is there enough work for two house-elves?' says Winky. A Dobby thinks, and it comes to him, sir! Hogwarts! So Dobby and Winky came to see Professor Dumbeldore, sir, and Professor Dumbledore took us on!"

Dobby's eyes had tears of happiness brimming.

"And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!"

"That's not very much!" Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor.

"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off," Dobby gave a little shiver. "But Dobby beat him down, miss... Dobby likes freedom, misses, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better."

"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked.

Winky sat up and glared at Hermione. The intensity of it surprised me.

"Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid! Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!" Winky squeaked.

"Ashamed?" Hermione blinked in surprise. "But - Winky, come on! It's Mr. Crouch who should be ashamed, not you! You didn't do anything wrong, he was really horrible to you -"

Winky clapped her hands over her ears, making them go flat.

"You is not insulting my master, miss! You is not insulting Mr. Crouch! Mr. Crouch is a good wizard, miss! Mr. Crouch is right to sack bad Winky!"

"Winky is having trouble adjusting, Harry Potter," Dobby squeaked. "Winky forgets she is not bound to Mr. Crouch anymore; she is allowed to speak her mind now, but she won't do it."

"Can't house-elves speak their minds about their masters, then?" Harry asked, looking at me.

I shrugged at that.

"Oh no, sir, no," Dobby shook his head. "Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence sir. We upholds the family's honor, and we never speak ill of them - though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to - to -"

Dobby suddenly looked nervous and beckoned Harry closer.

What he said next, only Harry was able to hear over Winky's cries.

"But Dobby is not wanting to, Harry Potter," Dobby started talking normally. "Dobby likes Professor Dumbeldore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."

"But you can say what you like about the Malfoys now?" Harry asked, a grin on his face.

Dobby suddenly had a fearful look on his face.

"Dobby - Dobby could," he said doubtfully.

Dobby squared his shoulders.

"Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were - were bad Dark Wizards!"

Dobby stood for a moment, quivering so bad that his ears were shaking. Then he rushed over to the nearest table and started to hit his head on it, squealing, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry, more than likely expecting it, grabbed him and pulled him away before he could hit his head a third time.

"Thank you, Harry Potter, thank you," Dobby was breathless.

"You is out to be ashamed of yourself, Dobby, talking that way about your masters!" Winky suddenly shrieked.

"They isn't my masters anymore, Winky!" Dobby turned to her defiantly. "Dobby doesn't care what they think anymore!"

"Oh, you is a bad elf, Dobby!" Winky moaned. "My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without Winky? He is needing me, he is needing my help! I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her...oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed? Oh the shame, the shame!" Winky buried her head into the skirt of her dress.

"Winky," Hermione's voice was firm. "I'm quite sure Mr. Crouch is getting along perfect well without you. We've seen him, you know -"

"You is seeing my master?" Winky was breathless from all of her crying. "You is seeing him here at Hogwarts?" She looked up away from her skirt.

"Yes," Hermione nodded, "he and Mr. Bagman are judges in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Mr. Bagman comes too?" Squeaked Winky.

To all of our surprise, Winky looked angry again.

"Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't like him, oh no, not at all!" Winky was shaking with anger.

I was amazed that she was able to bounce between emotions.

"Bagman - bad?" Harry looked at Ron in confusion.

"Oh yes," Winky nodded her head furiously. "My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying... Winky - Winky keeps her master's secrets…"

She dissolved into tears again, and started sobbing into her skirt. This time we were able to hear what she was saying though.

"Poor master, poor master, no Winky to help him no more!"

We weren't able to get anymore out of her, so we continued our conversation with Dobby instead.

"Dobby is going to buy a sweater next, Harry Potter!" Dobby proudly pointed at his chest.

"Tell you what, Dobby," Ron had taken a liking to the elf. "I'll give you the one my mum knits me this Christmas, I always get one from her. You don't mind maroon, do you?"

I lightly flinched away from that. This was going to be my second year without a Weasley sweater, and the one I got from my second year was too small for me to wear outside of the common room.

"We might have to shrink it a bit to fit you, but it'll go well with your tea cozy." Ron didn't notice my flinch.

"It's getting late, we should go before we break curfew." I said when I noticed the clock on the wall.

"Thank you for visiting, Harry Potter!" Dobby leapt up and hugged Harry again.

"Thank you for visiting miss Cassie!" Mindy was quick to curtsey to me before we left.

We were offered a bunch of snacks for our way back up the stairs. Hermione looked pained as the elves curtsied and bowed us out.

"Thanks a lot!" Harry said as he let me out first. "See you, Dobby!"

"Harry Potter… can Dobby come and see you sometimes, sir?" Dobby asked.

" 'Course you can," Harry answered.

I didn't see Dobby's reaction, but I can imagine his beaming smile.

"You know what?" Ron asked as we entered the entrance hall. "All these years I've been really impressed with Fred and George, nicking food from the kitchens - well, it's not exactly difficult, is it? They can't wait to give it away!"

"I think this is the best thing that could have happened to those elves, you know," Hermione took the lead. "Dobby coming to work here, I mean. They other elves will see how happy he is, being free, and slowly it'll dawn on them that they want that too!"

"Let's hope they don't look too closely at Winky," Harry nudged my shoulder with his elbow.

I let out a snicker at that.

"Oh, she'll cheer up," Hermione tried to sound confident, but I heard the doubt in her voice. "Once the shock's worn off, and she's got used to Hogwarts, she'll see how much better off she is without that Crouch man."

"She seems to love him," Ron's voice was thick and muffled.

He had started to eat a cream cake.

"Doesn't think much of Bagman though." I shrugged.

"Wonder what Crouch says at home about him?" Harry asked.

"Probably says he's not a very good Head of Department," Hermione sighed, "and let's face it… he's got a point, hasn't he?"

"I'd rather work for Bagman than Crouch." I answered honestly.

"Right?" Ron nodded as he pointed at me. "Bagman's got a sense of humor."

"Don't let Percy hear you saying that." Hermione smiled slightly.

"Yeah, well, Percy wouldn't want to work for anyone with a sense of humor, would he?" Ron started eating a chocolate cake. "Percy wouldn't recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea cozy."

We all laughed at that.

A super long chapter for ya guys!

Shout out to cowchoas for following 'The Treasured Philosopher's Stone'! Also I love your name.

Shout out to Pamela Hutchins, Awritingbookworm, and LilyLunaPotter for leaving a review!

Pamela: Oh good! I'm glad someone else saw that in her character! As for the twins, I'm sorry! I don't mean to be a tease!

Awritingbookworm: You're fine! Take you're time getting to me! Thank you for Warrington. I'm having fun writing him out!

LilyLunaPotter: Awe! Thanks!