Part 10.
The Gryffindor common room was noisy and full of people as he entered.
Most of them stopped what they were doing to look at him.
Hermione, Ron and the others seemed to be ignoring everyone else, calling to him as he entered the room. "Harry, over here." Ron called out, waving his hand in the air.
He walked over to them and sat down in his usual place, on the hearth rug in front of the fire.
"What's going on?" Neville asked.
"I can't tell you." Harry tolf them glumly. "I promised I wouldn't."
"Where did you go?" Hermione asked, "Professor McGonagall told us you were in a meeting."
He nodded. "I was..." He trailed off as Dobby appeared.
"Is sir well? Dobby has been worried." The house elf squeaked.
"I'm okay. It's just been a long day." Harry sighed.
"Dobby is afraid for Harry Potter. He wishes to go to Professor Dumbledore and ask to make the bonds with sir." Dobby squeaked again.
"The bonds? What bonds?" Harry asked, unable to think of what the elf might be talking about.
"He wants you to be his master." Neville said quietly. "If you're his master, his magic will protect you."
In the distance a bell rang. "Dobby must be going sir, dinner is being served." The house elf disappeared, leaving the five of them staring.
"He wants to bind himself to you?" Ron whistled.
"Harry's not going to let him do that, are you Harry?" Hermione asked.
"If you do," Ginny reasoned, "People would see the way you treat Dobby, and maybe they'd treat their own house elves the same way."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "And you could keep paying hin and everything." She jumped up and turned towards the girl's domitories muttering, "This could be just the break S.P.E.W. needs."
"I think she's sold on the idea." Ron stared after her, shocked at her acceptance of Dobby's proposal.
"But should I do it or not." Harry said, his brow furrowed, trying to make a decision.
"Do what you think is best." Ginny told him, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past. "I'm going to go get Hermione and go down to dinner."
_____________________
Harry was virtually silent throughout dinner, barely picking at his food.
As he headed back upstairs with the others, Professor McGonagall having noticed his silence, insisted he go up to her office with her.
"Are you sure you're all right Potter?" She asked once they were both seated in her office. "I know that today's meeting was hard on you."
"It's not the meeting, Professor." Harry began. "I know that it was important, but it's something else."
"Then tell me what's bothering you." She said gently.
"One of the house elves, Dobby. I met him in my second year. When he was freed he came to work at Hogwarts." He told her. "Dobby wants to make the bonds with me."
"Well, that's unexpected to say the least." Professor McGonagall said with relief.
"Is everything all right, Minerva?" A voice spoke from doorway.
"Professor I'm sorry to bother you, both of you." Harry stood abruptly.
"Don't be silly, Harry." Dumbledore said walking into the room, conjuring himself a chair and sitting down. "I was coming to see Professor McGonagall about you, as fate would have it. Sit down, sit down."
Obediently Harry sat, feeling a little awed that he was recieving both of their attention.
"Now then, I was coming to speak to Professor McGonagall about you." Dumbledore began again. "I just spoke with-."
"A house elf named Dobby?" Professor McGongall asked.
"As it so happens, yes." Dumbledore agreed. "How did you know?"
"Harry and I were just discussing it ourselves." She answered.
"Excellent. I think it's a wonderful idea." He said heartily.
"I'm not sure about it." Harry confessed.
"The love and loyalty of a house elf towards his Master more than rivals that of the Death Eaters to Voldemort. Dobby's offer is unique in itself. Very rarely do house elves offer their services, or offer take the bonds with a new Master, especially if they have been freed once before." Dumbledore told him gently. "That house elf is already more loyal to you than you know. Trust your feelings. Trust Dobby, he has your best interests at heart."
Harry surprised both teachers by laughing out loud. "In my second year Dobby thought it was dangerous for me to be at Hogwarts. He bewitched a bludger, and I spent the night in hospital regrowing the bones in my arm."
Both Professors smiled.
"Suppose I did take the bonds with Dobby, you wouldn't send him away would you?" He asked Dumbledore.
"Dobby would be welcome at Hogwarts, as your servant." Dumbledore confirmed.
"Would he be able to help the school's house elves if he got bored I mean. I won't have much for him to do."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Have you made your decision?"
"I'll make the bonds with Dobby." Harry said quietly.
"Come up to my office then." Dumbledore stood, making the chair he was sitting in vanish. "I think Dobby will be waiting."
When the reached the Professor's office, Dobby was looking up at a duster, using his magic to levitate it up to the places he couldn't reach.
"Dobby." Professor Dumbledore said gently.
"I is leaving now sir. Dobby will come back later." He squeaked.
"Sit down Dobby." Harry gestured to an empty chair.
"Harry Potter is too kind, too gracious, but Dobby will obey." The house elf perched precariously on the edge of the chair.
"Harry wants to speak with you." Professor Dumbledore told the elf.
"Dobby, I want to make the bonds with you. If you'll still make them with me." Harry said quietly.
Dobby's eyes bulged more than usual. "The great Harry Potter who fought He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will have Dobby, will be Dobby's Master?"
"If you still want me."
"Dobby is honored sirs. Honored." The house elf, bowed his head, spilling his hats onto the floor.
"Make your vows now, Dobby." Professor Dumbledore coached the now- speechless elf.
"Dobby, son of Poppy, swears always to be loyal to Harry Potter and his, binds himself to Harry Potter and his, until death or clothes separate." Then he reached down, bowing low to place both hands on Harry's feet.
The room was filled with a burst of bright light.
"It is done." Dumbledore broke the silence. "Dobby, you should take Harry back up to Gryffindor tower."
The Gryffindor common room was noisy and full of people as he entered.
Most of them stopped what they were doing to look at him.
Hermione, Ron and the others seemed to be ignoring everyone else, calling to him as he entered the room. "Harry, over here." Ron called out, waving his hand in the air.
He walked over to them and sat down in his usual place, on the hearth rug in front of the fire.
"What's going on?" Neville asked.
"I can't tell you." Harry tolf them glumly. "I promised I wouldn't."
"Where did you go?" Hermione asked, "Professor McGonagall told us you were in a meeting."
He nodded. "I was..." He trailed off as Dobby appeared.
"Is sir well? Dobby has been worried." The house elf squeaked.
"I'm okay. It's just been a long day." Harry sighed.
"Dobby is afraid for Harry Potter. He wishes to go to Professor Dumbledore and ask to make the bonds with sir." Dobby squeaked again.
"The bonds? What bonds?" Harry asked, unable to think of what the elf might be talking about.
"He wants you to be his master." Neville said quietly. "If you're his master, his magic will protect you."
In the distance a bell rang. "Dobby must be going sir, dinner is being served." The house elf disappeared, leaving the five of them staring.
"He wants to bind himself to you?" Ron whistled.
"Harry's not going to let him do that, are you Harry?" Hermione asked.
"If you do," Ginny reasoned, "People would see the way you treat Dobby, and maybe they'd treat their own house elves the same way."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "And you could keep paying hin and everything." She jumped up and turned towards the girl's domitories muttering, "This could be just the break S.P.E.W. needs."
"I think she's sold on the idea." Ron stared after her, shocked at her acceptance of Dobby's proposal.
"But should I do it or not." Harry said, his brow furrowed, trying to make a decision.
"Do what you think is best." Ginny told him, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past. "I'm going to go get Hermione and go down to dinner."
_____________________
Harry was virtually silent throughout dinner, barely picking at his food.
As he headed back upstairs with the others, Professor McGonagall having noticed his silence, insisted he go up to her office with her.
"Are you sure you're all right Potter?" She asked once they were both seated in her office. "I know that today's meeting was hard on you."
"It's not the meeting, Professor." Harry began. "I know that it was important, but it's something else."
"Then tell me what's bothering you." She said gently.
"One of the house elves, Dobby. I met him in my second year. When he was freed he came to work at Hogwarts." He told her. "Dobby wants to make the bonds with me."
"Well, that's unexpected to say the least." Professor McGonagall said with relief.
"Is everything all right, Minerva?" A voice spoke from doorway.
"Professor I'm sorry to bother you, both of you." Harry stood abruptly.
"Don't be silly, Harry." Dumbledore said walking into the room, conjuring himself a chair and sitting down. "I was coming to see Professor McGonagall about you, as fate would have it. Sit down, sit down."
Obediently Harry sat, feeling a little awed that he was recieving both of their attention.
"Now then, I was coming to speak to Professor McGonagall about you." Dumbledore began again. "I just spoke with-."
"A house elf named Dobby?" Professor McGongall asked.
"As it so happens, yes." Dumbledore agreed. "How did you know?"
"Harry and I were just discussing it ourselves." She answered.
"Excellent. I think it's a wonderful idea." He said heartily.
"I'm not sure about it." Harry confessed.
"The love and loyalty of a house elf towards his Master more than rivals that of the Death Eaters to Voldemort. Dobby's offer is unique in itself. Very rarely do house elves offer their services, or offer take the bonds with a new Master, especially if they have been freed once before." Dumbledore told him gently. "That house elf is already more loyal to you than you know. Trust your feelings. Trust Dobby, he has your best interests at heart."
Harry surprised both teachers by laughing out loud. "In my second year Dobby thought it was dangerous for me to be at Hogwarts. He bewitched a bludger, and I spent the night in hospital regrowing the bones in my arm."
Both Professors smiled.
"Suppose I did take the bonds with Dobby, you wouldn't send him away would you?" He asked Dumbledore.
"Dobby would be welcome at Hogwarts, as your servant." Dumbledore confirmed.
"Would he be able to help the school's house elves if he got bored I mean. I won't have much for him to do."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Have you made your decision?"
"I'll make the bonds with Dobby." Harry said quietly.
"Come up to my office then." Dumbledore stood, making the chair he was sitting in vanish. "I think Dobby will be waiting."
When the reached the Professor's office, Dobby was looking up at a duster, using his magic to levitate it up to the places he couldn't reach.
"Dobby." Professor Dumbledore said gently.
"I is leaving now sir. Dobby will come back later." He squeaked.
"Sit down Dobby." Harry gestured to an empty chair.
"Harry Potter is too kind, too gracious, but Dobby will obey." The house elf perched precariously on the edge of the chair.
"Harry wants to speak with you." Professor Dumbledore told the elf.
"Dobby, I want to make the bonds with you. If you'll still make them with me." Harry said quietly.
Dobby's eyes bulged more than usual. "The great Harry Potter who fought He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will have Dobby, will be Dobby's Master?"
"If you still want me."
"Dobby is honored sirs. Honored." The house elf, bowed his head, spilling his hats onto the floor.
"Make your vows now, Dobby." Professor Dumbledore coached the now- speechless elf.
"Dobby, son of Poppy, swears always to be loyal to Harry Potter and his, binds himself to Harry Potter and his, until death or clothes separate." Then he reached down, bowing low to place both hands on Harry's feet.
The room was filled with a burst of bright light.
"It is done." Dumbledore broke the silence. "Dobby, you should take Harry back up to Gryffindor tower."