Thanks to my beta Romulus Magnus for his sharp eye and hard work!

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Chapter 7

The Potter Elves

Harry woke in the morning, smiling and refreshed. He stretched, remembering the hazy wisps of a sweet dream that included a certain bushy haired witch. With his goblin occlumency he was able to keep Voldemort totally out of his head, with only the faintest tickle of awareness when the evil wizard was in the throes of an extreme emotion. He glanced over to the portrait of his godfather, who gave him a cheeky wink and turned into a shaggy black dog that wagged his tail at him. Life was good for once.

After morning chores he bounded back to his room and did the customary charms for privacy and silence. First things first, he pulled his shrunk trunk out of his satchel. Once enlarged it looked like any other school trunk, complete with a few dings and scratches. When opened, it worked like any other student trunk too, charmed to hold three times the amount of a normal muggle one. But when the trunk sensed Harry's thumbprints pushing the latches twice, the open trunk revealed nothing but a stairway down.

Descending down the stairs, Harry was pleased to see a 20 x 30 foot torch lit room. Shutting the door behind him, which would automatically shut the trunk lid, he now had a private domain, only accessible by himself and individuals of his choice, unplottable and charmed to keep all magical activity secret. Pulling out his wand, he cast a light spell, and then ran up the stairs. He waited about 10 minutes, and when he didn't receive any angry letters from the Ministry, decided it must work as advertised.

Harry charmed his room for privacy and time, and grabbed Sirius' portrait and his satchel. "Come on, godfather" he chuckled, "I need help with interior decorating."

Back down in his trunk, which Harry decided to name 'Godric's Suitcase', he propped Sirius against the wall and looked around. "This is cool, cub" Sirius nodded his approval.

Harry got to work, creating a large closet against the same wall the stairs rested against, with a large house-elf sized room above it. For the wall on the left he charmed a window seat, which reflected the view outside of where ever the trunk was at. Privet Drive wasn't much to look at, but he could keep an eye on the order members patrolling and the weather. A bathroom and book cases were on the opposite wall of that, and the wall facing the stairs had a large centered fireplace, with kitchenette to the left. He charmed the walls to look like the stone of Hogwarts, and made himself a large four-poster bed like his at school. A desk, table, work table for potions, bookcases, comfortable leather chairs and fireplace made the room comfortable and very home-like.

"Too bad I need to sleep upstairs for now" Harry grinned. "I could stay here all summer, but I need to be accessible for now."

Harry swiftly unpacked his new clothes and hung them up. He didn't want to leave them upstairs in his bedroom where his relatives could find them. His books from the previous years of school were put away, along with the new ones he got a couple days ago. Harry finally had the luxury of displaying photos and objects that were sentimental to him.

"Sirius," Harry turned to look at him. "I'd love to hang you above the fireplace, but I can't spend as much time here as I want. That's where you will be during school. But for now, let's go topside and start the day.

Out of the trunk, Harry sat down at his desk facing Sirius.

"What's up for today, cub?" Sirius asked after changing from a dog into the dark haired man.

"You'll see" Harry smiled, "it's now time for step two in my plan for wizard-world domination. Or freedom for me, if you prefer." And turning in his chair he called out "Dobby!"

With an audible 'pop' a small, strange little creature appeared before Harry. He was small; about three foot high, with large bat like ears and tennis-ball bulging eyes. He was wearing an amazing assortment of clothes – a shrunk-to-fit maroon sweater from Ron, several pairs of socks, five hats stacked precariously on top of a tea cozy on his head, and various other cast-off articles. The most extraordinary thing about his appearance, however, was the expression of worshipful rapture on his face as he gazed at Harry.

"Harry Potter wishes to see Dobby?" the elf gushed. "How may Dobby serve the great Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled warmly at the elf. Dobby's eyes bugged even more with surprise as he watched him, with casual hand gestures summon a table, two chairs (one raised and scaled to Dobby's size), and a light breakfast for two. "I'd love it if you would have breakfast with me and join me in a chat after", Harry said.

"How, how, how is Mr. Harry Potter able to do goblin magic, sir?" Dobby squeaked excitedly. "I always knew Harry Potter was great and powerful and kind, but not that he was a master of goblin magic too!" Dobby than dissolved into a flood of tears, as was typical for his kind. "The great Harry Potter asks Dobby to dine with him, as if he was an equal! You are too kind!"

He watched the elf scramble onto his chair with less protesting than usual and a pleased look on his face. They proceeded to dig into fried eggs and tomatoes, toast, tea, and pumpkin juice. After finishing Harry banished the dirty dishes with a wave of his hand and sat back eyeing the elf kindly.

"Dobby, I need to ask you some questions, and I need honest answers. If possible, I need for you to swear to me your answers are true to the best of your ability. I only ask these for my safety."

Without a moment's hesitation, Dobby leaped from his chair, placed a hand on his heart and knelt low in front of Harry. "Dobby swears the house-elf vow that he will answer every question Harry Potter asks him 100 truthfully".

Harry felt a charge of magic in the air. "What did you do, Dobby? What does that vow mean?" he asked him concernedly.

"It means that if Dobby intentionally lies to Harry Potter he will be struck dead" he said casually, getting to his feet and climbing back on his chair."

"Er, wow, Dobby. That wasn't necessary. Your word is good enough for me!" Harry felt rather nervous now, but took a breath and went on. "Ok, first question. Are you owned by Dumbledore or Hogwarts, or are you still a free elf?"

Dobby smiled. "Professor Dumbledore once asked Dobby if he would like to be his elf, but I said no! Dobby is still a free elf, and most of the elves at Hogwarts aren't owned by anyone, but consider themselves property of the current headmaster."

"So if you wanted to, you could leave Hogwarts? Do you have any loyalty to Dumbledore over me?" Harry looked at him earnestly.

"Does Mr. Harry Potter want a house-elf?" Dobby's voice grew notably more high-pitched and excited. "Because, because, that "and Dobby's voice went quiet, "would be a dream come true for Dobby." He looked up at Harry with the longing of a dog in a cage at the shelter.

Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You'd rather be my elf than free, Dobby?"

"Freedom is wonderful, Mr. Harry Potter. It was the best thing in the world after," Dobby's voice grew quiet again, "the M-M-M, my last masters. But house-elves are made to serve. We want to be part of a family, sir, more than anything."

"Dobby," Harry spoke earnestly, "I need you, but you might not want to be my elf after I tell you some of the background. Promise me what we are saying will not leave this room for any reason? And I don't need another vow from you."

"Dobby promises, sir". The hope and excitement shining from Dobby's face was almost painful to watch. "Nothing the great Harry Potter could say would keep me from wanting to be his elf, but I promise. I will share this with no one!"

Harry got up and paced the room a bit. "Dobby, I have learned this summer from the goblins that Professor Dumbledore is not my friend." Fascinated, Harry noticed that Dobby had a vaguely guilty expression on his face. "I found out that he put me in this house against the express wishes of my parent's will, he has stolen huge amounts of money from me, has always read my mail, and has worked to keep me weak, untrained, and unprepared to defeat Voldemort."

The elf looked miserable. "Dobby suspected something like that – every time the subject of Harry Potter came up, the headmaster would dismiss Dobby from the room. Elves can feel things, if you know what I mean sir. While Dobby worked for the headmaster, he could not come and talk about suspicions. But," Dobby looked up at Harry, his eyes blazing with pride, "if Dobby had heard of a threat against Harry Potter, if Dobby had learned something, he would come. You know he would, sir!"

Harry sat down again. He purposely took Dobby's hand and held it. "Dobby – I want you to be my elf. Someday I'll live in one of the homes I've inherited and you can be a proper elf, but for now it would mean staying at Hogwarts and pretending you are still a free elf, and spying for me if you can."

Tears were flowing down the elf's face. "Dobby would be honored, Harry Potter sir!"

"Also," Harry continued, "I need to learn about the house elves. What are you guys like? Your family lives, government? What do house-elves want for house-elves? I know you don't want freedom for the most part, but what do you guys really want and need?"

Dobby gasped. "The great Harry Potter cares about house-elves? You are too great and kind, master!"

"Dobby," Harry grew serious, "house-elves are noble and powerful. I saw how you threw Lucius Malfoy down the hall with a snap of your fingers. I saw how Malfoy didn't even try to duel you. The house-elf has been ignored and overlooked for too long. If Voldemort wins, his hatred of anything that isn't 100 pureblood wizard will wipe out everything I love, including goblins, half-giants, and house-elves. I need to learn everything I can from everyone I can to defeat him. Then I need to learn how to deal with Dumbledore. He's used a lot of people over the years, and it seems that his goal might be to take over the Ministry – I have to find out what his plans are and keep him from finding out that I'm onto him. Now, I release you from your vow of honesty – you have fulfilled it."

Dobby once more jumped from his seat and knelt in front of Harry. "Dobby the house-elf hereby swears to serve Harry Potter until he dies or is given clothes. Dobby will never betray his master's trust or secrets. Dobby will clean, cook, and serve Harry Potter and his family and friends. Harry Potter's wishes are Dobby's wishes." He stood up, took Harry's hand and placed it on his head.

Harry could feel the magic swirl around the room again, and knew that they were now under a magical contract. "I, Harry Potter, promise to be a fair and kind master to Dobby. Dobby's needs are my needs. I will protect and keep Dobby safe as long as I live."

Tears once again flowed down the elf's face, and Harry felt choked up him self. "Dobby will teach Harry Potter all about the house-elves, and teach you our magic. It's not complicated like goblin – we are real good at popping and we are real good at talking long distances though – Harry Potter will like that!"

"So," Sirius spoke from his painting, "are you going to introduce me, or go straight to kissing?"

Harry laughed and said "Dobby, meet my godfather's portrait, Sirius. Sirius, meet Dobby". Dobby bowed formally to Sirius, who grinned at him.

"May Dobby ask master a question?" Dobby spoke hesitantly.

"First of all Dobby, go back to calling me Harry Potter, please! And let's establish some guidelines. You may always ask me questions. If I ever accidentally throw you some clothes or hand you some to put away with out thinking, please ask – don't think I threw you out! No more punishing yourself! You are a great guy, and it distresses me when you hurt yourself. When I ask you to do something complicated, like spying, you need to take time to eat and sleep – and that's an order!"

"Harry Potter is kind and generous" Dobby wept. He dried his eyes on a large lace hanky and looked up at him. "I will be busy spying. I think you need another house-elf. With another elf near you all the time, they could tend to your needs and deliver mail by popping – the headmaster can't read your mail then!"

"Really, Dobby? That's fantastic! Would another elf be ok with you – would you be jealous or anything?" Harry rubbed his jaw pondering.

"Dobby will always be Harry Potter's first house-elf! And if Harry Potter has more than one house, he will need many more than just Dobby to be comfortable."

"How's Winky doing, Dobby? I always felt awful for her – Crouch really treated her bad." Harry thought back to his fourth year, and the poor house elf that Mr. Crouch had fired so unfairly for trying to watch his son who was hiding from the law.

The elf smiled widely at Harry. "She is doing a little better, Harry Potter Sir. She quit drinking but she pines. I think she would be an excellent choice for you."

With a grin Harry called out "Winky!"

The faint 'pop' of elf apparition was heard, and Winky stood before Harry. She did look better than the last time he saw her. Although she was still wearing the same blue dress, it was spotless and didn't reek of butterbeer anymore. She wasn't puffy and red from sobbing, but there was still a palatable aura of sadness and defeat that radiated from her.

"Harry Potter sir!" she squeaked in her high voice. "How may Winky serve you?" She glanced over at Dobby with a question in her eyes.

"Winky?" Harry knelt down in front of her. "Are you still a free elf?"

A rouge tear escaped from one eye, but she nodded yes without hysterics. "To my and my relative's shame, sir, yes."

Harry looked at her sympathetically. "Winky, I think you got a raw deal from your former masters. I know you will not speak badly of them, and I admire your loyalty. Mr. Crouch had no right to expect you to keep such awful secrets and then fire you when you did nothing wrong."

"But I disobeyed master!" she wailed. "Winky was a bad house-elf!"

"No" Harry interrupted the sobbing elf. "You were put in a no-win situation. Winky, if you had stayed in the box at the Quiddich cup and didn't follow Barty, what would have happened?"

"Master Barty was a b-b-bad boy" Winky sniffed in a low voice. "Master Crouch would have fired Winky for not following him."

"Winky, did you show Barty my wand in my pocket, point it out to him?" Harry asked her earnestly.

She drew herself up indignantly. "No, Mr. Potter sir!"

"Of course you didn't. Don't you see, Winky? Mr. Crouch was so full of guilt and desperation; he felt he had to blame somebody. It was his fault he broke the law to sneak his son back. It was his fault he was trying to control him with illegal curses. And no matter what you did, he would have been angry and given you clothes. You are a good and loyal elf, and he didn't deserve you."

"You are too kind, Mr. Potter sir" the elf sniffed, slowly regaining control of her emotions.

"So Winky, would you like to be my elf? Dobby just gave me his oath of loyalty, and I have need for another elf. I need someone like you – full of love and devotion to help me."

Harry would never forget the joy and hope that spread across Winky's face. It was as if she was opening the curtains to let the sun shine on her shattered heart. She gasped a coupled times, looked wildly over at Dobby to see him nod reassuringly, and grasped Harry's hands, laying her wet cheeks against them in adoration.

"Winky would be the happiest elf in the world, Mr. Potter Sir!" she crooned.

"No Winky wouldn't" laughed Dobby, "Dobby already is that!"

Still kneeling in front of Winky, Harry exchanged vows with her. "Winky, I need to cover some ground rules with you now. Dobby has already heard this. You may always ask me questions. If I ever accidentally throw you some clothes or hand you some to put away with out thinking, please ask – don't think I threw you out! No punishing yourself because it distresses me when you hurt yourself. When I ask you to do something complicated, you need to take time to eat and sleep because I want you in good health. If you guys are sick, or in need, you must tell me. I will never punish you if you need some time for yourselves."

The elf gasped and looked at Harry disbelievingly. "Master is too kind and generous! I will be a good house-elf for the kind and great Mr. Potter."

"While I'm at Hogwarts, "Harry continued, "I will need the both of you to pretend you are still working for the school. I don't want anyone but my closest friends to know you two are mine. This isn't because I am embarrassed of you" Harry broke in when he saw a look of shame on Winky's face, "but for your safety and mine. Winky, as Dobby will tell you, I have discovered this summer that Dumbledore and Ron and Ginny Weasley are not my friends. They mean me harm and have done many bad things. They are not working for Voldemort, but I need to keep the fact I know about them secret while I train hard to defeat Voldy. I can now do goblin magic, and I wish to learn house-elf history and magic from you two – they must not find out."

Winky nodded at Harry with palatable relief.

"When I'm done with Hogwarts you both will be proper house elves – I've inherited several properties, and I have no idea what shape they are in. Of course I'll be living in at least one of them. So don't worry – this weird secret stuff will not be forever." Harry smiled at her kindly, and she returned the look with adoration. "Dobby will not be around me much – he's got special spy duties and will report to me on occasion, or give you the messages. I'll need you, Winky; to attend to my personal needs and to deliver letters so Dumbledore can't read them."

"It will be an honor, sir" Winky spoke with pride.

"Super!" Harry got stiffly off the floor. "Now, let me take you downstairs to your rooms. You can stay there all you want when you aren't working at Hogwarts, or just need a break". He took them into his trunk and showed them the large elf-sized room he made above the closet, and altered it into two rooms. "It's not an attic – I know house-elves like attics, so it's the closest I could come. But it's a whole lot nicer than a pile of rags behind a water heater."

To say Dobby and Winky were touched was the understatement of the century. They both sobbed and wept with happiness, praising Harry until he turned beet red from embarrassment. They oooh and aaahed over the elf sized beds and furniture.

"Now that we've been here we can pop in any time we like, sir" Dobby said with a pleased nod.

"Super" Harry smiled, "Now let's share a pot of tea and have a talk about house-elves throughout history."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

House-elves were so unique in Harry's opinion. So overlooked and yet so powerful. So powerful yet so humble. He had put the time slowing charms on the room so Winky and Dobby wouldn't be missed at Hogwarts, and proceeded to learn all he can about the elves, which was surprisingly little. House-elves kept no written histories about themselves, but told stories of loyalty or 'perversion' (elves who put their own needs above their master's) to their children or shared them through their unique sixth-sense.

It turned out that elves had honed their magic over the centuries to be able to communicate telepathically with other house-elves, or to be able to sense the needs of their masters. They had no skills with Occlumency or Legilimency, but could send out communication to all elves when in need, or private messages to one another.

An example of this skill, Harry learned, was used when a wizard wished to hold a large party or event. This would be a huge task for one or two elves, so they would send out the call for assistance. Any elves working in un-lived in homes (which is pretty common in the wizarding world) or unemployed elves would come and work in the kitchens and background, unseen and unknown by the wizards of the house. Elves in this situation were under a bond of secrecy and discretion not to hurt the master's privacy or give secrets away. This assistance would leave the master's elves free to wait on guests – the only elves to be noticed by the wizards.

House-elves were truly only happy when they were owned by a wizard who wanted them and protected them. No matter how abusive a wizard was, it was almost always preferable to the shame of being given clothes. Dobby was considered a pervert in the elf world – his adoption into Harry's family would restore his reputation.

House-elves would marry with the permission of their owner, who would rarely refuse. Children would not be property of the wizard however – they would be free to be purchased when of age, and the majority of the money went to an account in Gringotts which the goblins hold for the use of the house-elves. This money (which Harry thought to himself must be a huge amount), could be used by elves in serious need – for themselves or to help their masters. The remainder of the cost of the elf would go to the wizard. While the children were young, the mother's duties would be taken over by another elf that was currently in need of work.

No one knows where house-elves came from or when they started to serve wizards. The earliest written records, dating far before Merlin, do mention them occasionally. But who the first wizard was to have a house-elf, and why they chose to serve is a mystery that no one seems to ponder. It just always has been, as far as the elves are concerned.

Elves consider it unforgivable to betray a master. In the case of extreme betrayal, the elves themselves will band together to give punishment. Harry's eyebrows shot up at that. "Then what about Kretcher?" he asked bitterly. "I can't think of a bigger case of betrayal than what he did to Sirius."

"Pardon, Harry Potter Sir?" Dobby and Winky looked at each other questioningly.

Harry was dumbfounded. They hadn't known that Kretcher intentionally did not answer Harry in the floo and let him think Sirius was at the Department of Mysteries. His evasiveness and lying led Sirius to his death. But then, he realized how would they know? So Harry gave them the story, his hands clenched in anger on the table.

"You guys can see why I don't want to visit Grimmauld Place" Harry told them. "The memories are too bitter, and I'm afraid I'd kill Kretcher if I see him. He has no regrets. I suppose I should feel sorry for him somehow, as he is crazy, but I can't. It hurts too much."

"Here, here!" Sirius chimed in from the painting. "I always hated that little toad."

"Why doesn't his master give him clothes?" Winky asked hesitantly.

"Remus can't, Winky." Harry grumbled. "Grimmauld Place is the meeting place for The Order Of The Phoenix. He knows too much. If Remus lets him go he will find Bellatrix, whom he feels is a 'proper master', and we don't want him telling her stuff!"

The two house-elves closed their eyes a moment, distress showing on their honest faces. After a brief time they blinked and faced Harry. "Forgive us, Harry Potter sir. We elves knew that Kretcher was sick in the head, but we was not knowing he was a- a- pervert". They both blanched when Dobby whispered the last word. "We will take care of him for you." And with that, both elves popped out of the room before Harry's astonished eyes.

Harry barely had time to register that they were gone when the familiar 'pop' was heard and the two elves reappeared in the room. Dobby and Winky bowed low to Harry, and Dobby said "We have dealt with the pervert and he will never trouble Harry Potter or his friends again. Mr. Lupin will need another elf for Grimmauld Place".

He gaped at Dobby. "What did you do with him?" he asked, though he thought he might not want to know.

Dobby looked at him steadily. "We gave him house-elf justice, sir. We questioned him to be sure that he wasn't acting under a wizard curse. He wasn't – he betrayed your godfather of his own will." Winky looked positively nauseated at the mere thought. "His head is now hanging with his ancestors next to Mrs. Black."

Harry felt a little queasy, but didn't want to condemn them for following their own traditions. He felt more than a little relieved that he would never have to hear Kretcher's mutterings or see his skulking, murderous face again, or have to keep himself from doing the same.

"Um, thank you, guys. You saved us a lot of grief. I don't understand your world enough yet, but I respect it, and what you did had to be done."

The elves nodded solemnly. "Now, Harry Potter sir" Winky spoke up, "Mr. Lupin will need an elf to maintain that home. He will be wanting an elf who is very discreet and good, correct?"

Harry nodded in agreement and watched the elves as they closed their eyes again. He realized that they were communicating with their vast network of fellow house-elves, searching for an elf in need of employment that fit his needs.

They opened their eyes and looked at each other, silently communicating, with doubt in their eyes. Winky finally turned to Harry. "Master, there is a married couple who need work. Their masters and home were destroyed by You-Know-Who recently. But they are not free, and elves are very expensive. The home could use two elves, and I know them personally and can vouch for them. Nodding is my cousin, and I helped them while Blink, his wife, was with child."

He smiled with delight. "They sound perfect, Winky, Dobby. If you vouch for them, that's good enough for me. How much are they and how do I pay? This can be a secret Christmas gift for Moony."

Dobby grinned. "They are 60,000 galleons for both of them. I can transfer the money to Gringotts. They can pop right over for instructions!"

"What a deal!" broke in Sirius. "Thank you, guys, for dealing with that traitorous runt. I should have treated him better – I said myself you can see the measure of a man by how he treats his inferiors. I guess I failed that test. But Harry and Remus – they are good people. He will turn my old home into a happy place once again with your help."

The elves formally bowed to Sirius, closed their eyes, and two elderly elves popped into the room. Their outfits, which were at one point a house uniform of some sort, were dirty and in tatters. Their faces were more lined than Dobby's and Winky's, and they had an air of formal grace about them. With hopeful and polite eyes they faced Harry with short bows.

"Nodding, Blink?" Harry asked the two. "Would you like to work for a friend of mine? Did Dobby and Winky tell you about the job?"

"Yes sir" Nodding spoke up. "We understand you need an unloved home to be cleaned and kept. It is used for a secret organization for the light, and will have constant guests with needs. The mighty Professor Dumbledore is not to be trusted anymore. If anyone would ask where we came from, we will tell them we were replaced by the elves for the injustice of the pervert's actions, and are loyal to the house."

"Perfect!" Harry chirped excitedly. Two more oaths later, and Harry ended the day as master of two very contented house-elves, and Remus Lupin found himself the surprised owner of two delighted elves for himself.

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Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I've received a lot of questions with 'what about so and so'. Be patient – this story is 37 chapters long! I've only got one character I really haven't tied up, and when it gets closer to that time, I think I'll have a 'contest' to see who can come up with the best idea of how to handle that individual…