THC/The Houses Competition

House: Gryffindor

Class:Potions

Category: Drabble

Word Count: 618

Prompt/Prompts:[Event] Funeral

Summery: Harry holds a small funeral for Dobby at Shell Cottage.

Title: Here Lies a Free Elf

It was calm. The gentle breeze brushed up against the waves, sending the sweet smell of the ocean over the hilltops to Shell Cottage. Harry closed his eyes, taking in the bracing, crisp, salty air before opening his eyes and looking at the words that screamed so loud in his head.

HERE LIES DOBBY

A FREE ELF.

Harry ran his hand over the engraving only to pull away as if the mere touch burned his skin like acid. Freedom: to some it was a right while to others it was a privilege. Some people consider it to be a prize but to Dobby, it was a price. Dobby used his freedom in order to save them and that would be something Harry could never repay, no matter how hard he tried.

Harry looked up, meeting the eyes of Hermione, Ron, Bill, Fleur and Luna who all just finished to help bury Dobby in a grave that would now be his home forever. Harry chose one of the many hills that overlooked the ocean thinking that Dobby would have enjoyed the view if he were still here.

Harry let out a long sigh as he tried to hold back the many tears that threatened to spill over. He stood up, brushing the sand off his jeans as he looked at the five friends with him.

"Dobby was my friend," Harry spoke calmly. He had no clue what he was doing, he had never done a eulogy before but Dobby deserved something. "I met him before my second year of Hogwarts. He told me that my life was in danger and not to go back to Hogwarts. Of course, he was right and my life was in danger but it was mostly from him trying to protect me." Harry couldn't help but chuckle a little as the memory of him and Dobby standing in the hospital Wing after the bludger fiasco came back to him. He could still see himself grabbing Dobby by his rags and threatening to strangle him. That's when he learned of the treatment that house elfs went through; what Dobby was going through.

In many ways, Harry saw himself in Dobby, forced into a family that didn't love him and forced to do their chores. Cook breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days out of the week. Forced to clean and if there was a speck of dust on anything, he was punished. Not to mention having to wear rags. For Dobby, it was an old pillowcase; for Harry, it was his cousin's hand-me-downs. If anyone could relate to Dobby, it was Harry. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he set Dobby free. He always dreamed of the day when someone would set him free from the Dursleys. If he could make that dream come true for someone else, then he had to try.

"I made him promise to never try to save my life again…I thanked him for not keeping his promise. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be standing here right now. If anyone deserved to be a free elf, it would have been Dobby. He used his freedom to save us…he gave his life to save us," Harry said as he lowered his head and placed his hand on top of the headstone, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

Harry shifted a little as he stepped on the heel of his shoe and slid it off of his foot, bending down and taking off his sock before slipping his foot back into his shoe. "Dobby will always be remembered for his bravery that he showed today," he said as he straightened out his sock and placed it on top of the headstone.