"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked as Dobby handed around the tea. "Only a week, Harry Potter, sir!" said Dobby happily. "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- At this, Winky howled even harder, her squashed-tomato of a nose dribbling all down her front, though she made no effort to stem the flow.
"Dobby has travelled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work!" Dobby squeaked. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"
Demelza winced at these words. That's gonna go down well with the others, I thought.
Sure enough, the house-elves all around the kitchen, who had been listening and watching with interest, all looked away at these words, as though Dobby had said something rude and embarrassing. Hermione, however, said, "Good for you, Dobby!"
I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. Surely Hermione was just digging Dobby into a deeper and deeper hole here?
"Thank you, miss!" said Dobby, grinning toothily 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 Hogwarts house-elves had now started edging away from Dobby, as though he were carrying something contagious. Winky, however, remained where she was, though there was a definite increase in the volume of her crying.
"And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed too, sir!" said Dobby delightedly.
At this, Winky flung herself forward off her stool and lay facedown on the flagged stone floor, beating her tiny fists upon it and positively screaming with misery.
"Umm, Dobby?" I said slowly "has it occurred to you that Winky might not exactly have been happy about being freed?" I found it strange how he wasn't reacting to Winky's tantrum.
Hermione hastily dropped down to her knees beside her and tried to comfort her, but nothing she said made the slightest difference. Dobby continued with his story, shouting shrilly over Winky's screeches.
"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. And Dobby thinks, and it comes to him, sir! Hogwarts! So Dobby and Winky came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir, and Professor Dumbledore took us on!" Dobby beamed very brightly, and happy tears welled in his eyes again. "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, over Winky's continued screaming and fist-beating.
"It's better than nothing Hermione, surely you didn't expect house elves to get human wages from the very beginning, you should see it as a start, a step in the right direction!" said Demelza
"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off," said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches were frightening, "but Dobby beat him down, miss. . . . Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better."
"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked kindly
"Oh god no" I said, burying my face in my hands.
"Bad idea mate" added Demelza
Both of us could tell that Winky would not react in the same way as Dobby to questions about being paid.
Winky did stop crying, but when she sat up she was glaring at Hermione through her massive brown eyes, her whole face sopping wet and suddenly furious.
"Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid!" she squeaked. "Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!"
"Ashamed?" said Hermione blankly. "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 —"
"Hermione, it's not going to work!" I said loudly, very exasperated now
"Oh Ginny just shut up for once, I get enough of this shit from these two!" Hermione replied
"OI!" yelled Ron, but Harry intervened.
"All 3 of you, stop it, right now, we don't need to fight in here!" he said
Dobby gave Harry a grateful look
"Thank you, Harry Potter sir, house elves often have to witness wizards fight, and it is always distressing" he said
Winky clapped her hands over the holes in her hat, flattening her ears so that she couldn't hear a word, and screeched, "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," squeaked Dobby confidentially. "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.
"Oh no, sir, no," said Dobby, looking suddenly serious. " '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 speaks ill of them — though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to — to —" Dobby looked suddenly nervous and beckoned Harry closer. Harry bent forward. Dobby whispered, "He said we is free to call him a — a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!"
Dobby gave a frightened sort of giggle. "But Dobby is not wanting to, Harry Potter," he said, talking normally again, and shaking his head so that his ears flapped. "Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore 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 him, grinning
This triggered a distant memory from 2 years previously, about Avery knowing the Chamber of Secrets plan. I had never found out how she knew that ahead of time. I decided to see if Dobby knew anything about that.
"Dobby — Dobby could," he said doubtfully
"Dobby, I have a question" I said "have you ever encountered someone called Lillian Avery?"
Dobby seemed reluctant, but eventually said "Dobby has miss, Miss Avery was there when old Master Senior Malfoy was discussing that-terrible plot-"
"She was, but not Draco?" I exchanged a surprised glance with the others.
Dobby nodded "Dobby wishes to speak no more of it Miss, and Dobby apologises but Dobby is unaware of Miss's name?"
"Ginny Weasley" I said "Harry and I are dating, in fact"
"Is this true, Harry Potter sir?" Dobby asked. Harry nodded.
"Dobby is delighted! He is grateful that the brave, noble Harry Potter is able to find love!"
"Thank you Dobby, but more about the Malfoys please?" Harry pressed
"Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were — were — bad Dark wizards!" Dobby stood for a moment, quivering all over, horror-struck by his own daring — then he rushed over to the nearest table and began banging his head on it very hard, squealing, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
Harry seized Dobby by the back of his tie and pulled him away from the table.
"Thank you, Harry Potter, thank you," said Dobby breathlessly, rubbing his head.
"You just need a bit of practice," Harry said