0198 Dobby-The Free Elf

Lucius fled from McGonagall's office. He didn't pause to look back, didn't slow his hurried pace, and he didn't even spare a thought for Dobby, who had been behind him. Dobby stood motionless in the doorway, his large eyes wide with confusion as he watched his master's panicked leave. Dobby's bat-like ears drooped with uncertainty, and his small hands clutched nervously at his rough clothese. For a creature whose entire existence had been defined by following orders and anticipating his master's needs, this sudden abandonment left him completely at a loss. It wasn't until Lucius had completely disappeared from the doorway, that Dobby finally came to his senses. And the first thing he did was turn toward Adrian and bow so deeply that his nose nearly touched the floor. "Mr. Westeros!" Dobby's voice carried a trembling tone with unshed tears that made his words come out in a rushed whisper. "Dobby... Dobby doesn't know how to thank you! You saved Harry Potter! You kept your promise to Dobby... you didn't lie to Dobby like so many wizards do..." Adrian observed the emotional house-elf and didn't reply immediately, instead let Dobby have a moment to process his gratitude. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm with just a knowing smile. "That diary, Dobby—it's still with Lucius," Adrian reminded him quietly. "You should follow your current master now." Understanding flashed in Dobby's eyes. He nodded vigorously, his ears flapping with the motion, and immediately scurried out of the office. Professor Sprout, who had been observing this conversation with concern, shook her head sadly. "Poor little thing," She said, her voice heavy with sympathy as she looked after the leaving house-elf. "Malfoy will surely torture it when he realizes what's happened—just look at those wounds on its body, they're all fresh. That family has no concept of mercy." Adrian's smile widened slightly. "No need to worry about that much longer, Professor Sprout. I have a feeling Dobby's situation is about to change." After the interruptions from both Fudge and Lucius, the originally brief staff meeting had stretched far longer than anyone had anticipated. By the time the last urgent matters were discussed and the final concerns addressed, the sun had long since disappeared behind the Forbidden Forest. When Adrian finally left Professor McGonagall's office, the clock in the corridor was chiming eight o'clock in the evening. Adrian made his way through the corridors toward his office. Pushing open his office door, he stepped into the darkness. With a flick of his wand, he murmured a soft incantation, and the wall candleholders lit up one by one. Suddenly, he sensed something, stopped what he was doing, and called out, "Dobby?" A small, trembling figure slowly emerged from behind his desk, moving with the hesitant steps. It was indeed Dobby, but the house-elf looked different from when Adrian had last seen him. It was shaking violently, his entire body vibrating with a mixture of excitement, fear, and overwhelming emotion. In his hands, he clutched the fake diary that Adrian had given to Malfoy. Most notably, Dobby now wore a pair of large green gloves on his left hand. Yes, these were the very gloves that Adrian had placed inside the diary beforehand, knowing that Lucius's predictable rage would lead him to throw it at his house-elf. He had gone to great lengths to prepare the replica diary precisely to rescue Dobby from the Malfoy family. This operation had followed almost exactly the same method as the original story he remembered, but with his own careful improvements and safeguards. And now, looking at the trembling, overwhelmed creature in front of him, Adrian could see that Dobby had successfully gained his freedom. "It seems you're now a free house-elf, Dobby," Adrian said, his lips curving upward in satisfaction and warmth. "Congratulations." Hearing Adrian's words, Dobby began trembling with such intense excitement that he could barely remain standing. Large tears began rolling down his cheeks. "Mr. Westeros!" Dobby's voice cracked with emotion. "Dobby... Master... no... no, not master anymore... when Malfoy threw the diary at Dobby in his anger, these beautiful gloves fell out, and Dobby caught them! Dobby caught them with his own hands!" Looking at this rambling, emotional little creature who was struggling to process of his freedom, Adrian spoke with gentle kindness. "Calm down, Dobby. Take a deep breath. Now you don't need to worry about the Malfoys anymore." "Dobby hates them," Dobby suddenly muttered in a whisper. "So do I," Adrian replied simply. With another casual wave of his wand, he conjured a porcelain cup filled with steaming hot tea. The cup floated gently through the air before settling into Dobby's trembling hands. Dobby accepted the teacup as if it were made of the most precious crystal, his large eyes growing even wider with wonder. He wiped his tears with the back of his free hand, careful not to disturb the gloves that marked his freedom. "Mr. Westeros, Dobby is so happy..." He whispered with emotion. "This is the first time in so many years—perhaps ever—that someone has made tea specifically for Dobby." Watching Dobby's expression of pure joy as he held the simple teacup as if it contained liquid gold, Adrian felt a deep satisfaction in the success of his plan. After allowing the house-elf a moment to savor this moment, he asked. "Dobby, now that you're free, what are your plans?" Dobby's eyes blinked rapidly, clearly indicating that this was a question he had never seriously considered before. "Dobby wants to find a job!" He suddenly exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement as the idea took shape in his mind. "Yes, a job! A real job! With wages! With scheduled rest time! Dobby needs work that Dobby chooses for himself!" Adrian couldn't help but be amused by this response. "Good idea, Dobby." He thought silently that this might well be the first time he'd encountered someone so genuinely passionate about work. "Do you think Hogwarts could provide Dobby with such a job?" Dobby asked, looking at Adrian with hopeful expectancy. "Dobby doesn't need a large salary—honestly, Dobby would be happy with almost nothing. Dobby doesn't even need much rest time." Adrian thought to himself. Adrian immediately had an idea—he had to recruit Dobby for his plantation. An employee who would be low-cost, incredibly efficient, absolutely loyal, and even magically powerful enough to serve as backup protection when needed. It was almost too perfect to be true. "I don't think Hogwarts would be the right fit for you, Dobby," Adrian said thoughtfully, shaking his head with apparent regret. "There have never been salaried house-elves working at Hogwarts. The other house-elves here might not understand your situation, and you could find yourself ostracized or pressured to return to traditional slavery." "Then..." Dobby began pacing back and forth across the office. His expression was hopeful but determined as he spoke. "Then Dobby will search elsewhere! Somewhere in the wizarding world must need Dobby's services! Dobby is a hard worker!" "Maybe you don't need to search so far, Dobby," Adrian said, looking at Dobby with a smile. "No need to look elsewhere at all, actually. Would you be willing to work for me?" Dobby stopped pacing so abruptly that he nearly tripped over his own feet, and the teacup clattered to the ground. "Of course!" He nodded vigorously, saying with tear filled excitement, "Mr. Westeros is willing to hire Dobby! Actually willing to employ Dobby as a free elf! Mr. Westeros is the kindest, most generous wizard Dobby has ever met, and he also stopped the Dark Lord's evil plan! Dobby has hoped and dreamed of working for someone like him!" "Then it's settled," Adrian said with quiet satisfaction, his smile widening as he witnessed Dobby's overwhelming joy. With a smooth gesture, he magically produced a scroll of parchment from his desk drawer, presenting it to the eager house-elf. "This is your employment contract." Dobby didn't pause to wonder why Adrian happened to have such a contract prepared and ready. He simply glanced at the contract briefly, and then pressed his small handprint firmly onto the parchment. "Excellent," Adrian said, collecting the contract with obvious satisfaction and carefully rolling it up for safekeeping. "You can begin your work this summer. I have a large magical plantation that requires constant management and care." "What about right now?" Dobby asked, his voice suddenly uncertain. "Where should Dobby go? What should Dobby do?" "You're free now, Dobby," Adrian said gently. "You don't need to obey anyone's orders anymore—not mine, not anyone's. You can make your own decisions about where to go and what to do. That's what freedom means." Dobby blinked slowly, his expression gradually shifting from excitement to something approaching bewilderment. The magnitude of his freedom was beginning to truly sink in, and with it came an unexpected sense of displacement. Freedom... For all his desperate longing for this moment, he had never truly realized that freedom could make him feel so utterly lost and directionless. Now, faced with the infinite possibilities of choice, he felt paralyzed by the very freedom he had so desperately craved. Freedom, he was discovering, was far more complicated and challenging than he had ever imagined. Time passed slowly. In fact, there were only a few days remaining in the current term. The crisis that had terrorize the school for months was finally resolved, and with that resolution came a sense of relief that seemed to flood every corner of the castle. Students who had spent weeks looking over their shoulders in fear could now focus their attention on the more ordinary but equally scary final examinations. Suddenly, everyone at Hogwarts became busy with the familiar frenzy of end-of-term preparations. Fudge hadn't lied about one thing—Hagrid returned to Hogwarts exactly two days after he left. Adrian was in the middle of conducting a Care of Magical Creatures class, carefully demonstrating the proper handling techniques for Bowtruckles to a group of students. "Remember," Adrian was saying to his students, "Bowtruckles are extremely peaceful creatures, but they can become aggressive if they feel their tree homes are threatened. Always approach them with respect and—" Suddenly, without any warning at all, Hagrid appeared from somewhere behind the edge of the Forbidden Forest, his massive body moved with surprising speed across the grounds. Before Adrian could react or even fully register what was happening, he found himself engulfed in what could only be described as a bear hug of epic proportions. The Bowtruckles, startled by this sudden human tornado, immediately took flight, and began chattering indignantly as they sought shelter in the nearby trees. "Thank you so much, Adrian!" Hagrid's voice boomed with emotion, his words slightly muffled by the fact that he was crushing Adrian against his massive chest. "Your protective charm was more useful than you could possibly know! You don't understand how desperate and terrified I was when those Dementors first approached me!" Adrian struggled to free himself from Hagrid's enthusiastic but potentially bone-crushing embrace, finally managing to get out himself with some effort. He rubbed his shoulder, trying to restore proper circulation to his temporarily compressed limbs. "Ahem," He said, slightly breathless, "you're quite welcome, Hagrid. I'm glad to see you back safely." "Azkaban is an absolutely terrible place," Hagrid continued, his voice taking on a spooky tone as memories of his imprisonment appeared in his mind. "Those Dementors were practically pressed against my cell, sucking away every happy thought I'd ever had. But when I held your protective charm in my hand they looked at me as if I were something foul and backed away immediately!" Hagrid's beetle-black eyes shone with gratitude and amazement. "By the way, I heard that the school situation has been completely resolved?" "The actual perpetrator has been caught," Adrian confirmed, choosing his words carefully since they were surrounded by curious students who were listening intently to every word. "So, you don't need to worry about any lingering threats, Hagrid. You can ask Professor McGonagall for the complete details when you have a chance." As Adrian spoke, his eye caught sight of a potential disaster in progress. He turned sharply toward one of his students and called out urgently. "Hey, Mr. Cox! Don't try to feed that Bowtruckle a piece of steak—" The student in question—a rather enthusiastic Hufflepuff—immediately dropped the offered meat and stepped back with an embarrassed expression. Seeing that Adrian was clearly busy managing his class and ensuring student safety, Hagrid waved goodbye with a warm smile before heading off toward the castle, probably to seek out McGonagall for a full debriefing on the recent events. Adrian turned his attention back to his Care of Magical Creatures class, patiently coaxing the fled Bowtruckles back onto his arms while explaining proper feeding techniques to his students. The lesson continued smoothly, but in the back of his mind, Adrian was already calculating his remaining responsibilities for the day. He still had two Defense Against the Dark Arts classes scheduled for later in the afternoon. Adrian couldn't help but shake his head slightly in weary resignation. His free time had become almost completely occupied, consumed by the dual demands of his regular teaching position and his temporary role as Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. He genuinely hoped that Dumbledore would manage to find and hire a suitable, permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who would finish a complete year for the next year. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis