Snakes And The Moon

Chapter 2

Harry had just managed to hold in a scream at what he saw on his bed.

There was a little creature on his bed and it had large, bat like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning. He also recognised it to be a house elf, similar to the ones in Hogwarts, but this one looked raggedy and dirty. 

It was wearing a filthy pillowcase for clothes and had cuts and bruises all over it's tiny body. 

As Harry stared at the elf in curiosity, he heard Dudley's voice outside in the hallway. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

Harry tried to tune him out. He wasn't important right now. Or ever.

The elf slipped off the bed and came up to him, bowing so low to the ground that it's pointy nose was pressed up against it.

"Um... Hello?" Harry said nervously. He had no clue what was going on and he felt uncomfortable being around the elf in his current state. He didn't want to scare it off if it suddenly caught sight of the blood all down his front.

It paid his clothes no attention, however, only greeting him enthusiastically.

"Harry Potter!" It's voice squeaked. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir. Such an honour it is."

"Th-thank you." Harry said awkwardly, wrapping his arms around his chest to cover himself up and decided to sink into his desk chair next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. "Who are you?" He asked confused.

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house elf." The little creature said.

"Well, nice to meet you." Harry said with a polite smile but then scratched the back of his his neck anxiously. "But listen, I don't want to be rude or anything, this just isn't a great time for me to have a house elf in my bedroom. So if you could just go, that'd be great." He heard aunt Petunia laugh from somewhere in the house and gulped. "What is it you wanted?"

The house elf jumped nervously. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir. It is difficult, sir. Dobby wonders where to begin." 

"Sit down." Harry said politely, pointing at the bed.

To his horror, the elf burst into very noisy tears, making him wince. 

"S-sit down!" Dobby wailed. "Never... Never ever..."  

Harry sighed frustratedly when he heard the voices downstairs stop. The only sound in the house right now seemed to be coming from Dobby. 

"I'm sorry, please stop crying." Harry whispered. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Offend Dobby!" Choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard, like an equal!"

"Shh! Quiet down!" Harry tried to get him to calm down after he ran back onto the bed hiccoughing in tears. Harry attempted to sound comforting. "Please be quiet, Dobby."

 At last he managed to control the elf, who sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration. 

"You can't have met many decent wizards." Harry said, trying to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!" He shouted miserably. 

"Don't! What are you doing?" Harry hissed, jumping up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed. Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was flapping her wings wildly against the bars of her cage. 

Harry was getting such a migraine by now. Couldn't he just go away?

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir." The elf said, making Harry's jaw drop. He had gone slightly cross eyed and was wobbling on his little legs, Harry having to hold him upright. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir."

"Your family?" He narrowed his eyes.

"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir. Dobby is a house elf, bound to serve one house and one family forever."

"Do they know you're here?" Harry asked curiously.

Dobby shuddered.

"Oh, no, sir, no. Dobby will have to punish himself terribly for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir-"

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" Harry raised an eyebrow. 

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They let's Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments..." He said sadly.