HIS CHOSEN GIRL
chapter sixty-the free elf
[Your P.O.V]
☟ ☟ ☟
"You two realize, of course, that in the past few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules," Dumbledore scolds.
Never in my life have I been so scared to face the professor. Dumbledore is surely the most powerful wizard I know and seeing him not in his usual, happy state is making me feel weird.
"Yes, sir," Ron and Harry reply quietly.
Literally seconds after Madam Pomfrey announced that I was okay, free to go, Dumbledore called the three of us onto his office to talk.
"And there is sufficient evidence to have you both expelled," Dunbledore continues to which my heart sinks for my boys.
"Yes, sir," they reply again.
Dumbledore turns to me and I squirm under his gaze. "As for you, Miss (l/n), you know, I'm sure, that should've come to me as soon as you found out that you were the heir of Slytherin," he rebukes. "You could've been facing things much more dreadful than an expulsion."
"But-" he raises an eyebrow at me so I lower my head and sigh. "Yes, sir."
"Therefore, it is only fitting... that you should all receive..." I tell myself not to cry as I wait for him to say the words that'll send us packing our bags. "Special awards for services to the school."
What?
I look at him in disbelief before turning to Ron and Harry who do the exact same. Did I hear that correctly? We're not expelled, let alone, we're actually getting rewarded?
Ron turns to Dumbledore and nods gratefully. "Thank you, sir."
I frown, feeling a pang of guilt, I most definitely should not deserve an award. After all, I was the one who was in charge of petrifying all of those people, if it weren't for me though not entirely my fault, no special awards would need to be given.
"Professor, I don't think I can accept that."
Dumbledore tilts his head. "And why not?" He asks.
"Please don't make me say it," I sigh, the tears threatening to spill even more under the professor's comforting gaze. "I'm responsible for the petrifications in the firs-"
"Miss (l/n). What has taken place this year is through no fault of your own. Your mind was being controlled, what else was there for you to do? More so, you did save people's lives, even if you did so without your knowledge. Tom Riddle would have made sure that his victims were dead rather petrified," he says. I smile gratefully and he winks. "And now if I may offer some advice, in the future, I suggest not saying anything when someone freely offers you an award."
I giggle. "Yes, sir."
He smiles in return before turning to Ron. "And now, Mr. Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers from Azkaban. I believe we... we want our gamekeeper back."
I breath a sigh of relief knowing that Hagrid will no longer be held accountable for a crime Tom and I, I guess, committed. I follow the red headed boy out, allowing Dumbledore and Harry to have a moment to speak privately.
I wait outside of Dumbledore's office for a matter of minutes before I see someone approaching down the end of the hallway. I squint my eyes, trying to see where I've seen that person before-oh no.
I turn on my heels, racing up to Dumbledore's office and barge inside. Harry and Dumbledore both turn to me quizzically and I take in the scene before me.
"So sorry to interrupt..." I pause when I see the bloodied up sword in Harry's hand. "Should I come back?"
Dumbledore chuckles. "No need. I think we're done here."
Harry nods, signifying me to go on. "Well, I ran in to warn you that one of my least favorite people is going to burst through that door at any moment no-"
I'm interrupted by he himself, Lucius Malfoy pushing open the door dramatically and allowing it to slam behind him. Dumbledore doesn't even flinch. Lucius scans the room, and flashes me the upmost look of disgust when he sees me to which I stick my tongue out at him and pretend to cast curses on him when he walks past me.
"Dobby?" Harry asks the familiar house elf who trails aside the Malfoy man. "So this is your master. The family you deal with is the Malfoys."
My heart breaks when I see poor Dobby, eyes filled with fear, flinching every time Lucius moves a muscle. It reminds me all too well of how I used to look when I lived with my parents all those years ago. I feel absolutely awful that Dobby serves the Malfoys. Speaking of, Dobby glances up at Lucius, terrified and I begin to think that Harry probably should've kept to himself that he knew Dobby. I don't want to know what kind of punishment he just inflicted upon the helpless house elf.
Lucius glares at Dobby, eyes wide before he sneers, "I'll deal with you later." Dobby visibly gulps as Lucius then turns and shoves Harry roughly out of his way. "Out of my way, Potter," he hissed as he approaches the headmaster's desk. "So it's true-"
Tuning out Draco's enraged father, I kneel down and call out to the little house elf.
"Pssst. Dobby."
Dobby turns to look at me, glances nervously at Lucius, before slowly approaching me once he realizes Lucius is distracted.
"Miss (l/n). Pleasure to see you again," Dobby bows.
"Dobby, I had no idea you were a house elf for the Malfoys," I reply rubbing some dirt off of his wrinkly face.
Dobby flinches at the mention of the family's name, but shrugs. "Dobby has it better than most house elves I'm afraid."
I sigh, watching him sadly as I pats his head. "Is there anything at all I can do to help you be free?"
Dobby's eyes involuntarily light up at the word 'free', but they quickly return to their fear-filled state. "Alas, there is nothing one can do besides wait until the faithful day in which Master presents Dobby with clothing, granted that day ever comes."
I nod understandingly at the optimistic house elf and I hope, I really do that one day he'll be allowed to live freely.
Dobby looks over at Lucius once more. "Dobby should get back before master Lucius realizes he has disappeared."
"Ok, and I'm sorry for breaking my promise, I truly did everything in my power to keep Harry safe this year," I tell him honestly.
Dobby smiles and nods at me. "Dobby is sorry that in doing so, you forgot to protect yourself."
Now I smile. "Please promise me that you too will try to protect yourself, to the best of your abilities, at least."
With that, Dobby walks back over to the men in the room, sneakily walking past Lucius and standing beside Harry. I follow him, curious now to see why exactly Lucius came to Hogwarts in the first place. It's really quite a sight to see, Lucius practically fuming, while Dumbledore just sits calmly at his desk.
"Curiously Lucius, several of them were under the impression that you would curse their families if they did not agree to suspend me in the first place," Dumbledore says.
My eyes widen at the accusation and I tug on Harry's sleeve. "Curse whose families?"
"The governors who suspended Dumbledore," Harry explains. "Lucius was wondering why Dumbledore was back in the first place."
"How dare you?" The loud voice of Lucius pretending to be stunned at the obviously factual accusation brings my attention back to the two men.
At this, Dumbledore leans forward over his desk, staring right into the soul of Lucius Malfoy.
"Beg your pardon?"
Lucius gets very intimidated by this as he turns into a blubbering idiot on the spot. "My sole concern has always been and will always be, this school... and of course," he sends the nastiest glare towards Harry and I. "It's students."
I notice Harry tightening his grip on the sword in his hands and I cautiously take it from him.
"It's for your own good," I whisper.
Lucius than glances at me before smirking at Dumbledore. "The culprit has been identified I presume?" He asks with malicious intent.
I didn't realize how tightly I had been clutching into that sword before Harry takes it away, passing it to Dumbledore before whispering in my ear, "It's for your own good."
Dumbledore nods. "Of course."
"And?" Lucius asks with a growing smile his eyes flickering between Dumbledore and I making it all too obvious that he knows exactly who the culprit is. "Who was it?"
Dumbledore turns his head to Harry and I to which I gesture at Lucius and roll my eyes hoping that he'll understand my gesture giving him permission to expose me. Maybe then he'll have gotten what he wanted and it'll be just enough to get that stupid man out of this office one and for all.
Dumbledore turns back to Lucius and smiles.
"Voldemort."
If I was drinking any water, I would've spit it right out in shock.
It's clear to see Lucius clench his jaw at the professor's unpredicted answer. "Ah," he says in fake revelation.
"Only this time he chose to act through somebody else," Dumbledore continues, reaching into his desk drawer. "By means, of this."
He holds up the diary, now terribly destroyed and Lucius gets tenser. "I see."
From down below, Dobby pulls on Harry and my robe sleeves and jerks his head towards Lucius, his eyes darting between Lucius and the diary.
Am I surprised to confirm that Lucius Malfoy is a supporter of the dark lord? Not in the slightest, but just when I thought that I couldn't hate this man any more, to find out that he had a part in this all, makes me want to physically throw him out of this castle.
"Fortunately, our young Mr. Potter discovered it... with the help of Miss (l/n). One hopes that no more of Voldemort's old school things fall into an innocent's hands. The consequences for the one responsible would be... severe," Dumbledore speaks casually, but it's easy to hear the warning in between the lines that he speaks.
Lucius looks defeated, and pissed. He turns to Harry and I and scoffs slightly. "Well. How we'd hope then that James and Lily will always be around to save the day," he says bitterly, nodding in our direction.
I question for a sheer second why I know those names before remembering almost immediately. Those are the names of Harry's parents. I'm slightly taken aback. Not due to embarrassment, as I usually would when anyone draws attention to Harry and my complicated relationship, but out of honor. Even coming from Lucius Malfoy, to be compared to the legends that are James and Lily Potter is quite the accomplishment. I hope Harry feels the same way.
"Don't worry," I tell Lucius when Harry remains silent.
"We will be," he finishes. Flashing me a smile when I turn to look at him.
Lucius, deciding that he's done with this little rendezvous, turns to Dumbledore one last time.
"Dumbledore," he nods at the man, bidding him farewell. "Come, Dobby, we're leaving."
Dobby begins towards the door cautiously and Lucius roughly shoved him down the stairs, causing poor Dobby to whimper in pain.
"Hey!" I yell after the man who merely makes a point of smacking Dobby in the back of the head with his cane to get a ride out of me.
Harry points to the diary on the Dumbledore's desk. "Sir... I wonder if I could have that..."
Dumbledore motions for him to take it and Harry begins running for he exit. I watch after him curiously before turning back to Dumbledore.
"Do you know what he's on about?"
Dumbledore nods. "But of course."
I shake my head. "What else would I expect?"
Then I'm off, chasing after the boy who lived.
"Farewell... Lily," I hear Dumbledore's voice call out from behind me.
I roll my eyes but grin nonetheless as I run down the steps in attempt to catch Harry, appearing at his side at the last step.
"What're you gonna do?"
"I've got a plan," he tells me his face full of mischief. "You'll see."
He pulls me down the hallway, after Lucius Malfoy.
"Mr. Malfoy," he calls out. "Mr. Malfoy!"
Lucius turns around annoyance in his eyes that quickly fades to confusion when Harry thrusts the diary at him.
"I have something of yours," Harry says.
"Mine?" Lucius hisses. "I don't know what your talking about," he hisses.
Harry shakes his head. "Oh, I think you do, sir. I think you slipped the diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron that day at Diagon Alley."
Mr. Malfoy straightens his spine, looking down on Harry and I. "You do, do you?" He asks.
I stare at Harry as if he were the most genius man on the planet. Of course, it makes perfect sense. I wasn't in Flourish and Blott's for the whole exchange between the my friends and the Malfoy's, I ran to Ollivander's. What a great catch for him to notice something like that, even had I been there, it surely would've slipped past me. I would've been too busy trying to kill him with my eyes.
Lucius smirks before shoving the book at Dobby and walks threateningly closer to Harry and I. "Why don't you prove it?"
Neither of us respond to the man which only makes his smirk grow. He turns around and continues down the hall. "Come, Dobby."
"Open it," Harry whispers after Dobby.
I watch, curiously as Dobby opens the book and my heart melts as his eyes fill up with such glee as he peels a sock off of one of the pages.
I turn to Harry in disbelief. "You didn't."
"Dobby." Lucious Malfoy demands.
"Master has given Dobby a sock!" Dobby exclaims.
"What? I didn't gi-" his face falls as he sees the black sock that Dobby clutches in his hands.
"Master has presented Dobby with clothes. Dobby is free!" Dobby exclaims happily.
Malfoy stares daggers at Harry who lifts his trouser leg revealing that he has no sock on his right foot.
"You lost me my servant!" He screams.
He pulls his wand out of his cane and points it at Harry.
Before either of us get the chance to react, Dobby jumps in front of us. "You shall not hurt Harry Potter!"
Ignoring him, Lucius begins reciting a spell but Dobby is quick on his feet. He extends his hands forcefully sending Malfoy flying backwards.
I don't even try to hide the smile on my face.
Lucius pushes himself up and glares at Harry once more. "Your parents were meddlesome fools too. Mark my words, Potter. One day, soon.... you are going to meet the same sticky end."
"Careful Lucius," I yell back to him. "Threats like that is all the proof we need to send you straight to Azkaban."
This being the final straw, he storms out of the school, hopefully never to return.
Dobby jumps up and down. "Harry Potter freed Dobby! How can he ever repay him?"
"Just promise me something," Harry replies.
"Anything, sir."
Harry's lips form into a smile. "Never try to save my life again."
Dobby laughs awkwardly and looks over to me. I shake my head quickly, lowering down to give him a hug. "Not for me, you pop in whenever you want, Dobby."
He smiles at the two of us and Harry motions for him to go. "Go on now. Be free."
Dobby bids us one final farewell before he aparates away and I move to face Harry watching him proudly.
"What?" He grins.
"You really are a hero, you know that?"
"Don't flatter me," he retorts, rolling his eyes.
I laugh. "But seriously. Harry, your parents would be extremely proud of you. I'm proud of you."
He grows serious, nodding at the sincere words before breaking out into another grin. "Come here."
I wrap my arms around his neck and I smile against his chest. I pull away first as I begin walking backwards down the halls.
"Let's go find Ron, yeah?"
"Race you!" Harry yells sprinting down the long corridor.
I gasp after him. "No fair! You got a head start."
Lily and James... Maybe I do see it.
✵