Chapter 303: Dobby is Free!
It was deep into the night. In the Gryffindor common room, most students had already returned to their dormitories. Only Dudley's group still sat together in a corner.
"Will Dobby come tonight?" Ron asked.
Last time, they had only kept Dobby from fleeing by trapping him here by force. With that prior scare, if Dobby was afraid, he might truly not come tonight.
"As long as he wants freedom, he will come," Dudley said. "I am going to make some preparations. In a bit, bring him to this classroom."
He gave Harry a classroom location and stepped out of the Gryffindor common room.
"What exactly is he planning to do?" Hermione watched Dudley's back as he left, completely at a loss.
If they wanted to free Dobby, the most effective method would be to force Lucius or Draco to hand him an article of clothing. Compared to Lucius, a fully grown wizard, Draco would obviously be much easier to handle, but judging from Dudley's current demeanor, he did not seem inclined to threaten Draco at all. Based on the master–servant binding magic, Hermione truly could not figure out what method Dudley intended to use to free Dobby.
Harry and Ron looked at each other, equally curious. They did not have Hermione's urge to chase every detail to the end. If they could not guess it, they would simply wait. They would know soon enough.
They continued waiting in the common room. Given previous experiences, they believed Dobby would unerringly find Harry's location.
Midnight slipped by. When the clock hand reached one, Ron had already fallen asleep on the sofa. Only Harry and Hermione were still forcing themselves to stay awake.
Pop.
With a soft crack, a small, thin figure appeared by the Gryffindor fireplace.
"Dobby!" Harry's drowsy eyes snapped wide open.
"Mr. Harry Potter, Dobby is very sorry. Dobby came late," Dobby said, guilt-ridden.
"It is all right, you are not late," Harry said quickly.
Hermione hurried to shake Ron awake.
"At night, Master gave Dobby many tasks. Only after finishing could Dobby come to Hogwarts," Dobby said, head bowed.
"That is pitiful," Hermione said sympathetically.
House-elves were exploited to the extreme. They had to complete endless work and endure their master's rage. If they did anything wrong, they had to punish themselves. The very idea made Hermione's skin crawl.
"Oh, is Mr. Dudley Dursley here?" Dobby looked around, but could not see Dudley.
"He went on ahead to get things ready. We'll take you to him now. After tonight, Dobby will be a free elf," Harry said.
"Oh, that is wonderful." Dobby trembled slightly with excitement. He had waited too long for this moment.
"Let us go."
Harry took out the Invisibility Cloak and swept it over them. They slipped out of the Gryffindor tower. The corridor was very quiet, with no one in sight. Ever since the basilisk affair had been resolved, the professors were no longer patrolling at night, so the group was unafraid of running into anyone and moved quickly.
Soon, they reached the door of the classroom Dudley had indicated. Harry pushed it open. Inside, everything was pitch black.
"Lumos," Hermione incanted. A soft light bloomed and filled the classroom.
"Huh? Where is Dudley?"
They peered inside, only to find it empty. Desks and chairs were strewn about in disarray. Dust coated the floor. On the other side of the classroom, a wooden door was set into the wall. It seemed there was another space beyond it.
"Is he not here?" Ron looked around and, not seeing Dudley, spoke up.
"Maybe he stepped out for something, or went to finish some preparation," Hermione guessed.
"Let us go in and wait," Harry said. He walked into the classroom and closed the main door.
After stowing the Invisibility Cloak, they glanced around and fell into a momentary silence.
"Does Mr. Dursley have other business?" Dobby asked, puzzled.
"We do not know, but he should be here soon. You do not have to wor—"
Harry's reassurance cut off as the sound of footsteps reached them. Instantly, they looked toward the classroom door, then realized the sound did not come from there, but from the wooden door embedded in the wall behind them.
Click.
The door swung open.
"Dudley, you—"
Harry's words halted abruptly. All of them stared in shock at the figure emerging from the wooden door.
"Well now, I truly have caught you," said a cold voice. "Dobby."
It was not Dudley who stepped through, but Lucius Malfoy.
"M-Master," Dobby stammered, eyes bulging with terror.
"These past few days, I noticed you working with your mind elsewhere. I did not expect you to betray me," Lucius said icily.
"Master, Dobby was wrong. Dobby will never dare again," Dobby cried, trembling.
He stared at Lucius, never imagining this would be a trap. The Mr. Harry Potter he admired had told everything to his master.
"Return to the manor, and clean all these things," Lucius snarled, tossing over a large heap of items.
Dobby caught them on reflex and prepared to Apparate back to Malfoy Manor. But then his gaze locked onto something in his hands. He stared at a small garment, disbelief written across his face.
"Master... gave Dobby a piece of clothing?"
He clutched the garment like a lifeline.
"Master gave Dobby a piece of clothing," he repeated, this time with no doubt. He was certain Lucius had given him a garment. The master–servant magic in his body was unraveling.
"Dobby is free now!"
Joy and shock mingled on Dobby's face. He had thought everything was finished, that his betrayal had been discovered, and that he would die miserably in the Malfoy household. He had never imagined Lucius would suddenly give him clothing. Was it deliberate, or a careless mistake?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were completely dumbfounded. They were still reeling from the shock of Lucius appearing here. They had not yet processed that Lucius had given Dobby clothing and that Dobby was already free.