The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 2

Delilah didn't shout but her eyes widened visibly. The little creature had huge, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.

As Delilah stared at the creature she heard Dudley's voice from the hall.

"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

Harry looked like he was about to scream so Delilah hurried across the room and clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't you dare scream or the Dursleys will murder us both before you can say 'fishsticks and custard'."

Harry nodded and Delilah slowly moved her hand off his mouth.

Delilah sat back down on her bed. The creature slipped off Harry's bed and bowed so low that its long, thin nose touched the carpet.

"Er — hello," Harry nervously said.

"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice that would surely carry down the stairs. "So long as Dobby wanted to meet you, sir... Such an honor it is...."

"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage.

"Who are you?" Harry inquired.

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," answered Dobby.

Delilah frowned. Where had she heard of house-elves before?

"Sorry to interrupt, but right now isn't a great time for us to have a house-elf in our bedroom, if you could come back another day...." Delilah suggested.

Aunt Petunia's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.

"Not that we're not pleased to meet you, but is there any particular reason you're here?" Harry quickly added.

"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you... it is difficult... Dobby wonders where to begin...."

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

To their horror, the elf burst into tears — very noisy tears.

"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never... never ever..."

Delilah thought she heard the voices downstairs falter.

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

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

Delilah tried to say "Shh!" while still looking comforting at the same time.

Harry ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on mostly Harry with an expression of watery adoration. Great, someone else who would ignore her.

Delilah slunk deeper into the shadows by her bed while still listening to the conversation.

"You can't have met many decent wizards," Harry joked.

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

Delilah acted quickly. She moved and held the elf in a position where he couldn't injure himself. Her eyes widened. She remembered reading about house-elves! They were bound to a master and had to do what they and their family said and if they didn't then they had to punish themselves.