A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

7: Dobby

Reposted: July 7, 2021

——————————

Last edited: December 27, 2022

I am back from my hiatus

Coming back to number four, Privet Drive was not something Harry had been looking forward to. His relatives had clearly enjoyed not having to worry about housing a wizard under their roof and were now walking on eggshells around him.

Hedwig was not allowed to fly around, which meant she was stuck inside her cage, wings aching to be used.

"I want more bacon," Dudley whined, bringing Harry out of his gloomy thoughts.

"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. "We must build you up while we've got the chance... I don't like the sound of that school food..."

"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"

Harry refrained from rolling his eyes, but only just.

"Pass the frying pan," Dudley ordered Harry.

"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.

Dudley fell off the chair and landed with a thud. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon both stared at Harry with horror.

"I meant 'please,'" Harry snapped. "You know, the word that normal people use to be polite?"

His relatives looked at him stupidly, making Harry roll his eyes. "So I'm not the only abnormal one here, got it."

Aunt Petunia recovered first. "Now, Dudleykins, say please." No, anything that even suggested she was abnormal did not suit well with her.

Dudley looked at Harry and said, "Please pass the frying pan." Harry thought that he looked constipated trying to be polite but handed it over anyway.

Uncle Vernon cleared his throat and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day. This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career."

It was also Harry's birthday, not that anyone here cared. Harry couldn't stop the bitterness from rising at the thought of going another day without any acknowledgement.

"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon.

Harry inwardly groaned (he had been doing that a lot lately) and listened to the Dursleys go over their roles for the Masons, giving his own line of "I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there" when prompted.

It was only too bad he couldn't practice magic outside of Hogwarts. That would scare his relatives, scare them real good. Of course, just the mere thought of magic was enough to set them into a panic; what happened just that dinner was a prime example.

When he was sent to his room, Harry went and had to stop himself from shouting in alarm at the sight of the creature with large eyes and bat-like ears. "Who are you?" he demanded, remembering just in time to keep his voice down.

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.

"Whose house-elf?"

"Dobby serves the Malfoy family, Harry Potter."

Harry perked up at that. He hadn't exchanged many letters with Draco and Pansy, having nothing interesting to talk about, but Pansy occasionally sent him some sweets for him to indulge on.