Reborn As A Squib In Harry potter

What was unusual though was that Inky did not appear in a dignified manner, but in a rough tumble, his arms wrapped around another, equally small, figure. They tussled on the ground for a bit, squeaking at each other in a language I didn't recognize, before Inky managed to get the upper hand in the fight.

Inky may have been older and frailer than Dobby, but he was still able to overpower the other House Elf and pin him down onto the floor, letting us get a good look at him.

Dobby (for who else could it be?) was 3-feet tall and his big, watery green eyes were staring up at me and Harry in shock, which was returned in full as Harry stared back at him.

"Um, hello?" Harry said softly. "Who are you?"

"Dobby is Dobby, Mr. Harry Potter sir," Dobby said quietly as he looked up at Harry.

"Do you have to call me that?" Harry asked with a wince.

"Of course Dobby does! You are Harry Potter! You defeated the Dark Lord!" Dobby said excitedly.

"What?" Harry uttered, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'd like to know that as well," I said.

"Dark Lord was a bad man! A very bad man! He hurt House Elves! Used our blood for dark rituals! Now he's dead and we all dance and spit on his grave while praising Mr. Harry Potter sir!" Dobby said, his tone surprisingly vicious for a House Elf.

I clicked my tongue. "Alright, I suppose that answers that. But what were you doing over at the Dursley's house in the first place? Why were you bothering Harry?"

"Dobby wanted to protect Harry Potter sir! Dobby wanted to keep him safe!" Dobby protested.

"Safe, huh? Odd way of showing it. Lurking and watching from the shadows – or however House Elves do it – seems more like something a person who wants to hurt Harry would do."

"No! No! Never would Dobby hurt the great Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed. "Dobby wanted to watch over Harry Potter to protect him!"

"Is that it? Is that really all you did?" I demanded.

"Dobby also took letters from owls," Dobby admitted, looking down, ashamed.

"You did what?" Harry gasped.

"Dobby thought that if Mr. Harry Potter didn't hear from his friends, he wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts," Dobby mumbled. "So Dobby took your letters."

"That's not how it works, I'm afraid," I snorted. "Harry would have to go back to school regardless of his friends – or lack thereof."

"Wait, hang on a second, you were messing with my mail?" Harry demanded incredulously. "Is that why I've only been able to talk with Hermione through the phone, and Ron and Neville haven't sent me anything?"

"Yes! Dobby is bad, bad elf! Dobby stole away Mr. Harry Potter sir's letters!" Dobby whimpered, trying to bash his head into the floor, only for the carpet and the position he was in to muffle the thumping.

"Why?" I asked. I then raised a hand to forestall the blubbering answer. "Yes, yes, I know, you wanted to protect him. But why? Who ordered you to do this?"

"Dobby not told to do this! Dobby wanted to help on his own!" the young House Elf claimed, and Inky shot him an incredulous look, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

To be fair, I supposed it would shock another House Elf. Or anyone who knew about House Elves. Taking the initiative to do something without being told to do it was so rare it might as well be anathema to their kind. Especially if it didn't help their bonded family at all.

"Huh. Okay, then," I muttered. "What about your owner?"

"Dobby cannot say! Dobby cannot tell!" the House Elf wailed.

"Fine. Then protect him from what, exactly?" I demanded.

"Dobby doesn't know! Dobby only knows it will happen at Hogwarts!" Dobby whimpered. "Master-who-can't-be-named would only mumble to himself about 'it has to happen at Hogwarts!'"

I blinked. 'That's new,' I thought to myself. How Dobby knew shit was going to go down at Hogwarts had never been expanded upon in the books. Not to mention, Lucius only dropped Tom's diary into Ginny's cauldron after Harry had been rescued from the Dursleys and Dobby's interference at Privet Drive.

'That means Lucius Malfoy was planning to give the Horcrux away to a student from the very beginning. Possibly since the start or summer break, or a little bit before. But why?' I couldn't help but wonder. 'Could it be related to the Dark artifact crack-downs Mr. Weasley has been conducting?'

I rubbed the bridge of my nose in exasperation. I doubted I'd find any answers, so I turned my attention back to the issue hand. Namely, Dobby.

"Okay. So, you think Harry is in danger from your master. Said master has a plan that involves Hogwarts. And you decided to go against your master to protect Harry," I summarized.

"Yes, that is what Dobby has said," the House Elf confirmed, before letting out a pained squeak as Inky's grip tightened.

"Inky ought to punish Dobby. Disobeying orders, betraying family, messing around with young wizard… those are sins for a House Elf," Inky said darkly, applying more pressure to the other House Elf's arms, causing Dobby to whimper in pain.

"Enough, Inky!" I snapped, and he looked at me with a muted expression.

"Dobby is a bad elf," Inky said slowly, as if trying to explain this to a child. "Dobby has to be punished."

"Perhaps, but you can clearly see how fragile his bond to his family is," I retorted. In truth, I couldn't tell myself, but given how easily Dobby had been able to break free from the Malfoys told me it couldn't have been strong to begin with.

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