25Dobby the House Elf frowned. A few days ago, Dobby's life had changed completely when the Great and Powerful Harry Potter sir tricked Dobby's Nasty Bad Old Master into setting Dobby free. Dobby wanted to do something to thank the Kind and Wonderful Harry Potter sir for his help, as well as apologize for doubting the great wizard and causing him so much trouble this past year. However, Dobby wasn't sure just yet how he could help the young wizard, he was a great wizard after all and Dobby was only a house elf. Therefore, Dobby had taken to shadowing Dobby's hero, hoping a chance might appear. Dobby was a free elf, after all, there was nobody who could stop Dobby from doing what Dobby wanted now. Dobby giggled to himself at the reminder of how the Cunning and Amazing Harry Potter sir tricked Nasty Bad Old Master into setting Dobby free. And the look on Nasty Bad Old Master's face after Dobby had flung him on his arse after trying to harm the Brilliant and Sneaky Harry Potter sir.
Several more days went by before the Great and Wise Harry Potter sir got onto the train to leave Hogwarts and head back home for the summer. Dobby wondered how the Kind and Generous Harry Potter sir's family would react to his return. Dobby hoped they weren't still mad about the cake incident. Dobby's ears drooped, feeling shame for causing trouble for the Wise and Powerful Harry Potter sir. Determination to right his mistakes and make it up to his hero flooded his little body.
Dobby was horrified. Great and Kind Harry Potter sir's muggle family treated him like Nasty Bad Old Master had treated Dobby! Such a great wizard did not deserve such treatment. Wonderful and Amazing Harry Potter sir deserved better than this, yes he did. Dobby finally knew how Dobby would be able to repay the Kind and Great Master Harry sir for setting Dobby free!
Dobby would protect the Great and Wonderful Harry Potter sir. If Nasty Bad Muggles couldn't see the way that Kind and Caring Harry Potter sir deserved to be treated then Dobby would make sure Nasty Bad Muggles couldn't see Wonderful and Special Harry Potter sir at all!
Harry Potter was confused. The start of his summer had gone as he'd expected. Ten months had not been nearly enough time for the Dursleys to forgive him for the cake incident and for escaping from Privet Drive through his bedroom window in a flying car. Not that he'd expected it to be, really. Though it wasn't like his relatives needed an excuse to treat him like rubbish. They called him a freak and abnormal, but they were the true freaks. Who treated a child the way they had treated him? Was it normal to make a child who could barely walk clean the house, do all the chores, and cook all the meals? Lock him in a cupboard under the stairs and not allow him to leave? No, it was not! The Dursleys were the freaks, not him.
However, he had long since grown used to their treatment of him. This was his lot in life and he was stuck with it, even though he yearned to be free. He envied Dobby in that way. The crazy little elf had clearly been treated even worse than he had, yet now Dobby was free from his abusers, while he remained a slave.
This thought brought his mind back to the source of his confusion. While the first week or so of the summer had gone about as predicted- with his relatives expressing their displeasure at his mere existence- for the past few days things had been….different.
It was almost as if the Dursleys had forgotten he was there. Aunt Petunia didn't bark at him to do chores. Uncle Vernon didn't yell at him for everything he did. Dudley didn't taunt him or try to whack him with his Smelting Stick. It was like he didn't even exist to the Dursleys, they just ignored him, never even noticing anything he did. They didn't stop him from eating food at their table, didn't object when he let Hedwig out of her cage, and didn't even berate him for lazing about the house instead of doing chores.
Speaking of said chores, even with him no longer doing them they still seemed to get done. The floors were sparkling better than he had ever managed to get them, the flower gardens were in perfect condition, and most peculiarly the food was still being made even though nobody was cooking it. Something was definitely going on, something magical, it had to be. He was at first concerned that he might get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic again, what with magic clearly happening at his muggle relatives' houses and all, but he had relaxed by now, figuring that if he was going to be punished, it would've happened by now.
Harry was very confused by what was happening, but he also wasn't going to question it. He wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth; instead, he would simply enjoy the peace from his horrible relatives.
'Thank Merlin for this magical whatever-it-is that's affecting my relatives!' Harry thought, as he quickly tied his Hogsmeade permission slip to Hedwig's leg before sending her off to Hogwarts. He had hesitantly brought his Hogsmeade permission slip to his Uncle earlier and asked him to sign it. The man had grabbed a pen from his breast pocket- which definitely had not been there before he'd asked- signed the permission slip with a flourish, and handed it back to him without a word or even a glance. Harry still didn't understand what in Merlin's name was going on, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He would be able to go to Hogsmeade with his friends now, and it was too late for Uncle Vernon to change his mind!
Even Marge was ignoring him! This was bloody fantastic! Aunt Marge and her stupid dog Ripper always treated him worse than the rest of the Dursleys combined, but now she was blind to his presence just like the rest of his 'family'. Not even her stupid dog could see him! He was like a ghost to his relatives, and he loved every second of it.
Harry grinned as Uncle Vernon drove him to King's Cross station, not even aware his nephew was in the car. He'd gone to his Uncle that morning after packing his things and asked him for a lift. The man immediately got up from the couch without looking at his nephew or even saying a word, made his way outside, and waited in the driver's seat while Harry hauled his suspiciously light trunk into the back and got inside. He hoped he could meet the one responsible for all this one day so he could thank them properly. This had easily been the best two months he had ever spent with his relatives. He was almost sad to be going back to Hogwarts, really.
Dobby smiled to himself as the Great and Powerful Harry Potter sir met his friends- and how lucky they were to be friends with the Noble and Caring Harry Potter sir- on the Hogwarts Express and began chatting happily to each other about their holidays. Dobby was quite proud of himself. The Wise and Wonderful Harry Potter sir looked much happier now than he had at the start of the summer. Dobby shuddered at the thought of the Amazing and Kind Harry Potter sir being forced to spend the entire summer with those Nasty Bad Muggles treating him so horribly. Dobby was proud of himself for taking care of the problem, but Dobby wouldn't stop now, oh no! Dobby needed to keep watch over Great and Wonderful Harry Potter sir and make sure he was being properly taken care of at school too.
Harry Potter was feeling lots of emotions at the moment. Yesterday had been a complete rollercoaster and he had gone from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs then there and back again. On the one hand, he was upset that Ron had gotten injured. On the other hand, he was pleased his godfather wasn't a mass murderer or a traitor. On the third hand, he was bloody pissed learning that said godfather had never been given a trial, yet for some reason still had a kiss on sight order. On the fourth hand, he was thrilled by Sirius's offer to live together once he was free. On the fifth hand, he was furious that the rat had managed to escape in all the confusion. And while on the sixth hand, he was relieved that he had managed to save and free his godfather from having his soul sucked out thanks to some time travel shenanigans, he was- on the seventh hand now- completely enraged that the incompetent flop of a minister believed that greasy git Snape's lies and refused to even consider what he and his friends had told him about Sirius's innocence.
So yes, lots on his mind at the moment.
As he burst into his dorm room, flinging the door aside, he flopped down onto his bed and lay his arm over his eyes. He had learned from the Dursleys that crying was pointless and got nothing done, yet he could feel tears once more pricking at his eyes. As he furiously tried to stem the impending waterworks, he looked up and saw a cage dangling from the roof of his four-poster bed.
Confused, he got up and pushed the drapes aside to get a better look. Inside the cage, he saw a single rat with a missing finger on one of his paws, fast asleep. A feral grin crept onto Harry's face, one that promised justice and revenge. After ensuring the rat would be unable to escape, Harry grabbed the cage and sprinted towards Professor Dumbledore's office as fast as he could. This would definitely be enough to clear his godfather's name, it has to be! And maybe he could even convince them to put the rat in Sirius's old cell once everything was all said and done? That'd be poetic justice right there.
Dobby smiled once more seeing the Great and Kind Harry Potter sir hugging his dogfather. Dobby was glad Dobby had kept watching over the Wonderful and Caring Harry Potter sir at Hogwarts. Catching Nasty Bad Rat Man was no trouble at all, not with the magic of the life debt Nasty Bad Rat Man owed Powerful and Mighty Harry Potter sir showing Dobby where Nasty Bad Rat Man was hiding.
Sneaky and Clever Harry Potter sir brought Nasty Bad Rat Man to the Wise Professor Dumbly-door, who brought Nasty Bad Rat Man to the group of Purple Robed Rule Makers that Nasty Bad Old Master was always talking and giving money to. After listening to Nasty Bad Rat Man tell his story, the group of Purple Robed Rule Makers sent Nasty Bad Rat Man away to the island of Evil Soul Sucking Demons.
Dobby shuddered.
Nasty Bad Rat Man deserved the Evil Soul Sucking Demons for his crimes against the Great and Awesome Harry Potter sir, but Dobby hoped that Dobby never had to meet the Evil Soul Sucking Demons himself. They were foul creatures that did not belong in this world, and Dobby wanted nothing to do with them at all.
Still, with Nasty Bad Rat Man on the island of Evil Soul Sucking Demons, the Mighty and Wonderful Harry Potter sir's dogfather was brought into the room with the group of Purple Robed Rule Makers. After some more talking, the group of Purple Robed Rule Makers declared that the Magnificent and Powerful Harry Potter sir's dogfather was innocent of all crimes and that he was to be free. Furthermore, lucky dogfather was also given the great honor of having the Wonderful and Noble Harry Potter sir live with him instead of with those Nasty Bad Muggles.
Dobby was pleased by this. Dobby knew the lucky dogfather would take much better care of the Kind and Special Harry Potter sir than the Nasty Bad Muggles ever would. Maybe now with the dogfather free and the Nasty Bad Muggles no longer a worry to the Great and Mighty Harry Potter sir, Dobby would no longer need to keep watching over the Amazing and Wonderful Harry Potter sir…
No, Dobby still would.
Just in case.