"Yeah! He broke them all for bein' rude!" Ron chortled, pointing to the rubble of Snape's once-expensive chess set, before grabbing another handful of crisps from one of the many bowls of snack food that littered the room.
"I tried to use Reparo, but it didn't work very well," Neville confessed apologetically, glancing at the three shredded cushions now propped next to the remains of the chess set.
"How come Dobby is yours now, Professor?" Draco asked curiously. "He's been in our family for, like, forever!"
"You know, Professor, enslaving house elves is a terrible tradition," Hermione said sententiously. "Muggles gave up slavery centuries ago."
Draco made a rude noise and she turned on him angrily, and within seconds they were noisily squabbling. Harry, Neville, and Ron tried to help and the decibel level soared.
"Capuccino? Lemonade? Pumpkin juice?" Dobby was still trying to secure a drink order from his new master.
"ENOUGH!" Snape roared, and instantly silence fell.
"Miss Granger, I will not engage in a debate about the ethics of house elf ownership with you at this time, but you should know better than to take a position before you have done sufficient research. The nature of the bond between wizard and house elf is significantly different than that used in Muggle servitude." Hermione subsided, looking thoughtful.
"Mr Malfoy, your father owed me a debt, which he repaid with this house elf. I suggest that you do not inquire further as to your father's private affairs and that you take care not to lapse into such sloppy speech patterns upon your return home." Draco paled and nodded.
"Mr Longbottom, kindly do not practice your spells on my belongings again. I will expect you here after supper for an hour of detention practicing Reparo under my strict supervision." Neville brightened up. Finally someone was going to give him special coaching.
"Mr Weasley, since you have obviously been gorging yourself on unhealthy treats for the last several hours, I will expect to see you enjoying double portions of vegetables or fruit at every meal for the next week." Ron's face screwed up as if to protest. "Of course, if you feel your appetite will be insufficient for that task, you can always go without dessert for that time period." Ron quickly shut up and shook his head vigorously.
"And as for you, Mr Potter, you will remain here after the others have left." A pointed look at the other children left them in no doubt that he expected them to leave now.
There was a rapid scramble for the door, and soon Harry, Snape, and Dobby were alone in the messy room. "Clean this up," he snapped at the elf, and Dobby happily whizzed around, tidying and repairing the room.
"Are you mad?" Harry asked cautiously, eyeing his da.
Snape gave him a Look. "To come home and find my living room in tatters? Why would I be angry?"
"We just wanted to make Dobby feel at home here," Harry protested. "Draco said we should just shut him in a cupboard until we needed him, butтАж" he broke off, looking away.
Snape huffed angrily. "What a ridiculous idea," he grumbled, sitting down on the sofa next to Harry and unconsciously dropping his arm around the boy's shoulders.
Harry snuggled closer to his father. He hated being reminded of his time at the Dursleys. "We won't ever lock him in a cupboard, will we, Da?" he said stoutly.
"Hardly. Dobby!"
"Yes, Master Potion Master Sir?" Dobby asked, reappearing before them. "Is you wanting tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"
"Dobby, you are now bound to me, correct?"
"Oh yes, Master Potion Master Sir! Dobby is now your house elf. Dobby is not belonging to Master Malfoy any longer."
"Good. Now I am giving you to Harry. You belong to him now."
Harry's choke of surprise was nearly drowned out by Dobby's shriek of delight. "I is belonging to Master Harry Potter Sir?" He threw himself at Snape's knees. "Thank you thank you thank you, Master Potion Master Sir!"
"Da! I don't think I want a house elf," Harry tugged frantically on his guardian's sleeve and finally managed to make himself heard. "Erm, not that Dobby's not great an' all. And if I did want a house elf, I'm sure it'd be Dobby, but I don't want тАУ"
"Then it is a good thing I did not consult you," Snape told him firmly. "The house elf is now bound to you. He will protect you тАУ"
"Oh, YES!" Dobby agreed ecstatically. "Dobby will take good, good care of Master Harry Potter Sir!"
" тАУand we will be able to control his excesses." At Harry's distressed expression, Snape softened. "When you reach maturity, you can free him, Harry, but the elf is hardly upset with his current situation."
Even Harry had to admit that the little elf, who was dancing around the apartment in a paroxysm of glee, was anything but unhappy. "Well, okayтАж" he agreed reluctantly. "But I don't really know what to do with an elf, Da."
"Order him to obey me as well as yourself and I will see to it that he is kept out of mischief," Snape told him. "He can help out the castle elves since we will not require his services most of the time."
"Okay." Harry did as he was told, and Snape had to listen to the elf again proclaim his loyalty and joy and obedience.
"Yes, fine." He finally managed to shut the little creature up without having to resort to a hex. "Go speak with the Hogwarts elves, and I'm sure you can work something out."
"Yes, Master Potion Master Sir! Goodbye, Master Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby vanished, and Harry sagged against his father.
"Whew! He makes me tired, Da!"
"Yes, but he is clearly devoted to you, and as such will be a good тАУ" Snape caught himself. He had nearly said "protector", but he didn't want the boy to realize that, with the horcrux hunt about to get underway, the danger they faced was about to increase dramatically. If Voldemort realized what they were trying to do, he would strike now тАУ as hard and as brutally as he could. Snape intended to ensure that Harry was as well-protected as possible should that happen, and house elves could be fierce protectors when roused. "тАжa good house elf to have."
"Hermione's gonna hate me," Harry sighed.
"If she is difficult, tell Dobby that she doesn't want you to be his owner any more," Snape suggested drily. "I suspect that he will make his displeasure at her interference abundantly clear."
Harry snickered. "Yeah, I bet he would." He paused. "Hey, I forgot to ask. Did you have a good day, Da?"
Snape leaned back on the sofa, preening at the thought of all he had accomplished. "Yes, Harry. I did, rather."
TBCтАж
*Chapter 53*: Chapter 53
To Snape's simultaneous surprise and relief, the rest of the term proceeded with no additional crises, attacks, or deaths. Even the traditional end of year student pranks were somewhat muted, probably because the usually indefatigable students were equally wrung out from all excitement of the past year. As a result, Harry's first year came to an uncharacteristically peaceful close, though it was not until the Hogwarts Express had departed that Snape тАУ and most of the other faculty тАУ finally relaxed.
A few tendrils of doubt had assailed Harry when the rest were packing up their belongings, and he had been worried that, despite everything, he might yet end up back with the Dursleys. But watching the rest of the student body depart on the train while he stood at Snape's side had finally convinced him that his trust was not misplaced.
Harry had waved off his friends cheerfully, feeling rather privileged to be able to stay on at the castle. Most of the other faculty were departing for a brief rest - or rest cure, as Poppy was heard to mutter more than once - while Snape had admitted, with a grimace, that he and Harry would be visiting Black and Lupin in Switzerland.