Marching towards Hagrid's hut, Dobby clutched his solitary flobberworm tightly. Its mucusy membrane writhed against his hands, and he struggled to keep a hold on it. Treading across the dry leaves, Dobby was afraid of losing the flobberworm if he disapparated.
After a couple of miles, Dobby began to lose hope. Tears splashed from his eyes and onto the flobberworm, helping it squirm out of his grasp. Dobby set the flobberworm on the ground for a moment to dry his hands, then immediately after picking it up again, he Disapparated to Hagrid's hut. The door was open, and Dobby took that to be a welcoming sign.
"Sir!" Dobby exclaimed, rushing in. He threw the flobberworm at Hagrid's couch and ran all around his cabin.
But Hagrid wasn't there. Dobby's face fell. He must have been out teaching a class. Dobby slunk out of the cabin, closed the door behind him, and curled up under Hagrid's front steps. The earth was dry and grassy where he lurked, but Dobby paid no attention to his discomfort. Instead, he fixed his mind on how happy Hagrid would be upon finding the flobberworm in his cabin.
Hours passed, and although Dobby grew cramped in his little hidey-hole, he kept his mind on how he was helping Hagrid. Before long, Dobby spotted Hagrid emerging from the woods, an animal pelt slung across his shoulder. Dobby quaked in anticipation as Hagrid passed right over his hiding spot, the steps creaking as he walked. Hagrid nudged the broad mahogany door open, then paused.
"What the-" Hagrid stepped into his cabin, looking confused. Small, muddy footprints were tracked positively everywhere in his cabin- there were even some on the walls. B
Baffled, Hagrid swung his front door shut behind him. "What-?"
Dobby disapparated in front of Hagrid, who let out what Dobby realized was an excited bellow. Dobby grinned widely.
"Hello, sir!" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby has brought sir a flobberworm!"
Hagrid gulped in what Dobby saw was anticipation. "Um, Dobby-"
Dobby jumped straight up into the air and threw his head back so he landed on Hagrid's couch. He raised his arms above his head and grabbed the flobberworm. He then rocketed up and put the flobberworm in Hagrid's hand.
Hagrid stared down at the flobberworm.
Dobby's grin began to turn manic. His small teeth were starting to dry out from being exposed to the air for such a long time.
"Alrigh', Dobby. Yeh can go now," Hagrid said, firmly placing the creature in a vat filled with other flobberworms.
Dobby kept his grin plastered on his face. "Alright, sir! Dobby will go!"
Hagrid stared after Dobby as the elf wrenched the door open, then paused and looked over his shoulder. Dobby wiggled his nonexistent eyebrows at Hagrid. He had practiced this trick for weeks, and he loved the effect of his eyes growing ever wider as he wiggled.
Hagrid blanched- in happiness! Dobby was so overjoyed that he cried a single tear and allowed it to seep into Hagrid's floor, while maintaining eye contact with the half-giant.
Then, Dobby closed the door behind him and immediately burrowed under Hagrid's front porch. Hagrid would assume he had disapparated.
But Dobby had found a new nest.
