Escape ↣ Harmione

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter 22 - New Employees

"Hello Dobby," Harry said. "This is Helen, Mrs Granger, she would like to ask you something."

Dobby turned his eyes to Helen, she handed the umbrella handle to Hermione before crouching down to the elf's height and stuck out her hand. "Hello Dobby, I'm Helen, pleased to meet you."

Dobby shook the hand offered, bouncing slightly on the spot. "Dobby is very honoured to meet Harry Potter's, Mrs Granger."

"Dobby, we need to know if you would be compelled to report our whereabouts to the Headmaster should he ask, as part of your duties as a Hogwarts House Elf," Helen asked.

Dobby's ears drooped dejectedly and his eyes filled with tears. "If the Headmaster asks Dobby, then Dobby must tell the Headmaster. But Dobby would never tell the Headmaster if he didn't ask. Dobby would do anything for Harry Potter."

Helen glanced up at Harry who was looking at the horizon with a distinctly embarrassed blush on his face. "Dobby, you are a free elf are you not? So you can leave Hogwarts and be employed somewhere else?"

"Yes, Harry Potter set Dobby free! Dobby can work where Dobby likes."

"Yes, quite. So if I offered you a contract of employment, you could come and work for me, and this would mean you wouldn't be compelled to tell the Headmaster where we are?" Helen asked.

"Dobby, work for Harry Potter's Mrs Granger?" The little elf's ears shot back up, and he started twitching with manic energy again. "If Dobby worked for Mrs Granger Dobby could keep Harry Potter's secrets."

"Would you want to work for me Dobby?" Helen asked.

"Yes, Dobby would like to work for Harry Potter's Mrs Granger!"

"Right, that's settled then. Dobby, I will take you into my employ. At which time you will learn where we live and you will aid Harry and Hermione in tasks they ask of you. You will keep our secrets, and you will do nothing that will give them away." She looked at him sternly, not that it seemed to do any good as the little fellow was practically vibrating on the spot. "Come along, we can discuss the rest of your terms of employment inside. Can you, umm, come with us but stay out of sight?"

"Yes, Mrs Granger," the elf said and promptly vanished from sight.

"Right, well let's get out of the rain, and sort out the rest of Dobby's terms of employment. Needless to say, I think we'll be alright trusting him," Helen said standing up straight.

They trooped back to the house into the boot room where Dobby reappeared and tried to take their coats from them to hang up.

"Come with me Dobby," Helen said, she set off to the study that she and John shared with the little elf in tow, his head turning as he tried to look at everything at once. She sat down on one of the chairs either sides of the fireplace used for floo travel and gestured Dobby into the other. Dobby looked at her with shock before his face lit up and he scrambled up into the chair.

"Right then," she said firmly. "As part of the Granger household, everyone is on first names. We expect you to follow that rule as well, is that a problem?"

Dobby shook his head eyes wide.

"Good. We also require you to have clo-, a uniform," Helen corrected herself, recalling what Hermione had said about elves and clothes. "A tea towel or pillowcase is not acceptable. A set of robes, such as Hermione or Harry wore at Hogwarts in an appropriately sober colour will do nicely, is that a problem?"

Dobby shook his head bouncing in his seat. "May Dobby wear the Granger crest?"

"Well, we don't have a crest per se, but ask Hermione I'm sure she can come up with something appropriate and subtle. We take a very dim view on self-harm here Dobby. If you feel that you have failed in your duties somehow, then you would be required to continue with your duties until the evening when you can approach myself and John, Mr Granger. You will then have the opportunity to explain what has gone wrong, and we will jointly decide if punishment is to be metered out. There will be no histrionics, no bowing or scraping. Do you think you can manage that?"