Draco Malfoy and the Chamber of Secrets (BOOK 2 of 7)

Chapter 1-Savior of the House Elf

"Draco, honey, open the door! We have a surprise for you!"

Draco Malfoy obeyed his mother, even though she sounded oddly out of character. Narcissa Malfoy and her husband, Lucius, stepped in holding a cage. It was covered with a cloth that blocked Draco's view of the surprise.

"Voila!" Lucius exclaimed as he lifted the cloth. "It's your very own bunny rabbit! Isn't it cute?"

Draco gaped at his father for a while before he finally found his voice. "What's he called?"

"She, Draco. Her name was Bella," Narcissa provided. "Coincidence, I think. However, we've decided that 'Bella' wasn't suitable for such an adowable wittle cutie! She made my day bright. Thus, we named her Sunshine."

"Better yet," Lucius said, "she's having bunnies of her own! Isn't it exciting?"

Draco was now scared out of his wits. "Er, yeah. Love it." Draco tried his best to sound enthusiastic, and although he normally would have been able to do so, he was just too shocked at the moment.

"Now Draco," Narcissa said, "we're leaving the bunny here in your room. We've got to get to the parlour. I believe it's time for the weekly Malfoy Lollipop Handout Day!"

She rushed out calling, "Lucius, remember the free toothbrushes! Don't want anyone to get sick now, do we?"

Lucius smiled fondly at his son before enveloping him in a big hug.

"AHH!"

Draco woke up panting and sweating. He'd never had vivid dreams like those, dreams that he could remember having and remember what happened in them. He hoped that his parents weren't actually all sunshine and lollipops. In fact, he preferred the cruel personality that his parents currently had.

He looked out the window; it was dusk. He must have fallen asleep from boredom. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"Draco!" a voice called.

Draco froze. It was his mother, and as he far as he could remember, she hadn't yelled at him for anything all day.

"Mother," he politely said as she walked in the room.

"Get ready. We are to have dinner with the Parkinsons in one hour." She turned and left the room.

Draco rummaged through his closet looking for his set of dinner robes.

"Dobby!" Draco called. He couldn't find the robes.

Strangely, the house elf didn't appear in front of him like he usually did.

"Dobby?" Draco tried again. When Dobby didn't show up, Draco decided that his parents had probably freed him.

Then again, that would mean they either weren't satisfied with Dobby's work, or they had become experts on elf rights...after Draco's nightmare, he didn't want to think about the second option even though he knew that Dobby was a pretty hardworking elf.

He quickly showered, gelled his hair, and slipped into his dinner robes before heading to the larger dining hall - the one meant for more than one family. The family would be arriving in about fifteen minutes.

When Draco was halfway down the stairs, the once missing house elf apparated in front of him.

"Dobby!" Draco whisper-yelled. "Where've you been?"

"Dobby has been a bad elf," the distraught creature said. He whacked himself on the head three times.

"Dobby, stop it!" But the elf kept punishing himself.

Desperate, Draco ordered Dobby to stop punishing himself and asked him what he had done.

"Dobby went to see Harry Potter."

"You what?! Why?"

"Dobby only means to protect him, young master."

"Protect him from what?"

"Dobby cannot say. Master has forbidden Dobby to speak of it."

Draco frowned; his own house elf was protecting the Boy Who Lived from something that had to do with his father.

"Dobby, I'm your master, too. You can tell me."

"Master Malfoy has forbidden it and because Master is the Head of Malfoy House, Dobby must obey him above all others."

"Well, am I allowed to ask what my father has to do with it?"

"Dobby cannot say a word. But Dobby told Harry Potter that he must not go back to Hogwarts. There is a plot to make most terrible things happen."

"What else happened over there?"

"Dobby has been taking Harry Potter's letters from his friends from owls so that he would not want to go back. Harry Potter was not happy with Dobby and didn't listen so Dobby used magic to make pudding fall on a house guest's head."

Draco snorted in laughter as the elf started sobbing hysterically.

"Shh!" Draco shushed the loud elf. "Is there anything else that happened?"

"Harry Potter asked Dobby to sit down."

Draco gaped at the elf for a moment before he realized that Potter probably didn't know a thing about house elves. Then a plan came to him - a plan that would allow Dobby to tell him what was going on.

"Dobby, am I a good master?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Young master Malfoy is the best master. Bad Dobby!"

He started hitting himself again. Draco ordered him to stop and checked the time. There were five minutes before the Parkinsons would arrive, and being purebloods, they would not be late. Not that Draco was judging anyone.

"Dobby, apparate me to my room."

The house elf obeyed, and the moment they got there, Draco grabbed the shirt he was wearing earlier.

"Listen, Dobby, this is important. You are a great elf and have worked very hard. However, this is so that you will be able to tell me what is going on and not hit yourself while you do it. Promise me that when I free you, you will continue to do what you have always done. Just please don't do anything stupid."

Tears filled the house elf's eyes. "Master, you are so kind!"

Draco paused for a moment. If he freed the house elf, who knew if Dobby would actually stay loyal to him?

"Dobby," he started, "is there any way I can free you from my parents but not from me? Without them knowing, of course. And I would take great care of you."

"Young Master Malfoy is kind so Dobby will help him. There is no way to do what Master asks for. But Dobby pledges his loyalty."

"In that case, here." Draco handed the house elf the shirt.

"Dobby is free!"

"Shh! Now, listen. You will still obey my parents and me. You will act as if you have not been freed. No one can know about this. If you meet someone else and they ask you about your family, you will act as if you still properly and officially serve them."

"Of course. Dobby is happy to help Draco Malfoy."

"If my father ever decides to free you, you will act as though you have not been freed before. Dobby, no one can ever know about this, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then let's get going. We have a dinner to attend."

A/N: I encourage you all to share this book with your friends, comment, vote, and keep on reading! Thank you all so much!