The Curse of Time (Harry Potter Fanfic)

"Monsieur Malfoy, wait."

I went down the stairs to Dumbledore's office to catch up with Lucius and give him a little surprise.

"I think this is yours."

I handed him the destroyed Horcrux, and he looked at it before carelessly throwing it to Dobby, who had understood my intention.

"This piece of paper doesn't belong to me."

"And yet, all the evidence shows that you put it in Ginny's belongings."

He approached me with an intimate air that did not affect me. He pointed his cane at my chest before starting to speak.

"You should be careful; curiosity and bravery might well lead to your death."

"Thank you, but I do not fear death. And you should probably stop putting your dear teacher's school items in the hands of an eleven-year-old."

"We'll meet again. Come, Dobby."

He turned and left, but Dobby did not follow him. He continued to look at the Horcrux.

"I said, come, Dobby."

Dobby took the sock from the book.

"The master has given Dobby a sock."

Joy began to be reflected in his voice as well as in his expression.

"The master has given Dobby clothes, so Dobby is a free elf."

"It's strange, but I'm starting to feel a little cold."

As expected, Lucius' attention was drawn to my foot, which was missing a sock.

"You made me lose my elf!"

Anger was palpable on his face.

"Indeed. You'll learn that lesson, and I don't think he's unhappy to be free."

He drew his wand, which was quite stylish, I must say, and pointed it at me.

"Avada—"

I activated body strengthening on myself and shifted my perception to slow motion to think calmly, even though my body remained still.

I could see Dobby react, but he would be too late, and the unforgivable killing curse would hit me first.

Using all the strength from the strengthening spell, I threw myself at Lucius and drew my katana.

My first strike was aimed at his arm—more precisely, at the nerves—to force him to drop the wand, causing the spell to fail. Then, my katana moved toward his neck but stopped at the last second, creating a gust that pushed him back slightly.

He put his hand on his neck, visibly shaken by fear.

"Next time you try something like that, I'll blow your head off like a champagne cork."

He was so close to death that he knew I would carry out my threat.

"I'll remember this insult."

He picked up his wand and left without saying another word.

"How could Dobby thank Evelyn Longbottom for freeing Dobby?"

"I want you to go and apologize to Harry Potter for all the trouble you caused him, even if your intention wasn't to hurt him."

"You can be assured that Dobby will do whatever Miss Evelyn asks."

"All right, the next thing I want to ask is a proposal. Will you accept to be my house elf? Of course, unlike the usual arrangements, we can review certain conditions, such as a way for you to remain free even if I give you clothes."

My goal is to ensure that if I provide him with clothing, he can wear it without being unintentionally released.

"I understand how the release of a house elf works. It's easier to manage clothing carefully than to risk unintentionally freeing your elf."

"It's a great proposal that Miss Evelyn is making, but Dobby isn't sure that Dobby is the right elf for Miss Evelyn."

"Believe me, you underestimate yourself. You stood up to your master to save someone—a bravery many elves could never even dream of."

Finally, he accepted, but we agreed to perform the ritual to bind Dobby to me at the start of the holidays. The first task I gave him was to apologize to Harry, and then he will travel the world to become a better elf.