The Story of Dobby The House - Elf
written by Shakira Marvolo Riddle
A three foot tall house-elf with bat like ears and green eyes the size of tennis balls, is Here to Gift his Story of Life! This Book is Complete.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
7
Reads
8,169
Relationships
Chapter 6
""Harry... Potter...""
—Dobby's last words in the book series[src]
PromoHP7 Harry Potter
Harry Potter, his best friend
Dobby and Harry Potter had a very strong relationship. Dobby loved and respected him very much to the point where he considered Harry to be his best friend. When Harry first met Dobby he was a bit confused. Harry was furious when he found out Dobby was intercepting all of his friends' letters to him, and demanded them back while refusing to promise him to stay out of Hogwarts. Throughout the year, when Dobby made attempts to drive Harry away from Hogwarts, causing some rather unpleasant results on the way, Harry made some threats that were never followed through. Near the end of the 1992–1993 school year, Harry freed Dobby from the slavery of the Malfoy family. Lucius became angry and intended to attack Harry but Dobby protected him by using a defensive spell. Dobby may have realised that he underestimated Harry Potter, when Harry managed to stop Lucius' plot and survive the Chamber of Secrets.
Dobby was appointed to work at the kitchen of Hogwarts Castle in the paid service of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, though even as a free elf, his loyalty always laid foremost with Harry. When Harry visited the kitchens and therefore Dobby, Dobby hugged him so tightly that Harry felt as though his ribs might crack. Dobby also asked if it would be alright if he visited Harry from time-to-time, with Harry responding with an of course. Dobby visited Harry on Christmas day and presented him with a present, socks and when Harry tried them on Dobby's eyes misted with tears. In 1994, Dobby also provided Harry with gillyweed for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.
" [...] something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!" Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break."
—Dobby greeting Harry in 1994[src]
In 1995, Dobby told Harry about the Room of Requirement and how to get inside. It is a secret room inside Hogwarts castle and cannot be seen even on the Marauder's Map. Harry and his friends used the room in Dumbledore's Army's meetings and practises. When Marietta Edgecombe betrayed Dumbledore's Army to Professor Umbridge, Dobby immediately warned Harry that the Inquisitorial Squad was going to attack, even though the house-elves had been forbidden to tell anyone, as he was far more loyal to Harry Potter than to Umbridge or Hogwarts in general. When he heard, Harry ordered Dobby not to punish himself for disobeying a direct order from Umbridge.
In 1996, Dobby had a fight with another house-elf, Kreacher after Kreacher insulted Harry.[9] In 1998, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Dean Thomas, Mr Garrick Ollivander and the goblin Griphook were captured and taken hostage at the Malfoy Manor, Dobby apparated there to rescue them. As they attempted to disapparate to Shell Cottage, Bellatrix Lestrange threw her silver dagger, mortally wounding Dobby in the chest. Arriving at Shell Cottage, the house of the newly-wed Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, Harry discovered Dobby's wound and cried out for help as Dobby died in Harry's arms. Harry was devastated by Dobby's death. He dug a grave without using magic and held a small funeral for him in the garden of Shell Cottage. Dobby's epitaph reads "HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF".
Malfoy family
"You've lost me my servant!"
—Lucius Malfoy to Harry Potter, after he freed Dobby[src]
Malfoyfamily
The Malfoy family, Dobby's former masters
Dobby was the house-elf of the Malfoy family. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy treated Dobby cruelly and were very sadistic to him. He frequently had to punish himself and received death threats several times a day. Dobby feared them, but did everything they ordered him to. In 1993, Harry Potter freed Dobby by tricking Lucius into unknowingly giving Dobby a sock. Lucius became angry and attempted to attack Harry, but Dobby blasted him down a flight of stairs. The last time Lucius saw Dobby was in 1998, when Dobby came to Malfoy Manor to rescue Harry Potter and his friends. Dobby was eventually killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. It is unknown how the Malfoys reacted when they learned of it.
Ron Weasley
"Sir is very kind!... Dobby knew sir must be a great wizard, for he is Harry Potter's greatest friend, but Dobby did not know that he was also as generous of spirit, as noble, as selfless —"
—Dobby thanking Ron for his Christmas present[src]
Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley
Dobby first met Ron Weasley in 1994 in the Hogwarts kitchens, where Dobby worked. Ron was a close friend of Harry Potter. When Dobby talked with Harry and Ron about his life as a free elf, Ron started to like Dobby, and offered him a maroon sweater his mother had made, making the house-elf excited. When Ron was used as a "hostage" for the Triwizard Tournament, Dobby who had learned of the Second Task from the fake Mad-Eye Moody, became fearful of Harry losing his "Wheezy" (Dobby's name for Ron) to the merpeople and was manipulated by the fake Moody into stealing gillyweed for Harry. Ron and Dobby met again three years later, in 1997, when both Harry and Ron were at the hospital wing; Harry wanted Dobby to spy on Draco Malfoy because he believed he was a Death Eater. However, Ron didn't agree with this. In 1998, Harry, Ron, Hermione Granger and others were imprisoned at Malfoy Manor and Dobby came for their rescue. However, he was killed during the battle by Bellatrix Lestrange. Ron then respected Dobby very much and thanked him for saving his life. He also gave Dobby his shoes and socks to be buried in.
His death seemed to finally drive home to Ron the sorry life that house-elves lived, as during the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron voiced the opinion that they should evacuate the house-elves, or else risk another death like Dobby's. Dobby, as an inadvertent result, thus helped Ron and Hermione begin their relationship. Overcome by his thoughtfulness towards elves, Hermione kissed Ron for the first time.
Hermione Granger
Hermione-granger-gallery
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger also met Dobby for the first time at the Hogwarts kitchens, where the latter worked. Hermione appeared to like Dobby, because he loved his freedom and because he wanted to make the other house-elves want freedom too. During her fifth year at Hogwarts, Hermione spent most of her time making clothes and hiding them in many places of the Gryffindor Common Tower. However, the house-elves stopped cleaning those places once they found the first of the clothes, as they didn't want to take them. Thus, Dobby cleaned Gryffindor Tower by himself, taking and wearing all of Hermione's knitted clothes.
Dobby and Hermione didn't meet again until 1997, when Harry had sent Dobby to spy on Draco Malfoy. When Dobby came to the Malfoy Manor to rescue them, Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. Dobby then brought them to Shell Cottage but was killed by Bellatrix by her throwing a knife and stabbing Dobby during the Apparition.
Winky
Dobby was first seen with Winky, a female house-elf, in 1994. Earlier that same year, Harry had mistaken Winky for Dobby at the Quidditch World Cup. Winky excitedly told Harry that she knew Dobby, too; they evidently were friends previous to 1994 even though their relationship was only first displayed that year. It is likely that they met in the company of their masters, as Winky's master Barty Crouch was a high-ranking ministry official and Dobby's former masters the Malfoy family were well-connected and influential socialites.
Unlike Dobby, who loved his freedom, Winky was depressed and thought she was useless. When Dobby expressed his opinion that his life as a free elf was better than as a servant, he made her believe that he was a “bad house-elf”. So, Dobby tried in vain to convince her that she could live without serving the Crouch family by finding them both jobs at Hogwarts. It is known that Winky eventually managed to get over the fact that she was fired, although Dobby had died by then.
Kreacher
"Kreacher will not insult Harry Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!"
—Dobby treating Kreacher after he spoke ill of Harry[src]
Kreacher OotP SF
Kreacher
Dobby presumably met Kreacher, another house-elf, in late 1996 when Harry sent Kreacher to work in the kitchens of Hogwarts, and they did not have a good relationship. Firstly, Kreacher strongly disliked Harry Potter because he was a friend of many Muggle-borns and “blood-traitors" and because Harry initially wasn't very nice to Kreacher. Dobby loved and respected Harry very much for a variety of reasons; these differing viewpoints on Dobby's hero/best friend was mostly the reason why the two house-elves often fought with each other.
In 1996, they fought in the hospital wing because Kreacher had badmouthed Harry. Harry attempted to make them stop, but then Peeves appeared and encouraged them to hit each other. During the scuffle, Dobby managed to hit Kreacher in the mouth hard enough to knock out half his teeth– it is unknown how Kreacher grew them back or if he ever did. Furthermore, Harry told both Dobby and Kreacher to go and spy on Draco Malfoy; even then, they argued: When they reappeared to give a report, Dobby was angry that Kreacher hadn't informed him that he was going to Harry. Dobby didn't want it to seem like he hadn't been helping, as Kreacher was trying to make it out. However, Kreacher later started to respect Harry and be less prejudiced in general. It is possible that, since Kreacher had contact with the Hogwarts kitchen house-elves, he had contact with Dobby, too, and their common ground caused a release of the bad blood, but it is unknown. Dobby might not have learned about Kreacher's change before he was killed in 1998. Kreacher looks like Dobby, but more angry and antagonistic.
Hogwarts Kitchens House-elves
Dobby started his work at the Hogwarts Kitchens in 1994, a year after he was freed by Harry Potter. He loved his life as a free elf, something that the other house-elves who worked at the kitchens did not. They believed Dobby was mad and there was a great difference between their ideology and Dobby's, about a house-elf's life. Thus, he didn't have such a good relationship with his co-workers, as they believed that a house-elf should not have any personal life when they had to work and serve their masters. However, their opinion about Dobby might have changed during their later years at Hogwarts. During the Battle of Hogwarts all the house-elves, with Kreacher as a leader, fought against the Death Eaters, without anyone ordering them to do so. This indicates that they learned a house-elf can have a personal opinion, and that they should have as many rights as the humans. Unfortunately, Dobby had died by then.
Albus Dumbledore
"Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."
—Dobby's opinion of Dumbledore[src]
600full-Albus-Dumbledore-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-photo
Albus Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was considered by many people (including Dobby) as the greatest wizard of all time. Dobby always admired Dumbledore, because he was kind to everyone, even to the house-elves, and because he opposed Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore met Dobby in 1993, when he was still the servant of the Malfoy family. In 1994, Dobby asked Dumbledore for a job at the Hogwarts Kitchens and the headmaster gave him the job, offering a much higher salary than Dobby expected and gaining the house-elf's respect. He also permitted Dobby to call him as he wanted (such as "a barmy old codger"). Dobby was very fond of Dumbledore and knew he would never insult him, but he was awed by Dumbledore's gift of freedom of speech. Dumbledore died in 1997; it is unknown how Dobby reacted, or whether he attended his funeral.
Aberforth Dumbledore
AberforthInfobox
Aberforth Dumbledore
Over the course of his employment at Hogwarts, Dobby became close friends with Aberforth Dumbledore, and spent much time at Aberforth's home in Hogsmeade, getting to and from the school through a secret tunnel. As Aberforth was an old and grumpy person, he didn't have a good relationship with many people. However, Dobby offered friendship and someone to talk too. Aberforth himself stated that he liked Dobby. In 1998, Harry Potter and his friends were captured by Snatchers and imprisoned at the Malfoy Manor cellar. Harry asked for help while looking at a two-way mirror; Aberforth had the other mirror. He sent Dobby to rescue them; the house-elf did so, stating that "he would always be there for Harry Potter", but was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. After that, Aberforth told Harry, Ron and Hermione that he was really sorry, as he liked Dobby.
Luna Lovegood
"Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It's so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and so brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now."
—Luna Lovegood at Dobby's funeral[src]
In 1998, Dobby saved Luna, along with Garrick Ollivander and Griphook, from Malfoy Manor. She appeared at his funeral later at Shell Cottage. She appeared to like Dobby, calling him "Sir". He replied to this saying that he liked her very much.
—Dobby's last words in the book series[src]
PromoHP7 Harry Potter
Harry Potter, his best friend
Dobby and Harry Potter had a very strong relationship. Dobby loved and respected him very much to the point where he considered Harry to be his best friend. When Harry first met Dobby he was a bit confused. Harry was furious when he found out Dobby was intercepting all of his friends' letters to him, and demanded them back while refusing to promise him to stay out of Hogwarts. Throughout the year, when Dobby made attempts to drive Harry away from Hogwarts, causing some rather unpleasant results on the way, Harry made some threats that were never followed through. Near the end of the 1992–1993 school year, Harry freed Dobby from the slavery of the Malfoy family. Lucius became angry and intended to attack Harry but Dobby protected him by using a defensive spell. Dobby may have realised that he underestimated Harry Potter, when Harry managed to stop Lucius' plot and survive the Chamber of Secrets.
Dobby was appointed to work at the kitchen of Hogwarts Castle in the paid service of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, though even as a free elf, his loyalty always laid foremost with Harry. When Harry visited the kitchens and therefore Dobby, Dobby hugged him so tightly that Harry felt as though his ribs might crack. Dobby also asked if it would be alright if he visited Harry from time-to-time, with Harry responding with an of course. Dobby visited Harry on Christmas day and presented him with a present, socks and when Harry tried them on Dobby's eyes misted with tears. In 1994, Dobby also provided Harry with gillyweed for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.
" [...] something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!" Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break."
—Dobby greeting Harry in 1994[src]
In 1995, Dobby told Harry about the Room of Requirement and how to get inside. It is a secret room inside Hogwarts castle and cannot be seen even on the Marauder's Map. Harry and his friends used the room in Dumbledore's Army's meetings and practises. When Marietta Edgecombe betrayed Dumbledore's Army to Professor Umbridge, Dobby immediately warned Harry that the Inquisitorial Squad was going to attack, even though the house-elves had been forbidden to tell anyone, as he was far more loyal to Harry Potter than to Umbridge or Hogwarts in general. When he heard, Harry ordered Dobby not to punish himself for disobeying a direct order from Umbridge.
In 1996, Dobby had a fight with another house-elf, Kreacher after Kreacher insulted Harry.[9] In 1998, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Dean Thomas, Mr Garrick Ollivander and the goblin Griphook were captured and taken hostage at the Malfoy Manor, Dobby apparated there to rescue them. As they attempted to disapparate to Shell Cottage, Bellatrix Lestrange threw her silver dagger, mortally wounding Dobby in the chest. Arriving at Shell Cottage, the house of the newly-wed Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, Harry discovered Dobby's wound and cried out for help as Dobby died in Harry's arms. Harry was devastated by Dobby's death. He dug a grave without using magic and held a small funeral for him in the garden of Shell Cottage. Dobby's epitaph reads "HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF".
Malfoy family
"You've lost me my servant!"
—Lucius Malfoy to Harry Potter, after he freed Dobby[src]
Malfoyfamily
The Malfoy family, Dobby's former masters
Dobby was the house-elf of the Malfoy family. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy treated Dobby cruelly and were very sadistic to him. He frequently had to punish himself and received death threats several times a day. Dobby feared them, but did everything they ordered him to. In 1993, Harry Potter freed Dobby by tricking Lucius into unknowingly giving Dobby a sock. Lucius became angry and attempted to attack Harry, but Dobby blasted him down a flight of stairs. The last time Lucius saw Dobby was in 1998, when Dobby came to Malfoy Manor to rescue Harry Potter and his friends. Dobby was eventually killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. It is unknown how the Malfoys reacted when they learned of it.
Ron Weasley
"Sir is very kind!... Dobby knew sir must be a great wizard, for he is Harry Potter's greatest friend, but Dobby did not know that he was also as generous of spirit, as noble, as selfless —"
—Dobby thanking Ron for his Christmas present[src]
Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley
Dobby first met Ron Weasley in 1994 in the Hogwarts kitchens, where Dobby worked. Ron was a close friend of Harry Potter. When Dobby talked with Harry and Ron about his life as a free elf, Ron started to like Dobby, and offered him a maroon sweater his mother had made, making the house-elf excited. When Ron was used as a "hostage" for the Triwizard Tournament, Dobby who had learned of the Second Task from the fake Mad-Eye Moody, became fearful of Harry losing his "Wheezy" (Dobby's name for Ron) to the merpeople and was manipulated by the fake Moody into stealing gillyweed for Harry. Ron and Dobby met again three years later, in 1997, when both Harry and Ron were at the hospital wing; Harry wanted Dobby to spy on Draco Malfoy because he believed he was a Death Eater. However, Ron didn't agree with this. In 1998, Harry, Ron, Hermione Granger and others were imprisoned at Malfoy Manor and Dobby came for their rescue. However, he was killed during the battle by Bellatrix Lestrange. Ron then respected Dobby very much and thanked him for saving his life. He also gave Dobby his shoes and socks to be buried in.
His death seemed to finally drive home to Ron the sorry life that house-elves lived, as during the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron voiced the opinion that they should evacuate the house-elves, or else risk another death like Dobby's. Dobby, as an inadvertent result, thus helped Ron and Hermione begin their relationship. Overcome by his thoughtfulness towards elves, Hermione kissed Ron for the first time.
Hermione Granger
Hermione-granger-gallery
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger also met Dobby for the first time at the Hogwarts kitchens, where the latter worked. Hermione appeared to like Dobby, because he loved his freedom and because he wanted to make the other house-elves want freedom too. During her fifth year at Hogwarts, Hermione spent most of her time making clothes and hiding them in many places of the Gryffindor Common Tower. However, the house-elves stopped cleaning those places once they found the first of the clothes, as they didn't want to take them. Thus, Dobby cleaned Gryffindor Tower by himself, taking and wearing all of Hermione's knitted clothes.
Dobby and Hermione didn't meet again until 1997, when Harry had sent Dobby to spy on Draco Malfoy. When Dobby came to the Malfoy Manor to rescue them, Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. Dobby then brought them to Shell Cottage but was killed by Bellatrix by her throwing a knife and stabbing Dobby during the Apparition.
Winky
Dobby was first seen with Winky, a female house-elf, in 1994. Earlier that same year, Harry had mistaken Winky for Dobby at the Quidditch World Cup. Winky excitedly told Harry that she knew Dobby, too; they evidently were friends previous to 1994 even though their relationship was only first displayed that year. It is likely that they met in the company of their masters, as Winky's master Barty Crouch was a high-ranking ministry official and Dobby's former masters the Malfoy family were well-connected and influential socialites.
Unlike Dobby, who loved his freedom, Winky was depressed and thought she was useless. When Dobby expressed his opinion that his life as a free elf was better than as a servant, he made her believe that he was a “bad house-elf”. So, Dobby tried in vain to convince her that she could live without serving the Crouch family by finding them both jobs at Hogwarts. It is known that Winky eventually managed to get over the fact that she was fired, although Dobby had died by then.
Kreacher
"Kreacher will not insult Harry Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!"
—Dobby treating Kreacher after he spoke ill of Harry[src]
Kreacher OotP SF
Kreacher
Dobby presumably met Kreacher, another house-elf, in late 1996 when Harry sent Kreacher to work in the kitchens of Hogwarts, and they did not have a good relationship. Firstly, Kreacher strongly disliked Harry Potter because he was a friend of many Muggle-borns and “blood-traitors" and because Harry initially wasn't very nice to Kreacher. Dobby loved and respected Harry very much for a variety of reasons; these differing viewpoints on Dobby's hero/best friend was mostly the reason why the two house-elves often fought with each other.
In 1996, they fought in the hospital wing because Kreacher had badmouthed Harry. Harry attempted to make them stop, but then Peeves appeared and encouraged them to hit each other. During the scuffle, Dobby managed to hit Kreacher in the mouth hard enough to knock out half his teeth– it is unknown how Kreacher grew them back or if he ever did. Furthermore, Harry told both Dobby and Kreacher to go and spy on Draco Malfoy; even then, they argued: When they reappeared to give a report, Dobby was angry that Kreacher hadn't informed him that he was going to Harry. Dobby didn't want it to seem like he hadn't been helping, as Kreacher was trying to make it out. However, Kreacher later started to respect Harry and be less prejudiced in general. It is possible that, since Kreacher had contact with the Hogwarts kitchen house-elves, he had contact with Dobby, too, and their common ground caused a release of the bad blood, but it is unknown. Dobby might not have learned about Kreacher's change before he was killed in 1998. Kreacher looks like Dobby, but more angry and antagonistic.
Hogwarts Kitchens House-elves
Dobby started his work at the Hogwarts Kitchens in 1994, a year after he was freed by Harry Potter. He loved his life as a free elf, something that the other house-elves who worked at the kitchens did not. They believed Dobby was mad and there was a great difference between their ideology and Dobby's, about a house-elf's life. Thus, he didn't have such a good relationship with his co-workers, as they believed that a house-elf should not have any personal life when they had to work and serve their masters. However, their opinion about Dobby might have changed during their later years at Hogwarts. During the Battle of Hogwarts all the house-elves, with Kreacher as a leader, fought against the Death Eaters, without anyone ordering them to do so. This indicates that they learned a house-elf can have a personal opinion, and that they should have as many rights as the humans. Unfortunately, Dobby had died by then.
Albus Dumbledore
"Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."
—Dobby's opinion of Dumbledore[src]
600full-Albus-Dumbledore-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-photo
Albus Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was considered by many people (including Dobby) as the greatest wizard of all time. Dobby always admired Dumbledore, because he was kind to everyone, even to the house-elves, and because he opposed Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore met Dobby in 1993, when he was still the servant of the Malfoy family. In 1994, Dobby asked Dumbledore for a job at the Hogwarts Kitchens and the headmaster gave him the job, offering a much higher salary than Dobby expected and gaining the house-elf's respect. He also permitted Dobby to call him as he wanted (such as "a barmy old codger"). Dobby was very fond of Dumbledore and knew he would never insult him, but he was awed by Dumbledore's gift of freedom of speech. Dumbledore died in 1997; it is unknown how Dobby reacted, or whether he attended his funeral.
Aberforth Dumbledore
AberforthInfobox
Aberforth Dumbledore
Over the course of his employment at Hogwarts, Dobby became close friends with Aberforth Dumbledore, and spent much time at Aberforth's home in Hogsmeade, getting to and from the school through a secret tunnel. As Aberforth was an old and grumpy person, he didn't have a good relationship with many people. However, Dobby offered friendship and someone to talk too. Aberforth himself stated that he liked Dobby. In 1998, Harry Potter and his friends were captured by Snatchers and imprisoned at the Malfoy Manor cellar. Harry asked for help while looking at a two-way mirror; Aberforth had the other mirror. He sent Dobby to rescue them; the house-elf did so, stating that "he would always be there for Harry Potter", but was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. After that, Aberforth told Harry, Ron and Hermione that he was really sorry, as he liked Dobby.
Luna Lovegood
"Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It's so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and so brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now."
—Luna Lovegood at Dobby's funeral[src]
In 1998, Dobby saved Luna, along with Garrick Ollivander and Griphook, from Malfoy Manor. She appeared at his funeral later at Shell Cottage. She appeared to like Dobby, calling him "Sir". He replied to this saying that he liked her very much.
