My House Is Quite Large

"Damn house-elf!"

Inside a restaurant in Diagon Alley, Lucius Malfoy fumed as he stabbed at his steak with a knife and fork. His house-elf was nowhere to be found, forcing him to spend four Galleons on dinner—a waste of money that infuriated him. He swore that once he found that lazy little creature, he would make sure it fully understood the consequences of disobeying its master.

Just as he was about to take his first bite, a "hoot hoot" sounded from outside the private room's window. Lucius turned his head to see an owl perched outside, tilting its head at him, a letter tied to its leg.

Scoffing in annoyance at the interruption, Lucius opened the window, letting the owl hop inside. He untied the letter and unfolded it.

**"Your house-elf and the diary you sent out are both in my possession. If you do not wish for me to turn them over to the Ministry of Magic, please come to my office before November 4th for a discussion.

—Albus Dumbledore"**

Lucius Malfoy froze. Then—

"That traitorous little bastard, Dobby?!" He slammed his forked hand against the table, making the owl jump in fright, dropping the last half of his steak from its beak.

"Shoo! Get lost!" Lucius waved his hand irritably, shoving the annoying owl out the window before sinking into deep thought.

Although he had used a scuffle as cover to smuggle the Dark Lord's cursed artifact into Hogwarts, the diary had ultimately caused little trouble for Dumbledore and had instead become a problem for himself. The Ministry had been cracking down on Dark artifacts recently, and an old, tattered diary wouldn't fetch a good price anymore. Perhaps he should just toss it into the river and be done with it.

But—Dobby, that worthless wretch, had been captured by Dumbledore? Why had it run to Hogwarts? Or… had Dumbledore caught it near, or even inside, his manor? Was that old bastard spying on me?!

The thought sent a chill down Lucius's spine.

Feeling his thoughts spiraling, Lucius decided to clear his head with another bite of steak. But when he went to stab it, his fork clashed against the plate with a loud clang.

"Hmm?"

Something felt off. He looked down.

"Where's my steak? That was a prime cut! Where the hell did it go?!"

...

After dinner, Lucius hurried to Hogsmeade via the Floo Network. The thought of Dobby—who knew all his dirty secrets—sitting under Dumbledore's watchful eye unsettled him deeply.

The road from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts was muddy from a recent rain, and Lucius cursed as he trudged through the muck. His irritation grew with each step. He no longer planned to merely punish Dobby—he was going to kill the damned creature. He would carve it into pieces and feed it to the dogs.

Meanwhile, inside the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, Harry was demonstrating a new spell he had learned—the Five-Ring Teleportation Array.

"So, Harry, by casting this array, you can teleport anything within its boundary to any unoccupied space within five feet of a corresponding target array on the same plane of existence. And if cast in the same location every day for a year, it becomes a permanent teleportation circle?" Dumbledore mused. "Tell me, Harry—if one were to inscribe such an array inside a moving carriage, would it still be possible to teleport into it from elsewhere?"

"I… think so?" Harry replied uncertainly. "Professor Dumbledore, why are you asking?"

"Well, this morning, Nicolas and I were discussing our interdimensional exploration project…"

It took Harry several minutes to grasp the problem the research institute was facing.

Building a launch site near Hogwarts posed multiple legal issues, including breaches of the Statute of Secrecy. So, they had decided to establish the space center on the far side of the moon. Nicolas Flamel had already solved the problem of constructing an unmanned base using alchemic automatons and the Undetectable Extension Charm, but they were still struggling with the issue of sending people there.

"So, Professor, upon learning about my teleportation array, you started wondering if we could set up a permanent two-way portal between Hogwarts and the Moon?"

Dumbledore nodded. "We have confirmed that the magical energy Harry uses to cast spells is the same as that of wizards. Moreover, runes arranged in specific sequences function similarly to incantations. The symbols that appeared when you cast the teleportation array suggest that, in theory, we could link a series of runes together to activate a teleportation spell. If successful, we could travel instantly—even to Pluto."

Harry: "…"

At that moment, the office doors burst open with a loud BANG, slamming against the wall.

Lucius Malfoy stood there, livid.

"Good evening, Lucius," Dumbledore greeted pleasantly.

"Dumbledore! A very good evening indeed!" Lucius sneered through clenched teeth, his icy gaze fixed on the Headmaster.

"As per your letter, I'm here. Now, hand over my house-elf and that diary!"

"Ah, yes, Lucius," Dumbledore smiled calmly. "Dobby is being well cared for by Hogwarts' house-elves. As for the diary… I believe you may have misunderstood something."

His smile widened. "I never promised to return it to you, did I?"

Lucius Malfoy's already pale face turned even whiter, but his eyes burned with fury.

"So, even the great Albus Dumbledore has time to play petty games with a nobody like me?" Lucius smirked mockingly. "Tell me, Headmaster, you won't try to cheat me out of Dobby as well, will you?"

"Dobby is your property, Lucius. Naturally, I will return him to you intact," Dumbledore replied with an infuriatingly serene smile.

"Then I'll take him now! Immediately!"

Dumbledore snapped his fingers. A house-elf in an apron appeared with a pop. "Yes, Headmaster?"

"Fetch Dobby from the kitchens."

With another pop, the elf vanished. A few seconds later, he reappeared, bringing with him a trembling Dobby.

Dobby, now wearing a clean apron and hat, clutched a filthy rag like a lifeline. His small face was contorted in terror as he stared at Lucius Malfoy's feet, his posture hunched and fearful.

Harry noticed Lucius eyeing Dobby's clean clothing with disgust.

"Anything else, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

Lucius glanced at the black-bound diary on Dumbledore's desk. Harry saw his right hand twitch, as if tempted to reach for his wand—but he restrained himself. Instead, he turned sharply toward Dobby.

"We're leaving!" he snapped.

He yanked open the door. Dobby scurried after him, only for Lucius to kick him through the doorway. The filthy rag in Dobby's hands slipped from his grip as he was sent flying down the corridor, his agonized shriek echoing through the castle.

"Just like that? We're letting Dobby go with him?" Harry asked, watching Dumbledore. "He's going to kill him."

"I thought you resented him for what he did to you, Harry?" Dumbledore gasped theatrically.

"I do. But that doesn't mean I'll stand by and watch an innocent creature die!" Harry snapped. "Professor, don't tell me you're really going to let this happen."

"If you're worried, why not follow them?"

Harry picked up the rag from the floor, shook it open, and froze. Then, gripping it tightly, he bolted out of the office.

Finally, on the staircase between the third and second floors, he caught up to Lucius and Dobby.

"Something you need, Potter?" Lucius asked coldly.

Harry panted, then steadied himself. "Mr. Malfoy—I have something for you."

He forcibly shoved the filthy rag into Lucius Malfoy's hand.

"What is this?" Mr. Malfoy flung the rag away in disgust, throwing it aside before glaring at Harry with barely restrained fury.

"Harry Potter," he whispered, his voice low and venomous, "one day, you'll meet the same end as your parents. They were fools who couldn't mind their own business."

He turned to leave.

"Come, Dobby. Did you hear me? Hurry up!"

But Dobby didn't move. He stood there, holding up the rag Malfoy had just tossed at him, unfolding it with trembling hands as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Master has given Dobby clothing," the house-elf murmured in astonishment. "Master has given Dobby clothes."

"What?" Malfoy snapped, irritation flashing across his face. "What did you say?"

"Dobby... Dobby has received clothing," Dobby said, raising the small, tattered vest stitched together from scraps, his voice filled with disbelief. "Master threw it, Dobby caught it, and that means... Dobby is free."

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf in stunned silence. Then, in a sudden burst of fury, he lunged at Harry.

"You cost me my servant, boy!"

"You will not harm Harry Potter!"

Dobby raised a hand, but Harry was faster.

Slamming his palm against the staircase, he activated the Five-Ring Spell: Animate Object. The entire staircase came to life, tossing Lucius Malfoy into the air before twisting like a serpent to coil tightly around him.

"Next time you think about attacking someone," Harry said, patting Lucius's cheek lightly, "make sure you understand the difference in power between you first. Got that, Mr. Malfoy?"

Lucius's furious, murderous glare was the last thing Harry saw before he commanded the staircase to hurl him out of the castle.

"Harry Potter has freed Dobby!"

The house-elf turned to Harry, his shrill voice echoing through the hall. The torches along the walls flared to life, their bright flames casting long shadows of the two figures against the stone.

"Harry Potter has granted Dobby freedom!"

"I didn't do much, Dobby," Harry replied with a grin. "But promise me—don't try to protect me anymore."

Dobby's ugly, reddish-brown face broke into a wide, toothy smile.

"But, Dobby," Harry said as the elf trembled with excitement, slipping the ragged vest over his head, "now that you're no longer bound to the Malfoys, where will you go?"

"Dobby does not know." The elf lowered his head, wringing his hands anxiously. "There is nowhere for a house-elf that has been cast out... Many like Dobby wander outside, living as strays, but—"

Suddenly, Dobby lifted his head, determination shining in his enormous eyes. "But Dobby is certain! Even if Dobby must wander, it will still be better than serving... no, former master!"

With that, he flung his arms around Harry's waist, squeezing him tightly.

"Harry Potter is even greater than Dobby ever imagined!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!"

His voice hitched in another loud, choking sob.

"Do you want to come live with me?"

Harry's voice stopped Dobby in his tracks.

It wasn't an impulsive offer—he had genuinely been thinking about how much of a hassle it was to clean an entire house alone. Even with magic, it took ages to go through each room properly.

"Truly?" Dobby gazed up at him, eyes wide and filled with excitement. "Harry Potter would hire Dobby, a house-elf thrown out by his master?"

Harry nodded. "Well, even I wouldn't mind having someone there to say 'welcome home' when I return."

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