Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 334: Fooling Dobby

In St. Catchpole Village, an old, dark green car pulled up to the door of The Burrow. The doors opened, and Kyle and the Weasleys got out, one after another.

“Home, boys, home. Don’t forget your bags in the car,” Mr. Weasley called from the driver’s seat, though he didn’t seem inclined to get out himself.

The old Ford, which had vanished into the Forbidden Forest after Ron drove it to Hogwarts, was a temporary loan from the Ministry of Magic, which Mr. Weasley would have to return soon. Every time he thought about it, he felt a pang of heartache. He had put a lot of work into transforming the ordinary Ford—adding an Undetectable Extension Charm, as well as charms for flying, invisibility, and self-navigation... and now it was lost.

Maybe we could find an excuse to give Ron a good scolding, Mr. Weasley mused as they walked back to the Ministry. His report card could do nicely…

On the other side, as soon as the group got out of the car, Mrs. Weasley rushed out of the house.

“Thank goodness, you’re finally on holiday!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up.

She wore a water bottle at her waist and clutched a brand new, oversized brush, heading straight toward Kyle.

“Kyle, you—” she began, but Ron’s startled voice cut her off as he spotted the House-elf trailing behind her.

“Oh, you must be Dobby... Oh no, it is Dobby!”

“Yes, Mr. Weasley,” Dobby said respectfully.

“He called me ‘sir’!” Ron looked thrilled.

“If you’d like,” Fred grinned, “we can call you that too.”

“Dear Mr. Ron Weasley,” George sniggered, “would you be so kind as to take your luggage up to your room?”

Ron flushed, but before he could lift a finger, Dobby had already stacked the suitcases and was carrying them into The Burrow.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Ginny exclaimed.

“Yes...” Ron muttered, quickly forgetting Fred and George’s teasing as he looked forward to a holiday filled with nothing but eating and sleeping.

“Convenient? I don’t think so,” Mrs. Weasley muttered under her breath, unheard by the others.

She pulled Kyle aside and, after glancing around to ensure Dobby wasn’t nearby, asked hopefully, “My dear, this is terrible to say, but... is there any way you might help us be rid of Dobby?”

“Of course, Mrs. Weasley,” Kyle replied with a nod. “But it’s getting late today, so let’s do it tomorrow. I’ll take him away then.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Mrs. Weasley sighed with relief. “If possible, please be gentle about it. Dobby truly means well, but...” She sighed again. “Arthur’s appetite just isn’t the same these days. I know he misses my cooking.”

“I’ve tried talking to Dobby about it, but every time he just gets so flustered, thinking he’s failed somehow, and starts banging his head against the table.”

“I understand, Mrs. Weasley,” Kyle said gently. “Leave it to me.”

While they spoke, the others had already gone inside. Dobby had set up a large spread of biscuits and sweets, saying it would be a nice snack to tide everyone over until dinner. In reality, it looked enough to serve as dinner on its own. If things continued like this, the Weasleys’ food expenses were bound to soar…

Kyle found Dobby in the kitchen, busy preparing ingredients for dinner and for desserts like pudding.

“Sir!” Dobby immediately stopped what he was doing when he saw Kyle. “Thank you for helping Dobby find a new job. Dobby really loves it here.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Kyle replied. “By the way, I wanted to ask—would you like to come to my house as my guest?”

“Guest… You said ‘invite’!” Dobby gasped, clutching his ears in excitement, his entire face flushing brownish-red. “Dobby would love to!”

So Kyle took Dobby back to his house.

“Good news,” Kyle announced once they’d arrived. Dobby was practically buzzing with excitement, already itching to start cleaning. “You’ve passed the trial period.”

“Trial period?” Dobby’s face filled with confusion, clearly not understanding.

“To put it simply, the family you were just with wasn’t your real workplace,” Kyle explained, carefully delivering the words he’d been rehearsing and quickly adding more before Dobby could attempt any self-punishment. “You’re actually going to work for a different family. But the owners there are very picky—only the best House-elves earn their approval.”

The mention of best House-elf seemed to activate something in Dobby.

“Dobby can… Dobby is the best House-elf!”

Fortunately, the floor escaped unscathed.

“Yes, of course. Mrs. Weasley has already told me,” Kyle said, nodding. “You passed her test and are ready to work there.”

...

Under Kyle’s persuasion, Dobby quickly believed his words. However, he insisted on preparing that night’s dinner for the Weasleys before leaving; otherwise, he declared, he wouldn’t deserve to be called an “Outstanding House-elf.”

Kyle saw no reason to refuse since they wouldn’t be leaving until the next day, so he agreed. Mrs. Weasley was also more than happy to let Dobby finish his work.

With Dobby settled, Mr. Weasley returned with Chris and Diana. However, the family reunion didn’t turn out as warmly as Kyle had expected. The moment Diana saw Kyle, her face turned stern, and she launched into a lecture, scolding him for tampering with time. She emphasized that, upon discovering he’d traveled to the past, he should have immediately informed his family.

“Even if I didn’t receive the letter, you could’ve told your father,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “He can always reach me... If it weren’t for Dumbledore, I wouldn’t even know about all the ‘excitement’ you’ve been having at school...”

She gave him a pointed look. “What’s the matter? Have all the teachers at Hogwarts died that you had to take on the Chamber of Secrets yourself?”

Chris, meanwhile, kept his head down and, in an effort to avoid being dragged into the crossfire, discreetly slipped out the door and took refuge inside The Burrow.

The lecture went on for more than half an hour, only ending when Kyle repeatedly assured his mother that Salazar Slytherin himself had promised to help smooth over the effects of the time travel. As a Slytherin graduate, Diana had a certain admiration and trust for the founder—similar to Lockhart’s admirers at the start of the school year—so she accepted Kyle’s assurances without further questions.

...

That evening, Kyle’s family joined the Weasleys for dinner at Mr. Weasley’s invitation. Dobby, true to his word, used every ingredient available to prepare a magnificent feast. Mr. Weasley had to conjure an extra-large table at the last minute just to fit all the dishes.

The meal stretched out for nearly two hours. Ron was so stuffed he could barely move by the end, thinking to himself that this dinner was nearly as splendid as a Hogwarts feast. Having a grand meal like this at home was something he’d never imagined, and he could see why people wanted a House-elf so much.

“This is really amazing…” Ron thought, happily drowsy from the meal.

Fred and George were equally thrilled. With a House-elf around, Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t have to clean their room anymore, and she’d be less likely to discover the things they hid under their beds.

As for Percy, he seemed pleased as well; House-elves were famously quiet while working, so they wouldn’t disturb him while he studied.