"What's this— ah!" Mr. Malfoy's finger suddenly touched something cold and slimy. He looked down and shrieked, flinging the small snake away in horror.
Dobby instinctively leaped up, catching the object his master had thrown. With a soft pop, the small snake transformed back into a sock, lying quietly in the house-elf's palm.
"You filthy, half-blood mongrel! I'll—" Mr. Malfoy furiously cursed at Snape.
But to his surprise, Dumbledore and Snape showed no reaction to his insults; instead, their eyes were fixed on the area beside him. Snape's gaze held anticipation, while Dumbledore's was filled with concern.
Mr. Malfoy whirled around, following their gaze. The house-elf was trembling, clutching a smelly sock, his large eyes staring at it excitedly, as if it were a priceless treasure.
"Master—" Dobby murmured in disbelief, "Master gave Dobby a sock."
"What?" Mr. Malfoy snapped, annoyed. "What are you talking about? Nonsense! Throw that rag away!"
"Master threw the sock to Dobby, and Dobby caught it," the house-elf retreated a few steps, his voice growing firmer. "Master gave Dobby a sock, and Dobby—Dobby is free!"
Dumbledore looked at the house-elf, his blue eyes filled with surprise. Even the widely experienced old wizard clearly hadn't anticipated such a development.
Mr. Malfoy stood there stunned, staring at the house-elf, trying to comprehend what was happening.
Then, he suddenly lunged at Snape.
"You!" He pounced on Snape, his fingers digging into his shoulders, and began to shake him violently. "You despicable, idiotic—"
Snape allowed himself to be shaken. He knew it was best to endure it quietly rather than retaliate at this moment. Besides, Dumbledore was right there; Malfoy couldn't genuinely harm him. He silently counted down—three, two, one...
Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Dumbledore had risen, raising his wand—Mr. Malfoy jumped back, releasing Snape as if he'd been burned.
"I will not permit you to treat my student roughly, Abraxas," Dumbledore said, a hint of anger showing on his face for the first time that evening.
"You should calm down, Professor Malfoy," Snape said, straightening his crumpled robes.
"No, you made me lose my house-elf, boy!" Mr. Malfoy gasped, one hand clenching into a fist, the other reaching into his robes. "You will pay for this—"
"You shall not harm Severus Snape!" Dobby's shrill voice suddenly rang out, quicker than Dumbledore's movements.
With a loud crack, before Mr. Malfoy could even pull out his wand, he was hit by an invisible force and fell backward onto his knees.
He stumbled awkwardly and landed ungracefully on his backside on the Headmaster's office carpet.
Mr. Malfoy struggled to his feet, his face ashen, and pulled out his wand.
But the house-elf had already raised a long, very powerful finger.
"Before Dobby," the house-elf pointed at Mr. Malfoy, his voice low, "you cannot harm Mr. Snape." Mr. Malfoy's furious gaze darted between Dobby and Snape, finally settling on Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore, your student not only disrespects a professor, but he has now cost me my servant. You must provide me with a satisfactory solution, or I will not let this rest."
Hearing this, Dobby took a step towards Mr. Malfoy, who instinctively jumped behind Dumbledore.
"It's alright, Dobby," Snape said gently. "You don't need to worry. Just wait over there for a moment."
"Yes, sir." Dobby bowed deeply to Snape, clutching the sock tightly in his hand, and retreated to the corner. But his large, tennis-ball-sized green eyes still followed Mr. Malfoy's movements.
"Dumbledore," Mr. Malfoy, still shaken, sat down in an armchair, trying to maintain his dignity. "I never imagined that in such an ancient school, a teacher's personal safety would be threatened. If you cannot fulfil a headmaster's basic duties, then I will petition the Board of Governors to appoint a suitable new headmaster."
"Rest assured, Abraxas," Dumbledore said coldly. "Your safety at Hogwarts is absolutely guaranteed. Let's return to the topic of this evening. I will give Severus appropriate punishment. He will be forbidden from continuing your classes, and, Slytherin will have two hundred points deducted."
Upon hearing the point deduction, Mr. Malfoy leaned forward for a moment, his lips twitching as if to object. After all, these were points from his own house. But in the end, he settled back.
"Not enough," he said. "He should be expelled from Hogwarts."
"No, I cannot arbitrarily expel students," Dumbledore shook his head. "Besides, you cannot state a single rule Severus has violated that would lead to his expulsion."
Mr. Malfoy's anger flared again. He braced himself on the armrest, intending to stand up, but a slight rustle from Dobby in the corner made him instantly sit back down.
"Pfft—" Snape almost laughed out loud at his comical reaction.
"How about this: Severus will also be given a month's detention," Dumbledore continued. "Every night at ten, in the Forbidden Forest, working with Rubeus Hagrid. Are you satisfied, Abraxas?"
"Very well, Dumbledore, Snape," Mr. Malfoy's expression shifted from anger to an unsettling calm, his light eyes glinting dangerously. "Very well. I suppose this is the harshest punishment you can devise."
He stood up, wrapped his robes around himself, cast one last sweeping glance at Snape and Dumbledore, and then hurried towards the door.
Bang! The oak door slammed shut behind Mr. Malfoy, making the portraits on the walls open their eyes.
After confirming that Mr. Malfoy had left, Dobby emerged from the corner.
"Severus Snape freed Dobby!" the house-elf shrieked, looking up at Snape. Moonlight streamed in from a window behind the desk, illuminating his round eyes. "Severus Snape made Dobby free!"
"I didn't do anything, Dobby," Snape grinned, pointing to the chair Mr. Malfoy had just vacated. "As long as you don't dislike freedom, that's all that matters. Sit down, Dobby."
The house-elf suddenly burst into tears, startling Snape. Dobby was crying so loudly that Fawkes lifted his head from his perch, looking around curiously.
"Sit—sit down!" Dobby choked out. "Never—? Never before—never has a wizard asked Dobby to sit down—like an equal—"
"From today, you are free, Dobby," Snape soothed Dobby, leading him to sit in the chair. "And I've never seen a house-elf so happy to gain his freedom."
Dobby sat there, hiccuping, looking like a rather ugly, overgrown doll. Finally, he managed to compose himself, watching Snape with wide, tearful, respectful eyes.
At this point, Dumbledore spoke.
"Severus," the Headmaster's eyes twinkled thoughtfully. "I had expected your actions just now to have no practical effect, save for annoying Abraxas."
"House-elves," he said, "most house-elves would consider being freed a disgrace. Even if accidentally freed, house-elves would willingly choose to re-establish a magical contract with their former master, or they would find a respectable family for themselves and 'settle down' properly again."
"But Dobby likes freedom!" The house-elf's ugly, reddish-brown face suddenly broke into a radiant smile, showing all his teeth. "Dobby doesn't like bad masters!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Dobby froze, trembling, terrified by his own audacity. He abruptly jumped up and began to furiously pummel his own head with both hands, shrieking, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Hey!" Snape quickly grabbed Dobby's old pillowcase, tugged him close, and firmly held his hands. "Don't hurt yourself!"
"Thank you, kind Mr. Snape, thank you," Dobby said, out of breath, finally calming down slowly.
"Professor, quite an unusual house-elf, wouldn't you agree?" Snape said to Dumbledore, placing Dobby back on the chair. "But I don't see anything wrong with it. This world is mad because it's always surprised by what seems normal."
"A very novel perspective," Dumbledore said approvingly, then looked at the house-elf. "Dobby, now that you are free, I wonder if you would be willing to work at Hog—"
"—would you be willing to work for me?" Snape quickly interjected, cutting Dumbledore off. He certainly didn't want the house-elf he had worked so hard to free to be squeezed into the Hogwarts kitchens. Besides, the school already had plenty of house-elves.
"Work?" The house-elf hesitated. "Sir, Dobby wants to work, but—"
"Of course, it comes with pay," Snape immediately realised Dobby's concern and added. "Here's the deal: I'll tell you my terms for working for me first."
He deliberately put on a stern face and spoke in his most serious tone: "Your salary will only be ten Galleons a week. You'll have to work eight full hours every day, with only weekends off; you'll only get three meals a day plus snacks, and milk only in the mornings; overtime will only be triple pay, bonuses only three times a year, and only two months of annual leave—"
"No!" Dobby shivered and cried out in horror. "No!"
"House-elves don't need wages," Dumbledore said, shaking his head and giving Snape a look. "They don't need money."
"Oh, really?" Snape sniffed, turning to the Headmaster. "I don't think so."
"Dobby," he turned to the house-elf and asked, "do you have any complaints about my terms?"
"So much wealth and leisure time is terrifying—" Dobby stammered. "Dobby likes freedom, but, sir, he doesn't want too much freedom. Dobby prefers to work!"
"Sir," the house-elf stood up. "Dobby only needs ten Sickles a week and one day off every six months—"
"That's far too little," Snape interrupted Dobby without argument. "Two Galleons a week, and one day off every month. That's my bottom line, Dobby. It would be impolite to haggle further. Don't forget who gave you your freedom."
"Dobby—" The house-elf's eyes widened even further. "Thank you, Mr. Snape!"
"Then it's settled," Snape said with a smile. "Start tomorrow. You'll wait for me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at ten o'clock tomorrow night. Until then, you're free to do as you please, perhaps go to the kitchens and chat with your friends. You've already met Mippo there, haven't you?"
"Yes, sir," Dobby said excitedly. "Dobby has seen her, but hasn't had a chance to talk properly with Mippo yet. Dobby doesn't know why she also came to Hogwarts."
"Then you can go now," Snape said. "Go on, Dobby."
Dobby tucked the sock into his pillowcase, approached Snape, stretched out his arms, hugged him tightly around the waist. "See you tomorrow, sir." Dobby let out another loud sob from his throat, then vanished.
The office suddenly fell silent.
Snape turned to Dumbledore and found the Headmaster looking at him with a peculiar expression.
"Severus," Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Sometimes I truly wonder how many more surprises you have hidden in that mind of yours."
"Probably more than you can imagine," Snape merely shrugged, then asked, "So, what do you need me for in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Oh," Dumbledore directed a wine bottle to pour them both half a glass of deep red liquid. "Redcurrant rum. Try it; you're a grown wizard now."
Snape accepted the glass that floated towards him.
"The werewolves in the Forbidden Forest have been a bit restless lately," Dumbledore said, holding his glass, his voice serious. "There seems to have been some disagreement among them, and Hagrid hopes I can send someone to investigate."
"I had originally intended to send Filius with him, but his schedule is simply too packed, and he's feeling a bit overwhelmed. Considering your abilities, hmm—" Dumbledore looked at Snape with satisfaction. "They've far exceeded my expectations, so I'd like you to accompany Hagrid and take a look. Of course, try to avoid overly aggressive measures."
"Alright," Snape agreed to the Headmaster's request with hardly any hesitation. "Today is Dobby's day of freedom, after all. You can safely leave such a small matter to me."
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Today, you've gained the friendship of an interesting house-elf."
"Yes, it's been the happiest day," Snape said, raising his glass to the Headmaster and clinking it gently.