Harry Potter: I became Snape

"What is this—argh!" Mr. Malfoy's fingers suddenly brushed against something cold and slimy. He glanced down, let out a piercing scream, and flung the small snake away in terror.

Dobby instinctively leaped into the air, catching the object his master had thrown—

With a soft pop, the snake transformed back into a sock, lying quietly in the house-elf's hands. "You filthy half-blood mongrel! I'll—" Mr. Malfoy spat furiously at Snape.

To his surprise, neither Dumbledore nor Snape reacted to his venomous words. Instead, they stared intently at something beside him—Snape with a glint of anticipation, Dumbledore with a look of concern.

Mr. Malfoy whirled around, following their gaze—

The trembling house-elf clutched a smelly sock, his large eyes gazing at it as if it were a priceless treasure.

"Master…" Dobby murmured in disbelief, "Master gave Dobby a sock."

"What?" Mr. Malfoy snapped irritably. "What are you blabbering about? Throw that rag away!"

"Master threw the sock to Dobby, and Dobby caught it," the elf said, stepping back, his voice growing firmer. "Master gave Dobby a sock. Dobby—Dobby is free."

Dumbledore turned to the elf, his blue eyes wide with astonishment. Even this seasoned wizard clearly hadn't anticipated such a turn of events.

Mr. Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Then, he lunged at Snape.

"You!" He grabbed Snape by the shoulders, shaking him violently. "You despicable, foolish—"

Snape let himself be shaken. He knew it was wiser to endure than to fight back at this moment. Besides, Dumbledore was right there—Mr. Malfoy wouldn't dare do anything drastic. In his mind, Snape counted silently: Three, two…

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Dumbledore was on his feet, wand raised. Mr. Malfoy jumped back, releasing Snape as if scalded.

"I will not permit you to treat my student so roughly, Abraxas," Dumbledore said, his face showing anger for the first time that evening.

"You should calm yourself, Professor Malfoy," Snape said, smoothing his rumpled robes.

"No, you've cost me my servant, boy!" Mr. Malfoy panted, one hand clenched into a fist, the other reaching into his robes. "You'll pay for this—"

"You will not harm Severus Snape!" Dobby's shrill voice cut through, faster even than Dumbledore's movement.

With a loud crack, Mr. Malfoy was struck by an invisible force before he could draw his wand, stumbling backward.

He crashed onto the carpet of the Headmaster's office in a disheveled heap.

Struggling to his feet, his face ashen, Mr. Malfoy drew his wand.

But the elf had already raised a long, menacing finger.

"In front of Dobby," the elf said in a low, steady voice, pointing at Mr. Malfoy, "you cannot harm Mr. Snape."

Mr. Malfoy's furious gaze darted between Dobby and Snape before settling on Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore," he seethed, "your student not only disrespects his professor but has now cost me my servant. You must provide a satisfactory resolution, or I won't let this matter rest."

At that, Dobby took a step toward Mr. Malfoy, who instinctively leaped 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 replied, bowing deeply to Snape, clutching the sock tightly as he retreated to a corner. His enormous, tennis-ball-sized green eyes, however, never left Mr. Malfoy.

"Dumbledore," Mr. Malfoy said, still shaken as he sank into an armchair, struggling to maintain his dignity, "I never imagined that in such a venerable institution, a professor's safety could be threatened. If you cannot fulfill the basic duties of a headmaster, I'll petition the Board of Governors to appoint a more suitable candidate."

"Rest assured, Abraxas," Dumbledore said coolly, "your safety at Hogwarts is guaranteed. Let us return to the matter at hand. Severus will face appropriate consequences. He will be barred from continuing your class, and Slytherin will lose two hundred points."

At the mention of points, Mr. Malfoy leaned forward slightly, his lips twitching as if to protest—after all, it was his own house losing points. But he ultimately leaned back.

"Not enough," he said. "He should be expelled from Hogwarts."

"No, I cannot expel a student without cause," Dumbledore replied, shaking his head. "And you cannot name a single rule Severus has broken that warrants expulsion."

Mr. Malfoy's anger flared again. He gripped the armrests, starting to rise, but a faint noise from Dobby in the corner made him sink back into the chair.

"Pfft—" Snape nearly burst out laughing at the comical sight.

"Very well," Dumbledore continued. "Severus will also serve a month's detention. Every night at ten, he'll work in the Forbidden Forest with Rubeus Hagrid. Are you satisfied, Abraxas?"

"Very well, Dumbledore, Snape," Mr. Malfoy said, his expression shifting from fury to an unsettling calm, his pale eyes glinting dangerously. "Very well. I suppose this is the harshest punishment you could muster."

He stood, wrapping his robes around himself, cast a final glance at Snape and Dumbledore, and stormed toward the door.

Bang! The oak door slammed shut behind Mr. Malfoy, rattling the portraits on the walls, which blinked open their eyes.

Once certain Mr. Malfoy was gone, Dobby emerged from the corner.

"Severus Snape has freed Dobby!" the elf squeaked, gazing up at Snape as moonlight streamed through a window behind the desk, illuminating his bulging eyes. "Severus Snape has given Dobby freedom!"

"I didn't do much, Dobby," Snape said with a grin, gesturing to the chair Mr. Malfoy had just vacated. "As long as you don't hate freedom, that is. Sit down, Dobby."

The elf burst into sobs, startling Snape. Dobby's wails were so loud that even Fawkes lifted its head from its perch, peering curiously.

"Sit—sit down!" Dobby choked out. "Never… never… never has a wizard asked Dobby to sit—as an equal—"

"You're free now, Dobby," Snape said soothingly, guiding him to the chair. "And I've never seen a house-elf so thrilled to be free."

Dobby sat, hiccupping, looking like an oversized, ugly doll. Finally, he calmed himself, his teary eyes fixed on Snape with reverence.

Dumbledore spoke up.

"Severus," the Headmaster said, his eyes twinkling thoughtfully, "I had assumed your actions were merely meant to annoy Abraxas, with no real consequence."

"House-elves," he continued, "most consider being freed a disgrace. Even if accidentally freed, they often choose to renew a magical bond with their former master or find a respectable family to serve."

"But Dobby loves freedom!" the elf declared, a radiant smile breaking across his ruddy brown face, revealing a mouthful of teeth. "Dobby does not like bad masters!"

The words slipped out, and Dobby froze, trembling at his own audacity. He leaped up, frantically banging his head with his fists, shrieking, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Hey!" Snape grabbed the tattered pillowcase Dobby wore, pulling him close and pinning his hands. "Don't hurt yourself!"

"Thank you, noble Mr. Snape, thank you," Dobby gasped, gradually calming down.

"Quite an unusual elf, isn't he, Professor?" Snape said, settling Dobby back in the chair and turning to Dumbledore. "But I don't see anything wrong with that. The world's mad because it's always surprised by things that seem perfectly normal."

"A novel perspective," Dumbledore said approvingly, then turned to the elf. "Dobby, now that you're free, would you consider working at Hog—"

"Would you work for me?" Snape cut in quickly. He wasn't about to let the elf he'd worked so hard to free end up slaving away in Hogwarts' kitchens. Besides, the school had no shortage of elves.

"Work?" Dobby hesitated. "Sir, Dobby wants to work, but—"

"Of course, with pay," Snape said, catching Dobby's concern. "Let me lay out the terms."

He put on a mock-serious expression. "Your salary will be a mere five Galleons a week, and you'll work a full eight hours a day, with weekends off. Only three meals a day plus snacks, milk only in the mornings, triple pay for overtime, three bonuses a year, and just two months of annual leave…"

"No!" Dobby shuddered, squealing in horror. "No!"

"House-elves don't need payment," Dumbledore said, shaking his head at Snape. "They don't need money."

"Is that so?" Snape smirked, turning to the elf. "Dobby, what don't you like about my terms?"

"So much wealth and leisure… it's terrifying," Dobby said, trembling. "Dobby loves freedom, sir, but not too much freedom. Dobby prefers work!"

"Sir," Dobby stood, "Dobby only needs ten Sickles a week and one day off every six months—"

"That's too little," Snape interrupted firmly. "One Galleon a week, one day off a month. That's my final offer, Dobby. Don't haggle—it's rude, considering who freed you."

"Dobby—" The elf's eyes widened further. "Thank you, Mr. Snape!"

"It's settled, then," Snape said with a smile. "Start tomorrow. Meet me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at ten. Until then, you're free to do as you please—maybe visit the kitchens and catch up with your friends. You've met Mipple there, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir," Dobby said eagerly. "Dobby has seen her, but hasn't had a chance to talk properly. Dobby doesn't know why she's at Hogwarts."

"Then go see her," Snape said. "Off you go, Dobby."

Dobby tucked the sock into his pillowcase, stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Snape's waist in a tight hug.

"See you tomorrow, sir," Dobby said, his voice thick with another loud sob, before vanishing with a pop.

The office fell silent.

Snape turned to Dumbledore, who was watching him with an odd expression.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with delight, "sometimes I wonder just how many surprises that mind of yours holds."

"More than you might imagine," Snape replied with a shrug. "So, what's this about the Forbidden Forest?"

"Oh," Dumbledore said, waving his wand to pour two half-glasses of deep crimson liquid. "Cranberry rum, try it. You're a grown wizard now."

Snape took the floating glass.

"Lately, the werewolves in the Forbidden Forest have been restless," Dumbledore said, his tone growing serious as he held his glass. "There's been some conflict among them. Hagrid asked for someone to investigate."

"I had planned to send Filius with him, but his teaching load is too heavy. Given your abilities…" Dumbledore looked at Snape with satisfaction. "You've exceeded my expectations. I'd like you to accompany Hagrid and look into it. Try to handle it with restraint, if possible."

"Fine," Snape agreed without hesitation. "It's Dobby's freedom day, after all. A small task like this? Leave it to me."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a smile, nodding. "Today, you've gained the friendship of a rather remarkable elf."

"Couldn't be happier," Snape said, raising his glass to clink lightly with Dumbledore's.

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