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"Dobby! Is that you?! Come out and make the Thestral stop!" Orli managed to make the gesture despite the violently swaying carriage.
The air shimmered, and a house-elf with large ears and bulging eyes materialized in the carriage. It was indeed Dobby.
"Why does Harry Potter return to school? It's all Dobby's fault. Dobby had to obey other wizards' orders to open the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," Dobby said, casting a reproachful glance at Orli.
"Now Harry Potter is back at school," he murmured mournfully.
"Dobby warned Harry Potter again and again... ah... why wouldn't Harry Potter listen to Dobby?"
"Stop it! Dobby, are you trying to get us killed?!" Harry shouted furiously.
"Dobby never meant to kill Harry Potter, never!" Dobby exclaimed, horrified.
"Dobby only wants to save Harry Potter's life! Dobby only wants Harry Potter to be injured enough to be sent home! Better seriously injured than dead at school!"
"So you're Dobby!" Ron lunged to grab him, but Dobby nimbly dodged around the carriage, his fingertips glowing white as the Thestral was about to plunge into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
"Dobby! As a witch, I swear to you that I won't let Harry die this year! I can form a temporary master-servant contract with you!" Orli looked at Dobby intently, her voice urgent.
"Miss Witch wants to form a contract with Dobby?" Dobby's large eyes focused properly on Orli for the first time, seemingly in disbelief.
"What contract? What are they talking about?" Harry turned to ask Hermione.
"A temporary master-servant contract. For a fixed period, a witch or wizard swears to accomplish something for a house-elf, and the house-elf must obey that person's commands unconditionally, as long as they don't conflict with their original master's orders. But if the witch or wizard fails to fulfill their oath, they die," Hermione frantically recalled what she'd read.
"Orli, no! You can't make such an oath!" Harry gestured frantically at Orli.
"Dobby! Your hand!" Orli ignored Harry, extending her hand before Dobby.
"Don't you want to ensure Harry's safety at all costs? I can do that!"
Dobby studied Orli, hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand in hers. Their hands clasped tightly together.
"I, Orli Waters, hereby swear as a witch to house-elf Dobby that I will ensure Harry survives at Hogwarts for the next year."
"I, house-elf Dobby, hereby swear to witch Orli Waters that I will obey Orli Waters' commands for the next year, provided they don't conflict with my master's orders."
A blue light flashed through the carriage like a magical Christmas cracker, then dissipated.
"The contract is sealed! Miss Waters, Dobby will follow your instructions. Dobby hopes you can keep your word." Dobby withdrew his hand and bowed deeply to Orli.
"Dobby, now make the Thestral return to the castle entrance immediately. We're going to miss the Sorting Ceremony," Orli finally sighed in relief, adding:
"And for the next year, you cannot try to make Harry go home, nor can you cause him any injury in the process. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Waters." Dobby snapped his fingers and vanished.
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Author's Note:
*The contract binding is my original creation. This type of contract is inspired by the Unbreakable Vow but specifically applies to relationships between wizards and house-elves.
While Orli could command Dobby using the gesture Pokey taught her, the situation became urgent after the Thestral was spooked. She needed to make Dobby believe Harry would be safe and prevent Dobby from threatening their safety again, hence the temporary master-servant contract. While this might seem disadvantageous to Orli, she knows Harry will definitely survive.
Additionally, the contract's power is subordinate to the house-elf's original master-servant relationship but supersedes gesture commands. The limitation of gesture commands is that they only work when the house-elf is nearby, while the temporary master-servant contract allows for long-distance summoning.