Chapter 448: The Gift
Chapter 448: The Gift
Vedd returned home much later than expected, having spent time settling Mabel. As he pushed open the door, he found Mr. and Mrs. Granger, clad in their pajamas, waiting for him in the living room.
At the sound of the door, they both turned around, and upon seeing him, they smiled with relief.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back," Vedd said, walking towards them and hugging each of them.
"Hmm," Ferdinand patted his son's shoulder, as if he hadn't been worried at all, and said calmly, "It's good to have you back."
Fiona yawned and rubbed her eyes, "There's hot water in the bathtub. Go take a bath and get some rest. No more reading tonight, you need to sleep well!"
"Okay, you two should rest early too," Vedd said with a smile.
...
After finishing his evening routine, Vedd poured himself a glass of water and walked towards the bedroom, sipping it. As he reached for the doorknob, he paused slightly.
There seemed to be someone in the room...
It was a subtle feeling, as if the magic was telling him that someone else's magic existed beyond the door.
Vedd kept his important alchemical items and wardrobe space in his bedroom, and even when he took baths at home, he always carried his wand with him.
He gently placed the glass on the floor, holding his wand in one hand and pressing down on the doorknob with the other. With a slight push, he opened the door and quickly hid behind the wall to the side.
The door creaked softly as it slid open, revealing an unexpected guest standing in the center of the room. The guest had tennis ball-sized eyes sparkling with anticipation, slightly trembling ears, and fingers nervously pinching a corner of their clothes.
"Dobby?" Vedd was taken aback, then lowered his wand and smiled, "I've heard all about you from my parents. I know you were helping to search for me—thank you, Dobby. Don't stand there, please sit down."
Dobby didn't sit but looked up at him with his small stature, his voice trembling slightly, "Mr...Mr. Grey...Dobby...Dobby has a request."
"What is it?" Vedd squatted down and looked at him, "You're my friend, just say it."
Dobby took a deep breath and gathered his courage, "Can Mr. Grey employ Dobby? Dobby can do many things...Dobby can bake bread, clean, tend the garden, and even raise peacocks..."
Vedd was surprised, then he smiled warmly.
"Of course, I'd be delighted to have you as part of our family, Dobby. But I'll mostly be at school, so you'll need to stay with my parents. Is that okay?"
"Of course, Dobby likes Mr. and Mrs. Grey..."
Dobby's face first lit up with a bright glow, but then he hesitated, tugging at his clothes anxiously, "But Dobby is a house-elf banished by his previous master...will you be bothered by that, Mr. Grey?"
"I admire your free spirit, Dobby, because I feel the same way," Vedd said sincerely, "But I also have a few requests that I hope you can agree to."
Dobby swallowed hard and said nervously, "Okay...I'll agree. What are your requests?"
"First," Vedd raised a finger, "If you make a mistake, like burning the food, you must not punish yourself! The most important thing when a mistake occurs is to correct it, not to bang your head against the wall. Can you do that?"
Dobby's large eyes instantly filled with tears as he looked at Vedd's solemn expression, his heart filled with mixed emotions. After a long silence, he nodded firmly, "Yes!"
"Good," Vedd continued, "Second, since you're my employed house-elf, your dignity is my dignity. The Granger family will continue to grant you the right to receive clothes. This isn't a humiliation or banishment but a sign of care and respect among family members. Can you accept that?"
Dobby stood frozen, staring at Vedd without blinking, biting his lip, and slowly nodding.
"And third," Vedd said with a smile, "Dobby, my friend, even though you're employed, your body and soul remain free."
"If you think someone in the family has made a wrong decision or made you feel uncomfortable, you can voice your opinion. And if one day you want to leave, you can do so, but be sure to say a proper goodbye, okay?"
Dobby shook his head vigorously and sobbed softly, "Dobby won't leave! Dobby likes Vedd Grey and the Granger family! Dobby would never abandon his family!"
"Then welcome to our family, Dobby."
Vedd extended his hand, and Dobby looked at it with teary eyes, slowly reaching out to grasp it.
As their hands touched, the house-elf could no longer hold back his emotions and burst into loud sobs.
Vedd, quick as lightning, cast a silencing charm on the door as Dobby opened his mouth, preventing the noise from waking his parents downstairs.
"I'm sorry, sir," Dobby sobbed, "No one has ever treated a house-elf like this... No punishments, and I can even wear clothes... No one wants Dobby because he was fired... Dobby, Dobby didn't mean to cry..."
Vedd patted the elf's head, allowing him to release his emotions. He silently handed Dobby a tissue, patiently waiting for him to finish crying while drafting a magical contract.
After a long while, Dobby finally calmed down, sniffling as he wiped his tears and snot. He apologized softly, over and over again.
"There's no need to apologize. I know how cruel the Malfoys were to you," Vedd said, shaking his head. He pushed the parchment forward and added, "Take a look at this contract. If you have no objections, sign your name here."
"Okay, okay," Dobby agreed, taking the parchment carefully. He was determined to sign it no matter the conditions, but when he read the contents, he was surprised.
Not only did the contract include the three agreements Vedd had mentioned, but it also specified the salary he would receive—ten Galleons per week, with weekends off, and the possibility of future increases.
Dobby trembled, almost dropping the contract. "No... It's too much... Dobby doesn't need that much money or freedom... Dobby likes freedom, but not too much..."
The elf spoke anxiously, as if Vedd had offered him something terrifying.
"Silly Dobby," Vedd said, rubbing the elf's head affectionately. "If you don't know how to spend the money, save it. It will come in handy one day."
"And about the days off, if you enjoy working, you can still do so on your days off, but you must retain the freedom to rest."
Seeing that Dobby was about to argue, Vedd cut him off. "Don't haggle with me, Dobby. The salary I'm offering is already low. If word gets out, I'll lose face—people will think I'm stingy, like a miserly Scrooge."
Dobby didn't know who Scrooge was, but he closed his mouth, feeling both grateful and anxious as he looked at Vedd. Finally, under Vedd's encouraging gaze, he signed the contract.
"That's better," Vedd said with satisfaction, making two copies of the contract. He kept one for himself and gave the other to Dobby.
Dobby held the parchment as if it were a precious treasure, unsure where to put it.
"Come with me," Vedd said, leading him out of the room. "From now on, you'll stay in the guest room. Tomorrow morning, after we wake up, I'll formally introduce you to my parents."
"Yes, sir," Dobby replied, his mind as blank as porridge. The sudden turn of events left him unable to think; he could only follow Vedd's instructions.
...
The guest room was simply furnished with a bed and basic furniture. It was clean, thanks to the small magical doll that regularly tidied the room.
Dobby touched the soft bed and the green checkered sheets, then the goose-down pillow, gently pressing it down. He looked at the nearby desk and cabinet.
He knew this would be his room from now on, but he still couldn't believe his luck.
Dobby wanted to lie down on the bed and experience the happiness of sleeping in his own bed, but when he saw the clean sheets and his dirty feet, he retracted his hands and feet in embarrassment.
Remembering the bathroom Vedd had mentioned, Dobby nodded to himself and went to take a thorough bath.
After his bath, the clothes he had worn for several days looked filthy and smelled unpleasant.
Dobby washed his clothes, and with a snap of his fingers, the wet clothes dried instantly.
Dressed again, the elf turned to look at the wet spot in the corner. Without hesitation, he picked up the nearby cloth and started cleaning.
The latest, smallest, and most talkative book in the 69th dimension!
After cleaning the bathroom, Dobby realized he was too excited to sleep.
And so he swept the floor and stairs again, polishing the banisters until they shone, rearranging the cluttered books on the shelves, cleaning the windows, and wiping down the tables and cabinets. He relit the fireplace, making sure it was ready for the morning.
As he finished these tasks, the sky began to brighten with the approaching dawn. Dobby hurried to the kitchen, intending to prepare breakfast, only to be met by three pairs of gloomy eyes.
The three small magical dolls sat side by side by the pool, their arms crossed, staring at Dobby. They whispered to each other,
"What a strange fellow."
"He's here to take our jobs!"
"Does he want us to get fired?"
Dobby: "..."
An unexpected competitor had arrived!
...
Vedd arranged a room for Dobby and then returned to his own bedroom. He noticed the cup on the floor by the door, shook his head, and with a casual wave, the cup floated into his hand.
Vedd placed the cup on the desk and flopped onto the bed, letting out a long breath.
Initially, Vedd had planned to open his Christmas presents and see what Dumbledore's surprise was, but after such a long day, he was exhausted and only wanted to sleep.
He slept dreamlessly through the night.
It wasn't until the sunlight caressed his eyelids that Vedd woke from his slumber. He lingered in bed for a few more minutes before finally rolling out of bed.
As he tidied up and headed downstairs, he heard whispers coming from the kitchen—
"For the blueberry pancakes, pay attention to the ratio of sour cream and flour. Vedd likes them crispy, and don't use too much tequila syrup..." Fiona instructed.
"Dobby remembers," Dobby replied.
"Did Dobby make these bacon and eggs too?" Ferdinand asked in surprise. "They're really good!"
"Yes, Dobby loves to cook!"
"Coco helped too!" the small magical doll exclaimed.
"Yes, Coco was a great help, and so were Ali and Rena," Dobby quickly added.
"I know, everyone is amazing!" Fiona said with a smile.
"How about adding some grilled mushrooms and fish cakes?" Ferdinand suggested. "Since we have a new member in the family, we should celebrate."
"Sure! I'll make some fresh orange juice too!" Fiona agreed happily.
"Oh, Ali got flour on his nose!" Rena exclaimed joyfully.
The group laughed, though it wasn't clear what had amused them.
Vedd leaned against the stair railing, inhaling the aroma of pancakes wafting from the kitchen, and silently chuckled.
Suddenly, a shadow flitted across the window, catching Vedd's attention. He turned his gaze to the window and saw Kreacher standing outside, bowing deeply before disappearing.
Now that Dobby had become the Granger's house-elf, the safety of the Granger couple could be entrusted to him. Kreacher needed to return to the Black family mansion to manage the estate and care for his master, who was not someone to be trusted.
...
The lively celebration feast, of course, needs no further description. The Granger couple wholeheartedly welcomed the new addition to their family.
In the afternoon, Vedd finally found the time to sort through his Christmas presents, which were enough to fill half the room.
He categorized the books, toys, clothes, candies, and other gifts, setting aside the special ones.
Professor More's gift was a stone with inscriptions on it, and there was also a note in the package:
[Wakidi Magic School in Africa notifies admitted students through dream messengers, who leave behind a stone with inscriptions. This one was left by a child who gave up their enrollment, and you might find it interesting.]
Vedd played with the stone for a while but couldn't discern any mysteries, so he set it aside for the time being.
Dumbledore's gift was a book titled 'Advanced Magic Decryption,' which mentioned many advanced dark magic defenses, serving as an advanced version of the Dark Magic Defense course.
The alchemist's notes that Voldemort had given to the magical dolls had already been handed over to Vedd. What surprised him was that Grindelwald later sent him a supplementary gift.
It was an old, handmade book. Vedd flipped through it briefly, and inside, on the ancient, stained parchment, were records of various stories about gods and demons.
For example, there were tales of the Grim Reaper and the Three Brothers, the Sphinx, the God of Thunder and Lightning, Medusa, and the Three Fates.
It seemed that Grindelwald had once meticulously researched these mythical stories and had been searching for various legends and artifacts left by gods and demons around the world.
Finally, Vedd discovered the surprise that Dumbledore had mentioned.
It was a small package containing only a handwritten letter, or rather, an invitation—
From Nick Lamer.
(End of Chapter)
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