Dobby: Biography, Freedom and the Elf's Secrets

Dobby is a house-elf who stands up to his masters out of love for a boy he barely knows. He arrives as a nuisance and ends up one of the characters readers cry for most. His story is the series' best answer to the question of what being free means.

Who he is

He is a house-elf who serves the Malfoys and is punished if he speaks badly of them. He shows up in Harry's room in Chamber of Secrets (ch. 2) to warn him not to go back to Hogwarts. He punishes himself by hitting himself, because that is what he was taught. He speaks of himself in the third person and believes Harry Potter is the greatest wizard in the world.

Key moments

• Chamber of Secrets, ch. 2: he warns Harry of the danger and drops a pudding on the Dursleys' guests.
• Chamber of Secrets, ch. 18: Harry frees him by handing him a sock. It is the first time Dobby belongs to himself.
• Goblet of Fire, ch. 26: he brings Harry gillyweed for the second task. In ch. 21 he tells him he works at Hogwarts for a salary.
• Order of the Phoenix, ch. 18: he tells Harry about the Room of Requirement, where Dumbledore's Army will meet.
• Deathly Hallows, ch. 23: he rescues Harry and his friends from Malfoy Manor and dies from a knife thrown by Bellatrix. Harry buries him by hand in ch. 24.

Relationships

With Harry, total, mutual devotion. With the Malfoys, fear and rebellion. With Dumbledore, deep gratitude for giving him a job. With Winky and Kreacher, other elves, an awkward solidarity.

What almost nobody notices

In Goblet of Fire (ch. 21), Dobby tells Harry he asked Dumbledore for a salary of one Galleon a week and one day off a month. Dumbledore offered more, and Dobby turned it down: he does not want too much. He is the only elf who knows exactly what he wants.

And in that same scene (ch. 21), Dobby is wearing a tea cozy, a tie with horseshoes and mismatched socks, all bought with his wages. For him, choosing his own clothes is the first sign that he belongs to himself.

Do you think courage is a matter of houses? Dobby belonged to none, and had it all. Find yours in the house quiz.