Sorry for the short chapter! I'm a poophead.

JK Rowling owns everything, including my soul.

Chapter 9

"Dobby, wait!" Hermione cried after the elf. But it was too late; Dobby had already Disapparated.

"What's going on? What was that all about?" Ron questioned.

Hermione was so upset. She had let herself give into her confusion and vulnerability for only a minute, and in that minute she had ruined the relationship she had built with Dobby. What am I going to do? She wasn't planning on telling Ron about her involvement with Dobby; that was a conversation that was way too awkward and terrible in her mind to even think about bringing out into the open. But she was in too deep. There was no way of avoiding the questions, or avoiding Ron for that matter. Because they had kissed, he most likely thought that they were back together again, and therefore was entitled to her business. Hermione was just going to have to suck it up and tell him. Her fingers trembled as she twiddled her thumbs to try to find the right way of doing it.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Ron was getting impatient now.

"I don't know how to say this, Ron, so I'm going to get it out quickly." There was a pause. "I…I'm sort of in a relationship with Dobby." Let the hell begin…

Instead of an outrage, Hermione's confession was met with a loud cackling sort of laughter. He didn't believe her.

"Oh, come off it Hermione, what's really going on? Seriously, going out with Dobby?" he continued to laugh.

"I'm not joking, Ron," Hermione said, getting a little angry.

"What do you mean you're not joking?" He was almost frightened now.

"I mean, Ronald, that I'm in a relationship with Dobby."

"Hermione, that's so disgusting! He's a house elf for shit's sake!"

"We're not in a physical relationship, Ron. It's more…adoration. I dunno…I don't know how to explain it. But I don't have to explain myself to you. That's why he was crying when he saw us."

"Let's set aside for a second that you're dating a house elf. Why the hell were you snogging me then?"

"I was…confused. I still sort of am. I wanted to be with you, physically, you know? And I couldn't get that from Dobby. Then I started having feelings for both of you, and this whole situation is just completely messed up. I don't know what to do anymore."

There was a pause.

"A house elf? Dobby? Really, Hermione, that's awfully…strange," said Ron.

"I don't care what it is, it's just like that! I don't need your opinion anyway," Hermione snapped.

"No wonder you're so crazy about elf rights and S.P.E.W…."

"That's not why I am, Ron! I care about that stuff anyway! It just shows that I think house elves are equal with us and I'm not afraid to go beyond the norm if that's where my feelings take me!"

"If you're not scared of what people think, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew how you'd react, and I didn't think you needed to know. I don't have to tell you everything."

"Who else knows?"

"Ginny, but that's because she guessed it. I wasn't planning on telling anyone for a while, at least not until I got my feelings straightened out."

"You know what you're doing, Hermione? You're jerking me around. You go out with me, then you hate me and break up with me. Then we're friends and you want a good snog. I don't know how to act around you anymore! What am I to you, Hermione? A good snog? Maybe more if you convince me? And I'm not going to lie, you probably could. And then you'll leave me in the dust with nothing. You'll break my heart again. I won't do it again, god damnit!" Ron yelled at the very top of his lungs. He stomped upstairs to the boys' dormitory and slammed the door shut.

Hermione sank to her knees and started to sob. This scenario felt vaguely familiar…the night she and Ron broke up it was like this. Ron went upstairs, and Hermione was left to cry. Except it was this time Ron was breaking it off; whatever 'it' was at this point.

She decided that she wasn't going to sulk. She decided to go down to the kitchens and straighten things out with Dobby. Ron might have his moments, but Dobby was always consistent. She loved him and there were no doubts about it. Hermione started towards the portrait hole and realized that it was late at night. She didn't want to get caught, but she was afraid that if she let Dobby cry all night, he might decide to have nothing to do with her, and that was too much.

"Accio invisibility cloak!" said Hermione and the cloak came whizzing down.

"Accio Marauder's Map!" The map followed the cloak down.

Hermione pulled the cloak over her head and made sure the map was clearly set in front of her as she crossed the threshold out of Gryffindor Tower. She was careful to look out for Snape wandering the halls on the third floor, and Mrs. Norris was still in Filch's office, along with Filch.

She made it down to the basement and stopped in front of the portrait of fruit. Hermione reached up and tickled the pear with her finger, and the portrait swung open. She stepped in and saw the house elves busily at work cleaning and cooking for the next day. All but two elves were working. Winky was sitting in front of the fire place drinking her usual glasses of butterbeer, and there was someone else next to her: Dobby. He, too, was drinking butterbeer. This worried Hermione as he never had anything stronger than pumpkin juice, and she knew that she had been the cause of his trying to ease the pain.

After Hermione managed to shake the rest of the elves off (they were offering her cakes and candies and pies and food) she walked over to the fireplace and sat next to Dobby.

"Dobby? Erm, can I talk to you?" she questioned carefully.

"Winky told *hic* Dobby not to *hic* get involved with you, Miss. But *hic* Dobby did not listen," Winky managed to stutter.

"Don't talk about Miss that way, Winky! *hic*" Dobby retorted. It seemed as though Dobby could hold his liquor better than Winky.

"No, I deserve that, Dobby. After what I did to you, I'm surprised you're still defending me. You really shouldn't," said Hermione, painfully.

"Dobby is sad, yes, but Miss will always be wonderful," the male elf said.

"I never meant to hurt you, Dobby. I was just confused and scared. I didn't understand some of the feelings I was feeling. This is all very new to me. I hope that you might be able to forgive me," said Hermione.

"Well of course, Miss. *Hic* Dobby forgives Miss."

"And I wanted to tell you that I know what I want now. I want you. I found that with Ron, things were always so off and on, and I never knew where I stood, or how I should behave, or really anything. And I can't stand that. But you, Dobby, are such a sweet person, that I can't stand to be away from you, or be with anyone else but you. I love you, Dobby, and I hope that, even after what I did, you might be able to love me too. I don't expect it, but I'm still hoping," confessed Hermione.

There was a huge silence. Hermione held her breath as she waited for Dobby's answers amongst Winky's seemingly never-ending hiccups. And then, he spoke.

"Dobby would like to think about it, Miss. If Miss doesn't mind."

It wasn't a 'no,' not right away, anyhow.

"Of course, yes, of course, you can think about it. I'm just glad you're even speaking to me!"

She planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and put the cloak back over her body, making sure her feet were completely covered.

The trip back to Gryffindor Tower was an easy one. No one was lurking the hallways and she made it back in record time. The Fat Lady wasn't happy to be woken up, but she was going to have to deal with it. Hermione needed to get in, and, after ten minutes of pleading, she stepped through the portrait hole and into the common room. It had to be about three o'clock in the morning, but Hermione didn't care. She didn't have Dobby's answer right away, but there was still some hope. She was glad that she had gotten that conversation out of the way. Then her stomach sank. Ron. It was such an awful thing, what had happened before, but it was done and over with. She would never be going back to him. She knew what she wanted and it was Dobby. She loved him, and she hoped he loved her back.

Hermione didn't want to disturb the boys so she took the cloak and the map with her to the girls' dormitory and tucked them away under her pillow, so as not to be discovered by a lurking Lavender or Parvati. That conversation – no, yelling match – seemed miles away, although it had only been two hours. That was what had set the snog session with Ron off. And then it hit her: their relationship was based on Hermione's insecurities. Ron made her feel better about herself when she wasn't feeling well, but otherwise he was just a jerk. Again, the consistency thing was an issue. Hermione was beginning to figure out more and more why she and Ron would never work.

She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to sleep. She was just too restless. Hermione kept thinking about what Dobby's response would be, and the evening's events kept swirling around in her head. She didn't get any sleep last night. She rose at eight and changed, brushed her teeth and hair, all of the normal essentials. Her stomach started with butterflies at the thought of hearing Dobby's decision. Calm down, he didn't say he would tell you today. It could take him weeks.

Running down the stairs she was greeted Harry frantically searching the common room.

"Where are they? I don't think I left them down here but they're not in my trunk…"

"What are you looking for, Harry?"

His voice dropped down to a whisper.

"The map…and my cloak. They're gone."

"Oh! I'm dreadfully sorry, Harry, but I used them last night."

"You what?!" Harry was stunned.

"I'll go get it from my things," Hermione said as she started for the stairs, but Harry stopped her.

"What did you need it for?"

"Never you mind, I'll get it."

Hermione was up and down in less than a minute, and she discreetly handed it to Harry.

"Thanks," he said, without another question as to why she had needed it the previous night. He walked away to put it in the boys' dormitory.

Just then an elf from the kitchen Apparated at Hermione's feet and spoke in a squeaky voice.

"Dobby would like to see you, Miss. He asks if Miss could meet him. He said 'same time, same place,'" the elf squeaked.

She chuckled internally. It was sort of funny hearing that Dobby had said something like that. It sounded so secretive and so human. Not at all like Dobby.

"Sure, I'll meet him," Hermione responded, and the house elf Disapparated.

He was going to tell her. Tonight.

16 hours and counting…