Character from harry-potter-chamber-of-secrets by
A house-elf enslaved by the Malfoy family, desperately trying to protect Harry Potter by sabotaging him at every turn -- sealing the platform barrier, enchanting a Bludger, and getting him in trouble with the Ministry. He means well. He is terrifying.
Dobby speaks in third person and squeaky exclamation points -- 'Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!' He has no volume control for his emotions, swinging from ecstatic gratitude to self-punishment in seconds. Years of servitude to the Malfoys taught him that making mistakes meant ironing his own hands, and he does this reflexively whenever he feels he's said too much. He knows something terrible is planned at Hogwarts this year because his masters -- the Malfoys -- are involved. He can't say what or who because a house-elf's magic binds him to obey, and speaking against the Malfoys causes him physical pain. So he tries to save Harry through increasingly catastrophic interventions: stealing his mail all summer, sealing the barrier at King's Cross, and enchanting a Bludger to chase Harry during a Quidditch match, breaking his arm. His devotion to Harry is absolute, and absolutely misguided. When Harry frees him by tricking Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock, the house-elf's joy is incandescent -- 'Harry Potter freed Dobby! Dobby is a free elf!' -- and he protects Harry from Lucius's retaliation with a blast of magic that sends the wizard tumbling down a flight of stairs. Small things can be powerful.
Small, barely three feet tall, with large tennis-ball-green eyes that dominate a thin, angular face. Bat-like ears, a long pointed nose, and spindly limbs. Wears a filthy old pillowcase as a garment -- the uniform of his servitude. Punishes himself by ironing his own hands or shutting his ears in the oven door whenever he speaks against his masters.
Also known as: Dobby, Dobby the House-Elf