We went into my apartment, where I noted that it was very clean. Inky had been keeping it nice and tidy while we were gone. I got out the kettle and started to boil water, and left Harry and Delilah on the couch.
"What did you want to talk about, Harry?" Delilah asked. "Do you need help with anything? Legal matters, perhaps?"
"Um, Delilah, I was wondering… you're related to Lucius Malfoy, right?" Harry asked hesitantly. "I mean, there's your hair, and you look like an older Draco…"
"That is what Ed and I believe, yes," the young woman replied, nodding her head slowly. I took her hand, holding it tight and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
After a moment, she let out a deep breath. "Why do you ask?" she inquired.
"I have a friend, and I made a promise to him," Harry began. "Do you think… could you free Dobby?"
"Harry, that…" I began, only to cut myself off as I thought it over. "No, wait, actually, that might work."
"Who's Dobby?" Delilah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He's a House Elf, like Inky, only he serves the Malfoy family," I explained. "And he's in an abusive relationship with them."
"The rapist doesn't treat his servants right. What a surprise," she growled. "But why would I be able to do anything about it?"
"I heard that if you give a House Elf clothes, they become freed," Harry said. "But only if they're get it from a member of the family they serve. And, well, you're technically a Malfoy…"
He trailed off, unable to fully articulate his plan.
"Would that even work?" Delilah asked. "I mean, I'm… not officially part of the family."
"According to Wizarding Law, a magical child, even a Squib, that is part of a magical family stays part of said family unless they are properly disowned. Doesn't matter if you're 'naturalborn,' if the parent is magical they are responsible for any magical children they've made. Magicals are big on blood ties, after all. Squibs are technically magical in the eyes of wizarding law, despite a few attempts to change that, and if Lucius doesn't know you exist, then he might not have filed the legal and magical paperwork to keep you from claiming to be part of the Malfoy lineage," I replied. "Add in the fact the bond with Dobby and the Malfoys is hanging on by a thread, and I think we might be able to make it work."
Delilah thought it over, and then shrugged. "Well, what do I have to lose? Let's give it a try. How can I call him?"
"House Elves have an innate magic that lets them know when somebody in the family they serve has need of them. Just call his name and think about summoning him to your side," I explained.
She nodded and took a deep breath, then called out firmly, "DOBBY!"
There was a loud "Pop!" and a surprised looking House Elf in a filthy tea-rag appeared in front of her, blinking up at Delilah in confusion.
"Youse has the blood of Master, but youse does not live in Master's home?" he uttered in bewilderment, before he noticed where he was, and who else was in the apartment with him.
"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby exclaimed.
"Hey, Dobby. This is Delilah. I think… I think she can help free you," Harry said, explaining why he was here.
His already large and wide eyes widened even further at that, and tears began to gather within them.
"Harry Potter is truly kind! Harry Potter keeps his promise to lowly little Dobby!" he sobbed out.
Delilah stared at the House Elf, perturbed as she took in his ratty outfit and scar covered body. Many wounds were faded and barely visible, thanks to the insanely fast healing factor House Elves possessed, but that just meant that he'd received all these injuries in the last week or two.
"Dobby," she said softly, and he spun around, looking up at her.
"Yes, mistress?" he asked hopefully.
"If I gave you clothes right now, would you be freed from your 'employment' with my family?" Delilah inquired.
For a tense few seconds, Dobby frowned and he went cross-eyed, as if trying to figure out if the plan would work.
"Yes! Yes!" Dobby exclaimed eagerly a minute later. "Mistress is Master Malfoy's heir!"
"His heir?" Delilah asked, taken aback.
"Yes! Youse Master's oldest child! Youse is allowed to dismiss servants in place of Master!" Dobby explained, bouncing from foot to foot.
I frowned at that. "But, she's a Squib. Wouldn't that exclude her from being the heir?"
"Wizardy law doesn't say that," Dobby hastily explained to me. "Wizardy folk follow Prim-o-geniture. Unless Master disowned Mistress for being a Squib, Mistress is heir, in magic and in law!"
"I see," I said slowly. I'd always assumed that Squibs couldn't inherit the position of head of the family or be named heir in Wizarding Britain, but thinking about it made sense that wouldn't be the case. After all, a Squib could still have kids with a high chance of being magical, so surely some families wouldn't have wanted to have them thrown from the family, if only for those hypothetical children.
'It must be due to the whole 'blood purity' thing that popped up around World War Two that caused Squibs to be seen as lesser beings,' I thought to myself.
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