Albus's POV
You can't be named the greatest wizard since Merlin without always having contingency plans.
Yes, while everyone thought that to be a strong wizard you need powerful magic and
Immense power, Albus could tell you the most important thing to have to become almost as famous, almost as influential as Merlin is by knowing everything about everyone and be prepared to everything.
It's not that being powerful isn't important, both Gellert, with the elder wand and Tom, with his natural talent and dark rituals were much more powerful then him, yet both lost.
It is why he made sure divination is being looked down upon by everyone in magical Britain while he has a mastery in it.
It is why he hasn't let anyone know Sirius Black is innocent, while making sure Pettigrew think his only way of survival is by staying in his rat form for 11 years, as while the first man was a veritable, while the other man is too useful of an unwilling informant to put in Azkaban but not to stay like in the grace of the death eaters he needed to disappear.
It was why he fight the Potters not to send their one year old child to Lily's sister, as every time and in every way he used divination he couldn't see the child with James and Lily so his wish for Marcus to have all the love and attention he can get so he wouldn't be like Tom would happen.
And it is because of that, that Albus, the man who pride himself in being in the know in every situation was in a distress.
This incident, according to what Marcus told him and what he saw in the boy's memories, didn't go according to plan.
Tom didn't say they were alike, which wouldn't cause Marcus to try as hard as he can to be different, Marcus hasn't managed to take Gryffindor's sword out of the hat, which meant he wasn't brave enough, but most of all, someone else killed the basilisk, someone he knew nothing about, which could mean someone else has the ability to talk to snakes, and while he knew where Marcus got it and the way to get rid of it (AN:????) he didn't know anything about the other parselmouth.
If this was the only incident he would have be upset but wouldn't be in distress, but combining with last year's theft of the philosopher's stone, mirror of Erised, and THE invisibility cloak (it took him one look into the boy's mind to while searching for information about it to know it's gone)
it is obvious there is another player in the game of whom he knew nothing about and who knew the situation much more then Albus wanted anyone to.
As Albus gave Marcus and Ron 300 points each for doing the right thing and saving the school,(enough to win the house cap again) he couldn't stop thinking about the mystery person who changes every important thing in his plans.
Marcus's POV
Marcus was so happy until Malfoy senior walked in.
Marcus didn't care about what he had to say, as they all knew Lucius won't have his wish at kicking Professor Dumbledore from school.
No, the reason Marcus stopped being happy when Lucius came in is that his house elf came with him.
"Dobby!!!!"
"You know my house elf?" The pure bloods raised his right eyebrow
Marcus knew that if he would say anything the house elf would be punished, even if only for outside perspective, but it was enough for him.
"He is the house elf who tried to kill me! Is it because you told him to do it?"
Another eyebrow went up.
"Believe me I did no such thing. I would punish him throughly when we come home."
As the blond and the house elf turned around, Marcus stopped looking at them, turning his eyes to the headmaster to ask about how Ginny got the diary, which is why, ironically, he missed the signals Dobby sent him about the diary, missing the chance to get a true friend in the form of the little elf
Harry's POV
Harry really wanted to have rest, but he wanted something else even more- a house elf.
Which is why he was here, hiding in the hallway near the headmaster's office waiting for the one elf he knew was soon to be free.
But saw Malfoy senior and his elf walking with no one chasing them he knew he had to do something.
Luckily, as he was still magically tired from keeping the transfiguration of the rooster for weeks and mentally tired from his one punch battle with young voldy, all a person really needs to free an elf which doesn't belong to him is knowledge and ability about how to do a little bit of conjunction, controllable depulso, and a willing elf to be free, and he has all of the above.
After conjuring a few underwear on the head of Lucius, he casted a depulso on them to go Dobby's way.
A quick catch later and there was one more free elf in the world, but hopefully, not for long.
Dobby's POV
Dobby is a terrible elf!
Dobby used to be a bad elf, but now Dobby is the worst!
Dobby didn't love his masters.
Dobby didn't help them in everything Dobby can.
Dobby didn't even want to!
And all of this is without mentioning how Dobby was trying to sabotage his master's plans.
Yes, Dobby was a bad elf.
But at least Dobby wasn't a free elf, and Dobby did what every elf should do whenever he fails to complete master's assignment— Dobby punished himself.
So Dobby was a bad elf but Dobby wasn't terrible! At least until today.
Today Dobby heard how Dobby's master almost killed a little girl, and in a split of a moment, mostly because of a deep instinct to avoid pain and punishment, Dobby reached toward the underwear that Dobb's master through on Dobby, while severing the bond of the bad master with Dobby.
Dobby took only a second to regret Dobby's actions, Dobby was now a free elf, but Dobby also became known as an outcast in the elves society, a stigma which can only be removed by having an owner.
Dobby knew Dobby should never cry about himself, crying is only when you are happy to help or unable to help.
So Dobby smiled, making himself happy about being free, about having no friends, about having nowhere to live.
"Dobby is freeeeeeeeeeee"
He screamed as sniffling of 'joy' fell down as he popped in his search for a new job.