"Are you talking about that crazy elf you mentioned from second-year? The one who tried to save you by trying to kill you?"

"He wasn't trying to kill me! Just...uhh...injure me." Harry stubbornly replied. "He just..didn't quite think things through. He's calmed down since. He gave me the gillyweed for the lake after all." He paused as a thought struck him. "He stole that gillyweed from Snape...a Hogwarts professor. Which would mean he's more loyal to me than Hogwarts. Right?"

Daphne hadn't connected the dots before but Harry was right. It made no sense based on what she knew about house-elves. "That shouldn't be possible Harry. If his master is Hogwarts now then he should not have been able to steal from the school."

It was clear Harry's brain had kicked in and an idea was forming. "Hogwarts isn't his master! He is a free elf that works for Hogwarts but is loyal to me."

Daphne was now becoming excited. Helping Harry for the greater good was brilliant and all but this...this was something that could generate a lot of galleons and give her father a foothold in a new market. She had been taught by her father for so many years that she already knew what he would do with this opportunity: Leverage the extreme rarity of the basilisk supplies by forcing potential buyers to switch purchasing their main stores to Greengrass Potions Supplies as well.

Wizarding business was much like overall wizarding culture...reluctant to change. It was what had sustained the Greengrass family when selling muggle-supplied items...but made it so difficult to break into traditional wizarding markets that they'd always remained a small player in. The basilisk venom could finally...finally... persuade some large potioneers to change their main supplier. If Harry Potter was good for business then her father would be more likely to be on board with his You Know Who plans.

"Harry this is brilliant! Can you try summoning him?"

Harry looked confused. "Isn't it a bit late for that? I'd hate to wake him up."

With everything he had done it had been easy to forget how little Harry knew about Wizarding culture and behavior. "This is going to sound really wrong Harry but just listen before getting upset and think...think about how the elf behaves when I explain this." She waited for Harry's nod before continuing.

"If he shows up when you call him this late he will actually be happier than if you had called him at noon." She could see Harry was about to interject and quickly kept going. "Just let me finish."

"Elves are happiest when they are helping their masters. It seems stupid to us but they are actually more pleased when they are inconvenienced if it is in the service of helping their master. That elf took a great risk in stealing that gillyweed...I'm guessing that added even more to his happiness when it helped you."

She could tell Harry was reviewing the facts and the message was sinking in. She did not try to interrupt when he spoke this time.

"He always wants to punish himself when he thinks he has failed a task or made me angry. That means the opposite is true as well. When he does help or makes me happy...especially when it is difficult or challenging...he feels better."

"Yes!" Daphne exclaimed, suddenly feeling less tired. "You asking for help now should make him very happy."

Harry nodded as he considered what she had explained. "I reckon getting this basilisk to your father and making a bit of coin would also make it easier when telling your parents about helping with my project, right?"

"Exactly right Harry!" she practically shouted. It was exciting to be talking about these sorts of things with someone besides her father.

"Couldn't hurt to try I suppose. Dobby?"

In an instant, a groggy but excited house-elf appeared. "Harry Potter has called Dobby for help?" She could tell the elf was pleading for it to be true. The elf seemed familiar to her but she could not quite remember why. Perhaps she had seen him around the castle.

He was now bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously wringing his hands, waiting for Harry to speak. It seemed to Daphne that it was taking all of the elf's willpower not to hug Harry.

"Umm...Hi Dobby. My friend and I were wondering if there was any way you could get this...uh...basilisk...out of the castle without the staff knowing."

The elf took his eyes off of Harry and looked toward the basilisk, his eyes growing wide. To her surprise, the elf then gazed at her and his eyes grew even wider as he suddenly became nervous.

"Dobby thinks he can help Harry Potter with the snake but-" he stopped talking and began pounding his forehead with his fist.

It was apparent to Daphne that Harry was anticipating this and immediately spoke. "Dobby stop! No punishing yourself okay? Please calm down and slowly, quietly, tell me what the problem is."

The elf stopped and willed himself to calm down. It seemed to be a very difficult task. He looked at Daphne nervously again and spoke. "Dobby knows Harry Potter is a great wizard but is worried about his friend. Harry Potter's friend is a friend of Dobby's bad master!"

Suddenly Daphne remembered why this elf, Dobby, looked so familiar. He used to work for the Malfoys! That meant that the diary from second-year was planted by Lucius Malfoy. Harry had been purposely vague on that bit but it made perfect sense. She kneeled down to look Dobby in the eye and began speaking as gently as possible.

"I remember you too. You used to work for the Malfoys, right? I'm sorry they didn't treat you very well. Harry told me how you helped him with the diary and the gillyweed. That was very brave. I don't think I could have been that brave."

As her words sunk in Dobby immediately began to cry. Merlin this elf was emotional. Daphne glanced at Harry and saw he was doing everything he could not to laugh.

"Dobby is sorry! Dobby sees now Harry Potter's Greeny is a good and kind witch. She and Greeny's sister were always kind to Dobby. Dobby's bad masters were always nicer when the Greenys were there. Dobby was just scared for Harry Potter!"

"It's okay Dobby," Harry interjected. "Daphne does know the Malfoys but she is definitely my friend and I trust her. I appreciate you worrying about me though. So...you think you can help with the basilisk."

Dobby's expression changed as he immediately went back to the task at hand...studying the basilisk. "Dobby can help but will need the help of one more elf. Dobby thinks there is one in Hogwarts that can do it but-" Dobby stopped talking abruptly and began nervously pulling at his ears before continuing. "It will require Harry Potter's help."

Harry mimicked Daphne's action earlier and kneeled down to look the elf in the eye and began speaking very calmly...very slowly. "It's okay Dobby. Just tell me what you need. If I can do it I will."

Dobby stopped punishing himself and became determined, encouraged by Harry's words. "The snake is very big so Dobby will need another free elf to help if Harry Potter does not want the headmaster to know. There is one other in the castle. Does Harry Potter remember Winky?"

Harry nodded and waited for him to continue. "Winky is working at Hogwarts but does not like being free. Dobby tries to help but she is still very sad...she drinks lots of butterbeer. She is not being able to help unless she is happier and stops drinking. To be happier she needs to have a Master."

Dobby looked nervously at Harry...clearly he was about to get to the difficult bit. "Go on," said Harry.

Dobby has told Winky many times of the great Harry Potter and she admires Harry Potter very much. "If Winky were bonded to Harry Potter then Winky would be happy and could help Harry Potter at Hogwarts."

Harry looked at Daphne...clearly lost as to what the implications of such a thing would be and needing help. She was happy to oblige. "I think your idea is a good one Dobby but to be Harry Potter's elf she will need to stop drinking and prove herself. I think helping you with the snake would definitely prove she is worthy to be Harry Potter's elf."

Dobby was now frantically hopping and nodding his head, his forced calmness now gone and forgotten. "Dobby agrees with Miss Greeny. Dobby will talk to Winky and is sure Winky will want to help. Winky will be able to help Dobby once she stops drinking."

Daphne tried to stay calm. Her father was going to be so pleased with her. "Do you think she would be able to help by next Saturday night?" Again she was met with a frantic nod and she gave a much calmer nod of approval to Harry to take back over the conversation.

"Okay, Dobby. Go ahead and talk to Winky but make sure she knows this is a secret. I will call you tomorrow night for an update. Okay?"

Another frantically happy nod.

"Right. Thanks for helping and thanks a lot for coming to see me in the middle of the night. It means a lot."

An ecstatic Dobby quickly latched on to Harry's legs in a hug and then unexpectedly followed up by latching on to Daphne's before snapping himself away.

"Never a dull moment with you Harry," Daphne joked as they made their way to the entrance and began walking back to the tunnel.

"I suppose we should talk about the breakdown of the basilisk proceeds. I would propose a 60/ 40 split of the net proceeds after the cost of harvesting. My father will be happy to provide an accounting of all the costs as well as the sales revenue."

Harry quickly replied "okay" with a shrug, never breaking stride.

Daphne muttered under her breath. She had purposely asked for a higher percentage than she deserved assuming he would push back. Instead, he just shrugged his blooming shoulders. He wasn't even being naive...he just didn't care. It was infuriating. 'Checkers not chess...checkers not chess' she thought to herself. She stopped walking and spoke.

"Harry you're supposed to negotiate a better percentage after I make an initial offer. You killed the bloody thing and deserve more than 60%."

Harry looked back with a confused smile on his face. "I thought I was the 40%!"

Daphne glared.

"Fine," Harry muttered as he straightened his shoulders and pretended to look serious. "70/30 and I will accept nothing less. If that's still unfair just tell your father I purposely gave you more as a gesture of goodwill for helping me with Voldemort."

"You are an idiot but you have a deal," Daphne said with a grin as she held out her hand to shake. She purposely ignored the fact that she was the idiot who negotiated down from a 60% stake to 30%.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Harry said while shaking her hand. "So when can you talk to your parents?"

"I will send them a letter tomorrow and see if they can come to the castle on Saturday to talk it over. I'll just tell them it is about a big business opportunity. Now that the basilisk is in play it won't even be a lie. Then you and I can meet up Saturday night when Dobby and Winky hopefully can transport the snake. We can sort out the oath then as well."

Harry nodded in agreement with the plan. "Just make sure wherever you talk to them there are no portraits. They tell Dumbledore everything."

"Smart. I would never have thought of that." She had lived in the castle for over five years and had never considered watching her words in front of a portrait. Living a boring life had led to that carelessness...that would have to end now. Associating with Harry Potter was anything but boring.

They eventually made their way up the pipe and out of the toilet. Harry made a point of thanking Myrtle who had dutifully kept anyone from entering while they were in the Chamber. Harry even told her they would be back on Saturday, causing Myrtle to smile bashfully as she bid them goodbye. She was even nice to Daphne. Weird.

As they made their way into the hall Harry quickly pulled them under his cloak and pulled out the worn parchment, tapping it with this wand and whispering "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Suddenly the parchment sprung to life revealing itself to be a map of Hogwarts meticulously listing the location of everyone inside.

'Definitely not boring,' Daphne thought as they quietly made their way toward the dungeons.