There are definitely some cute creatures in the Harry Potter universe. From Norbert the baby dragon to Hedwig the owl, the Boy Who Lived's time at Hogwarts sees him encounter all sorts of lovely little things. And that includes Dobby the House Elf. The character appears in the Chamber of Secrets and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 movies, becoming an instant fan favorite in the process. However, while Warner Bros. did a good job at bringing him to the big screen, not every single detail about the character was included.
His character gets a much bigger arc in the book series, and here are just a few things that only fans of the books know about Dobby.
His Cake Stunt Nearly Got Harry Expelled
Harry first meets Dobby at Number 4 Privet Drive. There, the House Elf warns him against going back to Hogwarts because of a plot to make 'horrible things happen'. And, when the Boy Who Lived objects to the creature's request, that forces Dobby to take action. He ruthlessly use a hover charm to dump a cake on Mrs. Mason, a visitor to the Dursley household, prompting Harry's relatives to keep him prisoner in his own home.
However, that's not the only consequence of Dobby's actions. The Boy Who Lived also received a letter from Ministry of Magic employee Mafalda Hopkirk, who Hermione would impersonate in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 many years later. Harry is warned against using underage magic and has his record blotched in the process, very nearly being expelled from Hogwarts.
He Was Shocked About The Train Incident
Dobby mischievously seals the passageway to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, prompting Harry and Ron to panic. With their minds racing, they take desperate action and decide to fly Arthur Weasley's old Ford Anglia to Hogwarts, eventually crashing into the Whomping Willow and nearly being expelled as well.
What the Chamber of Secrets movie doesn't reveal, though, is Dobby's shock. He was so surprised he let the Malfoys dinner burn, leading to punishment as a result.
He Struggled To Find Work
Harry frees Dobby at the end of the Chamber of Secrets, tricking Lucius Malfoy into letting the House Elf go. He does this via his sock, which he stuffs inside Tom Riddle's old diary, which is then consequently given to Dobby. It makes the creature delighted to no longer have to serve a master, but retirement, the books explain, didn't suit him entirely.
Dobby didn't want to give up working entirely and, for over a year, struggles to find employment. That is, until Albus Dumbledore comes along and offers him a job at Hogwarts.
He Declined Good Money
Dobby details his struggle to find work when he catches up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Goblet of Fire novel. Given House-Elves normally don't get paid, it's unfair but understandable why people were hesitant to throw some cash his way. Yet Dumbledore, the good wizard that he is, was the exception.
Dobby explains that Albus offered him a huge 10 galleons a week, plus weekends off. But Dobby felt this was far too generous and turned him down, instead settling for a mere one galleon and just one day a month off.
He Took Care Of Winky
The character of Winky is completely omitted from the Goblet of Fire movie. In the book of the same name, she's a loyal asset to Ministry of Magic worker Barty Crouch Sr. However, when she allows Barty Crouch Jr. to break free from the Imperius Curse and cast the dark mark into the sky at the Quidditch World Cup, she's brutally fired. It's unfair and very nearly destroys her, sparking her into a deep depression.
Winky takes to drinking butterbeer which, while not harmful to humans, is pretty strong stuff for House Elves. Dobby looks after her through these troubled times, doing his utmost to remain positive despite his friend's increasingly worsening condition.
He Was The Only House Elf To Clean Gryffindor Tower
Hermione, outraged at how House Elves are treated, takes steps to release them from their duties. She launches S.P.E.W. (short for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) and takes to knitting clothes galore. She hides them around Gryffindor Tower, hoping that people will pick them up and then relish the chance to give up working.
However, she greatly misjudges their mood and this leads to the majority shunning Gryffindor cleaning duties. Dobby is the exception, however, being thrilled at the chance to add to his wardrobe. Harry is amused when this news is revealed to him, but opts against telling Hermione the truth because he doesn't want to upset his friend.
He Was Tricked Into Stealing Gillyweed
In the Goblet of Fire movie, Neville Longbottom gives Harry some Gillyweed shortly before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. He steals it from Severus Snape's storeroom after being provided with the idea by Barty Crouch Jr., who is secretly posing as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Alastor Moody.
But, in the fourth book, it's actually Dobby who does this. Like Neville, he's given the idea by Crouch Jr. He gives it to Harry and this helps the Boy Who Lived manage a second-placed finish, despite being the last to return to The Black Lake's surface. If it wasn't for Dobby, the Gryffindor pupil would definitely have gone home with the wooden spoon.
He Gave Harry The Room Of Requirement
In the Order of the Phoenix book, it's Dobby who gives Harry the location of the Room of Requirement. He'd heard about the place while cleaning the staff room and even used it himself, taking Winky there when she had drunk herself into oblivion.
This is another thing Neville does in the film of the same name. He encounters it while walking around on the seventh floor of Hogwarts and it serves them well, with the group going under the radar. That is, until Dolores Umbridge finds out after using Veritaserum on Cho Chang. This, again, is different in the source material. It's actually Cho's friend, Marietta Edgecombe, who rats them out.
He Warned Harry About Umbridge
The discovery of existence of Dumbledore's Army is a big moment in the Order of the Phoenix movie. The members have little warning prior to Umbridge crashing the party, with a young pupil named Nigel telling Harry just seconds before. However, in the fifth book, things are different.
Dobby warns Harry, disobeying a direct order from Umbridge in the process. This is something he'd normally punish himself for but Harry, knowing this, takes steps to protect his friend. It doesn't do much good, though, with everybody then harshly punished for their actions - having to write lines in their own blood.
He Was Told To Tail Malfoy
The Half-Blood Prince movie shows Draco Malfoy experimenting on a Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Requirement. This leads to Death Eaters entering Hogwarts near the end of the blockbuster, with Albus Dumbledore killed on the very night they manage to get in. Harry, prior to this, had long had suspicions that Draco had jumped ship to the dark side to fill the void left behind by his father's incarceration in Azkaban.
What the movie doesn't show is Harry giving Dobby the task of tailing the Slytherin student. Both Dobby and Kreacher do this, despite the latter being a big admirer of the Malfoy family. However, they don't do it well enough to stop Malfoy from succeeding in his mission.