Harry and Ron spent the morning enjoying themselves in Hogsmeade, then returned to the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
In the afternoon, they planned to visit the fabled Shrieking Shack. But halfway there, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
It was Dobby.
Although house-elves all looked much alike, Harry at least could not tell any of the house-elves at school apart.
Well, Harry had been curious about that for a long time, because Professor McGonagall actually recognized every one of them. Many times, she had summoned house-elves in front of them, and she could always name whichever elf appeared.
Harry, on the other hand, could not see any difference between them at all.
Had he not asked Ron, Hermione, and plenty of his other friends, who could not tell them apart either, Harry would even have suspected he had face blindness.
But although Harry could not recognize other house-elves, he could recognize Dobby. There was no other reason: this fellow's taste in clothes was simply too bizarre. His imagination knew no bounds.
For instance, right now, he wore the black sock Harry had given him on his left foot and a flesh-colored stocking on his right. On his left foot was a properly fitting leather shoe, while on his right was a cloth boot.
He wore a baby's disposable diaper along with a bow tie, and had a Santa hat on his head.
At first sight, Harry even felt the urge to pretend he did not know him.
Embarrassing. This was truly too embarrassing. Dobby's taste desperately needed to improve, and fast. That said, it was actually much better now.
In those early days, Dobby had often put on women's clothing, including underwear. Now it was only a short stocking. He was showing much more restraint...
Knowing Dobby must