Dobby is a House Elf, a being that is bound to one family until he (or she) dies or is freed, whichever comes first. In Dobby's case, until the end of the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby was bound to the Malfoy family, where he was treated brutally and constantly punished himself. Harry Potter tricks Lucius Malfoy, Dobby's master, into freeing the House Elf, by means of handing him clothes, or in this case, Harry's sock in a diary. After the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby is not mentioned until it is discovered that he is working at Hogwarts, (with paid wages and holidays, something unheard of among House Elves). Dobby befriends many of the Hogwarts residents and even takes Winky, (a fellow House Elf who was freed, but for different reasons, mainly failure) under his wing .In the Deathly Hallows, (7th book) Dobby rescues Harry Potter and friends from the Malfoy Manor dungeons. However, he is hit by a knife thrown by Bellatrix, he died in Harry's arms, and was buried in Fleur and Bill Weasley's garden. His headstone reads:Here lies Dobby, a free House Elf.