Don't beat yourself up about it
Our tale begins shortly after the Golden Trio left the Hogwarts kitchens in Goblet of Fire. Dobby is trying to cheer up Winky.
Dobby begged, "Please don't dos that, Winky. Yous are a free elf and that meansie yous can do whatevers yous liking to do now."
Winky screamed. "I'm a bad baddy elf! My poorsie master is alls alonesie now and he's needsing his Winky!"
Dobby sat down beside Winky who had started banging her head off the floor again and pleaded, "Buts your master was a baddy bad man. Harry Potter himself says so. I don't likey seeings yous hurtying yourself likey this, Winky. Please stop."
Winky stopped banging her head off the floor and gasped. "Y-Yous don't likey seeings me hurtying myself likey this?"
Dobby nodded and said, "It makesie me feel feelsies I never feltsies before."
Winky's breathing slowly returned to normal in the silence that followed and she smiled. "What sorts of feelsies?"
Dobby frowned. "Feelsies that makesies my tummy all wobbly and my hands all sweatys. I cans barely be in the sames room as yous without becoming shaky likey a leafy."
Winky asked, "Yous really feelsies likey that whens I'm near yous?"
Dobby nodded and replied, "Yes. I feelsies likey that right nows, in fact."
Winky shakily stood up and Dobby copied her. She pulled him into a hug and beamed, "I thinks that I feelsies the sames way about yous, Dobby."
Dobby gasped. "Y-Yous do?"
Winky nodded and grinned. "Absolutelys, my favouritey house elf. I thinks that yours friend Harry Potter would calls it love."
Dobby chuckled. "Yes. He would calls it love, my dear Winky."