"Wait a minute…" George suddenly noticed a contradiction. "So, if that's true… the reason that house-elf found Harry is because—"
"—he's not acting out of malice? He genuinely wants to protect Harry?" Fred chid in almost simultaneously.
Wade nodded. "He probably really believes there's danger at Hogwarts and doesn't want Harry coming back to school."
"Well, that's a… unique way of protecting soone."
Fred frowned. "If that's the case, then why are you suspicious of that house-elf this ti? His na was… uh…"
"Dobby," George supplied. "I rember Harry ntioned he called himself Dobby."
"House-elves live very differently from us and think differently too," Wade explained.
"Just as he thought Hogwarts was dangerous, he would rather risk Harry getting expelled from school to keep him away, he might believe that staying here could bring harm to Harry…"
"—so he's trying to send Harry off to St. Mungo's instead?" Fred guessed.
George shook his head. "What could be dangerous about Hogwarts? It's the safest place there is… well, except…"
Suddenly thinking of Voldemort's infiltration last year, the usual confidence in his words faded a bit.
"If there's any danger this term, it's probably our maze challenge…" Fred glanced back at the vast, shadowy maze in the evening gloom. "Could Harry end up facing a dark wizard in there?"
"Who knows?" Wade replied. "Dobby is just one possibility; it could be as you suspect—a Slytherin student, or maybe so hidden Death Eater, or it might even just be a random accident."
"Either way, instead of sneaking into the Slytherin common room, I'd rather ask Harry if he's uncovered any clues first."
Wade suspected Dobby but wasn't confident enough to say so outright. The "butterfly effect" of his own actions had rippled through this world, changing events more and more, eroding his "foreknowledge" advantage gradually.
Fortunately, Harry soon provided a definitive answer, reassuring Wade that events hadn't strayed too far from their original course.
"It was that house-elf, the one called Dobby," Harry said angrily from his hospital bed. "I ran into him inside the maze. I thought he was one of the school's rescue elves, but when I saw his clothes, I realized it was him."
"What did he say, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"He said he'd warned already, and asked why I ca back to school anyway…"
Harry's face showed the frustration and distaste of soone being harassed by an overzealous fan.
"He also said that if that's the case... getting sent ho with serious injuries would still be better than staying here."
"Did he ntion exactly what the danger at Hogwarts is?" Wade asked.
"He sort of hinted at it..." Harry thought for a while before saying, "He ntioned sothing like… 'history will repeat itself, and the Chamber of Secrets will be opened once again.' I don't understand—what Chamber?"
"Chambers? There are tons of them around here..." George mused, stroking his chin.
"I think I read sothing similar in a book..." Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "I'll look it up when I get a chance."
Just then, the infirmary door opened, and Neville and so others entered from outside.
"Harry, are you feeling better? We brought you so food from the Great Hall..."
The noise woke Lockhart from his sleep in the neighboring bed. Groggily rubbing his eyes, he sat up and asked, "Is it morning already? What's all this noise?"
Lockhart opened his eyes and imdiately caught sight of Neville walking past his bed.
Their eyes t.
Neville sighed and said, "Good evening, Professor. Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, Longbottom. Have you co to see ? And brought cake? How thoughtful of you!"
Without waiting for an answer, Lockhart reached out and snatched the cake from Neville's arms.
Looking around at the students, he declared warmly, "No need to worry, children, no need at all! It was just a minor setback.
Your favorite professor—, Gilderoy Lockhart, recipient of the Order of rlin, Third Class—will be back in the classroom, right on schedule, tomorrow!"
The students exchanged looks, then returned polite but awkward smiles.
Fred whispered to his brother, "Think we could swap out his ds and keep him here for a couple more days?"
George muttered through gritted teeth, "Are you asking to be killed by Madam Pomfrey?"
...
Hogwarts was now completely shrouded in the darkness of night.
Wade stood by the window and watched Hagrid, who had a lantern in his hand, and was patrolling near the maze. A thestral trailed behind him, and it occasionally stretched its bat-like wings with a soft flap.
A few students lingering around the maze were promptly caught by Hagrid and sent back to the castle. Thankfully, curfew hadn't hit yet, or they'd have been in for several nights of detention.
These students are like kids from ordinary families just discovering online gas. Even knowing there's danger, they can't resist the thrill of it.
As night deepened, the castle's lights gradually dimd, while the boundary between the Forbidden Forest and the maze grew lively, with creatures occasionally poking their heads out to observe.
The ancient Hogwarts castle had stood unchanged for a thousand years, but now it had a massive maze added to its grounds. For the creatures in the Forbidden Forest, this was likely sothing new and intriguing.
A faintly glowing unicorn, accompanied by its cub, strolled openly around the maze's edge and even took a short walk inside, led by Hagrid.
A few centaurs gathered beneath a large tree, with bows in hand and their bodies obscured in shadow. They seed to be pointing at the maze and arguing about sothing before eventually leaving.
Along the forest's edge, dim lights flickered as creatures ventured out to see the spectacle under the cover of night.
On the surface of the Black Lake, the giant squid had risen, and a few strange-looking rfolk peeked their heads above the water, and their heads resembled boulders in the lake.
The dayti excitent belonged to the students, but at night, it seed like the animals' domain.
I wonder if the professors could convince them to volunteer as NPCs in the maze…
Wade thought about it and felt that it was unlikely.
While there is a magical contract that could ensure creatures wouldn't harm students, magical creatures in the wizarding world are usually quite proud, wary of wizards yet disdainful of humans.
Then again, wizards often held similar views of them.
Wade watched as the maze was swallowed up by darkness. From behind him, he heard a faint rustling, knowing it was a house-elf tidying the room.
"Zoe?" Wade glanced back at the little elf and asked, "Could I ask you and the others for a small favor?"
"Of course, Mr. Grey," Zoe replied with a bow. "What would you like us to do?"
"There might be a house-elf sneaking into the school soon—he's called Dobby, dressed in rags," Wade explained. "If you happen to see him, could you bring him to see ?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 156 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
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