Chapter 105: The Chase
Chapter 105: The Chase
The Paper Crane flew erratically, its speed hindered by the rain. Liam and Hermione squeezed past a group of Hufflepuff students, moving from one entrance to the space beneath the stands.
"This is an Eastern Tracking Spell I learned. Fortunately, the attacker didn't use a curse but instead directly manipulated the Bludgers with magic. The attacker was also incredibly arrogant, leaving a clear trail of magic power. So even though I'm just a beginner, I can use this spell to find their location", Liam explained as he ran, turning to Hermione behind him.
"What do we do once we find them? Report to a professor?" Hermione asked.
Liam dodged a pillar in front of him and said, "By the time we find a professor, Harry's head might already be smashed in. We have to take care of this ourselves. Besides, we've practiced Magical Combat enough times. Today will be our first real test."
At that moment, the Paper Crane suddenly stopped. Liam could sense that the attacker was hiding around the next corner.
Seeing Liam stop and extend his right hand to draw his wand, Hermione also pulled out her wand from her pocket. She then pointed to the front with her left hand and mouthed, "Here?"
Liam nodded and wrote in the dust on the wooden board behind him: "When I charge, follow me. As soon as you see the attacker, cast the Disarming Charm. Don't be nervous; it's clear they want to kill one of our classmates."
After Hermione nodded to show she understood, Liam gave a slight nod and charged forward, with Hermione close behind.
As they turned the corner, Liam saw a small creature with bat-like ears and dressed in an old pillowcase waving its hands in the air as if directing something.
"Expelliarmus!" Two red beams hit the creature one after the other, causing it to stumble forward and fall to the ground. Liam stepped forward, grabbing the creature by the neck and pointing his wand at it.
"Tell us why you want to kill Harry." Hermione joined them, noticing that the creature's position allowed a clear view of the Quidditch pitch through a broken section of the wall.
"Liam, the Bludgers have stopped chasing Harry. We didn't get the wrong person", Hermione said, stepping closer to the creature and examining it. "He looks like the House-elf Dobby that Harry mentioned, who has been trying to prevent Harry from returning to school. Let him go a bit, and we'll ask why he wants to kill Harry."
"Alright." Liam loosened his grip on Dobby's neck and grabbed his shoulder, asking, "Why do you want to kill Harry?"
"You are friends of the great Harry Potter, but you cannot stop me from saving Harry's life", Dobby defended.
"Saving his life? Are you saying that smashing Harry's head with a Bludger or making him fall from several feet high is saving his life? From what I know, House-elves serve their masters. Who sent you to assassinate Harry? Is there someone else still out there?" Hermione asked angrily, pointing her wand at Dobby.
"Harry Potter has such loyal friends, and Dobby is happy. But Dobby must save Harry Potter now. Goodbye." With that, Dobby snapped his fingers and vanished from Liam's grasp.
"But isn't Apparition forbidden within Hogwarts grounds? How did he disappear like that?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I think the restriction only applies to humans", Liam replied, remembering the S.P.E.W. plot Hermione had mentioned. "Didn't we hear from Harry about Dobby's suffering? Why were you so unsympathetic to Dobby just now?"
“Mercy? Are you out of your mind?” Hermione turned and said, “He’s the murderer who tried to kill our classmate. Why should I have mercy on him?”
After saying this, Hermione peeked through the hole at the Quidditch pitch. “Oh no, Dobby is attacking Harry again. We need to find and stop him quickly.”
Liam prepared another Paper Crane. Dobby’s casting trajectory was still very obvious; he clearly wasn’t trying to hide it. This time, however, the location displayed was a deserted tower opposite the Quidditch pitch.
When Liam and Hermione panted their way up the tower, Liam hit the casting Dobby with a Stunning Spell. Dobby looked unsteady and vanished with a snap of his fingers just as he was about to fall.
“Oh, damn it.” Liam slapped his thigh in frustration. However, the Stunning Spell had some effect; it took about five or six minutes for the Bludgers to be controlled again.
Just as Liam and Hermione caught their breath, they had to continue their pursuit. Halfway through, Hermione pulled Liam to a stop. “There’s no need to chase anymore. The match is over.”
Liam saw the Bludgers fall into the crowd and then fly back up. Just as they were about to strike again, a spell shattered them.
Reaching the edge of the grounds, they saw Ginny walking out of the crowd. From Ginny, Liam and Hermione learned what had happened.
Because the Bludgers were acting unpredictably, Harry had taken a desperate gamble and chased the Golden Snitch alone. He succeeded, but in dodging the Bludgers, he fell to the ground, losing a few teeth in the process.
After the match, Lockhart attempted to heal Harry’s teeth, but the Bludgers charged down again. He tried to show off his spell-casting skills by dealing with the Bludgers, but his magic had no effect. The Bludgers hit his shoulder blade, and it was Madam Hooch who ultimately solved the problem. Both Harry and Lockhart were taken to the Hospital Wing.
At that moment, Liam received a notification, earning five Deviation Points.
Liam and Hermione quickly headed to the Hospital Wing. They found the ward noisy, with a group of girls gathered around Lockhart’s bed, chattering away. Harry was only accompanied by Ron and Colin.
“Where have you two been? Why were you nowhere to be seen earlier?” Ron asked, somewhat angrily, as he saw Liam and Hermione approach.
Liam glanced around and noticed that Madam Pomfrey was busy shooing the chattering girls away from Lockhart’s bed, so no one was paying attention to their side. He quickly explained what they had been doing.
After listening to Liam’s account, Harry said thoughtfully, “Dobby has always wanted me to leave the school, saying that dangerous things will happen here. But nothing has happened this year, and the only danger was caused by him. This suggests that someone doesn’t want me here. After all, with Professor Dumbledore protecting the school, no one can harm me.”
Seeing Harry’s thoughts being led astray, Liam couldn’t help but silently pray for Dobby, hoping he wouldn’t be traumatized by the Chosen One.
In the end, when the Gryffindor team members came in, they were all ushered out of the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey. Harry needed to grow six new teeth, and the process would be painful, so it was best for him to stay overnight. The next morning, Madam Pomfrey could help him with the final adjustments.
(End of Chapter)
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