Chapter 196: Free Will
Chapter 196: Free Will
Widze knew that house-elves could be stubborn, so instead of arguing with Dobby about Harry Potter's safety, he asked, "I heard from Harry that you wish to be free?"
Dobby's excited expression froze, and he slowly lowered his arms. His large eyes rolled, and he looked at Widze in fear.
"Don't be afraid, I won't tell the Malfoys," Widze said seriously. "What I mean is, if you truly desire it, I can help you achieve your freedom."
"Help... help Dobby?" Dobby sniffed and his voice trembled. "Why, sir? Dobby is just a slave. You don't know me, and I don't know you."
"Why?" Widze asked with a gentle smile. "Perhaps because you are the first house-elf I've met who yearns for liberty? Tell me, do you want to be free? Do you want my help?"
Dobby tightly clutched the old pillowcase with both hands, his body trembling slightly, his gaze wavering as if unsure. After a long moment, he finally closed his eyes and shouted, "Yes!"
"Dobby yearns for freedom! Dobby wants to leave them forever!"
As if startled by his own voice, Dobby paused before speaking again, his voice careful and fearful. "But... but... my masters will never grant me freedom! They are very careful and wouldn't even let me touch a pair of socks."
The conditions for a house-elf to gain freedom were simple yet challenging. If a master gave them clothing, they could be set free. However, clothes thrown on the ground, put into a laundry basket, or simply given to them for washing did not count. They had to be explicitly given for the elf's possession or as a gift.
The intentions of the wizard determined the direction of the magic.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll figure something out," Widze assured him. "Will you trust me?"
Dobby looked up at him and, after a while, said, "Yes, I trust you."
Widze was the first wizard to ever speak to him at eye level. How could he not trust him?
Smiling, Widze said, "Then, until that day, please be patient. I don't think it will be long now..."
As he finished speaking, he heard a rumbling sound and was surprised.
Dobby pitifully covered his stomach.
Widze glanced at the candies and delicate pastries on the table and understood. He said in a normal tone, "McKey, could you bring us some food, please?"
There was a soft "pop," and a round tray appeared on the floor.
On the tray were bread, roasted potatoes, fried sausages, and a large bottle of tea.
"Thank you, McKey," Widze said.
He pushed the tray toward Dobby. "Go on, eat. The Malfoys might be back soon."
"Also, McKey is the house-elf in charge of the Slytherin common room. Although your master doesn't allow him into the dorms, if you need help, you can ask McKey, or you can ask him to relay messages to me. He'll hear you."
Dobby stared at him, his lips quivering, but he didn't speak or touch the steaming food.
"Well, I should be going now," Widze said as he stood up. "Goodbye, Dobby. I hope that by the next time we meet, you'll be a free elf."
He tapped his wand to his forehead, and his body disappeared from the room.
Dobby heard the faint footsteps walk out of the dorm, the wooden door close, and then the sound fade into the distance.
...
"Widze Grey wants to help that house-elf gain freedom?
As Widze left the Slytherin common room and walked down the empty corridor, McKey appeared beside him and asked in a soft voice, "Is it true?"
"Yes," Widze replied. "You saw how cruel his master is to him."
"I don't like him," McKey said after a moment's pause.
"He's strange, like an outcast," McKey added.
"Because he yearns for freedom?" Widze questioned.
"He's betraying his master," McKey stated.
After a moment's thought, McKey amended his statement, "He appears to obey his master's orders, but he's actually betraying him. No one will accept a house-elf like that! He'll become a homeless wanderer, a lonely spirit drifting until he dies!"
"I will," Widze said calmly. "I wouldn't have helped him escape his current situation if I wasn't prepared to offer him a better life."
McKey was taken aback, and he looked at Widze, emphasizing, "Dobby is a bad elf who betrays his master."
"So, do you think he's wrong, McKey?" Widze asked.
—Of course!
McKey thought to himself, but he blinked, unable to utter those simple words.
Although he hadn't witnessed it himself, he had often heard how Draco Malfoy treated Dobby.
Dobby often cruelly punished himself, even using an iron to burn his fingers or putting his ears in the oven.
In the quiet of the night, he would find discarded old clothes and tear them into strips to use as bandages for his wounds.
McKey felt confused.
Widze didn't pressure him for an immediate answer but asked, "Did he eat the food you brought?"
"He's crying!" McKey exclaimed. "He's making such an awful noise."
"Please help him, McKey," Widze requested gently. "Bring him some food every day. I've placed burn salve and moss in the umbrella room; take two bottles to him as well."
"......Alright."
McKey reluctantly agreed, "Since Widze Grey asks it of me, McKey will help. But I'm not like him!"
He added solemnly, "I would never betray!"
"Of course, I know," Widze said.
He thought to himself that Malfoy might not agree with that statement.
But to McKey, Malfoy and the other Slytherin students were merely clients he served; they were not the object of his loyalty.
In reality, McKey's self-awareness was not inferior to Dobby's, but he was unaware of it.
Life at Hogwarts was peaceful and happy for the house-elves. It was difficult for extreme rebellious thoughts to take root in such an environment.
If McKey and Dobby had swapped places, McKey's actions might have been even more drastic—like Kretch, the Black family's house-elf, who actively sought ways to kill his master.
However, as Widze thought of Draco Malfoy, McKey spoke of him too.
"He joined that club, the 'Deathday Club.' He asked them if the leader was a Death Eater, and they said no."
"They also gave him a ring that can send simple messages, inspired by..."
McKey glanced at Widze.
"...the friend-making book."
"I see," Widze nodded.
He wasn't surprised.
The friend-making book provided convenience to wizards, and this convenience wasn't limited to his friends and ordinary people; even villains could make good use of it.
It was a double-edged sword.
(End of Chapter)
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