Chapter 244: The Free House-Elf
Chapter 244: The Free House-Elf
This house-elf did not look the least bit timid. He stood straight and looked at Sherlock and the others.
The house-elf named Abby regarded him with a look of disdain, as if she were looking at an oddity.
Not just her, but all the other house-elves looked at him the same way, as if this house-elf was not one of their own.
"It's Dobby, Professor. Has he not cleaned properly, or has he broken something? If so, please punish him; he is out of line. He came to Hogwarts to work and actually asked Professor Dumbledore for a salary! Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore is a kind person and agreed to pay him, but this still brings shame to the house-elves!"
Abby's tone was unashamedly filled with disgust for Dobby.
But Dobby did not seem to care in the least. Despite the hostile gazes, he stood tall and proud, showing no sign of shame, but rather a sense of pride.
Professor Mcgonagall did not come to resolve the internal issues of the house-elves. She dismissed Abby and the others, leaving only Dobby.
"If Dobby does not perform his duties well, you can deduct his pay, but you cannot punish him! Because Dobby is a free house-elf!"
Dobby was indeed different from the other house-elves, and this was evident from his words and actions.
However, Sherlock did not have the time to delve into the psychological changes of house-elves. He got straight to the point.
"Your work has been excellent, with no issues. We are here to ask if, while cleaning the dungeon classroom over the past two days, you found a straw in the trash bin of an empty classroom?"
Dobby immediately recalled what Sherlock was referring to.
"Yes, Dobby remembers finding a straw. It was something the great Harry Potter threw into the bin, and Dobby has kept it as a treasure!"
Upon hearing this, Sherlock and Professor Mcgonagall exchanged a glance, both seeing a glint of surprise in the other's eyes.
It was best that Dobby had not thrown the straw away, as it saved them a lot of trouble.
"Could you give us that straw, Dobby? Hogwarts is experiencing some problems because of it, and we need it to find clues."
Professor Mcgonagall did not forcefully take the straw from Dobby. Dobby, being reasonable, expressed his willingness to help the professors.
He led Sherlock and the others to his living quarters, retrieved a rag-wrapped bundle, and opened it to reveal a collection of broken trinkets.
Sherlock saw several parchments with Harry's name on them, guessing that Dobby had collected these items that Harry had discarded.
This house-elf was clearly a devoted fan of Harry.
Among the assortment of items, they immediately spotted the withered straw.
From the outside, it looked unremarkable, but Sherlock, who had already encountered the Straw Golem, did not let his guard down.
After taking the straw from Dobby and ensuring it had no special spells on it, they brought it to the deputy headmistress's office. Professor Mcgonagall studied it with a serious expression for a long time.
"So, how do we use this to find the dark magic creature?"
Sherlock had no idea either, and they all turned to Silke, as she was the expert on the Straw Golem and the best at finding things.
Silke did not disappoint their expectations. She took the straw from Professor Mcgonagall and spoke calmly.
"I need time."
Professor Mcgonagall's brow furrowed.
"How long will it take?"
"If its intention is for us to find it, we could have a result as early as tomorrow. However, if it wants to keep hiding and cause trouble for Hogwarts, it will take at least three days."
It had only been three days since Harry and the others encountered this thing, and the news had already spread throughout Gryffindor House. If they had to wait another three days, they couldn't even begin to guess what might happen, and they didn't want to.
"Try your best. If you don't have a result by tomorrow, we'll consider other options", Professor Mcgonagall said, her voice tinged with resignation.
With the Triwizard Tournament about to begin, Dumbledore had been extremely busy. He hadn't had much time to return to the castle until the tournament officially started at the end of October.
As a result, all major decisions at the school were now being made by Professor Mcgonagall, the Deputy Headmistress.
For now, the situation hadn't escalated too much. The worst that had happened was that an entire House of students had a nightmare, but no one had been seriously harmed. The atmosphere in the castle remained relatively calm.
Professor Mcgonagall had also specifically instructed Harry and a few other students who knew the details to keep the matter quiet.
With the international tournament just around the corner, Hogwarts was under the watchful eyes of the Wizarding World. Any negative rumors could be devastating to the school's reputation.
However, by that night, things had indeed unfolded as the professors had feared.
Around three o'clock in the morning, all the young wizards from the four Houses were jolted awake by the same nightmare. They all dreamed of their families being killed, with a strange figure with crimson eyes watching from the sidelines.
Even with Professor Mcgonagall's efforts to suppress the news, the students became increasingly panicked.
By morning, the Great Hall was abuzz with talk of the nightmare. Several "reliable" rumors were already circulating among the students.
The most widely accepted theory was that the nightmare was a lingering effect of the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Although the Basilisk had been killed, the founder's curse had spread. The nightmares of family deaths were supposedly a test to identify students from Muggle families, who would soon die en masse.
The rumors spread like wildfire, forcing Professor Mcgonagall to address all the students before breakfast to explain that their nightmares had nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets.
Professors Forrest and Silke had already identified the cause of the nightmares, and the issue would be resolved soon. No one would be harmed.
Professor Mcgonagall's authority, second only to Dumbledore's, helped calm the students. Additionally, Sherlock's past feat of killing the Basilisk had earned him a lot of trust among the young wizards.
While Professor Mcgonagall was calming the students in the Great Hall, in Silke's office, Sherlock sat beside her, listening to the results of her divination from the night before.
"Number eight, white, a hidden room."
(End of Chapter)
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