Chapter 364: Coincidence and Necessity
Chapter 364: Coincidence and Necessity
Vold stood still, his scalp tingling as if he had been transported back to the moment when he held his breath and hid outside the terrace, fearing for his life.
Lord Relph's words sank in. Did he mean that when Vold and Voldemort were separated by a mere wall, there was also a house-elf nearby?
Seeing Vold's silence, Lord Relph continued, "Many years ago, when Dumbledore was still a student at Hogwarts, I was in charge of cleaning the Gryffindor Tower and taking care of the students' daily needs."
"Then, like you, Dumbledore noticed the presence of house-elves hidden within the school and sought to find them. He treated me kindly and sternly reprimanded the other students when they caused trouble."
"You... you were friends with Dumbledore?" Vold asked.
"No?" The elderly house-elf shook his head. "Dumbledore was Lord Relph's master."
"After Dumbledore allowed werewolves into the school, Lord Relph made sure to keep an eye on him during the days before and after the full moon to prevent him from harming other students."
"It's the same with vampires. The little ones in the Gryffindor Tower also kept a close eye on that small bat."
"What about Voldemort? Did you ever watch over him too?" Vold asked incredulously.
Lord Relph nodded slightly.
"In that man's eyes, house-elves were like pests, like spiders crawling out of the corners. He never paid us much attention. But in reality, when Professor Quirrell acted strangely, we were the first to notice."
Vold recalled the house-elf's keen sense of hearing and how Quirrell's conversations with Voldemort behind his head were akin to soliloquies.
He even remembered that in the original storyline, the Chamber of Secrets snake roamed Hogwarts and only petrified a few people without killing anyone.
Each time the snake encountered students, they would "coincidentally" avoid looking directly into its eyes, using mirrors, water surfaces, or camera lenses.
If all this was not a "coincidence," was Lord Relph also protecting the students during that part of the story?
He didn't completely stop every harmful incident but only gently intervened when students faced life-threatening crises, pulling them back from the brink of death.
Of course, in this world, that part of the story never happened, and Vold had no way to verify his conjecture.
He asked, "Did you also know about James Potter and his friends becoming Animagi?"
Sirius and Lupin had always thought that Dumbledore was completely unaware of this.
"Of course," Lord Relph said as if understanding Vold's thoughts. "But I don't report every matter to Dumbledore, especially when it involves student privacy."
"But you said Dumbledore was your master."
"Yes, but the students of this school are also... I am a house-elf of Hogwarts."
"You've never told anyone about these things before, have you? Why tell me?" Vold asked, puzzled.
Lord Relph tilted his head slightly, looking at Vold. "Dumbledore believed that Vold Grey would worry about his friends being harmed and might take extreme actions out of concern. Hence, it was necessary to explain."
—What kind of extreme actions? This is clearly justifiable and reasonable concern for classmates.
Vold scoffed inwardly but felt much more at ease.
He thanked Lord Relph and expressed his gratitude for his help. After Lord Relph disappeared before his eyes, Vold returned to the dormitory.
Everything in the dormitory remained perfectly in place. The room was warm and comfortable, the bedding soft and fluffy, and the tables and miscellaneous items were all neatly organized.
Vold looked at the pot of hot water on the table and imagined that one day, Zoe and the others would become as wise and composed as Lord Relph.
As time passed, he would probably age like a withered tree... if he lived that long...
Holding the water cup, Vold thought of the shy Zoe, the talkative and cheerful Habby... and Lord Relph's wrinkled face, with eyes as big as tennis balls...
Suddenly, Vold froze as if paused, and Lord Relph's voice echoed in his ears—
"It's me."
"I am the guardian of you children."
House elves rarely referred to themselves as "I," instead using their names, like Zoe would say, "Zoe did this and that," as if speaking about someone else.
But Lord Relph... he naturally said "I"...
Vold pondered for a moment, shook his head, and dismissed the strange feeling he had just experienced.
- The older you get, the more you uncover the essence of the world... and Lord Relph might have been influenced by Dumbledore, so his sense of self was slightly stronger than that of other house elves.
...
Cyril entered Hogwarts, and before he could even finish reading a book, he experienced the complex schedule of a third-year Hogwarts student.
Students with fewer classes weren't as busy, but each class required a considerable walk to reach the corresponding classroom, navigating the school's activity-prone staircases and dealing with the mischievous Peeves along the way, making everyone appear busy.
Vold found himself gradually growing fond of Divination class.
Professor Trelawney continued her incoherent babbling, and it was evident that very few students saw through her facade. Most held her in awe.
Professor Trelawney loved it when students fabricated various obviously false and tragic prophecies. However, she never denied Vold's interpretations, even if they were as bland as plain water.
Numerology Divination also started to become more interesting—of course, the other students didn't quite feel the same way—as the increasing complexity of calculations led to more accurate predictions.
Even Care of Magical Creatures class seemed enjoyable.
Hagrid brought in various harmless or low-risk magical creatures for the students to learn how to care for them.
Occasionally, a few fierce beasts would appear in his class, and when this happened, Hagrid would stand guard by the beast, watching as the students took turns interacting, greeting, and playing with the creature, ready to intervene in case of any mishaps.
Time quietly slipped into October.
Cyril's academic performance was like a tale of two extremes—he was ahead in some subjects but would sleep through others, waking up to say:
"Seriously, Gray, how do you resist being put to sleep by that old man?"
"Homework," Vold replied.
Cyril became spirited, "Really? You finished it all? Let me copy it!"
Vold readily tossed his homework to Cyril, but as Cyril flipped through it, he was stunned.
"What is this that you've written? 'Analysis of the Key Points of the Vanishing Spell'? Did we learn this spell?"
Book Recommendation:
"Witch, Fireball, and the Steam God"
In a world where mysticism and steam technology coexist, cursed objects, containment bureaus, and god-crazed fanatics...
One year, the king was gravely ill, the successor was inexperienced, power was slipping away, and the empire was on the verge of collapse.
That year, outside the empire, the winds of change blew, and foreign civilizations were eyeing it with greed.
That year, a prophet delivered a prophecy, foretelling the end of the age of civilization.
That year, Ethan arrived in a small town on the outskirts of the imperial capital and, to survive in this perilous era, began practicing fireball magic.
Several years later, Ethan watched a meteorite falling from the clouds and realized something was amiss.
The basic magic he had learned seemed... off.
(End of Chapter)
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