Chapter 82: Secret Passage, Dobby
Chapter 82: Secret Passage, Dobby
"It's quite obvious, isn't it?" said Fred.
"Maybe not to others, but it certainly is to us!" Fred laughed. "We saw you coming out of the corridor with the mirror, and now you've found the portrait of Paracelsus. It's clear you're looking for a secret passage."
"But it's no use," George said. "Filch knows about the passage behind the painting, and he's always on guard! Even if you manage to sneak out, he'll definitely catch you when you try to come back."
"That old codger knows about four secret passages in the castle," Fred added.
"But we know more than that!" said George. "If you really want to sneak out of school to, say, get some treats from Honeyduke's—"
"—all you have to do is go to the middle of the fourth floor corridor and find a one-eyed, humpbacked witch statue—"
"—the password is 'Separate Sides'—"
"—and the exit will lead you straight to Honeyduke's."
"So—" Fred winked playfully, "we wish you a great adventure!"
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Ved, puzzled. "You haven't shared this secret passage with many people, have you?"
"Of course not! Even little Ronnie doesn't know about it!"
"But you've already discovered two secret passages on your own. You have the qualifications to become a new rule-breaker!" Fred said solemnly, as if performing a serious rite of passage.
"We also received some help from our predecessors—well, invaluable help—," George said vaguely, "so we should offer assistance to like-minded individuals as well!"
"Good luck, Ved!" Fred gave him a thumbs-up. "You've got the gift."
Ved didn't want to know what they meant by "gift"... he somehow felt that the twins had some misunderstandings about him.
"Separate Sides!"
Ved found the humpbacked witch statue, recited the password, and the hump on the statue's back immediately opened up, revealing a space large enough for him to enter.
However, Ved stood at the entrance, peering into the dark passage, and ultimately chose to close the statue back up.
Why must I sneak out of school in violation of the rules? Ved suddenly had this thought.
Gryffindor would consider this a remarkable adventure, but in his opinion, increasing his own risk in this way was not advisable.
He did need to see Remus Lupin, and it would be convenient to meet Marchioni as well, but the secret passage was only a backup option. If he couldn't achieve his goal through legitimate means, he could always resort to using the passage later.
Several professors flashed through his mind, and finally, he settled on Professor Mori's benevolent smile.
It wasn't just because Professor Mori cared about him and appreciated his talents, but also because this professor didn't seem to hold rules and discipline too closely—
Hogwarts officially didn't allow Floo Network connections, but he had his office fireplace connected (though Dumbledore probably knew about it);
It was legally forbidden to connect the fireplaces of Muggle-born families to the Floo Network, but he had secretly arranged for it anyway;
Many people with the same status and prestige as Professor Mori tended to become moral exemplars and embodiments of rules as they aged (even if only superficially), but Professor Mori would roll up his sleeves and personally haggle with merchants.
Therefore, Professor Mori was the most likely person to make an exception and grant him permission to leave school.
...
"Snap!"
The familiar light snapping sound made Ved turn his head immediately. He expected it to be one of the Weasleys, but instead, it was a house-elf he wasn't very familiar with.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ved Grey," the elf bowed deeply.
"You are—," Ved's fingers lightly touched his wand, his eyes glancing at the elf's head, "Dobby?"
"Good afternoon, Dobby," Ved said with a slight bow.
The house-elf's eyes widened in surprise, his already large eyes bulging even more as tears quickly welled up.
"Ved Grey actually remembered Dobby's name? Dobby is but a lowly house-elf, no more significant than dust, and Ved Grey remembered his name? And he greeted Dobby with a 'good afternoon'? No wizard has ever greeted Dobby like that—no wizard has ever remembered Dobby's name—"
The elf broke into loud wails.
Ved sighed and crouched down to speak to him. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?"
"No—no—how could Ved Grey be wrong? He's just like Miss Zoe said... an extremely, extremely great wizard... just as Miss Zoe said..." Dobby sobbed.
"That's an exaggeration; I'm far from being great," Ved said as he pulled out a tissue and handed it to the elf. "If you keep crying like this, you might attract unwanted attention."
"A good house-elf is one who goes unnoticed by wizards," Dobby sniffled, his crying instantly softening as if this thought were an ingrained moral code.
"I recall Zoe mentioning that you've been researching how to make those candies, right?" Ved asked tentatively. "Are you here because you've made a breakthrough in your research?"
"Yes—yes—tonight, Ved Grey will be able to see the candies on the table—"
Dobby choked back a sob. "But—but—Dobby didn't come here for that—Dobby came to warn Ved Grey—"
"Warn me?" Ved was taken aback. "Warn me about what?"
"Dobby was cleaning in Slytherin, and I overheard a few students saying... saying that they want to teach Ved Grey a lesson while he's practicing potions—"
Dobby spoke with great difficulty, then froze, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. He shuddered and suddenly rushed towards the wall, banging his head against it while shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Wait, Dobby!" Ved grabbed him to stop him from hurting himself. "What are you doing?"
"Dobby is punishing himself—Dobby is so bad—he revealed a young wizard's secret—" Dobby said, his eyes brimming with tears. "But Ved Grey needs to know—someone bears him ill will... Dobby... Dobby wants to tell Ved Grey who it is, but Dobby can't say their names..."
As he spoke, he tried to rush towards the wall again, but Ved quickly blocked his path. "Wait! You're doing this to protect me, remember? You didn't reveal any secrets; you're protecting a student in danger. There's no need to punish yourself for that!"
"Is—is that so?" Dobby asked, looking perplexed.
"Of course," Ved affirmed with a strong, reassuring nod.
Dobby hesitated and stopped struggling, tilting his head as if he were caught in a muddle.
Ved spoke gently. "Listen to me, Dobby—thank you for choosing to protect me at the cost of punishing yourself. You're shielding me from potential harm... This act of selflessness, filled with love and a sense of responsibility, embodies the true meaning and value of life, and it should never be punished."
Dobby stared at him, wide-eyed.
After a long while, he bowed deeply, his nose almost touching the ground.
"Please, Ved Grey, be sure to take care of yourself—Dobby couldn't bear it if you were hurt..."
With that, he vanished from the spot with the dirty tissue still in his hand.
(End of Chapter)
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