Chapter 921: Setting Up
Chapter 921: Setting Up
"Winky?" Harry echoed, his eyes clouded with confusion.
"Yes, the house-elf that Crouch sacked during the Quidditch World Cup," Hermione clarified, not even bothering with a title, clearly indicating her disdain for Crouch's actions. "When I was reading the Daily Prophet today, I came across Sirius mentioning how Winky's testimony proved that Barty Crouch Jr. is still alive. To be honest, I'm a little worried about Winky."
"Why are you worried...?" Ron began, only to be cut off by Hermione.
"When I went to visit Winky, I found her in a complete emotional wreck," Hermione said, her voice filled with sympathy for the elf.
Hermione felt sorry for the elf, thinking that she didn't deserve such treatment.
"But didn't Crouch already expel her from the household?" Ron's confusion deepened.
"Winky still hasn't gotten over that man. Anyway, follow me, you two." Hermione led Harry and Ron down to the kitchen below the Great Hall.
"Then why did you want to find Albert?" Ron hadn't forgotten Hermione's initial intention to seek Albert's help.
"Dobby told me that Albert is well-liked by house-elves. Perhaps he can help with Winky's situation," Hermione explained.
Due to her involvement with the House-Elf Liberation Front, Hermione had become one of the least favorite people among house-elves. Although they didn't go as far as kicking her out of the kitchen, she could still sense their disdainful and rejecting glares.
"Is Albert really that popular with house-elves?" Harry felt that the house-elves were generally enthusiastic towards everyone.
"Yes, he is." Hermione nodded. "Albert is kind to house-elves. He sends them Christmas gifts every holiday, so many of them are willing to serve him."
"Christmas gifts for house-elves?"
Harry had done this himself, but he still found Albert a bit... hypocritical.
"Sometimes, Albert's tom is taken care of by house-elves," Hermione continued, speaking as if lost in her own thoughts. "I heard from Dobby that they even prepare and deliver special meals to his dorm room. Of course, Albert doesn't discriminate against house-elves and is quite friendly. The Christmas gifts are just a way to show his appreciation for their daily care."
Hermione truly admired Albert. Most wizards never gave house-elves a second thought, and very few would go to the lengths that Albert did. He was even willing to patiently help Hermione write touching stories about the harmonious coexistence of house-elves and wizards to promote better relations between the two.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, feeling a twinge of envy for Albert's standing among the house-elves.
"Oh, and Albert also gave Dobby a job," Hermione added suddenly. Aside from Dumbledore, he was the first to do so, as almost no wizard would consider such an arrangement.
"He hired Dobby?" Both Harry and Ron were astonished.
"What did he hire Dobby to do?" Harry asked.
"That guy really is an oddball," Ron muttered.
"Apparently, he'll need help when he opens his store, and he also wants to provide for Fred, George, and Lee Jordan," Hermione explained, having already learned the whole story from Dobby. Although she wasn't entirely satisfied with the pay Albert offered, she appreciated that he was at least willing to give Dobby a job. It was a good start.
Some things had to be done gradually; there was no rush.
"He really has thought of everything," Harry commented, recognizing Albert's style of always being prepared. It was so unlike a Gryffindor.
At least, most Gryffindors didn't tend to think that far ahead.
"Believe me, if Anderson were pure-blooded, he would have become the idol of countless pure-bloods by now. They would be fawning over him, admiring him, and envying him," Ron said, as if remembering something. "He would be the type that even Malfoy would have to bow his head to. Then, with his abilities and the reputation of a pure-blood, he would undoubtedly become the Minister of Magic within a decade, creating another legend in the wizarding world."
(The Minister of Magic is elected every seven years and can serve consecutive terms.) Both Harry and Hermione stared at Ron, taken aback by his words.
"Don't look at me like that. Anderson is even more famous in the wizarding world than you think," Ron grumbled. "Even someone like Malfoy can't touch him. My mom admires him, and Fred and George were convinced to stay in school because of Albert."
"Is the wizarding world very hostile towards Muggle-born wizards?" Harry asked suddenly.
"My dad likes Muggles, and that's why he's never gotten a promotion. Although he doesn't mind, Percy does. That guy has big ambitions," Ron replied.
"Well, it's not uncommon to see such exclusion anywhere," Hermione said as she pushed open the door hidden behind a painting, leading Harry and Ron into the kitchen. This was their second time visiting the Hogwarts kitchen.
"It's been a while, sir!" Dobby rushed forward and hugged Harry tightly.
"Thank you for the Christmas gift," Harry said, forcing a smile onto his face as he still wasn't used to the elves' enthusiasm.
"How is Winky doing now?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Not good," Dobby replied in a high-pitched voice. "She's been in an emotional breakdown ever since she found out about Mr. Crouch's death. She's been crying a lot lately and even drinking. She's having a hard time accepting her new situation."
"Is it because Sirius forced Winky to talk about Barty Crouch Jr.?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"Hermione?" Harry furrowed his brows.
"No, Mr. Black hasn't come to look for Winky," Dobby shook his head. "But Professor Dumbledore called her over to ask her some questions a while ago."
"Dumbledore?"
The three of them exchanged glances and followed Dobby to see Winky. The surrounding house-elves moved away from them as if Dobby carried some contagious disease.
"She seems to be doing alright now," Ron observed after checking on Winky's condition. He turned to Hermione and added, "I just gave Winky a calming potion."
"Mr. Anderson and his friends came here for a late-night snack the other day, and he noticed Winky's situation. He gave me a large bottle of calming potion and cheering potion," Dobby said helplessly. "Sometimes, when Winky has an emotional breakdown, I give her some to drink."
Harry looked at the house-elf, then turned to Hermione, unsure of what to do. He felt completely helpless.
"Can we use the Obliviate spell, Hermione? Do you know that spell?" Harry pulled Hermione aside and asked quietly. "I remember Lockhart was good at that spell. Maybe we can make Winky forget some of the unpleasant memories."
"No, I understand the principle behind the Obliviate spell, but..."
Hermione had indeed considered using the Obliviate spell to make Winky forget about Crouch, but she felt that it wasn't her place to make such a decision. Otherwise, something terrible might happen.
Of course, she also didn't have the skill to perform it effectively.
This was another reason why Hermione wanted to find Albert. Perhaps with his charm, he could gently pat Winky on the head and say to the house-elf, "If you have nowhere to go, you can come to my house."
"Perhaps that will solve the problem."
In Hermione's opinion, if Albert was willing to hire Dobby, then taking in another house-elf certainly wouldn't be an issue. This arrangement would benefit both parties, and with Albert, Sparky's life would undoubtedly improve.
"Sparky, would you like to follow Albert?"
Hermione hesitated for a long time before finally approaching Sparky and asking quietly, "If you're willing, I can ask Albert for you. After he graduates, he'll definitely be happy to have a house-elf to help him with his daily life."
Sparky lifted her head, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at Hermione. Her expression seemed a little twisted, as if she wanted to cry but couldn't.
"That's a great idea, Sparky. Mr. Anderson is a good person and an extraordinary one at that. He's kind to everyone, and he'll surely become a great wizard like Dumbledore someday." Dobby also thought Hermione's suggestion was fantastic. With this, they could all work for Mr. Anderson.
"No, Sparky doesn't want to. Sparky won't betray her master." The house-elf shook her head vigorously.
"Mr. Crouch is no longer your master. He drove you away," Dobby reminded her in a shrill voice. "And he's dead now, killed by Peter Pettigrew."
"Shut up, Dobby." Sparky covered her ears and curled up, trying to shut out the words.
"Don't you want to go back to Barty Crouch Jr.?" Harry countered. "I know he's still alive. He even stole my wand at the Quidditch World Cup and released the Dark Mark. He's now back with his master, Voldemort. Is that where you want to end up too?"
The atmosphere in the kitchen suddenly turned strange, and a small commotion ensued. The name 'Voldemort' still held a powerful intimidating effect on the house-elves.
"Harry..."
Under the anxious gazes of the house-elves, Hermione forcibly pulled Harry away from the kitchen.
"You shouldn't have mentioned that name. You scared them," Hermione scolded Harry, as if he had done something terribly wrong.
"Is Barty Crouch Jr. really still alive?" Ron asked suddenly.
"Seems like it," Harry muttered. "According to Sirius, he's in hiding and trying to resurrect Voldemort."
Ron shuddered, his teeth clenched. "Harry, can you please stop saying that name?"
"Alright, Ron."
Harry reluctantly conceded under Ron's insistent gaze.
"Oh, alright." He spread his hands helplessly. "They're searching for Barty Crouch Jr. everywhere. Sirius said that if they could capture Peter, they might be able to find out Crouch's exact whereabouts, although it might be too late by then."
"Why don't we ask Albert to do a divination?" Ron suggested, confused. "With his abilities, I think he might be able to find Barty Crouch Jr.'s hideout. After all, the clues he gave Sirius about Peter all turned out to be true, even if they weren't put to use."
"Don't be too superstitious, Weasley."
Moody, who had just emerged from the Great Hall, addressed the trio. "If divination really worked, many things in this world would be much easier. Even Dumbledore doesn't believe in it because divination is usually inaccurate."
"Is that so?" Harry mumbled, confused. "But Albert's divinations are incredibly accurate, even if he charges a hefty fee for them."
Harry wasn't sure about other diviners, but Albert Anderson's divinations were undeniably precise.
As for Professor Trelawney, despite her few accurate prophecies, Harry firmly believed she was a fraud at heart.
"I've heard he can do divinations too. If Mr. Anderson is that capable, I should suggest to Dumbledore that he ask him to do a divination," Moody muttered. "At the very least, we wouldn't have to worry about finding Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr."
With that, Moody limped away, seemingly intending to discuss the matter with Dumbledore.
"Professor Moody..."
Hermione hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Could you please ask Professor Dumbledore if he can use the Obliviate spell on the house-elf, Sparky? She's been emotionally distraught since Mr. Crouch's death. Ask him if he can help her forget some of those unpleasant memories."
Moody stopped in his tracks and turned his magical eye toward Hermione. "To be honest, this isn't a pleasant topic," he said in a low voice. "Especially when it comes to altering someone's memory. It's generally frowned upon in the wizarding community. If there's another way, it's best not to go down that path. Additionally, if you want to erase important memories of a person from a house-elf's mind, you'd need a powerful Obliviate spell, which could cause permanent damage to their brain."
Hermione's face paled, and her lips quivered as she said, "I didn't know that."
"There's still a lot for you to learn," Moody said, turning to Harry. "I suggest you focus on helping Potter pass the second task. The situation is growing peculiar, and you'd best learn more means of self-protection. Don't go into battle unprepared; it could cost you your life. I'm truly baffled that Dumbledore hasn't taught you these things."
With that, Moody limped away under the trio's gaze.
"I don't think asking Professor Moody for help is a good idea," Ron muttered.
Harry agreed with Ron. Professor Moody seemed more interested in capturing dark wizards. If interrogating Sparky could lead them to Barty Jr., Moody would undoubtedly do it.
However, what the trio didn't know was that their conversation had already planted a seed of suspicion in Moody's mind.
Divination?
To be honest, Barty Jr. didn't believe in that hokey stuff.
Even though he had gotten an 'Outstanding' in Divination during his O.W.L.s. No, perhaps it was because of that achievement that he knew how bogus divination really was.
True diviners were rare, very rare. Most were frauds, and even the legitimate ones had limited abilities, rarely providing accurate predictions. What they offered were usually vague and cryptic mumbo jumbo.
Of course, that mudblood was indeed a bit uncanny. The fact that Potter and Weasley held him in such high regard meant there had to be something to him.
That guy was a real nuisance.
Barty Jr.'s thoughts weren't far off the mark.
If Albert were willing, he would have been exposed long ago.
(End of Chapter)
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