boyutpedia Chapter 28 Escalation
Chapter 28 Escalation
House-elves are not wizards well-versed in magic; neither Dobby nor his kind considered magic an innate ability. Even so, these little creatures could grasp some simple truths. For example, their talent for wandless spellcasting was usually greater than their masters'; and their Apparition techniques were something their wizard masters could never learn.
Watching Harry, now in his black mist form, blink another 10 feet within the Room of Requirement, Dobby's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. (They really did.)
Strictly speaking, Harry's Apparition skills were still not very refined; even in his most successful spellcasting, a small portion of the Obscurial's body remained in place. However, for Dobby at this moment, this issue seemed unimportant.
Why was Harry Potter able to Apparate like us house-elves? Why could he transform into a cloud of black mist? Why did that cloud of mist exude such a strong aura of dark magic? Wasn't he the nemesis of the Dark Lord?
Good heavens! Dobby clearly wanted Mr. Harry Potter to go home dejectedly!
“Sir…Mr. Harry Potter…”
Harry, who had already Apparated more than ten times, was about to call Moran out to study the matter together when he discovered that Dobby had somehow appeared beside him.
"What's wrong, Dobby? Did I do something wrong?"
Dobby rubbed his hands nervously, looking extremely awkward, until Harry finished tidying up his messy school uniform robes before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence.
"Ah... no, sir, not at all. At this rate, you should be able to master Apparition soon."
As if he had thought of something, Harry walked up to Dobby, squatted down, and asked:
"Do you regret teaching me Apparition?"
"No, sir! There really isn't one."
"So you're worried that I'll learn this trick and deliberately invite trouble?"
Dobby nodded sheepishly, then shook his head even faster, his eyes tightly closed and his hands clenched tightly, as if he were struggling with something.
Half an hour ago, Harry had absolutely no liking for this ugly and strange magical creature. However, after learning Apparition, he began to let go of his initial prejudice and carefully consider the reasons and motives behind Dobby's various outrageous behaviors—if he really wanted to harm me, there was no need to teach me Apparition, and judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to believe I had the ability to withstand the disaster he spoke of. But the problem was, since things had already gotten this serious, why couldn't he just tell the whole truth? Was there some powerful magic binding him, something he couldn't say?
Thinking of this, Harry asked:
"Dobby, can't you say anything about the matter itself?" (Dobby nods frantically)
Seeing this, Harry quickly asked again:
"The reason you can't say is because of your relationship with your master, isn't it?"
Dobby's head remained still, but his silence, without denying the statement, was tantamount to giving Harry a positive answer. At this point, Harry finally understood the reason behind all the strange occurrences that had begun during the summer holidays.
"Hey, Dobby, I think we can change our strategy."
Harry said gently:
“I understand your desire to protect me, but these recent attempts have only caused me trouble and haven't yielded any constructive results; unless you go all out and kill me, I'm unlikely to be hurt by those petty tricks... You certainly don't want to kill me, right?”
"No, no, no! Dobby never intended to kill Harry Potter!"
"So, instead of risking your life to ambush me later, you might as well just tell me some information that you can reveal, so that I can be somewhat prepared when facing danger. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Dobby's eyes gradually shifted from fear to suspicion. Finally, faced with the "savior" who was willing to half-squat down and look him in the eye, he yielded.
"Alright, sir, but you have to promise Dobby that you'll run away if you ever encounter danger!"
I promise you!
There were only two people in the spacious Room of Requirement, but Dobby carefully crouched down before speaking, gesturing for Harry to come closer before whispering:
"The tragedy that happened at Hogwarts is about to repeat itself. The school is about to become unsafe. Once the Chamber of Secrets is opened, it won't just be the students who are considered enemies by the Heirs who will be in danger! Dobby can't say who is plotting this, but Dobby can tell Harry Potter that the person who plotted this didn't personally go to the school to open the Chamber of Secrets."
The house-elf's words were very revealing. Harry felt that, if he wasn't mistaken, the schemer whose name had been kept secret was not only the mastermind behind this incident but also Dobby's master. But according to the house-elf, if the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets wasn't his master's family, wouldn't that mean he had accomplices within the school?
The night was still long, and Dobby couldn't stay at Hogwarts to play guessing games with Harry. After explaining all the information he could, he Apparated away from the castle. Before leaving, he still worriedly reminded Harry to prioritize his own safety.
"The life of the savior is far more important than that of the other students!"
However, just as Harry was about to practice Apparition a little longer, he heard a vicious sound coming from beneath his feet.
"It's time! The smell of blood! Kill!"
Harry instantly forgot his promise to Dobby. He picked up the Invisibility Cloak from the ground with one hand, took out the Marauder's Map with the other, and ran straight towards the door of the Room of Requirement.
……
The next morning, as soon as Harry opened his eyes, he was once again overwhelmed with deep self-reproach.
Because Colin Creevey's name appeared in the first-floor corridor of Hogwarts, he mistook the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets for this new student. As a result, when he arrived at the scene, the junior student who had been pestering him for photos had already been taken to the school hospital by the professors.
"Thank goodness Albus happened to come downstairs to get some hot chocolate milk, otherwise who knows what might have happened? But what was he doing wandering around the corridor so late at night instead of sleeping?"
"Perhaps he's hungry. Look, there are some grilled chicken legs and sausages next to him."
"Can Colin eat all this by himself? He's only a first grader."
"Maybe he wanted to pick some up for his friends along the way..."
"Hey? Albus, do you think he might have taken pictures of the attackers?"
呲!
……
Harry could almost hear the professors' conversation, smell the acrid odor of burning plastic film, and see Colin standing motionless in the moonlight.
Why would Colin go downstairs to get food at night? Was it because of what I said during the post-game celebration? Damn it! Who was the attacker?!
The emotionally charged Harry was completely unaware that his guilt had subtly transformed into anger until his actions of making the bed woke Ron, bringing him back to his senses with a reminder from his friend.
"Harry, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Harry clenching his teeth as if he wanted to tear the bedding apart, Ron asked, half-jokingly:
"Did a caterpillar get into the blanket?"
Harry didn't want to be the one spreading fear, so he decided to keep what he'd seen the night before a secret for the time being. But before they could even go downstairs for breakfast, news of Colin's attack had already spread throughout the entire school.
"Colin's been petrified? Like Mrs. Lorris?"
"I knew the warning from the Slytherin heir wasn't a joke!"
"What should I do? My parents are Muggles, just like his! Oh my god!"
"But what exactly is a locked room? Where is it? Why would a criminal deliberately bring up the locked room when committing the crime?"
……
From his dormitory to the Great Hall to the History of Magic classroom, wherever there were people, Harry could hear all sorts of sounds. Although no new writing was left on the castle walls, almost everyone connected the attack by Colin and Mrs. Norris.
Hermione, who also came from a Muggle family, was affected. Her face was very pale, and she didn't speak her first words of the day until Professor Binns' ghostly body passed through the blackboard and entered the classroom.
"Professor Binns, could you please tell us about the secret room?"
The students, who had been chatting and laughing non-stop, fell completely silent. Even Professor Binns, who was known for his hypnosis, showed an expression that was different from usual.
Who is this student?
“My name is Hermione Granger, and I am a witch from a Muggle family, Professor.”
……
“My course is called History of Magic, Miss Granger. We study recorded facts, not fantastical myths and legends.”
"But legends usually evolve from facts, don't they, Professor?"
Professor Binns looked extremely surprised. Apart from the fact that Hermione had raised a special and sensitive topic, this was the first time he had ever seen a student actively asking questions in his class.
"Okay, what you said does make some sense."
Professor Binns spoke while sizing up Hermione.
"You all surely know that our school's four houses are named after the great founders of Hogwarts, right? They are: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin."
“Great wizards, truly great. In any era, these four would undoubtedly be the most outstanding talents. That is why, to this day, Hogwarts remains the best magic school in the world.”
"At first, the founders were quite harmonious. They searched for promising young people, brought them back to the castle, taught them knowledge, and developed their talents. Everything seemed to be going in a good direction. But slowly, as the number of students increased, a disagreement arose."
Salazar Slytherin believed that Hogwarts should be more selective in choosing its students. He argued that magical education should prioritize weeding out those of impure blood before considering interest and talent. In modern terms, Slytherin was unwilling to accept children whose parents were Muggle-born.
"A heated argument broke out between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin over this issue, after which Slytherin left Hogwarts."
"The historical records end here. As for the strange legends about the secret room that you're curious about..."
Professor Binns paused for a moment, and it was clear that he still didn't like telling stories that weren't supported by historical records.
"It is said that Slytherin did not actually leave Hogwarts. He secretly built a room in the castle, without the knowledge of the other founders. No one in the world can find or open this secret room except for those who inherit Salazar-Slytherin's will. Once the secret room is opened by the heir, he will release the horrors inside to achieve Slytherin's mad goal of purging all lowly bloodlines unworthy of learning magic."
"A terrifying thing? Professor? What do you mean by 'terrifying thing'?"