Having successfully stepped into the Grey household, Dobby let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he could feel Kreacher's scorching gaze burning into his back, making his scalp tingle.
—Kreacher is surely thinking that a house-elf shouldn't act like a human. But Dobby isn't a servant anymore—Dobby is a free elf.
That's what Dobby told himself, calming down a little. He looked up and asked:
"Mr. Grey, have you seen any strange people recently? They might try to threaten Mr. Wade by kidnapping you… Please try to remember carefully. This could really help us find out where Mr. Wade is."
Dobby had mulled over these words the entire way, revising and refining them repeatedly before deciding on what to say. Now, blurting them all out in one go, his tiny heart thumped with nerves.
Friend… and Friend's parents…
It was the first time he had ever been treated as a "friend" by a wizard's family. Every single second of this moment was historically significant to Dobby.
In his nervousness, Dobby didn't notice that Fred, who was pouring tea, trembled after hearing his words and accidentally spilled the scalding liquid.
Dobby, who had been wandering for a long time, didn't know that the wizards had actually kept the news of Wade's disappearance from the Grey couple. Instead, they had sent a letter in Wade's name, saying that he was staying at a classmate's house over the holidays.
Since similar things had happened in the past, Mr. and Mrs. Grey hadn't suspected anything at first. But once Fred realized Wade hadn't come home even on Christmas Eve—and still hadn't contacted them at all—he began to suspect the truth.
He tried to speak with Dumbledore or their next-door neighbor, Moody, but couldn't reach the Hogwarts headmaster or any professors. Moody only warned them not to go out lately, especially to stay away from Diagon Alley.
The wizard with the magical eye came and went quickly, with a poor temper. Fred never got the chance to sit down and talk with him properly.
In reality, Moody had been secretly staying next door, protecting the Grey couple. But he pretended not to be home and avoided Fred even though he knew the man wanted to talk.
Moody didn't think Muggles could be of any help, and he had no intention of involving the Greys in Wade's rescue plan.
Though they got along well, the thought of facing tears and questions if he revealed the truth gave Moody a headache. He wasn't good at comforting people, nor could he lie and say: "Don't worry, we'll definitely bring Wade back safely."
In truth, this retired Auror was deeply pessimistic.
He knew just how formidable Grindelwald and the Alliance were. He didn't believe they could bring Wade Grey back whole—and was already mentally prepared to use a memory charm to remove the wizarding world entirely from the Greys' memory.
After Sirius sent Kreacher to protect them, Moody chose to devote more time to the Order of the Phoenix's operations. Even though he had little hope, he still did his best to take part in the rescue plan.
It was also because the ever-suspicious Moody wasn't home that Dobby hadn't been immediately thrown out upon arrival.
The bewildered Dobby, who had come rushing in, was the only link Fred had had with the wizarding world during this time.
He took a deep breath, wiped the spills on the kitchen counter clean, and used the moment to steady his emotions.
Fred placed the black tea on the table in front of Dobby.
Watching the little elf nervously and reverently accept it—looking so excited he might faint—Fred recalled the various traits of house-elves in his mind and carefully considered what he was about to say.
"How is Wade doing? As his parents, not seeing him for so long has us really worried. Can you tell me about the progress of the rescue?"
Instead of answering Dobby's question, Fred asked his own and looked at him earnestly.
Dobby panicked a little because he hadn't made any real progress in his investigations. His biggest findings were only bits overheard by the Hogwarts house-elves and some analyses from Michael.
Guided by Fred's careful questioning, the house-elf, who had little experience lying, clumsily spilled all the information he knew.
"I see… Grindelwald… and the Alliance… Wade is in their hands, but no one knows where they are…"
Fred clenched his hands tightly and tried to suppress the tremors running through his body. After a long pause, he asked:
"Lately, I've been seeing videos related to them through the Streaming Mirror. So… those attacks are really happening? The footage is real?"
"Yes," Dobby nodded earnestly.
In an instant, Fred felt a chill spread through his limbs and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Dobby looked at him anxiously, worried that he might have said too much.
Fred steadied himself on the table and slowly stood up, saying, "Please come with me, Mr. Dobby."
Dobby quickly jumped to his feet, flustered, and said, "Dobby! Please… just call me Dobby!"
He tiptoed after Fred into the study and watched as the man pulled aside a huge curtain. Dobby's eyes widened in astonishment.
The entire white wall behind the curtain was covered in clippings and photographs, with red and green lines criss-crossing between them, forming a giant network like a complex traffic map. It was so dense it made Dobby dizzy just looking at it.
Fred said calmly:
"I've noticed recently that some dark wizards have been attacking Muggle elites frequently, exposing the involvement of these elites in illegal activities like human trafficking and experimentation.
So, I spent money hiring people to collect newspapers from across Europe and America from recent years, and I've been doing detailed data analysis."
Dobby didn't quite understand. He stared at Fred in confusion, wondering if he could ask for a clearer explanation.
From those unusually large green eyes, Fred easily guessed his thoughts.
The man gave a helpless smile and said:
"Simply put, it's about gathering information on those exposed elites—seeing what events and business dealings they've attended, what public statements they've made, finding commonalities among them, and tracing their past connections."
Dobby still didn't fully understand, but he nodded seriously, deciding to memorize everything for now.
It didn't matter if he didn't understand—he could always find someone smarter to help explain it... like Michael.
Fred looked up at the colorful clippings on the wall and sifted through the chaotic information to identify the most probable lead.
He picked up a pen and circled a person in one of the color photographs.
"A famous billionaire—John Adler. He's connected to most of the people targeted by the dark wizards. There were even rumors back in the day suggesting he was involved in some…"
Fred turned and saw Dobby's childlike, innocent expression, so he trailed off, leaving the latter part unsaid.
"…some unspeakable deals. So it's highly likely that he participated in those illegal activities and would likely become a target for the Alliance's attacks. If we keep an eye on him, we might be able to trace the movements of those dark wizards."
Dobby nodded earnestly and asked in a small voice, "Could I have this photo?"
"Of course." Fred pulled a folder from the bookshelf and said, "This contains all the information I've gathered on John Adler. Take it—you might find it useful."
Dobby nodded seriously, tucked the photo into the folder, and hugged the precious information tightly, knowing it had cost a great deal of effort to compile.
"Fredy? Who are you talking to?"
Fiona rubbed her eyes and opened the study door. Her gaze immediately fell on Dobby standing in the center of the room. Fred's expression changed drastically as he hurried forward to explain, but before he could say a word, a scream rang out.
"Ah—!"
Fiona screamed, but not in fear—in pure delight.
"A house-elf!" she exclaimed loudly.
"Yes." Dobby removed his hat and bowed. "House-elf Dobby greets you, Mrs. Grey."
"Oh! He's so polite!" Fiona said in amazement, holding her face in her hands. Then, noticing Dobby's tattered clothing, she quickly said, "Wait here for just a moment, Dobby!"
The lady of the house hurriedly clattered up the stairs. Fred finally managed to calm his racing heart. He lowered the curtain and quickly instructed Dobby:
"Don't mention anything about Wade to her. Fiona doesn't know anything."
"Understood, sir!" Dobby whispered back, infected by his urgency.
Not long after they left the study, Fiona returned, carrying a bag in her hands. She enthusiastically handed it to Dobby and said:
"It must be so cold wearing such thin clothes in winter! These are some of Wade's old clothes from when he was little—he only wore them once or twice. I just checked, and the size should fit you pretty well. Go try them on!"
Dobby clutched the bag, flustered, and said, "Dobby… Honorable Madam… actually, Dobby is not cold…"
"Alright, alright, I understand!" Fiona sat on the sofa, rested her chin on her hand and said with a smile. "Go and change!"
"Obeying orders" was almost engraved in a house-elf's genes. Even though the woman in front of him wasn't his master, Dobby instinctively started pulling at the rags he wore.
"Ahem! Ahem!" Fred suddenly coughed loudly and then looked at Dobby sternly, gesturing and saying, "The changing room is over there."
"Oh… okay…"
Dobby hugged the bag and went into the changing room. After he closed the door, he looked up at the light above him and thought, "What is Dobby doing? Why did Dobby just come in like that?"
But now that things had come to this, it would be impossible to just drop the bag and run out. After hesitating for a while, he finally changed into Wade's old clothes.
It was a little boy's winter outfit, and Fiona had thoughtfully tucked a pair of socks and shoes inside as well.
The clothes were a bit large for Dobby. He rolled up the sleeves twice and looked at the unfamiliar house-elf in the mirror. It took all his willpower not to throw himself on the floor and burst into loud sobs.
He never imagined that his wish—to wear decent clothes—would be fulfilled so soon.
Teary-eyed, Dobby walked out of the changing room. Fiona clapped her hands and said happily, "See! I knew this outfit would be adorable! But you're too skinny—you'll look even better once you put on some weight."
Dobby sniffled and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Mrs. Grey… I never thought, never thought I would receive such nice clothes."
"It's just a set of old clothes—you're being too polite!" Fiona said with a laugh.
When it was time to leave, Fred looked at Dobby seriously and said in a deep voice, "That matter… I'll leave it to you, Dobby."
Dobby nodded earnestly and said, "Dobby understands!"
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers—pop—disappearing on the spot.
Fred wiped his face and looked at his wife. He smiled as he said:
"Dobby is a friend of Wade's. He came to pass along a message for him… Wade… won't be coming home before the start of term. He'll be leaving directly from the Black family's house tomorrow."
Fiona sighed. "That boy… always making us worry. I just hope he takes good care of himself."
"Don't worry," Fred said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Wade has always been very sensible. Knowing how much you care about him, he definitely… definitely won't do anything reckless."
Fiona lowered her head onto her husband's shoulder and, after a long moment, softly replied, "Mm."
…
"John Adler?"
A voice echoed from the mirror. In the The ring-shaped mirror, only a single deep blue eye was reflected.
This ancient type of two-way mirror isn't as convenient as the Communication Beans, and it is far more expensive than both the Communication Beans and the Book of Friends—but it had one advantage: even if the mirror is shattered, each fragment could still connect to the other half of the two-way mirror.
The werewolf Donovan stared straight into the eyes reflected in the mirror without flinching and said in a low voice:
"Yes… It's John Adler's estate. All of us have been summoned here. The higher-ups seem very certain the Alliance will attack this place, and they've already set up a tight net to trap them."
Donovan was a Muggle who had been deliberately bitten by a werewolf. During his first transformation, he lost all reason and unintentionally killed his own parents.
Later, while being hunted by the police, he had no choice but to join the organization to save his life.
At first, he believed it was simply a group of werewolves banding together for support. It was only later that he realized his tragedy had been orchestrated by this very organization—and that they were still creating more children just like he once was.
Donovan muddled through life into his thirties, filled with hatred for the organization but too afraid to rebel.
That changed during one mission when he was captured by Wade and handed over to Dumbledore. During his time speaking with the old man, he finally saw hope for the organization's downfall—and even offered himself as a spy for Dumbledore.
But by then, the organization had already labeled Donovan a traitor. Returning would undoubtedly mean death.
So, he was temporarily imprisoned and later "accidentally" helped to rescue a vampire named Glenwhite who had also been caught by Dumbledore. The two vouched for each other, and after a detailed investigation, they were finally allowed back into the organization.
Even so, Donovan found he was never truly trusted again. He was no longer assigned important tasks, and his so-called comrades constantly tested him, overtly and covertly.
The organization even sent valuable wizards to perform strange spells on him multiple times.
Donovan calmly accepted all the scrutiny, for he wasn't under any magical control—his betrayal had been his own choice. That decision was buried deep within his memory by Dumbledore, far beyond what the organization's wizards could extract.
Moreover, Donovan and Dumbledore had long agreed: he wouldn't pass along scattered information. He would only be activated in moments of extreme importance.
And now, Donovan believed, that time had come.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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