Chapter 196: Free Will
Wade knew the House-elf was a bit stubborn, so instead of pressing Dobby about Harry Potter's safety, he asked,
"Harry told me you want to be free?"
Dobby's excited expression instantly froze. It slowly lowered its arms, its large eyes darting around as it stared at Wade in horror.
"Don't be afraid, I won't tell Malfoy." Wade said seriously, "What I want to say is, if you truly wish for it, I can help you."
"Help... help Dobby?" Dobby sniffled, its voice trembling, "Why, sir? Dobby is a slave, Dobby doesn't know you, and you don't know Dobby."
"Why?"
Wade chuckled softly and said, "Perhaps it's because you're the first House-elf I've ever met who longs for freedom? Tell me, do you want freedom? Do you want my help?"
Dobby gripped its old pillowcase tightly, its body trembling slightly, its eyes seeming to tremble too. After a long while, it finally closed its eyes and cried out loudly:
"Yes!"
"Dobby longs for freedom! Dobby wants to leave their family forever!"
After speaking, it seemed startled by its own voice. After a moment of愣怔, it carefully and fearfully said:
"But... but... Master won't give Dobby freedom! Everyone in the family is very careful, they won't even give Dobby a single sock."
The conditions for a House-elf to gain freedom were simple yet difficult: as long as its master gave it clothes to wear, it could be free.
However, clothes thrown on the ground, into the dirty laundry basket, or simply given to it for washing did not count. It had to be clothes explicitly given to it for safekeeping, or gifted to it.
A wizard's inner thoughts determined the direction of magic's operation.
"You don't need to worry about that, I'll find a way." Wade asked, "Do you trust me?"
Dobby looked up at him for a long time before saying, "Yes, I trust you."
This was the first wizard who would squat down to speak with it. How could it not trust him?
Wade smiled and said, "Then, before that, please be patient. I don't think it will be too long..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a "rumbling" sound and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Dobby pitifully clutched its stomach.
Wade glanced at the candies and exquisite pastries on the table and understood something. He said in a normal voice, "Mikey, could you please bring us some food?"
With a soft "poof," a round tray appeared on the floor.
On the tray were bread, roasted potatoes, fried sausages, and a large bottle of black tea.
"Thank you, Mikey."
Wade pushed the tray towards Dobby and said, "Eat quickly, Malfoy might be back soon."
"Also, Mikey is the elf responsible for the Slytherin Common Room in the castle. Although your master doesn't allow him into the dormitory, if you need help, you can ask Mikey, or have Mikey tell me, he will hear it."
Dobby stared blankly at him, its lips trembling, but it didn't speak or touch the steaming food.
"Well then, I should take my leave."
Wade stood up and said with a smile, "Goodbye, Dobby. I hope the next time we meet, you'll already be a free elf."
He tapped his Wand to his forehead, and his entire being vanished from the room.
Dobby heard faint footsteps leaving the dormitory, the wooden door closing, and then the sound gradually fading away.
***
"Wade Grey is going to help that House-elf gain freedom?"
As Wade left the Slytherin Common Room and walked down the empty corridor, Mikey appeared beside him and asked softly.
"Yes," Wade said, "You saw it yourself, its master is very cruel to it."
"I don't like him."
After a moment, Mikey suddenly said, "He's strange, like an outsider."
Wade asked, "Because he seeks freedom?"
"He betrayed his master."
Mikey thought for a moment, feeling that this statement was a bit imprecise, and corrected itself:
"He outwardly obeys his master's commands, but in reality, he's betraying them. No one will accept a House-elf like that! He'll become a homeless, wandering ghost, roaming until he dies!"
"I will." Wade said calmly, "If I wasn't prepared to give him a better life, I wouldn't help him escape his current situation."
Mikey froze. It looked at Wade and emphasized again, "Dobby is a bad elf who betrays masters."
"Then does Mikey think he did something wrong?" Wade asked.
—Of course!
Mikey thought this to itself, but it blinked, opened its mouth, yet couldn't utter such a simple phrase.
Although it hadn't witnessed it firsthand, it often heard how Draco Malfoy treated Dobby.
Dobby often cruelly punished itself, even ironing its own fingers or putting its ears in the oven to bake them.
In the dead of night, he would find discarded old clothes, tear them into strips, and use them as bandages for his wounds.
Mikey seemed a bit confused.
Wade didn't press him for an immediate answer, instead asking, "Did he eat the food you brought him?"
"He was crying!" Mikey said. "And it sounded awful."
"Could you help him out, Mikey?" Wade said gently. "Bring him some food every day. I've put some burn cream and white moss in the Umbrella Room; please take two bottles to him as well."
"...Alright."
Mikey sounded somewhat reluctant as he said,
"Since Wade Grey says so, Mikey can help him. But Mikey is not like him!"
He said seriously, "Mikey won't betray anyone!"
"Of course, I know," Wade said.
Malfoy might not agree with that statement, he thought.
But in Mikey's mind, Malfoy... and those other Slytherin students, were probably just clients to serve, not people he was loyal to.
Mikey's self-awareness was actually no less than Dobby's, but he didn't realize it.
Life at Hogwarts was peaceful and happy for the House-elves there. In such an environment, it was hard for any extreme rebellious thoughts to emerge.
If Mikey and Dobby had swapped places, Mikey's actions might have been even more drastic—just like Kreacher from the Black Family, he would actively seek ways to kill his own master.
But as Wade thought of Draco Malfoy, Mikey also brought him up.
"He joined that club called the Necromancer Society, and he asked them, 'Is the leader a Death Eater?' They said no."
"They also gave him a ring that can send simple messages, saying it was..."
Mikey looked at Wade.
"Saying it was inspired by the Book of Friends."
"Hm, I see."
Wade wasn't surprised.
The Book of Friends offered convenience to Wizards, and this convenience wouldn't just be limited to his friends and ordinary people; villains would also make full use of it.
It was, after all, a double-edged sword.
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