Dobby breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into House Gray, but then he felt Kreacher's intense gaze on his back, making his scalp tingle.
Kreacher must be thinking that a House-elf shouldn't behave like a human. But Dobby wasn't a servant now; he was free.
Dobby told himself this, calming down a bit, and looked up to ask,
"Mr. Gray, have you seen anyone strange recently? They might have kidnapped you to force Mr. Wade to cooperate… Please try to remember carefully; it would be very helpful for us to find Mr. Wade."
Dobby had thought about these words the whole way here, constantly revising them before settling on their phrasing. Now, blurting them all out at once, his little heart pounded with nervousness.
A friend… and a friend's parents…
It was the first time he had been welcomed by a Wizard's family as a "friend"! Every second of this held groundbreaking significance for Dobby.
The nervous House-elf didn't notice that after he finished speaking, Ferdinand, who was pouring tea, trembled and spilled the hot liquid.
Dobby, who had been wandering for a long time, didn't know that the Wizards had actually concealed the news of their son's disappearance from Mr. and Mrs. Gray. They had only sent a letter in Wade's name, saying he had accepted a friend's invitation and would be staying at a classmate's house for the holiday.
Because this kind of thing had happened frequently before, Mr. and Mrs. Gray hadn't suspected anything at first. It wasn't until Ferdinand realized Wade hadn't come home for Christmas Eve and hadn't contacted them at all during this time that he began to faintly guess the truth.
He tried to talk to Dumbledore or Moody, who lived next door, but couldn't reach the Hogwarts Headmaster or professors. Moody just told them not to go out recently, especially not to Diagon Alley.
The Wizard with the magical eye came and went quickly, and his temper wasn't very good. Ferdinand never found an opportunity to sit down and talk with him.
In fact, Moody had been living next door during this time, secretly protecting Mr. and Mrs. Gray. But he pretended not to be home, and even though he knew Ferdinand kept trying to find him, he consistently avoided him.
This was because Moody didn't believe a Muggle could help, nor did he intend to discuss Wade's rescue plan with Mr. and Mrs. Gray.
Although the two families had a good relationship, the thought of the tears and questions he might face if he told them the truth gave Moody a headache. He was terrible at comforting people and couldn't bring himself to lie and say, "Don't worry, we'll definitely bring Wade back safely."
The retired Auror was actually very pessimistic.
He knew how difficult Grindelwald's Alliance was to deal with and didn't believe they could successfully bring Wade Gray back intact. He had even prepared himself to use an Obliviation Charm to completely separate Mr. and Mrs. Gray from the Wizarding world.
After Sirius sent Kreacher to protect them, Moody chose to spend more time on the Order of the Phoenix's operations. Although he didn't have much hope, he still diligently participated in the rescue plan.
It was also because the suspicious Moody wasn't home that Dobby wasn't immediately turned away.
Dobby, who had stumbled in, was the only connection Ferdinand had to the Wizarding world during this time.
He took a deep breath, wiped the water stain from the counter, and used the time to steady his emotions.
Ferdinand placed the black tea on the table in front of Dobby, watching the House-elf nervously take it, looking so excited he seemed about to faint. He recalled the characteristics of House-elves in his mind, carefully choosing his words.
"How is Wade doing? As parents, not seeing him for so long, we're really worried. Can you tell me about the progress of your rescue?"
Ferdinand asked, his gaze earnestly fixed on Dobby.
Dobby panicked for a moment because his investigation had made no progress recently. His biggest gains were what the Hogwarts House-elves had overheard and what Michael had analyzed for him.
The House-elf, who hadn't learned to lie very well, was led by Ferdinand to blurt out all the information he had.
"So that's it… Grindelwald… and the Alliance… Wade is with them, but no one knows where they are…"
Ferdinand clasped his hands tightly, restraining his body from trembling unconsciously. After a long moment, he said, "Recently, I've been seeing videos related to them on the Streaming Mirror every day. So, those attacks are actually happening? Is the content in the recordings real?"
"Yes," Dobby nodded honestly.
In an instant, Ferdinand's hands and feet turned cold, and a shiver ran through him.
Dobby looked at his expression uneasily, worried he had said too much.
Ferdinand leaned on the table, slowly stood up, and said, "Please come with me, Mr. Dobby."
Dobby quickly stood up, saying, "Dobby! Please… just call me Dobby!"
He tiptoed after Ferdinand into the study, watching the man pull up a large screen, and his eyes widened in surprise.
The previously plain white wall was now covered with clippings and photos, with red and green lines and circles drawn across them, like a giant transportation map, bewildering at first glance.
Ferdinand calmly said, "I saw that recently some Dark Wizards have been frequently attacking Muggle dignitaries, revealing that those dignitaries were involved in illegal activities like human trafficking and human experimentation. So I paid someone to collect newspapers from Europe and America over the past few years and conduct a detailed data analysis."
Dobby didn't understand. He looked at Ferdinand blankly, wondering if he could ask for a more detailed explanation.
From those unusually large green eyes, Ferdinand easily discerned his thoughts.
The man smiled helplessly and said, "Simply put, it's about collecting information on those exposed dignitaries, seeing what banquets and business activities they've attended, what statements they've publicly made, finding commonalities among them, and their past connections."
Dobby still didn't quite understand, but he nodded earnestly, deciding to remember everything first.
It didn't matter if he didn't understand; he could find other smart people to help explain… like Michael.
Ferdinand looked up at the colorful clippings on the wall, peeling away the most probable information from the multitude of complex details.
He picked up a pen and circled a person in one of the color photos.
"The famous billionaire—John Adler. He's connected to most of the people targeted by Dark Wizards, and there were rumors years ago that he was involved in some…"
Ferdinand turned to see Dobby's childlike gaze and vaguely trailed off.
"...some unspeakable dealings. So, there's a very high chance this person participated in those illegal activities and became a target for the Alliance. By keeping an eye on him, we might discover the whereabouts of those Dark Wizards."
Dobby nodded seriously and asked softly, "Can I have this photo?"
"Of course," Ferdinand said, pulling a folder from the bookshelf. "This contains all of John Adler's information. Take it; it might be useful to you."
Dobby nodded earnestly, placed the photo in the folder, and held the information, which had clearly taken immense effort to compile, tightly.
"Ferdy? Who are you talking to?"
Fiona rubbed her eyes and opened the study door, immediately spotting Dobby standing in the center of the room. Ferdinand's expression shifted, and he hurried forward, about to explain, when a shriek rang out.
"Ah—!"
Fiona shrieked, but it wasn't out of fear; it was pure, unadulterated joy.
"An elf!" she exclaimed.
"Yes." Dobby took off his hat and bowed. "House-elf Dobby bids you good day, Mrs. Gray."
"Oh! He's so polite!" Fiona said, cupping her face in surprise. Then she noticed Dobby's tattered clothes and quickly said, "Hold on, Dobby!"
The mistress of the house clattered away down the stairs. Only then did Ferdinand's wildly beating heart settle, and he drew the curtain, cautioning Dobby, "Don't tell her about Wade. Fiona doesn't know anything."
"Understood, sir!" Infected by his worry, Dobby also spoke very quietly.
Shortly after they left the study, Fiona reappeared, a bag in her hand, which she enthusiastically handed to Dobby.
"It must be cold dressed like that in winter, right? These are Wade's old clothes, he only wore them once or twice. I just checked, they should be about your size now. Go try them on."
Dobby clutched the bag, flustered. "I… esteemed Madam… I'm not actually cold…"
"Oh, come on, I understand!" Fiona sat on the sofa, chin resting on her palm, smiling. "Go change!"
"Obeying orders" was practically ingrained in a House-elf's genes. Even though this wasn't his master, Dobby instinctively prepared to pull off his rags.
"Ahem!" Ferdinand suddenly coughed loudly twice, then looked sternly at Dobby, gesturing with his hand. "The changing room is over there."
"Oh… alright…"
Dobby carried the bag into the changing room. After closing the door, he looked at the light above him, thinking, What am I doing? Why did I just come in here?
But it was too late to back out now. He shuffled around for a bit and finally changed into Wade's old clothes.
It was a boy's winter outfit, and Fiona had thoughtfully included a pair of socks and shoes.
The clothes were a bit big for Dobby, so he rolled up the sleeves twice. Looking at the unfamiliar House-elf in the mirror, Dobby fought hard to suppress the urge to throw himself on the floor and wail.
He hadn't expected his wish to wear proper clothes to come true so quickly.
Dobby walked out of the changing room with teary eyes. Fiona clapped her hands, happily saying, "See, I knew this outfit would be cute! But you're too thin, you need to put on some weight to look good."
Dobby lowered his head, sniffled, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Mrs. Gray… I never… never thought I'd receive such nice clothes."
"It's just an old outfit, you're too polite!" Fiona said with a smile.
As they were leaving, Ferdinand looked at Dobby and said in a deep voice, "That matter… I'm counting on you, Dobby."
Dobby nodded seriously. "Dobby understands!"
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing from the spot with a "pop."
Ferdinand wiped his face, looked at his wife, and chuckled, "Dobby is Wade's friend. He delivered a message for Wade… Wade… won't be coming back before school starts. He'll leave directly from the Black Family residence tomorrow."
Fiona sighed. "He's always been such a handful… I just hope he takes good care of himself."
"Don't worry," Ferdinand said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Wade has always been sensible. He knows how worried you are about him, he'll… he'll definitely not do anything reckless."
Fiona leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and softly hummed after a long moment.
...
"John Adler?"
A questioning voice came from the mirror. The mirror was the size of a ring-face, reflecting only a single deep blue eye.
This ancient Two-Way Mirror wasn't as convenient as a Communication Pea, and it was much more expensive than both Communication Peas and the Book of Friends. However, it had one advantage—even if the mirror shattered, each fragment could still connect to the Two-Way Mirror on the other side.
The Werewolf Donovan looked directly into the eyes in the mirror without flinching, saying in a low voice, "Yes… this is John Adler's estate. All of us have been summoned. The higher-ups seem very certain that the Alliance will attack this place, and they've already prepared a thorough trap to deal with them."
Donovan was a Muggle who had been intentionally bitten by a Werewolf. During his first transformation, he lost control and unconsciously killed his parents.
Later, while being pursued by the police, he had to join The Organization to save his life. He initially thought it was just a large family of Werewolves banding together for warmth, but later discovered that his tragedy had actually been caused by The Organization. They were even creating more children just like his former self.
Donovan lived a dazed existence into his thirties, hating The Organization with a passion but lacking the courage to resist.
It wasn't until an operation where he was captured by Wade and then handed over to Dumbledore. During his conversations with the old man, he finally saw hope for The Organization's downfall and even volunteered to be Dumbledore's spy.
However, by then, Donovan had already been branded a traitor by The Organization, and returning directly would undoubtedly mean execution.
So, he was temporarily imprisoned, and later "accidentally" rescued Grant White, a Vampire captured by Dumbledore. The two vouched for each other, and after a thorough review, they were finally able to return to The Organization.
Even so, Donovan found that he wasn't truly trusted. Important missions were no longer assigned to him, and his so-called comrades constantly tested him openly and subtly. The Organization even sent valuable Wizards who used strange Spells to examine him multiple times.
Donovan accepted all scrutiny openly because he wasn't controlled by any Magic. His betrayal was his own decision, and this thought was hidden in the deepest recesses of his memory by Dumbledore. The Organization's Wizards were not yet capable of uncovering it.
Moreover, Donovan and Dumbledore had an agreement: he wasn't required to transmit fragmented messages normally. He would only be activated at extremely critical moments.
Donovan felt that this time had come.
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