There was only one day left until school started, but Michael had already packed his trunk, eager to return to Hogwarts and meet with the Headmaster to ask about the progress of Wade's rescue.
He had been writing several letters every day, but he never received the replies he wanted, and the owls pecked his hand severely in frustration.
At the Weasley home, they knew almost nothing. Mr. Weasley left early and returned late, so they rarely saw him, and Mrs. Weasley always said, "You're all just children," or "This isn't something you should be involved in."
Even the Streaming Mirror in the living room had been charmed by Mrs. Weasley, forbidding anyone to open it. If Harry hadn't had a small one himself, allowing them to see some news from the outside world, Michael felt like he would have gone crazy.
To be honest, Mrs. Weasley was very warm and considerate, taking care of them as guests as much as possible, treating them better than her own children. But her way of coddling everyone like infants made Michael feel stifled.
Harry thought this was what a mother should be like and always behaved very obediently when Mrs. Weasley disciplined him. Of course, he would secretly break the rules behind her back too.
Michael's own parents were very loving and had always been quite hands-off with him as their son. He was used to taking care of himself and didn't like being controlled by others in everything.
After dinner, Harry and some of the Weasley children quickly helped clear the table. They used the excuse of doing homework in their bedrooms, but in reality, they were just hiding there to watch the Streaming Mirror.
They wanted to know as much as possible about what was happening outside.
But for once, Michael didn't join them. He said, "You go ahead, I want to take a walk around here."
Harry was a little surprised, but remembering that Michael had been in a bad mood lately, he felt that Michael indeed needed to clear his head, so he didn't insist.
The others went upstairs noisily. Percy looked at them suspiciously, not understanding why his younger siblings had suddenly become so eager to study.
But he had a letter to write to Penelope today, so he didn't give it much thought and quickly returned to his own room.
Ever since Ron moved back to his own bedroom to rest, Percy felt like he could breathe easier, and the formerly cramped bedroom had become precious.
As long as those troublemakers didn't bother him, he couldn't care less what they were doing.
Sigh... I just hope Ginny doesn't get led astray...
...
Michael put on his cloak, but as he was about to leave, Mrs. Weasley pulled him back.
A few minutes later, he was wrapped in a thick scarf, wearing gloves, with a bottle of warming flame tucked in his pocket, and his boots charmed to be waterproof and damp-proof. Only then was he allowed to leave.
Michael hugged the bottle filled with Magical Fire and stepped out into the snow. He was the only moving figure on the hillside, though smoke was rising from the village at the foot of the hill, and he could vaguely see a few people walking on the road.
Michael walked slowly along the edge of the forest.
He didn't want to look at the Streaming Mirror today because it only occasionally showed short videos of Alliance activities, repeatedly emphasizing how detestable Muggles were, and that the Alliance didn't attack indiscriminately but rather to protect the Wizarding World, and so on. Yet, there was no sign of Wade.
The Ministry of Magic had sent people to search the attacked areas, but they were basically just cleaning up after the Alliance, unable to find any trace of those individuals.
The young man was extremely frustrated but didn't know what else he could do. He walked aimlessly for a while, and as he rounded a large tree, he suddenly felt something was off.
Michael spun around and saw a strangely dressed House-elf standing under a nearby tree. Its little deer hat seemed completely out of place with its shabby appearance.
Michael almost cried out, but as he stumbled back in alarm, the House-elf bowed deeply, a gesture that made Michael momentarily abandon his urge to flee.
"You... whose House-elf are you?" Michael gripped his Wand and asked cautiously, "What are you doing here?"
"Dobby, sir. Dobby is a free House-elf," Dobby said, clutching its hat with both hands and summoning its courage.
"Dobby?" Michael relaxed slightly. "I've heard of you... After leaving the Malfoy family, did you not find a new master?"
He noted the word "free," which was rarely used for House-elves.
"No, no one wants to hire a House-elf who asks for payment."
Dobby said, "But that is not important now. Dobby finally found Mr. Corner because Dobby knows Mr. Corner is Mr. Gray's best friend. Dobby wants to ask, where can Dobby find Mr. Gray?"
"Good question," Michael said with a wry smile. "I'd like to know the answer to that myself."
The House-elf tilted its head, unsurprised, and sighed, "Dobby understands. Dobby will go ask others."
As it was about to Apparate, Michael suddenly said, "Wait!"
Dobby stopped and looked up at him.
Michael felt like something clicked in his mind. He paced back and forth on the ground, almost flattening the surrounding snow, then suddenly turned to Dobby, his eyes shining slightly.
"Although I don't know where Wade is, I can tell you a few directions to look."
As Michael spoke, he quickly organized his thoughts.
"Grindelwald must have kidnapped Wade. They need Wade to help them intercept the FMC's signal and broadcast their own videos to Wizards worldwide."
"But the Alliance would find it hard to trust a student Dumbledore values. To coerce Wade into cooperating or even joining the Alliance, they might resort to some very despicable tactics—like holding his parents hostage, forcing Wade to agree."
"So first, you can go to Wade's parents' house and see if there are any suspicious individuals lurking around, secretly monitoring them!"
Michael held up one finger, then a second.
"Second, the Alliance's base is likely in a very cold, sparsely populated area."
"Have you seen the videos they filmed? Although their faces aren't shown, those Wizards are always dressed very warmly, tall, and with long limbs, which suggests they likely come from cold regions. A place that can accommodate hundreds of Wizards wouldn't have too many Muggles."
"Third, there are at least two or three hundred Wizards in the video. What do all these people do when they're not attacking Muggles? They need food and water, they need rest, and they need someone to help with laundry and cleaning."
Michael looked at Dobby and asked, "So do you understand? The place where they gather must need a lot of House-elves, maybe even more than Hogwarts!"
"And you, Dobby, you're a House-elf looking for work. You can go inquire about places where large numbers of House-elves have recently gathered. That's much easier than finding Wizards!"
The more he spoke, the more ideas Michael had. He continued, "Also, many Wizards in the video were injured, so they must also need a lot of healing Potions!"
"Even if they can brew the Potions themselves, what about the raw materials?"
"Healing Potions require unicorn tail hair, wormwood, and dittany, while Blood-Replenishing Potions need unicorn horn and mandrakes."
"The dittany must be less than a year old, and mandrakes can't be stored in large quantities… Tracking who has recently purchased large amounts of these potion ingredients might reveal their whereabouts!"
"Ah… tra-tracking?" Swirls almost appeared in Dobby's eyes. He shook his head and clenched his fists to encourage himself. "Dobby… Dobby will definitely try to get information!"
Michael smiled at the sight.
"No… you probably can't do that. I'll write to Professor Dumbledore… Of course, they might have already thought of it, but what if they haven't?"
"Dobby, you just need to investigate from those first three directions!"
Dobby secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said excitedly, "I understand!"
After leaving Hogwarts, it had been searching aimlessly, not even knowing if its efforts would make any difference. This was the first time it clearly knew what it needed to do.
Michael, eager to go back and write his letter, left the House Gray's address with Dobby and hurried towards the Weasley Family.
With a crisp "pop" on the hillside, Dobby vanished.
...
Some Christmas decorations still hung in the town, but the weather was getting colder and colder. As soon as darkness fell, there were few people on the streets.
Dobby held the piece of paper, staying close to the wall corners as it searched along the road.
"Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… This must be it, right?"
It peered through the gaps in the fence. Through the light, it saw someone walk past a window. Before it could get a clear look, a small, thin figure suddenly appeared before its eyes.
Dobby didn't have time to react before it was suddenly grabbed by the neck and slammed against the wall with a thud.
It opened its eyes in terror, seeing an ancient House-elf, almost fossilized, standing before it. Its slender fingers, like withered branches, squeezed its throat.
"Hmph, look what Kreacher has caught! A nasty little brat, peeking at the master of this place!"
The old House-elf muttered in a low voice, "What evil schemes is he plotting? Kreacher will take him to the master, and the spendthrift master will hollow out his head and dig out all his wicked thoughts…"
"Wa-wait…"
Dobby tried hard to pry open its hand but couldn't. In desperation, it suddenly grabbed its hat, flipped the brim up, and pulled out a small greeting card, showing it to the other House-elf.
To dear Dobby:
Merry Christmas!
Your friend: Wade Gray
Kreacher glanced at it. The familiar handwriting made its fingers loosen slightly, and its fierce gaze changed.
"…This strange wild brat is Wade Gray's friend?"
It asked softly.
"Dobby… Dobby is Mr. Gray's friend." Dobby coughed as it spoke. "Dobby wants to find the missing Wade Gray, which is why Dobby came here, to see if there are any suspicious people."
Kreacher let go of it but said, "The most suspicious person here is you!"
Dobby looked at the powerful House-elf with a hint of fear, asking timidly, "Dobby doesn't know who you are…"
"Kreacher, the Black Family's House-elf, has served the great and pure Black Family for generations! The master ordered Kreacher to protect Wade Gray's parents here!"
Kreacher said in a proud tone, simultaneously giving Dobby's ragged clothes a disdainful look.
—Not even a pillowcase with a crest; clearly kicked out of its home.
In fact, Kreacher once only had a dirty rag, but now, it wore a neat little suit with the Black Family crest pinned to its chest.
Although House-elves cannot receive clothes from their masters, there's no harm in accepting a set of clothes as a gift from others.
This suit was a gift Wade had given it before, and Kreacher had found the crest itself in the attic. Sirius actually disliked seeing that crest constantly in his sight, but he tacitly allowed Kreacher to wear it all the time.
Upon hearing this, Dobby looked at Kreacher with a mix of envy and sympathy, nervously clutching its own tattered clothes. Just as it was about to say something, it suddenly heard the sound of a door opening inside the house.
Both House-elves instantly fell silent and quickly hid.
Through the fence and snow-covered bushes, Dobby saw a middle-aged Muggle man, dressed in pajamas and a coat, step out of the house. He held a very bright lantern, illuminating most of the yard.
"What is it, Ferdy?" a woman's voice came from inside the house.
"I heard a noise just now…" the Muggle man said, turning back. "It might be squirrels looking for food."
"Oh, I see… I'll go back to the room first; don't work too late. Sigh… I wonder if Wade will come home before school starts."
The bedroom light upstairs turned on and then off. The Muggle man by the door's cheeks were already red from the cold, but he hadn't gone back inside yet.
He walked around the yard twice with the lantern, even specifically looking at the roof and walls, and bending down to check under the bushes. After searching for a while, he reluctantly prepared to go back.
Dobby, shrinking in the bushes outside the wall, breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, a sparrow hopped over from between the withered branches and leaves. It seemed to mistake Dobby's outstretched finger for food and suddenly pecked it.
Dobby winced in pain, and the nearby bushes rustled, shaking down some snow.
The Muggle man quickly turned, taking two hurried steps as he called out, "Wade? Is that you?"
The lantern illuminated a pair of tennis-ball-sized eyes in the bush. Ferdinand gasped, almost fainting on the spot.
He took two steps back, clutched his chest, and suppressed the urge to turn and run or scream loudly. Ferdinand tremblingly extended the lantern forward and asked, "W-what are you?"
Unlike most House-elves, Dobby didn't hide all day, even in the Malfoy family.
Seeing that it had been discovered, Dobby thought about the etiquette humans observed when visiting friends' homes. It gathered its courage and walked out, much to Kreacher's astonishment.
"Good evening, sir." Dobby took off its small deer-skin hat and placed it on its chest. "Dobby is a House-elf, a friend of Wade Gray, and Dobby has come looking for Wade Gray."
To prove its words, it once again presented the small greeting card.
Ferdinand stared at the strange-looking little creature, stunned.
Then, he noticed that Dobby's terrible eyes were actually clear and sincere. Aside from its hat, its clothes were ragged, and it was even barefoot.
Ferdinand was silent for a moment before saying, "Wade isn't home. However... since you're his friend, please come in!"
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