The Return to Hogwarts

The two elves exchanged a glance beside Harry's bed, then, as if on cue, stepped aside, exposing a pile of boxes to Harry's view.

Chapter 1020 Crisis (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month)

2024-07-08

In the dormitory, where only starlight served as a lamp, Harry stared wide-eyed at the pile of boxes.

After a long while, he turned his gaze to the two house-elves in front of the window.

Dobby was still dressed in the same eclectic style as last school year, like a hippie rocking out in the Muggle world.

And Gilgamesh was surprised that he hadn't thought to visit her and express his gratitude after returning from that horrible graveyard.

But the glitter that appeared before her was in much better condition than when she had seen her in the Hogwarts kitchen.

It was wearing a tea towel printed with the Hogwarts crest. Although it wasn't particularly stylish, we can't be too demanding. After all, it witnessed the tragic end of its beloved headmaster's family at the scene of Voldemort's resurrection.

Barty the Elder was essentially driven to suicide by Voldemort, while Barty the Younger died at the hands of Professor Blaine.

Honestly, it was surprising to Harry that Gilgamesh didn't go crazy because of this.

Harry resisted the urge to ask how Sparkle was doing, lest he upset the poor little elf. He turned his gaze back to the box that had been stacked on the ground until it was level with the edge of his bed, and his nostrils twitched as he caught a sweet, fragrant scent.

"You brought me food, didn't you?"

Harry asked hesitantly, after all, it sounded a bit absurd that two house-elves had woken him up in the middle of the night just to bring him some food.

"Can Dobby show the things to Harry Potter?"

Dobby asked cautiously.

“Sparkling also prepared some for the great Harry Potter.”

Sparkle blinked her tennis ball-sized eyes and looked timidly at Harry, saying...

"Thank you Harry Potter for saving Blink from the Dark Lord."

"Oh, don't mention it, Sparkle. You know it wasn't you who saved me, oh, let's not talk about that."

Harry rubbed his forehead and nodded, still not quite understanding the situation.

The two elves immediately got to work. The first box they opened was the largest one. By the starlight, Harry saw that it was a very large two-tiered cake, like the kind usually served for birthdays. However, instead of jam or words like "Happy Birthday Harry Potter" written on it, it was just covered with a thick layer of cream.

The remaining boxes were filled with food, such as pies of various flavors, roasted sausages, smoked bacon, and boiled potatoes. One box even contained more than thirty boiled eggs!

"Well!"

Ron suddenly sat up in bed, his eyes still closed, but his nose was sniffing the air wildly.

"Are you sneaking a bite, Harry?"

Ron turned his face toward Harry and asked in a mumbled voice.

"no!"

Afraid of waking the others, Harry quickly whispered.

“You must be dreaming, Ron.”

"Oh, I thought so. You wouldn't cheat on me by eating without me."

Ron said, then crashed back onto the bed, rolled over, and went back to sleep. A moment later, Harry heard Ron grinding his teeth.

"I think you've got it wrong, Dobby. Oh, and Sparkle too?"

Harry turned his head back, his eyes filled with puzzlement as he looked at the large cake.

"My birthday is the last day of July. Well, of course, I'm very grateful to you all—"

"There's no mistake."

Dobby's big eyes shone brightly in the dark dormitory, but his expression held a hint of melancholy.

“Dobby knows when Harry Potter’s birthday is, sir. How could Dobby be wrong? But this isn’t to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday!”

"Isn't this to celebrate my birthday?"

Harry asked.

The two elves nodded in unison, their eyes sparkling as they looked into Harry's.

"Just in case, when Dobby and Gilgamesh found out, they immediately made a decision. Harry Potter can't go to class hungry if Hogwarts can still provide magical education."

Starving at Hogwarts, and Hogwarts is no longer able to teach?

Harry shook his head to make sure he wasn't still half asleep and that's why he couldn't understand what Gilgamesh was saying.

"Dobby, and Sparkle—"

Harry sat on the bed, waves of drowsiness washing over him. Tomorrow wasn't a day off; the first class tomorrow morning was Potions.

Harry was convinced that if he fell asleep in Snape's class, he would be thrilled to lay himself on the dissection table and let everyone dissect him.

"I'd love to talk to you more, but I have class tomorrow, so if you want to tell me anything, could you please be as clear as possible?"

After saying that, Harry quietly watched Dobby and Silence, waiting for them to say something. Then, he saw the two house-elfs exchange a glance, their expressions very serious.

"Harry Potter, Hogwarts is in danger, sir—"

Dobby tilted his little face up and said,

"It's like a sealed room being opened—a very serious crisis!"

Harry's scattered thoughts quickly converged, and his hazy green eyes began to gleam.

Before the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Dobby, who was then serving Lucius Malfoy, the mastermind behind the Chamber of Secrets incident, secretly went to the Dursleys' house to warn him, who was still on summer vacation, that a crisis would break out at Hogwarts this year and that he should not return to school.

Although the truth of the matter was completely different from what he initially thought, Dobby was not entirely unfounded at the time.

"What is it, Dobby, Sparkle? What did you hear again? Tell me."

Harry leaned slightly forward, his expression unconsciously becoming solemn as he offered his New Year's greetings.

But neither Dobby nor Gilgamesh addressed the issue directly. Dobby shrugged.

"We can't say. When the great Mr. Amosta Blaine and Professor McGonagall came to the kitchen to announce this to the house-elves, they specifically instructed us, sir, that Professor Blaine forbade us to reveal it, as it would worry the students."

He said he was doing everything he could to resolve the matter, and Dobby volunteered to have Professor Blaine stop Dobby's salary, but Professor Blaine disagreed, saying, "

"I can't say any more, Dobby."

Harry was listening intently, but Dobby's more alert and uneasy companion reminded him...

"We cannot disobey Professor Blaine's orders."

Dobby was never an obedient little elf, but this time, it actually shut its mouth.

"Dobby is leaving, sir—"

After a brief silence, Dobby bowed deeply to Harry and said,

"Dobby and Blink also have to clean the castle and do laundry for the students. This food is to keep Harry Potter from going hungry, sir. You can share it with your friends. Dobby and Blink have used magic to preserve this food for a long time."

As he spoke, Silence bowed to Harry, and after the overlapping crisp sounds, the two elves suddenly disappeared from the dormitory, leaving Harry sitting on the bed in a daze, staring blankly at the large pile of food on the floor.

What exactly happened?!

In the darkness, Harry opened his mouth and asked silently.

Unfortunately, this kind of analytical work is not his forte; it's Hermione's forte.

Now, put on your invisibility cloak and go to the kitchen. Dobby and Sparkle just said they were going to clean the castle. Besides the two of them, he couldn't possibly find another fairy in the kitchen who would tell him the truth.

But Hogwarts is facing a crisis comparable to the Chamber of Secrets incident?

This inevitably reminded Harry of the incident a few days earlier, when Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy from the Ministry of Magic came to Hogwarts to force their way in, only to ultimately fail.

Even without Hermione saying it, Harry knew that the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors, controlled by Malfoy, would willingly accept this humiliation.

Seeking revenge is normal.

But will they actually do that?

Harry got out of bed, pulled a robe from the laundry basket to cover the food Dobby and Sparkle had given him, then shoved it under the bed before climbing back onto it.

Sirius must know the inside story.

Since the Black family is also a member of the Board of Governors, Sirius Black would certainly know about any harm Malfoy might do to Hogwarts, even if he couldn't stop it.

However, it's not necessary to ask Sirius.

Because no matter what kind of conspiracy it is, since the clues have already been revealed, perhaps the truth will come out tomorrow.

Let's hear Hermione's thoughts first.

Harry mumbled something, then, bathed in the starlight of the second half of the night, quickly fell asleep.

Chapter 1021 Clues

2024-07-09

The next morning, Harry vaguely remembered what had happened the night before when he got out of bed and noticed the hem of his clothes being pulled out from under the bed. He jumped out of bed and half-squatted on the floor, squinting at the dark space under the bed. The two rows of lunch boxes stacked together left Harry speechless for a moment, and he finally realized that what had happened last night was not a bizarre dream.

"Dobby and Sparkle brought you a ton of pies and cakes last night?!"