"What is this?"
The pink-haired girl eagerly rose onto her tiptoes to accept it.
It was a crystal-clear snowflake, enlarged and frozen by magic, then made into a hair clip.
"Fall into my palm, first snowflake of early winter."
[...[A Gift to Satisfy the Thousand-Faced Attendant] quest complete. Reward: 10 experience points, Bronze Magic Knowledge · 1]
--Let's draw!
Harry's smile grew more genuine.
"Am I... pretty?"
Nymphadora Tonks eagerly put it on, showing her stunning, unaltered face.
Normally, she even modified her figure in the opposite direction, flattening her ample curves—which got in the way and obscured her toes—into a shape more convenient for exercise.
Now, she showed them all to Harry.
Demon Bogan's Beauty Magic Bronze
"V... very pretty." Harry answered incoherently, focused entirely on the magical knowledge surging through his mind.
And... the next quest.
--A spell that was just the thing for putting on makeup... Had he drawn the missing piece of the quest's puzzle directly?
[Major Quest: Fancy Dress Halloween]
[Halloween is approaching. How could the territory of the great Savior—Hogwarts—be ruled by dull school robes? Generously spread the great appeal of fancy-dress culture among your subjects! Lead by example and actively rally them. Get as many of your subjects as possible to wear more creative outfits to the feast. Dressing up is a release of the soul, an alternative expression of magic!]
[Basic Reward: For every subject successfully encouraged to dress up, gain 0.5 experience points]
[Milestone Rewards:]
[Stage One—Fancy Dress Pioneer (≥ 50 subjects): Basic experience points + (number of subjects × 0.5), Bronze Talent · 1]
[Stage Two—Fancy Dress Commander (≥ 100 subjects): Basic experience points + (number of subjects × 0.5), Silver Talent · 1]
[Stage Three—Fancy Dress Legend (≥ 150 subjects): Basic experience points + (number of subjects × 0.5), Gold Talent · 1]
[Special Note: Eligibility is determined by whether subjects are in the Great Hall wearing acceptable fancy dress from the start of the feast until it ends. Beware [Two-Face], [Poltergeist Jester], [Well-Intentioned Disaster Servant], and [Troll Avenger]. Make sure the feast goes smoothly.]
The quest had been triggered as soon as Harry realized Halloween was coming.
[Two-Face] needed no explanation. It was definitely Quirrell.
[Poltergeist Jester] was even more obvious. Fred and George had the same Jester suffix, and the spirit most like them was Peeves, the poltergeist.
[Well-Intentioned Disaster Servant] was obviously a House-elf. Harry hadn't forgotten the sabotage during Flying Lesson, and it gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.
As for [Troll Avenger]... Marcus Flint?
The only person at Hogwarts who could be linked to a troll was that troll-like fellow, who had earned a T—the lowest grade, meaning "troll"—and been held back for a year in the original timeline.
The question now was how they would disrupt the Halloween Feast.
"Helena Ravenclaw."
Harry emerged from the wall and stopped the ghost, who was covered in silver blood and shackled in chains.
With clever people, there was no need to say much.
At Hogwarts, only Bloody Baron could truly keep Peeves in line. As Salazar Slytherin's student, he seemed to retain some of the magic he'd wielded in life, even as a ghost. At the very least, he could turn invisible.
"Harry Potter... What's the condition?" The Bloody Baron's gaunt face came alive, and his dull eyes gleamed with longing.
The chains on him were the manifestation of his guilt over Helena. He didn't yearn for forgiveness; he only wanted her to stop ignoring him.
"Oh? You think I can do that?" Harry asked curiously.
"The last uncrowned king won her heart. You... can too." The Bloody Baron struggled to suppress his anger.
"You mean Tom Riddle?" Harry shook his head. "I'm not as good at winning girls over as he was."
"You win girls over in completely different ways. That's why she might fall for you again."
"Keep Peeves from causing trouble at the Halloween Feast. As for how... I have a better idea."
Harry's body slowly sank into the floor, as if he were trapped in quicksand.
--Peeves: out.
--Next...
Harry passed through the ceiling of the Slytherin Common Room and descended from above.
He appeared in a flash before the sharp-faced boy.
"Draco, I need a House-elf. His name should be Dobby."
The other Slytherins had already had the good sense to leave before Harry even spoke.
"Yes." Draco didn't hesitate. He called out to the air, "Dobby."
A creature with long, bat-like ears, enormous green eyes the size of tennis balls, and an ill-fitting little suit appeared out of thin air.
"I only ordered him to make himself clothes because I was afraid Granger would find out and nag me."
"He's got something wrong with his head. If you just give him clothes, he'll run off. My father's especially careful not to give him anything."
"But it's because of him that I dared to leave you for a while, Harry, despite risking an attack from those bastards"—the other Slytherins.
Crabbe and Goyle, who were eating cake nearby, instantly found the frosting less sweet. They stood up and struck various poses to show they were stronger than Dobby.
"You're the one who attacked me, aren't you?"
Harry's words left Draco, who'd been about to mock Crabbe and Goyle, momentarily speechless.
"Yes. Dobby did it to save Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a sun that can shine even on people like us. He mustn't be allowed to..." As soon as Dobby mentioned his master, he immediately rushed toward the fireplace to punish himself.
Even a House-elf like him, who longed for freedom, was bound by the pathological loyalty of House-elves.
--Force Choke Modified!
"Stop." Harry held out a hand and clenched it slightly. Dobby froze in midair like an insect trapped in amber.
"Father! What did my father do? Tell me, Dobby!" Draco's already pale face grew even paler.
"We don't know anything." "Harry, this has nothing to do with us." Crabbe and Goyle dropped their cake at once, disavowing Draco like fair-weather friends.
"Bad Dobby, bad Dobby!" Dobby struggled.
"Tell me!" Draco was too distracted to scold Crabbe and Goyle.
"Master didn't order Dobby not to tell young master. It was all young master's orders." Dobby found an excuse for himself. "The Dark Lord whose name must not be spoken..."
He let out a sound like a child sobbing.
"He left his diary with my master."
"Master was angry. He wanted to take revenge on Harry Potter."
"He gave the diary to Harry Potter's Weasley."
"That diary really was given to the Weasley boy by my father!" Draco interrupted. "Merlin's pants! My father's really going to see my aunt! He's going to Azkaban!"
"No. Dumbledore already knows." Harry shook his head.
"You mean my father joined..."
"Yes," Harry said, looking at Dobby. "There's something I need to tell you. That diary is already in Dumbledore's hands, and everyone knows about it. You're the only one who doesn't, too busy doing housework and trying to 'save' me whenever you have a spare moment."
"Dobby was plotting against Harry Potter?" Dobby's green eyes instantly brimmed with tears. "Bad Dobby, bad Dobby! Dobby must break his own neck! Harry Potter, please let Dobby go!..."
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