"This matter can only be entrusted to you for a covert investigation.
"If I acted directly, I could deal with the Basilisk, but I would also alert the enemy. The mastermind would definitely go into hiding, and then we would never be able to catch him."
"Of course, before that, I'll first confirm the Basilisk's condition and make sure it cannot emerge and harm anyone for the time being."
Li Wei's words still seemed to echo in their ears.
When Hermione and the other two walked out of Li Wei's office, the looks in their eyes had completely changed!
After all, they were the only people Professor Li Wei trusted to expose the mastermind behind everything!
At the same time, Hermione and Ron now wore thin, non-prescription glasses on their noses—the Basilisk's gaze could kill anyone who met its eyes directly, but with lenses as a buffer, the fatal effect would become petrification instead.
"Mate, you really dared to say that. For a moment, I thought we were going to get thrown out like we did at Hagrid's."
Ron let out a long breath and patted Harry on the shoulder.
"You were far too rude to the professor, Harry! Just like Senior Jiamer said, before criticizing someone else, you should use your brain and think properly first!"
Without waiting for his response, Hermione stormed off in a huff.
Although the task the professor had assigned was important, today of all days, she did not want to act with those two idiots!
"Hey, Hermione!" Ron watched Hermione leave without even looking back and scratched his head. "Why is she so angry this time?"
"So her name is Jiamer."
Harry stared blankly at Hermione's retreating figure as he spoke.
"What are you talking about? Mate, why do you seem so distracted?"
Ron's face had somehow enlarged in Harry's field of vision!
The tip of Ron's nose was almost touching Harry's as he peered curiously up at Harry's expression.
"Could hearing the Basilisk have affected you somehow? Or is speaking Parselmouth really exhausting? Oh, right, right—what does it feel like when you speak the language of snakes? Tell me!"
"I—I'm fine!"
Harry shoved him away in a panic, and the two headed toward the Gryffindor common room.
"Parselmouth? I didn't feel anything when I spoke it. In fact, it felt like I was speaking normally. If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known my voice had changed at the time."
Before leaving completely, Harry could not help turning back once more for one last look at Li Wei's office.
"There's something strange about that professor, isn't there? But for now, I think what he's doing is still good."
Ron noticed the movement and discussed it leisurely with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah."
Harry nodded, but what filled his mind was the image of that blonde woman scolding him.
If his mother had not died, would she have corrected him so sternly whenever he made a mistake, just as she had done earlier?
The house-elf Barton appeared in the owlery.
With him, someone skilled in Apparition, helping out, both secrecy and efficiency far surpassed that of owls. Li Wei did not actually use these creatures much in his daily life.
Even when dark wizards had been rampant, Barton, as Li Wei's trusted companion, had still played a significant role.
Who would have thought that now, at safe Hogwarts, he had instead lost one of his functions?
Thinking of this, Barton felt a little downcast—why did people always maliciously misinterpret someone as pure as his master?
"Tap, tap, tap."
A small stone suddenly struck the ground not far from Barton.
He turned toward where it had come from—at the corner of the wall at the edge of his vision, a shriveled little hand flashed past.
It looked like the hand of a house-elf.
Barton thought of the group of house-elves working in the kitchens and felt puzzled.
After all, given those fellows' personalities, they should not be capable of doing something like this.
Something was off. Barton first placed the letter Li Wei had given him into the message tube beneath an owl's leg, then turned his attention to the matter before him.
"Tap, tap, tap."
Just then, another small stone was lightly tossed over, as though someone around the corner was waiting and hoped to lure Barton over this way.
"Come out. If you want to speak to me normally, I'll give you three seconds to think about it."
Rather than approach rashly, Barton cautiously took a step back.
"Three, two, one."
When Barton counted to one, a sharp whisper suddenly came from around the corner.
"Don't, don't go. Dobby means no harm."
A house-elf dressed in something resembling an old pillowcase stepped out from behind the wall.
"Dobby?"
Barton watched this 'unusual' house-elf warily, one hand quietly clenching into a fist.
"You're not one of the house-elves in Hogwarts Castle, are you? Who is your master?"
"Don't—don't be nervous—Dobby means no harm—Dobby's master is—"
Halfway through speaking, the elf named Dobby suddenly went mad.
He slammed his head heavily against the stone wall before continuing to speak to Barton:
"Lucius Malfoy."
"The Malfoy family?" Clear disgust appeared on Barton's face. "As their servant, what are you doing here?"
"Dobby wants to protect Harry Potter. Dobby heard—what Harry Potter said to your master. Hogwarts Castle is very dangerous!
"There is a conspiracy! Something terrible will happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year! Dobby's master put something evil inside Hogwarts."
After Dobby finished speaking, he let out another comical choking sob and began smashing his head wildly against the wall again.
Barton looked at him with pity, a trace of sympathy flashing through his eyes.
"Stop talking. You're using physical punishment to evade the constraints of the master-servant contract, aren't you?"
Dobby abruptly raised his head. Blood streamed down his forehead as he stared at Barton in shock, looking both foolish and miserable.
"I'll speak from now on. You only need to nod or shake your head."
Barton looked at the dazed Dobby and sighed.
If he had not met Li Wei, his circumstances probably would not have been much better than Dobby's.
It was Li Wei who taught him what freedom was, what equality was, and what the power of knowledge was.
And it was precisely all of that which had made Barton who he was today.
"The dangerous matter you mentioned—is it related to the Chamber of Secrets incident?"
Dobby froze for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.
"If it's that matter, Mr. Potter already knows about it, and my master is prepared to intervene as well. You do not need to worry anymore."
"Really?" Dobby's eyes widened. "That's a Basilisk! Can your master really kill it?!"
"Yes—I'm Barton. Dobby, would you like to come meet my master? He can certainly handle the information you brought better."
"No—no. As long as Harry Potter is safe, Dobby can rest easy. Thank you—thank you, Barton. Dobby must leave."
Before leaving, he suddenly looked at Barton with some reluctance.
"Dobby... can Dobby come find you again next time? Barton, you are very free. Dobby envies you—Dobby also longs for freedom."
Dobby looked at Barton, his tiny hands twisting together nervously as he waited uneasily for an answer.
"As long as my master has not summoned me, you can find me in the elf kitchens at mealtimes."
Before you continue