The Sorrow of the Strong

"Club?" Dobby stopped sobbing.

He blinked his tennis-ball-sized, tearful eyes and looked at Harry in confusion.

"You know about it, Dobby?" Harry was overjoyed, placing both hands on Dobby's frail shoulders.

"Harry Potter's dormitory and that club were both looked after by Dobby."

"Then, on the afternoon of April 10, who else was in that room besides Colin?"

"Dobby knows. He is a descendant of the great Hufflepuff.

He always arrived at the club first. He rested in the cabinet, then left last."

Harry let go of Dobby, and he and Ginny said in unison, "Zacharias Smith!"

"Yes! It was Zacharias Smith! Dobby found it very strange that Zacharias Smith always liked staying in the cabinet.

And he was always digging through rubbish bins." Dobby nodded.

His simple moral code could not understand Zacharias's behavior.

"Yes, I find it strange too. What exactly is wrong with him?

Me and him..." Harry muttered in confusion, but the next second, he had the answer. "Dudley?"

"This has something to do with Dudley?" Ginny, who had been wondering how Harry had offended Zacharias, asked.

"Dobby, you can go now." Rather than answer directly, Harry looked at Dobby first.

"Did Dobby help Harry Potter?"

"You helped a lot."

"That is good.

Dobby welcomes Harry Potter to call for Dobby again!

Dobby is always at your service!" Dobby gave Harry a reluctant look, then vanished into thin air with a crack.

"In other people's eyes, what was Dudley's relationship with me like?" Harry immediately asked.

"Him? Is that what you mean?" Ginny understood at once.

"Yes. In other people's eyes, Dudley, who always seemed so familiar and friendly whenever he met me, must have had a very good relationship with me.

And we do not even need to ask about Zacharias's relationship with Dudley.

Whenever