Chapter 415

“Is Her name Winky? Who is her owner? And what happened to you?”

Dobby’s big eyes flowed with hot teardrops, and he shuddered, “Yes, Her name is Winky, Dobby met Winky a long time ago when Dobby still belonged to the Malfoys. …” He shivered.

“Keep talking, Dobby.”

“Her owner is Mr. Crouch, Barty Crouch Sr. –” Dobby stated, to which Felix frowned. Then Dobby said, “Dobby got to Mr. Crouch’s house, and it was dark, but Dobby had been there before and knew the way … Dobby found Winky, but Winky was frightened and told Dobby to leave quickly when Dobby wasn’t sure why our talking had woken the owner of the house.”

“You mean Barty Crouch?”

“Dobby wasn’t sure!” The house-elf shuddered, “It was so dark that there weren’t even any magic lamps there! They’re so out of date!”

Felix nearly laughed at that, but it was good that Dobby got to the point.

“I heard a cold voice ordering: something broke in, a dirty house-elf, KILL THEM.” Dobby’s eyes widened: “Dobby had never heard a voice THAT COLD EVER! Then the next second, Mr. Crouch came out, and he cast a spell on us, and not just me, but Winky too!”

“Hex?”

“No, not that … glaring green light, full of death, that Curse!”

“Killing Curse?” Dobby kept nodding with his eyes closed, and Felix’s eyebrows jumped sharply.

“And after that? You escaped?”

“After that … the curse missed, Then Dobby used the defensive item given by Mr. Hap to block a very powerful Severing Charm, then Dobby took Winky and ran, but Winky refused to go, and tried to plead with Mr. Crouch … Dobby can’t leave Winky alone! Dobby… Dobby then knocked Winky out.”

Dobby’s slender chest rose and fell, as he spoke under his breath. He shivered and rummaged through his pocket for a dull yellow sock, from which he pulled out a dull amulet, its surface cracked inch by inch and clearly no longer usable.

Felix crouched down and stroked the cobweb-like cracks that covered the amulet, then he gestured toward the unconscious house elf.

“Rennervate.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Winky’s slender nose moved, she blinked her eyelids hard and opened her big brown eyes as she sat up shakily. She looked around with a little bewilderment, her mind not quite awake. When she saw Dobby and Felix crouching beside her, her eyes suddenly went wide, and she let out a loud scream-

“Winky has to go back! Winky has to leave here!”

Her body suddenly became illusory. Felix raised his finger slightly, and then the elf kept flickering as if she had bad signals, nevertheless she could not get out from this area.

Dobby looked at Felix with awe as he said in a loud, squeaky voice, “Winky, we’re safe.”

“No, Winky needs to go back, back to the master!” She struggled desperately.

Dobby said loudly, “You don’t have a master anymore, he wants to kill you, think about it!”

Winky’s slender body froze, as if being compressed, then her round nose jerked, as she stubbornly said, “No, never–”

“Master needs care, he’s very sick!” She cried out.

Dobby shouted in a voice louder than hers, “He didn’t show any signs of illness when he attacked us!”

“Because the master had to take care of young Master Barty, who was extremely sick, he felt he had done something bad and wronged his son …” Winky trembled and tears rolled down her face, “Oh, Winky shouldn’t have said that, Winky is a bad elf!”

She screamed and rolled in the dirt, startling a few students coming out of the great hall in the distance.

“Young Master?” Felix said softly, as he mused, “Is it Barty Crouch Jr.? Wasn’t he imprisoned in Azkaban and has been dead for years as far as I know …”

“Winky!” He stopped the elf who was punishing herself and said in a soothing voice, with mesmerizing silver eyes calming her down, “Listen to me, your master is in trouble, and only you can help him,” then he added, “and so is your young Master Barty. But to help, I need to know the truth.”

Winky stared at Felix blankly with wide eyes and kept mumbling under her breath, “Young Master Buddy is innocent, he was put in Azkaban by Master, but Master can’t forgive himself, so he chose to atone for his sins …”

Her state is really frightening, like a soulless shell, repeating these words over and over again.

As she spoke, an eerie light flashed through Winky’s pupils.

“What’s wrong with Winky?” Dobby rubbed his fingers uneasily, “Mr. Hap, Dobby did hear a cold voice, but saw no one else …”

“She was under a spell … not exactly an Imperius Curse, I guess it was Confundus Charm.” Felix said.

Dobby startled, “Confundus Charm? Winky is under a Confundus Charm?”

Felix placed his wand against Winky’s chest and whispered, “Offero.” He switched his perspective, and in a gray background, wisps of red light streamed up from the elf.

He put away his wand, and Dobby stared at Winky as he asked uneasily, “The spell is lifted? How’s Winky?”

Felix breathed a sigh of relief, “Let’s see.”

Winky looked as if she had just woken up from a nap, she blinked and then let out a desperate cry.

“Master Buddy, you are a bad boy!”

Felix had to take Winky by the shoulders as she kept shaking her head and flopping on both legs while screaming in sadness. His eyes shone silvery as he said in a deep voice, “Winky, do you have anything to say?”

Winky’s eyes widened as huge pearls and tears flowed like a stream, but she refused to say anything.

Having no choice, Felix released her.

He commanded, “Dobby, take Winky to rest, she’s had a very stimulating night.” He gestured toward Winky, whose expression quickly softened, and she quickly fell asleep, only to have her eyes still fluttering restlessly beneath her lids.

Felix made complex runes on the air, forming complex magical signs and imprinting them on Winky’s body. “Mr. Hap?”

“She can’t leave for the time being, I blocked her ability to use magic, Dobby, it’s going to be hard for you to take care of her for a while, and try to satisfy all of her needs.”

“As ordered, Mr. Hap.” Dobby replied. He picked up Winky and prepared to leave, then his expression became very hesitant: “What do you think, sir? Do you need Dobby to ask Winky about Mr. Barty Crouch’s secret?”

“No need,” said Felix: “I’ll ask … him personally,” he said in a very complicated tone: “I just saw a very interesting vision.”

“What did you see?”

“A baby.” Felix said enthusiastically.

————

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