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HOGWARTS: REGULUS LORD OF THE STARS
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American Horror: Grind Edition
"Happy Easter, Harry."
Sean said.
He handed over something that looked like a mirror, and Harry carefully took it.
"What's this?"
He asked.
"It's a Magic Hand Mirror—you can think of it like a phone."
Sean said slowly, then glanced up ahead. Harry suddenly realized Lucius was already walking away.
"Thanks, Sean. I'll get you something in return."
Harry noted Sean's words and hurried forward.
He clutched the diary, hearing Dobby's pained screams echoing around the corner, fading into the distance.
Doubting whether his plan would even work, he quickly kicked off one shoe, yanked off his sticky, smelly sock, and stuffed the diary inside.
Then, he dashed down the dark corridor.
He caught up to them just as the two were about to head down the stairs.
"Mr. Malfoy," he panted, stumbling to a stop. "I've got something for you."
He shoved the stinky sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand.
"What the—"
Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, tossed it aside, and glared furiously at the ruined book, then at Harry.
"One day, Harry Potter, you'll meet the same end as your parents," he hissed softly. "They were meddlesome fools back then, too."
Harry didn't respond, but he couldn't help thinking of another meddlesome wizard.
Quiet and reserved, yet the one who had solved all of Hogwarts' dangers.
Lucius turned to leave.
"Come on, Dobby. You heard me—hurry up!"
But Dobby didn't move. He held up Harry's sticky, smelly sock high, staring at it in awe, like it was a priceless treasure.
"Master gave Dobby a sock," the house-elf said in amazement. "Master gave it to Dobby."
"What?" Mr. Malfoy snapped irritably. "What did you say?"
"Dobby has got a sock," Dobby said in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby—Dobby is free."
Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, glaring at the house-elf. Then he lunged at Harry.
"You've lost me my servant, boy!"
There was a massive bang, and Mr. Malfoy flew backward.
He tumbled down the stairs, three steps at a time, and ended up sprawled in a heap on the landing below.
He struggled to his feet, face ashen, and drew his wand—but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.
"You must go now," Dobby said fiercely, pointing down at Lucius. "You shall not harm Harry Potter. Go now."
Lucius Malfoy had no choice.
He shot them one last furious glare, wrapped his cloak around himself, and hurried off.
"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" the elf squeaked shrilly, looking up at Harry. Moonlight streamed in from the nearest window, illuminating his bulging eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"
"I didn't do much, Dobby—most of it was Sean's doing," Harry grinned. "But promise me you won't try to save me again."
The elf's ugly, brownish face broke into a wide, toothy smile.
He flung his arms around Harry's waist and gave him a tight hug.
"Harry Potter is greater than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!"
With another loud gulp in his throat, Dobby vanished.
Harry stared at the spot where he'd disappeared, thinking the elf's magic seemed more powerful than a wizard's.
They always came and went at Hogwarts without a trace—the anti-Apparition spells seemed useless against them.
He turned toward the corner, where Sean was directing books to fly out with his fingers.
Is Sean a house-elf too?
The thought popped into Harry's head unbidden.
"No... Sean?!"
He exclaimed.
Sean had already grabbed the book he wanted: Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. He directed it to fly back into the Book of Wizards—which, to Harry, just looked like it vanished.
"Harry?"
He asked softly.
"What are you... Where's your wand?"
Harry's mind was a total mess.
"A wizard's magic doesn't come from a wand, Harry."
With that, Sean left.
In the minds of most wizards who knew about them, house-elf magic seemed more powerful than that of many wizards.
They didn't need wands, and they could come and go freely in Hogwarts Castle.
But to Sean, that was a misconception.
House-elf magic wasn't stronger than wizards'—wandless casting was just inherently more destructive.
But one thing was true: house-elves, and even goblins, could come and go as they pleased in places like Hogwarts or the cave Voldemort had designed.
Voldemort looked down on house-elf magic, while Hogwarts allowed it for convenience.
Yeah, it was just for convenience.
Think about it—house-elves handled all the wizards' meals, carried luggage from the train, cleaned rooms...
Not being able to Apparate would be a real hassle.
When Hufflepuff found a place for house-elves to stay, allowing them to live there and do odd jobs, Ravenclaw left this "loophole" in Hogwarts Castle.
Even after more than a dozen centuries, no restless wizard had exploited this loophole.
Interestingly, Sean knew this "loophole" could be patched.
Mr. Owl could handle that.
But based on Mr. Owl's observations over more than ten centuries, it proudly believed Hogwarts should have house-elves who could come and go freely.
"Will."
Sean called.
"Yes, esteemed Mr. Green."
Will emerged from the hidden shadows.
"Did you find it?"
Sean asked.
"Mission accomplished, sir."
Will puffed out his chest. With a lift of his short arm, a coffin-like box appeared.
It was impressively large, a deep black under the moonlight.
Inside lay a wizard remembered only by house-elves. When he decided to rebel, he didn't even have a decent ally by his side.
Regulus Black.
A wizard who existed almost solely in Kreacher's memories, a farewell letter, a few scattered words, and the forever-still portrait in the Black family home at Grimmauld Place.
"You did well, Will."
Sean said softly.
"For your will, I'd lay down my life!"
Will whispered fiercely.