Madame Pomfrey had not been exaggerating when she had warned him he would be in for a rough night, Harry thought, as he tossed and turned for the hundredth time.
Of course, it wasn't just the pain in his arm causing his sleepless night – a million other thoughts were swirling around in his head too: the rogue bludger, the message on the wall, Professor Snape's sudden coldness…
And that was when he heard it.
"Kill… kill…"
It sounded so close, almost as if it were in the room with him.
Harry scrambled to sit up and fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand. Finally managing to get them on his face, he took a look around the infirmary.
Empty.
Except for…
"Hello!"
Harry almost jumped out of his skin, seeing the little figure standing in front of him on the bed - the same, odd looking elf that had popped up in Ron's bedroom just weeks earlier.
"Dobby?"
"Harry Potter should've listened to Dobby!" the elf said, perching on the tray table at the end of the bed. "Harry Potter should've gone back home when he missed the train!"
"It was you? You stopped the barrier from letting Ron and me through…" Harry realised.
"Indeed, yes sir," Dobby admitted, looking more than a little guilty.
"You nearly got Ron and me expelled," he hissed.
"At least you would be away from here. Harry Potter must go home. Dobby thought his bludger would be enough to make Harry Potter see –"
" –Your bludger?" the boy frowned. "You made that bludger chase after me?!"
"Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir. Dobby had to iron his hands," the elf told him, showing him the bandages wrapped around his bony fingers.
For a moment, Harry said nothing. He was, for the most part, unfamiliar with house elves and their ways – what little he did know had come from Hermione.
It was strange though – Dobby had endangered him, but clearly felt bad about it.
"What is it you want?" Harry asked, almost hopelessly.
"Terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts. Harry Potter must not stay here," Dobby insisted. "Harry Potter must go home. Tonight!"
"But my d- Professor Snape said–" he began.
Letting out a wail, Dobby shook his head furiously, wringing his hands.
"What?" Harry asked, confused.
"Must go home… must go home…" Dobby muttered, walking in a circle on the bed.
"But Hogwarts is my home," Harry told him. "And besides, I can't just go back to Spinner's End, Professor Snape has to stay here and teach."
"Then Harry Potter should return to Little Whinging!" the elf suggested, as if it were the best idea he had ever had.
Harry looked at him, horrified. "What? No, Dobby! I won't!"
Just then, they heard voices – faint at first, but then footsteps, in the corridor outside the infirmary.
Harry glanced in their direction, before turning to look at the house elf again.
"Harry Potter must be careful! Even those Harry Potter trusts the most could be mixed up in these plans," Dobby whimpered. "Such horrible plans!"
"Dobby, what does that mean?" Harry hissed, desperately, as the voices outside grew closer.
"Harry Potter must not set foot in the serpent's lair!" the elf cried.