Hearing these words, Dobby first froze, then his large eyes filled with disbelief.
"Harry Potter is asking Dobby if he can trust Dobby?"
"Yes."
Seeing Harry nod, Dobby's expression became a whirlwind of emotions—joy, honor, and a trace of trepidation.
But soon, he put away all other expressions, leaving only determination in those large eyes.
"Harry Potter is the savior of all house-elves! Dobby will absolutely not disappoint him!"
His words rang out firm and clear, his voice rising so loud that Harry glanced around nervously.
Fortunately, the battle raging around them was intense. Thanks to Ravenclaw Tower's isolated location and the classroom's excellent soundproofing charms, this level of combat hadn't yet attracted attention.
Right now, though, Harry desperately wished this classroom's soundproofing magic could be a bit weaker. If Professor Flitwick sleeping in the tower could hear the commotion, they wouldn't need to struggle so hard.
But reality wouldn't change just because he wished it would. Pushing the thought aside, Harry signaled Dobby to keep quiet. Watching the house-elf's determined expression, Harry's tension eased slightly.
Although such verbal guarantees meant nothing, he believed eyes couldn't lie.
Moreover, there was obviously no other solution now.
Steadying himself, Harry spoke softly, "I've heard that house-elf Apparition is different from regular wizards'. You can use this magic at Hogwarts without being restricted by Hogwarts Anti-Apparition Wards, right?"
Although he'd seen Dobby suddenly appear many times, he still needed final confirmation. This was important.
"Yes!" Dobby nodded vigorously.
"Then while we're in the castle, can your Apparition bring a companion?"
"Side-Along Apparition..."
Dobby hesitated for a while, saying somewhat uncertainly, "I'm not sure if it will succeed; after all, I haven't tried it here."
"But I think it should be fine?"
After all, house-elf Apparition was different from wizards'—they didn't need to worry about Splinching, and people Apparating with them had no danger of Splinching either.
Without the danger of Splinching, Side-Along Apparition generally had no possibility of failure.
Unless their Apparition itself was blocked.
"Then there's no problem."
Although Dobby's tone was uncertain, Harry still nodded.
"In a moment, I'll send you to Senior Penelope—"
Time crept forward. During Harry's explanation, the battle's disparity widened further.
The barrier before Penelope was already covered in cracks, looking like it couldn't hold much longer.
What made her feel even more desperate was that behind her, in the wall, the sound of a creature sliding through was unmistakable.
She knew Hogwarts' walls contained many hollow pipes. These pipes were carriers used when the castle was built to inscribe defensive magic or similar spells.
But now, these pipes used to construct protective magic had become passages for some creature to move freely through the castle.
Suddenly, a soft sound came from the wall beside her. A large hole appeared on the wall as if shedding its disguise.
In the hole, a giant snake head emerged. It had its eyes closed, its scarlet tongue constantly flicking out, collecting information about the surroundings.
The basilisk.
Seeing that snake head with closed eyes, Penelope's heart sank.
While she was distracted, a deep red curse struck her barrier, causing her already struggling Shield Charm to shatter completely.
She fell, and Penelope hit the ground hard with a pained moan.
"Now, it's perfect." Umbridge smiled, pulling a golden cup from her robes and placing it on the table in front of her, then turned to cast a spell blocking the pursuing ghost.
Lockhart also smiled wickedly, pulling a book from his robes and placing it on the same table.
Umbridge stepped forward, looking down at Penelope.
"You will be the first soul the master fully enjoys. Though Muggle-born souls are unbearably foul."
"A crude altar, and a terrible offering." Lockhart shook his head, but his mouth still twisted into a smile. "But it will do."
But just as the two spoke, a voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Your turn, Dobby!"
Something abruptly appeared in mid-air, landing beside the fallen Penelope. Before she could react, it grabbed her and vanished instantly.
After sending Dobby away, Harry turned and ran toward the door holding Alice.
He had no time to think about how to save Sir Podmore, but judging by its condition, it should have the ability to escape.
When passing by the makeshift altar, Harry suddenly stopped, looking at the diary and cup placed on it.
When he'd first seen these two objects, the scar on his forehead had started faintly aching. Now, standing beside them, he felt a powerful attraction.
As if they were originally one and should now merge together.
Could it be that this inexplicable attraction came from these two objects?
Those two seemed to value these things greatly. What were they?
And why did he want to merge with them?
Shaking his head, Harry pushed the feeling away.
He didn't know where this feeling came from, but he knew—the magical world always had one rule: things that try to bewitch people were never good.
But since these were obviously important to the bad guys, taking them was definitely right!
Just like Professor Kahn said, sometimes taking certain things wasn't called stealing—it was called finding!
He found these!
Making his decision, Harry reached out, scooped both objects into his arms, then bolted toward the door. The giant snake, having lost its target, caught his scent and chased after him through the door, leaving only two wizards who hadn't yet realized what happened, staring blankly at the empty altar.
"He took the master's Horcruxes!" Two seconds later, Umbridge's eyes suddenly widened, finally remembering there were other people in the room.
Panic flashed across his face. He drew his wand, aiming at the door. A ghastly green light flashed but hit no target.
"Damn it, chase him!"
The ghastly green in Lockhart's eyes suddenly surged, filled with unbridled fury.
As the book moved farther away, the energy in his body was rapidly dissipating, making it impossible to suppress the other soul within.
If this continued, in less than half an hour he would completely fall asleep, and who knew when he'd wake again!
Instantly abandoning the search for that suddenly appearing house-elf, the two rushed toward the door, planning to follow the giant snake's trail to find the thief who stole their things.
They didn't even plan to deal with that specter trapped in midair.
But just as the two reached the door, a voice suddenly sounded behind them, sending ice through their veins.
"Could you please wait a moment?"