great-warnovel Chapter 155 What is Freedom
Chapter 155 What is Freedom
Chapter 155 What is Freedom
Dobby stared in astonishment at the hat in his arms. He had received clothes bestowed upon him by his master, and he was free.
Alecto was secretly pleased; her words had been very successful.
This Malfoy kid, under her step-by-step manipulation, is gradually sliding into a dark abyss.
He personally cut off the path his father had left him, which was tantamount to pushing himself further towards the Green Flame Party.
Through Legilimency, she saw a burning heart gradually turning cold, sorrow, betrayal, and repressed anger simmering into a bitter porridge, which the child was slowly drinking down.
"A respectable awakening." She clapped softly, applauding Draco.
"These filthy scum are not trustworthy at all, unlike our great master who would share longevity and power with us."
She hugged Draco affectionately and whispered, "We know that finding the cursed object was not your intention, and your period of hiding was just out of caution."
"Now that we've returned, it's time for a second operation."
She looked past Draco's lowered head, trying to make her eyes appear clear and sincere.
"Child, you don't need to do much. Just lead Lockhart and Granger to their respective spots during the next practical lesson and let them touch the door key we left behind."
Draco dared not meet her gaze, as it would strengthen her Legilimency, and he struggled to control his own thoughts.
With her eyes lowered, she stammered, "Granger—is she going to be killed too?"
Alecto saw the fear in his mind, but that was normal. Anyone his age would feel uneasy knowing that their classmate was going to be killed; it was just a case of feeling sorry for someone of their own kind.
She stroked Draco's head, feeling his trembling, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, my good boy, you are different from them."
"You have talent, and you're ambitious, aren't you?"
"Hogwarts, this greenhouse, is not suitable for you. The forests of Albania are your paradise."
"The Crucifixion is just your first gift. In the next practical lesson, once you've completed the task we assigned you..."
"You won't even need to return to Hogwarts. We'll take you to see our great master! He will teach you advanced dark magic and share the secret of immortality with you!"
"The Malfoy family will rise again, in ways those who looked down on you could never have imagined!"
She subtly seduced him, and Draco seemed to be persuaded as well, his body ceasing to tremble.
"How can I contact you? How can I find the key you left behind?"
Alexios smiled with satisfaction. Her serrated wand gently grazed the boy's hand, leaving a black snake-like mark that then disappeared.
"This manifestation charm will trigger at the right distance. If you follow it, you'll find what we left behind."
That would be very noticeable.
Draco nervously swallowed, unsure if there was a curse mixed in with his words: "Fine, I agree!"
"What a good child!" Alexo praised, extremely pleased with herself. This was how she managed to avoid using the Imperius Curse.
She can manipulate other people's thoughts, which is exactly what people like her to like.
"I've been gone for too long. If I don't show up soon, people will get suspicious," Draco said in a low voice.
"Go, my child, we await your good news."
Draco turned around, glanced at Dobby who was still standing there in a daze, and said coldly, "Do whatever you want with it. It's worthless to me now."
After saying that, he turned and left without a trace of regret.
Amicus raised an eyebrow: "In that case, let's kill them."
A green light appeared on the wand, but before it could be raised, it was stopped by Alextot.
"For a house-elves, being abandoned is more painful than death." She looked at Dobby with malice.
"Letting him live, leaving him in the wasteland, is more interesting than killing him outright."
The two chuckled, like terrifying monsters, and then, with a crisp sound, they vanished in an instant.
The crevice fell silent, leaving only Dobby sitting blankly on the ground, clutching Draco's hat: "Dobby—I'm free—"
But where no one could see, at the top of this secluded crevice, the air seemed to be suddenly lifted by a veil, and Hermione, Dumbledore, and McGonagall stood there quietly.
It wasn't just Hermione; Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived even before her.
"He did a good job, didn't he?" Hermione whispered.
"It's truly unexpected that someone his age, who has only studied Occlumency for three months, could fool Alecto," McGonagall sighed.
"I was all prepared to save him."
Dumbledore peered through the crack in the rock at the elves below: "We always judge others by our own standards."
"This is also a trial I'm giving Draco," Hermione chimed in.
"And he did it very well."
"Do you think he really doesn't care about Dobby?" McGonagall couldn't help but ask.
"I think I can no longer see through that kid. He acted so well, the fear, sadness, trembling and determination—I don't even know if I could keep my mind closed if I were hurt like that."
Hermione didn't know either; perhaps this guy was naturally good at closing his mind, and she probably wouldn't be able to see through him either.
Dumbledore seemed to be thinking of someone: "Those who are good at closing themselves off are born with a shell."
It's difficult for ordinary people to get in, but once they do, the experience will be etched in their memories forever, and they are more likely to learn Occlumency techniques.
Even those with natural mind-reading abilities would find it difficult to know what they are thinking.
"But perhaps being obsessed with seeing through a person is not a healthy idea. As a Legilimency practitioner, I always remind myself not to be superstitious about the judgment of magic, nor to always think that I can see through everyone's heart. That would turn me into a monster and make me more miserable."
The wind was blowing gently, and none of the three of them had much desire to talk.
"I think we should go too. Everything is going according to plan, which is good."
"By the way, Minerva, go back and find an excuse to quietly check the mark on Draco's hand." The three turned around.
Hermione suddenly stopped in her tracks: "I want to talk to Dobby."
Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction, said nothing, and left with McGonagall.
Hermione, leaning on her staff, stepped down from the crevice.
Hearing the noise, Dobby immediately looked up, thinking it was Draco returning, but instead saw someone he hadn't expected.
"Hermione Granger!" His voice trembled slightly. Although he didn't want to kill her, he had indeed carried out the assassination and been badly beaten, which made him terrified of the little witch.
"Dobby doesn't need to kill you anymore! Please don't come any closer!"
Hermione chuckled and shook her head: "I'm not here to cause you trouble."
"I'm just curious, curious about what you're thinking right now," Hermione asked softly, staring at him.
Are you happy to be free, or sad because you've been abandoned?
Upon hearing this, Dobby stared blankly, still very weak, and could only sit on the ground, his whole body covered in dirt.
She didn't even realize that Hermione shouldn't have known what had just happened.
Dobby wanted freedom, but Dobby knew it was wrong. Dobby shouldn't have wanted freedom, otherwise Dobby wouldn't have been abandoned.
Hermione watched him mutter to himself. It seemed that the minds of these elves were truly fixed with some kind of idea: freedom was wrong, and labor and loyalty were glorious and great.
"But in any case, you are free. You can do whatever you want without having to take orders from others."
But this only made Dobby more confused.
"Anything Dobby wants to do? But Dobby doesn't know what to do. Is this freedom?"
"No, freedom isn't just about doing whatever you want, it's about being able to say no to anything you don't want to do," Hermione said, staring into his big eyes.
"Maybe you can try living a life that's just for you, and rejecting things you don't want."