40. The Wizard, The Elf, The Bitch 

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Once again, the Quidditch match was held. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, a classic match that boasted the most exciting crowd, considering the historical animosity between the two houses.

It was a slightly cloudy day, but the spirits of the players were as high as ever. The game had gone on for a few good minutes. The brooms zoomed past over the field, while Harry chased the golden snitch along with Malfoy.

As the game progressed, the players became more aggressive.

Meanwhile, the Bludger continued to behave erratically, bouncing off the players' bats on both sides and veering off course. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

Harry and Malfoy were still chasing the golden snitch, their brooms moving so fast that they were almost a blur. But then suddenly, the Bludger headed straight toward Harry, who managed to dodge it at the last second.

The game continued, although the atmosphere had changed. The players were now more focused on avoiding the rogue Bludger than catching the snitch.

On the sidelines, Happy saw the strange movements of the Bludger. It was clear that it was aiming for Harry, but Harry being a great quidditch player by blood, was able to get away each time. However, Happy knew what the outcome was going to be, so he got up from his seat near the player's area.

Being a reserve player, he had all the time in the world to waste and eat while watching the game.

So he walked around and looked for Dobby. Finding him wasn't too hard as he quickly calculated the point of view area from where the Bludger could be controlled. He just slowly narrowed down the search area and, eventually, arrived at the base of a viewer tower.

Happy walked all the way around and reached behind Dobby, who was busy pointing his finger around to control the Bludger.

"Dobby! You crazy elf!"

Bonk!

Happy slammed a fat stick on Dobby's bald head, instantly knocking him out for good. Though Happy didn't let his body fall too hard as the good elf was just trying to protect Harry in his own messed up way.

"AND GRYFFINDOR WINS! Harry once again catches the Golden Snitch!" The loud cheers from the seats in the sky resounded just then. The match ended faster than before, as Harry wasn't bothered by Bludger much.

Harry didn't fall from the height this time or break his arm. The team reached the ground safely and cheered together.

But Happy was missing from all the celebrations that evening. A few tried to look for him, but it didn't help as he was safely hidden inside the Room of Requirement.

…

Tied to a chair, Dobby slowly woke up from his induced slumber. He looked around in confusion, wondering what the strange dark place was. "Where is Dobby?"

"Captured." Happy came out of the shadows dragging another chair. He placed it before Dobby and sat down, looking at the elf's face.

"M-Master Lestrange? Why is Dobby tied?"

Happy showed the thick stick from before. "I wonder why. Perhaps because a certain elf has been very naughty, trying to control a bludger and get Harry Potter injured?"

Dobby nervously looked down. "I be saving Harry Potter. School is dangerous this year. Danger for Harry Potter!"

"Why are you doing this? You're an elf of the Malfoy family, after all," Happy asked him, a question that had confused him for a long time.

Dobby honestly answered, "Harry Potter is good. He protects all elves. He defeated the dark lord and...made life good for us elves. Less beating now."

Happy stared at Dobby's face for a good while before further interrogating him. "What's so dangerous in the school? Tell me everything you know."

"Master Lucius plans bad things. He plans to open the Chamber of Secrets with the diary of the evil lord. Harry Potter must leave Hogwarts! Dobby must stop...Dobby must!"

Dobby began to get into one of his frenzied self-slapping sprees following that. As for Happy, he finally found the answer to why and how Dobby knew of the danger. However, the new information also posed a great opportunity.

'Dobby is a House Elf of the Malfoys, one who is massively mistreated. He's in the best position to spy on the Malfoys. If I word my next few sentences properly, I can know everything about Lucius' moves against me.'

"Dobby, can you tell me where that diary is?" he asked.

Dobby stopped beating himself and looked up. "Dobby don't know."

"Then, I want you to listen to me carefully, Dobby. Harry is the chosen one! He is meant to defeat the Dark Lord once again and protect the world. It's his destiny to win, so do not worry about his safety. But there is another way you can protect him. Lucius Malfoy is evil and has plans to harm Harry not just physically but also politically. If you can tell me everything Lucius is planning on doing, I will be able to help Harry better. This way, he will always be one step ahead of his enemies. Besides, the way you're trying to protect him, it might kill Harry instead."

Dobby looked down, and his eyes flickered with horror. "D-Dobby hurt Harry Potter?! Dobby bad?"

Bam!

"Dobby bad!"

Bam!

"Bad Dobby!"

Dobby again began to hit himself. Though when Happy lifted his thick club to knock him out again, he stopped.

"So, tell me, Dobby. Will you help me protect Harry Potter? Perhaps we can help you be freed if everything goes well," Happy said, offering freedom as he knew Dobby was no common elf.

"Dobby can be free?" The elf exclaimed. "Dobby help Mister Lestrange! Dobby snitch on Master Lucius."

'That was easy.' Happy took a sigh of relief and got up to leave.

Soon, Dobby bid farewell, and Happy went to the dorms as the Gryffindors were still celebrating the win over the Slytherin. To boost the mood, he even ordered a few pizzas from the kind elves of Hogwarts.

Though the worry about the diary was constantly weighing on his mind.

…

As the morning dawned, Happy woke up and quickly donned a clean uniform. Then, he applied some fragrances to smell pleasant and neatly combed his hair.

"You can do it, Happy," he told himself while standing in front of the mirror. "You are charming and handsome. You can impress any girl in the school."

Feeling confident, Happy made his way to the Gryffindor common room.

Upon entering, he was greeted with a scene of chaos. Many of his housemates were awake and goofing around, taking advantage of the lazy Sunday morning. Some were sipping hot chocolate, while others were playing chess by the fire or reading the newspaper. None of them were wearing their uniforms.

Some nodded at him, a couple waved, and others greeted him. "Morning, Happy!"

"Morning!"

He took a seat where he could observe the entrance to the girls' side of the dormitories and settled in, pretending to read a book. But in reality, his eyes were scanning the girls.

'Ah! There she is!' he exclaimed, attempting to act as naturally as possible.

It was Ginny Weasley, with her fiery red hair and sparkling brown eyes.

Happy knew he had to tread carefully. The diary was a dangerous object, and he couldn't afford to arouse any suspicion that would, in turn, harm Ginny quicker and unpredictably. Ginny was a bright and perceptive young woman, and she wouldn't be fooled by any cheap tricks or smooth talk either.

So, he decided to take things slow.

Happy took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

He saw her sitting on a couch by the fire, lost in thought. He knew this was his chance to get closer.

He rose from his seat and walked over to the hot chocolate pot. Then, pouring two steaming cups, he made his way to Ginny and sat beside her.

"Good old hot chocolate by the fire. Nothing beats it." Happy muttered after sitting down.

'She's looking at me! Hell yeah!' Happy micro-managed his thoughts and assessments.

Ginny glanced over and smiled. "Good morning, Happy. Are you planning to drink both of them?"

Happy chuckled and extended one cup to her. "Actually, I'm going to drink the whole jar. So, I brought this last cup for you. Go ahead. It's quite delightful."

Ginny, being a gullible first-year, took the cup and drank it in silence. However, her head kept turning left and right as if searching for something.

Happy, however, remained focused. "So, how do you like Hog—"

Whoosh!

'What the! Where did she go?!'

He stood up quickly to look around, and sure enough, Harry Potter had arrived in the common room, and Ginny was standing near him like a bee around nectar.

'H-How? How did I fail? Am I not handsome enough?' Happy wondered as his pride took a hit. 'Am I fat?'

In defeat, Happy slumped back onto the couch and took a sip of his hot chocolate that suddenly tasted bitter.

'Maybe I really should be more active in Quidditch? Nah, that would cut into my snack time. Shower her with gifts like a rich guy? Nah, too sleazy... Chocolate might work?' Happy rubbed his chin, wondering what he should try next.

Lost in thought, he barely registered when Hermione came over and sat down beside him with a newspaper in her hand.

"Happy, did you see this?" She shoved the front page at him. "Look what they wrote. How can they claim such a thing without confirming?"

Happy sighed and read the headline aloud. "Is Happy Lestrange The Heir to Slytherin?"

"..."

Now, Happy rarely cursed aloud, but he couldn't hold himself back after reading the name of the author.

"Rita Skeeter—This BITCH! That's it. I'm going after her!"

[A/N: Can you guess what's in store for Rita?]

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