NOVEL WEB Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Interrogation
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Though raised by a house-elf, Orli's love for Porgy didn't extend to all house-elves. Like humans, some were kind, gentle, and hardworking, while others could be dark, strange, and extreme.
True, from a broader perspective, Dobby was a decent house-elf. He had a sense of justice and yearned for freedom, warning Harry of danger and ultimately sacrificing his life to save him. However, he had also caused Harry numerous troubles, and Orli couldn't agree with his methods.
So Orli decided to take a direct approach - using his words to provide Harry with clues rather than letting him cause havoc.
"Dobby, you're a house-elf with a master. Is that correct?" Orli asked.
Dobby nodded.
"Dobby, did your master order you to intercept Harry's letters?"
Dobby shook his head.
"Then your master doesn't know you're here talking to Harry, correct?"
Dobby trembled as he nodded.
"The danger to Harry, the terrible things planned for Hogwarts... you learned about these from your master?"
Dobby's already huge eyes grew even wider. He suddenly grabbed Harry's desk lamp and began beating himself over the head with it, accompanied by piercing screams.
"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
This time it was Harry who, mimicking Orli's gesture, shouted: "Dobby! Stop!"
Dobby ceased his self-punishment. He dropped the now-broken lampshade and huddled in the corner, whimpering softly.
Heavy footsteps approached from down the hall, followed by forceful knocking on the door. Harry peered through the crack to see Uncle Vernon standing there, grinding his teeth.
"What in blazes are you doing?! Are you and these freaks trying to tear my house apart?! I'll make you wish you were never born, boy!"
Dobby vanished the instant the door opened. They had been so close to getting the truth out of him, letting Harry and the others hear it! Orli stamped her foot in frustration, looking impatiently at Vernon.
"It seems you still haven't learned to show proper respect," she said, pulling a potion vial from her pocket. While underage wizards couldn't use wands outside school, that didn't mean she couldn't carry potions for protection.
She flicked her wrist, splashing the potion onto the floor. The floorboards began to bubble and hiss, dissolving like cookies in hot milk until a small hole appeared, letting light shine through from below.
Downstairs, Dudley screamed like a kicked pig.
"If you can't learn to speak properly to Harry, I won't hesitate to splash the next vial on your face," Orli said, tossing aside the empty bottle and gesturing to her bag.
Vernon wheezed like a defeated bulldog, looking at Orli as if she had grenades strapped to her waist.
"Harry, would you like to come stay at my house? It might be a bit old and not too clean..." Orli turned to Harry.
He had stayed with the Dursleys long enough for his mother's blood protection to take effect. Now, he no longer needed to endure these stupid, cruel relatives.
Harry nodded almost without hesitation. "I'd love to!"
Vernon was nearly apoplectic: "You're not going back to that world of freaks! You think I'll let you just walk out of here with these... these..."
"Move," Orli said coldly, producing another potion vial. Harry and Hermione flanked her on either side, Harry clutching Hedwig's cage.
"It's just acid, nothing special! We sell that stuff everywhere around here!" Vernon growled, his tiny eyes fixed on the potion vial. But he slowly shifted his massive bulk aside.
Led by Harry, the three of them walked proudly down the Dursleys' stairs. Orli used the second potion to corrode the lock on his cupboard.
Petunia covered her mouth, watching wide-eyed as they did all this.
Even after Harry had gathered all his belongings and left with Orli and Hermione, the Dursleys seemed stunned. They stood in their hallway staring at the three young wizards until Vernon slammed the door with a bang.
"If you're leaving, don't bother coming back!" he roared through the door in a show of bravado, but when Orli turned back, he quickly switched off the porch light.
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Author's Note:
In the original story, Vernon locked Harry up with iron bars because Dobby had ruined Vernon's signing ceremony, costing him a large business deal, which made him furious. The Weasley boys had to rescue Harry with their flying car in the middle of the night.
But this time, Orli and Hermione came to the Dursleys' early, before the signing incident occurred. So while Vernon still despised Harry, he wasn't as adamantly against his leaving - out of sight, out of mind.
Of course, he also didn't dare defy Orli, fearing she might splash him with potions or make him grow a mane. At this point, he didn't know about the restriction on underage magic outside school, as without Dobby's interference, Harry had never received any warning from the Ministry of Magic.