Wade was stunned.

As he froze, a tingling sensation crept up his scalp. For a moment, it felt as if he had returned to that time outside the terrace when he was holding his breath and hiding for his life.

But what Ralph meant is... When Voldemort and I were separated by only a wall, was there actually a house-elf nearby as well?

Seeing that Wade remained silent, Ralph continued to explain:

"Many years ago, when Dumbledore was still a student at Hogwarts, I was responsible for cleaning Gryffindor Tower and taking care of the children there."

"And then, just like you, Dumbledore began to notice the house-elves hidden in the school and tried to find them. He treated me kindly and even sternly stopped other children when they tried to cause trouble."

"You... You were Dumbledore's friend?" Wade asked.

"No." The elderly house-elf shook his head. "Dumbledore is my master."

"When Dumbledore allowed that werewolf kid into the school, I had to ensure he wouldn't harm other students during the days surrounding the full moon."

"Vampires are no different—the little ones in Gryffindor Tower will always keep an eye on that little bat as well."

"What about Voldemort? Did you monitor him too?" Wade asked in disbelief.

Ralph nodded slightly.

"To that man, house-elves were nothing more than pests—like spiders scurrying along the corners of the walls. He never paid us any special attention. But in reality, when Professor Quirrell started acting strangely, we were the first to notice."

Wade recalled the house-elves' extremely sharp hearing and how Quirrell had to communicate with Voldemort on the back of his head—essentially talking to himself.

He even thought about the original storyline, where the Basilisk roamed freely around Hogwarts but only petrified a few people instead of killing them.

Every time a student encountered the Basilisk, they always "coincidentally" avoided direct eye contact—some by using mirrors or water reflections, others through a camera lens.

If none of this was truly a "coincidence," could it be that Ralph had been protecting the students all along?

He hadn't entirely prevented every dangerous incident but merely intervened at crucial moments to pull them back from the brink of death.

Of course, in this world, that storyline never happened, so Wade had no way to verify his speculation.

He simply asked, "Then, do you also know about... James Potter and his group becoming Animagi?"

Sirius and Lupin had always believed that Dumbledore knew nothing about it.

"Of course." Ralph seemed to understand Wade's thoughts and said, "But I don't report everything to Dumbledore—especially matters involving students' privacy."

"...But you said Dumbledore is your master."

"Yes, but so are the students of this school... I am Hogwarts' house-elf."

"You've never told anyone about these things before, have you? Why are you telling me now?" Wade asked in confusion.

Ralph lifted his head slightly and looked at him.

"Dumbledore believes that Wade Grey would worry about his friends being harmed, and he might take extreme actions out of concern. Therefore, an explanation is necessary."

—What does he mean by "extreme actions"? This is just a legitimate and reasonable concern for my classmates.

Wade complained internally, but he did feel much more at ease.

He thanked Ralph, also expressing his gratitude for the help he had given before. Only after Ralph disappeared from sight did Wade return to his dormitory.

Everything in the dormitory was just as it should be—warm and comfortable, the bedding soft and fluffy, and the tables, chairs, and miscellaneous items neatly arranged.

Wade looked at the pot of hot water on the desk and imagined a day when Zoe and the others would grow to be as wise and steady as Ralph. It felt almost unbelievable.

By that time, I myself would probably be as old and withered as a dead tree trunk... if I lived that long.

As he held the cup of water, Wade thought of shy Zoe, of talkative and cheerful Happy... of Ralph's wrinkled face and those tennis-ball-sized eyes...

Suddenly, Wade froze, as if someone had hit the pause button. Ralph's voice echoed in his mind—

"Me."

"I am the guardian of you children."

House-elves rarely referred to themselves as "I." They usually spoke in the third person, using their own names. For example, Zoe would always say, "Zoe does this or that," as if she were talking about someone else.

But Ralph… he had said "I" so naturally…

Wade thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, brushing off the strange feeling that had just crossed his mind.

—The older one gets, the more they understand the true nature of the world... And maybe Ralph had been influenced by Dumbledore, which made his sense of self a little stronger than other house-elves.

…

Caryll had just arrived at Hogwarts, and before he could even go through his books properly, he was already experiencing the hectic schedule of a third-year Hogwarts student.

Students who had chosen fewer subjects weren't as busy, but every class required a long walk to reach the correct classroom. Along the way, they also had to deal with the school's moving staircases and the mischievous Peeves, making everyone seem constantly on the move.

Wade found himself gradually developing a liking for Divination class.

Professor Trelawney was still as eccentric as ever, spouting mysterious and vague predictions. Very few students could see through her pretense—most were in awe of her.

Professor Trelawney loved it when students made up all sorts of obviously fake, tragic predictions. However, no matter how dull and unremarkable Wade's interpretations were—like plain boiled water—Professor Trelawney never denied them.

Arithmancy was also becoming more interesting—though, of course, most other students didn't think so. As the complexity of calculations increased, so did the accuracy of divination.

Even Care of Magical Creatures was enjoyable.

Hagrid had brought in various harmless or low-risk magical creatures for the students to learn how to care for.

Occasionally, a few more ferocious beasts would appear in his class. Whenever that happened, Hagrid would always stay right next to them and watch carefully as students interacted with, greeted, and played with the creatures—ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

Just like that, time quietly slipped into October.

Caryll's academic performance was completely polarized—he was far ahead in some subjects, while in others, he slept through the entire class. After waking up, he would still say:

"I'm serious, Grey, how do you keep yourself from being hypnotized by that old man?"

Wade replied, "By doing homework."

Caryll immediately perked up. "Really? You finished it? Let me copy it!"

Wade casually tossed his homework to him. But the moment Caryll opened it, he was dumbfounded.

"What the hell is this? 'An Analysis of the Key Points of the Vanishing Spell'? Did we even learn this spell?"

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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters

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