When all the spectators were intently focused on the pitch, Adrian's gaze was locked onto that rogue Bludger.

The anomaly was unmistakable to Adrian. This was no ordinary malfunction—the Bludger was most likely being controlled by someone to hurt Harry.

However, he could easily guess who was behind it. This incident had happened in the original story.

Besides Dobby, that house-elf, who else could it be?

Dobby wanted to control the Bludger to knock Harry from his broomstick, to injure him severely enough that he would be forced to return home for recovery, staying safely away from what the elf believed as Hogwarts' deadly dangers.

Adrian shook his head in disbelief. The plan was not just mentally unsound—it was utterly insane. What kind of creature thought that potentially fatal injury was better to imagined future threats?

It was like burning down a house to prevent a possible burglary.

Of course, Adrian reminded himself with dark humor, Dobby wasn't human. he was a house-elf and perhaps house-elves' thought processes were just like this, vastly different from humans.

Adrian's gaze swept across the stands, searching every shadow, every potential hiding spot where a small creature might conceal itself.

Dobby had to be nearby, he needed to be within a certain range to precisely control that Bludger.

Where exactly would he be hiding?

The place he was hiding must also have a good view, after all, he needed to watch every move of the match, yet couldn't be discovered by the people around him.

Adrian rose smoothly from his seat.

Professor McGonagall noticed him standing up looking ready to leave, and her sharp eyes flicked away from the pitch for just an instant.

"Professor Westeros," she hissed in a low whisper, "where are you going? This is the crucial moment—Harry's about to catch the Golden Snitch!"

"Something urgent has come up," Adrian replied briefly. "I'll return shortly."

McGonagall opened her mouth to say something further, but at that moment Wood made a spectacular save against a particularly vicious Bludger attack, and her attention snapped back to the pitch leaving her no time to worry about Adrian's whereabouts.

Adrian quietly descended the steps along the edge of the stands.

Under the stands was the first place he suspected—there was a moderate-sized space there, usually used to store some spare equipment and miscellaneous items. It rarely drew attention, but the location was perfect: it could see the pitch while remaining hidden.

However, checking all the stands would take some time.

Adrian reached the entrance to the first storage area, his footsteps were muffled to near-silence by a subtle charm. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and quietly opened the door to slip inside.

Fortune, which had abandoned him during the frustrating weeks of the Chamber investigation, finally smiled upon his efforts.

The moment Adrian slipped through the door, his senses detected the signs of magical activity and he keenly spotted a small figure.

Dobby was standing on a low stool, pressed against the steps of the stands, peering through the gap between two wooden boards, intently watching the pitch outside.

His ears were twitching, his hands constantly waving and gesturing—clearly using some kind of magic.

Adrian didn't rush to act. He leaned in the shadows, observing for a few seconds.

Obviously, Dobby was too absorbed in what he was doing, completely unaware that an uninvited guest was standing behind him.

He would have only one opportunity to act—house-elves possessed the ability to apparate instantly when threatened, disappearing with a simple snap of their fingers. Miss this chance, and Dobby would vanish into thin air, leaving Harry to face the rogue Bludger alone.

At the same time, Adrian knew he couldn't seriously harm the creature. Despite Dobby's poor judgment, his intentions were born from genuine concern for Harry's wellbeing.

Therefore, Adrian used the spell he was most skilled at.

"Immobilus!"

The spell erupted from his wand in streamers of silver light, racing toward the house-elf with the speed of thought.

Dobby's sensitive ears caught the whisper of magic in the air, and his head began to turn, his large eyes widening with alarm.

But the warning came a moment too late.

Ethereal chains emerged from the spell's energy, wrapping around Dobby's thin limbs. The magical bonds lifted the house-elf bodily into the air, suspending him like a puppet whose strings had been seized by an invisible puppeteer.

"Mmph—" Dobby's attempted cry was muffled by the magical gag that had formed across his mouth. His eyes, already large, grew to enormous proportions as panic and confusion appeared.

He struggled to process what had just occurred—one moment he had been protecting Harry Potter, the next he was trapped like a fly in web.

Since Dobby couldn't move even his fingers, his magic was effectively neutralized.

House-elf power also required physical gestures to focus properly, and the Immobilus spell had locked every muscle in his small body.

Adrian stepped forward unhurriedly, brushing imaginary dust from his teaching robes with casual elegance.

"Dobby," He said calmly, "catching you wasn't easy."

When Dobby heard Adrian call out his name, he was completely stunned. His eyes widened even more, his mouth opening and closing and was unable to speak for a moment.

Adrian gestured with his wand, and the gag dissolved into wisps of silver light, freeing Dobby's voice.

"You... how do you know Dobby's name?" Dobby stammered.

Actually, Dobby had already recognized Adrian after observing his face more carefully. This was the wizard from King's Cross Station, the one who had so destroyed the barrier magic that he had constructed to prevent Harry from reaching Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. But during that encounter, Dobby had remained invisible, never revealing his form or speaking directly to this Hogwarts professor.

"I'm Harry's professor," Adrian replied smoothly, giving his wand a subtle flick that caused the chains to tighten slightly around Dobby's limbs. "He mentioned you to me."

The effect of Harry's name on Dobby was rather dramatic. The house-elf's entire behavior transformed, his panic turned to desperate excitement that made his voice crack with emotion.

"Harry Potter, sir... Harry Potter mentioned Dobby?!" he squeaked.

Adrian nodded lightly, "Yes, he mentioned encountering a house-elf named 'Dobby' in a bookstore."

"Then... then what did the noble Harry Potter say about Dobby?" Dobby's trembled with desperate hope, as if Harry's opinion might determine the entire worth of his existence.

"He said you were a strange fellow," Adrian replied with a slight shrug. "But we're not here to discuss Harry's opinions. What we need to talk about is your interference. I want you to stop bothering Harry. Is that clear?"

Dobby's ears immediately drooped after hearing Adrian's words.

His eyes were instantly filled with tears as he sobbed, "Dobby... Dobby just doesn't want Harry Potter to be hurt!

Hogwarts—Hogwarts is very dangerous this year, very dangerous! Bad things are about to happen, terrible things, and Dobby must protect Harry Potter! Dobby has to!"

Adrian's expression softened slightly.

He knew exactly what "bad things" Dobby was referring to—the cursed diary that Lucius Malfoy had slipped into Ginny Weasley's cauldron among her new schoolbooks. The diary that contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul, designed to possess the young girl and use her to open the Chamber of Secrets.

However, that diary had already been destroyed by Adrian.

This year's Hogwarts was actually safer than the previous year, though Adrian couldn't explain that to the distraught house-elf.

Besides, even with the diary destroyed, unexpected complications had still emerged—the basilisk had somehow escaped its chamber and was wandering the castle, though it seemed happy to avoid human contact for now.

"Harry doesn't need your protection, Dobby," Adrian said quietly, his voice carrying a gentleness that hadn't been there moments before. "Your actions aren't protecting him—they're putting him in danger. Surely you can see that?"

The logic sobered Dobby like dipping in cold water. His tears flowed harder, and his entire body seemed to deflate within the magical binding.

If not for the chains holding him straight, Adrian was certain the house-elf would have collapsed to the floor and begun the traditional house-elf practice of punishing himself for his failures.

"Dobby... Dobby didn't think that much," He admitted in a soft whispered tone. "Dobby just... just wanted Harry Potter to stay away from here, even if... even if he got a little hurt in the process. A little hurt is better than... than..."

He couldn't finish the sentence, his words went unfinished as he again began sobbing.

Adrian sighed deeply. House-elves were emotionally volatile creatures, capable of swinging from desperate determination to crushing despair in the span of few seconds.

"Look out!"

At this moment, a cry of alarm came from outside, snapping both Adrian's and Dobby's attention back. Adrian moved quickly to the gap in the wooden boards, and began peering through to see what was happening on the pitch.

Above them, Harry was in a deadly aerial dance with the cursed Bludger. The iron ball pursued him relentlessly, making impossible turns and maintaining speeds that should have been beyond its capabilities.

Harry's broom rocketed through the air as he tried to evade the attack while still searching for the Golden Snitch.

"Remove your magic, Dobby," Adrian said sternly to Dobby.

Dobby looked at the chains that bound and suspended him, then at Adrian's stern face.

"Dobby cannot do it!" He screamed. "Dobby must protect Harry Potter! Dobby must keep him safe, even if... even if Harry Potter hates Dobby forever! Dobby must..."

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