Only under the starlight in the dormitory, Harry stared at the pile of boxes with wide eyes.
After a long time, he turned his eyes to the two house-elves in front of the window.
Dobby was still as eclectic as ever, a mix-and-match of personal style, like a hippie playing rock in the Muggle world.
And Shine. Harry was surprised that after coming back from that terrifying graveyard, he hadn't even thought of visiting her to thank her.
But the Shine standing in front of him was much better than when he had seen her in the Hogwarts kitchen.
It was wrapped in a tea towel with Hogwarts crest on it. Although it was not very spiritual. Not too demanding, after all, it witnessed the tragic end of the family of its beloved teacher at the scene where Voldemort was revived.
Old Barty was effectively forced to commit suicide by Voldemort, while young Barty died at Professor Bran's hands.
To be honest, it was surprising that Shine didn't go crazy because of this.
Harry suppressed the urge to ask Shine how she was doing, lest he upset the poor little house-elf's mood, and refocused his gaze on the piles of boxes stacked up against his bed rail. He sniffed, catching a sweet fragrance.
"You brought me food, did you?"
Harry hesitated, after all, it sounded a bit absurd that two house-elves would wake him up in the middle of the night just to bring him some food.
"Can Dobby show Harry Potter something?"
Dobby asked carefully.
"Shine has also prepared something for great Harry Potter."
Shine also blinked her eyes as big as tennis balls, timidly looking at Harry and said,
"Thank you, Harry Potter, for saving Shine from the hands of the Dark Lord."
"Oh, don't be modest, Shine. You know who didn't save you. Let's not mention that."
Harry said, holding his forehead, although still not understanding the situation, he nodded.
The two house-elves immediately got to work. The first box they opened was the largest one, and with the starlight, Harry saw inside it was a very large two-layer cake, like the kind one would use for a birthday. However, there were no words like 'Happy Birthday Harry Potter' written with jam on top, just a thick layer of cream.
And the remaining boxes were filled with various foods, such as various-flavored pies, some roasted sausages, smoked meats, and even boiled potatoes. One box even contained over thirty boiled eggs!
"Hmm!"
Ron suddenly sat up from the bed, still with his eyes closed, but his nose was twitching in the air.
"Are you sneaking food, Harry?"
Ron's face was directed at Harry, asking in a muffled voice.
"No!"
Worried about waking up the others, Harry quickly whispered,
"You must have dreamed, Ron."
"Oh, I suppose so. You wouldn't eat without me, would you?"
Ron said, then let out a loud thud as he fell back onto the bed and rolled over into sleep, moments later, Harry heard Ron's teeth grinding.
"I think you might have gotten the wrong idea, Dobby. And Shine?"
Harry turned his head back, his gaze on the large cake filled with confusion.
"My birthday is on the last day of July. Oh, of course, I am very grateful to you all -"
"No mistake."
Dobby's large eyes shone brightly in the dark dormitory, but there was a hint of melancholy in its expression.
"Dobby knows when Harry Potter's birthday is, Mr. Weasley. Dobby wouldn't make a mistake. But this isn't to celebrate Harry Potter's birthday!"
"Not to celebrate my birthday?"
Harry asked.
The two house-elves nodded in unison, Shine looked at Harry's eyes.
"To prepare for emergencies, when Dobby and Shine learned about this, they immediately made a decision. Harry Potter should not go to class hungry if Hogwarts can still provide magic education."
Hungering at Hogwarts, and... Hogwarts can't teach anymore?
Harry shook his head, making sure that he wasn't misunderstanding Shine's words because he was dizzy from sleep.
"Dobby, and Shine..."
Harry sat on the bed, waves of sleepiness assaulting him, for tomorrow was not a day off; the first class in the morning was Potions.
Harry was certain that if he fell asleep in Snape's class, he would happily volunteer to be dissected by everyone.
"I'd like to talk more with you, but I have classes tomorrow, so if you want to tell me something, can you try to be clear?"
After saying that, Harry quietly watched Dobby and Shine, waiting for them to say something. Then, he saw the two house-elves glance at each other, their expressions serious.
"Harry Potter, the situation at Hogwarts is dire, Mr. Weasley."
Dobby said with a serious expression,
"It's as serious as when the Chamber of Secrets was opened!"
Harry's scattered thoughts quickly focused, his misty green eyes began to shine.
Before the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Dobby, who was then serving Lucius Malfoy, had sneaked into the Dursleys to warn Harry, who was on summer vacation, that Hogwarts would be in crisis this year and advise him not to return to school.
Although the truth of that matter was quite different from what he had initially thought, Dobby was indeed not making things up then.
"What is it, Dobby, Shine, did you hear something too? Tell me?"
Harry leaned forward slightly, his expression unknowingly becoming serious.
But Dobby and Shine did not address the question directly. Dobby hunched his shoulders,
"We cannot say, Harry Potter. Mr. Amos Brwon and McGonagall specifically instructed us not to reveal this to the students, as it would worry them."
He said he was doing everything he could to solve the problem. Dobby volunteered himself, asking Bran to stop paying him, but Bran refused. He said, "
"No more, Dobby."
Harry was listening intently, but Shine, who was a bit more awake, nervously reminded Dobby.
"We cannot defy Mr. Bran's order."
Dobby is usually not one to 'obey,' but this time, he actually shut up.
"Dobby will leave, Mr. –"
After a brief silence, Dobby leaned over deeply towards Harry and said,
"Dobby and Shine still need to clean the castle and do the students' laundry. These foods are to keep Harry Potter from going hungry, Mr. You can share them with your friends. Dobby and Shine have enchanted these foods; they can last a long time."
While saying that, Shine also bowed to Harry and, after a overlapping tinkling sound, the two house-elves suddenly disappeared into the dormitory, leaving Harry dazed and sitting on the bed, staring at the pile of food on the ground.
What is going on?!
In the darkness, Harry opened his mouth, asking silently.
But unfortunately, this analysis is not something Harry excels in; it is Hermione's strength.
Is it time to put on the Invisibility Cloak and go to the kitchen? Dobby and Shine just said they would clean the castle. Besides them, he won't find any house-elves willing to tell him the truth in the kitchen.
But is Hogwarts facing a crisis as serious as the Chamber of Secrets incident?
This made Harry think of a few days ago, when Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy had come to overthrow Hogwarts, but had ultimately failed.
Even without Hermione's reminder, Harry knew that the Ministry and the Board of Governors under Malfoy's control would not willingly endure this disgrace.
Seeking revenge would be the norm.
But exactly how will they do this?
Harry got up from the bed, took a robe from his laundry basket to cover the food given by Dobby and Shine, and then shoved it into the space under his bed. After that, he climbed back into the bed.
Sirius would definitely know the inside information.
Since the Black family is also a member of the Board of Governors, Sirius would certainly be aware of any harm that Malfoy has caused to Hogwarts.
But it's not necessary to find Sirius for this information.
Because no matter what the conspiracy is, if there's any inkling of it, perhaps the truth will be revealed by tomorrow.
"Let's hear what Hermione thinks first."
Harry grunted and, wrapped in the dim light of the night, fell asleep quickly.
(Chapter ends)
