Harry Potter: The Gamer's Dimension Chapter 6

Hi all,

Here’s the last chapter for the week. A bit late, but I wrote the chapter twice. I have
made some minor changes. One small change is in chapter five, where the timeline didn’t add up. Another is the currency that drops from defeated monsters. It will change from pounds to dimension coins, which features in this chapter.

Chapter 6

When Justin Finch-Fletchly was found dead, Dumbledore was forced to contact the Aurors. After further examination, Madam Pomfrey discovered that Justin didn’t die of natural causes. His insides had been ravaged by an unknown cause unrelated to the petrification. The only conclusion that could be drawn was that someone had slipped into the infirmary and murdered Justin.

A contingent of Aurors marched through the castle and took over the infirmary. Amelia Bones, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, was in charge of the investigation, and she had brought some senior Aurors with her. She wasn’t messing around, and she enlisted the help of her most experienced investigators to determine what had occurred.

The infirmary had turned into a crime scene, so everyone was instructed to leave. Madam Pomfrey had to create a makeshift infirmary in an empty classroom down the hall. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the petrified victims to regain the ability to walk, so they were free to leave. They were instructed to return to their dormitories, as classes had been cancelled until the investigation was completed.

Harry and Hermione approached Gryffindor Tower, feeling numb. A day meant for celebration had devolved into a nightmare. An Auror stood guard at the entrance and stepped aside to allow them to pass as the Fat Lady swung her portrait open. They appeared to be taking no chances until they caught the perpetrator.

As soon as they appeared, the common room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Harry. The news of Justin's death had already spread through the castle. At least he didn’t have to attend classes and face the accusations from the other houses.

"Ignore them, Harry," Hermione said, grabbing his arm and leading him over to where Ron and his siblings were sitting.

Ron held a plate of food and was stuffing his face. When Harry and Hermione arrived, he looked up as they took a seat on the sofa next to him. “Alrihe Hemunin?”

“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Hermione said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Ron swallowed his food. "I asked, are you alright?"

"I am okay." Hermione smiled. “Why are you eating food in the common room?”

Percy sniffed. "They kicked us out of the Great Hall."

“Poor Ron was going to miss out on his usual third—” Fred started.

“—helping of breakfast, so he brought—” George continued.

“—the food with him, and now we have to—”

“—sit here and watch the disgusting pig as he finishes—”

"—the entire plate," Fred concluded, pretending to vomit.

“Oi!” Ron shouted, causing food to spray from his mouth. Percy had to move quickly to avoid getting hit.

“Why are you all sitting alone?” Harry asked, taking a look around. He had only just noticed that the Weasleys were sitting separately from the rest of the students, as if they had a contagious disease.

"Ah, we might have a minor disagreement with the other Gryffindors," Fred admitted.

"They were talking about you, Harry," Ron said, looking disgusted. ”Saying you were a murderer.”

“What?!” Hermione glared at the other students. "How could they believe you were responsible for Justin’s death, Harry?"

"It is fine," Harry said with a shrug. “I don’t care what people think about me. If they are going to turn against me so easily, they can go hang for all I care.”

"We should have done more to help you," George said, his voice serious. "You were subjected to a lot of bullying from the other students, particularly Hufflepuff. After all that, you still didn’t hesitate to help Ginny.”

"It’s okay," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You have apologised."

“How can we make it up to you, Harry?” Fred insisted.

"Well, you did help me escape from the Dursleys last summer," Harry told him. "I believe we can call it even now."

But the twins disagreed, insisting that he had asked for something else from them.

"Fine," Harry said, annoyed. "Don’t finish each other's sentences anymore."

“No twinspeak?” George thought about it for a moment before nodding. “You have a deal.”

"We solemnly swear on our given names," Fred said, placing a hand on his chest.

“Forge.”

“Gred.”

"Enough of that!" Hermione exclaimed.

Fred turned to address the remainder of the common room. "Anyone who messes with Harry in the future will get seriously pranked by us."

In response to his declaration, a conversation among the students ensued.

“Stop defending a murderer!" a fourth-year shouted.

"It appears we have found our first target, Fred," George said with an evil grin.

The student who had spoken out gulped and averted his gaze.

Oliver and the three chasers approached them. “Harry, you already know I don’t believe you did it. I will get you reinstated on the team for next year.”

"Thanks, Oliver."

He wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver was doing it more for himself than for him, but that wasn’t surprising given how desperate he was for Gryffindor to win the cup.

"Ignore the rest of the tossers, Harry," Angelina advised, hugging him, which was repeated by the other two chasers. After offering their support, the four returned to their seats.

"That was criminal!" Ron said, waving his fist. "Removing you from the quidditch team due to pressure from the other houses."

Ginny moved closer to Hermione so she could speak quietly with her.

“I’m glad you are safe, Hermione,” Ginny said, staring at her feet. “It was all my fault.”

Hermione reached over and patted Ginny’s hand. "Harry has explained what happened. It wasn’t your fault that Voldemort got his hooks into you.”

“That’s right!" Ron exclaimed. “It’s all that dark nutter’s fault.”

“Be quiet,” Harry hissed, noticing some students trying to listen in. "Do you want everyone to know Ginny's involvement in the attacks on the students?"

Ginny sniffled. "It is all right. I should tell everyone what actually happened. Then Harry would be absolved of any wrongdoing."

Her brothers didn’t like that idea, judging by their expressions.

Harry snorted. “There’s no need. Everyone will quiet down when I’m not hauled off in chains.”

"It is probably going to get out anyway," Hermione said, giving Ginny a sympathetic look. "The Aurors aren’t going to simply investigate Justin's death. What about everything else that happened throughout the school year?

"I did not think about that," Percy admitted, frowning. "I need to talk to Mum and Dad to get ahead of the situation. People may turn against Ginny."

Ginny looked scared, but her brothers rushed to reassure her that they would look out for her.

“Why didn’t the Aurors get involved sooner?” Harry asked. “They should have investigated when the first student was petrified.”

Percy voiced his opinion. “Outside of the Board of Governors, Hogwarts has a great deal of autonomy. The ministry has little say in school matters. The Aurors will only get involved in serious crimes, like murder. If one of the students had died earlier in the school year, it wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”

“That’s horrible,” Hermione said. “It’s no way to run a school.”

"Old Dumbles has a lot of political power, too," Fred added. "He may appear to be a genial old man, but he dislikes having people interfere with how he runs the castle."

“Lucius Malfoy managed to remove him as headmaster,” Harry reminded them.

"Probably some shady business in how he went about it," Ron said astutely.

"Do you believe Justin's death had anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione questioned, returning to the main topic.

Ron shrugged. “Who would want to kill Justin?”

"He is a muggleborn," Fred said, scowling. "That is reason enough for some people in the castle."

"So were the other victims," Ron argued. “But they weren’t targeted.”

Hermione shivered, realising she could have been the one to die. Harry patted her on the back for comfort, and she gave him a grateful look.

"I have a feeling that if we find the person responsible for giving the diary to Ginny," Harry said, "we will have a better idea who is responsible for Justin’s death. Where did you first notice you had the diary, Ginny?”

Ginny nodded. "Dumbledore asked me the same question. The diary was tucked inside one of my school books. I found it after we returned home from Diagon Alley."

Harry jumped up in his seat as he remembered the incident in question. “Wait a minute. Lucius Malfoy was helping Ginny by putting her schoolbooks in her cauldron. I found it strange at the time, but I didn’t question it further. Why would he help her?"

“Motherfuc—” Ron started.

“Language Ron!” Hermione interrupted him.

The twins didn’t hold back, cursing profusely.

"Could it possibly have been Lucius Malfoy? Percy asked, looking thoughtful. "It would be hard to prove. But given his dislike for Dad due to the Muggle-Protection Act, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did it."

"There is someone who would know," Harry said, recalling a certain house elf. “Dobby!”

Dobby didn’t appear. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, thinking the same thing. Given Dobby's obsession with Harry, it was unusual that he didn’t respond when he called.

“So, Dobby is Malfoy’s house elf?” Fred asked.

“It’s likely,” Harry replied.

Even if Dobby had appeared, he was unlikely to reveal anything, given that he hadn’t been able to tell him who his master was ever since their first meeting. House elves couldn’t reveal secrets about their masters, even though Dobby had managed to get around this to try and protect him.

"I need to write a letter to my parents," Hermione gasped, snapping him out of his thoughts. “They must be worried about me.”

Hermione jumped out of her seat and dashed towards the stairs without saying goodbye.

“Did anyone else miss that frenetic energy?” Ron asked no one in particular.

“Wait till she starts to worry about her schoolwork,” Harry said as he stood up. “I’m going back to my room. The attention I’m getting is a little too much for me.”

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ron inquired, distracted by another student pulling out a chess set.

“No, I’m fine,” Harry answered, heading for the stairs.

With the investigation weighing heavily on his mind, he wanted to explore the Nexus as a diversion. He needed to speak with James as well to gather some more information.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Harry ensured that his dormitory room was empty before casting the gateway spell. A red gate appeared in front of him, and he stepped through. This time, he was conscious, but there was nothing unusual to see as he crossed over to the gamer’s dimension. He emerged on the other side after only a brief period of darkness.

He took stock of his surroundings. He was standing at one end of a long corridor. Rows of small platforms lined both sides of the corridor, reaching all the way to the other end, where a door beckoned. Directly to his left, there was a platform that had a blue gate activated.

“Is this where I can access the dungeons?”

Harry examined the blue gate and discovered it was the entrance to the Snake Pit dungeon. Just like before, there were words written on the surface of the gate, but the contents had changed slightly.

“It’s about time you showed up.”

Harry turned around to see James approaching him. The man hadn’t changed a bit since he last met him, still wearing the same clothes as before.

“Is this the Nexus?” Harry asked.

James shook his head. "This is the gateway room and only a small part of the Nexus. Come on, let me show you around."

Harry followed James down the corridor and through the doorway.

Harry’s mouth dropped open when he caught his first glimpse of the Nexus.

“An incredible sight, right?” James grinned.

Harry nodded dumbly.

The Nexus was designed in the shape of a circular plaza with a park in the centre, serving as the main centrepiece. The park consisted of manicured lawns, gardens, water fountains, cobblestone paths, benches, tidy hedges, and a collection of statues depicting various monsters.

The plaza also had a second tier that could be reached via staircases pointing in four directions. There were several houses visible, but they were mostly obscured by darkness. The lower tier was a circle of buildings, with a massive display on the northern side that showed a blue screen. On the western side, nestled between two buildings, a clock tower stood tall, towering over everything. It had a digital display but didn’t show the actual time. Instead, it was counting down from an hour.

The plaza exuded a pleasant ambience, thanks to the starry night sky overhead. An assortment of lanterns and torches were scattered throughout the area, each with a different colour, casting a radiant glow to illuminate the surroundings.

James pointed towards the clock tower. "You must leave before the timer reaches zero. If you exceed the time limit, you will have to pay a penalty.

“Why is that?”

"Because this is only supposed to be a brief stopover to do business," James explained. "In the real world, time is suspended, so you could theoretically stay here indefinitely. As a result, you are restricted to one hour per day based on real-world time."

“Why would I want to stay here? "It appears to be abandoned."

"There are people here, which I sometimes refer to as non-player characters," James said, smiling. "But they are probably hiding because you came through the gate."

Harry blinked. “They don’t get many visitors, do they?”

“Not at all.”

“Where did these people come from?”

“They are refugees. That is all I am allowed to say about the subject," James said before pausing. "I suppose I am a refugee as well."

“So, you will live here indefinitely?”

“I don’t know. I will stick around to watch you play the hero and save the day. But there’s not much to do here. Luckily, I get to live vicariously through you.”

“What?”

James pointed to the huge screen. “I can watch you whenever I want through the display.”

Harry's expression morphed into a frown, unsettled by the thought of someone secretly observing him, even if that person happened to be a version of himself. The idea struck him as a clear violation of his personal boundaries.

James observed his reaction. “Don’t worry. Intimate or private moments, such as showering or going to the toilet, are censored. In a few years, you will want privacy for—”

"Shut it," Harry said before James could embarrass him. "Why don’t you show me what these shops are for?"

“I will introduce you to a few shops and their owners,” James said, grinning.

James led them to a small, white marble building. Above the bronze doors was a sign that read Currency/Item Exchange. The interior revealed a small, cosy room with ornate decorations. Dominating the space was a counter, dividing the room in half, complete with a protective glass screen to ensure no one could leap over it.

In the centre, there was a break in the screen that allowed transactions to take place. A surly-looking goblin sat at the counter, his face marked by two scars that formed a cross. He looked up from the parchment he was reading when they walked in.

"Hello, Grizz," James said as he walked up to the counter. "I would like to introduce you to a visitor. His name is Harry Potter.”

"Are you the human who came through the gate?" Grizz questioned him, his brow furrowed.

“That’s right,” Harry replied.

“I don’t trust you.”

"Now, don’t be like that," James said. "Harry will bring you a lot of business in the future. So, you should get along. Why don’t you explain what you do here?"

“The sign said it all,” Grizz grunted. “You can exchange your currency for another. dimension coins, galleons, and all the human currency. Also, monster loot can be exchanged for coins. ”

"You might want to hold onto those," James suggested. "They may also be used for other purposes. Such as developing new items and equipment."

Harry recalled obtaining dimension coins from the monsters he defeated. "What can the coins be used for?"

"You can only buy items in the Nexus with dimension coins."

“What’s the exchange rate between them and pounds?”

“One coin is worth three pounds.”

Harry did some calculations in his head. He had earned eighty-five points with his first dungeon, which could be exchanged for two hundred and twenty-five pounds. If he ever needed money in the Muggle World, it would be simple to obtain. Not that he intended to waste his points on such an activity.

"Do you remember how I told you that your time here is limited?" James asked. “You can spend coins to extend that time. Five coins are worth an additional hour."

Harry nodded. He wouldn’t need to spend coins on more time at the moment. He received a free hour every day, which should be more than enough for his needs.

He turned back to Grizz as something occurred to him. "What fees do you charge for the exchange? Do you take a fee for the items as well?"

Grizz grinned, revealing his fangs, but didn’t respond to his question.

Harry was about to speak when he became distracted by a notification on his HUD.

"Let us move on," James said, taking note of Harry's preoccupation. After they left the building, James led him to a park bench.

"I recommend reading the notification," James said. "It will be important if it’s what I think it is."

Harry focused on his HUD and opened the first notification.

==============

The reputation feature has been unlocked!

This feature is exclusive to the Nexus.

It allows you to earn reputation points and improve relationships with NPCs by completing a variety of tasks.

Reputation is divided into six levels: hated, disliked, neutral, liked, loved, and honoured.

To find out an NPC's current reputation level with you, use the Assess skill, or open the Relationship tab by speaking the command: Open Relationship Menu.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Harry dismissed the notification and looked at James. Perhaps he could use him to test out the new feature? He tried using Assess on James, but all he got was question marks.

“That’s not going to work,” James chuckled. "Why don’t you look through the menu and see what it is all about?"

Harry shrugged. He opened the relationship menu and read its contents.

==============

Relationship Menu

Current NPCs met': 1

Reputation and Benefits:

001 - Grizz/Goblin: Hatred -400/-1000

Benefits: reduction in exchange fees:

Hatred: None

Disliked: -5%

Neutral: -15%

Liked: -35%

Loved: -60%

Honoured: -100%

============

"Do all the NPCs start off hating me?" Harry asked.

“I wouldn’t know,” James replied. "But they are wary of outsiders, so I believe the majority of them will initially distrust you."

“Fantastic,” Harry grumbled.

“You need to work hard.”

“How will I improve my relationship with Grizz? I bet he is ripping me off, judging by the rewards I get for improving my reputation with him."

"You should slowly get to know him and use his exchange service," James advised. “Once he feels comfortable with you, he may have some tasks for you to complete.”

"Alright." Harry nodded. "Let us go look at some more points of interest."

James directed him to a building adjacent to the exchange. It was an aged stone structure that resembled a temple. It had a weathered appearance and needed minor repairs in some areas. In comparison to the other buildings, it appeared out of place in the plaza.

"This is the Altar of Sacrifice," James explained as they entered the building.

The single room was dimly lit, with only a few torches illuminating the interior. Within its walls stood several statues of various monster species, their faces frozen in stone. In front of these statues were plinths, which had a varying amount of gold chalices placed on them.

“The monster essences you collect can be placed in these chalices to receive a reward in kind,” James said. He gestured to a statue of a snake, which looked familiar to Harry. “This is the altar for the Snake Pit dungeon. Step forward and place your hand on the plinth.”

As Harry did so, a new menu appeared in front of him.

=============

Serpent Altar

Dungeon: Snake Pit

Basilisk Snakelet Essence 0/100 Reward: Potion (???)

Echidna Essence 0/10  Reward: Equipment (???)

Typhoon Essence 0/5   Reward: Attribute Bonus (???)

=============

He had to run the dungeon several times to receive the rewards. As long as he could find an easier method to defeat Typhoon, then he wouldn’t mind running the dungeon again. He hadn’t been able to explore the dungeon completely before, so maybe he could find some more treasure chests as well.

Harry took the essences from his inventory and arranged them in the three chalices on the plinth. The menu was updated to reflect the changes, and he moved away from the plinth.

While they were outside, James checked the time. "We will go to one more location, and you can ask me any questions before you leave."

“What about teaching me the Mana Sense skill?”

"There is not enough time left," James said. “We will cover that next time.”

“Alright.”

As they approached the next building on their to-do list, they were deafened by a loud, wailing sound.

“What the hell is that?” Harry shouted.

“That’s the emergency siren,” James yelled back. “One of the dungeons has been activated. That shouldn’t be possible. You need to unlock them in the real world.”

James dashed towards the gate room. Harry, unsure what else to do, followed him. He could feel eyes on him from some of the buildings, but he didn’t have time to consider who they were. When he arrived at the gate room, he noticed James staring up at the ceiling. Harry followed his gaze and noticed a small figure zooming around.

“I’m free,” she cried. “Stay away from me, human!”

“Who is she?” Harry asked.

James shook his head. “I don’t know. "She appears to be a fairy, but a species I have never encountered before."

"I am an Umbra Fairy, and my name is Celeste," the tiny individual announced before looking around. “What is this place?”

Harry approached Celeste, drawn in by curiosity. She was a petite figure, small enough that she could easily rest in his palm. Her entire look revolved around a single colour, from the short purple skirt she wore to her vibrant purple hair. A pair of translucent wings attached to her back buzzed rapidly, keeping her airborne.

Wanting to know more about her, he used Assess on her.

===============

Celeste

Age: 23

Level: 8

Experience: [0]

AP: 0

SP: 0

Resources

HP: 90/90  MP: 270/270

Attributes

Strength: 5

Vitality: 5

Dexterity: 13

Intelligence: 16

Willpower: 12

Magic: 21

Defence: 4

M. Defence 10

Titles

Fairy Constitution

Shadow Mage

Born Survivor

One-of-a-Kind

==============

“Well, at least she’s not a monster,” Harry said.

"You believed I was a monster?" Celeste flew down and hovered in front of him. "Are you that stupid?"

Harry ignored the fairy and approached James, who was investigating the gate through which she had appeared. However, the gate abruptly vanished, leaving only an empty platform behind.

“How did you activate the gate?” James questioned the fairy. “It shouldn’t be possible.”

“What are you talking about?” Celeste appeared to be confused. "The gate appeared by itself. I was very excited because I had spent my entire life in that forest."

James exhaled and looked at Harry. "I am afraid we will have to cut this visit short. Such an anomaly has appeared, so I must investigate. Celeste, you are coming—”

“She is not welcome here,” a voice interrupted.

Harry turned his head and saw an unexpected sight: a centaur. It was much taller than the one he had seen in the Forbidden Forest. The centaur's long black hair was braided and tied back. Harry sensed an air of authority surrounding this individual, a presence that demanded recognition.

“What are you talking about, Byron? The gate has already disappeared. Where else is she going to go?”

“No!” Celeste shrieked. "I won’t return to the forest. You cannot make me."

"She can go with the outsider," Byron said, pointing to Harry. "Her kind will not be welcomed by the residents here."

“What?” Harry exclaimed. "How can she come with me? We are complete strangers.”

James sent him an apologetic look. “It’s the only solution. I know she isn’t a danger to you at least. It will only be until we figure out what is going on."

Harry groaned. He felt a weight on his shoulder, where Celeste had perched herself.

“So, where are we going?” Celeste asked.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The following day, Harry was summoned by Madam Bones for questioning about Justin's death. While he had anticipated this outcome, it didn’t make him any less nervous about the situation. Dumbledore, his magical guardian, would be present during the interrogation. Even though his feelings towards the headmaster were conflicted, he was relieved to have someone on his side.

Madam Bones used a room on the seventh floor to question the castle's inhabitants, and Kingsley Shacklebolt escorted Harry there after he finished his breakfast. Celeste had decided to accompany him, despite his efforts to persuade her to remain in the common room.

"Come and take a seat, Harry," Dumbledore said, and Harry sat at the table next to him. He noticed Celeste sitting on Harry's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a new friend of yours? I haven’t seen her around before."

"She appeared at my dormitory window yesterday," Harry explained. “I haven’t been able to get rid of her since.”

He had used the same excuse to explain her presence to his friends, who had accepted the story, though Hermione seemed suspicious.

“That doesn’t sound right,” Celeste said, crossing her arms. "You ought to be grateful for my presence, little boy. I am an extremely intelligent and powerful fairy."

"How intriguing," Dumbledore mused. “I don’t think I have seen a fairy like you before.”

Celeste was about to respond when Amelia Bones entered the room, holding a folder. She frowned when she saw Celestem but didn’t say anything.

Amelia Bones slammed the folder down and sat across from Harry. Kingsley sat beside her. She wore a monocle over her right eye, which she used to silently scrutinise him, and Harry tried not to show his nervousness in front of her.

“Mr Potter, my name is Amelia Bones. Do you know why you are here today?”

Harry shrugged. He had no intention of making it easy for her.

Amelia opened the folder and began reading the contents of the page. "I always use paper over parchment for all of my official documents. So much more efficient."

She continued. "It has been established that Justin Finch-Fletchly was murdered. Someone entered the infirmary and forced open his mouth, then slipped a small magical snake down his throat. It’s called a Sylhaiss, an extremely rare and dangerous magical snake with venom almost as potent as a Basilisk. It proceeded to destroy his insides, and he had no way of stopping it or calling out for help. Even though his organs had been petrified, they didn’t protect him from the venom."

Kingsley mused. “I wonder if a petrified person can feel pain?”

Harry swallowed, feeling bile rising in his throat. The graphic details being described created a vivid image of Justin's final moments, making it difficult for him to hear.

Dumbledore frowned. “Please don’t upset my student. He is only here to answer your questions. Unless he is being accused of something?"

Amelia ignored him, She looked up from the folder and locked eyes with him. "Sylhaissare is extremely difficult to control unless you happen to be a parselmouth." You are more likely to get bitten yourself.

Harry remained silent.

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair. "Amelia, are you claiming Harry was the one who killed Justin? Even though I have already explained how he rescued Ginny Weasley.”

"You told me about what happened in the chambers," Amelia said, nodding. "I would like to hear it directly from Mr Potter at some point, but that isn’t the reason we are here today. Regardless of his heroics, this doesn’t mean he is incapable of murder. Do not confuse the two incidents; they are unrelated."

Kingsley continued the questioning. "Mr Potter, could you tell us about the incident earlier in the school year in which you attacked Justin?"

Harry tried hard not to show his annoyance, but deep down, he couldn’t help but be frustrated. They appeared to have already reached a firm conclusion about his guilt.

"After it was revealed that I was a parseltongue, I was bullied by some of the students. Justin was one of those students, and he said some offensive things right in my face. I am not sure what happened next, but I was furious, and Justin was thrown across the Great Hall.”

Dumbledore steepled his hands together. "I believe Harry experienced a bout of accidental magic as a result of the stress he was under."

"That’s not very likely," Amelia stated. "After a student's magic stabilises at eleven, it takes a lot to trigger accidental magic."

Harry threw his hands up. "Okay, you caught me red-handed," he said sarcastically. "I deliberately hurt Justin. I can easily perform wandless magic. Haven’t you heard? I am the Boy Who Lived.”

Dumbkedore’s beard twitched, and even Kingsley revealed a faint smile.

‘Please take this seriously,” Amelia admonished him.

Despite her persistence in questioning him about the incident, she couldn’t prove deliberate intent. There were a lot of students in the Great Hall who had seen the incident. Because none of them saw Harry pull out his wand and cast a spell, it was unlikely that he hurt Justin on purpose, unless he could perform wandless magic.

They then began questioning him about his whereabouts in the days between his return from the chamber and Madam Pomfrey reviving the petrified students. Harry didn’t have a solid alibi for this, as he had been in and out of the infirmary constantly to visit Hermione.

'Madam Pomfrey has wards on the beds to alert her to any changes in her patients' condition,' Dumbledore explained. “Furthermore, there are wards on the door that tell Madam Pomfrey when someone enters the infirmary. A second year isn’t capable of bypassing them.”

“A second-year student shouldn’t be capable of slaying a Basilisk either,” Amelia pointed out.

“It was pure luck that I survived,” Harry argued.

By this point, the questioning had lasted over thirty minutes and did not appear to be ending anytime soon. He was becoming frustrated and angry, which could be what they were attempting to accomplish.

However, the questioning came to an abrupt halt as something occurred at that very moment.

Dobby apparated into the room, which had everyone instinctively reach for their wands.

“Dobby!” Harry yelled when he saw the house-elf's condition.

Dobby's body was severely emaciated, and he could barely support his head. His eyes lacked vitality, and his breath came in heavy gasps. He stumbled forward, trying to reach out to Harry.

“This isn’t good,” Dumbledore said. "His magic has turned against him. He must have done something serious that went against his master's orders.”

"Harry Potter, sir, is innocent," Dobby wheezed. "Dobbys was the one who killed the boy. Master instructed Dobby to... tried to resist..”

Dobby collapsed to the ground, prompting Harry to rush over to check on him.

“Just what the hell is going on?” Amelia cursed.

So, what do you think? I feel bad about doing that to Dobby. Will he be able to survive?

Thanks for reading.