The Hidden One

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Hi! We're #5 in Hogwarts so that's crazy. Thank you so much, I literally cannot believe this at all.

The quartet went to the owlery as soon as the finished with breakfast the next morning. Ron had written to Percy and had asked him about Mr. Crouch and his supposed illness. They used Hedwig to send the letter because she hadn't gotten to send anything in a while.

After the owlery, the quartet went to the kitchen. Harry had bought some socks to give to Dobby to thank him for giving him and Rose the Gillyweed. The house elves started getting tea ready the second the quartet entered the room.

"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby, sir!" Dobby exclaimed when Harry gave him the socks.

"Rose bought them too," Harry mentioned. Dobby let out a loud sob and rammed into Rose's legs in a hug.

"Thank you, miss!" Dobby sobbed.

"Thank you, Dobby," Rose responded.

"Any chance there's some eclairs here?" Ron asked.

"Ron, we just ate breakfast!" Hermione reminded the boy. Ron just waved her off and thanked the house elves as they brought him some eclairs.

"We should get some stuff to send to Snuffles," Harry suggested.

"Good idea," Ron agreed." Pig will have something to do. Do you have any extra food that you can wrap up?"

The house elves immediately started running to get food.

"Where's Winky?" Hermione asked.

"Winky is over by the fire, miss," Dobby said quietly. His ears drooped some. Rose looked over and saw the house elf. If Rose thought she looked bad before, she was wrong. Her clothes were blackened by soot and smoke and she was clutching a bottle of butterbeer.

"Winky is going through six bottles a day now," Dobby whispered sadly.

"But that stuff isn't strong," Harry pointed out.

"Tis for a house elf, sir," Dobby explained.

"Winky is pining, Harry Potter," Dobby continued. "Winky wants to go home. She still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, sir."

"Hey, Winky," Harry said. Rose could tell that he figured something out. You don't know what Mr. Crouch might be up to? He hasn't been coming to judge the tournament."

Winky stared up at Harry with wet eyes. She was swaying and hiccuping every fee seconds. "Master is stopped coming?"

"Er-yeah. We haven't seen him since the first trial. The Daily Prophet says he's sick," Harry replied. Winky swayed even more.

"Master is...ill?" Winky cried.

"We're not sure if that's true," Hermione tried to tell the elf. Winky ignored her and started sobbing.

"Master is needing Winky. Master cannot manage all by himself," Winky sobbed. Her sentence was broken up by her coughs and hiccups.

"Other people can do their housework themselves, Winky," Hermione said.

"Winky does not just do the housework. Master is trusting Winky with his most important, his biggest secret," Winky hiccuped.

"What? What secret?" Harry asked.

"You is nosing, sir! Winky does not tell Mr. Crouch's secrets! You is bad, sir!" Winky accused.

"Do not talk to Harry Potter like that!" Dobby demanded.