Chapter 73: Arrangements
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Late at night, when the castle was silent and Hermione, along with the other roommates, had fallen asleep, Orli, struggling to keep her eyes open, carefully drew her bed curtains shut and summoned Dobby.
# Dobby
"Miss Waters, what does Dobby need to do?"
Dobby asked, his large green eyes glowing as he looked up at her.
## Orli
"Take this and deliver it secretly to Dumbledore for me. Be careful, and don't let anyone see you—they already know about you."
Orli handed him a black cloth bag containing Tom Riddle's diary.
# Dobby
"This is…"
Dobby took the bag, examining its size and shape, and his expression quickly turned to panic.
## Orli
"Yes, it's that thing belonging to your master."
Before Dobby could react further, Orli cast a "Petrificus Totalus." As expected, Dobby froze mid-scream, his head tilted toward the bedpost as if about to slam into it.
## Orli
"Stop punishing yourself!"
Orli whispered firmly.
## Orli
"Your master threw it into the Weasleys' youngest daughter's basket, but I happened to find it. I think the dangerous thing you mentioned is this, isn't it? If we want to keep Harry safe, the best way is to hand it over to Dumbledore. This doesn't break any of your master's orders because he already discarded it!"
She waved her wand to lift the Petrification spell, and Dobby, losing his balance, tumbled onto her blanket with a thud.
## Orli
"Think about it. All you need to do is quietly place it on Dumbledore's desk, and Harry will be safe, right? He's the greatest white wizard—he'll know how to handle this dangerous object. Now, Dobby, you need to act and keep the danger away from Harry Potter…"
Orli coaxed gently.
# Dobby
"Master has already discarded it… Now Dobby needs to act and keep the dangerous object away from Harry Potter… If Dobby places it on Dumbledore's desk… Dobby can do it! Miss Waters, Dobby can do it!"
Dobby's eyes grew resolute. Straightening his posture like a little soldier, he snapped his fingers and vanished on the spot.
## Orli
"Ah, big trouble solved."
Orli finally relaxed, stretched lazily, and buried herself comfortably in her blanket.
She had once wondered if Dumbledore might already know about the Chamber of Secrets, but quickly dismissed the thought. As headmaster, if he knew the Chamber had been opened, he would never allow a creature as dangerous as the Basilisk to roam freely in the school, especially since it had already killed a student—Moaning Myrtle.
In the original second book, the Basilisk only petrified a few students, which was incredibly fortunate. They had all survived by sheer luck—through puddles, ghosts, camera lenses, and so on. Otherwise, including Hermione, those children would have died from the Basilisk's deadly gaze.
So Orli made a decisive decision to hand this big problem over to Dumbledore on the very first day of school, allowing herself to enjoy a pleasant and carefree second year.
———
Early the next morning, Professor McGonagall distributed the new term schedules in the Great Hall. Orli was immensely relieved to see that there were no Potions classes in the first few days, giving her some time before facing Snape's cold stares.
Harry still seemed a bit downcast, glancing at Orli several times as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
# Ron
"What did Snape say to you last night? He didn't dock points from us, did he?"
Ron asked while scooping oatmeal into his bowl.
# Hermione
"How dare you ask? It was all your fault for blurting things out in front of Snape!"
Hermione snapped, glaring at him.
# Ron
"I was just trying to say we were lucky Orli saved us!"
Ron retorted defensively.
# Harry
"Sorry, Orli. Dobby… all of this is because of me."
Harry finally spoke, his voice heavy with guilt.
Orli shook her head.
## Orli
"It's fine. I didn't lose a limb or anything. Dumbledore came yesterday too—they just asked about Dobby."
A flock of owls swarmed into the Great Hall, delivering letters and forgotten items from home. The falling feathers and dust instantly killed Orli's appetite.
## Orli
"Don't overthink it, Harry. You're not seriously worried you won't make it past twelve, are you? Let's focus on the new term's classes instead—that's what we really need to worry about right now."
Orli turned her gaze to the staff table, where the dazzling Gilderoy Lockhart sat. His golden hair, slick with pomade, reflected light along with his gleaming white teeth.
Harry followed her gaze and, in unison with Orli, pulled a face that spoke volumes.
# Hermione
"What are you two thinking about?"
Hermione closed her copy of Voyages with Vampires and looked over at Lockhart as well.
## Orli
"I'm thinking about a rumored curse: every Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts seems to have something go wrong."
Orli sighed.