After seeing his young master Draco injured and unconscious, Dobby was terrified.
He had been the one to tamper with the Bludger, and Draco had been the one struck and hospitalized.
"Why wasn't it Harry?" Dobby muttered to himself as he left the hospital wing. "Why wasn't it Harry?"
He had cast the spell so the Bludger would chase Harry Potter.
How had it ended up smashing into Draco instead?
Overwhelmed by guilt and self-reproach, Dobby looked even more pitiful than usual as he wandered aimlessly through the castle.
Narcissa had sent him to Hogwarts to protect and help Draco.
And he had only caused his young master to suffer.
Fortunately, Lucius and Narcissa had no idea that Draco's injury was Dobby's fault.
Otherwise, he would never have dared face his masters again.
At least Narcissa had ordered him to remain at Hogwarts.
As Dobby drifted through the corridors, he reached the second floor of the castle just in time to witness Fred and George being caught by Snape and Filch.
Hidden behind a corner, his enormous eyes peered at the group.
Snape was holding a diary and hurrying toward the upper floors.
Dobby glanced at it casually.
Then his eyes widened.
"That is Master's diary!"
Even in the dim moonlight, Dobby recognized it instantly.
He had been present the summer after Sean's first year when Lucius had given the diary away.
A few months ago, Lucius had even ordered Dobby to search Sean's dormitory and the Leaky Cauldron for it.
Keeping to the shadows, Dobby followed Snape all the way to the Headmaster's office at the top of the Astronomy Tower.
He stopped at the base of the stone gargoyle guarding the spiral staircase.
A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Filch arrived with the Weasley twins.
Inside the office, Dumbledore and Snape stood with grave expressions as they regarded Fred and George.
George still looked dizzy, and even Fred, usually fearless, felt a knot form in his stomach.
"Thank you, Argus," Dumbledore said calmly. "You may return to your duties."
Filch nodded reluctantly.
He had been hoping to witness the twins' punishment.
After Filch left, Dumbledore stepped out from behind his desk and held up the diary.
"George," he asked, "where did you get this?"
Supported by Fred, George blinked hazily.
"I don't know. It just… appeared."
Fred spoke up at once.
"It was during our second Defense Against the Dark Arts class. George asked me if I'd ever heard of someone named Tom Riddle, and then he suddenly pulled out this diary."
Fred shook his head.
"George never lies to me. If he says he doesn't know where it came from, then he doesn't."
He took a breath and added, "The diary answers any question you write in it."
Professor McGonagall wanted desperately to defend the two Gryffindors.
The Weasleys were one of the most loyal Gryffindor families in Britain and staunch supporters of Dumbledore.
But according to Filch, George had attempted to attack him with magic, and only Snape's timely intervention had prevented it.
"George," McGonagall asked gently, "did you intend to attack Mr. Filch?"
She expected an immediate denial.
Instead, George looked genuinely bewildered.
"Attack Filch? Why would I do that? I'd usually run the other way the moment I saw him."
McGonagall exchanged a glance with Snape.
Snape showed no interest in reprimanding George.
He turned to Dumbledore instead.
"Headmaster, I believe we should first examine this diary."
While Hogwarts buzzed with excitement deep into the night, Sean slept soundly.
It was only at breakfast the next morning that he heard the news about the Weasley twins.
He had barely taken a bite of his breakfast when Snape appeared and clamped a hand onto his shoulder.
"Come with me."
Sean looked longingly at his egg sandwich.
"Professor, can't I at least finish breakfast?"
"Missing a few bites won't kill you," Snape said coldly.
With no choice, Sean set down his food and followed Snape out of the Great Hall.
"Where are we going?" Sean asked from behind.
"The Headmaster's office."
Sean immediately felt a bad premonition.
The urgency could only mean one thing.
The diary.
But why was he being summoned?
When he entered the Headmaster's office, he saw Fred and George standing there.
He passed by the two "victims" without changing expression.
Then his composure cracked.
In the corner, crouched beneath a bookshelf, was a small, miserable figure.
Dobby.
"What is he doing here?"
Sean's mind raced.
"The diary… Dobby…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Did he try to steal it?"
That was exactly what had happened.
The previous night, after seeing Snape carry the diary into the Headmaster's office, Dobby had waited until everyone left.
Then, in an astonishing act of audacity, he attempted to break in.
Having overheard the password from Snape, Dobby rode the spiral staircase to the office door and crept inside.
The office was pitch-black.
Dobby snapped his fingers, creating a small light.
The illumination nearly made him faint with fright.
Dumbledore was sitting silently behind his desk, his chin resting on his clasped hands.
Tom Riddle's diary lay in front of him.
Dobby froze.
Before he could flee, Dumbledore casually lifted two fingers, binding him in place.
"Who sent you?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes sharp.
"Dobby cannot say," Dobby whimpered. "Dobby wants to go home."
Normally, Dumbledore was exceptionally compassionate.
But not this time.
"I'm afraid you'll remain here until you tell me."
Dumbledore's reputation was legendary throughout the British magical world.
House-elves knew it as well as anyone.
After thirty agonizing minutes of inner conflict, Dobby finally confessed everything he knew about the diary.
Sean guessed that Dobby had admitted Lucius had ordered him to retrieve it.
And, inevitably, he must have revealed that the diary had once belonged to Sean.
Which made Sean the last known owner.
Sean knew he was about to lie to Dumbledore.
That was never easy.
Especially in front of a master Legilimens.
Fortunately, Dumbledore was not a natural mind reader.
Sean knew of one true natural Legilimens: Queenie Goldstein, Newt Scamander's future sister-in-law.
Queenie could slip into people's thoughts effortlessly, often without even meaning to.
Dumbledore, however, still had to cast Legilimency deliberately—whether openly with a wand or covertly without one.
Sean's Magic vision was already activated.
The moment he sensed Dumbledore casting a spell, he would defend himself with Occlumency.
Dumbledore lifted the diary.
"Sean," he asked, "do you recognize this?"
Sean widened his eyes in apparent surprise.
"How is that here, Professor?"
Then he answered smoothly.
"Mr. Malfoy gave it to me when I visited Malfoy Manor during the summer after my first year."
He paused.
"But I lost it later at the Leaky Cauldron."
His statement was half true, half false.
A technique Sean often relied on when speaking to Dumbledore.
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