Vid knew this house-elf was a bit thickheaded, so instead of getting tangled up in the debate over Harry Potter's safety with Dobby, he asked:
"I heard from Harry that you want to gain your freedom?"
Dobby's excited expression suddenly froze, and he slowly lowered his arms, his big eyes rolling nervously as he looked at Vid in fear.
"Don't be afraid, I won't tell Malfoy." Vid said seriously, "What I mean is, if that is truly your wish, then I can help you."
"Help... help Dobby?" Dobby sniffled, his voice trembling, "Why, sir? Dobby is a slave, Dobby doesn't know you, and you don't know Dobby."
"Why?"
Vid chuckled softly and said, "Maybe because you're the first house-elf I've seen who longs for freedom? Tell me, do you want freedom? Would you like me to help you?"
Dobby tightly clutched at his worn pillowcase, his body trembling slightly, as if his gaze was shaking too, and after a long time, he finally closed his eyes and shouted loudly:
"Yes!"
"Dobby longs for freedom! Dobby wants to leave their home forever!"
After speaking, he seemed startled by his own voice. He was stunned for a while, then cautiously and fearfully said:
"But... but... the master will never give Dobby freedom! Everyone in the house is so careful, they won't even hand Dobby a pair of socks."
For a house-elf to gain freedom, the condition is simple yet difficult: as long as the master gives him clothes to wear, he can be free.
But clothes thrown on the ground, tossed into the dirty laundry basket, or simply given to be washed don't count. They must be clearly handed over to him or gifted.
A wizard's inner thoughts determine the direction of magic power.
"You don't have to worry about that, I'll figure something out." Vid asked, "Are you willing to trust me?"
Dobby looked up at him, gazing for quite a while before saying, "Yes, I trust you."
This was the first wizard who squatted down to talk to him; how could he not trust him?
Vid smiled and said, "Then, until then, please be patient and wait. I don't think it will be long..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a grumbling sound, and couldn't help feeling a bit surprised.
Dobby pitifully covered his stomach.
Vid glanced at the candies and exquisite pastries on the table, understanding something in his heart. He said in a normal volume, "Maki, could you kindly send us some food?"
With a soft "poof," a round tray appeared on the floor.
On the tray were bread, roasted potatoes, fried sausages, and a large bottle of red tea.
"Thank you, Maki."
Vid pushed the tray towards Dobby and said, "Eat quickly, Malfoy might be coming back soon."
"Also, Maki is the house-elf responsible for the Slytherin Common Room in the castle. Although your master doesn't allow him to enter the dormitory, if you need help, you can ask Maki, or have Maki relay the message to me, he will hear it."
Dobby stared blankly at him, his lips trembling, but he did not speak, nor did he move towards the steaming food.
"Well then, I should be going."
Vid stood up, smiled, and said, "Goodbye, Dobby. I hope the next time we meet, you will be a free elf."
His magic wand touched his forehead, and he vanished from the room.
Dobby heard the faint footsteps leaving the dormitory, the wooden door closing, and then the sound gradually fading away.
...
"Vid Gray wants to help that house-elf gain freedom?"
When Vid left the Slytherin Common Room, walking through the deserted corridor, Maki appeared beside him and asked softly.
"Yes." Vid said, "You saw it too, his master is very cruel to him."
"I don't like him."
After a while, Maki suddenly said, "He's strange, like an outsider."
Vid asked, "Because he seeks freedom?"
"He betrayed his master."
Maki thought this statement was a bit vague and corrected himself:
"He secretly defies the master's orders while appearing to obey. No one would accept such a house-elf! He would end up as a wandering soul without a home until he dies!"
"I would." Vid said calmly, "If I wasn't prepared to offer him a better life, I wouldn't help him escape his current environment."
Maki was stunned, he looked at Vid and reiterated, "Dobby is a bad elf who betrays his master."
"Does Maki think he did something wrong?" Vid asked.
——Of course he did!
Maki thought so in his heart, but he blinked, opened his mouth, but couldn't voice such a simple statement.
He hadn't witnessed it personally but often heard how Draco Malfoy treated Dobby.
Dobby often cruelly punished himself, using an iron to burn his own fingers, putting his ears into the oven to roast them.
During quiet nights, he would find discarded old clothes, tear them into strips, and use them as bandages for his wounds.
Maki was somewhat confused.
Vid didn't insist on him responding immediately and instead asked, "Did he eat the food you sent?"
"He was crying!" Maki said, "Crying so miserably."
"Help him, will you, Maki?" Vid said softly, "Bring him food every day. I left burn ointment and dittany at the Umbrella House, also take a couple of bottles to him."
"... Okay."
Maki said somewhat reluctantly:
"Since Vid Gray says so, Maki can help. But Maki is not like him!"
He said seriously, "Maki will not betray!"
"Of course, I know." Vid said.
He thought to himself, Malfoy might not quite agree with this statement.
Yet in Maki's heart, Malfoy…and those Slytherin students probably only counted as work service objects, not as those he was loyal to.
Maki's self-awareness was actually no less than Dobby's, although he didn't realize it.
Life at Hogwarts for the house-elves was relatively peaceful and happy. In such an environment, it was difficult for any extreme rebellious thoughts to arise.
If Maki were in Dobby's place, his actions might be even more intense—just like Kreacher of the Black Family, he would actively search for ways to harm his own master.
But when Vid thought of Draco Malfoy, Maki also mentioned him.
"He joined a club called the 'Necromancy Association', he asked them if the leader is a Death Eater, and they said no."
"They even gave him a ring to convey simple messages, said it was..."
Maki looked at Vid.
"Said it was inspired by the Friendship Book."
"Hmm, I see."
Vid wasn't surprised.
The Friendship Book provides convenience to wizards, and such convenience wouldn't just be available to his friends and ordinary people, villains would certainly exploit its function.
It was simply a double-edged sword.