Teemo hit the ground and rolled straight out of the corner, suddenly exposed to every Muggle in the station.
Lupin moved fast. He yanked out his wand and fired a wide Confundus Charm that made the crowd instinctively look away from the little elf.
At the same moment Lupin reached Harry and Ron. Both boys were sweating, ready to jump into Arthur's flying car and chase the train down.
This was exactly why Sullivan had posted Lupin here. If those two took the car screaming through London skies, the clean image Sullivan had spent a month building for Arthur would shatter—and so would Arthur's career.
Kids screwing over their dads happened in every country.
"You two all right? Remus Lupin, manager of the Flying Feather factory. Need help?" Lupin asked, keeping one eye on the fight between Teemo and Dobby.
Ron spotted him first and flipped open Today's Headlines. "Merlin's beard, it really is you, Mr. Lupin! Nice to meet you!"
Harry got straight to the point. "Mr. Lupin, we're second-years at Hogwarts. We can't get through to Platform 9¾. Can you help us?"
"Of course," Lupin said. "You've got Magic Phones? Message your parents first."
"I already did, but they're probably busy right now!" Ron sounded miserable. "By the time they remember us, the train will be long gone."
"Don't worry. Stay right here. If it leaves without you, I'll take you to Hogsmeade myself." Lupin squeezed their shoulders and gave them a steady smile.
Then he stood and headed toward the fight. While they'd been talking, the battle had shifted again.
Teemo rolled clear of the corner and came up fast. He wasn't about to fail Sullivan's first order—catch Dobby. He thrust out his hand and channeled magic through the casting ring on his finger. A yellow Petrificus Totalus shot forward, tail streaming behind it.
Dobby didn't dare Apparate. Even house-elves with their phoenix-level talent couldn't risk it under a full-body bind. One hit and he'd be torn apart mid-travel. He twisted aside at the last second, the curse missing him by inches.
But when Dobby scrambled back to his feet, Teemo was already in his face, launching the exact same flying kick Dobby had used earlier.
The impact launched Dobby into the train tracks. Teemo leapt down after him, tackled him flat, pinned one wrist, and wrapped his other arm around Dobby's throat in a chokehold.
A train was roaring into the station. They had seconds before impact. Teemo Apparated them both straight to Sullivan's side.
Sullivan moved quicker. Before Dobby could react, he snapped a collar around the elf's neck—the Magic Stagnation Collar, one of his own inventions. It worked like the curse that had once sealed Tonks's magic, cutting off the flow of power inside the wearer.
From across the platform Sullivan waved to Lupin. Mission accomplished. Lupin got the signal and led Harry and Ron away from the station.
Sullivan took Dobby straight to his London house. He didn't start grilling him right away. Instead he had Teemo fetch the little elf a glass of water.
"What's your name?" Sullivan asked, keeping his voice calm.
Dobby curled in on himself, trying to scoot backward, but Teemo stood right behind him like a silent guard.
"I—I'm Dobby—" the elf whispered.
Sullivan kept his tone warm. "You don't have to be scared. I mean you no harm. I'm Sullivan, a professor at Hogwarts."
He showed Dobby his official appointment letter. The elf relaxed a fraction at the sight of it.
Sullivan's voice turned serious. "Harry Potter told me you stole his Magic Phone and cut off every message he tried to send. Then you tried to stop him from reaching Platform 9¾. Do you know how much trouble that could get you in with the Ministry?"
Dobby burst into tears. "Dobby is a bad elf! Dobby is guilty! Dobby snuck out behind his master's back and hurt Harry Potter! Dobby should have his head cut off!"
He sobbed for a long moment before looking up with those huge, frightened eyes. "But Dobby didn't mean any harm. Dobby only wanted to protect Harry Potter. If he goes back to Hogwarts, he'll be in danger."
"Danger? What kind of danger? Tell me everything," Sullivan said.
Dobby glanced around nervously. "Dobby knows a dark magic item is being sent into Hogwarts Castle. It can open the Chamber of Secrets and release a terrible monster. That monster… it eats all the non-pureblood little wizards."
"Harry Potter isn't a pureblood? Both his parents were wizards," Sullivan said.
"Dobby doesn't know for sure. But Dobby heard Harry Potter's blood isn't pure. His mother was a… Muggle-born witch. The monster will definitely eat him. That's why Dobby had to stop him from going to Hogwarts." Dobby spilled everything he knew.
Sullivan leaned forward. This was the key. "Dobby, who told you all this?"
"Dobby—Dobby can't say! Can't say!" Dobby's face twisted in terror. He threw his hands up to cover his eyes like something awful was about to happen.
Sullivan had expected this. House-elves couldn't speak against their masters or even say their names. But he had a workaround.
"Since you can't tell me, I'll guess. You just nod or shake your head. That work for you?"
"Y-yes, Professor Su!" Dobby said timidly.
"You're a house-elf for the Malfoy family, aren't you?" Sullivan asked.
Dobby flinched hard at the name "Malfoy," then stared at Sullivan in shock. After a long hesitation, he nodded.
Sullivan smiled. "So the one sending that dark magic item into Hogwarts… is Lucius Malfoy? Right?"