Lucius and Narcissa left the Forbidden Forest, leaving behind a trembling Dobby.
"What does sir want Dobby to do…?" Dobby said, shaking.
"You're free," Cohen said to him after making sure the two were gone.
He pulled a scarf out of his pocket and tossed it to Dobby—it was originally a Christmas gift from that year, but little Mick, the baby Dementor, loved hoarding fluffy knitted stuff. So Cohen had just dumped all the sweaters and scarves he'd never wear into Mick's nest. Pulling out one scarf wouldn't make a difference.
"What?"
Dobby dropped the sock Lucius had given him, clutching the scarf Cohen handed over instead. He stared at Cohen with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Was I speaking Chinese or something?" Cohen raised an eyebrow. "You're free."
Dobby was so overwhelmed he couldn't even get a word out—his emotions were on a rollercoaster. Just a minute ago, he'd been imagining all the gruesome ways he might die, and now this new master was telling him he was free? For other house-elves, hearing that twice in one day would be a nightmare, but for Dobby, it was like hitting the jackpot—twice!
"Thank you, sir!" Dobby said, bowing repeatedly to Cohen in gratitude. He wanted to hug him but held back because of his house-elf status. "Dobby thought… Dobby thought…"
"You thought I was some jerk like the Malfoys," Cohen finished for him. "I mean, I *was* at Malfoy Manor plotting Voldemort's revival with them."
Dobby let out a terrified squeak at the mention of Voldemort's name.
"But here's the thing—even the best acting is still just acting," Cohen said. "Before you go off into the wizarding world on your own, you've gotta figure that out."
"Dobby must apologize, sir!" Dobby said. "Dobby thought you were one of *You-Know-Who's* followers… Dobby tried to save Harry Potter… but Harry Potter kept saying you're a good person! And you really are!"
"Let's go with 'good person,' then," Cohen said. "Now you can go wherever you want—but I'd suggest clearing things up with Harry about all that 'saving him' business. He still thinks you were trying to kill him."
"Oh no!" Panic flooded Dobby's eyes. Being misunderstood by the Harry Potter he adored was apparently a horrifying thought. "Dobby has to explain to Harry Potter right away! Dobby didn't mean to murder him!"
"But you should—"
*Pop!*
Dobby vanished.
"—wait until after Gryffindor's match…" Cohen finished, speaking to thin air.
Good luck, little Harry…
No clue what chaos Dobby might stir up, but at least Cohen had done a good deed.
And then…
[*Ding! Goodwill Points +300*]
[*Note: You only did this for the points, didn't you?*]
So what?
Cohen didn't buy the system's jab. It wasn't like he was some villain pretending to do good for shady reasons…
Money didn't need to be spent, but it had to be there. If he ever ran into a situation needing rare materials, he could hit up the Goodwill Store. It had plenty of exotic magical creatures that could be used for potions. Sure, he wouldn't waste points on stuff he could buy with Galleons or find substitutes for—like Re'em oxen or Ramora fish—but it was nice to have options.
The Quidditch match was still going on, but Cohen wasn't in the mood to head back and watch. Harry's team would win anyway—unless Dobby, who'd just left, decided to meddle.
It'd been a few months since he'd left Ari in the Forbidden Forest, and since he was already here, Cohen figured he'd check on the unicorns. With Hagrid probably too scared to sneak them any more booze, Cohen hoped Ari had been raised a bit more… normally by the herd.
Unicorns were supposed to be noble by nature, after all…
"How's this? If we dig a channel here, you could wake up every day and…"
From outside the dense, magically grown hedge wall, Cohen could clearly hear voices coming from within.
This hedge wall was new—something the unicorns must've whipped up with magic. But whether it was for protection or to hide whatever was going on inside…
Hold up—that voice just now was human!
Why was there a human in the unicorns' habitat?
And what was that about a "channel" and "waking up to…"?
Cohen's face darkened as he used his wand to tear a gap in the two-meter-high hedge, just wide enough for him to slip through.
Now he could see exactly what this giant hedge was hiding.
Near the edge were two small plots of land. One was a tiny wheat field, about the size of a four-person dorm room. The other was a neat grape trellis, with vines just starting to sprout.
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Wheat and grapes—obviously for brewing. Cohen spotted a brewing barrel next to the fields, surrounded by a bunch of unicorns.
And aside from the unicorns, there was something unmistakably human.
An old guy with gray hair, dressed in brewery work clothes.
Ari was facing away from Cohen, "talking" to the old man—judging by the marks it was scratching in the dirt.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp—"
One unicorn was sprawled by the barrel, its mouth shoved into a pit below it, slurping up a mix of wine and ale like there was no tomorrow.
Cohen's arrival made it pause for a second. It glanced at him, then went right back to drinking.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
[*Hey, wait, that's Ari's kid.*]
The lead unicorn noticed Cohen and quickly nudged the drinking one.
[*Quick, Ari said to tone it down if he shows up…*]
"Well, isn't this a coincidence? Looks like a party," Cohen said, his face blank.
"Hey, you're a Hogwarts student, right?"
The old man "chatting" with Ari spotted Cohen and noticed his school uniform.
"You here for the unicorns too? They're incredible. I thought unicorns and wizards didn't get along at all… Guess Hogwarts raises them pretty well."
"Oh, they're doing great alright. Living it up with a roof over their heads and booze to sip," Cohen said calmly. "Right, Ari?"
The scene went dead quiet, save for the gurgling sound of liquor trickling from the barrel's spout.
*(End of Chapter)*