Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

In an instant — crack! — a sharp sound echoed through the air.

Harry and Dobby found themselves before an extremely steep flight of stairs, the walls on either side built from the same massive, dark stone blocks as those of Hogwarts Castle.

The surroundings were dimly lit and eerily quiet; Harry heard nothing.

From the expression on Dobby’s face, he knew they had arrived — this was Malfoy Manor. Harry wasn’t sure whether any guards remained. Perhaps, after Voldemort’s last massacre here, no Death Eater dared stay behind.

“Dobby, where’s the dungeon?” he asked softly, his mind racing.

Dobby pointed down the stairs, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if he were nearing his limit.

Harry nodded. He didn’t immediately descend, but instead peered down the left-hand corridor for a while until the darkness at the end swallowed his vision.

After confirming there were no Death Eaters, Harry drew his wand and carefully descended the steep stone steps. Dobby, the house-elf, followed behind, tugging at his clothes. Harry moved slowly, for the stairs were so steep that a fall could easily break his neck.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a heavy door. Harry tapped it lightly with his wand and chanted, “Alohomora!”

He pushed the door open. Despite the bitter chill all around him, he was so tense that he could feel beads of sweat trickling down his back.

Inside was a dank and musty room with a low ceiling, pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

“Ron, Ron!” Harry called softly, unsure if this was the right place.

The dungeon he had seen inside Voldemort’s head seemed different from this one, yet the layout seemed the same.

“Ron!” Harry called again, but there was no response. He raised his wand and chanted, “Lumos.”

A faint glow appeared at the tip of Harry’s wand. He dared not turn the light up too high, but it still dispelled the surrounding darkness.

He saw the dungeon floor clearly: a figure huddled motionless on the floor in the corner.

“Ron?” Harry said, taking two steps forward before recognizing the person.

It wasn’t Ron, but Mr. Ollivander, the wandmaker!

He seemed to have been imprisoned for a long time, too weak to move and almost unconscious.

Hearing Harry’s call, Ollivander stirred, but ultimately didn’t rise.

Harry’s heart pounded. So Voldemort really had kept Ollivander here. He remembered the first time he entered Voldemort’s mind this summer, hearing Voldemort mention Ollivander to the Death Eaters. Voldemort seemed to be searching for a powerful wand called the “Elder Wand,” and Mr. Ollivander knew something, which was why he had been captured and brought here.

The Deathly Hallows!

Harry had heard Evan mention the term, and Hermione had recounted the legend of the Three Brothers.

Legend had it that whoever possessed all the Deathly Hallows would become the Master of Death — able to conquer death itself.

Voldemort, of course, would never ignore the existence of such powerful magical objects. But to Harry, the thought was sickening. What’s the point of defeating death, he thought bitterly, if you’ve already turned yourself into a monster? Voldemort wasn’t even human anymore — he was death, walking and breathing.

“Mr. Ollivander, Mr. Ollivander!” Harry gently nudged Ollivander, receiving no response. He thought for a moment, then quickly turned to Dobby and said, “Dobby, we have to get Mr. Ollivander out of here. He’s too weak and needs immediate treatment.”

“Dobby wants to stay with Harry Potter,” said Dobby, trembling. “Dobby can’t leave Harry Potter here alone.”

Harry hesitated, looking at the aged and weakened Ollivander on the ground. Ollivander needed immediate treatment; he seemed unable to hold on any longer. Even a second was excruciating for him in his current state. If Harry waited until he found Ron to return, it might be too late!

But if Harry ignored Ron and went with Dobby to take Ollivander back to Grimmauld Place first, that wouldn’t work either.

Whether they encountered Evan or Sirius, they certainly wouldn’t let him return easily; he couldn’t just go back like that.

“Listen, Dobby, I’m staying here to find Ron,” said Harry quickly. “You take Mr. Ollivander back to see Evan for treatment, have them notify the Order of the Phoenix, and then you come back here to get Ron and me. If Evan and the others want to come, you can bring them along.”

“Dobby can’t leave Harry Potter here alone!” Dobby repeated.

“You don’t understand, Dobby, I have to stay here,” Harry said. “I’ll be fine; if you’re fast enough, you’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“But…but…” Dobby seemed about to cry again!

“That’s an order, Dobby. Take Mr. Ollivander back first,” said Harry impatiently. “Alright, now tell me the locations of the other dungeons.”

“You need to go through the upper hall, Harry Potter. The other dungeon is on the other side of the mansion. There’s a hidden door next to the shelves. You can enter by tapping the peacock on it with your wand,” Dobby said. “Dobby can’t Apparate there directly. There’s special magic there, set up by the ancestors of the family. It’s very ancient and powerful magic. Many valuable things are kept in that area. Good heavens, bad Dobby, you’ve revealed the family’s secret! Bad Dobby, bad Dobby!”

He began tugging hard at his own ears, punishing himself with such force that even Harry winced.

“Stop, Dobby, don’t punish yourself! That’s an order!” Harry said. “The Malfoys are no longer your masters. You don’t need to do this, especially since you revealed the secret to save someone, not for any bad reason. Now, take Mr. Ollivander back immediately.”

“Dobby will be back soon,” said Dobby, grabbing Ollivander’s hand.

With another loud crack, Dobby the house-elf and Mr. Ollivander vanished, and silence returned. Harry stood there for a moment. The sound of Dobby’s Disapparition hadn’t alerted the guards; in fact, the upper hall seemed empty.

This was his chance. Harry felt that if he was fast enough, he could get to the place Dobby had mentioned.

Ron was definitely locked up there; he was carrying Voldemort’s Horcrux and was certainly in solitary confinement.

There was no time to lose. He didn’t need to wait for Dobby to bring Evan or Sirius; Harry could do it himself.

He had the courage to come here; he was sure he could find Ron and bring him back. Harry wanted to prove himself.

At least so far, things had gone smoothly; there shouldn’t be any problems.

Harry tightened his grip on his wand and walked out of the dungeon.