Now, Dobby was one of the most likeable characters in the Harry Potter universe, and we all wept buckets after he died a hero saving the gang from Bellatrix Lestrange.
Whether he was being freed by a old sock, or putting a Hover Charm on Aunt Petunia’s pudding, Dobby was consistently one of the most loyal and well-meaning residents of the wizarding world.
However, with his big goggly eyes and bat-like ears, he’s also admittedly not the kind of creature you’d want to encounter lurking about on your driveway in the dead of night. I mean, no offence and RIP to him and all that…
This was the eerie sight which greeted mum Vivian Gomez from La Junta, Colorado when she checked her CCTV footage. Yep. Scuttling about on her driveway – big ears flapping away – was a house elf-esque figure straight from the imagination of J.K. Rowling.
Taking to Facebook, a perplexed Vivian shared the creepy footage with her followers, exclaiming:
So I woke up Sunday morning and saw this on my camera and am trying to figure out…what the heck??
First I saw the shadow walking from my front door then I saw this thing….has anyone else seen this on their cameras?? The other two cameras didn’t pick it up for some reason.
The video has since gone viral, with the original post being shared nearly 160,000 times at the time of writing.
People have been left thoroughly spooked, with Vivian claiming, ‘this wasn’t altered or photoshopped and no trick photography’.
It’s unlikely Dobby has risen from his sandy grave to warn Vivian against returning to Hogwarts. So what in the name of Merlin’s beard is going on?
After sifting through various theories – including UFOs, ‘ghost girls’ and ‘someone looking for a porta potty’ – commenters have picked up on a fairly plausible explanation.
Many of Vivian’s Facebook friends have suggested this house elf visitor is probably just her son mucking about, doing a silly dance with a pair of pants on his head.
One comment section detective noted:
Viv, I think it’s *****! Too much fortnite! I hear your front door open and see the shadow.
When Vivian insisted she didn’t hear the door opening, the social media sleuth added:
Look in the lower right corner against the fence at the beginning of the video. The front door opens.
Another Facebook friend appeared to support this theory, stating:
Is ***** sleep walking? I can see his little chicken walk.
If you watch the clip again with this in mind, it does indeed look as if a little kid is doing a funny walk for their own amusement. It also appears as if there is some sort of clothing ties around their head.
However, an official explanation has yet to be given, and so more excitable muggles should still feel free to transform this episode into a Harry Potter/Paranormal Activity fan-fiction crossover.
UNILAD has reached out to Vivian Gomez for a statement.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.