Written for the first round of finals for the QLFC. Ihad to write about Dobby, and my prompts were candlelight, game, and train. I was really in the mood to write fem!slash, so I did.

"I think we should play a game."

"I think you're stupid."

She giggled and cupped a hand around Lisa's cheek, tracing her jawline from cheekbone to chin. "Don't call me stupid. We Hufflepuffs are very sensitive about that."

"Don't worry," replied Lisa, heartbeat quickening as she pressed her lips to Hannah's, fingers threading through her hair, tugging softly. Lisa broke the kiss to say, "You're the smartest person I know."

"Even including all your Ravenclaws?" she whispered, smiling against Lisa's mouth. "That's pretty smart."

"Even including them."

"I'd have to be, wouldn't I? I landed you."

She felt Lisa's skin heat and she drew away so she could see Lisa's freckles, every one of them. She had the urge to kiss them, but she had a feeling Lisa wouldn't appreciate her slobbering all over her cheeks.

"You're so cor-"

"Dobby likes games."

They froze, lips inches away from each other. Their heads simultaneously rose over the barrels they were hiding behind to find a small, wrinkled head staring up at them.

Hannah wasn't sure if house elves could blush, but if they could, this one was definitely doing it, from the tips of his ears to the bottom of his horribly clashing sock-clad feet.

"What?" said Lisa finally.

"Dobby heard you say you wanted to play a game, and Dobby likes games."

He stared at the ground. Hannah couldn't help but glance at the floor. Still old. Still stone. Still not interesting.

"Dobby is sorry for interrupting," said the house elf quickly.

"No," said Hannah despite herself. "It's okay."

Lisa began rubbing her hand in a soothing circle on Hannah's back. It was quite distracting; Hannah wanted her to keep doing it for the rest of her life.

"Go back to what you were doing," urged the house elf, whose name was quiet obviously Dobby. "Dobby won't interrupt again."

Lisa shook her head. "I've lost my train of thought. What games do you like, Dobby?"

"Um," said Dobby. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes," said Hannah encouragingly, heart swelling with affection for Lisa, who, instead of being mad at being interrupted, went along with this just like her.

"Dobby likes picking up the hats," said Dobby.

Hannah and Lisa looked at each other.

"I'm not sure that's a real game," said Hannah.

"In Gryffindor Tower! There's always a lot of hats. But Dobby can't clean fast enough by himself, because none of the other house elves will help him anymore. It's the hats, you see. They don't like them."

"Do you want us to help you clean?"said Hannah gently.

Dobby brightened, but Lisa huffed. "Some game," she muttered. So much for on the same page.

"He needs our help," said Hannah. "And imagine! Sneaking into Gryffindor Tower!"

"Hm," said Lisa. "It can't be hard. Seeing as they're Gryffindors."

"Hey," said Hannah. "Don't be mean. You're just playing into house stereotypes."

Lisa smirked. "You're so nice. Not only that, but right."

Hannah blushed and wanted to kiss her again, but Dobby was there. Damn.

"We'll come," said Hannah. "If you can get us in."

Dobby bobbed his head very hard. "Yes! Dobby can get you in! The Fat Lady won't even know!"

The walk to Gryffindor Tower was a strange one. It was the middle of winter, and now that they'd left their cozy barrel refuge (outfitted with blankets and oft-visited) the drafty castle made them shiver. Hannah could feel the fabric of Lisa's robes against hers as she rubbed her arms. They walked so close together they bumped into each other as they followed the little house elf, the candlelight from the wall reflecting onto his many hats and socks.

It was strange, how unfamiliar the path they took was. Neither of them had ever given much thought to Gryffindor Tower before. But walking up the path with Dobby, passing dozens of portraits and climbing the many staircases, Hannah wondered how many thousands of Gryffindors had taken the same steps.

Neither Hannah nor Lisa had had any idea who the Fat Lady was before then, but as they approached the portrait there could be no doubt as to which one it was. A very large woman in a pink silk dress snoozed in an ornate frame.

"Hold on," instructed Dobby is a loud whisper. "And quietly! Don't wake the Fat Lady!"

They each grasped one of Dobby's thin arms firmly. A moment later, after gut-wrenching Apparation, they found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. Hannah opened her eyes and stood still, gaining her bearings while Lisa staggered around looking nauseous.

"I like it," said Hannah simply. "It's very warm."

Warm it was, with a glowing fire and huge armchairs that you could sink into. The color scheme was red and gold, but the red was more prominent and made everything feel cozy. Hannah could see why Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were often the closest friends.

"Can you imagine?" breathed Lisa. "We're probably the first non-Gryffindors in this room for a very long time. Centuries. Maybe ever!"

"Yeah," said Hannah, wondering if it would be okay to sit in an armchair.

Dobby tugged at her robe and looked up at her with tennis ball-sized eyes. "What about the game?"

"Oh," said Hannah. "Yeah. Looking for hats, right?"

Dobby nodded. "You do that. Dobby will clean. Okay?"

Lisa and Hannah met eyes. Why not? They began to walk around the common room in search of hats. At first it was easy- they found a thick knitted hat lying on top of the fireplace, on an end table. But they soon discovered that most of them were hidden under piles of rubbish- and that's when it became a race. Dobby would try to beat them to cleaning the rubbish up while they scrambled for the hats underneath, minutes passing with grins on their faces as they ran.

Eventually they collapsed in a pile of giggles, Dobby on top of Hannah on top of Lisa. Hannah and Lisa were each wearing two pairs of hats, while Dobby's stack was teetering precariously.

"Dobby hasn't had this much fun since-"

There was a noise from one of the staircases leading upwards, and all three of them remembered where they were.

"Shit," said Lisa.

"Is someone there?" came a sleepy call. "Go to bed. I'm a Prefect. I could...Prefect you. Go to bed. Too late."

"We should go," whispered Hannah frantically.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "He sounds stupid. Is he really a Prefect?"

Dobby grabbed their arms again and Apparated them out of the common room, right back to their spot in front of the barrels. After she was finished feeling ill, Hannah wondered why they'd bothered walking to the portrait at all.

"Thank you two for your help," said Dobby. "The kissing girls are both so nice!"

"Uh," said Lisa. "Could you not call us that in public?"

"Of course Dobby won't call the kissing girls that in public, if that's what they want!"

"It doesn't matter," said Lisa, smiling shyly at Hannah, who felt her heart skip an actual beat so hard it hurt.

"Thanks again!" said Dobby cheerily before disappearing with a pop.

They looked at each other.

"We've still got the hats on," said Hannah.

Lisa took a step closer. "I like them. We can keep them to remind us of this night. Of how much we care about each other."

"And Dobby," said Hannah, grabbing the front of Lisa's cloak and pressing their lips together.

"And Dobby."

I hope you enjoyed it. UuU