The Warning of A House Elf

All summer long, Lellian hadn't heard a word from Harry. And it seemed neither Ron or Hermione had heard from him either. This worried her. She knew she should have been more excited than normal for tomorrow since it was her birthday, but her mind, it seemed, was focused with worry about Harry. "Lellian?" Said twelve year old lowers her latest letter from Hermione and smiles a little at Remus.

"I'm okay." She said, pushing her empty dinner plate to the side.

"No, you're not. What's troubling you?" He asked. Taking her plate to the kitchen.

"It's Harry…" She sighed as she stood up. Running her fingers over Regulus's head, she gathers up her letters. "He hasn't responded to any of my letters. Any of our letters." She said as she looked at him. Tying her letters together except for her school letter. "I'm just worried.." Remus walked up to her and laid a hand on her head.

"I'm sure he's okay."

"I hope so..." She hugged him then gave a sharp whistle. Regulus cooed and flew over to perch on her shoulder as she headed upstairs to her room.

Upon getting to her door, the twelve year old, fiery redhead stops as she hears unfamiliar laughter coming from behind her door. "What in the world?" She mutters softly. Opening her door and flicking on her bedroom light, she gasps and drops her letters. There on her now disheveled bed, jumping, was a house elf. "You're a house elf!" The house elf stopped jumping on her bed and looked at her shocked.

"Lellian Lupin! Such an honor it is!"

"You know me?" She asked. Closing her door behind her with a quick glance back towards the hallway. "How…Who are you?" Lellian asked as Regulus flew over to his perch near her window while she knelt down and gathered up her letters.

"Dobby, miss. Dobby the house elf." He said, jumping down from the bed and helped Lellian gather up her letters.

"Oh, well, nice to meet you Dobby. And not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?" She asked. Taking the letters and setting them down on her desk as she stood up.

"Oh, yes, miss, Dobby understands. It's just that, Dobby has come to tell you... it is difficult, miss... Dobby wonders where to begin."

"Please, sit. You must be exhausted from standing for so long."

"S-s-sit down?" The house elf stuttered before suddenly bursting into a wail of tears. Startling Lellian, who jumped and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Shhh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything…" She panicked. Trying to get the house elf to calm down before Remus heard him.

"Offend Dobby! Dobby has heard of your kindness, miss, but never has he been asked to sit down by a witch, like an equal…"

"You can't have met many decent witches then." She set her hands on her hips with a small laugh.

"No, I haven't…" Dobby told her with a sheepish smile then seemed to realize what he just said. "I shouldn't have said that…" Before she had a chance to stop him, Dobby had jumped up onto her window ciel and started hitting his head against the window. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Dobby!" Lellian shrieked. Running over to him, momentarily scaring her owl, as she scooped him up and held the house elf with a frown. "Are you alright?" She asked him, worried. Holding him out at arm's length to look him over.

"Dobby had to punish himself, miss. Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, miss."

"Your…family?" She asked. Setting him down on her bed as she sat down beside him.

"The wizard family Dobby serves, miss. Dobby is bound to serve one family forever. If they ever knew Dobby was here... But Dobby had to come. Dobby has to protect Lellian Lupin and Harry Potter. To warn them. Lellian Lupin and Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year."

"What? Why not?" She looked shocked at this and stood.

"There is a plot. A plot to make the most terrible things happen. If Lellian Lupin and Harry Potter go back to school, they will be in great danger!"

"What terrible things? Who's plotting them?" Dobby tried to tell her but he couldn't even manage to form a sentence. He just started to stutter and look around for something to hit himself with. "Okay! I understand. You can't say wh-Stop!" She cried. Struggling with him to take her silver candle stick holder back as he hit himself in the head. "Stop!" She finally took the candle stick holder back but fell to her bum on the floor from the force. "Dobby, I have to go back. Hogwarts is my home. I belong there. It's the only place I've got friends and the only time I can see Harry."

"Harry Potter, who doesn't even write to Lellian Lupin?"

"Well, I expect he's just been-hang on, how do you know he hasn't been writing to me?"

"Lellian Lupin mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby hoped if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him...and that if Lellian Lupin thought Harry Potter did not like her...Harry Potter and Lellian Lupin might not want to go back to school, miss." He said as he took out a stack of letters. Letters that were from herself, Hermione, and Ron. All addressed to Harry.

"Give me those. Now. Dobby…"

"No!" Dobby darted past her as she dove for him on her bed. Blowing her hair from her face, she scrambled off her bed and chased him out of her room.

"Ooph!" Pushing off the wall with a shake of her head, she hurried down the stairs after him. Pausing in the kitchen doorway

From the living room she could hear two voices drifting to her ears. One was from Remus but the other voice, which was female, she wasn't familiar with. She knew though, however, it meant a guest was over. It wasn't uncommon for them to get guests, though Lellian had never met any of them. She hadn't exactly cared enough to, having no interest in having to play hostess. Dobby seemed to notice her hesitation and spied two tea cups with hot tea set out to cool. Snapping his fingers, the house elf had the objects hovering. Lellian gasped and shook her head. "Please...No…" She panicked. Scared of what the house elf was going to do.

"Lellian Lupin must say she's not going back to school."

"I can't."

"Then Dobby must do it, miss. For Lellian Lupin's own good."

"No!" She chased after the moving objects but stopped too late in the living room as the tea had already spilled over Remus and his guests, who Lellian could see was a female with multi-colored hair that she swore changed to a different color with her surprise. Horrified, she stood there with her mouth open in shock, hands stretched out in an attempt to grab the cups just before they could enter the room. Oh boy….

"Lellian Alana Lupin!" Remus bellowed. Making the twelve year old cringe.

"I didn't do it! I swear!" She said quickly and looked behind her to point to Dobby, but the house elf was already gone. Oh, great! Now what?! She thought in a panic. She had no good lie or excuse and wasn't even sure if Remus would believe that a House Elf was responsible for this.

"If you didn't do this, then who did?" Lellian looked back at him and frowned.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"