Hello people of fan fiction! Wildwriter97 here with the next chapter for you guys

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I'd be out signing books and making money rather than sitting in my room listening to music and writing this!

On an unrelated note, I read this really cool fic by LaurenKate67. It's called Forbidden Love, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good read (It's about the Starkid play Starship)

But before that, I proclaim, chapter two!

Chapter 2: Dobby's Warning

Jessica almost shouted out, but managed not to. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Jessica recognised it instantly as a house elf, and was pretty sure this was what had been watching them out of the garden hedge that morning.

As they stared at each other, they heard Dudley's voice from the hall.

"May I take your coats, Mr and Mrs Mason?"

The house elf slipped of the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long nose touched the carpet. Jessica noticed it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm and leg-holes.

"Er – hello," said Harry nervously.

"Harry Potter!" said the elf, in a high pitched voice Jessica was sure would carry down the stairs. "And Jessica Potter! So long had Dobby wanted to meet you, sir and miss ... Such an honour it is ..."

"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to owl Hedwig, who was asleep in her large, securely locked, cage. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house elf," said the creature.

"Oh – really?" said Harry. "Er – I don't want to be rude or anything, but – this isn't really a great time for me to have a house elf in my bedroom."

Aunt Petunia's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.

"No, he doesn't mean that, er – Dobby. It's a pleasure to meet you, but now isn't the best time for us to talk to you. You see, we're not really supposed to make any noise at all tonight, so I hope you're here for a very important reason," said Jessica in a hoarse whisper.

"Oh yes, miss," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir and miss ... it is difficult ... Dobby wonders where to begin ..."

"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.

Jessica slapped him. Hard. "Harry," she hissed, "you don't just ask a house elf to sit down!"

"Why not?"

As if on cue, Dobby burst into tears – very noisy tears.

"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never ... never ever ..."

Jessica thought she heard the voices downstairs falter.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

Jessica sighed. Harry was digging them a deeper grave by the minute.

"Offend Dobby!" chocked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard – like an equal –"

Harry ushered Dobby onto the bed, hushing him and trying to look comforting. The elf eventually calmed down enough to sit on the bed, hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his eyes fixed on the twins in an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, in an attempt to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Don't – what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed. Hedwig woke up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.

"Dobby had to punish himself," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family ..."

"Your family?"

"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir ..." Dobby is a house-elf – bound to serve one house and one family forever ..."

"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.

Dobby shuddered.

"Oh no, sir, no ... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir and miss. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew ..."

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"

"Dobby doubts it. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something. They lets Dobby get on with it. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments ..."

"But why don't you leave? Escape?"

"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free ... Dobby will serve the family until he dies ..."

Harry's face took on a look of shock

"And I thought I was hard-done-by staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"

Almost at once, Jessica wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.

"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "Please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything –"

"Harry," Jessica hissed, "please, just shut up. You're making it worse. Let me do the talking."

He gave an unwilling nod.

"Now, Dobby," she began gently, "Sorry about my brother. He's never met a house-elf before, so forgive him for not knowing how to act."

"Dobby is the first house-elf Harry Potter has met?"

Jessica planted her face into her hands, realising what she had done.

"Dobby is honoured, sir," said the elf, bowing again. "And Harry Potter has not said one thing nasty to Dobby. Dobby has heard of your greatness, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew ..."

"Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts, that's Jessica and Hermione, they –"

But he stopped abruptly.

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named."

"Voldemort?" Said Harry.

Jessica sharply took in a breath and Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, do not speak the name, sir! Speak not the name!"

"Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people who don't like it – my friend Ron ..."

He stopped again.

Dobby leaned towards the two twins, his eyes wide as headlamps.

"Dobby heard tell," He said hoarsely, "that the two Potters met the Dark Lord for the second time, just weeks ago ... That the two Potters escaped yet again."

Harry and Jessica both nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears. He gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry and Jessica Potter are valiant and bold! They have braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry and Jessica Potter, to warn them, even if he does have to shut his ear in the oven door later... Harry and Jessica Potter must not return to Hogwarts."

There was a silence broken only by the chinking of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.

"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But we've got to go back – term starts on September the first. It's all that's keeping us going. You don't know what it's like here. We don't belong here. We belong in your world – at Hogwarts."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "The Potters must stay where it is safe. They are too great, too good to lose. If Harry and Jessica Potter go back to Hogwarts, they will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" asked Jessica in surprise.

"There is a plot, miss. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months. Harry and Jessica must not put themselves in peril. They are too important!"

"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head madly against the wall.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't say, we understand. But why are you warning us?"

A sudden, horrid thought struck Jessica. "Wait a second – does this have something to do with You Know Who?"

"Just shake or nod," added Harry hastily, as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head.

"Not – not He Who Must Not Be Named,"

But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give them a hint. Jessica, however, was completely at sea.

"He hasn't got a brother, has he?" asked Harry uncertainly.

Dobby shook his head, his eyes open wider than ever.

"Well then, I can't see who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing – you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"

Dobby bowed his head

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He Who Must Not Be Named at the height of his strength. But sir," Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper, "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't ... powers no decent wizard ..."

And before either Harry or Jessica could stop him, Dobby bounced off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp and started beating himself around the head with ear-splitting yelps.

A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Jessica, heart pounding, hears Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!"

"Quick! Into the wardrobe!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed while Jessica dived into the desk chair just as the door handle turned.

"What – the – devil – is – going – on – here!" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke ... one more sound and you'll wish you'd never have been born, both of you!"

He stomped flat-footed from the room.

Shaking, Jessica let Dobby out of the wardrobe.

"See what it's like here?"Harry said. "See why we've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place we've got – well I think we've got friends."

"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" asked Dobby slyly.

"What? We've all been writing to Harry. He hasn't been responding, but I see why with Hedwig locked up like that. But what do you know about it?" asked Jessica suspiciously.

Dobby shuffled his feet.

"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby – Dobby did it for the best ..."

"Have you been stopping my letters?" Harry asked, angrily.

"Dobby has them right here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry and Jessica's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Jessica could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, a scribble that looked like it was from Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts, and even her own looping lettering.

Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry.

"Harry Potter mustn't be angry ... Dobby hoped ... if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him ... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir ..."

Harry and Jessica weren't listening. They made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.

"Harry Potter will have them, if he gives Dobby his word that he and Jessica will not return to Hogwarts. There is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back!"

"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friend's letters!"

"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.

Before either of the twins could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open – and sprinted down the stairs.

Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Jessica followed Harry as he sprang after Dobby, trying not to make a sound. They jumped down the last six stairs, landing cat-like on the hall carpet, looking for the elf. From the dining room they heard Uncle Vernon saying, "... tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr Mason, she's been dying to hear ..."

Jessica ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt her stomach disappear.

Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.

"No," croaked Harry. "Please ... they'll kill us ..."

Harry and Jessica Potter must say they're not going back to school –"

"Dobby, please ..."

"Say it ..."

"We can't!"

Dobby gave them a tragic look.

"Then Dobby must do it, for the Potter's own good."

The pudding fell towards the floor almost in slow motion. Without thinking, Jessica whipped out her wand. "Wingardium Levisosa!" she said hoarsely, and the pudding wobbled in mid-air. With a jolt, Jessica realised she was breaking the law and dropped her wand in surprise. With a heart stopping crash, the pudding fell to the ground. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.

There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry and Jessica, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding.

Jessica managed to hide her wand back in her pocket before the Masons saw it, and it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over ("Just our niece and nephew – both very disturbed – meeting strangers upsets them, so we keep them upstairs...") He shooed the Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry and Jessica he would flay them within an inch of their lives when the Masons had left, and handed then a mop and a bucket. Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and the twins, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.

Uncle Vernon might have still have been able to make his deal – if it hadn't been for the owl.

Aunt Petunia was just handing round a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs Mason's head and swooped out again. Mrs Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr Mason stayed long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.

Harry and Jessica stood in the kitchen, clutching each other for support as Uncle Vernon advanced on them, a demonic glint in his eye.

"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on – read it!"

Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.

Dear Mr and Miss Potter,

We have received intelligence that two Hover Charms were used at your place of residence this evening at twelve past nine.

As you know, under-age wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside of school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Under-Age Sorcery, 1895, Paragraph C).

We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity which risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offence, under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.

Enjoy your holidays!

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic

Jessica sighed and looked at the ground. She had really done it now. Her and Harry were in serious trouble.

"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it ... slipped your mind, I daresay ..."

He was bearing down on Harry and Jessica like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you ... I'm locking you up ... you're never going back to that school ... never ... and if you try and magic yourself out – they'll expel you!"

And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry and Jessica to their rooms.

Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry and Jessica's windows. He fitted cat flaps in the two bedroom doors himself, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry and Jessica out to use the bathroom morning and evening, and when they passed in the hallway was the only time they could see each other. Otherwise, they were locked in their rooms around the clock.

Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no signs of relenting and Jessica couldn't see any way out of the situation. She lay back on her bed and stared at the moon chart she had taped there. It would be the full moon in a few days time. Absentmindedly, she twirled her moon pendant in the light watching the rainbows leapt in front of her eyes. She wished she was back with the Lupins; she didn't belong here, locked up in a horrid little room with no contact to her friends, or magic.

The cat flap rattled and Truffles stalked into the room. There was a note attached to her collar and a dead mouse in her mouth. Jessica took the note and Truffles stalked into a corner to play with the mouse before she devoured it. Carefully, Jessica unfolded the thin paper. She smiled.

Jess, are you still sure Truffles is a good way to pass notes? Anyway, August 3rd, that's 27 days until September 1st. Do you think we'll ever go back?

Harry.

Jessica and Harry had been passing notes to each other by sending Truffles between their rooms, and although Jessica was convinced it worked just fine, Harry was still sceptical. After scribbling a hasty reply, she decided Truffles had done enough for the night. After watching the cat devour the mouse, the cat flap rattled once again and a bowl of vegetable soup was pushed into the room. After offering some to Truffles, (who turned up her nose at it) Jessica downed most of it in one gulp. After choking on a soggy piece of carrot, she felt it best if she left the rest for later.

Stomach growling for more food, Jessica settled into bed for an early night. Truffles leapt up and snuggled under her arm and together they fell into an uneasy sleep.

She dreamed that she was floating in mid-air. When she looked down, she could see Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys and some of her friends from Hogwarts on the ground, staring up at her. Dobby was there too, casting the charm that held her in the air. "Put me down!" she yelled.

"Jessica Potter cannot go to Hogwarts now," said Dobby with a smile. "Jessica Potter is safe there, miss."

She yelled at everyone on the ground to help her down, but they all turned away, and piled – impossibly into an old turquoise car and drove away. Suddenly, Dobby released her and she fell to the ground bracing for impact...

Jessica woke with a start, scaring Truffles off the bed. Strangely, she thought she could hear a car outside her window, but she saw none. Carefully, she opened her window as far as the bars would allow and stuck her head out. There were no cars on the street, but she could swear the noise was real. She tilted her head cautiously to look up and gasped. Directly above her, right outside Harry's window, was a floating car.