After Harry and I had re-joined Ron and Hermione, we all agreed to talk with Moody at break, hoping for news about Crouch. But Moody claimed to have not seen the man, even though he had used the Marauder's Map, which he'd confiscated from Harry previously.

As we left the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry, Ron and Hermione continued to brainstorm ideas as to what might've happened to Crouch, but I stayed silent. I couldn't help worry that maybe Moody wasn't telling us the whole truth...

"Why wouldn't he tell us?" Harry asked when I finally confided in him later that evening. The four of us were sitting in three armchairs in a corner of the Gryffindor common room – Harry, Ron and Hermione had a chair each, while I sat perched on the arm of Harry's, absentmindedly flicking through the pages of my History book.

"I don't know, why would he?" I said. "We're students, Harry. Maybe Dumbledore asked him not to say anything to us until he knows more."

"It seems unlikely," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Whatever," I sighed when Ron also took this approach. "Moody was right about one thing at least. We need to stop worrying about Crouch and focus on the third and final task."

I slid off the arm and sat in front of Harry, my knees on either side of his legs. "Just think," I whispered to him, "only four more weeks and then this will all be over. No more challenges... no more studying... no more almost dying..."

"It sounds perfect," Harry chuckled softly. I leaned in and closed the distance between us with a deep kiss.

"Get a room you two," Ron said loudly from his chair.

With a sigh, I sat upright, grabbed the book I was supposed to be reading and threw it in Ron's direction. "Hey!" he shouted as the book hit his upper arm, leaving me grinning in satisfaction.

I wish I could say that the next few days passed rather dully. But they didn't.

The next morning, Harry had gotten a fast reply from his family friend, Snuffles. While he hadn't minded at all when Ron and Hermione began to read the letter over his shoulder, he completely freaked out when I tried to look, snatching it away at lightning speed.

I chose not to be offended by this, guessing Harry had mentioned something in there about me, to which Snuffles had replied with something embarrassing or just not meant for me to see. Anyway, it was his idea to practise stunning and disarming spells, which was frankly not that bad an idea.

And that was how the four of us spent the next few days, locked in libraries researching different hexes or else in empty classrooms practising these said hexes. Of course, Harry couldn't practise stunning spells without actually stunning someone. So it was on Monday during lunch that I found myself in a classroom, recovering from yet another stun.

"You know," I said, rubbing my back where I'd landed most uncomfortably. "Most couples come into empty classrooms to make out – not to practise stunning spells."

"Sorry Lean," Harry said, helping me to my feet.

"S'okay," I shrugged, then rising to my tiptoes, I whispered into his ear, "we can come back in a few weeks after you win this thing."

Next, it was Ron's turn to be the practise dummy. He complained after the fifth Stun and suggested we kidnap Mrs. Norris.

"Let's Stun her for a bit," he said. "Or you could use Dobby, Harry, I bet he'd do anything to help you..."

I froze at the sound of a name I hadn't heard in a long, long time. "What did you say?" I asked.

Ron looked confused. "Err... let's Stun Mrs. Norris? Use Dobby?"

"Dobby? As in house-elf Dobby?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "Has Harry told you about him?"

"No..." I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at Harry, whose eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh right... I'm sorry Lean, I didn't think..."

"What?" Ron asked, still confused.

"Dobby was the Malfoys' house-elf," Harry explained.

"He's at Hogwarts?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, sorry, I thought you knew," Hermione said. "You were with Harry when Dobby helped him. He gave him the Gillyweed for the second task."

"I was asleep!" I cried out, remembering the night before the second task when I'd stayed with Harry at the library after hours. I turned to my boyfriend. "You said a friend gave it to you! You never told me it was my own house-elf!"

"I forgot, sorry..."

"Why are you sorry?" I exclaimed with a laugh. "This is great! I haven't seen him since Christmas of 92! Where is he?"

"Kitchens."

Without wasting another second, I grabbed my bookbag and hurried for the door, shouting over my shoulder that I would see Harry and Ron in Divination.

"Lean, wait!" Hermione shouted.

"Sorry Hermione, I don't think I can wait a second longer!"

However, the bell rang before I could take another step, and I turned around in dismay. Sure enough, Hermione was watching me carefully.

"On second thought, I think I can wait one more class," I sighed, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll go with you then," Harry promised as he, Ron and I headed towards the North Tower. "It'll be nice to see Dobby again."

"So tell me," I said. "How is it you know Dobby? My brother told me you were responsible for our father accidentally firing him."

Harry cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, I did do that – at the end of my second year."

"Ooh... sounds interesting, do tell," I prompted, entwining my hand in his, despite Ron's vomiting sounds.

So Harry spent the rest of the walk telling me all about how he hid his own sock in a book that he gave to my father, knowing full well he would just toss it to his servant.

"Serves him right for taking advantage of poor Dobby," I said as we reached the ladder and trapdoor.

To no one surprise, Trelawney's room was boiling – like stepping into an oven. Harry headed over to the desks beside the window and I sat down beside him. He'd cracked the window open slightly, letting in a nice, cool breeze.

Trelawney began the lesson, dimming the lights so she could talk about planets or something. I wasn't really paying attention, my thoughts on Dobby.

I couldn't believe my old house-elf was here, at Hogwarts. Did he know I was here? Probably not. Otherwise, he would've reached out, I was his favourite after all. My parents and brother had always treated him like a servant. And while I'm not the most passionate member of SPEW, that doesn't mean I support how my family treats our house-elves.

I was still in my own world when suddenly, out of the blue, Harry started to scream.