Neville Longbottom and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 1: The Scar

Neville Longbottom sat bolt upright in bed, pressing hands to his forehead. The lightning-shaped scar there felt like it was burning through to his brain. He got the scar when he was just a year old, the night his parents were killed, and he had been told that it was a sort of link to his parents' killer - Lord Voldemort. As the pain in his forehead faded, the memory of his dream became more clear.

In the dream there was someone sitting in a dusty old wing-backed chair that was before a lit fireplace. He couldn't see who because the chair was facing away from him, but instinctively knew it was Voldemort - the Dark Lord. There were two men kneeling in front of the chair and talking with him. One of them was Peter Pettigrew, a short balding man who looked like a human rat. Neville had never seen the other man before, but he had malice in his pasty expression.

The one in the chair was saying that, even if the girl's information was useless, her death would not be - they called her the "Jorkins girl". He planned on using her to make himself stronger, and then they could capture the boy and kill him as well.

The malicious-looking one rose and walked over to the door. He opened the door to reveal an elderly man standing there. He then killed the elderly man with a green bolt of light from his Wand. The hidden man in the chair let out a wheezing sort of laugh, and the other two joined in. Then the two men turned and looked directly at him, and he woke up.

There was a soft 'pop' sound and a small figure appeared in the dark bedroom. Roody had large eyes, a pointed nose and large pointed ears that stuck straight out - he was the Longbottom's House-Elf and Neville's best friend.

"Are you okay, Neville?" Roody asked, "Roody heard you yell."

"I think so," he replied, trying to shake clear his thoughts. "I had a bad dream, and woke up with my head hurting."

"Will you tell Roody about the dream? It might help." And Roody hopped up to sit next to Neville.

He told Roody about who was in the dream, then added, "I only heard part of what they were talking about, but it was enough to know they're planning to kill me." He took some deep breaths to calm himself, then continued. "Then they were interrupted by an old man who was listening at the door. They invited him in and killed him."

Neville took more breaths to calm down and Roody gave him a hug. They sat like that for a while, and Neville noticed it starting to get light out his window.

"I need to write a letter to Dumbledore . . . tell him about the dream," Neville said, getting out of bed. "He'll want to know about it."

"The nice man that talked to Roody at Hogwarts?"

"That's him," Neville confirmed.

Roody was proud that he knew Dumbledore, and wanted to help write it. Neville took his time writing the letter, making sure he included everything. As he was writing, Roody paced the room acting thoughtful and occasionally offering suggestions for what to include.

Neville was barely halfway into the letter when there was another 'pop' sound in the room. He turned to see another House-Elf in his bedroom. Dobby was a little taller than Roody, and where Roody wore a simple cloth-belted tunic, Dobby was not wearing the dirty pillowcase Neville had always seen him in. He was wearing two different colored wool socks that reached to his knees, an embroidered orange tunic with a studded leather belt, and a Tudor cap with a peacock feather that touched the ground behind him.

"Dobby!" Neville shouted. "What're you doing here, and what's with the outfit?"

"Happy Birthday, Neville Longbottom," he said with a bow. "Dobby came to give Neville Longbottom his present, and to tell him that Dobby is a free Elf thanks to Neville Longbottom."

"That's great, Dobby! How did you get free?"

"Dobby must not say," he said, wringing his hands. "Dumbledore asked Dobby not to."

Neville was worried Dobby might try hurting himself like before. "It's okay, Dobby, you don't have to tell me."

"Dobby knows," he said with a stressed expression. "It is hard not to because Dobby has done it for so long, but Dumbledore is helping Dobby to change."

"That's great," Neville said, then realized Roody had yet to meet him. "Oh, sorry. Dobby, this is my brother Roody. Roody, this is my good friend Dobby."

Dobby looked embarrassed that Neville called him a friend, and he and Roody shook hands. They stood looking at each other quietly for a moment, then Neville said, "Do you two want to get to know each other while I finish my letter?"

They must have been waiting for permission because Roody took Dobby's hand and they quickly left the room. Neville was curious about what they would do, but wanted to get the letter finished and sent before he forgot to. He was just finishing the letter when the two House-Elves came back in the room.

Dobby walked up to Neville and said, "Neville, sir, Dobby forgot to give you the present. Happy Birthday!" He took off his hat and handed Neville a beautifully wrapped present that had been on his head. Neville thanked him and realized there was something odd about it.

He hefted it, then shook it. I felt like the box was empty. "What's in it?"

"Why, there's nothing in it, Neville Longbottom."

"It's beautiful, Dobby. Very nicely wrapped, thank you," Neville wasn't sure what else to say.

"Dobby knew you would like it!" He said, clapping his hands. "Mr. Hagrid gave Neville one for his Birthday last year, and Dobby wanted to give Neville one, too."

Neville decided to display it on his bookshelf, and Dobby was obviously pleased with that decision. He turned and said, "Dobby, you're welcome to come and visit anytime."

"Oh, thank you, Neville Longbottom. You are so very kind and wonderful and gracious and –"

"I get it, Dobby, thank you," Neville smiled, hoping he hadn't offended him.

Roody then asked, "Can Roody show Dobby Neville's Chocolate Frog cards?"

"Sure," Neville said, and he put down his quill then got down two boxes from the top drawer of his dresser. "Here you go. Now I'll just be downstairs, I've got to talk with Gran about sending this letter to Dumbledore."

"Dobby can take it for you, sir," Dobby said with sincerity. Neville stopped and looked questioningly at him. "Dobby works at Hogwarts now, sir. Dobby can take the letter to Master Dumbledore when Dobby goes home."

"That'd be great, Dobby, thanks." He handed the boxes to Roody and the letter to Dobby.

Roody began explaining to Dobby that one box has the standard set of cards, and the other is their extra set. "What about your cards, Roody?," Neville asked.

"Oh, Roody stopped keeping them," he said, "Roody likes looking at Neville's better."

Neville thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "You know what, Roody? I want to give them to you - for your Birthday."

"But it's not Roody's Birthday today, it is Neville's Birthday."

"I know, but I was at a school for your last three Birthdays and forgot to get you something." Neville sat on the floor next to them, "they belong to you now - Happy late Birthday, Roody."

He gave Neville a big smile, then turned to Dobby. "Does Dobby want to see Roody's Chocolate Frog cards?"

"Oh, yes Roody, Dobby does!"

They began looking through the cards, and Neville went to look at the Wizard Chess board sitting on his bedside table. The pieces indicated that someone was in the middle of a game. While he was deciding his next move, a message began to get scratched on an extra section of the board.

Neville read, "Happy Birthday - Luna", then the message faded.

He smiled, then moved his King's Bishop to capture a Pawn. Next he used a pocket knife to scratch his own message, "Thank you, your move." After a few seconds his message faded as well.