Welcome to my third HP one-shot. Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

This one-shot was mainly written for the Ashleigh's Monthly Competitions.

Other challenges:

The Pairing Set Boot Camp Challenge...Hermione/Draco

The Flower Language Challenge...the Hollyhock, the Gladiolus, and the Protea King themes.

The story beginnings Challenge..."Not all fairy tales have happy endings."

Note: This one-shot has been betaed by maybewesortoosoon, thanks Deb.

xXxOne-shotxXx

xXxNo Golden TrioxXx

The students inside the Great Hall had gone into a slight state of panic, as Professor Quirrell had revealed that there was a Mountain Troll loose in the dungeons of Hogwarts. The Headmaster immediately managed to put an end to the disturbance, by ordering the prefects to take the students back to their dormitories and several of the staff members to follow him to the dungeons.

"Hermione – she's still in the first floor bathroom!" Harry said, coming to a halt, as he remembered her predicament. "She doesn't know about the troll. Ron, we have to save her!"

"Are you kidding me Harry?" Ron answered, taking a hold of Harry's left arm in order to stop him from dashing off to the girls' bathrooms.

"But-"

"No buts, this is a troll we're talking about here. What if we end up meeting him on the way? You can't expect us, as first years, to be able to take on a troll."

"Still-"

"Besides, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall are going to the dungeons right now. I'm sure that they'll be able to handle the troll before anything happens. She'll be fine, Harry," Ron continued, interrupting Harry once again.

Harry hesitated a few seconds, before nodding in agreement. They both continued to follow Percy, ignorant of the fact that someone had overheard their conversation.

That particular person happened to be Draco Malfoy, as he had been putting most of his attention on the two young Gryffindors, while the Slytherin prefect attempted to reassure the Slytherins that no troll would dare to attack the purest of the Hogwarts houses, even if it was rumoured to be so close to their common room.

'So the Mudblood doesn't know about the troll,' he thought, before being interrupted by one of his roommates who asked him what he was doing standing there, that the rest of the House had finally started to leave the Hall. He answered with a simple 'Nothing' as he joined the group, all the while thinking of the bushy, brown-haired girl.

Several minutes passed, and Draco was just about to leave the first floor before he came to a sudden stop. "What?" Crabbe asked him.

"I think I forgot something. I'll be back in a minute," he responded before leaving the rest of his House behind. 'I must be going crazy,' he thought, as he had just left the safety zone of his schoolmates and professors just to check on a girl, especially as the girl in question was a Mudblood.

Those conflicted thoughts were finally broken when he began to hear a girl's screams, joined by smashing noises, as he was now reaching his destination. "The troll has already found her," he said, as the noises were getting louder. 'There's no professors in here,' he thought, 'they must all be looking for the monster in the dungeons like they were told and not on the first floor.'

"I can't do this," he thought, stopping for a second. "I can't go against a troll, I'm only a first year - a good one, but still a first year...and besides, she's only a Mudblood," attempting to convince himself out of it. He was momentarily frozen with shock as the screams grew louder.

He snapped out of it as the girl screamed yet again. "Hermione!" he yelled, running towards the bathroom.

Pushing open the door, he was nearly hit in the face with a giant club. He managed to evade the attack by jumping to the side. It seemed as if his sudden yell had captured the troll's attention.

"Are you hurt, Granger?" he called, as he saw the girl hiding underneath one of the few sinks which had not yet been torn from the wall.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, surprised, as she definitely did not expect Draco Malfoy, of all people, to come after her.

"Stay where you are Granger, I'll make sure to take care of this," he declared, returning his focus as he went back to the troll, who was now responding with another attack.

He dodged it once again. The troll may have been powerful, but it was rather slow. The action was repeated several times, giving Draco time to think of a strategy which would overpower to Mountain Troll. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He said, waving his wand. The troll became confused as its club flew out of his hand.

The troll looked up, just in time to see his own club falling back down again. It hit the troll on the head with an echoing thud.

"Malfoy," Hermione called, as she left her 'hiding spot' and gave him a hug. "Is he dead?"

"No, he's just unconscious," he answered, noticing that the troll's chest was still moving. "We have to leave now, Granger. The professors will arrive soon and take care of him," he added, receiving a nod in return.

Several minutes passed, and both of them were at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. "Wait, Granger!"

"What is it, Malfoy?"

"You must never tell anyone about what happened back there! You can't tell anyone who it was that saved you!" he ordered, somewhat anxious and panicky at the thought of his relatives finding out that he, a Malfoy, had risked his life to save a pesky little Mudblood.

"Don't worry Malfoy, I swear, I won't tell anyone about it," she answered with a faint smile, before leaving him behind as she entered her common room.

"Hermione, you're alright," Harry exclaimed, as he saw her entering the room.

She completely ignored him, walking past him, as she went towards the nearest window.

"Hermione?" Harry repeated, still staring at her. He then turned back to face Ron, who was giving him an 'I told you' look. "It seems like Ron was right in the end," he muttered, as he rejoined his roommates' conversation.

"Draco..." Hermione murmured, looking out the window, not knowing that the recent events would shatter destiny's plan of 'The Golden Trio'.

It seems like not all fairy tales have happy endings, at least for destiny's original plans with Hermione Granger.

xXxThe EndxXx

Hope you like it.