A/N: Hey everyone! As if I don't have enough projects to work on, here's another story set! This is going to be a seven-shot, one chapter for each year of Halloween at Hogwarts. If I can manage it, each chapter will be posted on every odd day for the remainder of October, the last chapter posting on Halloween. Cross your fingers, wish me luck, and if you like, leave a favorite and follow! If you could, leave a review, letting me know what you like, dislike, or generally think I did wrong in my AU universe. You are all wonderful, and I thank you for giving me some of your time. :) It means a lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Harry Potter. That belongs to our queen, J. .

Summary: Alternate Timeline-Seven years of Halloween. Seven years spent together.

Year One: Troll

"What do you mean you've never celebrated Halloween before?!" Ron exclaimed as Harry asked them about the festivities going on around them at breakfast, unsure as to why this Thursday was more special than any other. This prompted him telling the story of how he got to stay at home, locked in his cupboard, while his aunt and uncle took his cousin out trick or treating.

"The first time I had tasted Halloween candy, I stole it from Dudley after he had gone to bed. It was the only time I've never been caught."

"We are definitely going to take you trick or treating," Hermione piped up, the other first years looking interested. "I can ask some of the professors. Maybe we could do some sort of giant trick or treating event for all of the first years."

"What about a haunted house?" Lavender asked, sharing a look with Parvati, who was lost.

"The professors could give out candy to those who make it to their classroom or office," Seamus started.

"The haunted house could always get scarier the higher floor it is," Dean then piped in.

"What are you guys talking about? Haunted houses are terrifying!" Ron complained, his gaze going from one person to another.

"Muggle haunted houses aren't real, Ron," Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes as if he should know better. Ron's face started to turn red.

"Yeah, well, just remember that we're in the Wizarding World-everything's real!" came his retort.

"Well, then we're just going to have to make sure you can get through at least one floor," Hermione commented with a nod. Ron grumbled under his breath.

"Did we want to all start on the first floor and make our way up? Or start at the top and work our way down?" Parvati then asked, ignoring the redhead.

"We should probably ask the professors about it first," Hermione interjected, worrying her lip. "Let me go ask Professor McGonagall." With that, she was up and headed for the staff table, where their head of house sat, reading the Daily Prophet

Harry only felt warmth inside. This time last year, he would have gone to school, been ignored by the teachers, come home, been given a large list of chores, and locked in his cupboard right after dinner. But now?

Now he had friends surrounding him, talking about putting together something that would benefit him. They might turn it into a school-wide thing, but the brainstorming started because of him. If it wasn't for Hermione-

"She's such an insufferable know-it-all," Ron groused from beside him, having taken Hermione's place. He switched her place with his own, and added more eggs, which he promptly stuffed in his mouth. Everyone else had started new conversations and ended up not hearing him.

"Professor McGonagall said not this year, since it is such short notice, but if we put a proposal together, we could manage it for next year," Hermione said tearfully from behind them. Harry whirled in his seat and guilt sprang up inside of him at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. Were it not for the dark glare aimed at Ron, Harry would have feared her ire was at him, from years of always taking the blame. Wiping the tears off her face, the brunette tried to make herself impassive. "I'm heading to class." The witch whirled on the spot, and Harry could tell she was trying hard not to run as she left the Great Hall.

"Good," Ron muttered through a mouthful of sausage.

"That was rude," Harry said to Ron.

"Well that doesn't seem to matter to her, now does it? She's a nasty muggleborn. It doesn't look like her parents raised her with any manners," the redhead replied before stuffing his face again. Disgusted, Harry got up from the table.

"You have less manners than her," Harry muttered under his breath before turning back to his plate and grabbing his toast. "I'm heading to class," he mumbled before grabbing his bag in his other hand and following Hermione out of the Great Hall.

Looking around for her, Harry didn't manage to catch up until the charms corridor, where he found her with her nose buried in a book. Approaching her, Harry opened his mouth to speak, the toast wrapped up in a napkin as a peace offering, when a hoard of their classmates turned the corner. Momentarily distracted, by the time he looked back, Hermione had already slipped into the Charms classroom.

"Harry! Why'd you run off, mate?" Ron called out, bringing up the rear.

"I just. . .wanted to get to class early," he replied lamely, but Ron didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, wicked! You smuggled some toast out of the Great Hall! Awesome!" Ron reached over, and before Harry could stop him, grabbed the toast and stuffed it in his mouth. "You're the best, mate!" Conveniently, there weren't any seats left together, and without thinking, Harry sat between Seamus and Neville. It was only after Ron sat down did he notice that he had taken the seat next to Hermione.

Everyone in class was excited. Professor Flitwick told them that they were finally able to practice a spell today, after two months of theory! They were going to start with the levitation charm. Unfortunately for him, Harry was partnered with Seamus, Mr. It-blows-up-no-matter-what-I-do. Ron was paired with Hermione, and Harry had never seen either of them look so furious. Professor Flitwick reminded them all about wrist movement and pronunciation before turning them loose on their feathers.

After having to put their feather out and requesting a new one, Harry kept one ear open for Hermione's tutelage. Sure enough, she was lecturing Ron on pronunciation, and to further prove her point, she did the spell perfectly, earning points for their house. Following what he overheard, Harry performed the spell, albeit a little shakily.

"Very good Mister Potter! Five points to Gryffindor!" came Professor Flitwick's praise. Feeling pleased with himself, he tried to catch Ron's eye to share his success, but only got a glower in return, to his confusion. At the end of class, Harry still wished to apologize to Hermione for Ron's behavior at breakfast earlier, but even with her bushy hair, he lost her in the crowd. He found Ron easily enough, and as they walked, Harry mustered up the courage to ask about Ron's look from earlier, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the redhead cut him off.

"Bloody hell! That girl is a nightmare! She think she knows everything. No wonder she doesn't have any friends, she's completely insufferable!" Ron complained loudly.

Again, Harry opened his mouth to come to the bushy haired witch's defense, but he was nudged aside as Hermione herself blew past them, Ron getting the brunt of her 'attack'. Her steps gained speed until she was almost out of sight. This time, Harry sent a stern look at Ron before rushing after her. "What'd I do?" he complained grumpily before finding and catching up with Dean and Seamus.

Harry turned the corner to find Hermione gone, lost in the crowd of students headed to their next class. Thinking he might be able to catch up to her after Transfiguration, Harry turned around and headed there. It didn't even occur to him that Hermione, Gryffindor's academic pride and joy, would skip class.

Not knowing where she was for Transfiguration, Harry made sure to take legible notes to share with her. He had actually earned three house points for such note taking. After class, his whole year headed towards the Great Hall for lunch, and Harry followed after. Hermione was still missing, and so Harry started asking her dorm mates if they had seen her. Getting negatives from Parvati and Lavender, Harry could barely eat, his concern showing. Ron noticed his discomfort.

"Come off it, mate! She's probably hiding in her bed, doing what girls do. She has to be such a know-it-all, I'm sure she won't miss another class!"

Ron was wrong, and by the time they all had to head down to the Great Hall for the feast, Hermione still hadn't shown up. Worried still, Harry jumped when he was tapped on the shoulder. Turning, Parvati and Lavender were there. "We found out that Hermione's been holed up in the 1st floor bathroom all day. We tried getting her out, to at least go to our dorm," Lavender started.

"But whatever Weasley said to her made her think we were making fun of her, or that the Gryffindor tower was unsafe," Parvati finished.

Frowning, Harry replied, "I'll see what I can do." As the girls continued along with the group, Harry ducked to the side before heading where he thought the girls' bathroom. Finding it after a few minutes of searching, he knocked on the door before cracking it open.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" The quiet sobbing stopped suddenly, and there was a moment of silence, as if she was trying to compose herself.

"I-I'm fine," she finally replied. There was a moment of silence.

"Can I come in?" he asked tentatively. There was silence from her, so he hurriedly added, "I brought you notes from Transfiguration and History. My. . .my handwriting isn't the best, but I can help you decipher them, or something. We can spend Saturday studying. . ."

"You can come in," Hermione said softly. Pushing the door open, Harry entered the fabled girls' washroom. He didn't know what the big deal was about the girls' bathroom-besides lack of urinals, it looked exactly the same as the boys' bathroom.

Hermione was just coming out of the stall as he looked around, wiping her tears away as she mustered up a small smile. "You didn't have to take notes for me," she mumbled, heading over to the sink to wash her face.

"I wanted to," came his own mumbled reply. "I also wanted to thank you, and apologize, for earlier."

"For what?" She paused in her cleaning to look at him.

"I. . .I just wanted to thank you for thinking of me. You actively tried to include me and involve me. No one's ever done that before. So, thank you. For seeing and acknowledging me for me, not because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived." Hermione flushed at the praise, turning her attention back to her hands soaking under the water. As Harry continued on, she turned the tap off and dried her hands and face. "I also wanted to apologize for Ron's behavior. He was completely out of line this morning."

Upon hearing Ron's name, Hermione looked upset again. But as he continued, her expression softened. "Always, Harry. You had no control over earning that title. You are a human being. You are an individual. You deserve to be treated as such." Her expression then hardened as she leaned against the sink. "As for Ron," she started, crossing her arms as she bit her lip, thinking, "I will never forgive him until he come and apologizes to him himself, and he has to mean it, too! I will not be taken down by bullies!"

Nodding in agreement, used to defending himself from bullies himself, he opened his mouth to reply when he gagged slightly. Whirling around, he covered his nose as he backed up near Hermione. "Do you smell that?" She had no chance to reply, for the bathroom door opened up and the monster stepped in. He chanced a look at the brunette witch at his side to find her expression frozen in horror.

"It's a troll," she whimpered, hiding behind Harry. "Hide too thick for spells to penetrate, only the bravest witches and wizards try to take it on."

"Hermione, you run, I'll distract it!" Harry stated, drawing his wand and pointing it at the troll. Instead of heeding him, she latched onto his free arm.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Their talking drew the troll's attention, and Hermione screamed as they both had to duck, the troll having swept its club at them, smashing the sinks beside them.

Harry's eyes lit upon the club the troll was brandishing, and he backed up against the far wall, Hermione tucked behind him. "Do you remember the levitation charm?" he muttered to her, his eyes never leaving the creature before them. He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Let's see if the both of us can knock it out with its own club!" Clutching his hand tightly, Hermione nodded again before drawing her own wand.

"On the count of three," she agreed, silently praying for a miracle.

"1. . ."

"2. . ."

"3!" the both of them shouted before shouting the spell, just as the troll lifted its club high into the air to smash them both. When the weight of its weapon suddenly left its hand, the troll staggered forward before straightening. It looked up, confused, to find its club hovering above it, and it wasn't smart enough to move as Harry yelled, "Now!", both preteens releasing their spell so the club smashed the troll in the face, knocking it out.

The floor rumbled beneath their feet as the troll fell to the floor, and the two were left in silence, besides their ragged breathing and the broken pipes spewing water against the wall. Seconds later, the door burst open again, and Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell appeared, horror on their faces as they took in the sight of the troll. Both Harry and Hermione were shaking, Hermione's face pale in relief at seeing the teachers there.

"Mister Potter! Miss Granger! What are you doing here?!" McGonagall asked, the first to snap out of her shock, her lips whitening in her anger.

"It's my fault, Professor," Hermione said after a moment. "I've read about trolls and thought-"

"It's Ron's fault, Professor," Harry interrupted her, staring their head of house in the eye. "He had bullied Hermione at breakfast, and again after Charms this morning, and she's been crying in the bathroom since. I came to find her before the feast, and had convinced her to come to the Great Hall when the troll found us first." Professor McGonagall turned to look at Snape, who merely stayed silent and stared at Harry.

The young wizard looked to Professor Snape, beseeching the man with his eyes to believe him. Harry thought back on both times Ron had hurt Hermione, ready to tell the teachers about it. However, thinking about Ron bullying Hermione brought back all of the years of bullying by his own cousin, aunt, and uncle. After a few moments of silence, Harry opened his mouth to defend himself when Snape beat him to it.

"The boy speaks the truth, Minerva. The only one to punish should be the Weasley boy. For endangering fellow students, of course," the Slytherin head said silkily. Hermione clung to Harry's hand and he squeezed back in reassurance. Another long pause of silence, in which the two students endured painfully, before their head of house sighed, her expression looking not as severe as before.

"I will not be taking points from either of you, for you were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mister Potter, this is the one and only time you are allowed in the girl's bathroom. Make sure I never catch you in one again!" With a quick, "Yes Professor" from Harry, McGonagall was satisfied enough to turn her attentions to Hermione. "Miss Granger! Don't ever think of lying to a teacher again. Had Mister Potter not stood up for you, the both of you would be in much bigger trouble!" Since Hermione had the decency to look ashamed, McGonagall eased up her posture. "Now, come on you two. Let's get you back to Gryffindor Tower."

With a chorus of 'yes professor!' from Harry and Hermione, the three of them left Professors Snape and Quirrel to deal with the troll. Upon being deposited safely behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, the two found themselves surrounded by loud voices. Everyone was in the tower tonight, and it seemed like the feast had been brought to them.

"Harry! There you are!" Ron called out from the other side of the room and he made to go towards them, but stopped short at seeing Hermione there. So utterly exhausted by the day's events, the witch just didn't want to fight, and she tried to slink away. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, intent on facing the redhead together. Lifting his free hand up to wave at Ron just as Professor McGonagall ushered the redhead out of the Tower, Harry then led Hermione over to the table filled with food. With a gentle squeeze of the hand, the two separated long enough to grab plates and fill them. Harry took Hermione's plate while she grabbed them both goblets of pumpkin juice, and they found places on the floor next to the couches by the fireplace where they could enjoy their meal in peace. Parvati and Lavender joined them soon enough, expressing their relief at seeing Hermione feeling much better than before. The brunette could only smile at her dorm mates, unwilling to say anymore.

"So, Harry, did you still want to study with me on Saturday?" Hermione asked with a shy smile, almost afraid to look at him in case he changed his mind. Harry opened his mouth when he was interrupted, for the fifth time that day.

"Potter! Why'd you tell McGonagall I was the reason you two were in the bathroom when the troll hit?!" Ron yelled from the portrait hole. Grimacing, Harry waited for the redhead to get closer before replying.

"Because it's true, Ron. If you hadn't been mean to Hermione, she wouldn't have been in there, and I wouldn't have had to go look for her. And I'm sure you have something to say to Hermione, as well," Harry pointed out, standing to face his friend.

"I have nothing to say to her! She's ruined my weekends for the next month!"

"Then I have nothing to say to you, Ron," Harry replied, and he sat back down, just noticing that Parvati and Lavender had moved closer to Hermione, as if to protect her from Ron.

"What are you talking about, mate? We're friends, aren't we?" the redhead asked, confused.

"Not if you're going to treat my other friends like garbage," Harry replied. Glowering, Ron stalked off, and Harry turned his attention back to Hermione. "Yes, I would love to study with you on Saturday. Merlin knows my grades need it," he then joked. Hermione smiled in return.

That night was the start of a bond that would change lives for the better.

A/N2: Yes, I know it's the basic story of "let's omit Ron from the Troll scene and have Harry and Hermione bond together" trope, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for it. However, as someone who grew up being bullied, and know it's wrong, Harry wouldn't suddenly be friends with someone else who would bully another first year. I feel like it's one of the reasons he declined Draco's friendship. So if Ron truly wants to be friends with Harry, he's going to have to stop bullying those around him, trying to compensate for having five older brothers who probably did the same to him. So unless there's some growth on Ron's part, there's probably going to be little chance of him being in the golden trio.