Chapter 4 – Midnight Duels and Trolls
That evening Andrew meditated until he heard Ron whisper, "Half past eleven, we'd better go."
They got off their beds, made sure they had their wands or, in Andrew's case, lightsaber and left the dormitory. They got to the common room when a lamp was turned on, startling Harry and Ron.
It was Hermione.
"I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." She said.
"You! Go back to bed!" Ron snapped.
"I almost told your brother," she snapped back, Andrew just kept quiet, it didn't take long for Ron to just leave. She followed, trying to insult the boys into not going, accusing them of not caring for Gryffindor. Ron told her to go away and she gave up, trying to return to bed, only to find that The Fat Lady was gone. She caught up with the boys at the end of the corridor.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
"You are not!" Ron told her.
She simply stated that she was pretty much using them to save her own skin if Filch caught her, Ron told her that she had some nerve, but Harry told them to shut up since he'd heard something.
"It's Neville," Andrew murmured.
And sure enough it was, he'd been released from the hospital wing, having taken something for his trauma, and couldn't get to bed because he forgot the new password.
"Well the password's 'Pig snout', but it won't do you any good, The Fat Lady's gone," Andrew told him.
"How're you feeling?" Harry asked.
"Fine, thanks for catching me Andrew," he answered, Andrew simply nodded in an 'anytime' way, but they had to get going and Neville panicked at the idea of being by himself again and came with them.
They made their way down the corridors, moonlight pouring through the windows and making the corridors eerily beautiful, it didn't take a Jedi to figure out that Harry was worried about getting caught, but they eventually got to the trophy room without any trouble.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Starr weren't there yet, and Andrew suspected that Goyle would turn up with them. he took the spare time to look at the various trophies that lined the room.
"Hey Harry, I didn't know you're Dad played Seeker too, at least, I'm guessing James Potter is your Dad," Andrew stated in mild surprise, Harry rushed over and looked at the trophy, it commemorated the effort of the Gryffindor Quidditch team of 1985 in winning the cup without a single conceded goal, James Potter played Captain and Seeker for the team.
"They're late, maybe they chickened out," Ron whispered.
"A Sith Lord chicken out?" asked Andrew sarcastically. "Even an apprentice wouldn't do that, they may run from a fight they know they can't win rather than die, but they'd never chicken out before turning up."
Then Andrew sensed it before he heard it.
"Sniff around my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch talking to Mrs Norris, they quickly crept towards the opposite door; Neville's robes only just got out of sight when the caretaker and his damned cat entered the trophy room.
Harry motioned for everyone to follow him and they did so, quietly and calmly. Neville lost his nerve when they heard Filch getting closer and bolted, except that he tripped and fell into a suit of armour, taking Ron with him.
The noise was loud enough to wake the entire castle "RUN!" Harry yelled and the five of them sprinted down the corridor, Andrew carrying Neville over his shoulders so that he wouldn't trip again.
Andrew simply followed Harry, not knowing or caringwhere they were going, it wasn't until they reached the Charms classroom that any of them stopped running.
"I toldyou," Hermione wheezed.
"Ok Hermione, no need to rub it in, we were set up, no biggie, we just need to get back to the common room, ASAP," Andrew stated as calmly as possible.
"Let's go," Harry said.
But before they'd even walked a few steps, Peeves came shooting out of a classroom.
"(This isn't going to go well,)" Andrew thought as the poltergeist started squealing in delight.
"Shut up Peeves, please, you'll get us thrown out," Hermione pleaded.
He just cackled "Wandering around at midnight, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."
"Not if you don't give us away Peeves, please." Neville was the one begging now.
"Should tell Filch, I should," he said in a mock-saint voice, his eyes glinting evilly, "it's for your own good you know."
"Get out of the way," Ron snapped at he swiped at Peeves "(Idiot!)" thought Andrew.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"
They ducked under Peeves and ran like a mad man with a machete was chasing them on a motorcycle, given that Filch wouldn't be far behind them there wasn't much difference.
They ran to the end of the corridor, up some steps and slammed into a locked door.
"This is it!" Ron whined while forcing all of his weight against the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"
Andrew could hear Filch running towards Peeves' shouts, he was just about to Force push the door, off its hinges if necessary, but Hermione shoved him out of the way.
"Oh move over!" she snarled, she grabbed Harry's wand and whispered, "Alohomora!" as she tapped the lock, the door opened and they scrammed themselves through it.
"Which way did they go Peeves!" they could hear Filch demand "quick, tell me!"
"Say 'please'."
"Don't mess me about Peeves now where did they go?" he insisted.
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves said in a sing-song voice, Andrew started shaking since he'd foreseen what was coming next.
"All right, please," Filch growled.
"NOTHING! Ha haa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" Peeves flew away cackling and Filch cursed in rage.
Andrew never got the chance to laugh, he sensed an cascading wave of fear, and a feral rage; he turned slowly and stared into the three faces of a huge three-headed dog.
"What?" Harry snapped at Neville as he turned to see what Neville was tugging on his sleeve for.
"Oh, Fulham!" Andrew said trying his best not to swear as the dog started to growl. "Um, Harry, now might be the best time to leave, with haste!"
Andrew turned in time to see Harry, Ron and Hermione fall backwards out of the door with Neville jumping after them. One of the heads went for Andrew, who flipped backwards onto it then bounded forwards, through the open door. He somersaulted and slammed the door shut with the Force.
They ran, almost flying, back to the common room, thankfully Filch was gone.
"Where on earth have you all been?" The Fat Lady asked.
"Never mind that," Ron half-shouted.
"Pig snout, pig snout," they all panted, she swung forward and they practically dived into the common room and collapsed into armchairs.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron asked indignantly after about five minutes total silence.
"A creature that big wouldn't be there without reason, we've just not been told what that reason is," Andrew reasoned.
At that point Hermione's breath and anger returned.
"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"
Harry was about to make a sarcastic comment but Andrew help up a hand to stop him "No, but I take it that you did?" he asked.
"It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." She said in her usual bossy voice.
She soon stormed off to bed, saying something about them all nearly getting killed or expelled, making it clear that she thought expulsion was the worse of the two.
Ron shook his head after her "She needsto sort out her priorities," he said and the boys went to bed themselves.
"Night guys," Andrew said to their retreating forms.
"You not going to bed?" Neville asked, speaking for the first time since meeting that dog.
"I won't be able to sleep after what we just went through, not without meditating first," Andrew explained as he settled himself in front of the fire and started to focus, causing everything that wasn't screwed down to float around the room, the furniture simply hovered over the spots they normally stayed in.
The next morning Percy walked into the common room to see Andrew in a lotus position, breathing quietly, with one or two objects hovering around his head, they seemed to take them selves to pieces and then pull back together.
"Might I ask what you're doing out of bed?" he asked Andrew, who dropped the objects as his concentration broke.
"I couldn't sleep, and meditating in my room is rather impossible with your brother's snoring," he explained while getting shakily to his feet. "Don't worry, it's not the first time I've done an all-nighter and it certainly won't be the last."
"I see," Percy said curtly and made his way to the portrait hole while Andrew went to put on some clean robes.
When Andrew, Harry and Ron got down to breakfast Andrew couldn't help but glance at the Slytherin table, to say that Malfoy was shocked to see them would have been an understatement.
Harry and Ron however thought of the previous night as an adventure and couldn't wait to have another; they spent a great amount of time discussing what was under the trapdoor while thinking of ways to get back at Malfoy and Jax.
Andrew got his chance at his next training session that weekend, he went one on one with Jax and won, and when Jax tried turning to the Force Andrew picked him up, from about five metres away and tossed him into the lake.
Harry and Ron got their revenge exactly one week after the flying lesson. As normal the owls flew in through the high windows, everyone was curious as to what was inside the long thin package being carried by six owls, whatever it was it was being sent to Harry, another owl followed close behind, dropping a note which Harry read first.
Andrew paid more attention to his own post, he'd received a new power source for his lightsaber from his master, some new trainers from his parents and a lovely card from Mel, all for his birthday, Andrew had to read the card, in detail, later since a note was shoved into his hand, detailing that the parcel was a Nimbus Two Thousand that Harry would start his Quidditch training that evening, Andrew took the hint and left the Great Hall, loaded with his presents, so that they could give the broom a once over.
They couldn't get upstairs, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Starr were completely blocking the stairs, Starr ripped the package from Harry's grasp and Malfoy caught it.
"That's a broomstick," he declared after he'd felt it, Andrew tore it from his hands and back to Harry, Malfoy had a look of jealously on his face, which quickly turned to spite, "you'll be in it this time Potter, first-years aren't allowed them."
Ron couldn't hold it back anymore "It's not just any broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry and Andrew. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."
Malfoy scowled. "What would you know about it Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," he snapped, "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."
Andrew thought that was hitting slightly below the belt and was about to throw Malfoy into the ceiling when Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he asked in his squeaky little voice.
"Potter's been sent a broomstick Professor," Starr stated, earning a cold look from Malfoy who wanted to get Harry in trouble.
"Yes, yes, that's right," he squeaked while beaming at Harry, Andrew was starting to think that Force throwing Malfoy wasn't as much fun as this. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances Potter. And what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," Harry answered while fighting not to laugh at the look of horror and outrage on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I got It." he finished, just to add insult to injury, okay maybe it was the other way around, but never mind it was still hilarious.
The Gryffindor boys headed upstairs, waiting until they were out of earshot before bursting into laughter.
"Well it's true," Harry laughed "if he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be in the team …"
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Hermione snapped from behind them.
"I thought you weren't talking to us?" said Harry, and it was true, she hadn't said a word to them since that run in with the dog.
"Yes, don't stop now," added Ron "it's doing us so much good."
She marched away with her nose in the air, Andrew sensed the hurt coming from her, and that was what drove him to his next act.
Ron was slammed against a wall and lifted, through the Force, by his throat.
"That was highly uncalled for!" Andrew snapped darkly.
"Yeah … well she can't … just leave us alone!" Ron struggled to say thanks to the pressure against his throat.
"And?" asked Andrew.
"Well … I have no excuse really," he finished defeated, at which Andrew released him.
"When you next see her, if she'll let you, I'd appreciate you apologising to her," Andrew told him.
Throughout the day Harry was distracted and Andrew could tell why, his thoughts were drifting to a certain broomstick in their dormitory. Ron was having no luck at even approaching Hermione; every time he tried she'd walk away from him.
In the end he decided to help Ron and motioned him to talk to him during History of Magic.
"Here, sign this," Andrew whispered to him, Ron read the note that Andrew passed him.
Dear Hermione
I apologise for what I said this morning, it was uncalled for and cruel, please feel free to talk to myself, Harry, or anyone that you wish to at any time you like.
Forgive me, please.
"I noticed that she's avoiding you, maybe she'll allow me to pass her a note from you," Andrew suggested, Ron nodded in agreement and signed the note.
At the end of class Andrew quickly slipped the note into Hermione's pocket and kept walking, in Potions Hermione noticed it and after that class she walked up to Ron.
"I know full well that these words are not yours, but did you mean them?" she asked.
Ron nodded "Yeah, I shouldn't have said what I did, okay so you're bossy and care for the rules too much but it doesn't mean I have to bully you for it."
Andrew smirked at his words; they were rudely said, but not meant to be unkind.
"Thank you for your honesty, and apology accepted," she said politely and walked off.
That evening Harry could've choked to death with the rate he was eating his food, as was Ron, after they'd waited impatiently for Andrew to finish the three of them rushed upstairs and unwrapped Harry's parcel.
The twigs were perfectly even; the handle was a sleek and shiny mahogany and at the top, in gold letters, were the words 'Nimbus Two Thousand'.
"Wow," Andrew whistled as Ron sighed the same word.
As seven o'clock drew near Harry left, Ron wanted to go but he was getting behind on his homework, Andrew was keeping his in check and offered to help Ron while he built a new lightsaber with the power source Jarod had given him.
As Ron finished his essay for McGonagall he noticed what Andrew was doing, he was sitting on a cushion in front of the fire in a lotus position, his hands resting on his knees and an assortment of metal parts and a crystal on the floor before him.
As Ron watched, Hermione sat next to him and started getting her homework out. She too noticed Andrew and pushed her homework aside; she wanted to know what Andrew was doing but was too polite to ask him.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked.
"Building my new lightsaber," Andrew answered calmly as the pieces lifted off the ground slowly.
"Oh, would you mind if I wrote down what you're doing? I've never seen a Jedi building a lightsaber before and I'd like to memorise it," said Hermione, catching Ron off guard and he jumped, causing Andrew to smirk.
"Sure, but try not to write too loudly, this takes a lot of concentration," Andrew answered and continued.
The parts rose further into the air and floated in front of Andrew's face, all at an agonisingly slow pace. The parts started to move closer to each other, creating two halves of the weapon the casing was going to be a silvery colour while the blade was going to be blue, that's what the hovering crystal was for.
Now the top half was finished, as was the bottom, all that was needed was for the two to be put together with the crystal sitting in there comfortably. The process was nearly finished, when Harry walked into the common room and broke Andrew's concentration and the weapon shattered, the pieces littering the floor before Andrew.
He huffed slightly through his nose "(Hmm, maybe I should do this later,)" he thought "Hi Harry," he said aloud, trying to sound cheerful, "need some help with your homework?"
The next two weeks went by slowly and uneventfully, the only thing of real interest being Harry's struggle to balance homework with Quidditch training, Andrew chose to forgo building his lightsaber to help Harry keep up, knowing that sometime soon, he'd have plenty of time.
He got his first inkling on October the first, it was a long and slow Tuesday and every one of the first-year students was exhausted after dinner, except for Andrew, and as his friends finished their homework and dragged themselves up to bed, the Jedi told them he was going to finish reading a book he'd borrowed from the library, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.
The next morning he ran into Percy again, he had just finished the last page and was still fully alert.
"Ron kept you awake again?" he asked.
"No, just got caught up in this," Andrew answered, showing him the book.
"Oh yes, fascinating read!" Percy exclaimed, passing the book back. "You spent all night reading it?"
"I'm like that most of the time, once I get into a good book, I can't put it down," Andrew chuckled, excusing himself to head up to his dorm and change. It was another fairly slow day, not helped by the History of Magic class, that evening, Andrew and Ron accompanied Harry to Quidditch practise, where Andrew learned the finer points of the game and its rules, given that on the train they had been interrupted.
That night Andrew couldn't sleep again, by now he knew exactly why, but he couldn't do anything about it so he built his lightsaber again, this time without any interruptions, it was identical to his normal one, except that this one was built to hold his wand and channel magic too.
The idea was to give him an advantage in battle, and he planned to test it that weekend against Mel.
"So, what to do now?" Andrew thought aloud.
"You could go to bed young master," said a squeaky voice, puzzled Andrew looked around.
"Professor Flitwick, how did you get in here?" he asked.
"I is not Professor Flitwick young master, but I is needing to do my work done," said the voice, Andrew spun around as the voice had gotten behind him, either the Force was strong with this creature or it was immune to his senses.
"What work would that be my friend?" he asked.
"Cleaning up this common room young sir," it squeaked, Andrew could tell now that the voice was male.
"Well there's no need to hide, come on out," Andrew said kindly and from a dark corner came a little creature with batty ears, large brown eyes and it was wearing a tea-towel as a loincloth which had the Hogwarts crest on it, "and what's your name?"
"Fane sir, Fane the house elf," he squeaked.
"I'm Andrew Payne, the Jedi Padawan, it's a pleasure to meet you Fane," Andrew said while holding out his hand, the elf seemed reluctant to take it, he bowed instead.
"If you'll forgive me sir, I must be getting my work done," and with that he bustled around the room.
"Here, allow me to help," Andrew said, the elf instantly became offended as Andrew raised his hand.
"Forgive my saying so sir, but we house elves are meant to work without help," Fane said with a hint of a snap on his lips.
"Forgive my rudeness, but that sounds very much like slavery to me," Andrew stated.
"In my opinion it is only slavery when the elf in question is poorly treated; otherwise it is the greatest privilege to serve," Fane answered matter-of-factly.
"Forgive me, it was not my intention to be rude," Andrew apologised while taking a seat out of Fane's way.
"Sir, it is nearly midnight, why is you not in bed?" Fane asked honestly, sounding as though he were afraid he was being rude.
"I have a … medical condition, I was diagnosed with it when I was five, then again at eight, than againlast year, once a year now it seems, and for the rest of my life." He explained, but Fane looked puzzled, Andrew chuckled at the thoughts he could feel from him "The medical term is Nodormiunus, put simply for the next few weeks I'm going to find it impossible to sleep, it's a very rare condition that thankfully isn't hereditary."
"I am never hearing of it young master," squeaked Fane, he quickly finished his cleaning while saying, "I am sorry for your suffering."
Andrew laughed mirthlessly. "The only thing that makes me suffer is the boredom, most people tend to go to bed while I'm left wide awake with nothing to do and no one to do it with," he explained while standing up and heading for the portrait hole.
"Where is you going Andrew Payne?" Fane asked.
"Well, Dumbledore needs to know what's happening to me, and what will happen after my insomnia wears off," at Fane's puzzled look he added, "once I become tired, which can be anytime after four weeks, I'm literally going to pass out and become comatose for about a week."
A look of understanding something plastered the elf's face and Andrew left, realised something important and, after giving the password to The Fat Lady, he re-entered the common room.
"Fane?" he asked as the elf made a pile of rubbish disappear.
"Yes, Andrew Payne, sir?"
"I just realised that I have no idea where the headmaster's office is, could you show me the way?" Andrew asked, Fane squeaked repeatedly and Andrew realised that he was laughing.
"Yes sir of course I can," he squeaked through his hands, trying to stop himself from laughing any more.
Andrew waited patiently for Fane to finish his work and followed him out of the common room and through the castle.
They met up with Filch, who tried to threaten Andrew with a detention that would have him hanging from his toes in the dungeon.
Andrew wasn't too pleased with the threat so he said "You haven't seen me here," with a casual wave of his hand.
"I 'aven't seen you 'ere," he repeated.
"You want to carry on with your rounds."
"I want to carry on with me rounds," and with that he walked off, Fane just shrugged and carried on. The next person they walked into was Snape.
"This young sir urgently needs to see the headmaster, sir," he squeaked and Snape simply told them to get moving.
"And if I ever catch you in the corridors at night again Payne it will be a detention!"
Andrew was sorely tempted to mind trick him too, but he could tell he wasn't as weak-minded as Filch.
The last teacher they encountered was McGonagall, who simply asked Fane to continue with his work in other parts of the castle and escorted Andrew herself.
Once they arrived at a gargoyle and McGonagall gave it the password, the gargoyle jumped aside and Andrew stepped onto a moving staircase, once at the top he knocked on a huge door and heard Dumbledore say "Enter".
"Evening professor," Andrew said as he entered, he looked at a nearby clock and corrected himself "or should I say morning."
Dumbledore smiled at the little joke, he was taking off a dressing gown and about to climb into his bead, his pyjamas were purple with gold stars.
"What can I help you with Andrew?" he asked while tossing the gown aside and sitting behind his desk.
Andrew filled him in on his medical condition and the eventual effects.
"So in a way I'm asking for permission to skip lessons for about a week in four weeks time and for any advice that you can give me for avoiding total boredom at night," he concluded.
"As for the permission for skipping classes, you have it, and I shall inform your teachers, under the condition that you stay in the hospital wing for observation. As for what to do at night, I suppose you can also have my permission to explore a little, but not tonight, I need some time to inform my staff about you roaming the corridors. Just remember to inform me about it next year." Dumbledore said.
"I have no idea when that might be sir, my condition is unpredictable, I never know when it's going to start, or how long it's going to last. I only know that when my insomnia wares off, I'll be comatose for a week, and that I'll have to put up with this once a year, every year for the rest of my life."
"Not to worry Andrew, now that I am aware of it, we shall do whatever is necessary to help you manage." Dumbledore said cheerfully. "If you'd like something to do tonight I have a rather vast collection of muggle novels if you'd like to browse through them." Andrew beamed and shot towards the bookshelf.
When Dumbledore awoke in the morning he found his entire bookshelf had been rearranged, into alphabetical order of what Andrew had read, it seemed that he read rather fast, he also discovered that his desk had been converted into a work bench, on which Andrew was building a small spherical device.
"What are you doing?" he asked, Andrew just shrugged and pressed a button on the device; it floated off the desk and started making its way around the room. Andrew then pulled out a small screen and turned it on, it turned out that the device was a camera of some sort that was transmitting to that screen, it returned to Andrew and he turned it off, pocketing it.
"Something I get up to when I'm overly bored, I invent things," he explained before he left for breakfast. "By the way, I'd already read most of the books you've got."
Dumbledore dressed quickly and followed him, Andrew handed the screen to the headmaster once he'd caught up, "In case I need to contact you," he said then he ran off and tested the range, he was able to contact Dumbledore from anywhere within Hogwarts, he also explained that the screen could call the 'probe' as he called it.
It was breakfast time and the only eventful thing was Harry and Ron rushing into the Great Hall to inform Professor McGonagall that Andrew seemed to be missing, but she calmly pointed out that they had both run right past him on their way to the teacher's table.
"Okay, what's going on, that's two days in a row that you've gotten up before us and normally we have to pull you out of bed by your feet," Ron asked, slightly angry.
"Uhhh … my sleeping habits have improved?" Andrew said, trying to lie his way out of this situation.
The looks on his friends' faces clearly said that they weren't convinced.
"Okay, I've got a rare medical condition, for the next month, at least, I'm not going to be able to sleep for even a second, you can give me sleeping pills, concussion, nothing short of killing me is going to get me a wink of sleep," he explained.
"That's weird," said Ron, confirming Andrew's fears.
"How long have you had this condition?" Harry asked.
"All my life," Andrew answered, "I first suffered with it when I was five, then when I was eight and again when I was ten, according to medical records it becomes more frequent as the 'patient' gets older, but never more frequent than a year."
"So what do you do with your spare time?" Ron asked he was trying to get his head around a person not sleeping.
"Read, watch TV …"
"Not happening here," Harry chimed in.
"Invent random … stuff, anything to avoid boredom, since nobody stays up the whole night." Andrew finished.
They spent breakfast talking about ways that Andrew could have some company, since for the most part his condition caused him nightly solitude.
"Hang about," Ron suddenly said, "you said that your not sleeping for the next month right?" Andrew nodded "So what happens when you do get some sleep?"
"Ah, I had a word with Dumbledore about that, he wants me in the Hospital wing for observation because I'll practically be comatose for about a week," Andrew told them casually.
"Cool, a whole week off lessons," Fred said, having been eavesdropping.
"And then about two weeks catching up," Andrew countered.
Harry guaranteed that between him and Ron, Andrew wouldn't fall behind, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it, so there was no point in worrying about it now.
For the rest of October, Andrew spent his evenings helping his friends with their homework, leaving his to tackle overnight while he was alone, it gave him something to do. Once his homework was finished, he would get up, leave the common room and wonder around the castle by the light of his blade.
Things remained quiet really, until Halloween. The morning started off with Harry and Ron meeting Andrew at breakfast, he'd neglected to go back to Gryffindor Tower after his night-long stroll.
"Still awake?" Ron asked, pointlessly. Andrew responded by letting his head sag forward while he pretended to snore.
"Very funny," Harry added, sarcastically. "It's gotta be getting close though, right?"
Andrew sighed. "There's no way to really tell, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't describe how suddenly it happens, I only ever remember feeling slightly drowsy all of a sudden and then waking up in a hospital bed. One time I actually had a caste on my arm because I fell out a window!"
"Ouch!" Ron hissed. "We better make sure you stay between us for a while."
Andrew smiled gratefully and tucked into his pumpkin pie as the others took seats on either side of him and placed some food on their own plates.
"Best eat up quickly boys," Percy called from a little down the table. "Your first class will be starting soon."
The three of them wolfed down their meals and ran off to Charms.
"For the past two months we have been learning theory and practising wrist movements, so today we are going to have our first attempt at levitating some objects," Flitwick squeaked, reminding Andrew vividly of Fane, he placed everyone into pairs, Andrew was with Neville, Harry with Seamus and Ron with Hermione. The task was to take the feather each pair had been provided with and make it float into the air and back down.
He reminded them of the swish and flick and set them off; Andrew got it on his first attempt and started showing Neville how to do it.
Seamus tried prodding his and Harry's feather with his wand and set it on fire, Harry had to put it out with his hat, Ron wasn't getting anywhere and got sulky when Hermione got it on her first try.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said when they were in the corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."
At those words Hermione barged past them, tears halfway down her cheeks.
"I think she heard you." Harry pointed out.
"So?" said Ron, looking a tad uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
Andrew sighed and placed his head in one of his hands "You know what? I give up on you."
And without another word he stormed off after her, he would've told her to ignore Ron, but she ran into a girls toilet and Andrew was too much the gentleman to go in after her, so he carried on to class. Ron tried catching his eye but Andrew was too angry with both of his friends to speak to them at the moment. He didn't want to say something he'd regret later.
It wasn't until they were on their way to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast that Andrew spoke to them, they overheard Parvati Patil telling Lavender Brown that Hermione was crying in the same girls toilet that Andrew saw her run into and wanted to be left alone, Harry looked guilty about it, even though he'd technically done nothing wrong, and Andrew could sense and see Ron's guilt, even if he'd never say anything.
They enjoyed the food, Andrew especially liked the live bats that were flying everywhere, and they talked about apologising to Hermione the very second that they next saw her, but the good mood was spoiled by Professor Quirrell bursting into the Hall screaming.
"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" he stopped his sprint about midway down the Hall. "Thought you ought to know." He barely managed to finish his sentence when he fainted.
Dead silence for a split second before the majority of the students began to scream and start running for the door.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore bellowed as he stood. "Everyone will, please, not panic!" he ordered. "Now, students will follow their Prefects to their dormitories, teachers, will follow me, to the dungeons." And with that Percy Weasley jumped up and ordered first-years to follow him.
They were halfway down the corridor that led to the Grand Staircase when Andrew stopped dead, causing Ron and then Harry to walk into him, they were wondering between them how a troll could get in.
"It doesn't matter," Andrew said.
"What?" asked Ron.
"Hermione!" Andrew exclaimed as he turned to them, other Gryffindors just forcing their way around them. "She doesn't know about the troll!" without another word he ran off, Ron and Harry following close behind.
They had to hide along the way since they heard footsteps following them; it turned out to be Snape who was heading to the third floor.
After Snape vanished they heard loud grunting and shuffling footsteps.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the troll left the dungeon," Andrew said in a light hearted whisper.
"How are you so calm?!" Ron hissed.
"It's my training," Andrew answered with a shrug. Then he grinned as he said, "this is where the fun begins."
The troll was walking towards them, the smell was overloading their senses, almost making them gag and give away their position. It came to a large doorway and decided to go in, they noticed the key was in the lock and decided to shut it in.
After that was done they started to walk away, Andrew dusting his hands off and saying "All in a days work, now let's get to Hermione," then they heard her scream.
"Oh crap," Andrew said as they turned back to the door.
"That was the girls' toilets!" Harry and Ron gasped.
"HERMIONE!" they all yelled together and bolted for the door, Andrew drawing his lightsaber and Forcing the door off its hinges.
Hermione was cowering in the corner as the troll advanced on her, breaking sinks as it went, but the sound of the door smashing its way across the room drew its attention. Ron started throwing random bits of broken … everything at the troll while Harry tried to sneak around it to get to Hermione, once he did he tried to get her to move, but she was too terrified.
The troll was being driven berserk by the shouting, echoes and random objects and it darted for Ron, causing Andrew to, literally, leap into action. As it took a swing at Ron and Andrew, the Jedi pushed his friend back into the wall, leaping onto the club and springing onto the troll's chest. He charged up a powerful Force push and shoved it back hard.
Harry took the chance and dragged Hermione over to Ron as Andrew landed gracefully on the floor, the troll righted itself and took another swing at the Padawan, but he leapt to his right, somersaulting onto one of the stalls, then off it and over the troll's head as its club demolished the wooden structure with another swing.
Gripping the troll's forehead, Andrew ignited his lightsaber and held the blade near its neck threatening it, but it just grabbed him, bashed him on the head with its club and threw him into a wall.
Andrew lay still, reeling in the pain he was now feeling. His head was bleeding and every inch of his body ached, but he forced himself to his feet, an angry glint in his eye, the troll was now advancing on Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Andrew had other plans.
"OY!" he bellowed, the troll turned to face the noise, confused that Andrew was actually standing. "You three might wanna take cover!" he growled as electricity started to crackle around his arms, hands and fingertips. They noticed and took refuge behind the one stall wall that wasn't smashed.
Allowing every ounce of his rage to flow down his arms to his fingertips, Andrew raised his hands towards the troll and let out a roar of rage as lightning flew from his fingers, barely making a dent, so Andrew picked it up and threw it into the wall where the cubicles were, then into the mirrors on the other side of the room. He dropped it there, he then picked up the club it had dropped and threw that at the troll, followed by the only intact sink, which Andrew used to mercilessly batter the troll's head with. After the sink had turned purple from the trolls blood, Andrew drew his lightsaber, fully intent on killing it, before Harry and Ron grabbed an arm each to hold him back.
That was when McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell charged in trying to find out what was causing al the noise.
"Cool it Andrew!" Harry yelled.
"Yeah, I think you got it mate," Ron added.
Professor Quirrell examined the troll and Hermione tentatively stepped up to him.
"Is it … dead?" she asked.
"N-n-no, j-j-j-just unc-c-c-conscious," he stuttered, pointing his wand and healing the cuts made from Andrew's bludgeoning.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" McGonagall exploded. "You're lucky you weren't killed!"
"Hardly," Andrew breathed icily, he was only just audible to Harry and Ron who were still restraining him; he was giving death glares to the troll as a trickle of blood fell from a gash over his left eye.
"Why weren't you in your dormitory?" McGonagall demanded.
"Please Professor McGonagall … they were looking for me." Hermione said shamefully.
"Miss Granger!" McGonagall was shocked.
"I went looking for the troll because I … I thought I could deal with it on my own … you know, because I've read all about them." She explained.
At this Andrew dropped his lightsaber, deactivating it, Ron dropped his wand and Harry dropped his jaw, they were in total shock at Hermione telling a downright lie to a teacher. But she pressed on.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry carried me to safety while Ron distracted it and Andrew smashed it into the walls and knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." She finished.
Harry and Ron tried to look as if the whole story was true; Andrew didn't need much effort since his part in the whole affair was accurate, minus one little detail.
"I only have one question," Snape started, he pointed at Andrew's eye and asked, "what did that Payne?"
Harry and Ron let Andrew go so that he could explain, he stood straight as if nothing happened and said, "Well you see that little crack in the wall?" he pointed to where the troll had thrown him, it was hardly a small crack, more like a gaping hole, but Snape nodded. "Well Tubby here thought it'd be interesting to see if I could pass through solid objects and threw me face first, but I'm fine honest," he would have been convincing if he hadn't swayed slightly as he said it, his blood dripping off his jaw to the floor.
The sway seemed to escape the teacher's notice, though not his bleeding. "Well, I'll have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you Payne," McGonagall said, Andrew nodded, there was the chance of concussion, her gaze shot to Hermione "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Harry and Ron were speechless. Hermione was the last person on earth to break the rules and she was now pretending that she had in order to get them out of trouble, it was about as unbelievable as Snape handing out sweets. What got Andrew was the fact that they were buying her story.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this, I'm very disappointed in you, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower, the students are finishing the feast in their houses." McGonagall told them, and Hermione left. "As for you three, well I still say that you were very lucky, regardless of your abilities as a Jedi, Mr Payne, you still came out fairly beaten, but then again not many first-years could have taken on a fully grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale. Therefore five points; will be awarded to each of you. You may go, Madam Pomfrey will be sent to your common room to tend to that eye Mr Payne."
They didn't speak until they got two floors up, Andrew had started to stumble around and the others helped him.
"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.
"Technically it was only ten, she did take five points from Hermione, but don't be greedy, she could've takenpoints rather than given them, ouch!" Harry pointed out, Andrew groaned and hissed, as pain shot through his ribs.
Ron tilted his head to the side in a conceding nod "Good of her, to get us out of trouble I mean," Ron admitted, "mind you, we didsave her."
"We wouldn't have needed to save her if we hadn't locked that thing in with her," Harry reminded him, Andrew laughed manically then.
"Did you see the way I threw that thing around like a rag doll?" he giggled Ron was starting to think that maybe Andrew had some brain damage.
"Yeah mate, how'd you do that electricity thing?" Harry asked.
"Oh Force Lightning? Jedi aren't normally supposed to use it, mainly cause it's difficult to use it and not slip into the dark side, but I had to let my anger out somehow, and besides, I didn't kill that thing did I?" Andrew answered and giggled again, "Pig snout." He sang to The Fat Lady once they got there.
They hoisted Andrew into the common room and Hermione cleared a chair for them to put him in. "What happened to him?" Lee Jordan asked.
"Oh nothing much, just a mountain troll trying to turn me into an aeroplane," Andrew answered, beginning to see the room spin.
Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room, muttering something about mad children, she gave Andrew a potion for his head, healed his cut eyebrow and fixed his broken ribs, within minutes he was bouncing around, eating food and telling jokes as if nothing was ever wrong.
"Keep an eye on him." She told Percy, who nodded, nobody understood why Andrew was so active; except Harry and Ron, who filled Hermione in.
"Oh, Nodormiunus! My Great Uncle Matthew had it," she said, seeing Andrew in a slightly different light, "how long has it been since he slept?"
"Not since the first of the month, I think," Ron answered, it seemed strange to him that he was getting along so well with her, but from afar Andrew understood entirely, the four of them would soon be seen as the closest of friends. Because there are some things that you can't share without ending up at least liking each other, most of the time it was near-death experiences, but knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll, definitely came near the top of the list.