A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

His first conscious thought was that it didn't seem like he was in the same place he'd ended up after that long walk into the forest. He was lying on something soft that felt similar to the bed he'd been on when the curse hit him. There was something on his chest pushing him down into the soft surface below him and he thought he heard someone crying. As he became more alert the crying became louder until he realized that whoever was crying was also trying to speak between sobs.

"Please…don't…me. Come…to…Harry. Please!" No more words were uttered as the person completely broke down and Harry finally realized it was Hermione. He was back in the room of requirement. It had worked and, unlike last time, he hadn't ended up in someplace between life and death to get some last words of wisdom from someone who'd already moved on to the other side like Dumbledore had the first time. He opened his eyes to see Hermione with her head and upper body lying on his chest while Neville stood next to her trying to comfort her while watching to see if he woke up. He reached up and caressed the back of her head while briefly meeting Neville's eyes. Neville started to speak but Harry beat him to it.

"I told you it would work," he said softly as his fingers got tangled in her soft curls.

She looked up then launched herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck and, if anything began sobbing harder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her just as tightly deciding firmly that he could never have been happy in heaven without her there with him. He continued to hold her until she calmed down. She pulled back to kiss him then hugged him again.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear.

"For what?" he asked her genuinely confused.

"For coming back to me," she responded. "I don't think I could've handled it if I'd killed you."

He carefully rolled to his side causing her to roll with him and soon they were both on their sides facing each other. He then reached out and caressed her face as he met her eyes.

"It wouldn't have been your fault," he said firmly. "I asked you to do it. I'm the one who should be thanking you. Having you to come back to was all the motivation I needed to survive."

She kissed him again and soon they were lost in each other until the sound of a throat clearing reminded them that they weren't alone. They quickly parted and looked up at their friend.

"Sorry Nev," Harry said apologetically. "Thanks for being here for Hermione."

"No problem mate," he responded. "I'm just glad it worked." He gave them a knowing smile as he continued. "Now that it's done, it's clear that I'm not needed anymore so I think I'll head back to the dorm and go to bed. We've got early classes tomorrow so don't stay up too late. Goodnight."

"Night Nev," they responded in unison grateful to him for giving them some time alone. Once he was gone, Harry turned back to the girl next to him.

"We've really got to learn to control ourselves when we're not alone," he told her. "Poor Nev's already missing Luna and our displays of affection are a constant reminder of what he's missing."

She nodded her head in agreement. "I know and we'll work on it Harry," she responded. "But later, right now, we actually are alone."

She immediately closed the distance and silenced any arguments he might try to make by covering his lips with hers. He, however, had no intention of arguing against what he thought was brilliant logic and responded in kind. They continued to kiss for few minutes until he felt her start to pull up his shirt like she was trying to remove it. He quickly grabbed her hands while breaking the kiss and moved back far enough to meet her eyes.

"Uhh, Hermione," he started still trying to calm his hormones from the kiss. "I know we're adults in our minds and have, well, been together before, but our bodies are only eleven and twelve years old. I don't think they're developed enough to..."

He trailed off as she gave him the look she usually gave Ron when he'd said something incredibly stupid, which, being that it was Ron, was quite often. Harry, however, had almost never gotten that look and knew he'd really stuck his foot in it if he ever did.

"Honestly Harry," she responded in full lecture mode and he was momentarily reminded of the lectures about rule breaking she given him and Ron during their first year the first time around. "I'm well aware that our bodies haven't had the experiences our minds have. I know they're not ready yet and won't be for some time." Her expression turned pleading and her tone softened as she continued. "I just wanted to feel you. I was really scared that I was going to lose you and just wanted to reassure myself that I wasn't dreaming."

Her eyes filled with tears and he pulled her close again.

"You weren't dreaming love," he said soothingly. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. It's getting late; we should probably be heading to bed ourselves."

He started to sit up but was pulled back down as she continued to cling to him.

"Please Harry," she said holding tightly to him her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to be alone, not tonight. Let's sleep here. I want to go to sleep and wake up in the only place I truly feel safe; in your arms."

He pulled back far enough to meet her eyes and nodded his head. She smiled in gratitude and gave him a quick kiss before getting up. He got up as well and quickly stripped down to his underwear. She stripped down to her knickers as well then put on his t-shirt. It was one of Dudley's old shirts and was baggy on him. It was even bigger on her. It hung down to her knees and the sleeves hung down past her elbows but it would pass as a nightgown for one night. He pulled the covers down and got into bed then held them open invitingly for her. She immediately got in and cuddled into him. She gave him a quick kiss goodnight then rested her head on his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her protectively gently caressing her shoulder and back with one hand while running his fingers through her hair and softly stroking her cheekbone with the thumb of the other one. Judging by her breathing, she was asleep within a few minutes. He was enjoying being in bed with her so he fought to stay awake. They'd been sharing a bed for a while in the previous world and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. The warmth and softness he felt as she lay against him was comforting. It made him want to stay in this bed with her forever.

He was thankful that the horcrux in his scar was gone and he was still there. His thoughts again turned to what happened after the curse hit or more accurately what didn't happen. He knew he didn't need any more information on Riddle but that didn't mean he had all the answers he needed. Even if he did, would it have hurt to have gotten a chance to see his parents? Had using the ritual been considered dark and caused the powers that be to abandon them? At the time they were just trying to survive and weren't really thinking about any long term or after life implications. Then Hermione moved briefly as she made a slight adjustment in her position before emitting a soft moan as she returned to her peaceful slumber. He looked at her sleeping form a slight contented smile on her angelic face and thought 'how could anyone, god or mortal, ever think she was dark'.

Then he remembered Dumbledore had told him it was all in his mind so perhaps his mind just hadn't created it this time. It made sense the more he thought about it. The first time he was lost and was truly afraid as he made his way into the forest knowing he was going to die. He certainly had a lot of questions that only the old coot could answer so ending up in some otherworldly place with the one person he needed to talk to made sense then. This time, however, he wasn't scared or confused. He knew exactly what was happening and the only thing he wanted was to be with Hermione when it was over. He didn't need to create a place in his mind to be with her, he just needed to wake up.

'No,' he thought to himself. 'We may not be pure light anymore but we're not dark. Certainly not as dark as the world we found ourselves in'. He vowed to himself to make sure, this time, to get rid of all the darkness in this world and not just Riddle. The girl in his arms deserved no less. Carefully so he wouldn't wake her, he placed a final kiss on the top of her head then released his hold on his fatigue and let sleep take him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a peaceful sleep.


The next few weeks went by without incident. In fact, the only interesting thing that happened was another weekend visit to see Luna. She was happy about what they'd accomplished especially the scar but mostly she was just happy to see Neville. They spent another day just being kids and enjoying each other's company. They also got her started learning the disillusionment charm using Neville's wand. It worked better for her and she was able to partially hide herself by the end of the day. They again returned to the castle in time for Dinner feeling like a big part of them was missing and knew exactly what it was. They couldn't wait for next year so their missing friend could be with them at school. Time passed again and, before they knew it, it was Halloween.

Harry woke up that morning on edge. Halloween had never been a good day for him and he was nervous about what this one would bring him. He knew what had happened the first time he lived through this particular holiday but was confident that wouldn't happen this time. Hermione was more likely to curse the git for his rude comments than run off crying but that didn't mean something else wouldn't happen. Whatever happened, he just hoped he and his friends could keep clear of it. He knew he wouldn't feel safe until he was at the feast that night with Hermione and Neville enjoying the festivities.

He got up, quickly showered and dressed then waited for Neville to get ready. They headed down to the common room together to find Hermione waiting for them then the three of them head to breakfast before starting their classes for the day. Harry could tell he was annoying his girlfriend by not letting her out of his sight but he wanted to make sure she didn't end up anywhere near that troll. When they arrived at charms, he did everything he could to get Flitwick to partner her with anyone other than Ron but he wouldn't budge and Hermione was once again partnered with the Redhead. Harry ended up with Seamus while Neville was with Dean.

He kept an eye on her all through class and was relieved to see her ignoring him has he waved his wand wildly and incorrectly spoke the incantation. The frustration at his performance was clearly apparent on her face and Harry knew she was fighting the urge to correct him. When an even wilder wave of his wand caused her and a few of the other students to duck to avoid injury, she lost control.

"Stop!" she yelled causing the entire class to fall momentarily silent. "Before you put someone's eye out!"

Harry then thought he was reliving his past as she rolled jher eyes and began correcting the git liked she'd done the first time around. Like before, he challenged her to do it and just like before, she did it on the first try. When Flitwick congratulated her, he saw a gleam in her eye and knew she was about to show off to further stick it to the redhead. She began by directing the feather around the room rather than just up from the desk then directed it towards a specific student and tickled them with it. She moved it all around the room repeating the trick with most of the other students including Harry and Neville. Before long the entire class was laughing and trying to get her to target their classmates. Even Flitwick seemed to enjoy her antics and awarded her points for her brilliant display of control over the feather. When she finally brought the feather to a landing in front of her exactly where it had been before there were cheers from the whole class except for Ron of course. He was resting his chin on his books and sulking. After that, the rest of the class was eager to learn the charm and, by the end of the class, almost everyone had managed to do it at least once. Ron was the only one who hadn't but then he didn't even bother to try after watching what she did.

After class, Hermione was basking in the congratulations of her fellow students while Harry and Neville stood nearby. Harry was happy to see her getting what she deserved the first time around; acceptance. Not only was she brilliant, and as far as he was concerned, beautiful, she also had the biggest heart. She was the best person he'd ever known and he regretted having allowed Ron Weasley to keep him from realizing that sooner. Well, he knew it now and intended to make sure as many people as possible learned that fact as well. She was the center of attention and not because she was the butt of a cruel joke but because people genuinely seemed to like her. Unfortunately, the aforementioned redhead chose that moment to make an appearance. He walked right up to her his face red in anger and everyone suddenly got quiet. Harry, who'd stayed next to her expecting an incident to occur, started to move in front of her but she stopped him with a look. She wanted to face this herself. He nodded slightly but stayed at her side in case he was needed.

"Had fun embarrassing me did you?" he asked angrily.

"I had fun doing the charm," she said innocently. "I was so excited about doing it that I might have gotten carried away. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone I was just playing around."

She looked around the crowd questioningly and they all seemed to speak at once all saying about the same thing; they loved it. She turned back to Ron a victorious grin on her face. His face had gotten even redder if that was possible as he realized no one was agreeing with him.

"You think you're better than me?" he asked incredulously.

Her expression turned cold as she responded.

"After seeing your magical skills, I think a flesh eating slug is better than you."

The hallway erupted in laughter and Ron's face went beyond red to purple.

"You're not just a know-it-all, you're a bloody nightmare." He yelled. "No one really likes you, you know? Not even these two," he pointed at Harry and Neville. Harry responded by placing a comforting hand on her back as he continued. "They're just smart enough to use you for help with their schoolwork and everyone else here wants in on it because they know a good thing when they see it! You're nothing more than a brainy bookworm that doesn't really have any friends!"

Harry was filled with rage and it took everything he had to keep from launching himself at the redhead and pummeling him into oblivion. He almost didn't care that the hallway was full. It would almost be worth it to put an end to Ron Weasley right then but it was her tears that broke his heart because he knew what she was thinking; he was probably right. Not about Harry and Neville but about the rest of them. The first time around, none of them stuck up for her and probably secretly agreed with him. Not even Harry, to his shame, had defended her. Ron had stolen her moment and filled her with doubt and Harry hated him even more for it. Once again he wondered how he was ever friends with someone like that. He'd stolen her moment the first time around as well. Instead of being grateful for her help and being happy for her when she successfully levitated her feather he'd gotten jealous and insulted her. He hadn't cared when told she'd overheard him and never apologized even though it almost got her killed by a troll.

The more Harry thought about it, he never remember Ron ever apologizing to either of them. Ron was never happy for either of them unless he was sharing the credit. He turned on Harry when he was chosen to compete in the tri-wizard tournament and was jealous of him even though Harry hadn't actually entered and didn't want anything to do with the tournament. He ruined the Yule ball for Hermione. She was the most beautiful girl at the dance and was with one of the most sought after dates but Ron's jealousy surfaced again and he opened his mouth then left her crying on the main stairs. It was obvious he couldn't stand for someone else to have something he didn't especially his friends. Harry didn't know why he hadn't seen it before but he was seeing things clearly now. He was nothing but a selfish git and a sore loser.

He was pulled from his thought as another hand joined his on her back. He turned to see Parvati Patil standing next to him showing support for Hermione. Lavender was on her other side doing the same thing. He continued to look around and saw that Seamus and Dean were behind them while a red head he recognized as Susan Bones along with Hannah Abbot and most of their fellow Hufflepuffs stood on Hermione's other side and all were glaring at her attacker. There were more tears from Hermione but this time they were happy. Ron hadn't stolen her moment after all. He wasn't right and they were letting him know it. It was Parvati that spoke first.

"For your information," she started. "Hermione is our friend and dorm mate not our study partner. We are quite capable of handling our schoolwork on our own."

"We're not in the same house and would probably never study together," Susan chimed in. "Not that she wouldn't be willing to help, she would because that's the type of person she is. I'm her friend if she wants me to be because she's one of the sweetest and coolest people I know unlike some people who apparently have no idea how pathetic and disgusting they really are. I think I would have loved to be in the same house as Hermione but that would mean being way too close to you during meals. Having to watch you eat from the Hufflepuff table is enough to ruin my appetite, I'm afraid I'd be too sick to eat and starve if I had to sit at the same table with you."

The hall e"rupted in laughter and there were several comments agreeing with what had been said especially about his table manners. Ron's face then attained a color that Harry couldn't really describe or could believe was possible as he realized he had no allies. No one was acting embarrassed and distancing themselves from her to avoid being associated with the 'unpopular girl'. In fact the opposite was happening. They were all rallying to her defense and it was him that was being isolated. He was the one that no one wanted to associate with. He seemed to be struggling with his anger and Harry knew an explosion was imminent. In that moment, he was fully prepared to kill Ron to protect the girl he loved more than anything and he would do it without the slightest bit of guilt.

"You're all barking! You know that?" Ron yelled finally. "You guys can hide behind your lies if you want to but I know the truth! She's a just bossy bookworm. A muggleborn who thinks she knows all about our world because she reads a lot." Then an evil smile appeared on his face. "Perhaps it's a good thing you're all using her. That way she'll learn sooner rather than later what her true place in our world is."

The sound of several wands being drawn as well as the sight of Harry stepping away from Hermione towards him his face a mask of rage wiped the smile off his face. Harry had forsaken any self control he had left and only wanted to get his hands on the git at that moment but Hermione reached out a hand to hold him back. It was during that confusion that Ron tried to make his escape. He gave Hermione a shove causing her to fall back. Harry immediately caught her giving Ron the opening to escape. He didn't make it however. He'd forgotten about the third member of their trio. Neville had been too quick. He'd moved to block the redhead's escape as he attacked Hermione and, when he turned to run, he ran smack dab into the punch Neville had thrown. Ron soon found himself on his back with Neville standing over him while Harry and Hermione stood behind him glaring at the prone Gryffindor.

"Harry and I have been friends with Hermione for years," he said looking at Ron like something disgusting he might have stepped in accidentally. "We do ask for her help but not because we're using her but because she's bloody brilliant. I will always be her friend even if she never helps me with my schoolwork ever again and I know Harry feels the same way. As you can plainly see, it's you that doesn't have any friends." Then he leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice to little more than a whisper. "If I were you, I would stay as far away from us as possible. You see, Harry's right pissed at you at the moment and what he did to Malfoy is nothing compared to what he would probably do to you if he had the chance after what you said to our friend. You do remember the warning he gave everyone on the first day don't you?" Neville smiled evilly as Ron paled remembering what Malfoy's 'consequences' were when he ignored that warning. "It will be much worse for you because Harry now has time to plan out your punishment. I'd tell you to watch your back but it won't make any difference because you'll never see it coming no matter what you do and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it if you could. I just glad I'm not you. I'd probably beg my gran to let me go home if I was."

Ron looked up at Harry who had put a predatory smile on his face to make it look like he was looking forward to getting his revenge and saw his face pale even more and thought he might have seen him visibly gulp at the thought of what Harry might do to him. He turned back to Neville when he spoke again.

"If you make yourself scarce and he doesn't see you very much, then maybe, just maybe, he'll forget about you and you'll escape his wrath this time. It's doubtful but there's a chance. It's not much, but it's the only option you have so I suggest you take it."

With that he turned away and Harry, Hermione and their new friends turned to follow him down the hall. They stopped as they heard someone shout 'Expelliamus!". They turned to see Ron's wand flying toward Porfessor Flitwick who was looking at Ron an angry expression on his face.

"That will be fifty points from Gryffindor for attempting to attack another student when their back was turned Mr. Weasely!" Flitwick yelled. "And at least a month's detention! Come with me. We will speak with your head of house and the headmaster about this and, if I have my way, you'll be wishing for a detention while waiting for your parents to pick you up after being expelled!"

Flitwick pointed the opposite direction then followed a much more subdued Ron as it was probably sinking in what his mother would do if he got expelled. Harry and his friends laughed at his predicament as they continued down the hall. Eventually the Hufflepuffs went a different direction as their next class was with Ravenclaw. Then the other Gryffindors went their own way as well and the three of them were alone.

"God that felt good!" Neville said finally. "I've been hoping he'd give me a reason." Then he looked apologetically at Harry. "Sorry Harry, I know it should have been you that got to punch his lights out since it was your girlfriend he was insulting but you were a little busy catching her at the time."

"No problem Nev," Harry responded smiling. "You were in line first after what he did to Luna."

"Honestly you two!" Hermione scolded while crossing her arms. "I was the one he insulted so I should have been the one who got to deck him. Neither Luna nor I need you two to defend us! We're quite capable of taking care of ourselves thank you."

She tried to hold the scowl but couldn't and soon she was smiling again. She wasn't the outcast anymore. She'd gotten used to being the one everybody picked on but this time she was on the other side and it felt great. Not that she enjoyed being a bully, she wouldn't want to see anyone be bullied not even Ron Weasley but he'd brought it on himself by trying to bully her so she felt no sympathy for him. It was seeing everyone rally around her instead of joining in on the bullying that she reveled in. No longer was she alone against the world but instead had many friends and was thought of as cool. Hermione Granger was now one of the cool kids! That thought put a smile on her face that would stay there the rest of the day.

"But I do appreciate the support," she continued in a much softer tone.

"I'm sorry love," Harry said as he reached up to caress her face. "I just got so angry at the way he treated you and felt ashamed because I didn't do anything the first time around when he treated you just as badly. I promise you I won't let anyone ever treat you like that again."

He felt his eyes water as he finished speaking and saw tears in her eyes as well. She pulled him into a tight hug and he thought he heard her sniffle.

"Oh Harry," she said finally. "We weren't friends yet the first time around so I don't want you blaming yourself. We were both somehow fooled into believing he was a great friend to both of us but we now know the truth. I don't blame you for standing by your friend. It's one of your best qualities so don't change." She pulled back and met his eyes before continuing. "I'd love to stay in your arms all day but we've got a class to get to so we'd better get going."

With that the three friends continued on to their next class.


The rest of the day passed without incident and soon Harry got his wish. He was seated in the great hall enjoying a sumptuous Halloween feast. Hermione was next to him while Neville sat across from them. Knowing what was coming, they all kept an eye on the doors waiting for Quirrell's appearance. Ron had apparently not been expelled as he was there too but was sitting as far away from them as he could. He had the end of the table all to himself as no one seemed to want to sit with him not even his brothers. The twins had approached them earlier and apologized for their brother's actions and begged them not to judge all the Weasley's based on his behavior. They quickly promised to judge each Weasely on his or her own actions and not Ron's. Harry found he was enjoying this feast a lot more without Ron spiting food everywhere as he talked with his mouth full. He knew the joy was temporary and all too soon Quirrell burst through the door announcing that a troll was in the dungeon before fainting. Just like before, the students began to panic until Dumbledore silenced them and ordered the prefects to lead them to their houses.

The three of them obediently got in line and soon found themselves in the common room. They gave each other a knowing look before one by one they all headed up to their dorm room like they were going to bed. Once they were out of site, they cast a disillusionment charm then crept downstairs and out the portal to an unused classroom. Once there, they ended the charm and waited for the others. Harry was the first to arrive followed by Hermione then Neville. Once they were all there, they recast their charms and made their way back down to the girl's bathroom. They had no intention of taking on the troll, they just wanted to see what would happen if three first years didn't handle it this time.

As they approached the corridor they heard arguing. They carefully peeked around the corner and saw that it was Snape and Quirrell that were having a disagreement. Snape seemed to be trying to get the stuttering defense teacher to follow him down to the dungeon but Quirrell wouldn't budge and looked terrified. They knew it was an act but since he was doing it to Snape, they found it entertaining. Unbeknownst to them, their argument had caught the attention of someone else. The troll had left the girls bathroom and had spotted them. Snape, as usual, was only paying attention to Quirrell and his reluctance to do as he was told and paid no attention to anything else that was going on until Quirell's eyes became like saucers and he lost the ability to even stutter much less speak. Snape pulled out his wand and tried to turn around but it was too late. The troll's big hand knocked his wand away then picked him up as he began to swing his club towards Snape's head.

Quirrell then panicked and started sending every curse he knew at the monster. The troll, it seemed, had some intelligence because he began to use Snape's body as a shield and, after only a few curses, he was clearly unconscious. Quirrell had started backing up as soon as he started firing. Unfortunately, he'd back himself into a corner. He threw even more curses at the troll in desperation but they only hit Snape. Ironically, it was the troll that ended Snape's torment by bringing his Club down on Quirrell's head. At the same moment, help arrived in the form of McGonagall and Flitwick. They started firing spells at the troll causing him to turn around and use Snape as a shield against them. It was because of that that no one saw the dark shadow leave Quirrell's body and disappear through the wall. McGonagall and Flitwick, unlike Quirrell, still had their wits about them and stopped firing in order to avoid injuring Snape any further. McGonagall kept his attention while Flitwick used a summoning charm to free the potion master from the troll's grip. Once Snape was clear, McGonagall opened up on the troll and ended the battle quickly.

While Flitwick checked Snape over, McGonagall conjured ropes to bind the troll then checked on Quirrell. She removed his turbin to check the extent of his injuries and gasped at what she saw. She immediately produced a patronus and sent it off before Harry could get a good look at it. Within a few minutes, Dumbledore, Sprout and Madam Pomfrey arrived. McGonagall immediately called Dumbledore and Pomfrey over to Quirrell. While Madam Pomfrey checked his injuries, Mcgonagall showed the headmaster what she'd found on the head. There was a moment of shock on his face but he soon turned thoughtful.

"What do you make of this Albus?" she asked her voice shaking.

"I'm not sure Minerva," he answered still deep in thought. "I know you were busy with other thing s at the time," he briefly glanced at the bound and unconscious troll before turning back to her. "By any chance did you see anything unusual after he was attacked? A shadow or dark cloud perhaps?"

"No ," she answered. "I was focused on keeping a twelve foot Troll busy so Filius could rescue Severus. If there was anything like that, I didn't see it."

Dumbledore then posed the same question to Flitwick and got a similar answer. He then turned to Pomfrey.

"How's professor Quirrell?" he asked the healer.

"He's got a right nasty head wound," she responded. "I've seen worse though. He should be awake and talking to us but…"

She trailed off and Dumbledore had to prod her to continue.

"What is it Poppy?" he asked her.

"He seems to be shutting down and I don't know why," she said clearly frustrated. "Nothing I do seems to be able to stop it. At this rate he'll be lucky to live another hour."

Dumbledore was strangely unconcerned about that as he turned to Flitwick.

"How's Severus?" he asked the Charms professor.

"I'm not sure Albus," the diminutive man answered. "I'm no healer but an enervate had no affect on him."

Pomfrey immediately moved over to Snape and began casting diagnostic spells on him. After a few minutes she returned to the headmaster her expression grim.

"He's in a deep coma but I don't know why," she spoke in frustration. "We should get them both to St. Mungos immediately. Hopefully, the spell damage ward healers can help them."

"What if we cast a prior incantum on Quirinus' wand?" Dumbledore offered. "Perhaps if we knew what Severus was hit with, you'd be able to treat him Poppy?"

She looked down at the defense professor's body and Harry noted a flash of distaste flitter across the healer's face before she turned back to the headmaster.

"Unfortunately Albus," she responded with a hint of disgust. "With his stuttering, it would only reveal the gibberish he spoke rather than actual spells so there's no way to know what he was trying to cast. Hopefully St. Mungos will have some experience dealing with spell damage resulting from stuttering and be able to help him. There's no time for debate Albus, Quirinus is dying and I can't stop it. We need to transport them now!"

Albus quickly gave his assent and Madam Pomfrey quickly conjured two stretchers and levitated the two professors on to them. Dumbledore stepped over two the stretchers as he prepared the portkeys to transport the stretchers through the wards of the school then turned back to McGonagall.

"Minerva, you, Filius and Pamona need to inform the students that the troll has been dealt with and the school is safe again but tell them nothing about what's happened here. I will make an announcement at breakfast about their injuries." He indicated the two men on the stretchers when he said the last part. "I'll meet with you three when I get back or before breakfast to work out how to deal with this long term also you'll need to ask Hagrid to remove the troll from the grounds."

With that he and Madam Pomfrey activated the portkeys and disappeared. Minerva immediately turned to the remaining occupants of the hallway.

"Filius, could you call Hagrid for me before you head to Ravenclaw?" he nodded and pulled out his wand and conjured a patronus. It left his wand and shot down the hallway to quickly for Harry to see what its form was. While he was doing that, Minerva had turned to speak to Professor Sprout.

"Pamona, could you inform Slytherin house after you meet with Hufflepuff?" she asked her fellow head of house.

"Certainly Minerva," she answered kindly. "I'll be in the dungeons anyway so I'm the logical choice. What about their classes if they don't come back?"

She strangely didn't seem all that upset at that thought nor was McGonagall. If anything they seemed relieved.

"I'm sure Albus will figure something out and let us know when he get back," Minerva replied trying to offer the other woman some reassurance missing or ignoring the fact that the other woman didn't seem concerned just curious. "If you need to talk, come see me after you've spoken to both houses. I doubt I'll be getting much sleep tonight."

With that three professors went their separate ways. They followed McGonagall as she made her way to the Griffyndor tower. The portrait swung open immediately and they followed her inside then head up to their dorms or at least Harry did. He'd hoped the others had followed him but they'd let go of each other's hand to avoid detection so he wasn't sure if they were with him or not. He carefully slipped through the closed curtain on his bed and ended the disillusionment charm and quickly changed into his pajamas and hid his clothes under his pillow then waited. He didn't have to wait long as Percy burst into the dorm and yelled for everyone to wake up and come down to the common room.

Harry acted like he'd been in a deep sleep and even acted grumpy as he climbed out of bed and put his robe on. He looked over at Neville's bed and was relieved to see him doing the same. Neville shot him a knowing look as they made their way down to the common room with the rest of the boys from their year. Once they were in the common room he immediately looked around for the third member of their trio and found her sitting near the fireplace. He nudged Neville and the two of them made their way over to her. She had saved them seats so they sat on either side of her. They noticed Ron fuming probably because no one had saved him a seat and he was forced to stand.

They faked shock as Professor McGonagall told them about the troll and that they likely would've been badly hurt or worse if they'd been out of their house and had run into it. For the muggleborns in the room she briefly described what trolls were and there were several gasps as she told them what a full grown mountain troll was capable of. She told them that it had destroyed the girl's bathroom and said it was a lucky thing that none of the girls were in there at the time because they probably wouldn't have come out alive causing even more gasps. Hermione simply smiled and leaned into Harry and whispered in his ear.

"I did thanks to a very brave Wizard that came to rescue me," he smiled at her words as she continued. "He wasn't well trained yet but that didn't stop him. He just jumped on its back and saved me."

Harry squeezed her hand as his expression turned serious.

"I would battle every single troll all at once if I had to and wouldn't let a single one of them so much as blow their bad breath on you," he said with all the feeling he could muster.

Her expression soon matched his in intensity as the moisture in her eyes noticeably increased. She squeezed his hand but was forced to limit her response to nonverbal communication for the moment as McGonagall spoke again commanding their attention.

"Everyone needs to be in the great hall for breakfast no later than seven thirty," she said and there were several groans the loudest of which came from Ron. That was no surprise to any of his housemates because the lazy git never was up before eight normally. The head of house ignored the protests and continued.

"There will be some important announcements that all of you need to hear so there will be no exceptions made. Anyone who fails to show up on time will answer to me and I assure you it will not be an enjoyable experience. Now, back to bed with the lot of you as I suspect you'll need all the rest you can get."

With that she left and the common room began to empty. They stayed in their seats having a conversation like most of the house seemed to be having. They talked about trolls with Harry and Hermione feigning ignorance on the subject except for what Hermione might have seen in a book while Neville played the part of a pureblooded wizard that had some firsthand knowledge of the creatures. They listened with seeming rapt attention as he gave them details of a close encounter that consisted mostly of things he remembered from the battle they'd just watched. Soon other students were listening to his story as well and Neville quickly became the center of attention. Harry carefully looked around the room and noticed Ron glaring at them. He immediately locked eyes with the redhead and started to stand up while returning his glare. Ron quickly retreated and ran up the stairs to the dorm. When Neville finished his story the other students followed suit and soon they were alone.

"Great story mate," Harry congratulated his friend. "Bet it will do wonders for your image. Not only can you beat up deatheater wannabees but now you can defeat trolls."

Neville laughed

"I'd do better than Quirrell and the greasy git did that's for sure," he quipped and they all laughed.

"Ron would have done better than those two," Hermione chimed in. "In fact, he did."

Harry looked around to make they were still alone then leaned in closer.

"Speaking of the waste of oxygen," he whispered as they too leaned in. "He was glaring at us until I caught him doing it and stood up then he ran upstairs. I think he may try something when are backs are turned so we'll need to be careful." They simply nodded as he continued. "I don't see how tonight could possibly have gone better but it's not safe to talk here. We'll go to the room of requirement tomorrow after breakfast and talk then."

They agreed and Neville headed upstairs. Harry and Hermione waited until he was gone before sharing a tender kiss then they went their separate ways. Harry climbed into bed feeling very satisfied with this particular Halloween. Quirrell was gone without Harry having to deal with him and with luck Snape would be gone for at least a little while but most importantly, Hermione was safe and he didn't have to fight a troll to keep it that way. His last thought before falling asleep was that this must be what everyone not named Harry Potter usually felt at the end of this holiday every year. Perhaps Halloween wasn't so bad after all. He would reserve judgment until next year to be sure but he could grow to like Halloween if they kept turning out like this.


They were among the first into the great hall the next morning. They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while waiting for the upcoming announcements. Snape and Quirrell's absence had been noticed and was one of the main topics of conversation. The hall soon filled up and by the time eight rolled around, everyone was there. Well, almost everyone. As Dumbledore stood to make the announcements the doors burst open loudly as Ron Weasley rushed in late. McGonagall scowled at him as he took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Mr. Weasley," she addressed him sternly. "Come see me after Breakfast."

With that she deferred to the headmaster who gave her a kindly smile before turning back to the students who aside from Ron were giving him their complete attention. Ron gulped but soon focused on the food in front of him. He immediately started filling his plate only to have the food instantly return to the platters he got it from. After a few attempt at filling his plate without success, he tried to eat straight from the platters but found the food again returning to the platter before he could get it into his mouth. His face turned red in frustration as his fists pounded on the table. Harry knew an eruption was imminent but just as it looked like it was about to happen a wizened voice spoke and derailed it.

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore spoke his eyes in full twinkle mode and wearing his grandfatherly smile. "I'm afraid I must insist that you forego breakfast until I'm done with this morning's announcements as I will require yours as well as the rest of your fellow student's full attention."

Ron was clearly not happy and sat back angrily crossing his arms and glaring at the headmaster. The subject of his glare had already turned away from the redhead as he began to speak to the entire hall.

"As you know, a troll found its way into the castle last night. I would first like to commend all the prefects on getting all the students safely into the dormitories last night. Dealing with the creature was much easier knowing all the students were safe. However, the night wasn't completely without tragedy. Professors Snape and Quirrell were the first to encounter the troll and fought valiantly. Unfortunately, the troll got a hold of Professor Snape and Quirrell, in trying to rescue him, failed to adequately protect himself and was gravely injured. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick arrived shortly after that and finally the creature was subdued."

Harry looked at his two friends and saw that they, like him, were fighting laughter at the headmaster's description of the battle. He wondered if there was any way the headmaster would ever say anything bad about Snape. The fact was Quirrell was trying to warn him but, as usual, his dander was up about something and nothing or no one could deter him. That was how he was in the shrieking shack the first time around. The potions master was a bitter, small minded man and Harry hoped his absence from these proceedings meant he would be gone for awhile. Dumbledore answered his unspoken question as he continued.

"They were both rushed to St Mungos where, unfortunately, Professor Quirrell succumbed to his injuries sometime during the night. Professor Snape is stable but it is uncertain when he'll be able to return. Both will be sorely missed."

The last words were drowned out as the hall erupted in cheers over the news about Snape except for the slytherins who looked distraught. Dumbledore appeared shocked at the display but the other professors wore a slight smile as the cheers of 'greasy gits gone!" reverberated around the room. A shout of silence brought an end to the celebration and Dumbledore spoke again once he had everyone's attention.

"This turn of events also means we're short two teachers. For the rest of this term there will be some adjustments made until suitable replacements can be found. For now, Professor Flitwick will take over Defense against the dark arts. Most of you probably don't know this but he is a former dueling champion and is well suited to that subject. As for Charms, worry not he will still teach that class when the schedule allows. Professor McGonagall has volunteered to teach the class when he's unable to. I will be teaching potions for the time being until Professor Snape is able to return his post. To accommodate these changes, classes will be canceled for the rest of the week while new schedules are drawn up."

There was another eruption of cheers. This time even the slytherins were joining in. Dumbledore seemed more willing to allow it this time as he just stood there and waited for it to die down a good natured smile on his face. Once the hall was quiet, he opened the floor to any questions. Immediately several hands went up. Harry noticed the frustration on Ron's face at how long this was taking and was practically drooling as he looked at the food on the table in front of him. Harry drew the other two's attention to the redhead and they all shared an evil smile. As the questions seemed to die down, Hermione raised her hand and asked a question guaranteed to get a long answer as well as cause several follow up questions from other students. She had some parchment in front of her on the table and a quill in her hand and appeared to be taking notes but was in reality writing down other potential questions that both Neville and Harry could use to continue the session.

They followed her lead and kept it going for over an hour. It ended right at nine thirty. Dumbledore dismissed the students and Ron immediately reached for food only to see all the plates empty announcing the end of breakfast. That was too much for him to take and he stormed up to head table yelling at his head of house that he hadn't got breakfast forgetting in his hunger induced rage that he was already in trouble for being late. Her face as she scowled combine with the imposing figure she made as she stood and towered over him seemed to snap him back to reality. He paled at the anger clearly visible on her face.

"Mr. Weasely!" she barked loudly stopping the mass exodus from the hall as everyone stopped to see what was going on. "I will not tolerate such disrespectful behavior from a member of my house! If you had come to breakfast on time you'd have had plenty of opportunities to eat. As it is, you don't have time for breakfast anyway as you have a pressing appointment with me. It won't kill you to miss a meal but your little outburst will cost you additional punishment; twenty five points from Gryffindor to start with and another letter to your parents is needed as well I think." Ron now looked like he was going to be sick and everyone in the hall was happy that he hadn't had anything to eat. "Now we shall head to my office for our appointment where we can further discuss this situation! I fear we may be there a while. In fact, I can't promise you won't miss lunch over this as well. After you Mr. Weasely!"

She gestured towards the doors and Ron just groaned at the thought of missing two meals. After they left, the hall began to empty quickly. Harry, Hermione and Neville made their way up to the third floor. Once they were alone they burst out laughing at the results of their prank. It wasn't what they really wanted to do to the redhead but for now it would do. In fact, a quick death was too good for that backstabber in their minds. He deserved to have punishment heaped upon him until he was begging for death after causing the deaths of so many of their friends including his own brother. Yes, they would enjoy inflicting every ounce of pain they good on Ron Weasley. Once they calmed down, they made for the one eyed witch. With classes cancelled they decided an early visit to Luna was in order to fill her in on the latest news including what they'd done to her would be murderer. They'd taken care of the diadem, Harry had survived the removal of the horcrux in his scar and the troll had taken care of Quirrell with the added bonus of getting rid of Snape at least for a little while. This year just kept getting better and better. Now if they could just catch Pettigrew, they'd be able to relax the rest of the year. The thought of freeing Sirius early and never having to return to the Dursleys again put a smile on Harry's face that stayed there all the way to Luna's house.

A/N: Thanks for reading.