A/N The main focus of this chapter is going to answer the question of what is going to happen to Ron and Hermione without Harry. They still have a part to play in this story of the light side of Slytherin, but it would be that big for a while. This will just introduce Ron and Hermione's story.
Hope you enjoy, please read and review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter 4: The Halloween of the Golden Duo
Any issue that Harry, Anna, and Twist may have had with each other was resolved the next morning after a brief discussion in a secluded corner of the common room about how never to trust Malfoy at his word again. After the three friends laughed off the remaining fright, while Harry and Twist laughed it off anyway, Harry shared his suspicions with the other two.
"So what do you two think?" Harry asked after telling Anna and Twist that he thought the dog was protecting the strange small object Hagrid took from Gringotts.
"I don't know, Harry taking a valuable or dangerous thing out of a magical back to use a watch dog in a school? It doesn't seem to make sense." Twist responded.
"Actually, Harry may not be too wrong, Twist." Anna said.
"What?" Twist asked.
"My dad works for the Ministry of Magic, he knows a lot about how to keep magical artifacts safe for his job. And from what he's told me about protective spells, and from what I've read about Hogwarts, this school is probably one of the safest places to keep something like…whatever Hagrid took from Gringotts." Anna explained.
"Hagrid said it was the safest place in the word to keep something, even safer than Gringotts." Harry added remembering what Hagrid has said during their trip to Gringotts.
"Really, a school that's more secure than a bank?" Twist asked skeptically.
"You've read Hogwarts: A History, haven't you Twist, there's got to be plenty in there about all the spells around Hogwarts castle?" Anna asked Twist.
"Yeah but…" Twist paused. He thought about all protective the spells put on the school over the years, how some of them were so special or secret they weren't even written about in detail. "Is this school really safer then the biggest magical bank in Britten?" Twist asked a little amazed at that fact.
"It probably is, and even more so that Dumbledore is here, anywhere he is that much safer. That's what everyone says anyway." Anna said.
"Wow" was all Twist could say. He was still getting used to how weird anything in the magical world seemed to him.
"I guess that schools in the muggle world are run a little different then Hogwarts?" Anna jokingly asked, finding Twist's remaining ignorance of some magical things amusing.
"In fairness to Twist, muggle schools really aren't known for their security." Harry defended.
Twist felt better that Harry gave an excuse for his recant lapse in his attempt to appear more at place as a wizard.
"Either way, it doesn't matter to us, we have no reason to know what's in that corridor, if we asked any of the teachers about it they'll know what we did and we'll get in trouble, the very thing we were trying to avoid by going into that room in the first place." Anna said in a tone that reminded Harry and Twist of the berating Anna gave them the night before.
"What about that big dog thing, what if it gets out?" Harry asked sounding a little worried.
"I drought it, Dumbledore would never let anything like that into the school if he thought it might hurt the students." Anna answered.
"Well I don't know about you two, but I'm going to look in the magical animal section of the liberty later today to try and find something about that thing." Twist said.
"Do whatever you like about it Twist, just make sure no one figures out why you're looking that stuff up, some of the teachers are bound to know about the dog and would get suspects if they sew a first year looking that kind of stuff up." Anna warned Twist.
"Lay off him Anna, he just wants to know what's with the dog, we all do, and we can't asked a teacher without them metaphorically beating our head off, and we can't see what's under that trapdoor without risking that bog literally biting our heads offs."
"Actually the dog is the last thing I want to think about right now. Let's get to the great hall, they're probably serving breakfast by now."
"Good idea Twist, we could all use some food to clear our head after last night." Anna said in agreement.
The three friends all got up and walked to the stair, out of the common room, and headed for the great hall.
Almost two months had passed since the three headed bog incident, and for Harry and his friends it is not all that eventful.
In that time Harry studied with Anna and Twist, improved his magical skills in class at a good rate, and learned more about getting around the castle so he wasn't getting lost on his way to classes anymore.
Harry was starting to feel more at home at Hogwarts then with the Durselys.
Harry also took an interest in the sport of Quidditch, asking Anna what she knew about it, and over hearing conversations about a rumor about a new seeker the Gryffindor team had.
It was the Halloween feast in the great hall and Harry Anna and Anthony were sitting around the Slytherin table eating their fill under the dark cloud colored ceiling and floating Jack-o-lanterns, as large clouds of bats flew throughout the hall.
Twist was immersed in a Quidditch book he had taken out of the library his last trip there. Anna was glad he seemed to be letting go of the three headed dog issue.
"So, it looks like you moving on with that dog thing you were so worried about?" Anna asked Twist as Harry sat between them.
"Yeah, pretty much, I looked though every book on magical dog species and I couldn't find anything. The only place I didn't look was in the restricted section, and I can't think of any good excuse to ask a teacher to let me in there.
The only thing I can think of is something I read in muggle book about Greek myths about how Severus could be lulled to sleep by music, but I seriously doubt that would work in real life."
"Yeah, muggles are always getting things wrong about magic." Anna added as she helped herself a baked potato.
"What I really want to learn about right now is Quidditch, everyone's talking about Gryffindor and Slytherin's opening match next month." Twist eagerly said.
"Yeah, they're all talking this new seeker Gryffindor has." Harry added sounding just as interested as Twist was.
"Do either of you think that's true?" Anna asked slightly interested herself.
"Yeah it is, I overheard Fred and George Wesley talking about them in the library."
"The Wesley twins were in the library?" Anna asked skeptically.
"I think they were looking up something about magical explosives or something. Either way, I heard them say they have this new great seeker."
"Did they say who it was?" Harry asked.
"No, they actually got into some inside joke about how wood is making all of their teammates keep quiet about this new player until their first match."
"That dose sound like the wisely twins, either way I bet wood is just building up hype, he's just worried that without Charily Wesley he wouldn't be able to brake Slytherin's winning streak." Anna confidently said.
"I thought you were only a far weather Quidditch fan?" Twist jokingly asked Anna.
"I might not obsess with every dropped Quaffle or poorly aimed Bludger, but I still support my team when it's time for a match." Anna cheekily said.
"A Quaffle is used to score, and the Budgers are hurled at the other team's players, right?" Harry asked trying to get the facts about Quidditch he got from Anna straight.
"Yep" Anna answered.
"I can't believe they don't let first years play on the teams." Twist complained.
"There's a reason for that. And it's not like you would be able to get on the team, given how you handle a broom." Anna matter-of-factly told Twist.
"Hay, despite my 'trip up' on that broom at our first lesson I have gotten the hang of staying on a broom, and now that we've started on actually flying I'm just as well as the rest of them." Twist gloated.
"We get it, you're picking up magic faster than students with magical parents, you don't have to rub it in." Anna halfheartedly jokingly said to Twist's most recent self pares about how well he was doing in classes.
Being two month into their first year, they had gotten past the basis of their classes and were getting into more interesting material, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their classes more, except for the increasing amount of homework (although Twist was dealing with that pretty well to), but Twist's love of learning, interest in magic, and good handling of his wand had translated into steadily improving magical skill.
He even helped Anna and Harry with their homework loads, he didn't do all the work for them, but he was a huge help.
"I never said I was better than kids form magical families, I was just saying that I doing pretty good at magic, despite what Malfoy may be saying." Twist said in a rare show of self-confidence.
"Malfoy is just jealous that Twist got that levitation spell right on his first try, and Crabbe set his feather on fire, and Goyle somehow shoved his up his nose." Harry encouraged Twist.
"I know, I was parried up with him in charms remember." Anna said like it wasn't all that happy of experience.
"I helped you get the right wand movements, didn't I?" Twist jokingly asked Anna.
With that Twist pulled out his wand, pointed at a cup on the table and said, "Wingardium Leviosa" with the correct swish and flick movement, and the cup moved up into the air.
"Now you really are just showing off." Anna said with her small smile. Having spent the past two months getting to know Harry and Twist she had come to like Twist's sense of humor, and optimism about mastering every magical skill he heard about. Whenever he wasn't feeling sorry for himself for getting a fact wrong in class and having Malfoy rub that in, Twist was actually a good person to be around.
"It's not showing off, it's just…" Twist was cut off as he tried to flip the cup over his head in midair only to find out that there was still had water in it and it spilled on his head getting him wet and breaking his concentration which caused the cup to fall on his head to.
A few students around that part of the table began to laugh, Twist got sad, and his expression perfectly matched the wet droopy look the water gave him. Only Anna and Harry bothered to not laugh at Twist, all the skills Twist showed in class kept being undercut by the occasional accident that made him look like an idiot.
As the laughter was beginning to die down Malfoy seemed to be getting ready to make yet another snide remark at Twist when the whole hall was shocked by the large front doors to the entrench hall flying open.
Every head in the great hall turn to see Professor Quirrell running up towards professor Dumbledore's chair at the staff table as he shouted, "Trolllll in the dungeons, Trolllll in the dungeons!..Thought you ought to know." Quirrell said that the last part almost normally as he fell to the floor and fainted.
The affect of Quarrel's words was instant as all four House tables went into a panic. None of the students knew what to do, and it wasn't until Dumbledore sent four loud purple fire works out of the tip of his wand that the hall wet quit and all eye turned to Dumbledore.
"Prefects, Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" Dumbledore commended.
Two students from each House table began leading their respective houses through the doors into the entrance hall where the Gryffindors and Ravenclaw went up the marble stairs and the Huffelpuffs and Slytherins went down towards the basements and dungeons.
Abusior and Gemma lead all the Slytherins in a mostly orderly fashion to their common room.
"Come on, first years go down first, everyone keep a straight line!" Abusior called, as he leads the first years down into the dungeons.
"But didn't they say the Troll was down there!?" Crabbe worryingly called out as he stopped dead halfway down the stairs into the dungeons.
"This castle has more then one set of dungeons Crabbe!" Gemma yelled at Crabbe for slowing down the rest of their house.
After some nervous but somewhat orderly walking, the whole of Slytherin house were at their common room entrance.
Gemma called the resent password of "Mandrake" and the stone brick wall moved apart.
The students were so eager to get to safety that some were almost shoved down the stairs in the dungeon common room.
Once they were all in the common room Abusior stood on top of the stone steps in front of the entrance and got everyone's attention.
"OK, listen up everyone, there is nothing to fear, the professors will handle the troll, you can all talk amongst yourselves until lights out, but no one is permitted to leave the Slytherin dungeons until we are told it is safe to do so!
"Food will be provided so that you may finish you feast in your common room."
Abusior's words didn't completely calm everyone down, but they did seem to calm enough to talk with their friends about what they thought was happening.
"How do you think it got in?"
"I think it was Peeves."
"No, this seems a little much, even for him."
"Do you really think the professors can handle a troll?"
"I think Quirrell said that he knew a lot about trolls?"
"Quirrell…the stutterer? He fainted just telling the school about it, and he was the bloody muggle studies teacher before this year."
The only ones who didn't seem too interested in discussing the troll right away were Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, as they sought out Twist, who was still wet from spilling the full cup of water over himself from before.
Finding Twist standing with Harry and Anna in a quiet corner of the common room, Malfoy started. "Hay, Twist nice trick with the water cup earlier, is that what they call magic where you come from?" Malfoy snidely said.
Twist resumed his sad, wet, and droopy expression at Malfoy's latest quid at him.
"Leave him alone Malfoy." Harry demanded Malfoy.
"Oh, I'm sure it impressed you plenty, Potter. Left with Muggle all that time, no wonder you can't tell real magic from the pretenders."
This got Harry mad, and he was about to wipe out his wand to use a couple of spells he wanted to use on Malfoy the night of their duel that Malfoy never showed up for, when Abusior walked up to them.
"What is going on between you all now?" Abusior asked, having watched these particular studies enough over the past two months to know that it was never good when Malfoy got anywhere near Potter or Twist.
"Nothing Nightchild, I was just trying to talk to Potter Twist and your sister about the troll, I think that Peeves let it in."
"That not true, Malfoy was making fun of Twist for spilling water on himself earlier." Harry accused Malfoy.
"I was not." Malfoy lied.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter, the last thing we need right now is students arguing when the entire house is in the common area all at once, and everyone is already one edge from a troll in the school. I think there are a few other students who share you theory over there, Malfoy." Abusior told Malfoy as he pointed to the opposite end of the common room.
"OK, Nightchild, I don't want to cause any trouble." Malfoy lied again as he Crabbe and Goyle walked away from Harry and his friends. As Malfoy was walking away he turned his back to look at Anna and her brother standing with Harry and Twist and looked at them with disdain in his eyes.
Abusior spoke with his sister. "Anna, mom was happy to hear that you made friends with Harry Potter and all, but I don't want to have to write to her and tell her that you have been letting Harry get into fights with other students."
What Abusior said caught Harry's attention.
"It's not my fault, Malfoy keeps going out of his way to pick on Twist, and me and Harry just try to stick up for him." Anna defended.
"You know, as well as I do that Draco Malfoy is best avoided." Abusior went on, paying almost no mind to his sister's explanation.
"But she's right." Harry said.
"Yeah, Malfoy is always the one to start all the problems we keep having." Twist added.
Abusior considered his sister's friends for a moment then said. "Fine, if Malfoy really is the one starting it all the time then the best you can do is not responded, just ignore him and he'll either go away, or do something that will only get himself in trouble, got it."
"Yes" Anna said.
"Sure" Harry said.
"Got it" Twist said.
"Good then. Now remember, curfew is at 10:00 pm, and no going out of the common room until it's safe." Abusior said as he turned to walk away.
"Abe, wait." Anna called her brother by his nickname.
"Yeah Anna?" he asked turning around.
"Twist is still wet could you…?" Anna asked.
"Sure" Abusior answered knowing what his sister was asking. Pointing his wand at Twist Abusior said the 'Hot-Air charm', "Calidusceus" and Twist's hair, face and clothes where blown dry.
As Twist was admiring the warm feeling left by the prefect's charm, Anna said to her brother. "Thanks Abe."
"No problem, Anna." Abusior answered before he walked off to look over the rest of their house.
Once the three were alone again Harry asked Anna. "Why was your mother happy to hear that you and I were friends?"
Caught slightly off guard by the question Anna thought for a moment then asked. "What, you don't know?"
"Know what?" Harry asked back, not knowing that Anna was talking about.
Anna could see that Harry didn't know what she was talking about so she explained. "Harry, you are Harry Potter you know right?" Anna started.
"Yeah, so what?" Harry said, still not seeing Anna's point.
Deciding just to spell it out, Anna continued. "Harry, you are a very famous wizard, I told you that the first time we meet and you didn't seem that surprised by the fact, so I assume you knew that already. Anyone who could count knew that you would be showing up at Hogwarts this year, so a bunch of kids wanted to try and be your friend, you saw how Malfoy tried to buddy up to you at the shorting." Anna explained.
As Harry listened he did remember all the attention he got the first few days of classes, and how it never really died down completely, over the past couple of months of getting to know his new friends and studding he'd almost forgotten about reputation he had apparently earned at the age of one, but wasn't told about it until his last birthday.
Anna continued, "So yes, after we became friends I wrote to my mother and told about you, it's just some of the things that comes with being as famous as you are, Harry."
"So, you two are only my friends because I'm famous?" Harry surprised both Anna and Twist with that even thought it didn't sound like he really thought it.
"What, no!" Anna told Harry without hesitation.
"We hang out with you because we happen to like you Harry, although the fame is bit of added benefit." Twist jokingly said.
"Twist, you're not helping!" Anna told Twist.
Finding Anna's reaction to his half-hatred question a little funny Harry laughed then said, "Relax, both of you, I was only kidding, I'm just still not used to the whole 'famous wizard' thing yet." Harry reassured his friends.
"Well I would get used to it if I was you Harry," Twist began in an amused voice "Wizards with reputations like ours don't just fade into the wood work easily."
"Twist!?" Anna said reacting to Anthony's joke with her small smile, looking like she was holding back a little bit of laughter.
"What, we have a good friend who just so happens to be famous, nothing wrong with that. And besides..." Twist put his arm over Harry's shoulder in a friendly action, "Every celebrity needs non-famous friends to help keep him from getting a big head." Twist finished.
Pulling Anthony's arm off himself Harry took a step away from him and said, "Hey, I'm not a celebrity." Harry said laughing a bit himself.
"Anyone who has talked about you over the past ten years may beg to differ, Harry." Anna said, joining in on Twist's joke, her smile getting just a little bit bigger.
Harry felt a little embarrass, he still wasn't used to his appertain fame, much less people joking about it.
"Come on guys, knock it off." Harry asked, starting to feel like laughing himself.
"Don't worry, Harry, Twist and I won't let you get a big head over this." Anna said, letting out small laughs of her own.
"Oh, shut up, I'm not going to get a big head." Harry said as he, himself, began to laugh to his friends' shared joke.
The three friends laughed together, the fright of the troll temporally forgotten.
Shortly after that a few long table appeared with a 'cracking' noise. The table were covered with white table clothes and had large plates of the same kind of food they were serving at the fest.
The whole of the common room went to get their share of food.
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle.
Ron was running down a deserted side corridor after having sneaked away from the rest of the Gryffindors and his older brother, Percy, under the cover of a group of Huffelpuffs going the opposite direction. While the rest of his house headed to their common room, Ron had remember that he heard that Hermione was hiding out in the girl's bathroom after over hearing he, Ron, say that she didn't have any friend after she out preformed him in their charms class earlier.
As much as she may have annoyed him, he didn't want her to get hurt because of something he said.
Hearing a noise he thought was Percy, Ron hid behind a large stone griffin. Looking from behind the griffin Ron saw that that it was Snape on Percy he hard.
Not thinking much about why Snape wasn't in the dungeons with the other teachers, Ron simply waited until Snape was out of ear shot before he quietly creeped down the next corridor that leaded to the girl's bathroom.
It there that Ron's noise was hit with a foul smell that seemed to be a collection of the of the worst smelling things he knew, after that he heard a few deep grunts, followed by the sound of giant shuffling feet.
Ron hid in the shadows as he saw the troll emerge from around the next corner. It was a big ugly thing, Twelve feet tall, and the whole troll looked like one big grayish green boulder with longs arms, so the club it was carrying was begin dragged along the floor, and short lags that looked like three truck, all with a head that looked like an oversized coconut.
Fortunately for Ron, the troll, instead of going down the corridor that he was in, walked into room right off the hallway.
After the troll was through the door Ron noticed that there was a key to it in the lock. Ron nervously edged toward the door, silently hoping that the troll would not suddenly come out.
Ron jumped at the door, slamming it shut, and quickly locking it.
After a moment to catch his breath, Ron was about to make his way back to Gryffindor tower when he heard a scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"
"Oh, no." Ron said as his heart stopped and he went as pale as a ghost.
Looking back Ron realized that that was the girl's room he just locked the troll in.
"Hermione!" Ron yelled out.
Not seeing any other way, Ron ran back to the door, unlocked it, with trembling hands, and ran into the bath room the second the door was open.
Once inside, Ron saw Hermione was leaning against a wall in terror, looking as if she was about to faint.
The troll walked, clumsily towards her, absentmindedly smashing sinks as he went.
Not knowing much what to do, Ron picked up a piece of metal pipe and throws it against the wall next to the troll.
The troll stopped and looked that the source of the noise, but it wasn't making any space for Hermione to escape. So Ron yelled at the troll, "Oy, pea-brain!" That got the troll's attention as it turned around to look at Ron.
The troll walked towards Ron, and Ron backed into a corner opposite the door he just came in from, leaving him no way to get out.
As the troll cornered Ron, it saw that he had no way out and began to raise its club up, ready crush Ron with it. Hermione sunk down to the floor, not knowing what to do as she just looked on in horror.
Not knowing what he was doing Ron pulled out his wand and called out the first spell that came into his head. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron called with the correct swish and flick motion that Hermione corrected him on earlier. The troll's club slid out of its hand as it tried to bring it down onto Ron. The troll didn't know what was happening until it looked up to see its club hovering over its head right before the club fell right on to its head, causing the troll the sway for a moment before it fell, with a thud that made the whole room tremble, flat on its face.
Meanwhile, at the end of the third floor corridor, to the right.
Snape burst out of the door breathing heavy as he slammed it shut and leaned against it.
As he caught his breath he saw someone else coming down the hallway, towards the door he, Snape, had just emerged from.
It was Professor Quirrell, who stopped as he realized Snape was right in front of him.
Snape was about to say something to Quirrell when both of them heard loud banging noses coming from not too far away.
Snape immediately ran toward the source of the noise, saying. "I'm not done with you." to Quirrell as he pasted him.
Quirrell fallowed Snape, knowing that whatever that noise was it would look bad if he didn't respond to it.
A snaking Hermione looked at the unconscious troll while Ron continued to hold his wand up, not believing what he just did.
"Is it…dead?" Hermione asked breaking the silence.
"I…I don't think so." Ron said as he finally lowered his wand, "I think I just knocked it out." Ron said, still not believing that he was able to that much against a troll.
Ron and Hermione stepped away from the walls they were up against, and walked towards each other, making sure they were both OK.
At that moment they heard the sound of footsteps heading for the source of the loud noises the troll mead of it fell down.
Professor McGonagall burst into the room, then Snape, followed by Quirrell. Quirrell whimper at the site of the troll and took a set on a nearby toilet and put his hand over his heart.
Snape bet over and starting looking over the troll while McGonagall looked at Ron and Hermione. She seemed more angry the neither of them had ever seen her.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" Professor McGonagall yelled at the two of them with a cold, furious voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why aren't you in your dormitory!?"
Ron was at a complete loss of words, but Hermione spoke in a small voice.
"Please, Professor McGonagall, he was just looking for me."
"Miss Granger!?" McGonagall said in a shocked voice.
Hermione didn't make eye contact with McGonagall as she continued. "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."
Ron, who still had his wand clutched in his hand, dropped his wand at what he was hearing Hermione say.
"If he hadn't found me I'd be dead now. Ron distracted it, and then he knocked it out with its own club. He didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when he arrived."
McGonagall stared at the two of them. Ron tried to look like this story wasn't new to him.
"Well… in that case…Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tacking a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione continued to not make eye contact with the professor. Ron still couldn't believe what Hermione was doing for him. Hermione was out right lying a teacher to protect someone who insulted her just earlier that day. Ron wouldn't have been surprised if this turned out to be an overly elaborate prank from Fred and George.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this, I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."
Hermione left
Professor McGonagall turned to Ron.
"Well, I still say you were extremely lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-frown mountain troll alone. You have won Gryffindor ten points, Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."
Ron quickly and quietly made his way out of the bathroom and almost ran towards Gryffindor tower. He was glad to get away from the troll's stick more than anything else.
'I can't believe she did that for me.
'Well, I did save her.
'But I guess she wouldn't have needed saving if I hadn't locked her in with the troll…or made fun of her earlier." Ron thought to himself as he made his way to the portrait of the fat lady were he shouted the password, "Pig snout" and entered.
The common room was packed and noisy with everyone eating and talking, but Hermione stood by herself, by the door, waiting for Ron. After an awkward silence Ron and Hermione simply said "Thanks" to each other, and then went off to get their plates.
The adventure they had shared that night formed a new bound between Ron Wesley, and Hermione Granger.
A/N While how do you like the idea of Ron and Hermione having a friendship without Harry. You not going to see that much of them for a bit, but You may be interested in the affects they have on each other without Harry.
Hope you enjoyed reading, if you have any questions or suggestions about this path for the other two thirds of the canon's Golden Trio, feel free to leave a review.
