07

The next morning was a nightmare.

"I said never again!"

Harry looked Sephiroth, innocence never less befitting on him.

Any vengeful joy Sephiroth had felt at witnessing Malfoy's gobsmacked expression when they walked into the Great Hall that morning was drained when Harry and Ron started eagerly talking about their next adventure. Between planning late-night excursions, Harry was telling Ron everything about the package Hagrid took from Gringotts, and they spent breakfast theorizing over what might be inside of it.

Sephiroth had been sure that, after nearly becoming a three-headed monster's next meal, Harry and Ron would decide the adventurous life wasn't for them. Apparently they felt differently than him, though. As if that wasn't bad enough, Harry was quizzing him on the package to see if he could remember any tiny, important details that Harry had missed. He was seriously considering making good on his promise to tie Harry up if he tried anything.

Even though Sephiroth and Hermione agreed on several things that involved Harry's newly developed taste in excitement, she had added him with Harry and Ron to her list of shunned people. He also suspected her dislike of him might have something to do with his habit of letting Ron look over his homework.

"Three heads?!"

And then there was Genesis. When he heard about the three-headed dog in the third floor, his knee-jerk reaction was to demand they go there immediately. He wanted to see the monster with his own eyes. Harry, Ron, and Sephiroth all agreed this was a bad idea, and with Angeal's help, they managed to dissuade him – for the time being. He was sending out sparks after they finished their tale, hands burning holes through his gloves. (He was going to need yet another pair, Sephiroth noted).

"I knew I was going regret not going," said Genesis mournfully, staring into his soup. He looked, for the world, like a boy denied his Christmas presents. "A giant dog with three heads . . ."

"It was terrifying," Ron interjected.

"But there was this trapdoor - Ron and I think it has something to do with the package Hagrid took from Gringotts -"

Harry proceeded to fill in Genesis about everything he and Ron had speculated, while Sephiroth turned to his food. He was already on his third helping and still going strong. No one really stared anymore, because like everything else that was odd in the magic world, they had gotten used to it. The rumors about him being superhuman were still active as ever and now there was a theory going around that he needed the extra food to support his body. He swirled his pumpkin juice around in the cup, shrugging the thought off - it was probably correct.

Only vaguely aware of the post arriving, Sephiroth reached for the plate of bacon - only to have it knocked out of reach, onto the ground, by a large package. He stared blankly, hand still out-stretched for his bacon, at the package. It was addressed to Harry, and Sephiroth wondered if his brother wouldn't mind too terribly if he threw it across the hall. His bacon was collecting dust on the floor now.

Harry's form was all but vibrating with poorly contained joy as he read the note that came with the package and Sephiroth momentarily forgot about his bacon angst. He leaned over Harry's shoulder, eyes skimming the note briefly, and realized his food was knocked over by a broom. Not a cleaning broom, but a broom meant for flying. That had to be a bad omen.

Ron was eyeing the package, green with jealousy but just as excited as Harry.

"Oh, it's just bacon," said Genesis impatiently. He seemed to have picked up on what was irritating Sephiroth. "Get over it."

"But -"

"There's a dozen other plates of bacon," snapped Genesis. "Stop moping."

At that moment, several other students claimed free platters of bacon. It was eat or starve with Sephiroth around. Genesis cast an unbelieving stare at the students in question.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Angeal chuckled lightly.

"Bacon's a serious thing, Gen."

Harry grabbed Sephiroth's arm, taking the package in his other hand, and within seconds they were outside the Great Hall. Ron kept stride eagerly, followed by Genesis and Angeal. All of them were itching to open the broomstick and feast their eyes on a Nimbus Two Thousand. From what Ron had said (and what Sephiroth had heard from the other students in passing conversations about Quidditch), it was understandable. The Nimbus Two Thousand was a top-notch broom, but Sephiroth didn't find the same joy out of flying as Harry and the others.

Before they could make it to an empty classroom, they were accosted by Malfoy and his friends in the entrance hall. Crabbe and Goyle stood blocking them in either direction, although he thought Malfoy was getting a little arrogant if he thought they could stop Harry, Ron, Genesis, Angeal, and himself.

Malfoy yanked the package from Harry's hands, quickly feeling the frame, and called them out on having a broomstick. He looked a strange mix of triumphant and envious.

"You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed a broom."

"It's not any old broomstick," said Ron boastfully. "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?"

Sephiroth sensed a conversation of Quidditch facts and figures was about to begin. He had never been more glad to be wrong, when they were interrupted by Professor Flitwick, who seemed to materialize without them noticing in the same way all the professors could at Hogwarts.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he said in high-toned voice.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy, gray eyes flicking to them, smirking faintly.

Sephiroth knew the let-down Malfoy was about to experience would make up for at least half of the things that happened last night.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick blithely. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," Harry replied, voice and face strained to keep from laughing.

Sephiroth thought, despite the morning's rocky start, his day couldn't get any better.

"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," said Harry, looking for the world like he was truly grateful to Malfoy, who was turning several different shades of red.

As it turned out, Sephiroth's day could get better.

"You're a pal," said Genesis gloatingly, patting Malfoy's shoulder as they slipped by. He grinned fiendishly, belaying his words.

Anything more, and Sephiroth was afraid Malfoy would snap and go on a homicidal rage. It definitely made up for the scare they received the night before and served him right for tricking them. They left as Professor Flitwick inquired Malfoy if he was feeling quite alright, snickering as quietly as they could manage. Ron's eyes were shining with pure glee.

"That takes backfire to whole new level," said Genesis cheerily.

Angeal nodded, smiling faintly.

"I don't think he'll try anything like that for a while," he said.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Sephiroth commented. He had seen Malfoy's expression, and it was undulated fury. It he didn't try to get revenge, Sephiroth would be surprised.

"Let him come," said Genesis confidently, smacking his fist into his open palm. "I've wanted to go head to head with him since the start of the year."

"Are you going to unwrap it?" asked Ron, eyes fixed on the packaged broom.

Harry nodded, reaching for one of the strands of twine tying it up, but Sephiroth stopped him as he heard footsteps. Within seconds, Hermione stormed up the stairs, throwing a poisonous glare at the package, and he knew she was about to break her promise to never speak to them again. Ron looked as though he would rather she didn't.

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" she said, arms crossed.

"Or maybe they just recognized his talent as a natural flier?" said Genesis, annoyed.

She huffed. "Just because you didn't go with them, doesn't keep you from being in the wrong, too. You should have helped me stop them."

Sephiroth had almost forgotten that Hermione disliked Genesis in particular. Since the beginning of term, he had managed to get higher marks than her in every class, both theoretically and practically. On top of that, Genesis was infamously unmotivated with his studies, relying on his steel-trap memory and latent magical talent. He was the type of student who studied about five minutes and still kept his spot at the top of the classes. For someone like Hermione, who worked almost every minute of the day to get high marks, he was the worst kind of rival.

By the time Hermione left, she was nearly physically radiating anger. Genesis looked like the cat who caught the canary, smirking victoriously, while Angeal was disapproving. Nothing new had happened, then.

They reached the common room, but had to leave the broomstick wrapped up in the dormitory to make a mad dash for their first class of the day. Sephiroth had to elbow Harry several times throughout the rest of the day, when he started to gaze off into space. With the knowledge of his broom lying in the dormitory and the upcoming Quidditch practices, Sephiroth knew he was having a hard time focusing. Hard time - as in, impossible. Sephiroth took extra notes that day, because he knew Harry only wrote about three sentences.

"Food . . ." Sephiroth eagerly grabbed a plate for dinner - and was yanked up from his seat by Harry, who had already finished a meager meal. "Wait, but -"

"Broom!" said Harry.

Ron was grinning.

"Let's go!"

"But, dinner!" Sephiroth protested as he was dragged bodily from the Great Hall. "They don't usually serve -"

"Here," sighed Genesis, who had ran to catch up with them. He handed Sephiroth a platter full of an assortment of food. When he saw Sephiroth's rapturous expression, he added hastily, "I just didn't want to hear you whining like a kid."

"Sure you didn't," muttered Angeal out of the corner of his mouth as Sephiroth thanked Genesis profusely.

"Shut up."

"Mother hen," Angeal said.

"That's rich, coming from you!" snarled Genesis.

They bickered back and forth the entire way to the boy's dormitory, and didn't stop until Harry started unwrapping the broomstick. Sephiroth was simply glad he no longer felt that uncomfortable gnawing hunger. The others fell silent out of awe as the Nimbus Two Thousand was revealed, laid out on Harry's bed and gleaming in the soft light of the dormitory.

After a round of Ohs and Ahs over the top-notch broomstick, Sephiroth followed Harry to his Quidditch practice. There was no way he was about to let Harry go off on his own to fly, when he could fall off his broom, or get hit by a rogue Bludger. According to Fred and George (who he really needed to stop listening to), those kinds of injuries happened frequently. He was also worried about the team captain, who would be teaching Harry. If he was unfair or cruel, he would have to answer to Sephiroth.

As if sensing what Sephiroth was thinking of, Harry stopped walking in the middle of a corridor. He reached over and flicker Sephiroth's forehead, making him blink in surprise - and flush a little, because really, did Harry have to treat him like a kid?

"Stop," Harry said and smiled, wordlessly, effortlessly, assuaging Sephiroth's fears. Something that might have been regret, which didn't belong on Harry's face at all, flashed. "Sometimes I think you forget I'm supposed to be the big brother."

"Aniki is aniki," said Sephiroth, not quite sure of what Harry was trying to say.

"And I bet you'd jump right under me if I fell, like you did with Neville, wouldn't you?"

Of course he would, that should have been obvious. Sephiroth didn't reply, he didn't need to, and he couldn't understand why Harry looked so frustrated. This had happened a lot since they came to Hogwarts and on some level, he had sensed it coming. Harry had always tried so hard to protect him from everything: the Dursleys, school bullies, the unnerved stares and whispers of strangers, but it was different in Hogwarts.

"Sephiroth," said Harry firmly, drawing his unwavering attention. "If I fall, I don't want you jumping out to save me. I'll save myself. If I can't even take care of myself, what kind of big brother would I be?"

"But -"

"Just promise?" he urged.

Sephiroth didn't want to promise, because he wasn't keen on breaking promises and he disliked lying, both of which he would do if he promised that to Harry. However, Harry's green eyes were piercing behind his glasses, unrelenting, and Sephiroth nodded slightly.

"Thanks," said Harry, beaming at him.

He was almost positive they both knew he would break that promise is something really did happen.

Those thoughts weighed on his mind heavily during Harry's practice session with the team Captain, Oliver Wood, who was clearly a Quidditch fanatic even among the passionate. Sephiroth's entire body jerked reflexively when Wood released the Bludger, but he stopped himself as Harry used to bat to knock it away. He was going to have to sit through entire games like this, only with two Bludgers and the opposing team aiming for Harry's head. On top of that, he would be circling hundreds of feet in the air.

He wondered if it wasn't already too late for him to convince Harry to refrain from participating in Quidditch. There had to be other magical sports that didn't involve flying, no matter what Ron said. However, as he watched Harry fly back and forth, snatching golf balls out of the air with unerring precision, he couldn't deny Harry was talented. His hand-eye coordination was superb and Wood knew it - he was practically bouncing with excitement where he stood. Harry was going to become the Gryffindor Quidditch team's winning card, it seemed.

Maybe it won't be so bad, he thought hesitantly. Harry arched high into the air, and he tensed. Then again, maybe it will.

Wood talked animatedly all the way back up to the castle, eyes bright with anticipation for the first Quidditch game of the season.

"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."

"Dragons?" asked Sephiroth quickly.

Harry shot him an amused sideways look.

"Dragons fly," he commented in a benign way that didn't fool Sephiroth for a second.

"Yeah, so?" Sephiroth said defensively. "It's completely different from brooms."

"Yeah, instead they have teeth and claws," Harry replied dryly.

"And they're very territorial," said Wood, earning curious looks. He shrugged. "Charlie used to talk about them constantly. I think he'd repeat the facts over and over again just to make sure we actually remembered."

"And they fly," Harry reminded him helpfully.

"Flying a dragon is not the same as flying a broom," said Sephiroth stubbornly.

"The broom won't try to kill you."

"I think that is entirely debatable."

Wood chuckled faintly, shaking his head.

"Listening to you two makes me wish I had siblings," he said when they looked at him questioningly again. "Only child, you know?"

Sephiroth was more than a little surprised to hear that, considering he had been on the team with Charlie, Fred, and George, who were all part of the same enormous family. He surely had to have heard the sibling woes from them at least once or twice. Sephiroth lost count of the amount of times Ron complained about his multitude of brothers and his little sister (who was, evidently, very nosy).

They parted once they reached the castle, Wood shouting to Harry to remember practice was three times a week, as if he was likely to forget. Wood was nothing if not a thorough captain, though, and Sephiroth figured he could have been worse. He was nothing like the yelling, strict demon-captain Sephiroth had envisioned before the practice session.

"Who knows," said Harry cheerfully as they headed for the Gryffindor common room, "maybe if you try out flying again, you'll like it!"

"No thanks."


Halloween was always a very paranoid time for Sephiroth and Harry.

When the day rolled around, Sephiroth spent a good deal of the morning waiting for something disastrous to occur, such as an escaped lion (he was still traumatized), or Aunt Marge appearing through one of the doors. One never knew with his luck on Halloween, and last time he encountered Aunt Marge was on Halloween day. He'd accidentally dropped a plate on her dog's head and she had given him the beating of his life with her walking cane.

The year before that, Sephiroth had absentmindedly put the ice cream in the refrigerator instead of the freezer, and all they had for dessert was vanilla-flavored liquid. Dudley had pitched the fit of the century. The year before that, he mistook the weed-killer for fertilizer and Aunt Petunia's beloved garden (and Sephiroth) suffered for it. Before that - well, the point was that Halloween never went well for them.

"Is something wrong?" asked Angeal, when Sephiroth twitched for the tenth time during breakfast.

"No, nothing," said Sephiroth.

Harry nudged his side.

"Anything seem out of the ordinary?" he asked warily.

Sephiroth shook his head.

"Nothing so far, at least."

Genesis was looking at them in bewilderment, taking a bite of an empty spoon because he hadn't noticed the food fall off. Sephiroth blamed it on Halloween.

The food was enough to make Sephiroth forget his paranoia for a short while, though. Pumpkin soup and pastries, an assortment of new dishes he had never seen served before, appeared on the table that morning. Fred and George jokingly stole platters from other tables and gave them to Sephiroth, who laughed with them and accepted it. He was sure they were trying to see how much he could eat before he starting feeling overstuffed. (So far, Harry hadn't given him the chance to do so).

He forgot again about their terrible Halloween luck when Professor Flitwick started instructing them on how to levitate objects in the air. They had mostly been learning theory and preformed very little real magic in the classes up until then, Professor McGonagall being one of the only exceptions to that rule, so it was exciting to finally get into the more advanced magic. Although, Sephiroth wasn't sure if Professor Quirrel was going to teach them anything more intense, because he seemed just as terrified of everything as ever during breakfast.

They were paired off by Professor Flitwick and Sephiroth found himself with Angeal. Harry and Seamus were partners, and Ron was furious to be partnered with Hermione, who vehemently returned the sentiments. Poor Neville looked absolutely terrified to be paired with Genesis. He was already looking annoyed at Neville's incompetence.

"You want to try first?" asked Angeal.

Sephiroth shrugged and lifted his wand. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Genesis was being very particular with the wand movement and pronunciation of the spell, just like Professor Flitwick had instructed them.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he intoned, his hand following a swish-and-flick movement that seemed as natural as breathing.

The feather briefly drifted upwards, sailing above his head, before settling back on the desk.

"Very good, Mr. Crescent!" said Professor Flitwick. "Take a point for Gryffindor."

That was when the feather Seamus and Harry exploded, leaving them covered in soot. Seamus, who was closer to the blast, had his hair blown back from his forehead.

"Oh dear," said Professor Flitwick, hurrying to them.

Sephiroth hoped that would be the extent of their Halloween misfortune. By the time class was over, he and Angeal were engaged in conversation about the ridiculousness of magical backfires - was it necessary for magic to blow up? Why could it just make a popping sound or something like that? Angeal managed to get his feather floating by the end of class, not quite as fast as Genesis, Sephiroth, or Hermione, but quicker than the rest of the Gryffindors.

They were startled out of their conversation when Hermione shoved by them, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"What's wrong?" Angeal called after her, but she fled down the corridor. He frowned in confusion.

"What do you think that was about?" asked Sephiroth.

Harry and Ron came up from behind them, looking very uncomfortable.

"I think she heard you," said Harry.

Ron looked as though he agreed, but would rather not.

"She must've noticed she's got no friends."

Angeal swatted the back of his head.

"Ow," hissed Ron. "What was that for? Genesis is always picking on her!"

Genesis seemed to appear next to them, as if summoned by the use of his name.

"We're rivals, of course we fight each other," he said dismissively. "So what happened?"

Once they explained, Ron received another smack on the back of his head from Genesis, which earned him a wild punch. The fight was ended rather quickly by Angeal, who threatened to bash their foreheads together. Sephiroth was reminded of the boat ride before the Sorting Ceremony, when he did just that to Angeal and Genesis after being rudely kicked into the lake.

"You can apologize after class," said Angeal with a note finality.

"What?!" Ron yelped. "But -"

"Now that that's been resolved," said Genesis, deftly ignoring Ron's protests that it definitely had not, "Sephiroth, I think you got higher marks than me in this class."

It Sephiroth a moment to catch up with the sudden shift in topic.

"What?"

Genesis was looking slightly disgruntled.

"You preformed the spell before I did," he said. "So you'll probably get top marks for the class, followed by Hermione and I."

Not for the first time, Sephiroth wondered why this was so important. He exchanged a look with Angeal, who merely shrugged. After growing up with Genesis, he was used to the more unusual eccentricities.

"Next time, I'll have higher marks."

Sephiroth's eye twitched. He had a feeling Genesis was trying to turn their class marks into a competition, but he wasn't foolish enough to fall for it. While he excelled fairly well in practical magic, his theoretical work was abysmal. He had been told more than once to stop writing his assignments like outlined reports, but he really didn't see why the professors needed all of those fluffy words between the important bits. If they wanted a book, they could go to the library and read a book.

All of Genesis's homework ended up looking like formal presentations, complete with flowery handwriting. According to Angeal, the book Loveless was to blame.

The Great Hall derailed all of Sephiroth's thoughts with the speed and efficiency of a homing missile. Apparently the hall had been decorated while they were in class, leaving a grand surprise waiting for them upon dinnertime. The candles, normally floating bare, were inside of pumpkins, warm pinpricks of light glowing from behind carved grinning faces. Silky, white spiderwebs clung to the shadows, fluttering slightly as countless bats descended about the room in a flurry of movement.

A feast of the likes Sephiroth hadn't seen since the start-of-term banquet appeared on dishes of gold. He stared dazedly for a few seconds, before grinning in anticipation. Maybe Halloween wouldn't be so terrible this year.

He didn't even manage a single bite before the doors to the Great Hall slammed open and Professor Quirrel barreled inside. He was white-faced with pure fear, clothing askew and panting for breath.

"Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."

Quirrel, having told the entire student body there was a deadly creature capable of killing them in the school, chose that moment to pass out.

It was silent for a whole five seconds. Sephiroth could almost see every student repeating Quirrel's words in their head, before comprehension dawned terror in them.

Pandemonium broke out, students jumping out of their seats and pulling out their wands, wanting to run but not willing to leave the Great Hall and the professors' sides. Headmaster Dumbledore stood, sending up purple firecrackers from his to gain their attention and order. He looked grim-faced, but unconcerned.

"Prefects," he said calmly, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

They were halfway out of the Great Hall when a thought occurred to Sephiroth and he frowned.

"Aren't the Slytherin dorms in the dungeon?"

"Nevermind that," said Harry irritably. "We knew something like this was going to happen. Just didn't think it'd be a troll of all things. How did it even get in?"

"Don't ask me," said Ron, "they're supposed to be really stupid. Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

Sephiroth thought about the part of Hogwarts, A History, that stated there were wards to keep dangerous creatures like trolls away from the school. He waited for someone, and by someone he really meant Hermione, to point this out. That was when he remembered Hermione was still in the bathroom, according to Lavender Brown, crying her eyes out - with a troll on the loose. And it was partially their fault (mostly Ron's, but they were to blame by association).

"Aniki," he said, grabbing Harry's arm. "We've got to find Hermione. She's still in the bathroom, isn't she?"

"What's going on?" said Genesis, who had noticed them stop.

"Hermione," said Harry shortly in explanation.

"Ah, right." Genesis nodded in understanding. "She doesn't know about the troll. Well, let's go."

Ron almost protested, but scowled and relented.

"What about Angeal?" asked Sephiroth as they blended with the Hufflepuffs long enough to make their way down a corridor apart from the main hall.

"He's not my keeper, you know," said Genesis.

Sephiroth refrained from pointing out that wasn't what he asked, deciding it wasn't worth risking another verbal sparring match. Genesis had a habit of winning those.

They had hardly made it ten paces down the corridor when they heard hurried footfalls behind them. Genesis yanked them all behind a statue of a griffin, ignoring Ron's quiet hiss of pain from his tight grip. Sephiroth had the unpleasant experience of being shoved between Harry and Genesis. When Ron shuffled forward, his face was smashed into Genesis's chest, prompting him to accidentally step on Harry's foot trying to pull away.

The result was a tangle of bodies and a loud thud, which thankfully happened after the owner of the footsteps had gone out of hearing range.

"Who was that?" asked Genesis, glaring at Sephiroth balefully. He returned the glare. "I didn't get to see, because someone freaked out."

"It was Snape," said Harry, before a fight could break out. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"How am I supposed to know?" asked Genesis sourly. "I'm not a telepath."

Sephiroth made a mental note to never invade Genesis's personal space again. Even if it wasn't his fault.

Harry and Ron were sneaking after Snape, but stopped to usher them to follow.

"He's heading for the third floor," said Harry once they hesitantly caught up. Sephiroth brought a hand to his nose, stomach churning nauseatingly.

"What is that?" moaned Genesis. "Did someone die in here?"

"I think it's the troll," whispered Sephiroth. "Hear it?"

Genesis paused, then nodded with a grimace. There was heavy and uneven footfalls ahead, rattling and congested breathing from an enormous set of lungs. Something heavy was being dragged along the floor. None of them needed prompting from the other to hide as the creature rounded the bend.

It was at least three times taller than Sephiroth, and a great deal more in width, moving like a flesh-and-bone rock. The dragging sound turned out to be a knobbly club that was gripped in a meaty fist. It reminded Sephiroth of the pictures of cavemen, complete with stubby, thick legs and disproportionately long arms. The only real difference was that it was much larger and had no hair.

"We can take it," breathed Genesis, lifting a fist.

Harry and Ron moved as one, grabbing his arms.

"No," Harry whispered, hardly above a breath of air as well.

"We could probably take it," said Sephiroth, almost regretful from agreeing with Genesis.

"Don't even -"

The troll wandered into an abandoned doorway, fading from sight.

"Let's lock it in," said Harry quickly. "We don't need to fight it."

"But, fire -"

"I can punch really -"

"The key's in the lock," Ron added hastily.

"You saw how big that thing is," Genesis protested. "It'll smash right through the door!"

"We should just knock it out," said Sephiroth.

"We're not fighting it!" Harry said almost hysterically.

"If you get to fly on brooms, I get to fight a troll," said Sephiroth stubbornly.

"Are you serious?" said Ron disbelievingly.

"I actually agree with Sephiroth," said Genesis. "We can definitely beat it, so let's just -"

A terrified scream echoed through the hallway and they blanched, turning to the doorway the troll had just entered. There was someone inside.

"Was that . . .?" Sephiroth trailed off.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron gasped.

"That's a bathroom?" Genesis sounded confused. "I didn't know there was a bathroom on this corridor."

Sephiroth once again chose not to comment. They darted down the corridor and burst into the room, horrified to find Hermione pressed against the far wall. The troll was between them and her, shattering the stalls and sinks with its club.

Genesis sprang ahead of them, his fists lit with fire. Sephiroth followed shortly, sweeping low to the ground as Genesis launched himself off the floor. They descended upon the troll in unison, working together like a well-oiled machine (almost as if they had done this before).

Sephiroth braced himself on the floor with a single hand and kicked out as hard as he could at the troll's leg.

That was when Genesis's punch slammed into the back of the troll's head, and the creature was knocked clean off its feet from the opposing forces. Genesis turned his body midair, twisting around like an acrobat, and his other fist hit the troll's face hard enough for there to be a loud crunch. The ground cracked under its head from the impact, flames rolling out and blackening the floor tiles.

They stumbled back from the troll, hardly even out of breath.

"That . . ." Sephiroth's voice faltered. He had developed a sudden, splitting headache.

"That was easy," said Genesis bluntly, sounding a little disappointed.

"Is . . . is it dead?" asked Hermione faintly.

Harry, looking a little dazed, shook his head.

"I think it's just knocked out," he said.

"You put a crater in the ground," said Ron numbly.

Genesis stared at the cracks his punch created with a perfect imitation of pride, as if he wasn't actually feeling as unnerved as them. Sephiroth understood how he felt, having experienced it every day of his life. Knowledge of his own strength didn't make him any less suspicious of how he gained it. An inherent magical ability, Madam Pomfrey had called it. Would she say the same thing if she saw what their strength had caused?

"You really could punch through walls, couldn't you two?" said Hermione, remembering the rumors that had been circulating Hogwarts. "I thought it was just . . . "

"The professors are coming," said Sephiroth, already hearing their far-off footsteps.

None of them moved. It had seemed like a great idea to leap in and defeat the troll at the time, with Hermione in grave danger, but afterwards they just felt strangely hollow.

A minute later, the professors appeared in a loud clamor, harried and frantic. Professor McGonagall went pale when she them standing next to the downed troll, her lips thinning a second later with fury. Snape's dark eyes darted around the room, before he drew up close to the troll, confirming it was thoroughly unconscious. Behind the two professors was Quirrel, who couldn't seem to hold himself upright properly.

They were in big trouble, Sephiroth noted in a detached way.

"What on earth were you thinking?" said Professor McGonagall, and never had she sounded so angry. Not even when Sephiroth was flinging senbon around her class had she had that tone of voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Genesis's eyes flashed and Sephiroth knew he was about to say something he shouldn't, but before he could stop him, Hermione spoke up.

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."

Professor McGonagall was nothing short of nonplussed. Hermione pushed in front of Sephiroth and Genesis on shaky legs, determination flashing in her eyes.

"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."

Had it been anyone else who was lying so blatantly to an enraged Professor McGonagall, Sephiroth would have thought Ron and Harry's expressions of astonishment were unfounded. Except, Hermione Granger, rule-holder extraordinaire, was telling a bald-faced lie - to a professor. Both Sephiroth and Genesis were struggling with effort not to gape at her in shock as well.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead right now. Genesis punched the back of its head and Sephiroth kicked its feet out from under it, and Genesis knocked it out. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Sephiroth thought she could have done with lying a bit more about how they defeated the troll. The hastily understanding looks on Harry and Ron's faces were very unconvincing and for a second, Sephiroth was sure Professor McGonagall, or Snape, would call them out on it. Instead, Professor McGonagall's face cleared slightly and they all ever-so-slightly relaxed.

"Well - in that case," she said, visibly collecting her thoughts. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Apparently she had forgotten the part where Hermione said Sephiroth and Genesis took it out on their own. Sephiroth caught Professor Snape's cold, dark-eyed gaze, and realized the Potions Master had definitely not forgotten - and likely, neither had Professor McGonagall. They were choosing not to comment on it at the moment.

"Miss Granger, five points will taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall, and Sephiroth couldn't help but feel sorry for Hermione. These would be the first points she lost and it wasn't even her fault. "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, with her head bowed down, padded out of the bathroom in silence.

Professor McGonagall turned to the rest of them, and Sephiroth prepared himself for the lecture of his life. Her lips were pursed, a frank expression on her face that did little to ease his tension.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They all made to leave, but Professor Snape's low voice stopped them.

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Crescent," he said. His eyebrow twitched when Ron and Genesis stopped. "Rhapsodos."

Genesis gave a razor-thin grin.

"Might as well just start referring to us by our middle names," he said. "Ginny's coming next year, you know."

Professor Snape didn't look amused.

"Come with me," he ordered shortly.

"Just where are you taking them, Severus?" asked Professor McGonagall sharply.

"You know where," he said irritably.

Something unreadable flashed in her eyes and her face smoothed out into disconcerting blankness. Then she turned from them to snappily tell Harry and Ron to leave.

Genesis and Sephiroth were forced to jog to keep up with Snape as he swept out of the bathroom.

"Um, where are we going?" asked Sephiroth once they had rounded the corner in the corridor.

Professor Snape slanted them a sideways look, just visible through a veil of greasy hair.

"You're going to the Hospital Wing," he finally said. "There are questions that need answering."


A/N: Yay, cliffhanger...ish. Sort of.

That one-sided fight was probably a lot cooler looking in my head, haha. XD I hope I did the characters justice. I do kind of feel bad for the professors, though. They're gonna have, what, seven Weasleys in school next year?

Thanks for all the favs and follows and reviews! Special thanks to Kairitrion Cerulean and FireEmblemLover39! It would take me a month to get these out without you guys. :D

Oh, and LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD COMES OUT SOON, I CAN'T WAIT TO BINGE PLAY IT. Soooo, I might miss an update. Maybe. I've got a couple chapters already outlined, so it shouldn't be so hard to update, but just in case - you guys know why. (MARCH 3RD MARCH 3RD MARCH 3RD).

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Till next week~