The words in bold are direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I do not own Harry Potter. J.K Rowling does.
Halloween at Hogwarts
The three-headed dog flew the minds of Charlie and Hermione when Halloween approached. Hagrid enlisted their help in carving the massive pumpkins he grew in his garden and Charlie managed to coax Harry into helping them. The boy was reluctant to go anywhere with her, as he believe she would get him in trouble.
"You need to relax," Charlie said as they scooped out pumpkin guts and plopped them onto a pile of newspapers. "It's never going to happen again."
Harry just shot her a wary look as he dug his knife into pumpkin flesh. "So you haven't thought about why Professor Dumbledore is keeping a monster within the castle at all?"
Charlie frowned. "I'm allowed to be curious, aren't I? Besides, aren't you curious as to what that thing is guarding?"
"What do you mean, guarding?"
Hermione wiped her hands on a cloth and asked, "You didn't see the trapdoor the dog was standing on?"
"No!" Harry cried. "I was too busy fearing for my life." He gave the pumpkin a vicious stab, and Charlie wondered if he was imagining it being her head.
The threesome carried the finished pumpkins into the Great Hall and spent the rest of the afternoon studying. Charlie was excited for the coming evening, as she had never celebrated Halloween. She stayed home and cleaned while Petunia and Vernon took Dudley out trick-or-treating.
It was nice outside, so the trio decided to study by the lake. They were working quietly until Hermione gasped. "What's that?"
Charlie glanced up and squinted. She could see an owl flying towards them with an awkward-looking package clutched in its talons. "I have no idea."
The package was deposited right on top of her Potions essay. Surprised, Charlie pushed her quill aside and reached for the wrappings. Hermione swatted her hand away and gestured towards a note taped to the top.
Miss Potter,
Please do not open this package unless you are alone. I'd prefer not to have dozens of jealous students attacking my office. You will be able to use this at your first Quidditch practice.
Professor Flitwick
Charlie stuffed the note in her pocket and reached for the wrappings again. Hermione frowned. "You're supposed to open it when you're alone!"
The Girl-Who-Lived sighed. "Hermione, you already know that I'm on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. And now Harry knows. Would you be jealous if this happened to be a broomstick?"
Harry shook his head. "I would not. Uncle Remus would like it if I was on the Quidditch team next year...perhaps as a Chaser. I'm not sure if I want to though. Congratulations, Charlie."
"Thank you." Charlie ignored Hermione's exasperated look and tore the brown wrappings off. A broomstick with a polished wooden handle gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. She peered at the letters engraved in the side. "Nimbus Two Thousand. Huh. Fancy."
"Would you look at that? Potter and her merry band of freaks are still here. And one of them even has a broomstick!"
Pansy and Draco crossed over to them with smirks on their faces. "I believe first years are being banned from having broomsticks," Draco said casually.
"I wonder what Professor Snape would say if he knew," Pansy added.
Charlie arched an eyebrow. "Well, he might be able to yell at me, but he won't be able to give me detention. Professor Flitwick gave me special permission to be on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."
"But that's not fair!" Draco exploded. "My father will-"
"Your father can't do anything," Charlie interrupted. "And you can tell Snape and as many people as you want, but I don't see the point. Everyone will know I'm playing when the first match of the season comes." She stood up and Hermione and Harry quickly gathered their things and followed her, leaving behind two steaming snakes.
...
Hermione and Charlie had Charms with the Gryffindors. The Charm they were practicing was the Levitating Charm, Wingardium Leviosa.
It took Charlie a few tries, but Hermione got it on her first go and earned five points for Ravenclaw. Ron was sitting in the row ahead, thrashing his wand around. Hermione reached out and grabbed his wrist. "You're going to take out someone's eye!" she snapped. "It's swish and flick, and it's Wingardium Leviosa."
Ron glared at her. "I didn't ask you!" he snapped back.
"Hey! She was trying to help," Charlie defended.
Ron snarled at them and whirled around. "Miss I-Get-Everything-I-Want Potter is actually talking to a peasant like me," he muttered sarcastically. Before Charlie could respond the bell rang and the redhead was out of there.
...
Pumpkins and hundreds of candles floated in the Great Hall that evening. Charlie stuffed herself with as much sweets as she could, and even stored some in the pockets of her robes. Chocolate Frog wrappers littered the table and she chugged back some pumpkin juice. Hermione stared at her with wide eyes, a roast beef sandwich hovering near her mouth.
"You're going to get sick if you keep this up," she informed.
Charlie shrugged and popped a piece of candy corn in her mouth. "Halloween is amazing!" she said with a grin.
It was then the weird Professor Quirrell stumbled through the doors. For some reason the man bothered Charlie. He was always talking to himself and he smelt funny, like he had eaten garlic in massive quantities. And whenever he looked at her, her scar always stung. The only person who knew this was Hermione, and Charlie assured her that it was probably nothing.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher stopped at the High Table. He panted heavily and said, "There's a troll in the dungeons. Just thought you'd want to know."
The reaction was instant. Kids sprang up and scattered around, screaming. Dumbledore stood up and fired purple sparks into the air. He ordered the prefects to take their Houses to their Common Rooms and he and some other teachers hurried to hunt down the troll.
Charlie whistled softly as she and Hermione followed Penelope towards the doors. "Is Halloween always this exciting?"
"Charlie!"
The whispered hiss caused both girls to turn around. Harry was slipping towards them, casting glances behind his shoulder. But everyone was too preoccupied to notice the Hufflepuff sneaking away from his House.
"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded as they entered the corridor.
"I have to tell you something!" he hissed. "Ron left the Great Hall to go to the loo, but I overheard his Housemates saying that he snuck off to the library. Apparently he was bragging that he more important things to do than to come to the Halloween feast."
"Ron doesn't seem like the library type."
"Before the feast I ran into him in the corridor. Malfoy was ranting about how it wasn't fair that you got to play Quidditch and I think Ron was upset. He must have gone to the library to brush up on his Quidditch or something."
That explains his attitude in Charms, Charlie thought.
"That's stupid!" Hermione snapped. "Well, I suppose we ought to-"
"Uh, guys?" Charlie interrupted. While they had been talking, the Ravenclaw House had moved on and left them behind unknowingly. They stood in the middle of the deserted corridor.
"We have to go to the Common Room!" Hermione cried.
"We won't have time," Charlie pointed out. "The library is close, and if we run we can warn Ron. And I don't want anyone going alone for help. We stick together. Got it?"
Harry was shaking and Hermione was frustrated as they hurried for the library. They weaved through the stacks-and froze.
Ron was cornered against a book shelf. He was pale and his mouth was agape. A large, ugly troll wielding a club stood over him. Books flew in every direction and the three hit the ground. Harry was moaning in fear and Charlie hastily darted forward.
Now, she had only been a witch for a few months. Years of fighting with her cousin and his friends built up an instinct in her. That instinct was hard to push away. The instinct? Charge and tackle.
Charlie leapt in the air and held on to the troll. He roared in rage and thrashed about. Ron hastily scrambled between the troll's legs and scooped up a heavy book. He reared back and chucked it at the troll's head.
The troll howled and whirled around. Charlie widened her green eyes as he swung the club and knocked a bookshelf towards Hermione and Harry. Harry tackled Hermione out of the way and they landed at Ron's feet.
"Do something!" Harry howled, joining Ron in tossing the books at the troll. Charlie shoved her wand up his nose when he went to attack the trio. Hermione and Ron both called "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Hermione's charm hit the heavy globe that was resting on Madame Pince's desk in the far corner. Ron's spell hit the club that was clutched in the troll's meaty hand. The club soared out of his grip and clattered to the floor. The globe whizzed across the library and smacked the troll right in the face. He teetered a bit before falling-back first.
Charlie hastily dropped to the ground and scrambled out of the way. The troll hit the ground with an almighty thump.
The four eleven-year-olds stood in the middle of the library, surrounded by broken pieces of the wooden bookshelves and hundreds of library books. Charlie gingerly wiped her wand on her robes and grimaced at the troll boogers.
"Madame Pince is going to kill us," Harry moaned, running a hand through his short black hair. His black glasses were hanging off of one ear and he quickly slipped them back over his brown eyes.
"Why did you try to tackle a troll?" Hermione asked as she glared at Charlie. "You do know you're a witch, right?"
Charlie flung up her arms in defense. "Well, excuse me. I forgot, okay?"
"You forgot?"
Just then a group of teachers burst into the library. They gaped at the mess, and then at the kids standing in the middle of it-right next to the unconscious troll. "Explain immediately!" McGonagall demanded, her lips pursed together tightly.
Charlie realized that they must have made a lot of racket. Oh, so now they show up. "Uh..."
"Why are you not in your Common Rooms?" Flitwick asked sternly.
"It's my fault," Ron piped up. "If I hadn't skipped the feast and came here, the troll wouldn't have cornered me and these three wouldn't have had to save me."
"You took on a fully grown mountain troll?" Quirrell whispered, his eyes focussed on Charlie as he said this.
"Mr. Weasley, five points from Gryffindor for doing something so foolish, and detention with me for skipping the feast," McGonagall informed.
"And five points to Miss Granger and Miss Potter, and you too Mr. Lupin. Not many children can take on a fully grown mountain troll and live," Flitwick said with a slight smile. "But there will be detention for the rest of you as well. Now get back to your Common Rooms immediately."
The four scurried from the library. After an awkward silence for a minute, Ron said, "Thank you for saving me."
Charlie smiled. "It was nothing."
"But how did you know where I was?"
Harry raised a shaking hand. "I overheard your Housemates talking about how you skipped the feast and went to the library, of all places." he muttered, keeping his eyes on the ground.
Ron smiled softly. "Well, it's a good thing you were listening, or else I might have been troll chow."
They all giggled at that, even Hermione.
...
Minerva put her hands on her hips and surveyed the mess. "Ridiculous. Four children taking on a troll."
"Very impressive, though," Flitwick squeaked.
"Indeed. Would you like to have the honours and tell Irma what has happened to her beloved library?"
"I'd rather not," Flitwick responded.
"I'll flip you for it." Minerva removed a Galleon from her rob pocket.
"Deal."
Happy Halloween!
