James stared wide-eyed at the letter Harry had sent.
'Seeker, you're kidding me. He's Seeker because he broke a rule? Bloody hell.'
'Lily!' James called through the house.
'James, I'm right behind you. No need to yell.' James spun around to see Lily coming up behind him holding a basket of laundry.
'What's wrong? Has Harry got no detentions yet?' James grinned faintly.
'No, nothing like that. Here, read this.' He watched as his wife's eyes scanned over the letter and then come to a complete stop near the bottom of the page.
'Seeker... How in the name of Merlin did he manage that? Oh, he is in so much trouble.'
'Lily,' James laughed. 'He didn't get punished for it. Now, we need to send him his broom. Where is it?'
'His closet.'
'Thanks.' James hurried out of the room, grinning like a mad man.
Once James had the broom, he packed it in a box and wrote a quick note and sent it off with Hedwig.
'So, why are we here?' Sirius asked as he and Remus sat down in the Potter's sitting room across form James and Lily.
'Well, we have some... Interesting news.' James grinned.
'You're moving?' Sirius asked happily.
'No you git. Harry made the Quidditch team!' Sirius and Remus' jaws dropped.
'No bloody way!' Sirius exclaimed first. 'What position?'
'Sirius...' Lily warned, but was ignored.
'Seeker,' James stated proudly.
'Really, I thought he would have been Chaser like you James,' Remus said. James shook his head.
'So did I, but now I think about it, he has always had an eye for small details.'
'Bloody hell, he's only a first year. First years never make the house team!'
'I think we acknowledged that Padfoot mate,' James snickered.
'Shut up Prongs.'
'Both of you stop it!' Lily exclaimed with a smile.
'Harry, Hedwig's outside the window.' Harry looked up from the Potions essay he was writing to see his owl carrying a long, thin package. He hurried over to the window to let Hedwig in. She flew over to the table and dropped the package.
'It's from my dad.' Harry addressed Ron. As Ron unwrapped the package, Harry read the note that had come with the package.
Harry, Mini Marauder
Your mum and I are so proud you made the Quidditch team. Come to think of it, so are Remus and Sirius. It took Sirius a few hours for it to finally sink in though. Anyways, we've sent you your broom. I'd be prepared for an ear full from your mother when you get home. She wasn't too pleased when she found out you broke a few rules. Just to warn you. Now, the four of us expect invitations to your first match.
We'll see you soon,
The Marauders and your mum
'Whoa, Harry, it's your broom! That was fast!' Harry raced over to where Ron was and picked up the broom.
'My mum's never let me ride it. My godfather gave it to me just this past summer and she went spare.' Ron snorted.
'At least you have a Nimbus. All our brooms at home are horrid.' Harry smiled sympathetically at his friend. Since there were seven children, they didn't get very many new things.
As the two boys sat discussing the broom, Hermione climbed through the portrait hole. She walked over to them and said,
'If I were you, I would get down to the Great Hall if you want dinner. It's the Halloween feast and it starts in ten minutes.' She turned to walk away but stopped and said over her shoulder,
'I would put the broom away also. I still don't think it fair that you were put on the house team. They shouldn't pull strings for certain students, especially when they break rules.' As she reached the portrait hole, Ron said loud enough for her to hear,
'No wonder she has no friends. She's a bossy little git she is.' Harry winced as Hermione turned around and said,
'I do have friends, just because you're too narrow-sighted to see them.'
'Oh really, are they invisible?' Hermione flushed and ran out of the Common Room, but not before Harry could see tears form in her eyes.
'I think you went a little far on that one mate,' Harry said. Ron shrugged and stood up.
'C'mon, let's get to the feast. I'm hungry.'
As Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table, Harry noticed that Hermione wasn't there.
'Neville, where's Hermione?'
'Seamus said he saw her run into the Girls Toilet in the Dungeons, crying.' Harry glanced at Ron who seemed to have paled at this revelation. The two friends shrugged it off and continued eating.
Just minutes into the feast, Professor Quirell ran into the Great Hall and yelled,
'Troll! Troll in the Dungeons...' Everyone stared as he fainted. All of a sudden, the news seemed to have sunk in as everyone stood up, screaming. Professor Dumbledore set off a firecracker with his wand and all the students stopped and stared at him.
'Heads of Houses will escort their students to their Common Rooms. All other teachers will follow me to the Dungeons.' There was a great stampede for the doors as students followed their Head of House to their Common Rooms. Harry suddenly stopped, causing Ron to run into him.
'Hermione! She's in the bathroom in the Dungeons.' Ron chewed his lip trying to decide what to do. He finally gave in and followed Harry down the stairs and down corridors until they were at the Girl's Toilet.
A foul stench suddenly reached their noses. They stopped, trying to figure out what it was when they heard a grunt. They looked down the corridor to see a troll, walking into a room.
Harry ran forward once the door was closed and turned the lock. He and Ron started running back up the stairs when they heard a high pitched, girl's scream. They stopped dead in their tracks realising it was Hermione who had screamed and that they had locked the troll in the same room as her.
They burst through the door just as the troll brought his club down on three cubicles at once. Ron picked up a piece of rubble and threw it at the troll's head as Hermione crawled under a sink.
The troll turned to Ron and seemed to be trying to decide who to go after. He finally seemed to decide on Hermione as he turned and smashed his club into the sink she was under. She moved just in time.
'Move!' Harry yelled at her. She listened and crawled to the door. Just as the troll was about to bring his club down on Hermione, Ron pulled out his wand and yelled,
'Wingardium leviosa!' The troll's club rose into the air and then dropped with a sickening thud onto its head. He swayed for a moment before falling right at Harry and Ron's feet, unconscious.
Hermione went to stand, but fell back against the wall, her face contorted in pain. Just as Harry was going to ask her if she was alright, the door burst open and Professor McGonagall, Snape, Quirell and Dumbledore burst into the room. Harry hadn't realised how much noise they had been making.
'What is going on in here?' McGonagall asked once she was over the shock of seeing three first years and an unconscious troll. Harry and Ron opened their mouths to answer but Hermione beat them to it.
'It's my fault Professor McGonagall. I heard the troll was in the dungeon, so I went looking for it. I've never seen one so I wanted to get a closer look. I followed it into the bathroom and then it cornered me. If Ron and Harry hadn't come when they did, I would most likely be dead.'
Harry and Ron stared open mouthed at her as the four Professors did too. Hermione Granger, Miss Perfect, always top marks, never breaking a rule lied to a Professor. Of course, the Professors didn't know she had lied, but she still admitted to disobeying instructions given by a Professor. Professor Dumbledore seemed to recover first as he said,
'Miss Granger, I would like you to realize how foolish it was for you to follow a full grown mountain troll. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor. Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I would like to advise that next time, although you did save a student's life, that you do not go fighting a mountain troll again. Most Professors here would not be able to take one down. You will each be awarded five points. Now if no one is injured I would like you to go back to your Common Room.' They nodded and went to leave, but as Hermione went to stand, she cried out in pain and fell back against the wall.
'Are you hurt Miss Granger?' Dumbledore asked. Hermione nodded.
'I-I think I've broken my ankle.' Dumbledore kneeled next to her and examined her ankle.
'Ah yes, it is quite the nasty break. May I ask Mr Potter and Mr Weasley to accompany Miss Granger to the Hospital Wing?' Harry and Ron quickly nodded and awkwardly helped Hermione to her feet. She put her arms around their shoulders and they awkwardly walked out the door.
The way up to the Hospital Wing was made in an uncomfortable silence. When they got to the door, Ron knocked. The door opened and Madame Pomfrey stood there. She glanced at their appearances and ushered them in the door. Harry and Ron helped Hermione to a bed where she sat down and put her ankle on the bed. Harry and Ron, not knowing if they needed to stay, sat uncomfortably on the end of the bed.
Madame Pomfrey came back and quickly took off Hermione's shoe and sock and studied her ankle.
'This is a foul break. Now hold still.' She took out her wand and put it to her ankle. She muttered a few spells and then said,
'There, test it out now.' Hermione gingerly stood up and put some weight on her foot. She sighed in relief and said,
'That's much better. Thank you so much Madame Pomfrey.'
'That's what I'm here for- Oh my! I didn't even notice you two. Wait right here, I'll be back with something for those scrapes right away.' As she bustled off, Harry and Ron quickly glanced in a mirror. There were quite a few scrapes on their faces that must have been from flying debris.
The three sat in silence while they waited for Madame Pomfrey to come back. When she did, Harry and Ron let her tend to them without saying anything. When she finished she said,
'Now, you three go back to your Common Room right away. We don't want you to get into any trouble. Go on now.' The three obeyed and made their way to the Common Room. When they got to the Portrait Hole, Hermione stopped them and said obviously uncomfortable,
'Thank you, for you know, saving me and helping me to the Hospital Wing. I appreciate it.' Harry and Ron nodded.
'Thanks for er, getting us out of trouble,' Harry said as Ron nodded beside him. Hermione flushed and made her way into the Common Room followed by Harry and Ron.
It was the beginning of a long lasting friendship.
