Chapter 9:
Alicia waited for the two boys and they made their way down to breakfast the next morning. Alicia immediately looked to the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy, looking at them dumbfounded.
"You know what, we should pretend last night was a breeze and talk about what a coward he is for not turning up." Alicia said
"Who would believe that?" Harry asked
"Draco Malfoy, ditched out of secret wizard duel as he was too scared to face the famous Harry Potter." Alicia said, spreading out the headlines as they sat down. She made sure to say it loud enough that a few from both the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw table behind them heard and the whispers began.
"I think you already did." Ron muttered, Alicia smirked
"Rumours are useful sometimes."
"What I the teachers find out?" Harry worried
"They're just rumours." Alicia shrugged mischievously. "Plus no one needs to truly know about our adventure." she whispered just to the two. The three had quickly agreed that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.
"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.
"Or both," said Harry.
"Maybe they knew someone wanted it and that's why they moved it." Alicia muttered.
But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.
Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.
Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, she tried not to with Alicia, but seemed to fail as she was the only one who understood her language. As she was such a bossy know-it-all, the boys saw her silence as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.
As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Alicia was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of Harry, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.
Harry ripped open the letter first with Alicia looking over his shoulder, which was lucky, because it said:
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.
"She's right." Alicia muttered and Harry looked at her "I want one!" she whined. Harry smirked and had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."
"Now you can!" Alicia grinned "Harry can I come watch practice? Pleeeaasee." she begged. Harry smiled and nodded which caused the girl to jump up with an excited squeal.
They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.
"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."
Ron couldn't resist it.
"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."
Alicia was ready to hit him with another jinx and Ron opened his mouth to spit back when Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.
"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. Alicia however happily gave in and chuckled. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.
Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion while Alicia's laughter carried down the stairs to the Slytherins.
"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.
Alicia sighed.
"Can't you congratulate him instead of scolding him for once, he made the team, no matter what the circumstances." Alicia smiled
"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.
"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "its doing us so much good." Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.
Alicia was so excited to see Harry on his broomstick and learn about quidditch first hand that nothing went wrong for her in classes. She passed the potion Snape made them make with flying colours, she transfigured the current object in Transfiguration and earned ten points as even Hermione hadn't been able to yet. Professor Flitwick was delighted when she performed the current charm perfectly and even stuttering Quirrell complimented her work in Defence Against the Dark Arts.
She rushed into the Great Hall that night and with Harry, bolted her dinner that evening without noticing what she were eating. With Ron at their side the two rushed upstairs to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.
"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.
Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.
"The second we get home I am buying a broomstick!" Alicia rushed out
"You can't use it?" Harry reminded her
"I don't care I just wanna own one." she managed to get out.
As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry and Alicia left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. Neither one had ever been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. To Alicia, they looked like bubble blower sticks, just fifty feet high and in the air.
Alicia laughed and ran over the field before turning to Harry.
"And here comes the Gryffindor team with their new seeker, Harry Potter!" she held her hand to her mouth as though holding a microphone and tried to contain her laughter as she spoke.
Harry, who was already eager to fly on the new broom mounted it and kicked off from the ground.
"And Gryffindor's winning by ninety points, if Potter catches the snitch they'll win by a mile!" Alicia called up to Harry as he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field.
"Oh and it looks like he's spotted the snitch!" Alicia said excitedly
"You'd make a good commentator." Alicia spun around to see a boy, he was a burly fifth-year. He had a large wooden crate in his arms.
"Thanks." she smiled
"Who are you?" Alicia assumed this was Oliver Wood
"Alicia Evans. I hope it's okay that I come watch." She smiled
"You a Gryffindor too?" he asked putting down the crate.
"Yep and I'm trying to the team next year, do you think there'll be an opening?" she asked hopefully
"Possibly." he seemed to like her enthusiasm as they turned back to Harry in the sky.
"It looks like so much fun." she whispered
"Hey, Potter, come down!" Wood shouted. Harry landed next to him.
"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."
He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.
"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."
"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.
"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"
They walked as Wood explained.
"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"
"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.
"Yeah by the sounds of it." Alicia nodded to Harry
"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."
"You have to guard three hoops?" Alicia asked surprised, she didn't understand how you chose which one to guard.
Wood nodded
"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.
"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."
He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat. "Alicia," he handed her another and she looked at it with a smirk.
"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."
He showed them two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.
"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.
At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air.
"My turn." Alicia grinned before she took a step away for the two and hit it as it returned. It zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.
"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?"
Alicia looked to Harry.
"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.
"Very good," said Wood.
"Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.
"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that."
"Have you ever been hit by one?" Alicia wondered
"Too many times." he nodded with a sigh. Alicia and Harry shared a surprised look as Wood continued
"Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —"
"— unless they crack my head open."
"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." Alicia chuckled, that was too true.
Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.
"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep."
"Three months!" Alicia asked shocked "Couldn't they make like a time out and then start again the next day?" she thought. Wood shook his head.
"Jeez…" she muttered
"Well, that's it — any questions?"
Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.
"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."
He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.
Alicia shouted and cheered for him, getting him used to the chatter though one person wasn't nearly the same as an entire crowd.
Harry didn't miss a single golf ball, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.
"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "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."
"I think Harry's famous enough without needing to be a Quidditch player." Alicia smirked, Harry sighed and she clapped his back in support.
"Can I come and watch your practices Wood?" she asked
"I don't see why not." Alicia beamed.
Two months flew by and Alicia was surprised everyday by the date. Two months and she knew her way around the majority of the castle, was on top ofs her homework and still managed to squeeze in the Quidditch practice, however because of it, she helped Harry out with his homework as he was more busy then any of them. Much to her delight the lessons were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.
On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). Alicia was with Dean Thomas but Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
The room was filled with wand waving and the words Wingardium Leviosa filled the air. It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.
Dean was trying to make the feather fly first before he sighed.
"Shall I?" Alicia wondered. He nodded. She smiled and swished her wand followed by a flick while saying Wingardium Leviosa.
The feather immediately began to levitate up into the air, the first of any to them and it followed her wand as she moved it from side to side.
"Well done Ms Evans!" Flitwick congratulated happily "Ten points to Gryffindor." Alicia turned to Dean and she took his wand hand and moved it.
"You just have to say the gar in wingardium longer." she said. Dean nodded and he tried it. The feather lifted from the table, didn't go as high but Dean was thrilled.
He continued to do it again and again while Alicia got up and moved to Harry and Seamus who'd been given another feather.
Ron, at the next table after Harry, wasn't having much more luck then Harry himself.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Hermione snapped. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"Hermione why can't you just suggest guidance instead of criticising him." Alicia said slightly annoyed as to her tone. She directed Seamus in a much nicer way and he managed to make his feather move also.
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. Alicia looked around and pointed her wand at the feather which bursted into flames like Seamus' had. Hermione gasped and seemed to get very upset but after seeing the smirk on Alicia's face, she scowled.
It cheered Ron up.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. They caught a glimpse of her face to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard you."
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
"How would you like it if no one like you because you're smart?" Alicia wondered
"You're smart and no one hates you." Ron shrugged
"No one hates Hermione either. She's just worried about being left behind and that's why she wants to prove she can be just as good as a 'pureblood'." she made air quotes with the word.
"Then why are you messing with her?" Ron asked
"Because occasionally she goes about it the wrong way." Alicia admitted with a sigh.
Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry, Alicia and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
Alicia had started on some chicken and Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Suddenly everything was silent and everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar. Alicia was too busy sitting in her chair surprised to get up and scream with everyone else. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Naturally Percy was in his element.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.
"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."
"Some joke." Alicia rolled her eyes
They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed both Alicia and Ron's arm.
"I've just thought — Hermione."
"What about her?"
"She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip.
"Don't you dare think about leaving her." Alicia snapped at him
"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."
Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.
"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin as Alicia followed quickly.
Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.
"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"
"Search me."
"This whole mess it rather mysterious…" Alicia thought.
Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.
"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said
"With that dog?" Alicia asked surprised, confused as to why he'd want to go near it. Ron held up his hand, not allowing anyone to answer.
"Can you smell something?" Harry and Alicia sniffed and a foul stench reached their nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.
Alicia's robs were over her nose instantly.
And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.
It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.
"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."
"Good idea," said Ron nervously.
They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.
"Yes!"
Alicia didn't cheer as she watched the door while the two boys started to run back up the passage, she looked at the door and realised what it lead too just as a high, petrified scream came from it.
"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.
"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.
"Hermione!" they said together.
The two boys wheeled around and headed back for the bathroom in time to see Alicia run inside, no bothering to wait for them.
Hermione was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.
"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.
The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.
Alicia meanwhile moved to Hermione and helped her to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Hermione didn't answer, she was frozen. Alicia tried to pull her to the door but she wouldn't move.
"Hermione move your ass or you're gonna get us killed!" Alicia snapped. Her shout confused the Troll some more and it turned to them now.
"Oh god." Alicia muttered, she quickly grabbed her wand and she flicked it. To her, and everyone's surprise the troll went flying into the opposite wall, creaking and damaging it badly.
"What was that?" Ron demanded
"Same thing I used on Malfoy in the train." she confessed "I didn't think it'd work on something as big as a troll!" she admitted shocked.
The troll however shook it's head and began to get straight back up again. Alicia tried to pull on Hermione some more to make her work and with Harry's help they moved her halfway before the Troll roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.
"Ron!" Alicia shouted
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped — it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
Alicia gapped as, while howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.
Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.
Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. Alicia was eying the troll on the floor, her mouth still open.
It was Hermione who spoke first.
"Is it — dead?"
"I don't think so," said Harry, as Alicia moved around the troll, looking it over with caution. "I think it's just been knocked out." He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.
"Gross." Alicia couldn't help but say.
"Urgh — troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realised what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron, Alicia and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Alicia bit her lip and looked at Harry who turned to Ron, he was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor.
Then a small voice came out of the shadows.
"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.
"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 dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?
Alicia watched her stunned
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Alicia sent it smashing into the wall, Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."
Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them. Alicia looked at Hermione surprised and glanced at McGonagall.
"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "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 Alicia, Harry and Ron.
"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 hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.
"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.
"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."
"I don't know, we did kinda scare her…" Alicia reminded him
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.
"It could have happened to anyone." Alicia reminded him
They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pig snout," they said and entered.
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Alicia looked at them all as the three refused to look at each other. She rolled her eyes
"Are you alright?" she asked. Hermione looked at her and nodded
"Thanks." she said
"Thanks back." Alicia smiled. She looked at the boys and nudged them too. They both uttered a thank you before the three of them ran off to get plates. Alicia huffed but followed, still very hungry herself.
From that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
