Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. OpenBookLina owns chapters 1-11 and Sara, David, Marcus, Kiera, and Izzy. Story originally by OpenBookLina.
Chapter 10
The next couple of weeks seemed to fly by on swift wings. Sara was enjoying her classes more and more, with the exception of potions. She quickly grew accustomed to the castle and all its marvelous splendors. And it was about to get even better, because today was the start of their flying lessons. Sara was ecstatic, she had been dying to get on a broom for years, and now was her chance. The only down side was that they would be learning with the Slytherins, but it hardly fazed her. She was way too excited to care. Sara was practically skipping with glee on the way to breakfast, causing Hermione to giggle. While they ate, Hermione was telling Neville about some flying tips she got out of a book and he hung onto her every word. The two of them were pretty nervous about flying and wanted to be prepared in any way they could. Everyone was talking about the lessons, and the first years who came from wizarding families were talking about Quidditch. Sara was having a discussion with Seamus about the Irish National Quidditch team when the mail arrived. D'Artangan came sweeping over the table with two letters from Jon and Sophia and a package of home baked sweets. As she untied D'Artangan's cargo, Sara noticed that Neville received a package as well. He opened it eagerly and took out a glass ball full of white smoke.
"It's a Remembrall," he said. "Gran knows I forget things-this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red-oh…"
Neville's face fell. The white smoke in the Remembrall suddenly turned bright scarlet.
"…you've forgotten something…"
Neville sat there in his seat deep in thought, trying to remember what he'd forgotten while Sara helped herself to one of Sophia's Cannoli's. All of a sudden, Malfoy came up from behind him and snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Sara slammed her fork down and quickly jumped to her feet, along with Harry and Ron. She was dying for a reason to throw one at Malfoy, just one. However, Professor McGonagall was there in a flash, staring them down.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall Professor," said Neville.
Scowling, Malfoy dropped the Remembrall back onto the table, saying he was just looking. Then he walked away with his pet baboons behind him. Sara glared after them. She really wasn't one for fighting, but when it come to her friends and family, Sara was nothing less than a fierce mother Grizzly Bear, ready to protect the ones she cared for. She was actually glad Professor McGonagall stepped in when she did, because she knew if Malfoy made a move either her, Harry, or Ron would have responded. She knew her Papa wouldn't be happy if he got a letter from the school saying she was in a fight. He taught her better than that. Shaking off what just happened, Sara sat back down next to Hermione and continued eating her Cannoli.
"Sara-"
"I know Hermione" said Sara, sighing. "I'm sorry, but he would've deserved it."
ooooo00000OOOOO00000ooooo
That afternoon, Sara and Hermione made their way onto the grounds with the other Gryffindors for their flying lesson. Excitement was bubbling in her stomach as Sara rushed down the green slopes, with Hermione trying to catch up with her. They walked down to a flat piece of lawn on the opposite side of the grounds that led to the Forbidden Forest. The Slytherins were already there, along with twenty broomsticks lying on the ground in neat lines. Their teacher, Madame Hooch, was there as well. She had short grey hair and yellow eyes that reminded Sara of a cat.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked at them. Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
Everyone took a spot by a broom and Sara's excitement rose even higher.
"Stick your right hand over the broom, and say 'Up!'" Madame Hooch instructed.
"Up!" everyone shouted. Sara's broom shot up into her hand instantly and her heart soared. Hermione's broom just rolled over on the ground, but did nothing else. Neville's broom didn't move at all and he looked even more nervous than ever. Once they all had their brooms in their hands, Madame Hooch taught them the proper way to mount them without sliding off and corrected anyone who was doing it wrong. When Madame Hooch felt they were all set, she went back up to the front of the lines, her whistle in her hand. Sara could barely contain her excitement and she was anxious to get her feet off the ground.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you all kick off from the ground, hard," she said. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle-three-two-"
Before Madame Hooch could blow the whistle, Neville pushed off from the ground and rose high into the air. She yelled at him to come back down but from where Sara was standing, Neville had absolutely no control of his broom. He just kept going higher and higher into the air until he was well over twenty feet. Neville looked petrified and when he glanced down, Sara saw his eyes widen in fear. He started to slip off the side of his broom and Sara gasped as he started plummeting towards the ground. In the next second, Neville smacked into the grass and a nasty crack split through the air. Madame Hooch quickly ran over to Neville's side and leaned over him.
"Broken wrist," Sara heard her mutter. "Come on boy-it's all right, up you get."
She carefully helped Neville to his feet and turned to face the class. Neville's eyes were flooded with tears as he held his wrist, his face contorted with pain.
"None of you is to move while I take this boy up to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say Quidditch! Come on dear."
Madame Hooch led Neville away and they headed up towards the castle. Sara felt so bad for Neville, but she was soon cut out of her reverie by Malfoy's laughter.
"Did you see his face, the great lump?" he said, making the other Slytherins laugh along with him.
"Shut up Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies Parvati."
"Look!" said Malfoy, running over to a spot in the grass and bending over to pick something up. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
He stood back up, holding Neville's Remembrall tightly in his hand. Sara's eyes narrowed and she took a step forward, about to demand Malfoy to give it to her, but just as she was about to open her mouth, Harry, to her surprise, beat her to it.
"Give that here Malfoy," Harry said. Everyone around him stopped talking and stared. Malfoy looked at him and gave a rather nasty smirk. That can't be good…
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find," said Malfoy. "How about-up a tree?"
"Give it here!" Harry yelled. Malfoy responded by jumping onto a broomstick and taking off. He zoomed around for a bit, showing off all of his flying skills, before hovering over the top branches of a tall oak tree, the Remembrall still in his hand.
"Come and get it Potter!" he called. Harry didn't need telling twice, and he bent down to pick up his broom.
"No!" said Hermione. "Madame Hooch told us not to move-you'll get us all into trouble!"
Harry ignored her completely. He quickly mounted his broom and then shot up into the air. Sara and the others stared in amazement as Harry flew, his expression one of fierce joy and thrilling excitement. He must have been just as eager to fly as she was, and it was hard to believe this was his first time on a broom. By the way he moved through the air, one would have thought he had been flying all his life. Harry took his broom even higher and turned it to face Malfoy, who looked positively stunned that he had actually done it.
"Give it here or I'll knock you off that broom!" Harry yelled at him.
"Oh yeah?" said Malfoy, still looking worried. Harry shot straight at Malfoy, who got out of the way just in time before Harry rammed into him. Harry made a sharp about-face and held his broom steady.
"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.
"Catch it if you can then!" Malfoy shouted. He pulled his arm back and threw Neville's Remembrall into the air. Harry immediately went after it as it started to fall towards the ground, going into a perfect dive. He stretched out his hand and when he was a mere foot away from the ground, he caught it. He pulled his broom up straight and landed safely on the grass, the Remembrall in his hand. Sara was beyond impressed at Harry's excellent flying, but before anyone could clap or cheer, a loud voice suddenly shouted behind them.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Sara turned to see Professor McGonagall running over towards them. Her glasses flashed dangerously and her eyes were wide with absolute shock, her face a mix of disbelief and fury.
"Never-in all my time at Hogwarts-how dare you-might have broken your neck-"
"It wasn't his fault Professor-"
"Be quiet Miss Patil."
"But Malfoy-"
"That's enough Mr. Weasley!"
"Harry was just trying-"
"I said enough Miss Kanebridge! Potter, follow me, now."
Harry looked extremely miserable as he followed Professor McGonagall back up towards the castle. This can't be good at all. Is Harry going to be expelled? He didn't even do anything wrong! Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all smiling as Harry was led away.
"Sure didn't last very long did he?" Malfoy gloated. "They'll send him packing and back on the train within the hour. I figured Longbottom would have caved in before he did at least."
"Shut up Malfoy!" Sara snapped.
"Or what?" said Malfoy. Sara narrowed her eyes at him. She dropped her broom and started moving towards him, but both Hermione and Ron grabbed her arms to keep her back.
"Don't Sara!" Hermione whispered.
"He's not worth it," said Ron.
"Yeah Kanebridge, we wouldn't want you to be sent home too," said Malfoy.
"You think you are so wonderful and important just because you know how to fly a broom and who your family is!" said Sara. "I highly doubt even you could pull out of a fifty foot dive without even scratching yourself like Harry just did. And you're nothing but a coward, hiding behind your idiot bodyguards and your family's name. You're just a spoiled bully who's all talk and probably runs to Mommy and Daddy when you can't get what you want!"
A couple girls gasped and Seamus gave a whoop of encouragement.
"Don't push it Kanebridge," said Malfoy, his own eyes narrowing.
"Then shut your fat mouth then and stop harassing my friends," Sara spat at him. Malfoy glared at her, but didn't say anything. Not too long after, Madame Hooch returned and they continued on with their lesson. Sara's hands were shaking with anticipation as she clutched her broom, and the moment she kicked off from the ground, she found herself in a marvelous splendor. Although she didn't go very far or very high, the feeling of the wind in her hair and her heart thumping excitedly in her chest made her spirit soar clear across the clouds. It was such a glorious feeling and she wished she could stay up here forever. All too soon, it was time to go back inside and Madame Hooch led them all back up to the castle.
"You shouldn't have tried to pick a fight with Malfoy," said Hermione as they walked across the courtyards.
"I know," said Sara. "I'm sorry Hermione, I just hate it when people hurt my friends. And he is such an arrogant prat! He and Snape should get together for a cup of tea sometime. I know I shouldn't have gotten so angry, but I wasn't really going to fight him."
"It didn't look like that to me."
"My Papa taught me never to fight unless it's for defense," said Sara. "No matter how much Malfoy irritates me I wouldn't waste my energy on him. Ron was right, he's not worth it at all."
"I'm glad you didn't fight him," said Hermione. "I was afraid you would've gotten hurt."
"Thanks Hermione," said Sara, smiling and feeling touched by her friend's concern for her. They walked into the entrance hall and started making their way to the library to meet Kiera. When they arrived, they found her sitting at a corner table by the window reading a book. She smiled as Sara and Hermione joined them.
"Hey," Kiera greeted them. "How were your lessons?"
"They went quite well," replied Hermione. "Although I think I would much rather keep my feet on the ground. Sara was fantastic though, her and Harry were the best out there. I really hope he doesn't get into too much trouble, even though he deserves it."
"Why is he in trouble?" asked Kiera. Hermione and Sara went into the story of Malfoy taking Neville's Remembrall and how Harry got it back.
"Amazing," said Kiera when they finished. "Sounds like he would make an excellent Quidditch player."
"He's too young to play for the house team," Hermione stated. "He was being reckless, and he could have seriously gotten hurt. It was really careless of him."
"Maybe, but someone had to give Malfoy a taste of his own medicine," Sara said. "And at least he got Neville's Remembrall back for him. I hope Neville is okay, that was a very bad fall off his broom."
"I'm sure he'll be alright by dinner," Kiera assured her. "Madame Pomfrey can probably mend all his bones in a heartbeat."
Sara nodded and then the girls turned to their studies. Hermione pulled out a pile of thick heavy books out of her bag and started digging into them. A long silence fell between them all as they read or took notes. After a little while, Sara grew bored. A sudden thought came to her and she looked over at Hermione and Kiera, both of whom were completely transfixed in their books. Sara carefully reached down into her bag that was sitting by her feet and after a few seconds of rummaging around, she extracted her camera. She slowly raised the eyepiece up to her face and focused the lens on Kiera's concentrated expression. When everything was all set, she snapped the picture and the noise jolted Kiera and Hermione out of their stupor.
"Oh Sara, not again," groaned Hermione. Sara only smiled and giggled. Ever since their very first day at Hogwarts Sara has been going all over the school, constantly taking pictures with her trusted camera. She would take pictures of everything from the sky, to the lake, to books on shelves, to wands, robes, food, and shoes, and nothing pleased her more. She would also take pictures of people, and Hermione and Kiera were unfortunate enough to be her favorite targets. Sara never got tired of clicking away and since Sophia always sent her at least two rolls of film each week, she was never low on stock.
"Sorry guys, I can't help it," Sara said. She brought up the eyepiece to her face again and took a picture of Hermione's annoyed expression. Kiera giggled and placed her book down on the table. She started posing for Sara and the two of them laughed quietly as Sara snapped photo after photo. Eventually, Hermione's scowl slowly faded away and formed into a smile. Giving up and realizing she wasn't going to get any work done today, she joined in on the fun. They used up their entire study hour goofing off and posing. For one particular shot, Kiera had made such a funny face that Sara couldn't help but burst out laughing, earning her a glare and a "Shhh!" from the librarian. When they were all done with their hilarious photo shoot, it was almost time for dinner. Still giggling, they packed up all of their things, left the library and started descending the staircase to the Great Hall. Once they arrived, Kiera left to go take her seat at the Ravenclaw table while Hermione and Sara went to go sit at their own. As soon as everyone was there the food appeared on the tables and they all dug in. Sara helped herself to some steak and boiled potatoes with corn and gravy, along with a glass of Pumpkin Juice. At some point she looked down the table and saw Harry talking with Ron and the redheaded twins who she learned were Ron's older brothers, Fred and George Weasley.
"What is it Sara?" Hermione asked her.
"Harry's still here. Maybe he wasn't expelled," answered Sara. Before Hermione could respond, they saw the Weasley twins walk away and not even a minute later, Malfoy came along with Crabbe and Goyle.
"Having a last meal Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly.
"I'd take you anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight if you want. Wizard's Duel. Wands only-no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has," said Ron. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Sara's jaw dropped. Are they insane? Why in the world are they agreeing to a wizard's duel?
"Crabbe," said Malfoy. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."
They have got to be kidding! Sara could hardly believe her ears. Harry and Ron must be completely out of their minds. They are only first years, what could they possibly do in a wizard's duel? Harry was lucky enough not to be expelled. If he agrees to this and gets caught he will get kicked out of Hogwarts for sure. And Hermione think she's bad at picking fights?
"They can't do this," said Hermione, looking as shocked as Sara felt.
"I have no idea what they're trying to accomplish with this duel," said Sara.
"We have to talk some sense into them," Hermione said.
"Hermione, it's none of our business," Sara protested. However, Hermione stood up and went over to Harry and Ron just as Malfoy was walking away.
"Excuse me," she said to them.
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.
"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying-"
"Bet you could," said Ron.
"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll use for Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."
"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.
"Good-bye," said Ron. Hermione scowled at them, then she turned on her heel and headed back over to Sara.
"So how did it go?" Sara asked her as she sat down.
"They're impossible," Hermione huffed.
"They're boys," Sara said simply, taking a bite out of her steak.
ooooo00000OOOOO00000ooooo
Sara awoke to a strange sound coming through the darkness of the dormitory and she moaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. Once they took a minute to adjust properly, she could make out a shadowy figure shuffling around wearing a pink bathrobe.
"Hermione?" said Sara groggily, lifting her head up slightly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to try to stop Harry and Ron," she whispered back. "Where is my other slipper?"
"What? Hermione-" Sara sat up in bed and pulled off the colors as she saw Hermione's dark silhouette go over towards the door. She quickly stood up, put on her own slippers and bathrobe and followed Hermione out the door and trailed her down the spiral staircase.
"Hermione are you mad?" Sara whispered. "How exactly are you intending to stop them? You know they are not going to listen."
"I have to try," said Hermione. "I can't let them risk any more points for Gryffindor. You should go back to bed Sara."
"I'm wide awake now," said Sara. "I'm coming too."
Hermione sighed but didn't argue with her. She and Sara opened the door to the common room where Hermione took a seat by the portrait hole. Sara remained standing, her arms crossed over her chest. She hoped Hermione knew what she was doing, Harry and Ron sounded completely serious about going to meet Malfoy tonight. They have nothing to prove to him, why would they risk expulsion? This is exactly why Sara never understood boys. Time passed by slowly as Sara and Hermione waited in the dark for Harry and Ron to show up. Sleepiness started making its way back to Sara and she fought to keep her heavy eyelids open. After a while of nothing, she finally spoke.
"Maybe they're not coming," she said.
"Wait," said Hermione, holding up her hand. There was the sound of soft footsteps coming down one of the staircases and sure enough, the door leading to the boy's dormitories opened and Sara could make out two dark figures slowly shutting the door behind them and start heading towards the portrait hole.
"I can't believe you're going to do this Harry," said Hermione, strong disapproval in her voice. She turned on the lamp that was sitting on the table next to her, revealing her and Sara's hiding place.
"You!" Ron said furiously at her. "Go back to bed!"
"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped. "Percy-he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."
"Come on," Harry said to Ron. They started going through the portrait hole, but Hermione went straight in after them.
"Hermione, wait," Sara said, following her.
"Don't you care about Gryffindor?" Hermione hissed at them when they were all outside in the corridor. "Do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."
"Go away," said Ron.
"Hermione come on," said Sara. "If they insist on being blundering idiots and getting caught, then let them."
"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so-"
But what they were, they didn't find out, for Hermione had stopped speaking. Sara turned around to see what she was staring at and her stomach dropped. The portrait leading into Gryffindor Tower was empty. The Fat Lady had gone on some nighttime stroll and they were locked out.
"Oh no," Sara whispered.
"Now what are we going to do?" Hermione said shrilly.
"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."
He and Harry started walking down the corridor together. Sara and Hermione took one look at each other and then sprinted after them.
"We're coming with you," said Hermione.
"You are not."
"Oh yes we are," countered Sara. "Whether you boys like it or not, you're being followed."
"And do you really think we're going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch us? If he finds all four of us we'll tell him the truth, that Sara and I were trying to stop you, and you can back us up."
"You've got some nerve-"
"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."
There was a sort of soft snuffling sound coming from the floor next to them, and they all squinted to see what it was. It actually turned out to be Neville, who was fast asleep on the floor by the wall. What in the world was Neville doing sleeping out in the corridor in the middle of the night? Sara crept nearer to Neville and he quickly jerked awake.
"Thank goodness you found me!" he said, gratitude lacing his voice. "I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get into bed."
"Keep your voice down Neville. The password's 'Pig Snout', but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere,' said Ron.
"How's your arm?" Harry and Sara asked together.
"Fine," said Neville showing them. "Madame Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."
"Good-well, look Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later-"
"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet. "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."
Ron looked down at his wristwatch and then looked back up, glaring at Sara, Neville, and Hermione.
"If either of you three gets us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned the curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and used it on you."
Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. The five of them made their way down the corridors silently, keeping an eye and ear out for Filch or his cat, Mrs. Norris. Thankfully, they did not run into either of them. They stuck together in a group, speeding up staircases and around corners. After a little while they finally came to the Trophy room. Double checking to make sure no one was there, Harry carefully opened the door and everyone followed him inside. Closing it behind her, Sara looked around to see that Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. Stacked up along the walls were tall crystal trophy cases, holding all kinds of different awards. They all waited quietly for Malfoy to arrive and Harry took out his wand. The minutes crept by slowly and Sara wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a little uneasy. Five minutes passed…then ten…
"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. Before anyone could say anything, there was a sudden noise that came from the next room, making them jump. Then, to their horror they heard someone speak, and it definitely wasn't Malfoy.
"Sniff around my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."
Filch! Not even five seconds later, Sara and the others were quickly running out of the room, trying to get away from Filch's voice. Harry gestured for them to follow him and they went down a long gallery full of suits of armor. While they scurried to the end of the hall, they could hear Filch getting closer, and Sara's heartbeat doubled. Just as they were almost at the end, Neville gave a yelp of fear and broke into a run. Sara tried to stop him, but he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and then they both crashed right into a suit of armor. Sara gasped as the metal suit fell over top of Ron and Neville, the clanging and crashing sounds echoing throughout the halls.
"RUN!" Harry shouted. In the next second, all five of them were sprinting down the corridor like a herd of deer, putting as much distance between them and Filch as possible. Harry led them through corridor after corridor, the portraits and windows flying past them. Eventually, they finally found themselves outside of the charms classroom and they stopped to rest. Everyone was panting heavily, with Sara clutching her side and Neville doubled over, wheezing.
"Are you alright Neville?" Sara asked. Neville could only nod.
"I think we lost him," said Harry.
"I-told-you," Hermione gasped, glaring at them. "I-told-you."
"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron. "As quickly as possible."
"You don't say?" said Sara sarcastically.
"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that don't you? He was never going to meet you-Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."
Harry didn't say anything and Sara just shook her head. He knew Hermione was right. He and Ron brought this on themselves. Challenging them to a duel was just a way for Malfoy to humiliate them and get them into trouble, and they fell for it. Despite what Harry and Ron may think of Hermione, they really need to learn to listen to her sometimes.
"Let's go," he said. Just as they started walking forward, a classroom door to their left burst open and Peeves the Poltergeist came zooming out. The minute he caught sight of them he gave a loud squeal of delight.
"Shut up Peeves," said Harry. "Please-you'll get us thrown out."
"Wandering around at midnight Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."
"Not if you don't give us away Peeves, please."
"Please Peeves," Sara begged, looking over her shoulder anxiously. "Please be quiet."
"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves. "It's for your own good you know."
"Get out of the way!" Ron snapped, taking a swing at Peeves.
"Ron, no!" said Sara.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves hollered. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"
They all took off, running for their very lives. When they came to the end of the corridor, they found a door-and it was locked.
"This is it!" Ron moaned. "We're done for! This is the end!"
"This is your fault!" Sara hissed. "If you two hadn't-"
"Oh be quiet, both of you, and move over!" Hermione snarled, grabbing Harry's wand and shoving past Ron. She tapped the lock on the door and whispered, "Alohomora!"
There was a tiny click and the door instantly opened. They all filed in and shut the door behind them. Once they were safely inside, they pressed their ears against the door to hear what was going on outside.
"Which way did they go Peeves?" came Filch's voice. "Quick, tell me."
"Say 'please'," said Peeves.
"Don't mess with me Peeves, now where did they go?"
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves answered in his annoying singsong voice.
"All right-please."
"NOTHING! Ha haaaaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaa!"
They heard Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. Sara let out a shaky breath she had been holding in and slumped against the door. That was close, too close for comfort.
"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay-get off Neville!"
Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. His face was as pale as death and his eyes were wide and contorted with absolute fear. Sara turned to see what Neville was staring at and in that instant her heart ceased beating. Fear started spreading through her body like wildfire and her insides were filled with dread. So far, this is the worst thing that they encountered tonight. The door they had just run through did not lead to a room, but into another corridor. The third floor corridor. And Sara saw quite clearly why it was forbidden.
They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, one that filled the whole space between the ceiling and floor. It had three gigantic heads, three pairs of piercing yellow eyes, three black, wet noses, and three mouths with drool dripping down from razor sharp fangs. The dog stood quite still, staring them down and growling. Both Harry and Sara started groping for the doorknob, their hands quivering madly. They both twisted it open and everyone fell backwards out into the corridor, Harry slammed the door shut, locked it, and then they were flying back down the corridor. Sara pushed her legs faster as they raced through the castle, up the staircases and down the dark halls. In what seemed like no time at all, they found themselves back in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked them.
"Never mind that-pig snout, pig snout," Harry gasped. The portrait swung open and they all rushed forward into the safety of the common room. Every one of them collapsed into an armchair, taking a moment to catch their breaths. Sara took in slow steady breaths, trying to stop her body from shaking. What exactly just happened? Why on earth is there a three headed monster in Hogwarts?
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."
"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Hermione snapped at him. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"
"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."
"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."
Hermione stood up from the armchair, her eyes burning as she glared at Harry and Ron.
"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have all been killed-or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."
Hermione marched away towards the door leading up to the girl's dormitories and disappeared behind it.
"No, we don't mind," Ron said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"
"Just stop Ron," said Sara, standing to her feet. "Hermione is upset about what happened, and I am too for that matter. Yes, I know you two didn't ask for us to come along, but you are both to blame as well. If you hadn't been so desperate to prove yourself to Malfoy we wouldn't have been in that mess. Listen, I'm not angry, but I hope you two will actually use your heads next time. I'm just glad we all got out of that okay. Now, I'm going to head up to bed and check on Hermione. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
With that being said, Sara walked over to the door and started going up the stairs. It was true, she wasn't nearly as mad with Harry and Ron as she should be, but she was till irritated with them for being so careless and risking all their lives. Still, she was happy they were all safe and hadn't been caught by Filch, and she wanted to erase tonight's events from her memory. However, Hermione did give Sara something to think about. That dog was guarding something. What was it?
ooooo00000OOOOO00000ooooo
Some time had passed since their frightening adventure with the three-headed dog, and things were finally returning to normal. Harry and Ron saw the whole thing as a thrilling experience and were very interested in learning what the dog might be guarding. However, Sara, Hermione, and Neville had absolutely no desire to know what was hidden beneath the trapdoor, and it took a few days after the incident for Sara to calm and sooth Neville, for his nerves have been on edge, and he was always jumping at small things. Hermione was still furious with Ron and Harry, and was refusing to speak a word to them.
Other than that, things were going quite well. Sara could hardly believe she had been at Hogwarts for two months already. The castle was becoming more and more like home to her with each passing day, and her classes are becoming much more interesting. Now that they had gotten past the basics, all of her professors started moving on to more harder topics. Professor McGonagall taught them how to transform an averaged sized, lumpy piece of coal into a smooth pebble, and Professor Sprout had them collect pollen from Snapping Flaggers, which really lived up to their name. Outside of class, Sara was having a wonderful time with her friends. She would study with Hermione in the common room, sit outside in the courtyards with Kiera, and she even stopped to talk to David and Marcus whenever she saw them. Even though they were a pair of goofy dunderheads, they were still really funny and great to hang out with. Seeing as how Sara and Kiera have grown so close, David and Marcus treated Sara as if she were their sister too. Sara felt touched by this, having no kind of sibling relationship before now. Sara had also grown into the habit of carrying her camera with her everywhere she went, snapping random pictures. The only down side was she had to wait until the Christmas Holidays to get them developed, as Hogwarts didn't have a Dark Room.
It was now only a couple days before Halloween, and Sara was once again sitting under the Willow tree out by the lake. It had become her favorite place to be when she wanted some peace and quiet time to herself. It was such a beautiful and peaceful setting, she could barely tear her gaze away from it. The leaves on the Willow were a lovely shade of orange and gold, and most of them had already fallen to the ground. However, there was still a single pink blossom clinging to one of the branches, leftover from the long forgotten summer. Sara reached over and lightly traced the petals with her fingertips. But that was all it took for the blossom top quiver and flutter down from the branch and right into Sara's lap. She delicately took the small flower into her hand, staring at it for a moment. Then, smiling, Sara opened the book she had been reading and carefully placed the flower inside, closing the book on top of it.
"Hello ther' Sara."
Sara looked up to see Hagrid standing next to the trunk of the tree.
"Hi Hagrid," she greeted. She was used to running into Hagrid every now and then during her travels across the grounds.
"What are yeh doin' here all by yerself?" he asked her.
"Just taking some time to myself to relax," said Sara. "This place is so gorgeous, it's like a dream. I love coming here."
"I can see why yeh do," said Hagrid, nodding his head in understanding. "This place can be wonderful fer someone 'o really appreciates it. Spent most of me time sittin' on the outskirts of them trees ther. Say, I was jus' about to go tending' to me garden and collectin' pumpkins fer the feast by me hut. I could sure use the help."
"Okay," said Sara, happy to be of help to Hagrid. She packed away all of her books inside of her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and stood up to follow Hagrid. He led her across the grounds until they came to his little hut on the edge of the Dark Forest. Smoke was rising through the tiny chimney attached to the roof and hundreds of black Crows were lounging about in Hagrid's garden. While he went around the back of the hut to fetch a wooden wagon, Sara stared at the gigantic pumpkins resting in the front yard, all brightly painted and ready for picking. As soon as Hagrid came back around with the wagon, he and Sara started pulling them out of the ground and loading them up. Being so much shorter than Hagrid, Sara decided to stay with the smaller ones in the patch, but even they proved to be quite a challenge. Hagrid chuckled as Sara attempted to lift one the size of half a vacuum cleaner and gave her a hand.
"So how are yer classes?" he asked her.
"Fantastic, I'm really enjoying them," Sara beamed as she tried wrapping her arms around another pumpkin. "Professor Flitwick said he has a special lesson in mind for us very soon."
"You catchin' on okay?"
"Yeah, although I probably wouldn't have made it through some of my homework without my friend Hermione. Sometimes I understand her better than the professors."
"It gets better," Hagrid said reassuringly. "I remember me firs' year, didn' have a clue what I was getting' meself into. But I figured it out."
"I just can't believe it's getting so close to Christmas already," said Sara. "But I am excited to see my papa, even though I'm not going to want to leave. I love Hogwarts so much."
"I know exactly how yeh feel," Hagrid agreed. "What's yer father like?"
"He's a Muggle, he works for a travel agency," Sara explained as she and Hagrid lifted another pumpkin up onto the wagon. "He arranged people's travel plans and reserves places for wherever they want to go on vacation. One time he had a huge bonus in his paycheck and he took me to Scotland for the weekend. It was so amazing, the hills and mountains were so beautiful, and it was even better since it was just the two of us."
"Sounds like a good man," said Hagrid. "You mus' miss him."
"I do," said Sara. "But I'll see him soon. What's your father like?"
"He died years ago," replied Hagrid. "Jus' when I started school."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sara said quickly.
"It's all righ'," said Hagrid. "One o' the greatest men I ever knew, he was. Took care of me when I was no bigger than a loaf o' bread. After me mum left."
"My mom left us too," Sara whispered sadly. "Five years ago, not too long after my birthday. My papa's been raising me on his own ever since. He always says he wishes he could have taught me certain things about magic, he kept feeling like he was letting me down. But he could never let me down, he's done so much for me, and he made me who I am now. I honestly don't know what I would do without him."
Sara and Hagrid continued loading up the wagon with pumpkins until it was all full. Then they started heading back up towards the castle, with Hagrid pulling the wagon up the hills. Upon reaching the entrance hall, Sara decided to go and try to find Kiera. Her and Hagrid parted ways and she went up the staircase. After climbing a couple of floors, Sara soon found herself walking down a long corridor where the walls were made entirely of glass mirrors. She stared at her reflection in them as she passed by. When she was near the middle of the corridor she slowed down until coming to a halt. There was one mirror in particular that was a little strange. The sun was streaming in through the windows from the east, yet in the mirror, the sun was coming in from the west and it looked faint, as if it were about to set. But that couldn't be right. It's barely even past midday. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Sara stepped closer to the mirror. As she stared into it, Sara noticed a dim patch of orange light flickering in the mirror, slowly growing brighter. To Sara, it looked like the tiniest portion of a fire's flame. As she continued to stare at it, the contents of the mirror began to shift, and past the reflection of the walls and windows, Sara started to see the outlines of what appeared to be books stacked on a shelf and an armchair. What in the world…
Sara checked up and down the corridor to make sure she was really alone. Seeing that no one was around, Sara turned back to the mirror. Hesitating slightly, she raised her hand up to the polished glass and, ever so gently, place it on top of the little orange glow.
Two things occurred that caused Sara to gasp and snatch her hand back. The first was that the light was extremely warm, as if she were actually placing her hand next to a roaring fire. The second was that the moment Sara touched the mirror, it started to quiver and shake. For a moment Sara was afraid she had somehow broken it, but instead of it breaking, it started to move. Sara's eyes widened as the mirror started pushing itself inward revealing a hidden room tucked away behind it. Once the doorway was fully opened, Sara debated on whether or not she should go inside. She couldn't see it clearly because it was so dark inside, except for that faint glow. Maybe she should leave and just forget about this room, just go find Kiera and think of something to do until dinner.
And yet…
It can't hurt to take one little peek, can it? Just one quick look and then she can leave. Taking a deep breath, Sara carefully stepped in through the doorway into the secret room. The mirror began closing itself behind her, encasing her in the nearly complete darkness. It turns out the light was indeed coming from a lit fireplace that was built on the other side of the room. Sara just stood there for a moment, trying to take in her surroundings. She stepped closer towards the fire, it's soft light falling upon her face.
"I say, what in the world are you doing here?" demanded a sudden rough, male voice. Sara jumped and gave a yelp, staring widely around her.
"Who's there?" she called.
"That is none of your concern, and how the devil did you find this place?" said the voice.
"I-I don't know," said Sara. "I just found it. Where are you?"
"Merlin's beard child, turn on the lights!"
"How?"
"How? Good God, what are they teaching these children today? Just wave your wand while concentrating on the fire and say Flamada Seldoma."
"Um, okay," said Sara. She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out her wand. Staring into the fire, Sara focused on its dancing flames and waved her wand over her head.
"Flamada Seldoma!"
All at once, the fire suddenly ignited ten-fold and lashed out it's heated teeth. Several small balls of flame shot out through different parts of the room. Sara ducked and launched herself to the ground as a few fire balls went over her head. Looking up, Sara saw the each ball was flying over to oil lamps and candles that were scattered about. The ones that raced over her head lit up two torches that stood on each side of the glass door she had come through. Others were zooming over to candelabras on a mantelpiece, torches hanging on the walls, and even a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. When all the lights have been set, the fireplace died down until it returned to its normal size. Deciding it was safe, Sara slowly got back to her feet and finally took a good look around her.
She was standing in a huge, spacious, and circular room that was filled with shelves stacked to the brink with books. Next to the stone hearth in front of the fireplace were velvet curtains drawn over what must have been a window. The floor was a cherry hardwood, and some ways down from the window was an old, antique looking desk, complete with a couple crimson red armchairs by the fireplace and a couch right underneath the window. Sara stared in wonder at the amazing discovery she had found, and when she looked over to her right, she saw a spiral staircase leading up to a circular landing that held some more book shelves, and it was then that Sara realized she was in another one of Hogwarts' towers.
"Now that I can see you clearly, would you mind telling me who you are?"
Sara turned around to see a large portrait of an old man hanging above the fireplace. He was standing on top of what appeared to be a wooden bridge, holding a leather-bound book in his hands and wearing medieval clothing. He had a tired and worn-looking face that was withered with time, and he was staring at her with a stern and cautious glare.
"I-um, my name is Sara," she said quietly.
"Sara? Well how on earth did you find your way in here?" said the old man.
"I honestly don't know," Sara replied truthfully. "I was just walking down the corridor and I noticed something different about one of the mirrors. When I touched it the mirror opened and that's how I found this room."
"This room is supposed to be enchanted!" said the old man, irritated. "No one except those with a pure heart and mind can enter! Gah, I told Godric to seal it off completely."
"Godric?" gasped Sara. "As in Godric Gryffindor?"
"Of course Godric Gryffindor girl, who else would I mean? This is his own personal private study, and no one can enter it. How could you have possibly found it? No one's been in here for centuries!"
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to intrude. I'll just go," Sara said, turning to head back out the door.
"Wait! Come here," called the old man. Sara turned back around and walked over towards the fireplace. The old man scrunched his eyes at her as he observed her, rubbing his chin in deep thought.
"Humph, you remind me of him," he mumbled. "Always sticking his nose where it didn't belong, letting his curiosity getting the better of him. Still he was quite an interesting man. He created this study as an escape, especially after his quarrels with Salazar. He was rather fond of this room and everything in it. Unfortunately his visits became fewer and fewer until it stopped altogether. The last time I ever saw Godric, he cast a powerful spell on this tower. No one except one with a worthy heart and soul can enter. One who is unique, who can see things others cannot and is willing to go beyond the imaginable. It has been centuries since that charm was cast, and no one has ever come across this room since. Quiet strange how one as young as yourself found your way here."
"It is very grand," said Sara.
"Grand indeed. I did enjoy the conversations we would share together in here at times. Well, you might as well make yourself comfortable."
"Excuse me?" said Sara.
"Were you not listening?" said the old man. "This room was enchanted for you, it's your private study now. Godric made it all too clear that anything in here is yours, and you are the only person who can enter. You are free to come any time you'd like, just simply touch the mirror. But you cannot tell anyone that it is here, do you understand?"
"Yes sir," said Sara. "Thank you for letting me stay Mr…"
"Archabald Woodwin of Carvahall," he answered, puffing his chest out as he did so.
"It's really nice to meet you Mr. Woodwin," Sara said with a smile. "My name is Sara Kanebridge."
"I'll say this about you child," said Archabald as he scrutinized her. "You are more polite than he ever was. Like I said, everything here if free to you, but you do well to put it back exactly how and where you found it. There are priceless artifacts in here that I will be damned to see damaged by a careless youth."
ooooo00000OOOOO00000ooooo
Sara returned to Gryffindor's secret study quite frequently for the next two days. Mostly she would go in the late afternoon before dinner and would stop by once or twice in the day to say hello to Archabald Woodwin. As it turns out Archabald had never left the study since Gryffindor's passing, feeling it was his secret duty to protect it. Suffering so many years in solitude has no doubt made him slightly edgy, scornful, and gruff, yet Sara could tell he was satisfied to have someone in the tower with him, even if he would spend the entire time staring her down. Even though Sara had every intention of keeping her promise to Archabald, she couldn't bear the thought of doing any kind of damage to anything in the study. While she was in there she found a treasure trove of ancient books and strange trinkets that had thick layers of dust on them. She discovered a golden telescope in the top drawer of the desk and stained old letters addressed to Godric Gryffindor himself. She handled everything quite delicately, which Archabald showed his appreciation for. With all the wonders Sara would find, she would feel a little down every time she had to leave. Sara kept the study her own little secret, and she never told anyone, not even her friends. She didn't want to betray Archabald's trust, or Gryffindor's either for that matter.
Now it was Halloween, and Sara loved being greeted by the smell of baking pumpkins as she entered the Great Hall for breakfast. She greeted Hermione and Neville with a "Happy Halloween," and she even said hello to Harry and Ron. Although she was still a little annoyed with them, she just wanted to put things behind them and be on good terms. So she was glad when they said a pleasant hello to her in return and she took a seat at the table between Harry and Hermione. Hermione still refused to speak a single word to the boys and the tension between the three of them was unsettling.
So Sara was happy by that afternoon, because Professor Flitwick told them they would be making objects fly today. It was something they had all been really looking forward to, and they were anxious to get started. They were all assigned partners and Sara was assigned with Lavender Brown while Hermione had to partner up with Ron. She could plainly see that neither of them were happy about it at all.
"Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing," said Professor Flitwick. "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."
It was more difficult than it looked. Both of the girls tried, but the most they accomplished was Lavender making the feather they were supposed to be levitating rise a couple inches off the desk for about five or six seconds. No one else seemed to be having much luck either. Hermione and Ron were working at the table next to hers and he seemed to be getting very frustrated.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled, waving his arms around wildly.
""You're saying it wrong!" Hermione snapped at him. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it then if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione just gave him a fierce look, then she rolled up her sleeves, flicked her wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Sara saw the feather slowly rise up into the air and went way above their heads.
"Oh, well done!" squealed Professor Flitwick in praise. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Following Hermione's advice, Sara was finally able to make the feather go a good five feet into the air by the end of class, and both her and Hermione earned ten points to Gryffindor. When they were all dismissed, Sara went over to Hermione's side with a smile on her face.
"Great job Hermione," Sara said as they joined everyone else as they all started walking out into the corridor. "If you hadn't said the right way to say the spell I never would have gotten it right."
Hermione smiled, but before she could say anything, they heard Ron's agitated voice from in front of them
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry. "She's a nightmare, honestly."
Oh my God. Hermione's smile instantly vanished. Tears started welling up in her eyes and oozing down her cheeks. Sara's heart shattered at the look on her friend's face and in the next second, she clutched her books closer to her chest and hurried off down the corridor. Sara tried calling after her, but Hermione just kept going.
"I think she heard you," said Harry.
"So?" said Ron. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
At these words, Sara whipped around and faced the two of them, making them stop dead in her tracks. Anger was bubbling in her stomach as she glared at them, and she immediately regretted any kind gesture she gave them today.
"Ronald Weasley you are the most horrible and rude person I've ever met in my life!" Sara exclaimed loudly, not caring that people were staring. "How could you say that about her when all she was trying to do was help? The both of you keep judging her as a know-it-all when you never even took the time to get to know her! She is a very sweet person and every time she told you off was because she wanted to make sure you two stayed out of trouble. The both of you would have been expelled if it wasn't for her! Yet here you are saying awful things about her just because she could do a spell that you couldn't do. If that's the case, you're no better than Malfoy!"
Sara turned on her heel and stormed off down the corridor, leaving Harry and Ron dumbfounded behind her. The nerve of him! How could he have said all those terrible things? Now Hermione is extremely upset, and Sara quickly ran around the corridor, intending on finding her. The next fifteen minutes was spent with Sara going down corridor after corridor, trying to find her dear friend. She kept going until she to a girl's bathroom at the end of the second floor corridor. As she passed, she heard faint sobbing coming from inside. Sara went through the doorway into the bathroom and saw that it was empty except for one stall, where the door was shut. The crying was coming from inside the stall and Sara's anger faded, replaced with sadness. She slowly walked over to the stall until she was standing right in front of it. Sara raised her hand and knocked softly on the door.
"Hermione?" she called gently. She received a sniffle in response.
"Hermione, please open the door," Sara said in a gentle tone.
"Please just go," Hermione cried.
"I'm not going anywhere Hermione," said Sara. "I'm not leaving you alone."
Hermione just kept crying and Sara sighed, knowing she wasn't going to come out anytime soon. So she dropped her bag next to her and took a seat in front of one of the sinks, making herself comfortable. All through the afternoon, Sara stayed with Hermione in the bathroom, not caring that she was missing all her classes. During that time, Hermione continued crying her eyes out, and it hurt Sara to see her like this. Once in awhile Sara would ask if Hermione was ready to come out, and she would never answer. Even so, Sara stayed where she sat, intending on being here with her friend. She had meant what she said about not leaving Hermione alone. At some point in the day, Parvati Patil came in and asked if Hermione was all right. Sara just shook her head and said she wanted to be left alone. The hours slowly passed, and eventually the sky outside the windows turned black, signaling the arrival of night. After what felt like forever, Hermione's sobs started to soften, and soon they stopped. Sara stood up from the floor and made her way over to the stall.
"Hermione?" said Sara.
"Y-y-you didn't leave?" Hermione asked.
"I told you I wouldn't," Sara replied. "Are you alright?"
"Wh-what's w-wrong with m-me?" Hermione asked through her tears.
"There's nothing wrong with you Hermione," Sara said. "Don't listen to what Ron said."
"B-but I…I just…"
"Hermione," Sara sighed. Ron just can't handle the fact that you are the smartest witch in our year. He had no right to say that to you at all. You are not a nightmare, you are a smart, kind, and fun person to be with he just doesn't know it. You have the magical knowledge and skills of someone twice your age, and you can go so far with that. Nothing and no one should ever pull you down, ever. And you do have friends, Kiera and I will always be here for you, no matter what. You're my best friend."
"R-really?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Really," answered Sara. Hermione was quiet for a moment. Sara heard a light shuffling, then she heard the lock on the door being undone and then it swung open to reveal a red faced and tear-stained Hermione on the other side. There was a moment of silence between them as they stared at each other. Then Hermione threw her arms around Sara and they hugged each other fiercely.
"Thank you Sara," said Hermione. "You're my best friend too."
They held onto each other for a few more minutes and then they separated. Hermione used the back of her hand to rub her eyes while Sara offered her a kind smile.
"How about we head down to the feast?" she suggested. "I think we both could do with some candy apples."
Hermione gave a small smile in return and started to nod, but then her face suddenly fell. She narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her nose, her expression one of disgust.
"Can you smell something?" she asked. Sara took a whiff and nearly gagged as a revolting scent shot up her nostrils. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand, looking around for the source of that terrible stench. At that moment, there was a loud bang from behind them and the girls whipped around. Sara gasped loudly, her heart stopping and the blood draining from her face.
They were staring up into the eyes of a huge, monstrous mountain troll. It stared down at them with its beady little eyes, cocking it's tiny head to one side. It's skin was a sickly grey and very lumpy, like the surface of a boulder. Short, stubby legs were somehow holding up the troll's gigantic body, it's arms dragging behind it, a humongous club clutched in one of it's hands. Sara and Hermione stood staring at it for a grand total of ten seconds before the both of them opened their mouths and screamed shrilly. The troll gave a loud grunt and then started walking towards them, waving it's arms around and smashing the sinks off the walls. The girls moved backwards away from the troll until their backs were pressed up against the wall. Fear grasped Sara in an iron fist and her body felt numb as the troll advanced on them. Just then, they heard the sound of the bathroom door crashing open and a familiar voice shouting.
"Confuse it!"
Sara glanced over to see Harry and Ron standing by the front stalls. Harry quickly bent down to pick up a tap, and the, with one good swing, threw it against the wall. The loud noise caused the troll to stop dead in its tracks, looking around. Once it caught sight of Harry, it changed directions and started going for him instead.
"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron. He picked up a metal pipe and the it at the troll, smacking it against its shoulder with a loud clang. The troll didn't seem fathomed by the pipe, but Ron's yell distracted it enough for Harry to run around it and over to Sara and Hermione.
"Come on, run, run!" he said to them, taking both of their arms and trying to pull them towards the door. Sara, wanting to get away from the troll, moved quiet easily, but Hermione was frozen where she stood, her face filled with absolute horror.
"Hermione come on, we have to move!" Sara said loudly, trying to get her attention. The troll didn't like all the noise that was going on, so it made up its mind and went after Ron, who was trapped and had no way out. Harry went running over to the troll and, rather bravely and foolishly, jumped onto its back, latching his arms around its neck. Also, when Harry jumped, his wand had been in his hand and when he landed on the troll, it had gone straight up its nose. The troll howled in pain and began thrashing around with its club, with Harry hanging on for dear life. Sara knew any moment Harry was going to get smashed with that club, and so, with no clue of what she was going to do, she grabbed her wand and ran towards the troll.
"Sara look out!" Ron yelled. The troll took a good swing in Sara's direction and she had leapt out of the way just in time before falling flat on her back. The troll swung it's club back, about to bring it down exactly where Sara was laying. Sara gave a loud squeal of fright just as Ron pulled out his own wand and gave it a good swish and flick.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted. Before the club could come crashing down on Sara, it flew out of the Troll's hand, rising higher and higher into the air. Then, just like that, it came straight on down and fell onto its owner's head with a sharp crack. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on it's ugly face. They all took a minute to stare at it as Harry climbed off it's back. Sara slowly got to her feet, shaking and her heart pumping.
"Is it-dead?" said Hermione in a soft whisper.
"I don't think so," said Harry. "I think it's just been knocked out."
He bent down beside the troll and pulled his wand out of its nose.
"Ugh-troll boogers."
Sara made a face of disgust as Harry wiped his wand off on the troll's trousers. Before another word could be said, the door to the bathroom once again burst open and Professors McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape came charging in. In the rush of the moment, Sara didn't realize how much noise they had been making. Quirrell took one look at the troll and gasped, clutching his heart as he sat down on the closest toilet. Professor McGonagall was looking over at Harry and Ron, the outmost fury on her face.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" she seethed at them. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
Harry looked down at the floor. Sara's mind was reeling. Harry and Ron had just saved her and Hermione's lives, and they were about to get in serious trouble for it. Despite what she had said to them earlier, she was very grateful and thought they were very brave. They didn't have to come looking for her and Hermione, but they did. She didn't want them to be punished for it…
"Please Professor-they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!"
Sara turned to see Hermione standing away from the wall, looking at Professor McGonagall. She caught Sara's eye, and that's when she knew Hermione was thinking the same thing that she was.
"And me too," Sara added. "Hermione and I went looking for the troll because we-we thought we could handle it on our own-you know, because we read all about them."
Ron dropped his wand, his mouth opening slightly as he just about gaped at them. Sara felt bad about lying to Professor McGonagall, but she didn't want Harry and Ron to get in trouble.
"Sara's right Professor," said Hermione. "If they hadn't found us we'd be dead right now. 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 us off when they arrived."
"Well-in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them. "You foolish girls, how could the two of you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Sara bit her lip as she and Hermione both hung their heads.
"Miss Granger, Miss Kanebridge, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall, frowning. "I'm very disappointed in the both of you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. The students are finishing the feast in their houses."
"Yes Professor," said Sara softly. Her and Hermione silently left the chamber and out into the corridor, Sara stooping down to grab her bag as they did. Hermione still looked a little shaken from what just happened, and Sara placed a comforting arm around her shoulders as they walked.
"Are you okay?" Sara asked her.
"Yeah," she replied. "Are you?"
"I'm all right," Sara said. The girls didn't speak again as they walked up three floors to head back to the common room. Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, they spoke the password and quickly clamored in to find the rest of Gryffindor all lounging around in the armchairs, eating and drinking. Sara's stomach grumbled loudly, since she has not eaten since breakfast, but she didn't go to get food. She stood by the door with Hermione to wait for Harry and Ron. After about fifteen minutes, the portrait hole opened and the boys entered the room. There was an extremely awkward and embarrassing silence that fell between them. No one really knew what to say. Then, without looking at each other, they all said a quick "Thanks," and went to get plates.
And from that moment on, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley became Sara's friends.