Hello again. I don't really have anything extremely important to talk about at the moment, at least not that I can think of, so I'll just let you guys get on with reading. Read, Relax, and Review. Enjoy!

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"Merlin, she's a nightmare. No wonder she hasn't got any friends." Harry didn't see Hermione brush past the trio with tears in her eyes. No, he was too busy trying not to slap Ron for his utterly insensitive comment. Susan, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same reservations. All the other students in the hall, except for the retreating girl, stopped and stared as the crack of the blow echoed around them, but Harry ignored them.

"Bloody hell, Susan. What was that for?" The redhead received two rather vicious glares drilling into him as he looked bewildered at his friends.

"That was… cruel, Ron. Do you even realize how much of a prat you just were?" The boy in question stared at her, wide eyed. After a few moments of waiting for a response, Susan seemed to decide she wasn't going to get one and turned around with a huff. "Whatever, come on. Let's get to class." The brunette stalked off, her anger palpable, to Harry at least. The raven haired boy followed quickly, dragging Ron, who still looked to be in a state of shock as he tried to process the fact that he had just been slapped, with him. Harry didn't blame the other boy. Susan was normally very kind and soft-spoken, not at all the type to slap someone. On the other hand, he couldn't really blame Susan either. Ron had seriously been getting on his nerves as well, especially with his venomous disposition towards Hermione Granger. If Susan hadn't beaten him to it, Harry might have punched Ron himself.

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As the trio walked into the Halloween feast, Ron seemed to have gotten over his shock, but Harry noticed him wincing every time the boy glanced in Susan's direction. Still, the ginger stubbornly refused to apologize for his actions. As a result, there was a wide berth between the two all day, with Harry rather uncomfortably caught in the center. He was starting to wish he could turn invisible, if only so they wouldn't have to lean around him to throw their glares.

His thoughts, despite being annoyed by his friend's fight, were quickly derailed by the sight of the Halloween decorations adorning the great hall. The air was filled with floating candles and swirling clouds of bats, highlighting the ominous image of a full moon partially covered by clouds that was portrayed by the enchanted roof. There were thirteen massive jack-o-lanterns scattered around the hall, terrifying in their size and grotesque carvings. It made Harry wonder how exactly Hagrid had managed to grow them so big, until he remembered that he was attending a magic school. It really wasn't surprising now that he thought about it. The rest of the hall was covered in similar decorations, but the main attraction for most people, especially Harry, Susan, Ron, and Luna(who had just shown up) was the vast amounts of delicious looking food spread out on the various tables. It did not take long for the now quartet to quickly dig in, ignoring the exasperated looks they now expected from their peers. Their eating habits, as well as Draco's, had already become notorious.

It wasn't long into the feast that it was interrupted by a terrified looking Quirrel, sprinting into the hall and up to the head table. Harry, Susan, and Luna all narrowed their eyes as he passed. The vile man was not scared in the slightest, no matter how he may look. If anything, he, and the creature attached to him, felt vaguely hopeful. The narrowed eyes were quickly accompanied by frowns as they listened to the near hysterical proclamation of a troll being in the dungeons. Still, they were unable to do anything as they stood with the rest of the students, most of whom were panicking despite Dumbledore's attempts to calm them, and started to follow the crowd out of the hall. It was only right as they exited and were about to split that Harry remembered something that instantly swept away his worries about Quirrell.

"Wait!" He hissed, reaching out his arms to stop his friends. "Hermione." Ron threw a dark look his way.

"What about her?"

"She's in bathroom, remember? She won't know about the troll." Luna and Susan paled instantly, while Ron's gare deepened.

"And what? We're supposed to go risk our lives to tell her?" Harry whirled on the boy, shocked by the hateful tone in his voice.

"Of course! You think we should leave her to die?" Ron scoffed, and Harry had to clench his fist to keep from punching him right there.

"I'm not going to risk my skin for some bossy know-it-all like her! Are you mad?" Harry looked at him then, coldly. He couldn't believe this was even happening.

"No, I'm a Gryffindor. What does that make you?" Ron glared for a moment, before shaking his head defeatedly.

"Whatever, you lot can go get yourself killed. I'm going to the tower, where it's safe." The boy spun on his heel and walked away, Harry watching him leave with a sudden hollow feeling in his gut. He was startled from his thoughts when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Let him go. He can't help us. There is too much darkness in him." Harry turned to find the bronze eyes of Luna looking at him, hard and glinting like metal in firelight. He thought about protesting, but stopped himself right as he opened his mouth. It was Ron's choice not to come. If ron wanted to be selfish, there was nothing Harry could do about it. With a short nod to the silver haired girl, Harry quickly strode off in the direction of the girl's bathroom Hermione was supposed to be in, smiling at Susan when she followed him without hesitation. At least Harry could depend on some of his friends.

As they moved through the halls, Harry mused on Luna's words about Ron. They had been some of the most lucid he had ever heard her speak, and that made him keep glancing at the girl out of the corner of his eye. Now she was back to her typical self, but previously she had seemed… older, and wiser. Almost like he was listening to a different person altogether, someone who was far more experienced than a somewhat insane eleven year old girl. It was disconcerting, to say the least. What was worse was the fact that they were even needed in the first place. Harry hadn't wanted to admit it, but Ron was… unpleasant at times, especially towards Slytherins and Hermione Granger, but Harry hadn't expected the other boy to be able and willing to abandon someone in danger. That was just wrong.

As they neared the bathroom, Harry was suddenly grabbed by Susan and shoved into a corner, Luna receiving the same treatment a few seconds later. Harry was about to ask what the brunette was doing, when she shushed them, placing hands over both their received his answer a second later, however, when Professor Snape appeared in the corridor, striding past their hiding place.

What is he doing here? Harry thought as he watched the man disappear around a corner. The professor's should've all been down in the dungeons. If it had been Quirrel, Harry probably could've believed it, but Snape? Sure, the man was a massive git, but Harry doubted he would be a part of whatever scheme the other professor was scheming up, especially since the two teachers hated each other.

Harry shook his head, putting thoughts of the teacher out of his mind as well as dismissing the questioning glances from his two companions. They could figure out what Snape was up to later. For now, they had to warn Hermione, especially if a teacher had come up this way. It could mean that the troll had come upstairs, and the hunt had followed. That theory was proved just a few seconds later when the three children were hit with a terrible stench.

"Maybe we should just give the troll a bath?" Harry couldn't agree more with Susan. The thing smelled like a combination between the dirtiest diaper ever, and the most disgusting sewage pipe in the world. In fact, Harry was surprised they weren't all keeling over at the smell. In comparison, the sight of the massive beast coming around the corner wasn't all that bad. Sure, it was massive and ugly, with grey leathery skin and a tremendously stupid look on its face, but that was about it. Harry had already survived a three headed dog, what could a troll do? Although, that giant club it was carrying did have a nasty look to it.

Harry was drawn out of his musings when the trol lumbered into a room, and he spotted a key in the door. "Come on, let's lock it in!" He hissed at Susan and Luna, receiving nods from the two girls. They ran up to the door, and with a great shove from all three of them, shut it tight, Harry grabbing and turning the key as soon as it was closed. He smiled at the two girls with him, idly wondering why on earth there had even been a door with a key sitting in the lock, when he heard the scream. It was coming directly from the room they had just locked the troll in, which he realized with a sinking feeling, was the bathroom they had been looking for. After a wild glance at Susan and Luna, who both looked just as shocked as he was, Harry quickly unlocked the door and threw it open, being greeted with a terrifying sight.

Hermione, the poor girl, was crouching under a sink, surrounded by the wreckage of the bathroom as she screamed her head off. The troll was swinging his club wildly, roaring loudly as he tried to squash the bushy haired witch. The bathroom itself was in shambles, with broken faucets and smashed stalls littering the floor, as well as water spraying everywhere, drenching the place. Harry took this all in in an instant as his brain switched gears. Suddenly, he could see everything around him, hear everything. His instincts were running on overload as he ducked a shard of porcelain that flew at his head after it had been tossed his way by a swing of the troll's club. He didn't hesitate to try to make sense of this change, instead running up to the troll and kicking its massive foot. Harry knew that there was nothing he could really do to damage the monstrosity, but if he could distract it long enough, Susan and Luna might be able to get Hermione out alive.

"Oy, booger brain! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?" The insult had the desired effect, although Harry wasn't entirely sure whether that was because it had actually comprehended the insult, or it just realized it had a new toy to play with. After looking at him stupidly for a moment, the troll let out another loud roar as he swung his club downwards, attempting to smash Harry into a smear. The boy saw this, however, and was already sidestepping, a wild grin on his face as he felt the rush of adrenaline start to pump through his veins. Backtracking quickly, Harry scooped up a piece of rubble and threw it at the troll, making sure it kept its dull eyes on him. Harry registered the sigh, slightly, of Luna and Susan behind the monster, trying to coax Hermione into leaving. With a slight nod in their direction that he didn't wait to see if they saw, Harry tossed another piece of rubble at the troll, before whirling around and running for his life. It was good that he did, because the troll finally decided it had enough of small objects bouncing off its head, and had started to charge the young boy. Harry ran as quick as he could move his legs, even faster than he had after the three headed dog, grinning like a lunatic as he did turned one corner, then another, barely escaping the arc of the club, until he suddenly found himself in a dead end. As he ran towards the blank wall, trying to figure out how the heck he was supposed to get out of this, a sudden instinct forced him to dive, sliding along the smooth stone as he watched the troll's club soar right through where his head had been, crashing into the wall ahead of him. After coming to a stop, Harry stood up and looked back at the troll, now weaponless. The bloody thing had thrown its club at him! As Harry tried to figure out what to do next, he noticed something behind the troll. Hermione, tear stained, was standing there, her wand raised high. Behind her were Susan and Luna, all three girls soaking wet as they glared at the troll. Harry started to yell at them to get out of there, but before he could, he heard Hermione shout.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The club, sitting in a small pile of rubble, slowly started to rise. The troll looked at it stupidly for a moment, then Hermione jerked her wand backwards, the club following the motion to slam into the dumb beast's head. As it fell to the ground, Harry looked at Hermione incredulously, who shrugged when she saw him.

"It was the first thing that came to mind." Harry snorted and shook his head, but didn't say anything. The method had worked, at least. Instead, he walked over to the girls, eyeing their soaked state. He himself was a bit wet, but as he hadn't entered the bathroom fully, most of the water hadn't touched him. The girls, on the other hand, looked like they had gone swimming.

"You three alright?" He asked, watching carefully for any sign of injury.

"Yeah, thanks." Hermione answered. The because of you, went unspoken, but Harry heard it all the same. Before any more conversation could occur, all four first years were distracted by the sound of running feet echoing around the halls. They turned as one to see an entire group of teachers approaching them, Snape and Quirrel surprisingly among them. Snape as also limping. Three pairs of eyes narrowed as the teachers approached, but one fell, the face they were set in flaring up in shame.

"What on earth is going on here?" McGonagall's tone was harsh and commanding, but it failed to intimidate the three rescuers.

"Oh, nothing much Professor. Just thought we'd-" Before Harry could continue with his explanation, he was cut off by a surprising stomp on his foot, causing him to hiss in pain.

"It's my fault, Professor. I thought I could help with the troll, since I've read so much about them. These three followed me and tried to bring me back, and when the troll showed up they distracted it. If it weren't for them, I'd be dead." Everyone was silent as they all processed Hermione's lie. The other two girl's were trying to comprehend the fact that Hermione Granger had just lied to a teacher, and Harry was trying not to hop in pain as he glared balefully at the bushy haired witch. That stomp had hurt. The teacher's themselves looked like they were doubting Hermione's story entirely, but finally McGonagall relented.

"Yes, well, that was incredibly dangerous, all of you…. But I suppose it was also very brave, especially for a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw such as you two. I would expect such foolishly brash acts from those of my own house." She nodded to Susan and Luna, who blushed and smiled dreamily, respectively, before continuing. "Ten points to each of your houses, but five from Gryffindor. What you did was very foolish, Ms. Granger, I hope you understand that." hermione hung her head, but Harry could see the hints of a smile forming on her face. Hermione Granger was smiling at the fact that not only had she attempted to lie to a teacher, but had actually succeeded! What was the world coming to?

McGonagall dismissed the four quickly, and as they exited the bathroom, they all paused to look each other in the eye. In that moment they knew they were officially friends without a word of it having to be spoken, and that it would take a lot to break the new bond between them, however new it might be. After all, there were some things you couldn't go through together without trusting each other, and knocking out a fully grown mountain troll was one of them.

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"What the bloody hell is she doing here?" An exhausted Harry Potter looked up to see his once friend Ron pointing an angry finger at Hermione Granger, who was sitting next to him. Hermione, at least, had the presence of mind to blush slightly, despite the fact that she was just as tired as Harry after the party that had gone on long into the previous night. Harry, on the other hand, only offered the redhead a rather droll stare.

"She's sitting with her friends. Do you have a problem with that?" Amusement almost broke through the haze of exhaustion consuming his thoughts when he saw the utterly enraged face Ron made to tug the corners of his mouth upwards, but ultimately it failed, resulting instead in an opposite effect, Harry's mouth curling into a frown as he listened to Ron's angered yelling.

"Of course I have a problem with it! Why would you sit with a bossy know-it-all like her, anyways!? And what's this about friends!?" For a moment, Harry considered arguing with the other boy, defending the bushy haired witch who even now was trying to hide her face in her food while blushing furiously in shame, but the golden eyed wizard took one look at the smug light in Ron's eye as he waited for Harry to agree with him, and decided it wasn't worth it.

"Look Ron, I won't be friends with some prejudiced jerk who can't get past his first impressions of people, so either get over yourself, or go away." With his piece said, the now thoroughly annoyed Harry turned away from Ron to bury himself in his food, in an oddly reminiscent manner of Hermione, as clear a dismissal as he felt like bothering with at that moment. Ran sat there fuming for a few seconds, hoping Harry would look up at him and laugh, saying it was all a joke, but it never happened. Finally, he was forced to concede defeat.

"Fine, Potter. Your bloody loss if you want to go around associating with friendless bitches like her." Ron sneered, intending to turn around and storm off, but Harry's head snapped up in a flash, and those golden eyes of his blazed with such an intense anger that he was suddenly too terrified to look away.

"You did not just say what I think you said." The voice that came out of Harry-Potter's mouth sounded nothing like the boy he once knew. This one was hard, edged with steel. Ron felt a shiver go down his spine at the sound of it, far too old for an eleven year old boy, but stood his ground. He was tired of being ignored, of being discarded without a second thought.

"You heard me." There was no warning, no signal, other than a flash of the eyes, a sudden crimson through gold that was gone before he could even be sure it was there in the first place. The Great Hall exploded, plates and goblets sent flying, their contents thrown through the air, all drawn towards a single focal point like moths to a flame. One second Ron was staring with hardened resolve into the eyes of the boy who had been his first real friend outside of family, and the next he was drenched and coated with food, a perfect circle of silver embedded into the ground around him. It was a warning, one he wasn't quite sure he understood. All Ronald Weasley knew was that the second he had processed what had just happened, he was running out of the Great Hall, sprinting back to the Gryffindor common room, trying to forget the image of crimson through gold.