Harry spent the next few months in the library, ignoring any and all attempts of being dragged out of the library that he visited every free hours that he has. Ron has decided that maybe Harry was just another typical Slytherin and had stopped talking to the boy altogether. Neville stayed with him though he too has other matters to attend to. Hermione had tried helping him but Harry had brushed her off. When Draco confronted his sudden change, Harry merely smirked at him and the proceeded to ignore the boy.
Funny how he still managed to stay top of his classes though….
Finally, with Halloween around the corner, and thus his eleventh birthday since that was the day Harry Grossmann was born and Harry Potter died, Harry finally found what he has been looking for; The Magical Record of the Egyptians Royal Family and Their Family Tree.
On the morning before Halloween, each and every student in Hogwarts received a thick missive that theorizes the importance of Muggleborns in the Magical Society and the conclusion in keeping the magical blood 'pure'. Somehow, the writer also managed to conclude the ending of Squibs and their relations with Muggleborns and related each of them to most of the old magical family all over the world. All of it was very scientific and blunt, ignoring social believes and boundaries.
By Halloween, everyone was in up roar. Whomever this Samhain was, he has managed to shaken the very foundation in every Pureblood families' belief…
On Halloween, Albus looked over the change in behaviours amongst the student, "Such a big shock I supposed…but somewhat an answer to one of the biggest mystery in our world,"
Minerva sighed, "I'm only hoping that whoever wrote that won't get himself caught by the ministry or any of the more influential family," She looked at Malfoy pointedly.
Albus turned to Severus, "Do you have a hand in this, Severus?"
Severus scoffed, "Whoever wrote the missive will have to be very apathetic to the magical world,"
Fillius nodded, "Meaning you,"
Severus scowled, "And he or she must have a good sense of deduction,"
Pomona scooped some more salad into her bowl, "Meaning you,"
Severus growled, "And preferably not someone who can be easily suspected,"
Hagrid rumbled, "You,"
Severus glared at him, "I am easily suspected!"
Albus chuckled, "Which make you the best candidate,"
Severus grumbled along the lines of being 'innocent' and that he's surrounded by 'clueless idiots'. Albus shook his head as he looked at his young Potion Master with mirth. He then noticed a missing face, "Where's Quirinus?"
Just as he questioned it, the door to the Great Hall burst and Quirrel appeared; face white and gasping largely for air as if he used all of his energy to reach the Great Hall in great haste. With a loud voice and nary a stutter, he shouted, "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" He gasped, "Thought you should know," With that dramatic entrance and much dramatic declaration, he fainted…backward…
With his faint, the hall exploded with panic and hysteria. Albus, giving Severus a look, took charge and for once looking the respected man that he was, bring things into order and have the prefects to take the children to their common room. The Slytherin were hesitating at their table for their common room was located in the dungeon where the troll was spotted.
Harry grabbed Draco and dragged the stuttering boy toward Gryffindor and spotted Ron, "Where's Hermione and Neville?"
Ron glared at him before looking for their two other friends in the other house. Grabbing a Ravenclaw first year, they questioned the where about of Hermione and Neville. The Ravenclaw glared at the Slytherin, "She was crying in the toilet on second floor. I heard her when I was there, bumped into me, she did, and didn't even say sorry!" She then stalked off. Harry looked at Ron, "Maybe Neville's with her?"
He dragged Draco with him and Ron reluctantly followed and they bumped into a confused Neville and Hermione, Harry breathed with relief that they were nowhere near the troll. With that matter settled, they followed their respective Houses. The Slytherin were herded to the Astronomy Tower.
As the students camped while the other professors searched the castle for the Troll, Draco shifted before standing, "I need to go to the toilet,"
Harry nodded and continued to stare at the constellation charts on the ceiling of the tower, whose ceiling was a copy of the Great Hall's and instead of the weather, was constantly following the movement of cosmos. After about fifteen minute waiting for Draco, Harry felt uneasy and quietly sneaked out and headed for the nearest toilet. But seeing that Draco was not in the toilet, he panicked; "Where could he be?!" He whispered in Dementor.
In his panic, Harry disregard his acting skill as a normal mortal and zoomed like a ghost to every toilet that he had mapped during his stay in Hogwarts. It was only when he drew closer to the Ravenclaw's area that he noticed the stench. Holding back his gag reflects, he followed the smell and saw Draco trying to squeeze himself into the niche avoiding the Troll's club. Harry looked around for the teachers but found none. He then spied a purple flash that disappeared around the corner.
Knowing that he couldn't possibly outmatch a Troll, Harry zoomed off for help and the nearest source was the Ravenclaw's common room. Once he reached the statue of eagle guarding the common room, he started banging. Grumbling and panicking, he used a skill he learned from Slenderman in case he got caught in a sticky and dangerous situation; aptly named Slender Walk.
He appeared by Hermione's bed, eliciting a scream from the other occupants of the room and shocked Hermione into silence long enough for him to Slender Walk her to the hallway that he saw Draco. Hermione saw the Troll and watched as Harry zoomed ahead and caused the floor under the Troll to frost over. The Troll roared, distracted and started to slam his club at Harry but the boy, to Hermione's eyes, seemed to turn into shadows. It was then that she saw Draco whimpering at a corner of a fallen and terribly mauled armoury set. With a quick mind, she brandished her wand, that she learned from Harry to always be strapped to her wand arm, and using the first charm spell that came to mind, managed to levitate the club.
The Troll looked up and Hermione froze, not knowing what to do when she heard Prof Snape shouted, "Drop it!"
Surprised by his sudden appearance, she did just that. It fell on the confused Troll head's hard, successfully knocking it out cold. She then looked behind her to see the Bloody Baron and a wind out Severus Snape. She then turned to look at Harry who was trying to calm a completely traumatised Draco Malfoy. Hermione rushed toward him, "Draco!"
Upon seeing her and remembering what she just did, he launched at her and hugged the life out of her. Hermione froze and blushed as she held the trembling boy as he cried on the nook of her shoulder. She looked at Harry who pointed at his twisted ankle. Hermione winced, suddenly understanding why the Slytherin didn't run when he could. Severus breathed out as he limped toward the trio. He ignored Harry's stare at his wounded leg.
As he gently pried Draco from Hermione, the boy latched onto him, quaking and mumbling something along the line of being 'lost' and 'tripped on a trick stair' and 'lost his wand' in the process. Even worse, when he finally spotted the wand that flew out of his hand, the Troll found him. Severus waited for other teachers to arrive and finally Pomona found them. Once she assured that she make sure that the Troll will remain down, she sent a Patronus message for Albus and the others while Severus took the three students to the Hospital Wing.
Once both Hermione and Harry has been deemed healthy, they were told to sleep in the infirmary just to be sure that they won't have night terror or anything of the sort. The next morning, Draco had a healthy respect for Hermione, though not yet Muggleborns in general.
The week after, Harry sought Severus and finally managed to corner the man to confront about his injury. Severus scowled as Harry helped with his wound, "I am capable of taking care of myself,"
Harry hummed, "I supposed you avoided the Hospital Wing not just to keep your cover, so to say, but because you can't stand Madam Pomfrey?"
When Severus refused to meet his eyes, Harry shook in amusement with mirth twinkling in his eyes. Severus huffed, "You spend too much time with that old codger,"
"It is not nice to talk about someone behind their back,"
The fireplace spat Albus into Severus's quarter and the elderly wizard smiled amiably at the dour man. He tutted as Severus injury and asked, "Why won't you accept Fawkes help, Severus? He won't peck you,"
Severus grumbled, "I don't trust that bloody peacock of yours,"
Harry perked with interest, "What happened?"
Albus chuckled, offering his lemon drops as he did, "Well, the first time Severus met Fawkes, James Potter had dropped a can of worms on his head. He wanted to come to my office with the 'proof' that James are not the angel everyone said he was…well, worms and birds…the rest is history as they say,"
Harry gave that smile that was really a grin at Severus, terribly amused by the thought of the Potion Master fashioning a can of worm in his hair and the Headmaster familiars pecking and squawking at his head. When Harry finally concluded that the leg will have a terrible scar tissues and will affect his movement, he and Albus poked and prodded the Potion Master until he relented to let Fawkes anywhere near his person.
The next day Harry was happy to see him walking with his usual Vampire Stride, as the students often whispered in awe behind him every time Severus worked his cloak to billow like fallen angel's wings behind him. Other professors have yet to discover his secret to his billowing cloak since the material was quite the heavy stuff which, in Severus own words, were really no secret. He just walks!
When asked, Harry merely said, "It's a Snape thing,"