It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for Draco instead, lifting its club as it went.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead.

Draco was given a few seconds to work out a plan, while Harry was racing at Granger and yelling at her to get away. But Granger, like Draco, was frozen, mouths open with terror.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Draco saw that Ron was being cornered and shot a powerful cutting curse at the troll's back. Its blood sprayed everywhere, covering both Harry and Draco with thick, hot, greenish-red ooze. Granger screamed again, but the troll was now turned around and focused on Draco.

Draco's eleven-year-old body had nowhere near the magic to knock out a fully-grown mountain troll. He knew this, petrified, and raised his wand to fire another spell. But Ron got there first.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron yelled, and the troll's club flew suddenly out of its hand. It rose high up into the air, turned slowly over-and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Draco was frozen in his spot. He was shaking and quickly running out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it- dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."

There were tears running down Granger's face. Draco's chest felt hot and his head was going foggy. His breaths were coming out incredibly fast, and his heart nearly stopped for a moment- when all four of them heard the sudden slamming of the door.

They hadn't realised what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry, from where they stood by the cubicles in front of the troll. Draco and Hermione were sitting unusually close, over by the sinks. McGonagall wasn't looking at them but Draco believed that he had never seen her this angry, save for the Battle of Hogwarts. And it had taken a lot to get her to that level, during the horrible events of that day.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

It wasn't until Hermione Granger stood up and left him did Draco realise that they'd been holding hands.

"Please, Professor McGonagall- they were looking for me." Granger said. "I went looking for the troll because I-I thought I could deal with it on my own- you know, because I've read all about them."

"Miss Granger!"

The mudblood teacher's pet, Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? In her first year at Hogwarts?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry and Draco shot spells at it and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

"Mister Malfoy?" It was as if McGonagall hadn't even seen him. Draco shakily rose to his feet.

"It's true, professor." He offered, weakly.

Harry and Ron were trying to look as though the story wasn't new to them, either.' "Well- in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Draco was speechless. Hermione Granger was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble.

So how much, exactly, have I fucked up the timeline so far? Was Draco's only thought. Draco remembered the troll interrupting their Halloween feast his first year, but nothing more than that. He also didn't remember if Potty, Weasel, or Granger fought the troll in that timeline, either.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

McGonagall turned to Harry, Ron, and Draco.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.

"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's. You okay, Draco?"

"What?" Draco said. "Oh. Yeah."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Draco said.

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been set up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up (sort of) liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

It was really lucky that Harry had Draco as a friend, or else he probably wouldn't have gotten through all of his homework without him, or Hermione, their new friend. With all the last-minute Quidditch practice that Oliver Wood was making him do.

Hermione also had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry, Ron, and Draco had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match, the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.

Now that Draco knew that Hermione could conjure flame as a first-year, he scowled a little. He could have done that. He could have been the one to show off.

They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Draco noticed at once that Snape was limping. Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; Hermione was sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. Draco's expression remained impassive, but Snape limped over, anyway. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?"

Again with the not-acknowledging-Draco thing. Snape seemed to be ignoring him on the daily, now. No eye contact, nothing.

Harry showed him his Quidditch Through the Ages book.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.

Draco narrowed his eyes. It sounded to him like Snape had an encounter with the three-headed dog on the third floor.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Draco and Harry were sat in the same armchair, going over their Charms homework. Granger was checking Ron's in an opposite chair.

Draco was bored. It was almost a miracle when Harry stood up and told them that he was going to ask Snape for his book back.

"Better you than me," said Ron and Hermione, together. Draco closed his textbook and ran to the dormitory to chuck it on his bed. He came down and followed Harry out the portrait door, alone.

They made their way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. Harry knocked again, nothing.

"Maybe Snape left the book in there?" suggested Draco. It was worth a try. Harry pushed the door ajar and peered inside- and a horrible scene met their eyes.

Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

That essentially confirmed Draco's theory. Snape had tried to get down the trap door. As Harry tried to shut the door, quietly, but-

"POTTER!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Draco gulped.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back," Harry said.

"GET OUT! OUT!"

Harry and Draco left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. It was strange how Draco was starting to care about house points again. They were just house points. It was just a suck-up competition.

"You know what this means?" Draco said, but Harry had already made the connection. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him- he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

They were back in the common room. Hermione and Ron were listening, their eyes wide.

"No, he wouldn't," Draco said, tentatively. "Think about what you're saying, Harry. I know he tried to get past the dog, but bringing a troll into the castle? He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't endanger students intentionally..."

"Honestly, you and Hermione think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Draco went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Longbottom was snoring loudly, as always, but Draco couldn't sleep. Even Harry had turned around in his bed and dozed off. A Dreamless Sleep potion would be just brilliant right now, thought Draco, one of his arms aching from laying on it for too long.

That expression on Snape's face when Draco and Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget. Draco had no problem with the blood- at least, seeing it up close. But it reminded him of the war. Seeing his mentor's body dragged from the boathouses, bloody and pale and squishy-looking...

Draco never fell asleep, that night.