Sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast, I could see Malfoy's surprise and anger at the fact that Ron, Harry and I were still at Hogwarts. We were tired, yes, but apparently, the boys had come to the conclusion that encountering a murderous three-headed-dog was a good thing. Hermione, Nevile and I didn't care what it was trying to guard. I was just happy to escape the thing alive. "It's either really valuable, or really dangerous." Ron said after harry filled us in. Apparently, Hagrid hat taken something out of Gringotts a couple of days before school started and was transferred to Hogwarts. I taped my spoon onto my bottom lip in concentration.
"Or both." Harry pointed out. Hermione was refusing to speak to us, but I had no qualms not talking to her myself. I, alongside Ron and Harry, was desperately wanting to get back at Malfoy after what he did for us, and the day came almost a week later. The mail came, and one particular package caught everyone's eye. A long, thin one that was carried by six owls. It landed in front of Harry, knocking our food to the floor. They hurried away when another dropped an envelope on top of it. Harry tore open the letter first. He read it and quickly handed it over the table to Ron and I. I scanned the letter and my eyes widened. It was a Nimbus 2000, gifted to him by none other than our Head of House herself.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand." Ron groaned. "I've never even touched one."
"We have some time before our first class if you want to check it out." I suggested. And with that, we raced out of the Great Hall to unwrap the broom. However, halfway across the entrance hall, we were blocked by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy appeared and snatched the package out of Harry's hand. He eyed it and tossed it back to Harry.
"That's a broomstick." Malfoy said, as if it wasn't obvious. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, First Years aren't allowed them."
"It's not any old broomstick." Ron snapped, causing me to close my eyes in exasperation. "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron turned to Harry and grinned. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"What would you know about it Weasley? You couldn't afford the handle." My hair turned dark cady apple red. I want to slap the condescending smirk of this little prat's face. "I supposed your family have to save up, twig by twig." My wand slipped from my robe into my hand. Before I could do anything, Professor Flitwick appeared.
"Not arguing I hope?" He said.
"Potter's been sent a Broomstick, professor!" Malfoy tried to get the boy in trouble pretty quickly, but if Professor McGonagall sent it to him, she would have gotten him permission or something.
"Yes yes, that's right." The short professor beamed at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir." Harry replied. Malfoy's face fell into one of horror, and I couldn't help my smirk, my hair turning clover in self-satisfaction. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." We managed to escape after that
"Seriously?" I questioned, my hair back to brown.
"Well, it's true. If he hadn't stolen Nevile's remberal, I wouldn't be on the team…"
"So I supposed you think that's a reward for breaking the rules?" A voice demanded. We turned around and saw Hermione storming up towards us and glaring at the broom.
"I thought you weren't speaking to us."
"Yes, don't stop now." Ron muttered. "It's doing us so much good." I slapped him upside the head for him to be quiet. However, Hermione didn't respond and walked away. We didn't get any time to open the broom that morning. Ron and Harry were almost scarfing down their dinner until I told them to slow down. Once we had eaten, we raced upstairs to unwrap the broom.
"Wow…" Ron trailed off as the broom rolled onto Harry's bed. I let out a low whistle at it's sleek design. The handle was mahogany, long straight twigs and the words 'Nimbus Two Thousand' etched in gold near the top.
"You are one lucky wizard." I told him.
TIMESKIP
The morning of Halloween, the castle was filled with baking pumpkin dishes and a multitude of sweet flavours you could practically taste. By the time dinner rolled around, the entire castle was brimming with excitement for the special feast. The floating candles were encased in pumpkins to make them look like Jack O Lanterns, bats swooped overhead to add to the atmosphere and decorations were hung elegantly. "Where's Hermione?" I asked, concerned. She hadn't shown up for lunch, and despite how much of a pain in the neck she could be at times, I still cared. Ron looked embarrassed, and I turned my gaze to him. "What did you do?"
"I may have called her a nightmare…" He muttered. I kicked his leg under the table. "Ow! Hey!"
"No wonder she isn't here! You're insufferable sometimes Ron, you know that?" Just as the feast started, Professor Quirrell raced into the room, his turban was off slightly and the end was flying behind him. He was screaming off the top of his head.
"Troll!" He cried. "Troll in the dungeon!" He came to a stop in front of the Professor's table. "Thought you ought to know." And he promptly fainted. There was a beat of silence before the entire hall erupted into screams and cries. It took a few purple fireworks exploding from Professor Dumbledore's wand to get everyone to settle down enough so he could talk.
"Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories, immediately." He ordered. Percy sprung into action.
"Follow me!" Percy shouted. "Stick together, First Years! No need to fear the Troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, First Years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"
"Fred! George!" I shouted at them. They turned to me. "Stick together! Grab your friends and get to the dorms!" I turned to the First Years. "Come now, hurry, follow Percy." My hands found Ron and Harry's shoulders as I kept them close.
"How could a Troll get in?" Ron asked, looking up at me.
"They shouldn't be able to." I muttered. "Not without someone helping them, they're stupid creatures." As I hurried the boys to the dorms, I froze.
"Kenzie, what is it?" Ron asked.
"Hermione." I breathed, my hair turning white.
"What about her?"
"She doesn't know about the Troll." Harry realised.
"We have to get her, and we should leave now before Percy catches us." I said. We managed to blend in with the Hufflepuff's that were heading in the opposite direction. I lead the two towards the girls' bathrooms, but when we heard footsteps, Ron practically pushed us behind a statue, claiming it to be Percy. We peeked around the statue and saw Professor Snape sweeping across the corridor.
"What's he doing?" Harry whispered.
"Beats me." Ron replied. We crept along the corridor to follow Snape, and realised where he was going.
"He's heading for the third floor!"
"Why would he do that?" I hissed. "He'd surely know of the Cerberus there!" Ron held his hand up.
"Can you smell something?" He asked. I sniffed, and ic ringed at the smell, my white hair turning lime green.
"That reeks!" It smelt of old socks and a bathroom that seemed to not have been cleaned in years. And then...we heard it. There was a dull thud of heavy footsteps, and grunting of some creature. Ron pointed it out. At the end of a passage near us, something massive was ambling towards us. We finally got a good look at it as it moved into the light of the moon. I paled at the sight, my hair turning white once more, I think my eyes even changed too. It was twelve feet tall, maybe even taller, and was the colour of granite. A massive thick body with a tiny bald head, stumpy legs and flat feet. That was the smell. It was dragging a long wooden club along the floor, maybe as tall as I was...maybe bigger. It turned to an open door and managed to squeeze through.
"The key's in the lock." Harry pointed out. "We could lock it in."
"Good idea." Ron muttered nervously. We inched towards the creature. I stuck my hands out before they could lock it.
"That's the girls bathroom." I said. I pushed past the two and raced into the room just as a scream pierced the air. Hermione was cowering against a wall, as pale as the Bloody Barron as the Troll advanced. "You two distract it!" I ordered, pressing myself against the wall as I shuffled over to Hermione. A tap was thrown at the wall across from me, and the Troll stopped. It turned to the offender, either Harry or Ron I didn't know, and advanced. I got to Hermione, and pulled her into me. "Come on." I breathed, shuffling back the way I came. Hermione was practically frozen against me, so I had to almost drag her. I head a shout.
"Wingardrium Leviosa!" I looked up just in time to see Ron wave his wand. The Troll's club lifted into the air and then landed on it's owners skull with a large crack. I hurried Hermione away from the creature, and the four of us backed away.
"Is it...dead?" Hermione asked shakily.
"No." I responded, it's throughs swirling through my mind. "It's knocked out, it's ut for revenge so we should get out of here soon. Harry leant down and retrieved his wand from the Toll's nose.
"Eugh." He complained. "Troll bogies." As he was wiping the snot on the Troll's trousers, the bathroom door slammed open, and Professor McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell raced in. Professor Quirrell let out a whimper, sitting on a toilet and clutching his heart as Professor Snape bent over to inspect the Troll. But Professor McGonagall...she as angry. My hair bled iceberg blue as my eyes fell to the floor.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" Professor McGonagall demanded. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why weren't you in your dormitories!"
"Please, Professor McGonagall, they were looking for me." A voice said from beside me. Hermione was clinging to my robes, but she had recovered enough to face our head of house.
"Miss Granger!"
"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." My eyebrows scrunched together. Hermione Granger, lying to a Professor? I never thought I'd see the day. "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up his nose, Ron knocked it out with it's own club, and Kenzie moved me out of the way when I froze. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone, it was about to finish me off when they arrived.
"Well...in that case." Professor McGonagall trailed off. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a Mountian Troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. 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 scampered off. Professor McGonagall turned to Ron, Harry and I. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could take on a full-grown Mountian Troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." With my hands on Ron and Harry's shoulders, we left.
"We should have gotten more than fifteen points." Ron grumbled when we were a few floors away from the knocked out Troll.
"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's." Harry told him.
"Good of here to get us out of trouble like that. Mind you, we did save her."
"If you were a decent human being, she would thave run off in the first place." I said. W spoke the word of the Fat Lady and entered the dormitory. Hermione was waiting for us. The kids said a quick 'thanks' to each other before running off to get food. I followed them at a slower pace. And after that, Hermione became the fourth member of our little group. I mean, you don't face a Troll with someone and not become friends, right?