Troll, Troll in the Dungeons!

Bella stared at the parcel in her hands. A thrill of rage ran through her. He dare destroy his homework in such a vile way! For such a petty thing! What a horrendous crime! Well, Snape was going to hear about this. But still, that aside, she didn't have any choice but to give it to Lily. She liked Lily. Whatever was in the paper probably wasn't good...

"O dear O dear," Bella whimpered.

"What?" Caly said. She gasped. "O dear, Bella don't—"

"I have to!" Bella wailed. "I don't really have a choice…"

"O but you must!" Caly insisted.

"NO, I don't," Bella whimpered. "I have to!" She ran off. "I gotta do it as soon as possible!"

Caly followed close behind as Bella ran to the Slytherin common room. (Herbology was, after all, the last class of the day.)

"Maybe she's already there!" Bella panted. She stopped, halfway to the dungeons, leaning against the wall and breathing hard. "I—would put—your scarf—and tie—away…"

"Yea, oops I better tuck that badger hat in deeper," Caly grunted as she stuffed her Hufflepuff stuff into her bag. She looked up in confusion. "Wait, why?"

"I don't think the Slytherins would appreciate a Hufflepuff near their common room," Bella said, regaining her breath.

"Ohh!" Caly squealed. "Will I know where it is, then? So I can visit you?"

"Uh," Bella said skeptically. "Why don't you show me where the Hufflepuff common room is instead? They are much more tolerant than the Slytherins."

Suddenly, she spotted a tall redhead. "LILY!" she called. Lily turned. Bella waved the parcel in the air. Lily came, avoiding older students.

"O hi hi hi hi cutie first year!" Lily giggled. "You got something?"

"Yea," Bella said enthusiastically. Having forgotten Draco gave it to her in the excitement of seeing Lily, who rather liked her, she tossed the parcel to Lily.

"O my," she muttered as she unwrapped it. Nobody noticed Draco peek around the corner. She held up the now writhing stalk. "Odd…Mystic Nightshade—moves when threatened—flowers smaller than that of real nightshade—pretends to be toxic. I think I remember this from first year." She glanced down at the paper. "…Homework? This looks like homework."

"Darn," Draco muttered. He ducked quickly behind the wall when Lily looked.

Slowly, Lily handed Bella the paper. "Why don't you give this back to whomever had it. They're going to need it."

"Darn, darn, darn," Draco snarled softly.

The next day, several classes had gone by when Harry and Bella were simply walking out in the corridor. They stuck together with Draco fuming since yesterday. With little warning, the headmaster appeared before them, coming out of a branching corridor.

"Come along," he said simply. Exchanging a glance and not knowing what else to do, they followed.

They came to the headmaster's office, where Dumbledore sat down in his chair. He motioned over his desk for Harry and Bella to sit. They did, slowly.

"Ever wonder about the whispers going around ever since you got here?" Dumbledore said seriously.

"I've been ignoring them," Harry said. "I have too many things to worry about, being new to magic and all. I'm not bothered by them. I don't even know what they're saying."

"I don't even notice. I hear things like that all the time from my parents. But I've heard them," Bella whispered. "I-I think they're saying we're powerful."

"That is what they are saying," Dumbledore said seriously. "Was there anything odd that ever happened to you that you think might lend this to you?"

"Well, not really," Harry said. "All the strange things that have been going on to me-that was me. I'm normal at magic, really."

"I-Well, mum and dad taught me magic when I was really young," Bella said softly. "They said I was going to be great-but they said that to Draco too. But I get the feeling that at first...they thought I was going to be more powerful than their own son…"

"Do you know why that is?"

Bella and Harry shook their heads.

"Ahh," Dumbledore said quietly. "You see, when you both were only a bit older than a year, the Dark Lord attacked for the last time...and he was never seen again. He left-O dear, Harry-he left your mother dead. (Harry gasped in horror.) I'm so sorry...as for your father, I assure you you will find him if he's still alive."

He turned to Bella. "He left the house you were in, Bella, in shambles. Nobody has any idea who your real parents are. The Malfoys were kind enough to take you in when nobody else wanted to."

Bella whimpered and Harry patted her arm comfortingly.

"Speculation is that the Dark Lord was defeated by one of you two," Dumbledore continued. "But how? You were both babies. Could you really be more powerful than the dark lord himself? Not even I know the answers. But something happened, and I wanted to tell you this so you know what people think about you."

"Ok," Harry said slowly, standing.

"Wow," Bella whispered. "I really want to find out about that night now. I wasn't told much, only that I was to be great! I would check the library, but I think we will only find what Dumbledore told us."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Harry said. "We can find out about it if we look for clues. But when do we ever have time for that? O well, we'll figure it out sometime."

Draco stalked to the Great Hall on Halloween night. A month or so had passed. Potter bothered him about his little task, but Draco scared him off telling him he had already told his father his results. And no matter how hard Potter pressed, he called Snape on him. Man, that hate of Potter they shared was pretty handy. Too bad the head of Slytherin liked Midget and Lily. At least he didn't like Potter; in fact, watching him scramble and scrape for attention while everybody laughed at him and Draco sat by, the king, made up for a lot of things. For fear of failing again, Draco tried nothing on Midget, but seethed, struggling to think up the perfect revenge. Little did he know, he wouldn't need it…

"Hmmf," Draco sniffed as he thudded in the empty spot between Crabbe and Goyle.

"Food?" Goyle grunted.

"Yea," Draco sighed.

"New school stuff hard," Crabbe said.

"Yea," Goyle agreed with his mouth full.

"Granger girl make feather fly," Crabbe said.

"Yea."

"I not make it fly."

"Yea."

"Even boss not make it fly—"

"SHUT UP!" Draco howled. Crabbe and Goyle stared at him as he sulked, crossing his arms. "Hmmff! You don't need to shout to the world I didn't make it fly!"

His cronies grunted in unison, then attacked their food with gusto. Draco spent the next twenty minutes mostly picking at his food, head resting on one hand and elbow on the table.

Professor Quirrel hurtled through the doors. He ran down between the tables.

He screamed, "TROLL, TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!"

"The prefects will take you to your common rooms right now!" Dumbledore said quickly, standing.

"Actually," Snape said, also standing. "I will take my house down personally. Head boy, head girl, prefects…follow me." And with that he marched down from his spot at the table. "Quickly now!" he called to the Slytherins. They got up and followed.

"Now," Snape said gravely, in a way that killed the chatter. "Our common room is in the dungeons. You know what that means…" The students gulped. Mae pulled her scarf tighter while Mafalda shivered. Draco had gone pale and clutched the person closest to him.

"Not so tight!" Midget whispered. Harry wrenched her out of his grip with a glare.

"Trolls are dangerous…Gather in a tight group. Seventh years, enclose the students in a wall. Now. I will be in the lead. Prefects! Take the sides. Head boy and girl! Take the rear."

They scrambled into formation.

"Maintain ranks! Whatever you do, stay quiet. Yell only if you see the troll."

"Professor?" Midget whimpered.

"NO excuses, do as I say," Snape drawled dangerously.

They cautiously marched down the corridors. Down and down they went, over dark stairways and through dark passageways. Even the seventh years shivered slightly at the faintest sound or jumped at the shadows.

"Who are you again?" Mafalda abruptly said softly to a short boy clutching a toad.

"Neville," the boy squeaked. "I—Trevor ran away and I had to go after him—then I got lost…"

"Stay with us," Mae said, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Uncle Snape will take you to your common room when this is over." Neville gulped.

"Yea," Bella said quietly. "You can't be out alone. Not here. Not with the troll."

"SHH!" a prefect said suddenly.

Something skittered in the closest branch-off corridor. Draco screamed. A third year hushed him. Harry's eyes darted around.

"Only a rat," Snape said in disgust. Bella caught a glimpse of its brown fur as it darted quickly between people's legs. Harry didn't flinch as it ran on his shoe.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck," Mafalda gasped, jumping away and clinging to Mae.

"Scared?" Draco sneered at her.

"You're scared," Harry said softly, fear overshadowed by annoyance. Draco glared at him and was about to say something.

"Hold on," Snape said. "I will scout ahead."

He went on, slowly, cautiously.

Bella whimpered.

"You're scared," Draco whispered into her ear.

"Leave her alone," Harry butted in.

"Shush," a sixth year warned them.

Draco didn't notice. He grabbed the top of Harry's shirt. "You know I'm not scared!"

Someone howled in fear.

The troll loomed out of the corridor ahead of them.

"TO THE BRANCHING CORRIDOR!" the head boy shouted. "GO GO!"

"WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT!" the prefects yelled.

The students scrambled to the branching corridors. Draco and Neville were stuck, frozen with fear.

"Come on!" Bella urged. She ran out and tried to drag them to safety.

The prefects made a wall in front of the troll.

The shadow came closer.

"Really?" Snape drawled. "You think—your silly imaginations—well, well, you are capable of defending yourselves, then."

"Uncle!" Mae squeaked, pointing shakily to behind him.

A stench rolled in slowly…the real troll loomed from behind.

Snape whirled around. "Stupify!"

The troll just happened to be lifting its club. It bounced off and hit a prefect. Snape tried again. He had to duck to avoid the club. Its swing knocked the remaining prefects into the wall.

Draco only gulped before the troll picked him up.

Bella shrieked.

Draco wiggled. "Help, help!" he cried in a panic. The students gasped.

A few older ones surged forward.

"No!" Snape cried. "It's for your protection! Stay where you are!"

The troll, seeing the leader's head was momentarily turned, snatched up Neville.

"NO!" Bella shouted. She darted and stood side by side with Snape.

They shouted together, "STUPIFY!"

The troll swayed. Its eyes glazed for a second before recovering.

Harry ran out and tried to pull Bella back. She shook him off.

"Must use a different spell," Snape muttered.

"Accio one of them!" Bella suggested.

"Accio student!" Snape roared. The troll's hold on Neville was loose enough. He came flying into Snape and Harry. They tumbled to the ground.

The troll squeezed Draco tighter to avoid losing him.

"No no no ow ow!" Draco gasped. He wriggled frantically. "G-get me out! B-Bella!"

"Accio, accio," she tried to no avail. She hadn't gotten that far in school yet. "Come on!"

The troll began to lumber away.

"NOO!" Draco screamed. He began to sob.

"Overwhelm it!" Bella shouted.

"Organized attack," Snape yelled, shoving the first years off him. "Seventh years! Come along! The rest! Stay behind! Protect the prefects!"

The seventh years surged ahead. The troll was already down the corridor. They could still hear Draco's howls.

"We have to get him!" Bella whimpered.

"Wands out, march behind me! When you see the troll, surround it!" Snape ordered. "Come!"

They flowed like a tide.

"Stay," one girl whispered to Bella.

"He's my brother!" the pale Bella whispered fiercely. "I d-don't wanna go b-but…"

"Trolls are dangerous."

"I hafta protect him!" Bella growled softly. She tagged along behind. She heard Harry call frantically for her. She felt his hand just miss her sleeve. But she was small, agile, and fast. She slipped deeper into the crowd where he couldn't follow. She was going to get Draco.

A few more seconds, and she had slid fluidly through the crowd. Snape turned his head to a sound and she ran past him too. She heard, faintly, a whimper. She recognized it. She ran to it.

The troll had wandered into Snape's classroom. Many glass containers of all kinds fell as it lumbered past. The shards littered the floor. It clumsily set Draco in Snape's caldron.

Moaning, Draco lay still.

Bella came in, and raised her wand at the troll's face. "You can't have him," she hissed.

"What are you doing?" Draco whispered, peeking fearfully over the caldron. "It'll eat you! Why would you want to save me anyway?"

Silently, Snape and his crew filtered in. They surrounded the troll.

It stared at them in confusion.

"Want eat kid," it rumbled. "It look tasty." Draco whimpered pitifully.

"Not. My. Student," Snape growled, wand up.

"LOCOMOTER MORTIS!" a livid Bella roared.

The troll's legs stuck together. It howled in rage.

Snape's wand flashed; the troll's arms were tied together.

Bella rushed over to the caldron. "Draco!" she whispered. "It's gonna be ok—!" She tipped the caldron. Draco toppled out onto the floor.

He hid behind her, shaking like a leaf.

"Take the young ones out…" Snape said. Immediately, the closest boy hefted Bella and Draco. He made his way out. They could hear the troll fall when they left.

"You're ok now," Bella whispered to Draco. "It's ok."

"No I'm not," he whimpered. He was bleeding in several places. "Ow ow!" He began crying again.

"What happened?" the boy said.

"G-glass, on-on the floor," Draco sobbed.

"O no," Bella whispered.

"Stupid troll," Draco sniffed.

"We'll get you to Madam Pomphry's. It's gonna be ok."

Draco's breathing shuddered. Softly, he asked, "Why'd you come after me with the seventh years?"

"You're my brother."

"That's it?" Something close to awe filtered into his eyes. "…blimey…" he muttered. "You're…a good sister."

Author's question: Blimey, that was crazy! Do you think Draco's behavior will change...?