Disclaimer: All characters, events, and references drawn from HP belong to J.K. Rowling, respectively, everything else is my own invention.
The Potter Timeline
Year 1 Episode 7 - Of Trolls and Trapdoors
Harry frowned at the parchment in his hands.
It was his potions exam. He had failed it.
Professor Snape's disdain for the boy swelled as the greasy-haired man returned the graded paper.
"So, Potter. Your 'celebrity', or should I say, 'notoriety' couldn't help you pass this simple exam? Tut, tut. Too bad you didn't inherit your mother's intelligence..."
The man walked away in triumph, his black cape snapping behind him as he spun on his heels to hand back more exams to frightened pupils fearing they had done as poorly. But despite the cutting remark, it made Harry curious.
'Did he know my mother?' he wondered.
Few really knew Professor Snape and even fewer knew his past. But this slip by the man suggested he was at least acquainted with Harry's mother and perhaps even his father. He pondered this while rising with the rest of the pupils for their next class. Perhaps something bad happened between Snape and his parents. Was that why the professor always treated him with contempt? But he set this curiosity aside as his poor mark on the exam weighed heavily in his mind. As Harry approached Hermione just outside the classroom, he dreaded what the girl would say.
"Well?" she asked with a concerned expression.
Harry grimaced and handed her his paper. The brunette glanced over it, dropped her shoulders, and frowned.
"Oh, Harry! I told you this would happen!" she scolded him.
"I know. You were right," he returned. He then resigned himself to receive further admonition from his friend as the two walked down the corridor in the direction of Flitwick's class.
"You know what I said about your Quidditch training, that you're pushing yourself too hard. Well, now you see the results."
"Yes, Hermione, I know," he said a little perturbed, "but it's my first match. I want to do well."
"But you don't have to be out at the pitch nearly every day, working yourself to exhaustion. I'm concerned about you. It's clear the reason you're struggling with your classwork is that you're too mentally exhausted to concentrate. You need to cut back."
She was right, as usual. For the past month, Harry had been out at the pitch on his Nimbus nearly every day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Ever since his second practice with the team, where Wood instructed Harry on some of the more difficult aspects of the Seeker role, Harry had become obsessed with perfecting his flying skills...to the neglect of his academics, the very thing Professor McGonagall warned him about.
"But everyone is expecting a lot out of me for the first match," the kid argued, "I don't want to let them down."
Hermione moved to stand in front of Harry and turned to face him, forcing the boy to look directly into her pretty brown eyes.
"Harry, trust me, you'll do well. I know it."
The boy frowned.
"You're sure?"
She smiled at him.
"Completely. You're a natural. I've watched you fly and...I've flown with you, if you haven't forgotten. You'll be an amazing Seeker for Gryffindor."
Harry couldn't help but grin at these words, his cheeks turning pink.
"Okay, I trust you," he told her with a grateful look, "and I promise to focus more on my studies."
The girl moved back beside him and the two resumed their walk.
"Well, you don't have to promise me, just yourself. After all, you don't want Professor McGonagall suspending you from the team before you've even played your first match."
Harry nodded.
"That's for sure."
While they marched up a flight of stairs toward the second-floor corridor and its classrooms, Harry was already pondering how much he could cut back without completely cutting out his extra practice. He loved flying and more than just practicing for Quidditch, it gave him a sense of peace and freedom he'd never known in his life. Those feelings alone made the exercise worth it.
But before musing further on the subject, Hermione switched to another.
"By the way, despite all the classwork we've been buried under, I finally got the chance to look in the library records for any books on unforgivable curses."
"And?"
"There are only two books on the subject strangely enough: Dark Forces, A Guide to the Other Side of Magic, and Basil's Book of Dangerous Spells."
"Great! Perhaps they have information on how Voldemort's curse produced my scar and how Professor Quirrell causes it to ache."
Hermione frowned.
"Well...there's a problem. Both books are in the Restricted Section, and neither of us can even request access to it until our fifth year, according to Hogwarts by-laws."
Harry pondered this unfortunate hitch.
"Do you think Professor McGonagall might make an exception?"
"I doubt it. Scar pain isn't much of a reason to bend the rules for a couple of first-years."
The two continued in silence. Then Harry's face lit up.
"I wonder if Fred and George have ever broken into the Restricted Section."
The girl's brow furrowed in thought.
"Perhaps. That sounds like something they would do, doesn't it? Though I wonder how dangerous their suggestion would be. And we could get into a lot of trouble if we're caught, you know."
"Of course. But I hate having to endure Quirrell's stutter and feeling pain in my head nearly every class if I can find a solution for it."
But outside of Harry's scar pain, the mystery concerning the Philosopher's Stone and where Dumbledore might be hiding it had fallen to the wayside. The two pupils had been so occupied for the month they barely had a moment to look up from their classwork. And no word was ever mentioned about the Stone, especially by Hagrid. School routine continued without interruption, suggesting that whoever attempted to steal the Stone from Gringott's decided not to try their luck under the watchful eye of Hogwarts' headmaster.
Nevertheless, the mystery of Flamel's Stone would linger in the back of Harry and Hermione's minds - even if only in their imagination. Until, that is, a series of unusual events brought the mysterious object back into the light.
The great Hogwarts Halloween feast had arrived, and every student was excited. The school was decked out royally for the occasion: black and orange striped banners were hung from every flag post, jack o' lanterns were posted in every corridor, and faux ghosts and bats flew around the ceilings of these corridors, charmed to shriek or howl whenever students approached. Having been told by the advanced students how magnificent the famed feast was on All Hallow's Eve, Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the first-years entered the Great Hall in awe.
The chamber was decorated to the hilt with floating jack o' lanterns, candles, and creepy cobwebs complete with shadowy spiders crawling up and down the walls. Hagrid reserved the largest pumpkins for the floor by the High Table, some of which were big enough Harry could fit inside. Professor Flitwick, who also served as the school's choir director, had these enormous jack o' lanterns charmed to sing songs in celebration of the spookiest night of the year. Every student was seated at their House table and a sense of thrill united all the Houses in anticipation.
"Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts Halloween feast!" Dumbledore uttered.
The entire Hall cheered. The old man gave a brief speech for the occasion and wished everyone a frightful time. Then suddenly, the candles went out, leaving only light from the jack o' lanterns and the bewitched ceiling, with its stars and a full moon, as light. Through the closed doorway came a procession of Hogwarts ghosts as well as visiting ghouls from other parts of Britain, all singing and dancing to the delight of students and staff.
Afterwards, a play was provided in front of the High Table by the Hogwarts spooks called The Three Grave Travelers. Sir Nicholas, the Fat Friar, and Peeves played the lead parts and even Professor Binns and the Bloody Baron had roles. Hermione whispered to Harry that the same ghosts had performed this play at every single Halloween feast for the past 150 years, according to Hogwarts, A History. The ghosts over-acted as though they were the most talented performers on stage. But they had a time trying to keep Peeves deviating from script and making the supposedly serious play accidentally humorous.
Then finally, the feast itself began as a huge variety of delicious foods appeared on the tables. In addition to the same victuals served at the start-of-term banquet, there were Halloween-themed cakes, pumpkin pies, chocolate pasties, and enough candy to make every Hogwarts student sick. Everyone dug into the magnificent dinner and an atmosphere of cheer filled the Hall until the doors suddenly burst open.
"A Troll! A Troll is in the dungeons!" Professor Quirrell shouted as he entered in an urgent huff.
"Thought you ought to know..." the man then uttered before promptly fainting and falling on the floor.
Panic ensued. Frightened students screamed and jumped from their seats and moved every which way in an effort to find safety of some kind. The noise from this chaos was overridden by the sound of firecrackers at the High Table and the booming voice of the Headmaster.
"SILENCE!"
Every eye shot at the man and the room became silent as the grave. Dumbledore continued with a gentler voice.
"Prefects, quietly lead your Houses back to their dormitories in an orderly fashion. Professors and staff, please follow me to the dungeons."
At this, the four prefects immediately shouted orders to their House wards.
"Right! Gryffindors, this way! Follow me!" Percy barked out as though thrilled he could exercise his authority for the entirety of Hogwarts to see.
Harry and Hermione threw each other a puzzled look, less frightened by the idea of a troll in the castle and more amused at the way everyone acted as though it was the end of the world. But they and their fellow students dutifully followed Percy out of the Great Hall back toward Gryffindor Tower. Along the way, Harry saw Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick discuss something with their wands drawn, while Hagrid, Filch, and several others stood by, waiting for marching orders. But soon, the Hogwarts faculty disappeared from sight and the Gryffindors all found themselves inside the common room, waiting.
"Are trolls really that dangerous?" Harry asked Hermione as they sat next to the Patil twins and Lavender Brown on the large sofa.
"From what I've read, it depends on how stupid they are. The more stupid, the more dangerous, apparently," the girl replied quietly. Harry chuckled.
"Everyone remain calm. This should be over shortly," Percy uttered for the umpteenth time.
Everyone was whispering or conversing as quietly as possible as though the troll might hear and attack the common room at any moment. Then, suddenly, there was a loud THUMP and the tower shook. Every Gryffindor of every year went silent and wide-eyed. Then there was an unearthly howl and another THUMP followed by shouting from several people who Harry guessed were the professors.
The troll was no longer in the dungeons and had moved to the upper floors!
Several Gryffindors whimpered. Hermione shifted closer to Harry and the next thing he knew, she grabbed his hand out of reflex. The girl seemed as frightened as the others. Harry's cheeks went pink - now Hermione was adding handholding to the hugging and kissing. He really needed to have a discussion with her about this. But the boy held her hand nevertheless, glad to help his friend feel safe, if that's what it took.
There was another THUMP, more shouting, and finally a loud THUD followed by complete silence. Every student in the room held their breath and stared at one another in wonder. Moments of silence passed until the door to the common room opened. Anxious pupils gazed at the doorway as the form of Professor McGonagall entered, her robes and hair a bit disheveled but with a look of relief in her eyes.
"Well, students, we have taken care of the troll and all is safe once more. You are free to return to the Great Hall to resume the feast. Hogwarts has never failed to hold its Halloween festivities before, and a witless troll isn't about to change that. Percy, please lead everyone back in an orderly manner."
"Yes, professor," the prefect replied while jumping up from his seat, "everyone, follow me."
Hermione let go of Harry's hand as they rose to follow their fellow Gryffindors out of the common room back to the Great Hall. The various House groups merged along the main corridor.
"Wow!"
"Whoa!"
"Eww!"
Harry's nostrils flared at a horrid stench. He looked at Hermione whose face also contorted in disgust at the awful smell. The Gryffindors passed an enormous green troll lying face down on the stone floor. Its width was as big as its height. It had a small, pointed head and huge buck teeth with an ugly tongue sticking out of its mouth leaving a pool of drool across the floor.
Behind this smelly beast, Hagrid stood holding the gnarled club of the troll on its end while Filch held his nose. The students didn't hang around to inspect the creature as they shuffled back into the Great Hall to their respective tables.
The atmosphere of the once cheery feast was now rather muted. While continuing their meals and partaking of the Halloween treats, most of the conversation centered around the troll and how it got loose in the castle in the first place.
"Someone had to let the thing in," Hermione commented while taking a swallow of pumpkin pie, "they can't just wander in on their own, not with all the wards surrounding the castle."
"But who would do that and why?" Harry asked as he grabbed a handful of charmed gummy snakes which tried to slither out of his hand.
"Maybe someone was playing a practical joke," Seamus uttered while throwing a quick glare at the Weasley twins a few feet down from the group.
"I doubt that," Percy commented as he grabbed a chicken leg and a heaping of mashed potatoes, "a creature that dangerous? My twin brothers aren't that stupid. They'd not only get expelled from Hogwarts, they'd serve time in Azkaban for endangering lives."
"So, who has the ability to let in something like that?" Harry inquired.
"Well, any of the faculty could," Percy answered nonchalantly as he bit into his chicken leg.
And at that precise moment, the faculty reentered the Great Hall. Dumbledore led the group of professors, minus Quirrell and Snape, with Hagrid and Filch close behind. They all proceeded to the High Table to resume their meals and shortly after this a very pale and jittery Professor Quirrell reentered.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. The short man with the purple turban took his seat next to Hagrid, returning to his meal, glancing up occasionally as though another troll might suddenly appear.
Everyone managed to get back into the spirit of the occasion as a quartet of ghosts provided entertainment with Halloween-themed songs. Then, Harry and Hermione's eyes were returned to the doorway when Professor Snape entered, walking toward the High Table...with a limp. The two threw each other a puzzled look as they noticed the partially blood-soaked bandage around the man's calf.
"He must have been injured during the fight with the troll," Hermione whispered to Harry.
They kept their eyes riveted on the raven-haired man as he stepped up to the table and leaned over to whisper something in Dumbledore's ear, the headmaster nodding back at him. Snape then glared at Quirrell who seemed afraid to look the man in the eye.
This was all very curious. Some instinct in Harry told him that Percy was right and one of the faculty members must have let the troll in for some devious reason. But who and why?
A few days later, Harry and Hermione were heading for their Herbology class when they heard a commotion up ahead. Several students were laughing at something. As the pair rounded the corner, they witnessed a sight that made their blood boil.
"I've been wanting to test this spell out on someone," Draco said while pointing his wand at Neville Longbottom.
Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Blaise were laughing and making fun of Neville who the blond-headed Slytherin had just hit with the Leg-Locker curse. The young Gryffindor, with a look of fright and embarrassment, was trying to move his perfectly stiff legs and flopped onto the floor instead.
Supreme anger shot across Harry's face as the boy lunged toward Malfoy with a fury. Hermione had no time to stop him. Draco had just turned to glance at Harry before a fist hit him square in the eye, knocking him to the floor and sending him skidding a few feet in the process. The Slytherins were stunned. Malfoy's "bodyguards", as students at the school derisively dubbed Crabbe and Goyle, turned to face Harry with fists at the ready. But the boy with the lightning-shaped scar was faster, drawing his wand and pointing it at them with a fierce expression.
"Go ahead and try it!" he shouted, "I defeated a powerful dark wizard, after all!"
At these words, the two goons gawked at Harry wide-eyed, stepping back quickly as he leaned toward them. The kid figured he'd make good use of his undeserved reputation.
"POTTER!"
Everyone turned to find Professor Snape march toward Harry with his own fury.
"Lower your wand!" he commanded the boy severely.
Harry gulped and obeyed, pocketing his wand while looking at Hermione. Her face was etched with concern.
"So, threatening your fellow pupils again, eh?" Snape accused the boy.
Hermione became angry and stepped to Harry's side.
"Professor, Malfoy used a curse on Neville! Harry was..."
"SILENCE!" the man interrupted her with a severe look.
"Ow! My eye! My eye! I can't see!" Draco muttered on the floor, acting as the hapless victim of the incident. But instead of buying this ruse, Snape reached down and pulled the boy from the floor by his collar.
"Get up!" he muttered to Draco through gritted teeth. The man then eyed the eleven-year-olds.
"You two, come with me!"
Taking them by their sleeves, the professor shoved them down the hallway. Harry threw one last glance at Hermione whose face now showed worry.
Snape promptly deposited Draco and Harry into Professor McGonagall's office, forcing the kids to sit in the chairs before her desk while standing behind them.
"What's the meaning of this, Severus?" the woman asked while removing a pair of reading spectacles from her face.
"Students fighting, I'm afraid, Minerva. Apparently, Mr. Malfoy hit Neville Longbottom with a spell and Mr. Potter here punched Malfoy in the face for it. Potter then threatened some Slytherin students with his wand. Apparently, he sees fit to bully others whenever he chooses..."
"I do not!" Harry protested, "Malfoy's the one who..."
"Quiet!" McGonagall scolded him, frowning deeply at the boy. She then breathed out in exasperation.
"Both of you know fighting is against the rules and you, Draco, know full well that using any spells on a fellow pupil is not only against the rules but highly dangerous! I may have to speak to your father about this. Now, in the interim, discipline is in order. Twenty-five points from Gryffindor for fighting, Harry..."
The boy stared at the woman in shock. Malfoy snickered but quickly changed his tune.
"...and fifty points from Slytherin for using magic against Hogwarts school policy and endangering the life of a fellow student."
Draco's face went as pale as his hair. But she wasn't finished.
"And you both will serve in detention. As it turns out, Hagrid needs help with a problem in the Forbidden Forest. You will report to him after your final class of the day and serve until the job is finished. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am," Harry replied while gazing at the floor.
"It's clear," Draco mouthed while throwing McGonagall a mean look.
"Now, Severus, if you will be so kind as to remove Mr. Malfoy from my office, I wish to speak further with Mr. Potter concerning his behavior."
"Up!" Snape ordered the Slytherin. Malfoy stood, throwing a hateful glare at Harry which suggested the boy would be getting back at him later. The two left the office. McGonagall frowned.
"Harry, you know better than this."
"But professor, I..."
"Silence!" she interrupted him while folding her hands together on her desk. She continued.
"I'm well aware that you're standing up for your fellow House mates, and I applaud your conviction. If bullies simply had their way, we'd be completely run over. But we have rules here for a reason. Despite your loyalty to your House and your friends, I must mete out punishment for breaking those rules. Is that clear?"
"...Yes, ma'am," he replied with a sullen look. The woman then leaned forward with a motherly expression on her face. This surprised the boy.
"Harry, you're a smart young man with a lot of potential. And this is a wizarding school, not muggle primary. Learn to think about what you're doing. There are other ways to resolve these conflicts without resorting to brute force. And you must learn to control your temper. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, ma'am. I do."
"Very well. You're dismissed."
McGonagall resumed her paperwork. But as Harry rose from the chair, he glanced at her with a wince.
"Excuse me, Professor. You're...not going to suspend me from the Quidditch team...are you?"
The woman threw him a smile, further surprising the boy.
"No, Harry. I'm afraid we have no back-up Seeker and especially not one with your talent. But consider this a warning, nevertheless."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."
The boy left McGonagall's office with his head down but thought over her words. He looked up to find Hermione waiting for him.
"What happened?" she asked, obviously fearful of the response.
"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor and detention with Hagrid."
The girl frowned. The pair resumed their walk to Sprout's class.
"It could have been worse, Harry."
"Maybe. But now, in addition to everyone avoiding me thinking I'll hex them, they're going to hate me for losing Gryffindor points too."
"What else did she say to you?"
"She scolded me for fighting and told me to think of ways to resolve conflicts without it. But with something like this, I really don't see how."
"Actually, Harry, you just did."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, after punching Malfoy, you pulled your wand on Crabbe and Goyle, making them think you were the great wizard everyone seems to believe you are. If you hadn't done that, you might have wound up in the hospital wing because of those two as well as getting punished. That's using your head."
Harry nodded at this in wonder. Hermione was so smart.
"I see," he told her. And this encouraged the boy to ponder what McGonagall said.
"By the way, what happened after we left?" he queried.
"I used a counter-spell to remove the curse on Neville, and thankfully, Percy showed up before the Slytherins could make further trouble."
~HP~
Harry and Hermione were eating lunch in the Great Hall when Dean, Seamus, and Neville marched in and headed straight for them.
"Mind if we sit with you two?" Seamus asked eagerly.
Harry and Hermione exchanged puzzled looks.
"Um...sure," Harry replied.
The three plopped down across the table.
"We heard what happened with you and Malfoy, Harry, and just wanted to say...way to go!" Dean told the boy. Harry was stunned.
"Yeah, Harry, that was brilliant!" Seamus added, "the whole school's talking about it!"
"Really?"
"Uh huh. It's about time that prat got what he deserved!" Dean finished.
"Malfoy is sporting a nice black eye right now and everyone is laughing about it," Seamus mentioned.
"Yeah, Harry," Neville started while giving the boy a grateful look, "thanks again, for...helping me. I wish I could be as brave as you."
Harry beamed at Hermione who returned the same.
"You're welcome, Neville. Any time."
The five were chatting further about the row in the corridor when a flurry of owls flew into the Hall dropping parcels and letters for the students. Dean and Seamus each received letters and Neville had a package about the size of a Remembrall dropped directly into his soup. A letter then fell in front of Hermione and as the girl lifted it, her face lit up.
"It's from my parents!" she uttered with glee while opening it.
Harry figured he wouldn't be receiving any owled posts as usual and resumed eating his jacket potato when Hedwig suddenly appeared and dropped a letter in front of him. His name was scrawled on its face in beautiful cursive writing. Curious, the boy ripped it open.
"Who's that from?" Hermione asked.
"It's from...Professor McGonagall," he answered with puzzlement. He then read it out loud to the girl.
Harry,
As Professor Dumbledore has been apprised of the incident with you and Mr. Malfoy, he has personally requested a change to your detention duty. Draco will serve with Hagrid in the Forest and you will report to Mr. Filch for a special assignment this evening after dinner. Please wear casual clothes as you will not be needing your school robes.
Professor McGonagall
Hermione's brow furrowed.
"That sounds important, Harry."
"It does. But why would Professor Dumbledore care what detention duty I'm assigned?"
"I don't know. I guess you'll find out tonight."
~HP~
The boy had been curious all afternoon what "special assignment" Dumbledore had in mind for his detention. It made it sound like he would be solving a crime, chasing off some dangerous creatures, or even going on a spying mission for the Headmaster. But the boy highly doubted anything like that would be the case.
He was disappointed he couldn't perform his detention with Hagrid, as originally planned. Not only would he be able to spend time with his big friend, but he'd finally get a first-hand look inside the Forbidden Forest. But since the Headmaster himself had intervened and requested this assignment, Harry considered it much more important than whatever Hagrid would have him do in the dark woods beside the castle.
Harry knocked on the door to Filch's "Lair", as the other students referred to it.
"Come!" a scraggly voice chimed from behind the door.
Harry opened the creaky door and entered a small, domed room filled to the brim with tools, wooden crates, papers, a small desk and chair, a plush bed for Mrs. Norris, and items hanging on one wall that looked like they belonged in a torture chamber. Harry was taken aback at the nauseous smell of formaldehyde and rotten fish. Filch's tabby cat leaped onto a table covered with jars of various liquids containing magical creatures Harry had never seen before, one of them twitching. Mrs. Norris sniffed the putrid air of the room before jumping back down to resume her dinner next to her owner.
"Well, bless me soul, if it isn't Master Potter come to pay old Filch a visit and serve out his detention," the man threw at the boy sarcastically in a monotone voice.
The man's long strands of gray and brown hair fell from his head in a mangled mess behind his back and he seemed to wear the exact same suit of worn-out clothes every time Harry saw him. The much-disliked Hogwarts caretaker always looked like he just stepped out of a rubbish bin. He threw a toothy grin at Harry while rising from his chair.
"Right, then, Governor, I'm to take you up to the third floor for your...special assignment."
At this, Harry perked up.
"Yes, sir," Harry replied.
Filch continued.
"I see you dressed for the occasion...sort of. And before we go, you'll need to take this..."
Filch handed Harry a wooden bucket of dirty water.
"...and this..."
He then handed the boy an old dust bin.
"...and these..."
Filch stuffed a bundle of used rags under Harry's left arm.
"...and finally, these..."
He then tucked a broom and mop under Harry's right arm.
"You won't be doing any flying with that one there," Filch uttered with a grin while pointing at the broom, "now, follow me."
The old man exited the room with Mrs. Norris right by his side. Harry followed suit, puzzled by the items Filch had given him. It appeared that cleaning something was Harry's "special assignment" for the evening. This wasn't nearly as spectacular as the boy imagined.
After ascending several stairwells, the three stood on the third floor by an old wooden door with cobwebs hanging from it as though it hadn't been used since someone first fit it inside the doorway. Filch produced an old key which he first blew dust off of and then inserted into the door's lock. After, the man pushed the door open, and it gave out a horrific creak.
"In here, Governor," Filch said while motioning Harry forward.
Harry moved into a dark chamber and was immediately hit by a musty stench. He couldn't see anything inside until torches on two separate gargoyle statues lit of their own accord. Then two more pyres fired up on either side of the rectangular room, finally revealing the space's dimensions. It wasn't terribly long but was coated in a layer of dust from floor to ceiling, including the statues. Cobwebs hung thick overhead and Harry wondered if they were actually cobwebs or were spiderwebs with beady-eyed arachnids hiding inside, waiting for a meal.
Harry's face contorted in disgust.
"Am I to...clean all this?" he asked the caretaker.
"That's what the man said," Filch muttered with hands in his pockets, gazing over the chamber as though he'd never seen it before. This too was puzzling.
"Excuse me, Mr. Filch, but when was the last time it was cleaned?" Harry inquired with horror.
"During my tenure at Hogwarts for nearly forty years," Filch spoke while rubbing his chin, "the Hall of Reflection was last cleaned...never."
Harry was shocked. And what did the man mean by the "Hall of Reflection"? But the kid didn't get the chance to ask.
"Now, Master Potter, your wand," Filch said while turning to him with his hand out, a grave look on his face.
Harry swallowed hard and lowered his cleaning tools to the dirty floor, handing his wand to the man. Harry was simply mystified.
"Right. No magic cleaning here. You're to do it with the good ol' sweat o' your brow," he told the kid with a sly grin, thrilled at the idea of making a student suffer. He then turned and headed for the doorway with Mrs. Norris right behind.
"I'll be back in an hour or two to check on you. Good luck, Governor!" Filch uttered as he closed the door and locked Harry inside.
Harry gulped. He was used to cleaning the rather messy house at Privet Drive for his relatives. But this chamber made that place seem sparkling in comparison. Just walking caused clouds of dust to rise, his trainers already coated before he even began. But something about the walls of the room had him curious. He moved to one of them and gazed over its smooth surface pasted with dust. Harry ran his palm across the dust and realized the wall was a mirror!
Looking on either side of the wall's columns and then on the opposite side of the room, the boy understood why it was called the Hall of Reflection - every wall inside was a large, mirrored surface. Then, he noticed a wooden door at the very end. Walking toward it, Harry happened to glance down and see the faint outline of footprints in the dusty floor.
There were two pairs: a large footprint made with a pointed shoe and a smaller footprint with them. The two pairs moved in the direction of the door. Harry followed them in curiosity. Then it hit him: these footprints had to be recent! Considering the amount of dust collected on the floor over time, the print marks themselves were rather clean. Very curious now, Harry moved to the door and froze. Listening intently, he could hear a whining noise coupled with a gurgling sound. Listening further, the noises continued together and sometimes one after the other. What was making those noises?
His heart pounding, Harry dared to reach up and attempt to open the old door. But after several tries on the handle, it wouldn't budge - the door was locked. All this seemed very puzzling to the boy until he looked down and noticed a single set of footprints moving away from the door back into the room. His eyes went wide realizing they were the same large prints with the pointed end! And what was more, there appeared to be splotches of dried blood next to the right footprints all the way back to the door he and Filch had entered.
A single thought crossed Harry's mind at this sight: Professor Snape limping through the Great Hall with a bloody bandage on his right leg! No mistake about it, the raven-haired professor had recently been in this room. The injury he sustained didn't come from a hapless troll, but from something behind that locked door! Harry then noticed one more detail.
The smaller footprints which seemed to follow or proceed Snape's to the door had not followed them back to the entrance, as though this person entered through the locked door and...never returned. What happened to them?
But his curiosity would have to wait - he still had his detention to serve.
Harry wrapped one of the rags around his mouth and nose to protect himself from the dust. He then set about cleaning.
Nearly two hours later, Harry had mopped the floor - including the splotches of blood, cleaned the statues, wiped the ceiling of cobwebs, and was finishing up by wiping off the mirrored walls. The more he wiped, the brighter the room became thanks to the reflections. But as he wiped the last mirror, Harry noticed something move in the mirror's reflection behind him. He spun around but saw no one.
Looking back at the mirror again, he was stunned to see the reflected image of a blond girl in Hogwarts robes walking from one end of the chamber to the other and disappearing into the locked door. After this, Harry was further surprised to find a couple of what looked like professors discussing something over a book. They disappeared and Harry then witnessed a girl and boy, advanced students, no doubt, making out in a corner of the room before disappearing. Each of these reflected characters seemed oblivious to the others and to him.
Harry shook his head. What did he just witness? But before he could glance into the mirror again, the first door to the room opened and in walked Filch, his cat close behind.
"Ah, Master Potter! A fine job if I say so me-self," the man uttered with a smirk, "though honestly, if it were up to me, I'd have you clean the next corridor over too...if you could survive that is..."
The grave sound Filch made and the dark squint in his eyes as he uttered that last phrase confirmed Harry's suspicion that something dangerous indeed dwelled behind the locked door. The grouchy caretaker then threw Harry a frown as he looked up and down at the boy.
"You was supposed to put the dust in the bin, not wear it!" he cackled at his own humor.
Harry gazed into one of the mirrored walls to find his clothes, shoes, and hair covered in dust with dirty smears across his face. The kid frowned.
"Alright, let's go then. You've done what the Headmaster ordered. I guess I'll let you off now," Filch said while motioning to the door.
"Yes, sir."
Harry picked up the now filthy cleaning tools and marched out behind the man. But before exiting the chamber, Harry glanced back at the locked door and thought about those footprints, and the blood, once more. Something inside told him they were the reason Dumbledore wanted him on this assignment. The question now was "why"?
~HP~
Dirty and exhausted, Harry marched up the steps to Gryffindor Tower, ready to shower off and hit the sack.
"Pig Snout!" he eked out at the Fat Lady.
The woman turned and threw a disgusted look at Harry.
"You look like you've been in a pig sty, young man! Don't you dare touch my portrait!" she shrieked, backing to the edge of the painting.
The door swung open, and Harry went through. But no sooner did he hit the common room proper than an explosion of cheers erupted before him. Nearly every Gryffindor was inside the room, cheering and clapping at the boy with the lightning-shaped scar.
"Here he is!"
"Way to go, Harry!"
"Great job, Potter!"
"We're proud of you, Harry!"
Up above, at the back of the room, a charmed banner floated in the air with bold letters across its face:
HARRY POTTER, DEFENDER OF GRYFFINDOR!
Harry was gobsmacked.
Neville, Dean, Seamus, and their mysterious dorm mate Nate all came up to the boy to shake his hand until they saw him covered in filth. Nevertheless, they were joined by the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Lee Jordan, as well as Fred and George and a host of advanced students all giving him their well wishes.
"Good work on Malfoy, Harry!" Fred threw out at him.
"Yeah, you gave those Slytherins what for!" George threw in.
Harry then saw Hermione clapping in the background, throwing a grin at him. Harry was puzzled by all this.
"But...I don't understand. I lost twenty-five points for the House!" he tried to argue.
"Yeah, the best twenty-five points Gryffindor ever lost!" George shouted, "Fred and I have lost loads of points, but none for as good a cause as this!"
"And Slytherin lost even more points, Harry, thanks to that twat Draco!" Lee Jordan added.
The cheers eventually subsided, and the common room turned into a jovial party, with Fred and George having brought up enough leftover Halloween treats to last the House a month. Harry walked over to Hermione who was still grinning ear to ear.
"Honestly, Harry, you're a mess!" she threw at him with a smirk.
Harry chuckled.
"Perhaps you should go clean up for your celebration," she finished.
"I will," he replied, but then leaned in close to the girl.
"There's something I have to tell you about later. Something I saw during my detention," he told her quietly with a serious look.
The brunette's eyes widened at this as she nodded back him. Harry smiled at her and shot up the stairs to his dorm room.
~HP~
"Are you sure we won't get caught?" Hermione inquired with concern.
"No, I'm not," Harry replied quietly, "but it's important we find out what's behind that door I told you about. I'm sure Dumbledore wanted me to see it for some reason."
The two reached the cobweb-ridden door on the third floor and paused, listening for sounds of any kind. But there was nothing. Harry recalled seeing Filch close the door behind them while forgetting to lock it. They should at least be able to reenter the Hall of Reflection.
Harry pushed the old door as slowly and gently as possible, trying to minimize the creaking. But the two winced at the ugly grating sound, nevertheless. They then entered the now clean chamber and the pyres lit up around them.
"This is where I saw the footprints and that's the door they led to," he told Hermione quietly. The girl squinted her eyes as they approached the door. They paused momentarily to listen for the whining, gurgling sound Harry heard earlier. But to their surprise, there was nothing but silence.
"I don't understand," Harry uttered with a shrug.
Hermione gazed up and down the doorway and tried the handle. It wouldn't budge.
"Is there a spell to unlock doors?" he inquired of the girl, certain she knew at least one among the dozens she'd read about.
Hermione thought for a second and pulled out her wand, pointing it at the lock.
"Alohomora!" she muttered quietly. There was a click and the two looked at each other in astonishment. The girl then proceeded to open the old door.
Both their hearts racing, they stared into another darkened corridor. They stepped inside and immediately froze.
"What's that smell?" Hermione asked with a scrunched-up face while fanning her nose with her hand.
"I don't know," Harry responded. They moved further still, but in the dim light coming from the previous hall, they couldn't make out anything.
"Lumos!" Hermione now whispered and her wand lit the chamber with a whitish glow.
"Hermione, look!" Harry uttered while pointing at the floor.
There, in the middle of the corridor, was a wooden trapdoor with a rope handle. This was curious. But what was even more curious was the presence of something wet and gooey all over the trapdoor and slathered across the stone floor around it.
Then, the pair were bolted in place as a whining noise erupted from the darkness beyond Hermione's wand light. After this, a gurgling sound arose.
Harry and Hermione stared at each other wide-eyed. They then stared into the darkness, attempting to discover who or what occupied this smelly chamber with its mysterious trapdoor. The answer to that question was revealed when the light from Hermione's wand reflected off six giant eyeballs suddenly appearing out of the darkness. After, the eleven-year-olds were horrified at the sight of three enormous mouths with rows of razor-sharp teeth inside them. A hot, smelly breath hit the two and nearly took their breath away at its horridness. Then, the whining and gurgling turned into a deep, terrifying growl.
Harry's heart nearly stopped.
"RUN!" he shouted at Hermione, grabbing her sleeve while spinning on his heels in the direction of the doorway. They bolted toward the Hall of Reflection as fast as their legs could carry them. In the process, three loud dog barks simultaneously shattered the atmosphere and blew the kids clothes and hair forward like a sonic blast. They shot through the door and slammed it shut behind them.
BLAM!
One of the heads of the enormous beast slammed against the door but could not budge it. The loud barking continued, however, causing the entire Hall to shake. Harry and Hermione ran to the outer door and into the third-floor corridor, closing that door and dropping to the floor to catch their breath.
After several moments, they looked at each other's pale, wide-eyed faces.
"Well, Hermione. I think I have an idea what that beast is protecting," Harry managed to say through jittery breaths. Hermione was literally shaking as she gazed back at him.
"The Philosopher's Stone?"
Harry nodded back at her.
"Yeah, the Philosopher's Stone..."