The next day, Harry and Neville were met with death glares from Malfoy and Ron. Harry had heard the three students caught by Professor Snape had had thirty points each taken from their house and two weeks worth of detention. Harry smirked, thinking how Malfoy just had two more weeks of detention added to what he had gotten after their first Potions class. Daphne told them how almost everyone in Slytherin House was icing him out for losing so many points within his first two weeks.
Ron was getting similar treatment from his fellow Gryffindors. Even his brothers were furious with him. Percy had written to their mother, which ended with Ron receiving a Howler that screamed at him in a woman's voice, which Harry could only assume was his mother. She was screaming about how the boy was smearing the Weasley name and that his choices would affect his younger sister.
Hermione was giving Harry and their other two friends the cold shoulder after last night's events. Daphne was pleading with her friend, apologizing for what happened profusely.
In their Potions class, Ron kept to himself, watching his partner Seamus closely to ensure he didn't explode their cauldron again and lose them even more points. After their class, which ended with no explosions this time around, Harry gathered his things. "Potter!" he heard Professor Snape call him. He looked at his uncle, who said, "My office, now."
Harry looked nervous but told his friends to go on ahead. He entered Snape's office and the door closed behind him. Severus Snape was leaning against his desk, looking down at his nephew sternly.
"Any idea why I called you in here, Harry?" Snape asked.
"No, sir," Harry said, looking nervous.
"That was a sneaky trick you pulled last night…antagonizing Malfoy to get him to show up for a duel you had no plans to actually do," Snape said. "And getting Weasley involved…that was very Slytherin of you."
Harry smirked a bit. "I learned from the best Slytherin," he replied.
Severus smirked as well. "Harry, I will not have my nephew being a bully. You understand?" He scolded the boy.
Harry gawked a bit. "Bully?" he said, offended. "Malfoy started it." He then recounted the day before to his uncle: Malfoy laughing at Lavender and trying to steal her locket. How he tried to fly away with it. The events after he got back the locket. Being put on the Gryffindor team. "Then, being the arse he is, Malfoy decided to try picking a fight with me at dinner. So yeah, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. Not my fault he fell for it. And Ron got himself involved; he was trying to rat us out because he has some weird jealousy thing going on." Harry was now worked up.
Severus was surprised. In his last life, Harry and Ron were thick as thieves, but this time around they were at odds. "I understand Malfoy is indeed the cause of these altercations. I am doing my best to reeducate the boy but he's been taught since he was very young that everyone is going to do as he says. It's been a challenge showing him otherwise."
Harry crossed his arms and looked up at his uncle. "Like that is my fault? If he comes after me or my friends, I will retaliate."
Severus sighed. "I understand, but remember: do not go to any extremes, understand?" He eyed the boy. "If you do anything that goes overboard, neither I or Minerva will be able to help you. Are we clear?" he asked, being sure to use a stern expression.
Harry nodded. "Of course, Uncle Sev."
"Alright. Now you need to go see Professor McGonagall. She had your mother send you your broom. Congratulations on making the team…take it easy on my boys… "
Harry grinned. "Not happening, Uncle Sev," the boy said, smiling. Severus laughed and sent the boy off to his next class.
When his classes ended, Harry went to his aunt's office to collect the Nimbus Two Thousand his uncles had got him for his birthday that year. She instructed him to go down to the quidditch pitch at seven for training. Harry nodded to her then left her office. He met up with Neville down the hall and they were giddy about him having his broom. As they made their way down the hall, they ran into Malfoy and his friends.
Malfoy grinned at seeing what was in his hands. "Now you've done it, Potter. That's a broomstick and first years aren't allowed to have those." He looked at the broom, gaping and eyes widening at seeing it's a Nimbus Two Thousand.
Harry smirked at seeing his reaction, but before he could come up with a retort, Professor Flitwick came down the hall. "Not arguing, are you boys?"
"Professor Potter got a broom," Malfoy said, eager to see Harry get in trouble.
"Ah…yes. I have been informed of your special circumstances," Professor Flitwick said. He looked at the broom in Harry's hand. "May I?" Harry smiled and handed his professor his broom. "What model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, Professor," Neville said, a grin on his face as he saw Malfoy's angry expression.
"Excellent!" The small professor passed the broom back to Harry. "I wish you luck."
Harry and Neville both smirked in Malfoy's direction as the professor walked off. Malfoy had stomped off, his face full of anger at his unsuccessful attempt to once again get Harry in trouble. Harry had a hard time focusing on classes for the rest of the day; he was excited to ride his broom. Hermione had scolded him twice to continue to pay attention. He blushed when she did, but he was happy she was talking to him again.
Finally seven o'clock came and Harry went down to the quidditch field. He had met up with Oliver Wood, who was immediately impressed by Harry's show of skill on a broom. After getting Harry back on the ground, the older Gryffindor began running Harry through the rules of the game. Harry, of course, had been instructed by his father about all of the in and outs of quidditch, so the explanation went quickly. Later, Wood had Harry go back up on his broom and then used some ordinary golf balls to practice. Harry didn't miss a single one, which pleased Wood immensely. After a half hour, they called it quits. Harry was excited to begin practice with the other members of the team.
Two months had gone by and between his homework and quidditch practice three times a week, Harry had been so busy he had hardly noticed time go by. The castle had begun to feel more like a second home to the boy even though he still missed his parents. He was happy, however, to at least have his Aunt Minnie and Uncle Sev here at the castle. His classes had begun to get more interesting since they had finally completed the basics.
On Halloween, the new students woke up to the smell of pumpkins wafting down the halls. They were even more excited when Professor Flitwick decided it was time they began practicing making things fly. They had been excited to try this ever since they watched Professor Flitwick make Ron's rat float around the room. Professor Flitwick had broken them off into pairs. Harry had been partnered with Neville, and, to Hermione's dismay, she had been partnered with Ron. They had been reminded by Flitwick to remember to focus on using the wrist movement 'swish and flick'.
The rest of the class found the task to be very difficult, but due to years of previous practice, Harry and Neville were some of the first two to successfully float their feathers. This caused Ron to become rather upset and he began furiously trying to do it, too. " Wingardium Leviosa," he said, growling and furiously brandishing his wand.
"Stop, stop, stop," Hermione demanded, blocking his arm. "You're going to put someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong," she said, trying to tutor him. "It's Win- gar-dium Levi- o-sa. Make the 'gar' nice and long."
Ron scowled at her. "You do it then, if you're so clever," he demanded, certain a muggleborn would not be able to succeed.
Hermione let out a sigh. She rolled up her sleeves and flicked her wand while saying, " Wingardium Leviosa." Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Well done!" Professor Flitwick said. "That's three who have successfully done it!"
Ron was in a very foul mood for the rest of the class. After class, the three friends met up with Daphne in the hall and began heading to lunch. As they walked past the courtyard, they heard the voice of Ron Weasley as he was talking to Seamus and Dean.
"I don't see how Harry stands her," they heard him say. "She's a control freak. It's a nightmare, honestly. How does she have friends?"
Hermione's face became sullen and she pushed past her friends and ran off. Daphne went off after her while Harry and Neville came up behind Ron. "Oi! Weasley!" Neville growled, which caused Ron to jump. Neville was a good four inches taller than Ron, which was evident by how Ron craned his neck to look at Neville's face.
"What, Longbottom?" he said, a nervous look on his face when he noticed the size difference.
"Just because you're too stupid to do a simple levitation spell doesn't mean you get to bully the one who tries to help you," Neville said, his face clearly angry.
Harry had come around Neville and glared at the red head. "Say something like that around Hermione again and you'll be met with my mother's famous Stinging Jinx," he said. "Keep your fat mouth shut from now on."
Ron cowered a bit. A threat from The Boy Who Lived seemed to be exactly what the redhead needed to shut him up. He turned and scurried off, leaving Dean and Seamus standing there dumbfounded. And that was the last time Harry and his friends ever had to deal with Ronald Weasley.
Harry turned to Neville. "Let's leave Hermione to Daphne…she'll get Hermione to feel better." Neville nodded and they went off to lunch.
Hermione nor Daphne returned to their next class. Harry heard Pavarti Patil telling her friend Lavender that she heard Hermione crying in the girls bathroom and Daphne was trying to calm her down. Harry sighed and went to the Great Hall with Neville. The two boys were amazed by the decorations, but that didn't stop them from worrying about their friend. The feast appeared on the golden plates and everyone began to eat. Harry was helping himself to a baked potato when, rather suddenly, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall. His turban was askew and he had a look of terror on his face. Everyone watched as the man rushed up to Dumbledore's seat. "Troll…in the dungeons….thought you ought to know." He then went slack and fell to the floor in a dead faint.
Everyone began to panic. The students started rushing about as the panic continued. It took a few purple fire crackers from Dumbledore's wand to get everyone to calm down.
"Prefects…" Dumbledore said, "lead your house back to your dormitories immediately."
The prefects jumped into action. Percy, in particular, was really in his element, barking orders left and right.
"How on earth did a troll get in?" Neville asked.
"No idea. We should go to our quarters, though," Harry said as they followed the crowd out of the great hall. As they made their way through, Harry suddenly stopped and grabbed Neville's arm. "Nev….Mione and Daph….They don't know."
Neville's eyes widened and the two friends quickly bolted down the corridor to get to their friends. They scurried down the hall when they heard footsteps in front of them. The two halted, fearing it was Percy, but Professor Snape rounded the corner. He spotted them and rushed over. "Harry, Neville, where are you going?" he asked, looking down at them.
"Hermione and Daphne, Uncle Sev. They're in the girls bathroom…" Harry said.
Severus raised an eyebrow. Daphne had not been involved in his last life. "Go. Quickly get them and go to your quarters. I have other matters to attend to." He ushered the boys past him.
Harry and Neville scurried down the corridor. Suddenly, a foul smell began to fill their nostrils. The two boys stopped as they smelled the foul stench. It smelled like a mixture of old socks and a public toilet that's never been cleaned. Then they heard it…a low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. At the end of the passage to the left, a large figure began coming into view. The boys shrunk into the shadows and watched as the creature came into sight.
It was huge! Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray. Its body was enormous and lumpy like a boulder with a small coconut sitting on top. It had short legs as thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from the creature was revolting. It was carrying a large wooden club, which was being dragged across the floor because his arms were so long.
The boys froze as the troll stopped in front of what they knew to be the girls lavatory. "Oh hell…" Harry mumbled as the troll peered inside the doorway before it began to walk inside. Harry and Neville suddenly heard the screams of their two friends and the boys bolted to the bathroom, drawing their wands. The boys didn't know it, but Minerva McGonagall had been preparing these boys for this moment for the last four years, ever since she had been informed of Severus' past life.
The boys entered the room to find their two friends backed into a far wall. Both had had their wands drawn. Daphne was halfway shielding Hermione and both were making the debris in the now destroyed bathroom fly at the troll with their wands. "Get its attention," Harry said to Neville, and immediately the two boys sent their own pieces of debris flying at his head. "Hey ugly!" Harry shouted.
The troll turned and, spotting the two boys, he growled down at him. "I got an idea, Harry," Neville said, pointing his wand at the troll's face. "Get ready to run."
"What?" Harry said, confused, but then he saw Neville cast a stinging jinx right in the troll's eye. "Bloody hell!" Harry said as the troll suddenly howled in pain. Now angered, the troll looked out at Neville with its one good eye. It snarled at him and began to charge at the two boys. "Bloody hell!" Harry yelled, and the two boys turned, bolting out of the room.
The troll followed the boys, crashing through the doorway. Harry was genuinely terrified as he ran away. He had not been prepared for this scenario. The troll stomped after them down the hall. Harry could see between the troll's legs that Hermione and Daphne were making their way out of the bathroom and shuffling down the hall in the opposite direction. The troll was widely swinging his club and Harry could feel the rush of wind from the club barely missing them.
The troll was rearing back for another swing when a bolt of scarlet light flew over the boys head and struck the troll right between his eyes. The troll's feet suddenly lifted from the floor from the force of the spell that hit it. The creature fell back on the floor with a crash and the boys suddenly stopped as they stared in shock. "Was that you?" Neville asked, looking at Harry.
"No…." Harry then turned and spotted Professor McGonagall. "Professor…I can explain this…"
"I'm sure you can," she said, lowering her wand. "Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass, are you alright?" she called over the boys' shoulders.
Hermione and Daphne had started walking forward. "Is it …dead?" Hermione asked.
"No, dear, just knocked out," McGonagall said. "Is anyone hurt?"
Harry and the rest shook their heads. "No ma'am," they said in unison.
"Excellent!" she said as Professor Snape and Quirrell rounded the corner. "Professor Quirrell, Professor Snape, the troll has been subdued as you can see," she said to them as she ushered the children to her. The three Gryffindors and single Slytherin made their way to the head of Gryffindor House. "I trust you can deal with its removal, Quirrell, while Severus and I take these children to their quarters."
"Yes…of course…you should go…it might wake up," Quirrell said. With that, Severus guided the two shaking girls down the hall while McGonagall escorted the very exhausted Harry and Neville.
Once they had arrived in the Lord's corridor, McGonagall and Severus began searching over the children for any injuries. "Thank goodness," Minerva said after she completed her search of the boys.
Severus also let out a sigh of relief and stood looking down at the children. "Which one of you shot the stinging jinx in the troll's eye?" he said, looking down at them.
Neville slowly raised his hand. "That was me, sir. I was trying to get it away from Daphne and Hermione. I figured it would chase us if I made it angry…" the boy looked up at the Potions master nervously.
Severus sighed. "Though I commend you for your bravery, Neville, your method was rather dangerous. That troll could have crushed you and Harry. This summer, I'll be sure to have Sirius and Remus up your training regimen."
The boys looked at each other and groaned at that statement. Minerva chuckled. "You boys are in for a long summer break."
A/N: Sorry the post is so late guys and I did get my chapter titles mixed up there for a minute but it has been fix thanks for your support!
Up Next: Harry's first quidditch game is underway.