Hallowe'en
When we woke up the next day and entered the Great Hall for breakfast, I instantly looked at Draco, who looked shocked to see us still here, tired but cheerful. The three of us were somewhat keen on having another adventure after facing that three headed dog.
Harry had informed Ron and I about the package that seemed to have moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, leaving to wonder what the package could be to garner this much protection.
"It's either really valuable or really dangerous." Ron considered.
"Or both." Harry suggested.
"It has to be both. Why else would it be moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts with extra protection with that dog and who knows what else." I concluded. All we did know was that this object was two inches long.
Of course, Hermione and Neville didn't show a sign of interest in what was under the trapdoor. Neville just wanted to not go near that dog ever again. With Hermione, she just flat out refused to talk to any of us, but since we didn't like her that much for being such a bossy know it all, it was really a bonus.
The only thing we wanted currently was to get back at Malfoot, and that very thing came a week later.
As owls flooded into the Great Hall during breakfast, there was this long thin package that was carried by six large screech owls. They all flew towards us and they dropped the package in front of Harry, knocking his bacon to the floor. Then another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel. Looking at it, it seemed to be a broomstick. Harry then ripped open the letter and I decided to read it, with Ron as well.
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch Pitch at seven o'clock for your first training session.
Prof. M. McGonagall
HOLY….
"A Nimbus Two Thousand! I've never even touched one." Ron moaned in envy.
The three of us left the Hall as quickly as possible and Harry unwrapped the broomstick, so eager to look at the Nimbus before our first lesson, however, as we reached halfway of the Entrance Hall, we saw that Crabbe and Goyle barred the way upstairs. Draco then seized the package from Harry and felt it over.
"That's a broomstick. You'll be for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." Draco said, throwing it back to Harry with a look of spite and jealousy on his face.
"And to think, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. You probably only have a Comet Two Sixty, Malfungus." I sneered. I just couldn't resist.
"Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." Ron grinned.
"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle. I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig." Draco snapped back. But before Ron and I could do anything, Flitwick appeared at Draco's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" He squeaked.
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor." Draco immediately said as though he was acting like a snitch.
"Yes, yes, that's right. Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?" Flitwick beamed. The look on Draco's face, one of horror, has to be the most satisfying thing ever.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir. And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." Harry explained, clearly trying not to laugh at Draco's face. We then headed upstairs, smothering our laughter at Draco's rage and confusion.
"Well, it's true. If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be in the team…." Harry added as we reached the top of the marble staircase.
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" We heard Hermione's angry voice behind us. She stomped up the stairs, looking at the broom disapprovingly.
"You're supposed to not be speaking with us, Granger." I coolly said to her.
"Yes, don't stop now, it's doing us so much good." Ron added, which made Hermione march away with her nose in the air.
We spent the rest of the day in classes, so eager to get a good look at the Nimbus and then evening came and we rushed into the Dormitory and Harry grabbed the broom from under his bed and unwrapped it finally.
"Wow." Ron sighed as we got a proper look at it. I was just speechless at how structured and designed it was. It was so sleek and shiny, having a mahogany handle, a long neat tail of twigs and the words Nimbus 2000 written in gold at the top.
When seven o'clock arrived, Harry left to go to the Quidditch Pitch to be taught by Wood. That left me and Ron to hang out in the Common Room, working on some essays and chatting about how good Harry will be as a Seeker. Every once in a while, I'd notice a girl smiling at me somewhere else in the Common Room. All I got before she'd hid herself was that she had black hair.
Eventually, Harry came back, looking so gleeful and then we went to bed.
Some time has passed (nothing significant happened) until Hallowe'en arrived. When we all woke up, the delicious smell of baking pumpkins wafted through the corridors.
And when we got to Charms class, Flitwick announced to us all that he felt we were ready to make objects fly, which all of us were so eager to do. We were all put into pairs, Harry was with Seamus, I was with Dean and unfortunately for Ron, he was paired up with Hermione.
"Now don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising! Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too. Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' and 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest." He squeaked to all of us. Now the incantation of this spell is Wingardium Leviosa, and we had to use this spell on a feather. Before I attempted, I watched the other students. Seamus ended up lighting his feather on fire, making Harry try to put it out and then there's Dean, who only made his move slightly.
I remembered how to pronounce the incantation and the correct form of the swish and flick.
"Wingardium Leviosa." I said, swishing and flicking my wand. The feather then started to hover five feet above us all.
"Oh, well done! Everyone see here, both Miss Granger and Mr Alexander have done it!" Flitwick clapped. I looked over to see Hermione be able to make her feather hover.
After that, the class continued and when we finished, Ron wasn't pleased at the slightest. He explained how Hermione tried to correct his pronunciation and wandwork in a bossy tone.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly." He ranted to me and Harry as we made our way through the crowded corridor. Someone then bumped into Harry, hurrying past us and it was a crying Hermione.
"I think she heard you." Me and Harry said in unison.
"So? She must've noticed she's got no friends." Ron said, clearly looking uncomfortable.
I can't believe this, but I actually grew a bit worried for Hermione. Because she didn't show up for the next class and didn't show up anywhere during the afternoon.
As we all made our way down to the Great Hall for the Hallowe'en Feast, the three of us overheard Parvati talk to her friend, Lavender Brown about how Hermione has been crying in the girls' toilets, wanting to be left alone. I looked at Ron, who looked awkward. I myself now actually felt bad for Hermione.
Then we entered the Great Hall, which was full of awesome Hallowe'en decorations. There were a thousand live bats fluttering from the walls and ceiling and a thousand more swooped over the tables in cool looking low black clouds, which made the candles in the pumpkins stutter. We all sat on the Gryffindor Table and the feast appeared on the golden plates.
Fifteen minutes into the feast, Quirrell came in sprinting with a look of terror on his face, his turban askew.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Troll in the dungeon!" He bellowed, making every single one of us silent in shock and horror.
"Thought you ought to know." He mumbled before he fainted right before lightning flashed through the windows. Everyone screamed and started to go into a panic.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore bellowed at the top of lungs, silencing everyone.
"Everyone please do not panic! Prefects, lead your Houses back to the Dormitories immediately!" Dumbleddore then rumbled.
"Follow me! 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!" Percy said, clearly in his element as he led us out of the Hall.
"How could a Troll get in?" Harry asked Ron and I as we got up the stairs.
"Someone had to have let it in. Trolls are dangerously stupid." I answered, considering the idea very much for some kind of malicious purpose.
"Maybe Peeves let it in for a Hallowe'en joke." Ron suggested as we passed different groups hurrying into different directions. It was when we made our way through confused Hufflepuffs that Harry grabbed both mine and Ron's arms.
"I've just thought, Hermione." He told us. OH NO!
"What about her?" Ron asked, confused.
"She doesn't know of the Troll." I told him. Ron's eyes widened and he bit his lip.
"Oh, alright. But Percy'd better not see us." Ron said. With this, we ducked down and joined the Hufflepuffs, going the other way, and then we slipped down a deserted corridor and we hurried as fast as we could to the girls' toilets.
We had turned a corner when we heard some quick footsteps behind us.
"Percy!" Ron hissed. We all then hid behind a large stone griffin. As I peered around, I saw that it wasn't Percy and instead it was Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared somewhere else.
"It was Snape." I whispered to Harry and Ron, resulting in them looking confused.
"Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" Harry asked.
"Search me." Ron shrugged. Then as quietly as possible, we crept along the next corridor after we heard Snape's footsteps fade away.
"He's heading for the third floor." Harry noted. That's where the forbidden corridor is. Why would he go up there. But then a really foul odour reached my nose and I had to clasp my hands over it, along with Ron.
"Do you smell that?" I asked Harry, who sniffed and looked sick from the stench. And then we heard a low grunting and shuffling footsteps of a large being. Ron then pointed at the end of a passage to the left, which meant that the Troll was coming towards us. The only place to hide was the shadows and then we watched as it emerged in some moonlight.
Trust me, seeing a Troll in person wasn't pleasant at all. It stood twelve feet tall, its skin a dull, granite grey, a lump of a body, a small. Bald head and short legs as thick as tree trunks with bumps all over them, looking akin to thorns and two flat, horny feet. With it coming closer, its stench was so strong that I thought my nostrils would burn. The Troll was also holding a huge, wooden club which it dragged on the floor due to its arms being so long.
It stopped by a doorway, peering inside. Its long ears waggled, thinking with its small mind before entering the room.
"The key's in the lock. We could lock it in." Harry muttered.
"Alright." I nodded. We edged towards the open door, praying that the Troll didn't notice us. Harry made a huge leap for the key, slamming the door and locking it closed.
"Yes!" We cheered in victory. We then ran back through the passage, but to our horror, when we reached the corner a high, petrified scream came from where we locked up the Troll! It's the girls' toilets!
"HERMIONE!" I yelled with concern. We then ran back, turning the key and opened the door, sprinting inside.
I saw Hermione shrinking against the wall opposite, looking like she was going to faint. And the Troll was advancing towards her, knocking the sinks off the walls.
"Confuse it!" Harry said to us, desperately. We grabbed taps and various other objects and threw them against the wall, making the Troll stop a few feet away from Hermione. It then lumbered, blinking stupidly to see what made all the noise until it saw Harry. After a bit of hesitation, it made for him.
"Move!" I roared at Hermione, who didn't even move as she was frozen with terror.
"Oy, pea-brain!" Ron yelled from the other side of the chamber, throwing a metal pipe at the Troll. I grabbed a piece of a sink that had a sharp end and threw it at the Troll, and it made a cut on its shoulder, and it didn't even react. But then Ron yelled again, which garnered its attention and it moved for Ron, this allowed Harry to run around it to the door.
"Come on, run, run!" Harry shouted at Hermione, who was still frozen.
However, all the shouting and echoes were making the Troll mad and it roared, heading to Ron. Here is where I'm about to do something both brave yet stupid. I bolted to the Troll and jumped, fastening my arms around its neck, which it didn't notice yet. And because I had a tap in my hand, it ended up in one of the Troll's nostrils, which made it howl in pain, twisting and flailing its club around, making me cling on for my life.
"Do something!" I shouted to the others, hoping that one of them would do something. And thankfully, that person ended up being Ron.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" He shouted, and then the Troll's club flew out of its hand, hovering a bit higher and then moved a bit and dropped, with a loud and sickening crack, onto the Troll's head. It then swayed on the spot and fell flat on its face, making the whole room tremble.
I let go and got to my feet, backing up. I looked over at Ron, who looked shocked he managed to do the spell rather well.
"Nice one, Ron." I thanked him. He smiled, clearly happy that he had a moment to shine. Harry kept his eyes on the Troll and Hermione finally moved as she walked up to us.
"Is it… dead?" She asked.
"I don't think so. I think it's just been knocked out." Harry answered.
And before we could do anything else, a loud slam was heard and then some loud footsteps which made us all look up and saw McGonagall enter with Snape and even Quirrell, who whimpered and clutched his heart upon seeing the Troll. Snape bent over the Troll and McGonagall looked at me, Harry and Ron and trust me, I was genuinely scared because she looked so angry with her lips now white.
"What on earth were you thinking of? You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your Dormitory?" She asked us in cold fury, and when she'd look at me, she had a look in her eyes that expressed severe concern and fear.
I saw Snape giving Harry a swift and piercing look. The three of us looked down, ashamed and not knowing what to say.
"Please, Professor McGonagall, they were looking for me." Hermione suddenly spoke out, making us all look at her.
"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." Hermione lied.
WHAT?! I just can't believe it. She actually lied right to a teacher. Even Harry and Ron were shocked as Ron dropped his wand.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Matt stuck a tap up its nose, Harry distracted 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." She continued to explain. The three of us looked at each other, just shocked at the fact that she was keeping us out of too much trouble.
"Well, in that case… Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a Mountain Troll on your own?" McGonagall scolded after looking at each of us. Hermione was truly willing to pretend to be going against the rules to protect me, Harry and Ron. She now has my respect.
"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." McGonagall told her and then Hermione left. McGonagall then turned to the three of us.
"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." She told us. I can't believe it, not only did we save Hermione but we also got our House fifteen House Points.
We of course hurried out and didn't speak at all until we were two floors up. Thankfully, the Troll's stench didn't stay.
"We should have got more than ten points." Ron grumbled.
"Well we did, technically." I pointed out.
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that. Mind you we did save her." Ron admitted.
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her." Harry reminded the Weasley. We eventually reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pig Snout." We said and we entered the Common Room which was packed and noisy with everyone eating the food that was sent up. Hermione to our surprise stood alone by the door, clearly waiting for us. There was an awkward pause between us until we looked at each other and said 'thanks' before hurrying off to get plates and eat the food. It was unspoken, but we became friends with Hermione. I guess taking down a Troll has a way to bond people together.
Now if you're familiar with both the books and the films, you'll know that the stuff that happens in the Great Hall was largely from the film as I felt that had more impact and effect compared to the book. And I wanted Matt to be on the Troll instead of Harry because I wanted to establish how much of a Gryffindor he is and to help set up some stuff in later installments.