While most people appeared on alert, terrified, or some vein of curious; Harry was not most people. His cousin looked electrified by the news of a troll in the castle. This was exciting for Harry. Dudley was just glad being excited did not translate into going to check it out. The rest of their house could keep giving Harry disturbed looks. Harry bounced on his feet, cheeks flushed as he rambled on.

"And how big do you think it must be if it got through the doors? Oooh! Maybe it'll leave a footprint for us to see in the dungeons. We should ask Al—" Harry movements froze and then he brightened. Dudley stilled at the shift in his cousin, uncertain of the cause. "Neville's here Dud!"

Startled, Dudley twisted around, almost immediately regretting it as his leg pinched at the sudden move. Neville stood hovering on the edge of Ravenclaws winding past and out the Great Hall. Looking both hesitant and nervous, Neville took a sliding step back at all the eyes staring at him. Dudley quickly reached out for his arm and yanked him closer to their house table before one of the older Ravenclaw students knocked into him.

"Thanks."

Draco maneuvered his way forward between and through Dudley and his cousin. "What are you doing over here Longbottom? Not that we'll say no to the Son-Who-Survived com—" Dudley shoved Draco back and Harry puffed up beside him, stepping between them as Draco stumbled back. "Dursley!"

"I-I-I j-just wanted..." Neville trailed off, going silent.

Blue eyes glared back over to the other blond boy. Harry had his hands up like a goalkeeper as he stood as tall as he could. Stunned, Draco gapped at them and then over to Neville. "What's with you two? Are you forgetting I'm a Malfoy? It's not like I asked something inappropriate and what everyone here is wondering."

Harry snorted. "Even I don't take playing Follow the Leader that seriously."

Pansy gasped, stepping forward to clasp Draco's arm at his side. The other girls also had various degrees of scandalous written on their faces. Even if Daphne still had that cool look as her eyesight gazed over everyone there. Both Vincent and Gregory straightened up, one scowling and the other frowning. Blaise blinked in disbelief and then took a half-step back. On the other hand, Theodore Nott finally turned his head towards them and Dudley swore he saw amusement on the lackadaisical boy's face.

"Don't push my cousin."

"He pushed me Potter!"

"He had every right too!"

"What?" Draco's face twisted, baffled and angry at Harry shouting back at him. "He had no rig—"

"Neville's his friend, not yours!"

The Malfoy heir's mouth dropped open in a manner befitting for catching flies than any refined manners Draco was actually taught. Satisfied with no sign of moving forward and speechless, Harry turned to face Dudley with a smile, missing more mouths dropping at how he casually turned his back on Draco. Dudley stared at Harry and then glanced over to the rest of the Slytherin first years behind him. Well, he was right at the sorting. He had Harry with him. He had been thankful of that, but this was also Harry he was talking about. And Dudley had a feeling it might be a bit harder to smooth things over with this group than anything that happened during years of primary.

Ignoring that for the time being, Dudley focused his attention back to Neville. Harry leaned close, alert and curious.

"What are you doing over here Neville?"

There was a furious complaining sound somewhere behind Dudley and the stomp of a foot. Neville jolted, but answered, looking worried.

"I-I-I just wanted...wanted to make sure you and Harry aren't really going to the Slytherin Dungeons."

"Oh." Suddenly it made sense to why Neville came over when all the other houses had been told to evacuate to their common rooms. Their prefects had quickly made sure they stayed put after there was a finger jab from Professor Snape directed at the Slytherin table. Then their head of house swooped out of the hall. Dudley could only assume to assist in finding and taking care of the troll. "No, our house isn't going to our common rooms. We're staying here in the Great Hall."

"And why does Gryffindor Longbottom know where our common rooms are Dursley?"

"They're common knowledge," Harry piped back brightly to Draco's ire.

"No Potter, they're common rooms, not common knowledge," Draco spat back.

Harry bounced on his feet, a mischievous glint in his eye reminiscent of when he was riling up Hermione. Suddenly curious, Dudley leaned around Neville, looking past the trail of moving Ravenclaws to see the Gryffindors filing out. That was strange. The girl was just as, if not more, worried about making friends than he was at times. At least here, Dudley didn't have the same concerns on friends as he did the past few years at primary, being unable to be completely free and open with kids who didn't know. At least here, unlike if he had headed to a secondary school, he already had Neville.

Hermione didn't look like one who had a friend when they'd met in primary and was so eager to be sharing a couple classes with Harry, who easily made fast friends with everyone near him. Sure, the girl had taken to the silent treatment lately after their late night adventure, but she still took the station with Neville beside them in Potions class. And even on the late night adventure, Hermione had forgone the spoken rules to help and go with them. To not lose the closest people she had as friends here, she'd gone with. Dudley didn't see Hermione leaving the Great Hall without doing exactly what Neville was doing over here by the wrong house.

"Where's Hermione?"

The round faced boy went wide eyed and spun about to look, scanning for the bushy hair. "I think she's still in the bathroom," Neville breathed out in a rush. "Oh no. No, no, no. S-she doesn't know about the troll."

"The girls' bathroom?" Harry rejoined them at those words, forgetting all about his conversation with Draco. "Well then, that's on this floor, isn't it? I'll sneak us out of here and we'll tell her to get to safety and then I'll sneak us right back here no problem."

"You Potter? Sneak?" Draco snorted. "Just leave the muggleborn there."

"L-leave Herm—"

"And miss the chance to get into a girls' bathroom?" Harry spun and gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Never!"

"Like you've never been," Dudley responded dryly.

Harry stuck his tongue out. "Let's go!"

"Go? You can't go Potter."

Behind Draco taking a stand, Pansy stepped forward and nodded. She seemed ready to take a bite and tear them apart if they dared do something against Draco's orders. Vincent and Gregory cracked their knuckles as they followed her lead. "This isn't some game Potter. Draco knows best and everyone should listen to him."

Dudley swore he saw Theodore roll his eyes. Then the weedy boy heaved out a tiresome sigh. "You can't say resolute things like that Parkinson. Malfoy isn't infallible. He's eleven. We all are. Is this going to go on much longer? Because Potter's idea to pass time is beginning to gain some merit in my mind. It'd be slightly challenging to pull off getting away with it with a Gryffindor, but... It'd certainly be more quiet."

Pansy pouted and beside her, Daphne brushed off her robes. Vincent and Gregory shared a look with each other, before looking back to Draco, who scowled and drew himself up. "Challenge accepted Nott."

Blue eyes blinked. Was there a history between those two and challenges?

"Let's go. Both my parents are Slytherin Longbottom. I hold more experience than Potter. I'll be sure to get your"—His nose twitched—"housemate back with no professor the wiser."

His cousin grinned broadly, waving for Dudley and Neville to follow. Dudley hesitated. Draco tossed an annoyed look over his shoulder and tapped his shoe. Despite spending time together being in the same school house, Dudley didn't really know Draco too well to say why he was doing this and it made him pause. This was the same boy who loved being in charge and thought he deserved to be charge of everyone. Why change his mind so easily to a single word, challenge?

Theodore yawned, rubbing the back of his head as though he hadn't done anything special.

"And how do you expect entrance into a girls' bathroom containing a crying and devastated young woman," Daphne asked coolly. She swept her long hair to the side. "We'll be talking to her boys."

Stunned, Dudley stared as she strode past him with Pansy close at hand, then Tracey and Sally and Millicent. He and Neville traded looks at the suddenly much larger group heading off to inform Hermione of the troll. Harry huffed and grabbed them. Within a minute, the entire first year group of Slytherins with an added Gryffindor, were outside of the Great Hall. No shouts or yells followed them.

"See?" Draco pushed his hand along his slicked back hair. "No one the wiser Longbottom. This way everyone."

Was this worse or better than Harry not leaving the Great Hall to find the troll? Dudley shook his head. It was best to inform Hermione right? Then again, perhaps not. Blue eyes looked back from where they came. The worst that could have happened was Hermione returning there where their house still waited, if not hers. He was already starting to regret not speaking up or knowing how to talk Draco out of a suggested challenge.

"How long have you known our Dursley?"

Gray eyes looked to Neville with studied curiosity. Draco had drifted back as the group wandered the corridors, Pansy strutting proudly at the front.

Our Dursley? Did Draco mean as one of the Slytherins? Our?

Neville shied from the attention, shrugging his shoulders. "A while," he mumbled.

"Ewww!" Pansy's voice echoed loudly in the corridor. Nearly everyone shushed her. Harry didn't bother, instead choosing to race ahead of Dudley and see what she was making a fuss about. Several heads spun around to look for any adults that heard the noise. Harry scrambled ahead to peer around the corner for Pansy. "What is that smell?"

"Everyone in the castle's dirty laundry I think. Woah." Harry went still and the lingering humor disappeared from his face. "So. Problem. Dudley?"

Not liking the tone at all, Dudley quickly checked Neville and began moving toward his cousin. "What?"

"Troll is not in the dungeons. I can see it. Got any plans? And I'm pretty sure that was the girls' bathroom it just walked into."

As though confirming Harry's statement, a high pitch scream followed. And every face in the corridor went pale.

"Draco is breaking his promise."

The boy squeaked, "I'm what?"

Dudley leveled him with a look. "Professors are going to be the wiser."

Relief flooded Draco's face. Clearly, the hat had been correct on none of the Gryffindor bravery for the Malfoy heir. "Right! Crabbe! Goyle! Let's get out of here!"

The remainder of the Slytherins were quick to follow him, Pansy screaming about Draco leaving her behind. On the other hand, Neville the Gryffindor, slowly made his way back next to Dudley, trembling and wide eyed. The blond's feet remained frozen to the ground. He couldn't find himself moving forward or backwards. And winced as there was another ear piercing scream from inside the bathroom. Hermione was still alive. At the moment. Dudley's throat constricted. What to do, what to do? No one planned for something like this at eleven years old! He couldn't leave her, that'd be wrong. But he couldn't run inside of that bathroom either. That was a troll. Grown, qualified adults were trained to handle these creatures. All he'd do is wind up making things worse.

What to do?

"We have to go in," Harry declared.

Dudley jerked his head to his cousin in surprise. The serious tone in Harry's voice wasn't one anyone, not even he heard. Quick anger at a possible insult against Dudley, sure. But serious, no. Every line in Harry was tense.

"We have to do something. Dud. You like her. She's your friend. You've got a plan, right?"

Panicked, Dudley licked his lips. He couldn't let his cousin go in there with nothing. Neville shook harder beside him. "Sneak around. Grab Hermione and go. Distract if spotted. Sneak her out. Don't get squished, hit, kicked, smacked, walloped—"

"Got it. Don't worry Dud. I'm good at being sneaky."

There was no smile paired up with Harry's words. Nothing of Harry's normal joking attitude. Just Harry sliding around the edge of the doorframe and disappearing inside. Dudley hurried to follow, hovering at the door. The troll was huge. It was three times Dudley's height, its large muscles working as it swung the huge club it had in its hand. Boards of the bathroom stalls littered the floor and there was water pooling around its feet from a destroyed toilet. The lumpy club poked at the stalls, testing them and breaking them as it leaned over to peer closely.

His throat unclenched at spotting Hermione crawling from the last stall and under the line of sinks. Harry was working his way along the wall behind the troll, quickly making it to the sinks where she was at and taking a hold of her robe. Hermione sobbed in relief.

And the troll turned.

"Harry!"

Harry and Hermione turned too, freezing. The huge troll stood still, it's beady eyes having found them. No one moved. At some point, Neville had made his way to the doorframe, whimpering quietly. Dudley held his breath. With a shove, the standstill was broken. Harry shoved Hermione forward and screamed up at the troll.

"Come get me jackass!" He waved his arms wildly for it's attention. And got it.

Hermione gasped, feet pushing her backwards as the troll stomped a foot forward. Together, Dudley and Neville reached through the doorframe, sliding her from the bathroom and out into the corridor. A blond head stuck back through the frame, his blue eyes wide and panicked.

"Harry!"

"Harry's crazy! Your cousin is crazy Dudley!"

Fast on his feet, Harry bolted for the broken stalls, jumping and weaving as the troll turned to follow him. The club swung, taking tiles off the wall. His cousin ducked, scrambling on his feet. Dudley shuffled his way carefully inside, picking up a piece of porcelain from the busted toilet, lofting and testing its weight. What was he going to do with its attention? Convince Neville and Hermione to join him and his cousin to keep changing its attention until a professor showed up? He wasn't as fast on his feet as Harry. This was bad. A terrible, no good, terrible and awful idea. There was no plan or amount of sneakiness to get around this, what was he thinking suggesting the idea to his impulsive cousin? They were going to get killed.

The club rose up once again, the troll aiming just as Harry slipped on some debris.

"Harry!"

Shiny and solid, the white thing flew from Dudley's fingertips, beaming the troll square on the back of the head. It roared in shock and the club it'd been attacking with dropped. There wasn't any time for relief or to scream as the club tumbled through the air and slammed onto the stalls heavily.

Wild black hair disappeared underneath it.

A sharp pain shot up Dudley's arm and pounded harshly against his skull. The blond stumbled as his vision flickered in varying degrees of blackness. There was the sense of his body feeling numb and vaguely hearing a commanding voice shouting, before he found himself falling to the ground. Weakly, he tried putting up his arms to stop his fall, but lost consciousness as his head made contact with the hard floor.

Author's Note: This thing is weirdly enough becoming a story. It's weird. It feels different when I sit down to type up something on a free Sunday. Like I should get a beta reader since it's no longer a 'What If' twist showing up in my head for each chapter. Ah, okay. There was a twist on the original in this one. The troll is not the one knocked out at the end of the skirmish. Not sure how Neville's hyphened name will go over. His circumstances are both different and similar to cannon Harry, so I went with Son-Who-Survived over Boy-Who-Lived. Ta-da? And yes, I did have the young Mister Malfoy come across the troll and run for the hills for the second time (first being in my Hattie Potter piece). Because, most eleven-year-olds would not save a (cousin's) new Hogwarts friend at the potential cost of their own life. Much less one that isn't. And reason two? I get a kick out of imagining it. And, second yes, I did remind Dudley on what brought him to Hogwarts due to what he and Harry did. Thank you to the favorite and follows and to the reviewers Lady Mage and dianaanne.