Chapter Eleven

Trolls and the Trio

There were plenty of times when Alex wished she hadn't been reborn. Sometimes it was when she was on the cusp of a mental breakdown as she tried to correlate this world with the other, or when she attempted to solve the puzzle that was her current life. The most current cause of her despair was the red-stained toilet paper she was currently flushing down.

Death was supposed to be the end of all this crap. Of course her period had arrived on Halloween, of all days. She hated the holiday tremendously ever since last year. Fortunately, it was almost over. She had gone through the entire day without being harassed by any ghosts, although she caught a few of them eyeing her hungrily. One of the House ghosts was always nearby, though, curbing their interest as well as her fear. Alex smiled at each of them gratefully, even if the Grey Lady ignored her every time.

The one bright spot among the darkness that was her dread of Halloween was Cedric. He had spent most of the day with her, forgoing lunch in the hall in favour of surprising her with his presence in the kitchen. He was worried, he explained, because of what happened last Halloween. He also added that it was mostly because it was their one-year anniversary since they first met. Alex snorted and rolled her eyes playfully. They hung out in the Room of Requirement for the rest of the afternoon, before he had to leave so as to keep his friends from worrying. (More like to keep them from assuming he was with her and kicking up a huge fuss like the babies they were.)

Scowling, Alex pushed the door of the stall a bit too forcefully. She winced as it crashed into the wall with a resounding bang. Her guilt only increased when someone in the bathroom began to sniffle.

"Sorry," she murmured, trying to make as little noise as possible as she crept over to the sinks.

It was only when she twisted the tap closed that her ears picked up the sobs. Startled, she inched closer to the source. What should she do? She didn't want to ask "Are you okay?" because the crying girl clearly wasn't, and that question tended to make people even more upset in the first place, so Alex settled for a flustered, "Is there anything I can do?"

"A-Alexandra?"

Alex flinched. "Hermione?" She pressed a still-damp hand against the door of the only occupied stall in the bathroom. "Is that you? What happened?"

Hermione gave a heart-wrenching hiccup. "It's nothing," she said tearfully.

"Are you sure? Because it must be something, if you're missing your first Hogwarts Halloween for this." Alex began to describe all the wonderful decorations, gimmicks and treats that filled the Great Hall for one day every year. She was even considering popping down for a few minutes, if only to soak up the atmosphere.

"That sounds wonderful," admitted Hermione, sounding somewhat calmer.

"There's only one way to find out."

"I…I suppose." The door finally opened. Hermione emerged, her eyes red and her cheeks decorated with drying tear tracks.

Alex smiled slightly. "It's best to wash your face after a cry, yeah?"

Nodding, Hermione followed Alex to the sink. The bushy-haired girl splashed her face with water, while Alex silently thanked Merlin that everyone was preoccupied with the feast, reducing the amount of people who would walk in and humiliate Hermione even further.

Alex twirled her wand in her hand as Hermione finished up. There were no paper towels left, so she plucked two locks of her dark hair and attempted to transfigure it. It took a lot more power and concentration than she'd like to admit, and the paper towel might have been a little rough and dark at the end, but she got the job done, at least.

Hermione stared, wide-eyed, as she dabbed her hands with the towel. "Will I be able to do this in second year?"

"Transfiguration's my worst subject," said Alex, shrugging. "You'll probably get it down by this year."

Rather than looking elated, though, Hermione stared at Alex speculatively. "You're very kind, Alexandra," she said, although it didn't sound like a compliment.

"Um. Thank you?"

Hermione shook her head, her wild hair bouncing slightly as she did so. "Sorry, I don't mean to offend, it's just that people say some things about your House. Nasty things."

"People say nasty things about everyone and everything, Hermione. Not all of it's true."

"I know," she replied, a little indignant. "It's just hard when some Slytherins act just like their stereotype."

Alex huffed. "Don't I know it," she muttered. "Still, I find it best to reserve judgement until you actually speak to someone."

"Yes," she said quietly, her eyes on her shoes. "Anyone is capable of meanness."

After checking it was dry, Alex leaned against a sink. "What happened?" she asked, though she suspected she already knew.

Her suspicions were confirmed as Hermione recounted the events that led to her bathroom breakdown. She'd been trying to help out Ron in Charms, and instead of being grateful, he sulked and called her a nightmare behind her back. Except it was basically to her front, as she was right behind him the entire time.

"I was going to make amends with him," she confessed, looking close to tears once more. "I-I've realised that I can be a bit overbearing and condescending, and I wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings…"

Alex sighed. "Boys are idiots, Hermione. Especially Gryffindor ones."

Hermione managed a smile, but it was short-lived, as something chose to barge into the bathroom at that very moment.

The smell hit her first. Alex gagged as a putrid odour worse than a thousand dung-bombs assaulted her senses. The sight of the source only made her want to vomit even more.

It was a troll. Alex had to crane her head up to even glimpse at its bloodshot, mucus-covered eyes. The troll blinked back stupidly at her, and Alex knew it was only moments away from using its long arms to reach for its club and knock them dead.

So she acted first. Swinging up her wand, she cried, "Stupefy!"

A jet of red light shot out, but it wasn't strong enough in either colour or power. It sank into the tough skin of the troll, who simply scratched at the spot as if it were mildly itchy. Then, without warning, it lunged.

Alex bit back a scream as she dodged the heavy club. Hermione had no such compunctions, releasing a petrified shriek as the sinks exploded into a shower of copper and porcelain. The troll was blocking the only exit, so they were forced to play a game of cat-and-mouse. Alex threw curses and hexes as she weaved in and out of the troll's path, managing to land a few hits as she did so. In the end, though, the much bigger and much stronger creature forced both her and Hermione into a corner, their backs against the wall as they waited for the inevitable.

"Protego." A thin film emerged from Alex's wand, and she hoped the shield would be enough to ward off the worst of the attacks.

And then something unexpected happened.

"Oi, pea-brain!" A metal pipe was thrown against the troll's head, but it didn't flinch. What drew its attention was the yell, and the appearance of two new victims.

Hermione was torn between gaping at either Harry and Ron or the troll, and so try as she might, Alex couldn't get her to budge. "Hermione!" she snapped over the din of burst pipes. She tugged harshly on the girl's arm. "Let's go. We need to run."

The troll shook its head wildly, as if to shake off all the noise. Agitated, it roared furiously and started towards Ron. Alex could almost see Harry's brain shutting down as he ran and jumped onto the troll's back. She didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but the wand he was holding at the time was now jammed up the troll's nose. A hysterical little laugh bubbled up inside her.

It died on the way up her throat when the troll howled and twisted and flailed. Harry was barely clinging on, Hermione was sinking to the floor in shock, and Ron – his wand was out, pointed at the troll, and yelled—almost randomly—"Wingardium leviosa!"

The mangled club flew out of the troll's meaty hand, rising almost to the ceiling until Ron released the spell. It fell with the force of a tiny meteor, dropping with a sickening crack onto its owner's head. The troll swayed dangerously, with Harry's body still locked around its neck.

Calming herself, Alex quickly whispered, "Mobilicorpus. Let go, Harry."

Harry obeyed, releasing his death-grip on the troll just as it crashed onto the ground with enough force to crack the remaining mirrors. It was only when the adrenaline petered out a bit that Alex realised her mistake.

"I don't know how to get you down," she said blankly.

Harry stared down at her as he hovered above her. "You'd better figure it out soon," he mumbled, "because I might be sick."

Alex looked to the others for help, but found that they were going to be useless. Ron had become a statue, his wand still raised as he gaped at what he had done. Hermione was still on the ground, dazed and terrified.

She had just decided to head to the infirmary when the cavalry arrived. Everyone looked alive as Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell burst into the room, the latter whimpering upon the sight of the comatose troll as he collapsed onto one of the toilets.

Alex tried not to sneer at the man. The bastard and his shoddy plan came close to killing them all – and for what? To resurrect an evil wizard who would sooner kill him than acknowledge him? No matter, though. Alex maintained her focus on Harry. Quirrell would get what was coming to him in time.

"Miss Fortescue," drawled Snape, "as pleasant as the sight may be, what is Potter doing suspended in the air?"

Alex felt her face heat up at the sudden attention of everyone in the room. "It's a long story," she said. "Also, I don't know how to release the spell without hurting him." Which was kind of the reason she used the spell in the first place.

Snape took his sweet time counteracting the spell, and Harry landed none too gently on his feet. The former didn't apologise and the latter didn't thank him. Well, at least they weren't too hostile, right?

"What were you all thinking?!" demanded Professor McGonagall. The Gryffindors shrunk back as their head of House chewed them out, and Alex attempted to appear scolded. Judging by Snape's unimpressed look, she wouldn't be pursuing a career in the acting department any time soon.

Hermione took a shaky step forward. "Please, Professor, they were looking for me."

Professor McGonagall all but gasped in shock. "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."

Alex tried her best to keep from slapping herself in the face. Compared to Hermione, she was the best actress in the room. Almost all the professors knew of Hermione Granger in the short time she'd been in Hogwarts: she was smart and practical, and although she was Sorted into a House famous for its rowdiness and disobedience, Hermione idolised rules and adults and would never do something as ridiculous as chase after a troll.

But here she was, lying to the professors to save her friends.

"Alexandra was already in the bathroom the same time the troll came in," she continued anxiously. "If Ron and Harry hadn't found me, we'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish us off when they arrived."

Professor McGonagall looked flustered, perhaps because she had made the same conclusion as Alex. After deducting five points from Gryffindor and expressing her disappointment, she sent Hermione off to her common room, where the others were finishing the feast.

When she left, she turned to the remaining students. "You three should consider yourselves lucky. Not many students could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each get five points to your Houses."

Harry and Ron lit up, and Alex couldn't help but glance at Snape, noting that he would never reward such foolish bravery. Professor McGonagall warned them that Professor Dumbledore would be informed before dismissing them for the night.

The hurried out of the chamber, if only to get away from the stench. Alex took a tentative sniff of her robes. Ugh. She was going to be smelling of troll for the next week, give or take.

"How's your wand, Harry?" she asked at the end of the corridor.

Harry gazed at his wand with a mixture of disgust and sadness. "Covered in troll bogeys," he replied glumly.

"Hold it out for me. Scourgify." All visible signs of the grey mucus were gone. "It's not completely clean, and it might smell a bit, so make sure to polish and clean it properly."

Harry nodded, pleased, as he tucked his wand away.

Alex wanted to do nothing more than shower and sleep, but she had something to say. "Make sure you apologise to Hermione. Thank her as well."

"What?" cried Ron, incredulous. "We're the ones who saved her!"

"She wouldn't have been there in the first place if someone hadn't gone and made an insensitive comment, would she?"

Ron ducked his head, slightly chastised. Harry nudged him with his elbow. "Yeah, alright," he grumbled with no small amount of reluctance.

Alex nodded. "Good."

The day of the first quidditch game of the year dawned bright and clear. A tangible air of excitement settled onto the student body, save for a few disinterested individuals. Alex was one of them.

However, today's match was a special exception. It was Harry's first official game, and Alex decided it was worth the insane screams and scathing grumbles of her Housemates.

Something bright and colourful caught her eye, and Alex ducked her grin beneath her Slytherin scarf at the sight of the Gryffindor first years holding a banner reading "POTTER FOR PRESIDENT". Someone had painted a lion under the caption, and the entire banner flashed through several colours, settled for the typical red and gold, before going through another cycle.

The crowd of spectators roared enthusiastically as both teams emerged, the loudest being the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Even she got swept up in the madness, clapping and grinning along (most of it was due to Lee Jordan's interesting commentary, however). She was actually starting to enjoy herself when Harry's broom decided to lurch madly.

The smile slipped off her face, even as a few of her Housemates grew excited. Alex gripped her binoculars tightly as she directed her eyes away from Harry's buckling form to the teachers' stand. Quirrell's face was hard as he stared at Harry, his lips steadfast and locked tight. That would have deflected most people's suspicion, except Alex knew for a fact that there was more than met the eye in regards to that man.

Instead, it was Snape who was muttering something – an incantation, no doubt. With his determined glare and dark aura, it would be all too easy to assume he was the one jinxing his least favourite student.

Alex flicked her wrist, allowing her wand to shoot into her hand. She kept it there, ready in case Harry lost his already loose grip on his broom. She needn't have worried, though, because there was a sudden fire at the teachers' stand, distracting the caster and effectively cancelling the spell.

The game ended soon after that. Harry caught the Snitch with his mouth and, after basking in the pride of his House—and that of Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's, because it was better them than the Slytherins—was dragged towards Hagrid's hut by Hermione and Ron.

Alex thought about following them. Harry's friends weren't exactly hers, and they hadn't stopped to invite her either. In fact, they barely talked at all, only when they ran into each other. She'd admit she was a bit hurt by Harry's growing disinterest towards her, but Alex supposed she should've been used to it now.

Still, she still needed to thank Hagrid for saving Spitfire. And it didn't hurt that she wanted to play with Fang a bit. Deciding the time was as good as ever, Alex followed the Golden Trio.

Hagrid looked distressed when he let her in but, judging by the glances he stole at the trio, it had nothing to with her. Assured, Alex smiled at Hagrid and handed him a gift bag. "This is a thank-you for saving Spitfire the other day," she said.

Surprise lit up Hagrid's face, following quickly by a smile. "Why, thank yeh, Alexandra! Come in, come in. Get outta th' cold."

Alex obeyed, glad to finally cancel out the warming charm. It drained her magic at an alarming rate. She barely acknowledged the Gryffindors, her mind set on Fang. The slobbery dog bounded towards her, tackling her with affection and kisses.

Chuckling, Alex wrapped her arms around the big dog and ruffled his head. "I missed you, too, Fang."

"Fang!" boomed Hagrid, delighted. "Look at what Alexandra got yeh!"

The mass of fur and drool got off of her and wove itself around Hagrid excitedly. With a wave of her wand, Alex cleaned most of the mess from her face as she watched Fang inspect the midnight blue collar she had bought for him. It was an ordinary one – it wasn't remotely magical – but that didn't mean anything less to either Fang or his owner.

Alex grabbed a seat next to Hermione as Hagrid finally clicked the collar into place around Fang's neck. Fang a few appreciative licks to Hagrid's hand before trotting over to her. He settled his chin on her knee as she reached for some tea and rock cakes.

"Good catch today, Harry," she said, once the trio broke out of their hushed, huddled whispers.

Harry grinned, still riding the high of his win. "Thanks, Alex."

"Fluffy!" Hermione burst out suddenly. "Alexandra, back when we saw the three-headed dog, you said its name!"

Alex feigned bemusement. "I was only commenting on its appearance, Hermione. It was as fluffy and cute as Fang here," she said, running her fingers through Fang's fur.

"Not again," groaned Hagrid. He sent an incredulous look towards Alex. "Before yeh got 'ere, these three were interrogatin' me about Fluffy and what he's hidin'."

Alex dipped a rock cake into her tea. "I know what he's guarding."

"You do?" asked Ron. He practically leapt up in excitement. "What is it?"

She smiled. "Professor Dumbledore's chocolate frog card collection."

Harry and Hermione appeared crestfallen, if slightly amused, but Ron looked as if she had stabbed him in the back and broken his heart all in one go. Alex shrugged apologetically. "If it makes you feel better," she said, "it's a pretty rare one."

But Ron wasn't listening to her anymore. "Well, whatever it is, Snape wants it for sure."

Alex rolled her eyes. Snape would rather maim himself than pursue immortality.

"Don't roll your eyes," snapped Ron. "Your head of House was jinxing Harry's broom today! He was trying to kill him!"

"It's true," confessed Hermione, and she had the humility to look at least a little upset. "I saw him; his eyes were on Harry the whole time, and he was mumbling something."

"Harry's right here, by the way," she said dryly. "And how do you know Snape wasn't countering the spell? Besides, he's a Slytherin; he wouldn't kill Harry in such an obvious and easily thwarted manner."

"Thanks, Alex," groaned Harry, head in his hands.

"You're not going to die, Harry," she assured him. "Dumbledore would sooner set the school on fire than let that happen."

There was a beat of silence.

Hermione gave her a look. "You're a tad violent," she noted.

Smiling, Alex sipped her tea.