This is the second part of October 31st. If you haven't read the first part, or if you don't remember what happened, I would go back and read chapter 13 again. Hope you enjoy the chapter 3

October 31, 1991

The feast lasted for a couple of hours, and soon enough the Slytherins were sitting silently, quietly conversing while the other houses stuffed themselves with sweets. To keep up appearances, dessert had appeared on the Slytherin table, although no one had touched it. Even Harry, after a small whisper from Parvati, hadn't taken any sugar.

"When does the bonfire start?" Hermione asked Daphne quietly.

"As soon as we're dismissed," Daphne replied. "We go downstairs and get ready, and then we'll all meet outside."

"What do you mean by 'get ready'?" Harry asked.

Daphne turned to the black haired boy. "We'll all go put on black robes. Traditionally, girls weave rosemary into their hair, but boys don't have to do that. If you have any pictures of your parents, you can put them on the fireplace with others."

Harry bit his lip and looked down. "I don't have any pictures of my parents," he admitted in a small voice. "I don't have black robes either. Just my school robes."

"You've never seen a picture of your parents?" Draco interjected, a frown on his face. Harry shook his head silently. "Do you have any robes other than your school robes?"

Harry shook his head again, embarrassed. "I didn't know we needed any. Hagrid just got me what was on the supply list."

The Slytherins exchanged looks, but Parvati spoke first. "Why would Hagrid be bringing you to get your school supplies? He's not an actual professor."

"Hagrid's really nice," Harry protested.

"I'm not saying that he's not," Parvati said gently. "But muggleborn introduction are normally done by the Deputy Headmistress or other senior teachers."

"You can borrow one of our robes, Potter," Draco offered generously. "We'll see whose fit best."

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.

"And Professor Snape was good friends with your mum in school," Draco continued. Harry looked up in surprise.

"That's right," Hermione chimed in. "There are some pictures in the yearbooks of them. Along with your father."

"Where are the yearbooks?" Harry asked hungrily.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when a loud bang echoed through the hall. The doors had been thrown open, and Professor Quirrel ran through, yelling, "Troll! Troll in the dungeons!" He looked between the house tables, before saying, "Thought you ought to know."

Two things then happened simultaneously: Professor Quirrel collapsed in a dead faint, and the Great Hall descended into pandemonium.

"Prefects!" Professor Dumbledore boomed, using a charm so everyone could hear him, "Please lead your House back to your common room."

"Our common room is in the dungeons!" several Slytherins squealed. Hermione looked around frantically, but the Professors had all left to go find the troll.

"Why don't we just all stay here?" She said aloud. Jade, who was walking by, looked at her and blinked.

"That is a great idea," she said in surprise, before pointing her wand at the doors and spelling them shut. "First years!" Jade called, standing on the Slytherin table so everyone could see her. "Go behind the teachers' table. Second years, follow. Third years are next, followed by the fourth years. Fifth year and up, please form a barricade around the younger years and aim wands towards the doors. Group together by house and year and find out if anyone is missing!"

Everyone was scared to the point that they followed Jade's instructions without complaint, grouping together and ducking behind the large table. After a small argument between a third year Slytherin and a fourth year Gryffindor, everyone was counted present and the students settled in to wait.

"I'm assuming this is not a typical Samhain activity," Hermione muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Blaise looked over at her and grinned.

"Oh yeah, it's the yearly fight-for-your-life," he joked. A bunch of people laughed.

"Quiet!" Jade, still under the Sonorus spell, yelled.

~ Slytherin ~

In the end, they stayed in the Hall for almost an hour. The troll had been found in the second floor girls' bathroom, and the professors had hunted it down and killed it.

"Professor Snape was the one to strike the killing blow," Pansy confided in a hushed voice. "I heard some of the fifth years talking about it."

After the professors had found the troll, they had returned to the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore was furious that the students had disobeyed his orders, despite the protests of "Our common room is in the dungeons!". Professor Snape had awarded 50 points to Slytherin, and Professor Flitwick had then awarded points to everyone in fifth year and up, for protecting the students. Professor Sprout had disappeared in a group hug with her Hufflepuffs, while Professor McGonagall simply led the Gryffindors to their tower, clucking her tongue disapprovingly at them.

Harry and Parvati had reluctantly gone with them, but even if they had been able to stay, no bonfire would be happening that night. Professor Snape had ordered his house into lockdown, and no one had dared to argue. While everyone was upset they couldn't celebrate Samhain, no one wanted to risk being outside when a troll had gotten past the wards only hours ago. Instead, they gathered together in the common room and dorms, giving hushed guesses of the troll's defeat and sharing rumors that they had heard.

The Slytherin first year girls had clustered on Pansy and Millie's beds, sharing the gossip the portraits had told them. Whether it was because of Samhain or she had simply just warmed up to Hermione, Pansy was being nice and for the first time Hermione felt accepted by all four of her dorm mates. Hermione smiled to herself as she snuggled further under Millie's blanket, Tracey giggling a little when their feet touched.

"Hermione, you're cold!" the brunette exclaimed. Hermione shot her a sheepish grin.

She had never had female friends before. Was this what is was like? If so, it felt really nice to be apart of something. As if she really belonged here.

But she knew that her journey wasn't over yet. Pansy may have accepted her, but Pansy Parkinson was just one of many prejudiced witches and wizards. She would have to work hard to convince them, but for now, it was late at night and Hermione just wanted to sleep. She would start in the morning.