Chapter Eight

"Oh, jeez, Hermione, can't you just cut them some slack?"

"No. Ron is just so ignorant to his studies, it's no wonder he's failing so far."

"They aren't so bad and Harry is not as sarcastic as Ron."

"But still, when they're together…" she scowled, shaking her head.

Hannah shook hers as well, as they were heading to their Charms quiz right before dinner hour on Halloween. Harry and Ron luckily weren't there yet to hear their conversation.

The Charms class was taught by a tiny little wizard named Professor Flitwick. He was the only person shorter than Hannah. He had to sit on a pile of books to see his class over his desk. Today, they were doing the Levitating Charm.

Hannah and Hermione got seats in the front. Harry and Ron soon joined them, sitting beside Hannah because Hermione wasn't on speaking terms with them at the moment. They had been tossing dungbombs all during Transfiguration class and wouldn't concentrate on their studies. Hermione had gotten frustrated and stopped speaking to the boys. Ron whispered to Hannah that it was an improvement.

"All right boys and girls! Get out your wands, it's time to practice our Wingardium Leviosa's! Now remember the swish and flick, we've been doing. Swish and flick! Go on now."

Harry was teamed with Hannah and Ron was unhappily partnered with Hermione. Hannah turned to Harry, putting a feather down on the desk.

"Ready? At the same time, one, two, three! Wingardium Leviosa!"

Both wands pointed at the feather and it exploded. Covered in soot, Hannah bit her lip.

"Maybe we should have done it one at a time." she coughed.

"We're going to need another feather here, professor," Harry said gaping at the remains of the old one.

Meanwhile, Ron was getting frustrated with Hermione.

"No, no, it's swish and flick! Remember, now, swish and flick, with your wand!"

Ron flung down his wand in frustration.

"You try it then if you're so clever!"

"Fine." Hermione rolled up her sleeves, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose slowly up above Hermione's head about four feet.

"Oh, yes, look everyone, Miss Granger has done it!"

Ron sank sulkily down in his chair for the rest of the class.

When the bell rang, Hannah followed Harry and Ron to dinner. Hermione followed behind, preferring to be away from the boys.

"It's Wingardium Leviosa! No, Ron put your wand this way! Swish and flick!" Ron mocked disgusted. "She's a nightmare, honestly. It's amazing she even has a friend!"

Someone pushed past Ron, their hands over their face. It was Hermione.

"Oh, now look what you've done!" Hannah cried at Ron. She ran after Hermione, yelling out her name.

"Hermione! Hermione, come back!" Hannah followed her into the girls' bathroom. She heard the door slam on one of the stalls. Running in, she called Hermione's name again.

"Go away!" she heard a moan.

"Hermione, I'm not leaving till we work this out. Come on."

"No, I'm not coming out and I DON'T want to talk about it."

"Well, then I'm coming in to you."

Hannah crawled under the stall door and sat cross-legged on the floor. Hermione was sitting on the toilet seat, sobbing.

"Are you gonna be alright?"

"NO!" Hermione burst out, "I hate guys! They are so immature!"

"I know, I know. They don't know any better. But I'm sure Ron just said something in the heat of the moment. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Oh, yes, he did. He can't stand me. He thinks I'm just the bossy, know-it- all who sits in the front seat and answers every question the teacher asked."

"Well, no offense, Hermione, but you do tend to do that."

Hermione sobbed even harder. Hannah sighed.

"Come here, I'm sorry, come sit by me, come on. You have to spill, this can't be the only thing bothering you."

Hermione hesitated, then slid down to the floor and Hannah put a comforting arm around the girl's trembling shoulders. There was a pause, then Hermione spoke.

"You know, no one sees me for all I really am, they just see me as books and rules and following regulations and being on time. They don't really know who I am. I'm fed up with it. And boys are the worst. They seem to rub it in when they see this really smart perfect-grades girl. They think they can take advantage of her. I'm sick of them."

"I know how you feel. Even girls sometimes. My friend Melanie was always rubbing it in that I read too many books and that I was too smart. I never really understood why she did it."

"I just feel so…so different from everyone else."

"Oh, Hermione. Who cares what other people think? You are just perfect being who you are."

"No I'm not." Hermione began sobbing again. Her forehead lay on Hannah's shoulder and they sat like that for a long time.

Hannah didn't know what time it was. Hermione had fallen asleep on her shoulder. In actuality, it had been the course of a half-hour, but to Hannah it seemed like hours. It was completely silent in the bathroom. Too silent for that matter. Hannah barely drew a breath for fear it would break the silence and something would happen.

Then something did happen. Hannah's nose wrinkled as a fowl smell reached it.

"Aw, was that you Hermione?" she discovered how wrong she was when she heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, coming towards the door. Hannah held her breath even more, staring at the stall door, waiting for the bathroom door to creak open.

The fowl smell got stronger and stronger and then the door creaked open and Hannah saw two large bumpy green feet wonder in. There was a heavy breathing to go with the heavy footsteps. Hannah gulped and shook Hermione awake.

"Her-Hermione? I think you should wake up now." Hannah said, perhaps a little too loud. There was a swish as if a window was open and the wind was pouring in, and something hard came smashing over the wooden stalls. Hannah and Hermione screamed and looked up under the rubble.

Above them was a troll, a huge troll that stood about eight feet tall and very wide. It had a long club in its hand that it dragged on the floor. Stupidly, it swung the club again. The girls ducked and crawled towards the sinks.

"Oh, God!" Hannah muttered, as the pieces of wood came flying. Hermione seemed to be in hysterics.

Then the door opened again. Hannah dared not look; it was probably the troll's partner coming to help the other. But she couldn't help it; she needed to know.

Hannah slowly lifted her head from between her knees and saw two boys one with red hair and one with black.

"Harry! Ron!" she screamed, covering Hermione with her arms. They were throwing fragments of wood at the troll.

"Oy, pea brain!" Ron shouted, but the troll took no notice, it was still looking for the girls. Covered in dust, Hannah tried to move, but had to duck again as the club swung at the sinks and water spurted out of one of the pipes. Hannah grabbed Hermione's hand and crawled under the sinks towards the boys, but was trapped by a pile of fallen rubble.

Hannah watched with horror as Harry leaped onto the blundering troll. The troll wouldn't have noticed if Harry's wand hadn't gone into the troll's nose. Hannah gagged.

"Eeww!" Hermione cried. The troll swung around angrily, tumbling over its feet. It grabbed Harry off its shoulders and caught him by his feet up side down. The troll kept trying to hit him with the club, but kept missing.

"Good thing trolls are stupid." Hannah clenched her eyes and teeth.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed, "Do something!"

"What?" he cried back, bewildered.

"Anything!" Hermione yelled.

Ron raised his wand and yelled the first thing that came into his head, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The troll's club came out of the troll's hand and rose above the troll. Then it dropped and hit with a sickening crunch on the troll's head.

The troll dropped Harry and Harry lay sprawled on the floor. The troll tripped over its feet, walking dizzily around until it collapsed on the floor beside Harry.

Harry slowly got up and pulled his wand from the troll's nose.

"Ecchh, troll boogers." He wiped it on the monster's shirt. There was a pause and Hannah helped Hermione up from under the sinks, soaked from the broken pipe and dusty from the wood.

There was a rush of feet and Professors McGonagall, Quirrel, and Snape entered the room.

Professor McGonagall gasped.

"Oh, my, what are you doing? Please explain yourselves!" she demanded.

"Um—well," Harry and Ron stammered.

"It was my fault," Hermione stood up, leaving Hannah behind, "I went looking for the troll because I thought I could fight it, as I've read all about them."

"Foolish girl! That's incredibly dangerous!"

"And then, the boys came and rescued me along with Hannah here."

"Well, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your lack of judgement, Miss Granger, but for your rescuers, I suppose it must have a job to tackle a mountain troll for only three first years. Five points each awarded to Gryffindor…for sheer dumb luck."

Professor McGonagall brought them back to the common room. When they reached the armchairs, Hermione faced Harry and Ron. They were looking uncomfortably at her. Softly, they all said, "Thanks."

"Finally," Hannah sighed, rolling her eyes.