Disclaimer: Any possibility of me owning Harry Potter is completely bogus.
Please do not think that I really own him. Everything you recognize is
owned by the great talented JKR. Again, that's not me.
Summary: Sequel to Living At Hogwarts. Harry, Draco and Jem are starting their first year as students at Hogwarts. Who will they meet? Friends? Enemies? And sometimes, they feel they are living only to die. READ!
AN This is the sequel to Living At Hogwarts. If you haven't read that, please do so, as it will make much more sense if you do. This story will not be slash in any kind, though it will have loads of characters OOC. Please do not flame, as I have many not so nice ways of dealing with them. Enjoy!
"^^blah-blah^^" = Elfish
/blah-blah/ = italicized
*blah-blah* = bold
'blah-blah' = thoughts
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Chapter 3
The next night, Harry, Draco, and Jem dragged Hermione down to Hagrid's hut for dinner. But after the poor girl unearthed a bone in whatever it was that Hagrid served them, the four students rather lost their appetite.
"So how are your classes going," Hagrid asked after they had finished 'eating' and were sitting down comfortably in chairs. Hagrid smiled at them, taking out some yellow yarn and his knitting needles. "Anything interesting happening in them?"
"Nothing out of the usual," Jem told him, watching as he counted stitches. "Of course, Ginger has been a prat since classes started, but hey- at least he's not in Gryffindor."
"Ginger?" Hagrid asked, lowering his needles.
"She means Ron Weasley," Draco informed him, "he's in Slytherin and a general pain in our necks. Harry's already tried to kill him once, not that I blame him. . ."
Hagrid chuckled. "I'm sure that the professors will put a stop to him bothering you."
Harry rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to listen to talk about Weasley. So instead, he turned his attention to Hermione, who was reading a newspaper that had been sitting on the table.
"Anything interesting happening," He asked, peering over her shoulder.
"Somebody broke into Gringotts," Hermione whispered to him, pointing at the article.
Harry's sharp eyes skimmed the article, before widening. "That's the day we were there! Me, Jem and Draco- we were there with Sev- I mean, Professor Snape. But we weren't anywhere near vault 713, although we did saw Hagrid at the bank- although I don't think he saw us."
Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "That's weird," she muttered, "I thought you all had really close relationships with all of the professors. . ."
"Just the one's we grew up with," Harry corrected her. "We don't really know Professor Quirrell."
Hermione frowned deeper, but shrugged and turned just in time to see Draco being slobbered on by Fang, Hagrid's enormous boarhound.
They all laughed, with the exception of Draco, who made a face and spent the rest of the visit pouting.
--oo00oo--
A few weeks later, a notice went up and Jem burst into the Gryffindor common room, completely out of breath.
"You'll never- believe," she gasped, collapsing down next to where Draco was whooping Harry's butt at chess. "What Grandmamma just put up. . ."
"What?" Harry asked, abandoning the game gratefully and turning to his friend.
"Flying lessons start tomorrow- and we learn with the Slytherin's." She grinned, "And you know what that means. Showing off big time, with our own /personal/ brooms. And grandmamma said that it was okay, too!"
Harry grinned and looked over at Draco who smirked.
"Sounds like fun, Jem," the blond smiled.
But their conversation was interrupted when a shout came from the other side of the room.
"Harry!" Some third year shouted. "Isn't this your snake? If it is, you had better come and get it before this cat eats it whole!"
Harry jumped up and raced across the room. "Raula!" He gasped, using a bit of magic to get his snake out from under a chair. The snake wrapped itself around Harry's wrist and hissed and the cat that was hissing right back at it.
"Okay," Raula hissed at Harry. "I realize that this is a lot better then sitting in some tank all day, but if you're going to let me be chased by cats- can I at least bite them?"
Harry sighed and shook his head before walking over to where the Weasley twins were sitting. He sat down and stared very hard at them, until they looked up, confused.
"What?" They asked at the same time.
"What's with your brother?" Harry asked finally. "He's a real maltu."
The twins looked at each other for a second before turning back to Harry. "Here's the thing," George said finally. "Ron is kind of-"
"Full of himself?" Fred offered and George gave him a sharp look.
"But he's only like that because he's the youngest of six boys, and he has a lot of pressure on him. Not to mention that dad is rarely home because he's the Minister of Magic and all. I guess he just feels the need to prove himself."
"By being a bastard?" Harry scoffed.
Fred frowned. "Okay, so he's a bastard, just don't give him too hard of a time."
"Only when he stops insulting our lack of living parents," Harry muttered, standing up and heading up to the first year boys dorms.
--oo00oo--
The next afternoon, Harry, Jem and Draco showed up to flying lessons slightly late, each of them holding a Nimbus 2000.
"You're all in for it this time, Malfoy," Ron snapped, stepping up to them and scowling. "First years aren't allowed their own broomsticks. It's against the rules! They have to be left at home!"
"I think you're forgetting something," Hermione smirked before Draco could retort. "This IS their home. Therefore, they are not breaking any rules. Besides, Professor McGonagall said that it was alright."
Ron scowled at her. "Keep out this, Granger. This is a personal matter between me and the orphans."
"Alright class, everyone step up to a broomstick, and if I see anymore fighting- I will personally have you banned from your broomstick."
The class shuffled towards the two rows of broomsticks and stood next to them.
"Now, stick your right hand over your broom and say UP!" Madam Hooch commanded them.
"UP!" The class shouted. But very few brooms actually did anything.
Hermione's broom rolled over on the ground, and poor Neville Longbottem's didn't move at all. On the other hand, Ron's broom shot up and smacked him in the face, via Harry. The red-head looked most miffed.
"Now," Madam Hooch said once they were all holding a broom. "I want each of you to mount it, and grip it tight. We don't want you to be sliding off of the end." The class did as she asked. "Now, on my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground, hard. Hover for a moment, lean forward slightly and touch back down."
Looking around to make sure everyone understood, she brought her whistle up to her lips. "On my whistle, three, two-"
But Neville, scared of being left on the ground, pushed off on 'two'. Up he went, like a rocket. Twenty feet, thirty feet, forty feet. They could see his scared, white face peeking down at them before the poor boy fell with a crunch.
Hooch ran over to him. "Oh poor boy, it's a broken wrist. Let's get you to the hospital wing." She turned back to the class. "If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'." With that, she hauled Neville away.
Suddenly, Ron darted forward and picked up an object that was glinting in the sunlight.
"Look," he called out to his fellow Slytherins, "it's the thing that Longbottem's grandmother sent him this morning." He chuckled and tossed the object into the air.
"A remembrall?" Draco whispered to Harry, who shrugged before stepping up to Ron.
"Give it here, Ginger," he snapped, holding out his hand. "Don't make me hex you."
But Ron, who seemed even more stupid then he looked, jumped onto his broom and soared into the air, only a little wobbly. Harry sighed and lifted up his hand, making a grabbing motion with it. The remembrall flew out of Ron's grasp and into Harry's hands. Harry then placed a dropping spell on Ron's broom, causing it to fall nearly thirty feet, before stopping right above the ground.
"Stupid Slytherin," Harry smirked, pocketing the ball and leaving the pitch, Draco, Jem and Hermione right behind him. All of them were slightly impressed with him, but they knew better then to say so.
--oo00oo--
"So, Potter, where did you go after flying lessons today," Ron asked, walking into the great hall and stopping at the Gryffindor table during dinner. "Did you go crying to the professors?"
"Actually," Harry smirked, "Me and Draco went to Hogsmead with Professor Dumbledore. He bought us each a butter beer and some candy."
"Teachers pet," Ron hissed.
In actuality, the four of them had gone up to the hospital wing to visit Neville and give him back his remembrall. After Madam Pomphrey had mended his wrist, they had all walked back to Gryffindor tower and watched as Draco beat Hermione at chess.
"Okay Ginger," Jem sighed, throwing down her fork. "Does this little visit have any relevance? Or did you just feel like making a fool out of yourself again?"
Ron glared at her. "Oh, I just felt like challenging Potter here to a duel, wands only- no contact. That is, if you don't mind loosing to me."
Harry stood up, a glare on his face. "I accept. And Draco's my second- who's yours?"
Ron looked over at the Slytherin table and frowned, sizing up his two shadows, Pansy Parkinson and Vincent Crabbe. Neither looked very favorable. "Crabbe," he said finally. "Trophy room, midnight. Don't be late."
Harry sat back down, a smile on his face.
"You're going to kill him Harry," Draco laughed, "that kid doesn't know what he's getting into."
Harry shook his head, still smiling, and started to finish his meal.
--oo00oo--
"We need to leave," Harry hissed later that night, poking Draco in the back. "Wake up! And be quiet, everyone else is still sleeping."
Draco grumbled and sat up. He reached for his clothes and his wand, before joining Harry down in the common room. Jem snuck silently into the room just as they were approaching the portrait hole.
"Hey," she murmured, "are you two really going out to duel with Ginger?"
Draco nodded, not turning around.
"You know that you're going to get in trouble, right?" Jem said. "Filch might like you two, but he's under strict orders to give everyone out of bed detention."
"Only if he can catch us," Harry whispered, finally opening the door and slipping out. He held the door open for Draco, but Jem darted out as well.
"Well I'm coming with you," she muttered, "God knows what will happen to the two of you if you go alone."
"Fine," Harry said, "just keep quiet."
With that, the three of them crept silently through the castle towards the Trophy room, which, thanks to their many short-cuts, didn't take long at all. The reached the room, only to see Mrs. Norris darting around inside.
"They'll be here soon," Draco heard Filch muttered, "It's only a matter of time. . ."
Just as they had come, the three noiselessly disappeared back down the hall, but in their panic, they made a wrong turn and ended up in the charms corridor, which they knew was miles away from where they wanted to be.
"Crap," Harry muttered, kicking the wall. Unfortunately, he missed and hit a suit of armor. The pile of metal fell to the ground with enough sound to wake the entire castle. And most obviously, enough to attract Filch.
Without enough time for anywhere to go, Jem darted forward until she hit a door. "It's locked," she moaned, tugging uselessly on the handle.
"Oh move over," Harry snarled, he touched the handle and quickly opened the door. "Get inside."
The three of them rushed into the dark room, slamming the door behind them. They heard Filch walk down the hall, breathing hard. The caretaker saw the fallen suit of armor, cursed and walked away. Finally, Filch left and the three relaxed.
"He's gone," Draco sighed in relief. "He probably thought this door was locked."
"It was locked," Harry reminded him.
"And for good reason," Jem whispered.
The two boys turned around and their mouths fell open. Standing right in front of them was a humongous dog. *With THREE heads*. The dog was staring at them, growling viciously.
"Get out," Draco yelled, scrabbling for the door handle.
The other two heeded him and ran out of the now open door. The dog lunged after them, but by that time, Harry had already forced the door shut, and they had already begun running down the hall, not noticing if they knocked over anything in their haste. They finally made it at the portrait and nearly shouted out, "pig snout" to get in.
"What do they think they're doing," Draco gasped, sinking down in a chair. "Keeping a think like that, locked up in a school?!"
Jem sighed and sat down next to him. "^^You don't use your eyes, do you?^^" She asked, "^^didn't you see what it was standing on?^^"
"^^The floor?^^" Harry suggested, but neither of them listened to him.
"^^I wasn't looking at its feet!^^" Draco snapped, "^^I was a bit preoccupied with its head. Or maybe /you/ didn't notice. . . THERE WERE *THREE*!!!^^"
"^^It was standing on a trap door, which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something.^^" Jem snapped right back. She got to her feet. "I hope you two are pleased. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you think of another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, have grandpapa find out."
She stomped out of the room and Harry and Draco shared strange looks.
"She has /got/ to sort out her priorities," Draco muttered.
Harry nodded.
But that night, Harry just couldn't go to sleep. 'Guarding something' he kept repeating in his mind. The last thought before Harry dropped of was, 'It looks as though we found out where the package from vault 713 is'.
--oo00oo--
Although the incident with the three headed dog wasn't forgotten, it was pushed out of their minds for a while. With Harry and Jem constantly at Quidditch practice, and the fact that their classes were slowly getting more interesting because they had finally finished covering the basics.
By Halloween, in charms class, Professor Flitwick finally deemed the class ready to try levitation, something they had all been dying to do since he had levitated Draco into the air and caused the half elf to whirl around the room.
"Remember the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, the 'swish and flick'. Everyone? And annunciate," Flitwick reminded them, "/Wingardium Leviosa/." He smiled. "Off you go then."
Immediately the class was off, all of them swishing and flicking their wands.
Harry, who had paired off with Seamus Finnegan, wasn't having much luck, as he had to keep ducking when Seamus kept pointing his wand in the wrong direction. Draco, who was paired with Neville, was having the same problem.
Hermione, however, was paired off with Ron.
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Ron shouted; waving his long arms like a windmill caught in a storm.
"Stop, stop, stop," Hermione snapped, grabbing his wand. "You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's LeviOsa, not LevioSA."
"You do it then if you're so clever," Ron snapped, snatching his wand back.
Hermione rolled up her sleeves and gave her wand a small flick. "Wingardium leviosa!"
Ron scowled as the feather soared into the air. Professor Flitwick, however, clapped his hands in glee.
"See here everyone, Miss Grangers done it! Well done dear, five points!"
Hermione smiled, pleased, and Ron slumped down on top of his books and didn't move for the rest of the class period.
--oo00oo--
That night at the Halloween feast, Jem kept looking around. "Where's Hermione?" she finally asked, frowning deeply.
Neville leaned across the table. "Parvati Patil said that she was in the girls bathroom, crying. Because of what Weasley said to her after class."
Harry and Draco both glared over at the Slytherin table, where Ron gave them a falsely innocent look. But at that moment, Professor Quirrell ran into the room, in full panic.
"Troll, in the dungeons!" He gasped, running towards Dumbledore. "Troll in the dungeons!" He stopped, swaying slightly. "Thought you ought to know." Then he fell over in a dead faint.
The school went into an uproar. Students started running for the exit. A loud firecracker stopped all sound and movement.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore shouted, when everyone finally shut up, he started talking. "Now, prefects lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."
Harry, Draco and Jem got halfway to the Gryffindor common room when Harry suddenly stopped, and pulled his two friends to the side. "Hermione," he hissed, "she doesn't know!"
With that, the three of them started sprinting back down the way they had come. A foul stench reached Harry's nose all of sudden, and he wrenched his friends into a small nook.
"I think the trolls left the dungeons," Jem whispered weakly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's going into the girls' bathroom," he hissed, panic starting to creep into his voice, "HERMIONE!"
But before the three could actually do anything, Severus ran by.
When he had turned the corner, Draco and Harry ran to the bathroom, but Jem quickly followed the potions master.
When Harry burst through the door, the site that he saw terrified him. Hermione was against the wall, the troll slowly advancing on her.
"Confuse it!" Harry yelled desperately to Draco.
The two boys snatched up pieced of pipe and wood, throwing them at the troll, and successfully distracting it enough for Hermione to move away from the wall.
"Oi," Draco yelled, throwing another bit of pipe, "pea brain!"
The troll stopped and slowly started making its way over to Draco, lifting its huge club as he did.
"Wingardium leviosa!" Harry roared, pulling out his wand.
The club flew into the air before dropping back down, right on top of the beast's head. It fell to the floor, unconscious. And moments later, Minerva, Severus and Professor Quirrell arrived at the scene, Jem right behind them.
"Oh my goodness," Minerva gasped, "explain yourselves!"
"Well-"
"What it is-"
"It's not their fault, Professor," Hermione said softly. "It's more mine. See, today in charms we were practicing the levitating spell, and I was paired with Ron Weasley. After class was over, he insulted me and I guess I took it a little too sensitively. I've been up here since then. And if Harry and Draco hadn't showed up when they did, I'd probably be dead."
Minerva frowned. "Is this true boy's?" she asked sternly.
"Yes Grandmamma," they chorused.
"Then no points will be taken from Gryffindor. Ten points will be awarded however, as not many first years can take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale."
Severus sighed, "Go back to your dormitories," he said, shooing them out of the bathroom. "The houses are finishing their meals there."
They nodded and quickly ran back.
"^^Wait till you hear what I saw,^^" Jem said when they had collected their plates and sat down in a secluded corner.
"^^When Severus ran past us in the hallway, I followed him. He went straight to where that three headed dog was being held. But Professor Quirrell was there too!^^"
"I hate it when you guys talk like that," Hermione grumbled. "I never know what you're saying!"
Harry hastily filled her in.
There was a lengthy silence after that. None of them knew what to make of this new puzzle.
"One things for certain," Harry finally said. "Whatever that dogs guarding is worth a lot to somebody around here."
AN So? Okay, I know that some people really like Ron. But again, I like him too, but hey, a bastard was needed and there he was. Do I really need to explain this again? Thanks again to those who reviewed. Hey, reviews make me write faster, send one and help the cause. Next part, Quidditch and Christmas I hope, not too sure, but it will be along those lines somewhere. Hope you like and please be kind by not flaming.
REVIEW!!!!!
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Summary: Sequel to Living At Hogwarts. Harry, Draco and Jem are starting their first year as students at Hogwarts. Who will they meet? Friends? Enemies? And sometimes, they feel they are living only to die. READ!
AN This is the sequel to Living At Hogwarts. If you haven't read that, please do so, as it will make much more sense if you do. This story will not be slash in any kind, though it will have loads of characters OOC. Please do not flame, as I have many not so nice ways of dealing with them. Enjoy!
"^^blah-blah^^" = Elfish
/blah-blah/ = italicized
*blah-blah* = bold
'blah-blah' = thoughts
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Chapter 3
The next night, Harry, Draco, and Jem dragged Hermione down to Hagrid's hut for dinner. But after the poor girl unearthed a bone in whatever it was that Hagrid served them, the four students rather lost their appetite.
"So how are your classes going," Hagrid asked after they had finished 'eating' and were sitting down comfortably in chairs. Hagrid smiled at them, taking out some yellow yarn and his knitting needles. "Anything interesting happening in them?"
"Nothing out of the usual," Jem told him, watching as he counted stitches. "Of course, Ginger has been a prat since classes started, but hey- at least he's not in Gryffindor."
"Ginger?" Hagrid asked, lowering his needles.
"She means Ron Weasley," Draco informed him, "he's in Slytherin and a general pain in our necks. Harry's already tried to kill him once, not that I blame him. . ."
Hagrid chuckled. "I'm sure that the professors will put a stop to him bothering you."
Harry rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to listen to talk about Weasley. So instead, he turned his attention to Hermione, who was reading a newspaper that had been sitting on the table.
"Anything interesting happening," He asked, peering over her shoulder.
"Somebody broke into Gringotts," Hermione whispered to him, pointing at the article.
Harry's sharp eyes skimmed the article, before widening. "That's the day we were there! Me, Jem and Draco- we were there with Sev- I mean, Professor Snape. But we weren't anywhere near vault 713, although we did saw Hagrid at the bank- although I don't think he saw us."
Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "That's weird," she muttered, "I thought you all had really close relationships with all of the professors. . ."
"Just the one's we grew up with," Harry corrected her. "We don't really know Professor Quirrell."
Hermione frowned deeper, but shrugged and turned just in time to see Draco being slobbered on by Fang, Hagrid's enormous boarhound.
They all laughed, with the exception of Draco, who made a face and spent the rest of the visit pouting.
--oo00oo--
A few weeks later, a notice went up and Jem burst into the Gryffindor common room, completely out of breath.
"You'll never- believe," she gasped, collapsing down next to where Draco was whooping Harry's butt at chess. "What Grandmamma just put up. . ."
"What?" Harry asked, abandoning the game gratefully and turning to his friend.
"Flying lessons start tomorrow- and we learn with the Slytherin's." She grinned, "And you know what that means. Showing off big time, with our own /personal/ brooms. And grandmamma said that it was okay, too!"
Harry grinned and looked over at Draco who smirked.
"Sounds like fun, Jem," the blond smiled.
But their conversation was interrupted when a shout came from the other side of the room.
"Harry!" Some third year shouted. "Isn't this your snake? If it is, you had better come and get it before this cat eats it whole!"
Harry jumped up and raced across the room. "Raula!" He gasped, using a bit of magic to get his snake out from under a chair. The snake wrapped itself around Harry's wrist and hissed and the cat that was hissing right back at it.
"Okay," Raula hissed at Harry. "I realize that this is a lot better then sitting in some tank all day, but if you're going to let me be chased by cats- can I at least bite them?"
Harry sighed and shook his head before walking over to where the Weasley twins were sitting. He sat down and stared very hard at them, until they looked up, confused.
"What?" They asked at the same time.
"What's with your brother?" Harry asked finally. "He's a real maltu."
The twins looked at each other for a second before turning back to Harry. "Here's the thing," George said finally. "Ron is kind of-"
"Full of himself?" Fred offered and George gave him a sharp look.
"But he's only like that because he's the youngest of six boys, and he has a lot of pressure on him. Not to mention that dad is rarely home because he's the Minister of Magic and all. I guess he just feels the need to prove himself."
"By being a bastard?" Harry scoffed.
Fred frowned. "Okay, so he's a bastard, just don't give him too hard of a time."
"Only when he stops insulting our lack of living parents," Harry muttered, standing up and heading up to the first year boys dorms.
--oo00oo--
The next afternoon, Harry, Jem and Draco showed up to flying lessons slightly late, each of them holding a Nimbus 2000.
"You're all in for it this time, Malfoy," Ron snapped, stepping up to them and scowling. "First years aren't allowed their own broomsticks. It's against the rules! They have to be left at home!"
"I think you're forgetting something," Hermione smirked before Draco could retort. "This IS their home. Therefore, they are not breaking any rules. Besides, Professor McGonagall said that it was alright."
Ron scowled at her. "Keep out this, Granger. This is a personal matter between me and the orphans."
"Alright class, everyone step up to a broomstick, and if I see anymore fighting- I will personally have you banned from your broomstick."
The class shuffled towards the two rows of broomsticks and stood next to them.
"Now, stick your right hand over your broom and say UP!" Madam Hooch commanded them.
"UP!" The class shouted. But very few brooms actually did anything.
Hermione's broom rolled over on the ground, and poor Neville Longbottem's didn't move at all. On the other hand, Ron's broom shot up and smacked him in the face, via Harry. The red-head looked most miffed.
"Now," Madam Hooch said once they were all holding a broom. "I want each of you to mount it, and grip it tight. We don't want you to be sliding off of the end." The class did as she asked. "Now, on my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground, hard. Hover for a moment, lean forward slightly and touch back down."
Looking around to make sure everyone understood, she brought her whistle up to her lips. "On my whistle, three, two-"
But Neville, scared of being left on the ground, pushed off on 'two'. Up he went, like a rocket. Twenty feet, thirty feet, forty feet. They could see his scared, white face peeking down at them before the poor boy fell with a crunch.
Hooch ran over to him. "Oh poor boy, it's a broken wrist. Let's get you to the hospital wing." She turned back to the class. "If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'." With that, she hauled Neville away.
Suddenly, Ron darted forward and picked up an object that was glinting in the sunlight.
"Look," he called out to his fellow Slytherins, "it's the thing that Longbottem's grandmother sent him this morning." He chuckled and tossed the object into the air.
"A remembrall?" Draco whispered to Harry, who shrugged before stepping up to Ron.
"Give it here, Ginger," he snapped, holding out his hand. "Don't make me hex you."
But Ron, who seemed even more stupid then he looked, jumped onto his broom and soared into the air, only a little wobbly. Harry sighed and lifted up his hand, making a grabbing motion with it. The remembrall flew out of Ron's grasp and into Harry's hands. Harry then placed a dropping spell on Ron's broom, causing it to fall nearly thirty feet, before stopping right above the ground.
"Stupid Slytherin," Harry smirked, pocketing the ball and leaving the pitch, Draco, Jem and Hermione right behind him. All of them were slightly impressed with him, but they knew better then to say so.
--oo00oo--
"So, Potter, where did you go after flying lessons today," Ron asked, walking into the great hall and stopping at the Gryffindor table during dinner. "Did you go crying to the professors?"
"Actually," Harry smirked, "Me and Draco went to Hogsmead with Professor Dumbledore. He bought us each a butter beer and some candy."
"Teachers pet," Ron hissed.
In actuality, the four of them had gone up to the hospital wing to visit Neville and give him back his remembrall. After Madam Pomphrey had mended his wrist, they had all walked back to Gryffindor tower and watched as Draco beat Hermione at chess.
"Okay Ginger," Jem sighed, throwing down her fork. "Does this little visit have any relevance? Or did you just feel like making a fool out of yourself again?"
Ron glared at her. "Oh, I just felt like challenging Potter here to a duel, wands only- no contact. That is, if you don't mind loosing to me."
Harry stood up, a glare on his face. "I accept. And Draco's my second- who's yours?"
Ron looked over at the Slytherin table and frowned, sizing up his two shadows, Pansy Parkinson and Vincent Crabbe. Neither looked very favorable. "Crabbe," he said finally. "Trophy room, midnight. Don't be late."
Harry sat back down, a smile on his face.
"You're going to kill him Harry," Draco laughed, "that kid doesn't know what he's getting into."
Harry shook his head, still smiling, and started to finish his meal.
--oo00oo--
"We need to leave," Harry hissed later that night, poking Draco in the back. "Wake up! And be quiet, everyone else is still sleeping."
Draco grumbled and sat up. He reached for his clothes and his wand, before joining Harry down in the common room. Jem snuck silently into the room just as they were approaching the portrait hole.
"Hey," she murmured, "are you two really going out to duel with Ginger?"
Draco nodded, not turning around.
"You know that you're going to get in trouble, right?" Jem said. "Filch might like you two, but he's under strict orders to give everyone out of bed detention."
"Only if he can catch us," Harry whispered, finally opening the door and slipping out. He held the door open for Draco, but Jem darted out as well.
"Well I'm coming with you," she muttered, "God knows what will happen to the two of you if you go alone."
"Fine," Harry said, "just keep quiet."
With that, the three of them crept silently through the castle towards the Trophy room, which, thanks to their many short-cuts, didn't take long at all. The reached the room, only to see Mrs. Norris darting around inside.
"They'll be here soon," Draco heard Filch muttered, "It's only a matter of time. . ."
Just as they had come, the three noiselessly disappeared back down the hall, but in their panic, they made a wrong turn and ended up in the charms corridor, which they knew was miles away from where they wanted to be.
"Crap," Harry muttered, kicking the wall. Unfortunately, he missed and hit a suit of armor. The pile of metal fell to the ground with enough sound to wake the entire castle. And most obviously, enough to attract Filch.
Without enough time for anywhere to go, Jem darted forward until she hit a door. "It's locked," she moaned, tugging uselessly on the handle.
"Oh move over," Harry snarled, he touched the handle and quickly opened the door. "Get inside."
The three of them rushed into the dark room, slamming the door behind them. They heard Filch walk down the hall, breathing hard. The caretaker saw the fallen suit of armor, cursed and walked away. Finally, Filch left and the three relaxed.
"He's gone," Draco sighed in relief. "He probably thought this door was locked."
"It was locked," Harry reminded him.
"And for good reason," Jem whispered.
The two boys turned around and their mouths fell open. Standing right in front of them was a humongous dog. *With THREE heads*. The dog was staring at them, growling viciously.
"Get out," Draco yelled, scrabbling for the door handle.
The other two heeded him and ran out of the now open door. The dog lunged after them, but by that time, Harry had already forced the door shut, and they had already begun running down the hall, not noticing if they knocked over anything in their haste. They finally made it at the portrait and nearly shouted out, "pig snout" to get in.
"What do they think they're doing," Draco gasped, sinking down in a chair. "Keeping a think like that, locked up in a school?!"
Jem sighed and sat down next to him. "^^You don't use your eyes, do you?^^" She asked, "^^didn't you see what it was standing on?^^"
"^^The floor?^^" Harry suggested, but neither of them listened to him.
"^^I wasn't looking at its feet!^^" Draco snapped, "^^I was a bit preoccupied with its head. Or maybe /you/ didn't notice. . . THERE WERE *THREE*!!!^^"
"^^It was standing on a trap door, which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something.^^" Jem snapped right back. She got to her feet. "I hope you two are pleased. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you think of another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, have grandpapa find out."
She stomped out of the room and Harry and Draco shared strange looks.
"She has /got/ to sort out her priorities," Draco muttered.
Harry nodded.
But that night, Harry just couldn't go to sleep. 'Guarding something' he kept repeating in his mind. The last thought before Harry dropped of was, 'It looks as though we found out where the package from vault 713 is'.
--oo00oo--
Although the incident with the three headed dog wasn't forgotten, it was pushed out of their minds for a while. With Harry and Jem constantly at Quidditch practice, and the fact that their classes were slowly getting more interesting because they had finally finished covering the basics.
By Halloween, in charms class, Professor Flitwick finally deemed the class ready to try levitation, something they had all been dying to do since he had levitated Draco into the air and caused the half elf to whirl around the room.
"Remember the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, the 'swish and flick'. Everyone? And annunciate," Flitwick reminded them, "/Wingardium Leviosa/." He smiled. "Off you go then."
Immediately the class was off, all of them swishing and flicking their wands.
Harry, who had paired off with Seamus Finnegan, wasn't having much luck, as he had to keep ducking when Seamus kept pointing his wand in the wrong direction. Draco, who was paired with Neville, was having the same problem.
Hermione, however, was paired off with Ron.
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Ron shouted; waving his long arms like a windmill caught in a storm.
"Stop, stop, stop," Hermione snapped, grabbing his wand. "You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's LeviOsa, not LevioSA."
"You do it then if you're so clever," Ron snapped, snatching his wand back.
Hermione rolled up her sleeves and gave her wand a small flick. "Wingardium leviosa!"
Ron scowled as the feather soared into the air. Professor Flitwick, however, clapped his hands in glee.
"See here everyone, Miss Grangers done it! Well done dear, five points!"
Hermione smiled, pleased, and Ron slumped down on top of his books and didn't move for the rest of the class period.
--oo00oo--
That night at the Halloween feast, Jem kept looking around. "Where's Hermione?" she finally asked, frowning deeply.
Neville leaned across the table. "Parvati Patil said that she was in the girls bathroom, crying. Because of what Weasley said to her after class."
Harry and Draco both glared over at the Slytherin table, where Ron gave them a falsely innocent look. But at that moment, Professor Quirrell ran into the room, in full panic.
"Troll, in the dungeons!" He gasped, running towards Dumbledore. "Troll in the dungeons!" He stopped, swaying slightly. "Thought you ought to know." Then he fell over in a dead faint.
The school went into an uproar. Students started running for the exit. A loud firecracker stopped all sound and movement.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore shouted, when everyone finally shut up, he started talking. "Now, prefects lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."
Harry, Draco and Jem got halfway to the Gryffindor common room when Harry suddenly stopped, and pulled his two friends to the side. "Hermione," he hissed, "she doesn't know!"
With that, the three of them started sprinting back down the way they had come. A foul stench reached Harry's nose all of sudden, and he wrenched his friends into a small nook.
"I think the trolls left the dungeons," Jem whispered weakly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's going into the girls' bathroom," he hissed, panic starting to creep into his voice, "HERMIONE!"
But before the three could actually do anything, Severus ran by.
When he had turned the corner, Draco and Harry ran to the bathroom, but Jem quickly followed the potions master.
When Harry burst through the door, the site that he saw terrified him. Hermione was against the wall, the troll slowly advancing on her.
"Confuse it!" Harry yelled desperately to Draco.
The two boys snatched up pieced of pipe and wood, throwing them at the troll, and successfully distracting it enough for Hermione to move away from the wall.
"Oi," Draco yelled, throwing another bit of pipe, "pea brain!"
The troll stopped and slowly started making its way over to Draco, lifting its huge club as he did.
"Wingardium leviosa!" Harry roared, pulling out his wand.
The club flew into the air before dropping back down, right on top of the beast's head. It fell to the floor, unconscious. And moments later, Minerva, Severus and Professor Quirrell arrived at the scene, Jem right behind them.
"Oh my goodness," Minerva gasped, "explain yourselves!"
"Well-"
"What it is-"
"It's not their fault, Professor," Hermione said softly. "It's more mine. See, today in charms we were practicing the levitating spell, and I was paired with Ron Weasley. After class was over, he insulted me and I guess I took it a little too sensitively. I've been up here since then. And if Harry and Draco hadn't showed up when they did, I'd probably be dead."
Minerva frowned. "Is this true boy's?" she asked sternly.
"Yes Grandmamma," they chorused.
"Then no points will be taken from Gryffindor. Ten points will be awarded however, as not many first years can take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale."
Severus sighed, "Go back to your dormitories," he said, shooing them out of the bathroom. "The houses are finishing their meals there."
They nodded and quickly ran back.
"^^Wait till you hear what I saw,^^" Jem said when they had collected their plates and sat down in a secluded corner.
"^^When Severus ran past us in the hallway, I followed him. He went straight to where that three headed dog was being held. But Professor Quirrell was there too!^^"
"I hate it when you guys talk like that," Hermione grumbled. "I never know what you're saying!"
Harry hastily filled her in.
There was a lengthy silence after that. None of them knew what to make of this new puzzle.
"One things for certain," Harry finally said. "Whatever that dogs guarding is worth a lot to somebody around here."
AN So? Okay, I know that some people really like Ron. But again, I like him too, but hey, a bastard was needed and there he was. Do I really need to explain this again? Thanks again to those who reviewed. Hey, reviews make me write faster, send one and help the cause. Next part, Quidditch and Christmas I hope, not too sure, but it will be along those lines somewhere. Hope you like and please be kind by not flaming.
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