Being Followed

"Ron," Harry turned to his friend, "what floor is the bathroom that Hermione is in on?" he asked. Ron looked in horror at the door then turned back to Harry.

"We have to go get her," he said.

"But...the troll!"

"We'll just get in and get out, with luck the troll won't even see us!" Ron said. Harry bit his lip, his eyes darting around as he desperately tried to think of another way. But the only thing that he heard in his mind was Felan's voice.

"Remember the club code,"

If you've done something very bad and someone gets hurt because of it, you're considered a murderer and to be shunned.

Exactly HOW did Felan think those things up?

"Fine," Harry said. He grabbed the key out of the lock and Ron pushed the door open.

The troll was standing in the bathroom, rubbing it's nose and looking confused as Hermione Granger exited one of the stalls, also wiping her nose. She looked up the troll and shrieked.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron said together. Hermione had ran back into the stall and slammed the door shut. The troll swung it's club at the stalls and destroyed almost all of them. Harry saw Hermione huddled on the floor with her hands over her head.

"Confuse it!" Ron yelled, grabbing a thick piece of wood from the stalls and throwing it at the troll. The troll shook it's head and looked towards Harry and prepared to swing it's club when Ron threw a metal pipe at it's head. The troll turned towards Ron, giving Harry time to run. For about the first time in Harry's life, he really wished he had his knife.

Hermione screamed, Ron screamed and Harry shouted.

"RON! RUN!" he yelled. The troll seemed to be getting more confused by the moment until someone threw something at the back of it's neck. A perfect shot. The troll turned around again and was hit in the eye, it blinked and rubbed it's eye.

Harry felt someone pull the wand from his pocket and it was thrown towards the trolls head, right into its....nose.

Howling with rage and pain, the troll swung its' club around wildly when Ron raised his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" the club stayed in the air and raised higher and higher until it dropped onto the troll's head with a thunk. Harry heard retreating footsteps and everything was quiet. After a moment, he went to retrieve his wand from the troll's nostril.

"Gross," he wiped off the sticky wand on his robes. It was at that moment that Professors McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore and Quirell walked into the room. Had they been just a few moments late, Harry would have been able to really think about what had just happened. He'd have realized who had thrown so sharply and with such good aim-- he might have ran out of the room and caught the real culprit, and this chapter might have had quite a different ending.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall looked at Ron and Harry, trembling with anger.

If Harry wasn't so sure that he wouldn't be harmed here, he would have been much more afraid.

"What on earth were you thinking?" asked Professor McGonagall. "You're lucky you weren't killed, and why aren't you in your rooms?" Then a small voice spoke up.

"Professor," Hermione squeaked. "They were looking for me,"

"Miss Granger!" Hermione's eyes darted around in what one might think was fright.

"I went looking for the troll alone, I thought I could deal with it on my own. I've read all about them, you know." Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, lying to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me," Hermione said, "I'd be dead," Harry and Ron tried to look as if the story was true.

"Well in that case..." Professor McGonagall said. "Five points, will be taken for your foolishness," she said. "Now if you're not hurt, then you may go back to your common room. Students are finishing their meals in their houses." Hermione quietly slipped out of the room and Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, you were lucky, I'll say that." said Professor McGonagall. "Not many first years could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. You each win five points for Gryffindor. You may go," Harry and Ron practically ran out of the room and into the hallway. They leaned against the wall, both gasping for air.

"Can you believe we did that?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head.

"That was..."

"So cool," Ron finished. "I agree, now let's get some dinner." he said.

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Harry said.

"Mind you, we did save her," Ron said.

"She might not have needed to be saved if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig Snout," Ron said and they entered. The common room was packed and everyone was chattering noisily. Food had been set up and everyone was eating, but Hermione stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a pause in which there--it seemed--there was nothing to say. They all mumbled "thanks" and went off to get plates.

From then on, Hermione Granger was not--and for this Harry was actually, a bit glad-- a part of the 'gang', but she was a friend.

-----------------------

"March, girl!" Felan yelled. Marlaina Foley rolled her eyes and walked ahead of her fellow pack-mate. "How did you end up here anyways?" Felan asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I followed you," Marlaina said. "It was dead easy, you two have no sense of being watched." she said. Felan gave her a shove and the red-head stumbled forward. "Hey! You're not the boss of me!" she yelled.

"Yes, but I am stronger than you." Felan boasted. Marlaina scoffed.

"Sure thing...Rabbit-boy," Felan narrowed his eyes.

"Do not call me that," he said through gritted teeth.

"Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit-boy! Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!" Marlaina sang. She raised her hands up to her mouth and made a rabbit face.

"Hey!" Felan yelled, "Only Fi can call me that!" he said.

"Speaking of the girl wonder, where is she?" Marlaina asked. Felan looked around.

"Could of sworn..." he turned around. "Okay, this isn't funny..."

"She's gone," Marlaina said. "But she was somewhere around here very recently."

"Well, how are we supposed to find her?" Felan asked. Marlaina shrugged.

"Let's ask Harah," she said.

"Harah?" Felan asked.

"Do you study? At all?" Marlaina asked. She sighed. "Harah is the Baobhan Sith, Guardian of the Forest."

"Baobhan Sith does not mean Guardian of the Forest!" Felan said.

"No, she is a Baobhan Sith and her job is guarding the forest!" Marlaina said. "I swear, sometimes you are so thick!"

"I am not thick!" Felan yelled.

"Oh please, yes you are!" Marlaina said. Felan pointed a finger at her.

"That kind of attitude will get you nowhere in life, missy!" he said. Marlaina looked at his finger and grabbed it.

"You ever point your finger at me like that again and you will pull back a stub!" she yelled.

"Look who's talking miss SIX FINGERS!" Felan yelled. He stopped and pulled his finger back. "This is oddly familiar," he said.

"What?" Marlaina asked.

"Like I've said this before," Felan said. "Oh well, we'd better get back to the caves. Mum's gonna kill me."

"Same here," Marlaina said. They started walking back to the forest, Felan hoping that Fi was at the caves. Otherwise Keavy would likely kill him too.

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A/N: And this is where this installment of Mark of the Wolf ends. Hope you enjoyed it, I simply have no more plot bunny (Nori: MUSE!!!) in me to go on. Next chapter: The frost begins. Felan shows something to Harry, a competition and a few arrivals. Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised and Christmas on the Beach begins! OH, yeah, and the first Quidditch Match of the season!

To Marlaina, you'll be seeing a lot more of Marlaina Foley in the next chapter (and we'll be hearing a lot more of her too).

That's about all you reviewers need to know at the moment. You've gotten very vague and not so subtle clues throughout the story and I've worked my butt off trying to add them in as much as humanly possible, so applaud me reviewers.

BEN AND JERRY'S AND COOKIES TO ALL REVIEWERS!!! (Slaith: Because the milk was getting old, we need to buy more.) (Nori: It's good cheez now.)

Bunyip Baby OUT!