The morning dawned bright and clear, an excellent day for flying, at least that's what everyone told him. Harry sat with the rest of the first years waiting for the chance to begin flying lessons. Sirius and Remus had shown him the basics of flying, but this would be the first time he flew more than a few feet off the ground.
Hermione and Neville were starting to panic, though they covered it slightly. Hermione was obviously not the type that enjoyed heights and Neville was trying not to embarrass himself. Harry was calm, but it had more to do with the fact that he was happy that people weren't paying close attention to him at the moment.
Harry had noticed that the headmaster had taken a personal interest in him. He was sure mostly because he had found various tracking charms on Hedwig, but he couldn't actually say that it was the headmaster. Professor McGonagall, once she had found out the flexibility of Harry abilities, took an interest in teaching him more advanced skills. he would reach what would be taught before Christmas break by the end of October. Professor Flitwick had also taken an interest, though it seemed that his was more like a person studying something that fascinated them.
As they walked outside for the flying lessons, which was with the Slytherins, Harry talked to Hermione and Neville trying to calm them about the flying lessons. "It's simply a matter of keeping your balance. If you stay relaxed you will be better able to adjust your weight than if you are tense."
Hermione looked at him, "you sound like you've done this before."
Harry shrugged, "I've been taught the basics but never been higher than a few feet or faster than a person can walk." They continued talking, Hermione calming as she learned the basics, until they arrived at the pitch.
Madam Hooch called them to attention. "Now class, line up beside a broom." Once everyone did she continued, "Now hold your hand over the broom and say in strong voice 'up'." Harry noticed a few of the muggleborn students look skeptical, but did as they were told.
Harry calmly said "up" and was rewarded with the broom flying up and hitting his hand solidly. Hermione, for all her bravado, was calling up, but her voice clearly said she wanted it to stay down. Neville was a little better, his was slowly coming up but seemed not to be in much hurry to do so. Harry noticed Ron's broom had smacked him in the face, which caused Harry to smile.
Soon enough everyone had their broom in hand and were told to mount up. She went around correcting people's grip and soon enough everyone was ready to take off. "Now when I give the signal, I want you to push off hard, hover for a few moments and then touch down as I showed you."
Before Madam Hooch could give the signal, Neville pushed early. As he was to far for me to get to before he was out of reach, Harry pushed off and quickly flew next to him. To an observer, it would seem as if he had done this several times, not that this was the first time he ever tried to pull up next someone on a broom.
Harry got Neville back on the ground safely and returned back to the rest of the class as if nothing had happened. Madam Hooch quickly got her composure back and got the class back under way. Most of class was basic take off and landing. Harry felt an odd distance fill him when ever he flew. It was disconcerting that every time he flew, it was made him feel like an outsider looking in on his life.
Soon enough class ended and they returned back to their common room. The three of them quickly finished their homework and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. After awhile of brainstorming, Harry remembered a place they could go and convinced them to go with him.
Harry quickly made his way to the tapestry showing Barnabas the Balmy trying to teach trolls to dance the ballet. Walking in front of it three times, which drew odd looks from his companions, Harry focused on a room to practice in which they could also have access to book on various techniques.
Soon enough the door appeared and Harry brought them inside. "Welcome to the Room of Requirements."
Hermione look fascinated, as the room had a strong resemblance to the Gryffindor common room. "How did you know about this place Harry? It's not listed in Hogwarts: A History."
Harry smiled, "the people I live with told me about it. We can practice here, and we have access to books that would normally be in the restricted section." Hermione looked upset about this, but Harry stood firm, "I'm not talking about using them now, I just was telling you so you won't be surprised when I decide to read them."
Hermione calmed down especially after he showed her a new spell, Expelliarmus. Harry showed them how to hold their wands, something Remus and Sirius both made sure that he could do blindfolded, and instructed them how to get good accuracy at a target.
Once they understood the mechanics of the spell and accuracy, Harry showed them another new spell, Stupefy and its counter, Ennervate. He had them practice on each other, and sooner rather than later they began to get a good grasp of it.
The next day, Sunday, was spent mostly in the room except for meals. Occasionally Harry checked to make sure that his father's wand was still in its holster in his boot. He always kept it close even knowing that it was illegal to have more than one wand. Harry was pleased that Hermione and Neville were willing to practice, because he fully expected to face some sort of trouble soon.
Harry wasn't aware of why, but his feeling of dread started after a dream that he had a few nights after arriving at Hogwarts. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which spoke to him, telling him to transfer into Slytherin. The turban got heavier and heavier and tightened on his head. He saw a boy he recognized as Malfoy laughing at him, who turned into Snape, whose laugh became high and cold. He awoke after a flash of green light.
Ever since then, he had always felt uncomfortable around Quirrell, even though he didn't seem the type to be evil, but Harry remembered the description of Pettigrew. Pettigrew had seemed to be someone who was fearful, yet he ultimately betray Harry's family to Voldemort.
After the three of them turned in that night, Harry laid awake wondering what his family was doing. He missed them, and he rarely send letters because Dumbledore, or whoever was placing tracking charms on Hedwig, was trying to figure out who he knew outside of Hogwarts.
Harry spent the next few months in a pattern, he would practice with McGonagall on Tuesdays, Flitwick on Thursdays, and spend his spare time doing homework and helping Neville and Hermione to prefect their skills at accuracy. Hermione was coming along smoothly, but Neville seemed to only need the basics and was capable of reaching excellent heights of skill. Harry at times felt like writing Neville's grandmother and telling her about Neville's skill, and recommend getting him a wand better suited to him.
Soon enough Halloween was around the corner. Harry was somber, which was offset by everyone's happiness. After all, this was the day the dark lord fell. Hermione, who knew that Harry had lost his father on this day, sat with him late into the night and early that morning to attempt to be of some comfort. That particular day they were to work on the Levitation charm.
They worked in pairs, Harry had been placed with Neville and Hermione was teamed with Ron Weasley. About halfway through the class, Hermione was trying to correct Ron movements, which threatened to put someone's, most likely her, eye out.
Hermione tried to help him, "you're saying it wrong. Its Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it then if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione rolled up her sleeve and said "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather they were working on floated up for a minute before setting back down. Ron looked furious.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said in the hall after class. "She's a nightmare honestly."
Hermione brushed past Harry and Neville, clearly crying. Neville had the fore thought to stop Harry from attacking, unfortunately Neville didn't know Harry could fire with his left hand or where he got a second wand. The spell missed by inches, which showed exactly how angry Harry was as he rarely missed.
Ron, reacting too late to have dodged, spun and glared at Harry. Neville knew that Harry wouldn't back down as it was Hermione who had been insulted, and that Ron, having drawn his wand, couldn't back down because that would mean that he was frightened. At times Neville cursed Gryffindor courage, mostly because those that had it refused to back down once they had committed themselves to a fight.
Neville was trying to calm Harry down, and was saved from attempting to stop Harry by the arrival of Fred and George Weasley. One of the two walked over and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I don't know what's going on, but would you put your wand away so we don't lose house points?" We stood there for a moment before Harry replaced his wand wherever he had it stashed. Looking one last time at Ron, who was still being talked to by his brother, Harry walked off at a brisk pace.
Relaxing once the duel was prevented, Fred, or George, asked what had happened. Neville gave the abridged version"Hermione and Ron were paired in class, Hermione tried to help Ron and after class Ron insulted her, causing her to cry. Harry took it as a personal insult and attacked Ron."
Neville looked at him carefully, "you might want to warn your brother that he's lucky Harry was so mad, Harry rarely misses and knows a lot of spells that could do some damage." Which ever one Neville was talking to nodded and went to join his brother.
Neville went to try and find either Hermione or Harry, but was unable to before having to go to his next class. Once he arrived there, he noticed Harry sitting with a look that clearly said that he wanted to be left alone. Neville complied and they worked silently through the classes until supper came.
Harry, who had separated himself from Neville, walked to the restroom that Hermione had locked herself in. Harry sat talking to her even though she didn't respond. He just sat talking about what she missed in class, until he smelled something that turned his stomach.
Harry, deciding that the hall was not safe, slipped silently into the restroom and closed the door. He noticed Hermione, who looked as if she had only just stopped crying, look at him in confusion. He held up his hand to forestall her saying anything, but it didn't matter as Harry barely got out of the way when the door was knocked off its hinges.
Turning back to the door, he saw a troll that was at least ten feet tall. Not wasting anytime, Harry began tossing spells as fast as possible. Harry was reluctant to use his father's wand to help, as it was his ace in a dire situation much like this one. Pulling it out, he yelled, "Reducto!" The effect was good, except that there was the huge amount of blood that came from the wound, it knocked the troll into the wall behind it.
Turning back to Hermione, he noticed that she looked a little green. He barely got her to the toilet before she lost what little she had in her stomach. By the time she was finished, the professors came tearing in. Harry noticed the look on McGonagall's face as she took in what was around the room. Several stalls had been completely destroyed, a troll was slumped against a wall, and Harry was completely covered in blood.
Harry, just realizing that he was covered in blood, felt a little queasy but managed to hold it down. Professor McGonagall finally broke out of her trance, "why are you two here?"
Harry, not wanting to have to explain exactly why they were there, said "Hermione stopped to use the loo and I waited on her. Before she finished, I smelled the troll and decided that it might be better not to be in the hall."
Professor Flitwick looked skeptical, "and why not try and lure it away?"
Harry turned to the professor, "because there was no guarantee that it would have worked. I took the option that I saw had the best chance to succeed."
A couple of professors I didn't know nodded, but McGonagall wasn't finished, "but you knew that there was a troll on the loose, surely it could have waited until you returned to your common room."
Hermione spoke up, "we didn't know there was a troll. I was in here with a rather bad stomach ache and Harry decided to stay with me."
Harry, in retrospect, realized that they had never actually lied about their reasons for being there, except for when Hermione said she had a stomach ache. Needless to say the professors bought it, they even won five points each for "sheer dumb luck".
Once Harry and Hermione reached the common room, they weren't noticed by anyone but Neville who came over and asked "where did you two disappear to? One minute Harry's right behind me, next I know he's gone."
Harry replied calmly, "I went to visit with Hermione," and left it at that. Hermione filled Neville in on what had happened, which got Harry a look of astonishment. The three of them sat down and enjoyed the last of the feast, while Harry began to wonder why someone would release a troll into the school. No one would release such a random element and hope it would do what you wanted, unless you wanted to distract your enemy.
Harry thought about what could be so important to distract someone, namely the entirety of the staff, with a troll. Harry was sure that it had something to do with the reason the third floor corridor was off limits. As Harry walked up the stairs to go to bed, he noticed Ron's rat looking at him with a look of intelligence that was disturbing. Pushing it to the back of his mind, Harry placed his protection charms and set his alarm for the morning. It would seem that Harry would have to risk contacting his family for any information about what could be stored at Hogwarts that would be worth the danger of trying to steal.
A/n: 2523 words. Many thanks for the reviews and for waiting.
A few replies:
Athenakitty: sometime but not in his first year, they will have another meeting definitely, yep, I will talk about Dudley in the sequel, in a few chapters if I can work it in realistically because of this chapter.
Jarno: I read all the time, and I still am only mediocre at best at writing essays. Reading helps, but writing consists on getting your thoughts down on paper in a way for other people to understand. By the way, according to 'official' sources, James Potter was a chaser.
Lil steph: 4 years old, he was rescued on Halloween three years after Voldemort attack his family.
Shawn Pickett: You're right, so I dodged the bullet while still showing that Harry has natural skill on a broom.
