Laws of Love: Chapter 11: The troll
Ron lay wide awake in his rather uncomfortable bunk bed. Below him lay Harry, in the bunk beds on his right were Hermione and Ginny and on his left were Fred and George. Across from him was Luna and Angelina, next to them Ernie and Justin and on the other side of Luna and Angelina were Seamus and Dean.
Snoring filled the room and Ron was jealous of their sleep. He had the vague idea that Harry wasn't sleeping much either, because no heavy breathing appeared to be coming from Harry and a lot of tossing and turning was going on.
Ron considered talking to Harry, and suggesting a peek around the place, hopefully finding out where the god dam kitchens were, but he knew very well that Mad-eye moody was patrolling the corridors and he didn't feel much for risking being caught.
Instead Ron watched Hermione's sleeping silhouette, which was delicately curvy, her heavy breathing caused her hips to rock up a bit and then down again.
Ron smiled inwardly as Hermione rolled over, one of her arms draping over the side of the bed.
Though he sighed too, knowing full well that one of these days he was going to have to pop the question. Not the marriage question, if that is what you are thinking, no, the "Will you go out with me?" question, which, in teenage form, is just as bad.
Ron was just about to consider "Hunky" ways of asking Hermione out when a loud "ROAR!" boomed across the sleeping dorm.
Ron got up and looked around inquisitively, he heard Harry mutter, "What's going on?" and he heard Ernie mumble, "Just 5 more minutes Mum."
"Dunno." Ron sighed, leaping down from the bunk bed, "Wanna come look?"
Harry wearily scrambled out of his bed, others were also getting up and wondering over to them, "What was that?" Angelina asked anxiously.
Ron shrugged, "Just as clueless as you."
"RAAARRRRRRGGHHH ROOORRRRGGGHH RAAARRRGGHHHH!"
Luna, who had somehow appeared behind Ron without him noticing, said dreamily, "That's a crumpled horned snortkack, I'm sure."
"There-are-no-such-things-as-crumpled-horned-snortkacks-Luna-!-how-many-time-do-I-have-to-tell-you-?" Hermione snapped drowsily, climbing down her bunk bed ladder so that she stood with the rest.
Luna sniffed angrily and turned on her heal, with a flick of hair, that reminded Rom vaguely of Fleur, she walked away. However, half across the room Luna stopped dead in her tracks and pointed with a shaking arm at the door way.
Everyone's eyes speculated over to the door and a silence descended on the sleeping dorm, the air was sucked out of Ron's lungs as he realised what it was.
"IT'S A TROLL!" Angelina screamed hysterically.
Shrieks of fear broke out, many girls grabbing the closest guy near them and pulling him in front of her.
The troll grunted loudly, spraying bogies over the nearby beds and their occupants.
Eloise Midgeon let out a high pitched squeal and ran to the other side of the dorm, frantically trying to wipe the humongous blob of snot of her face.
"At least she's found something to cover up her acne," Ron whispered with a snigger at Harry, who found this remark very inappropriate.
Ron stopped sniggering though when the troll stamped forward, swinging his arms widely out like a mad man. Unfortunately both arms were carrying colossal bats with sharp silver daggers protruding from them.
One of the bats smashed into a bunk bed, sending it soaring into the wall, a muffled scream came from it and Angelina gasped, "Oh no, Katie!"
"Katie was in that bed?" Harry asked, shell shocked.
Angelina had tears running down her face by this time, "I hope she's okay." She sobbed.
"So do I." Harry said coldly under his breath, taking a leap into the middle of the room, pulling his wand from his pyjama pocket.
"Harry no!" Ginny exclaimed, running over to him, trying eccentrically to pull him back, "It's too dangerous; you can't take him on your own."
"Yes I can!" Harry hissed defiantly, trying to think of a spell that would knock the troll out.
He pushed Ginny away and turned to the others, his arms wide, "Every one, you must all cast as many stunner charms on the troll as you can think off, and do them as quickly as possible after each other!"
"Stupify!" Ron said loudly, aiming his wand at the troll's arm, "Stupifey, stupifey!"
"Slaepus!" Hermione joined, "Demiso siestas!"
More people joined in, throwing curses, jinxes and spells that Harry had never heard before and others that he had, he hoped that the combined jumble would work.
The troll raised his arms over his face and whimpered, but he seemed nevertheless unaffected by the spells, overall he appeared merely afraid by the lights and colours they were making.
Harry watched in confusion, "Oh god." He muttered, "His skin is too thick. I've read somewhere that an adult, pure-breed troll can have skin as strong as the hide of baby dragon."
Ginny rounded on him, alarm glistening in her eyes, "What do we do?"
"The aurors!" he proposed quickly.
Ginny shook her head, "The troll is blocking the only exist, we're trapped unless the aurors come from behind him, but I don't know how we can get a warning to them though."
"I do, I saw Tonks and Dumbledore use Patronuses to pass messages. EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A stunning silver stag erupted from Harry's wand and turned expectantly to Harry.
"Go past the troll and warn the first person you can find." Harry ordered.
The stag nodded and ran to the troll. The troll was too busy now trying to poke the lights that were being shot at him to notice the stag running under its legs.
"Harry! It's not working!" Ernie cried in anguish, shooting bright pink blasts at the troll.
"The skin is too thick!" Harry called back.
Every one heard him and stopped firing aimlessly.
The troll looked up confused at the sudden disappearance of the lights and spotted the small huddle of people, crowding close together.
"Harry….." Hermione said slowly, "I think he is seeing us."
Harry snorted, "He might be dumb but he isn't blind."
"It's no time to joke, what do we do now?" Hermione snapped back.
Before Harry could reply, the troll stomped forward, gripping on its bats tightly, swinging them occasionally at bunk beds, which were thankfully empty by this time
"Oh god!" Alicia breathed, "Do something!"
"For bloody's sake, cant you guys act or think on your own?" Ron scowled, jumping forward with his wand out.
Ron opened his mouth to say a spell but Hermione flung herself at him, knocking him down, but instead of preventing the spell being shot, she disoriented the aim and now instead of the spell bolting at the troll's head, it bolted for its legs.
"Hermione!" Ron hissed, getting up himself before pulling her up with such force that she stumbled a bit, "Whaya do that for?" he asked agitatedly.
"By all means start provoking the beast you insensible git!" Hermione screeched at him.
"What?" Ron asked, but Hermione didn't answer because her head was turned and was watching the troll with a mild confused look on her face.
Ron followed her gaze and felt tempted to laugh at the sight.
"What kinda spell did you cast?" Hermione inquired, rounding on him again.
"A redactor curse, I was aiming at his ears, then I was going to shoot one at his nose and as last his eyes. To disconnect him from all his senses, but when you pushed me down I said the last part wrong. It became Redutaargh instead of Reducto." Ron said in a way of explanation.
"I didn't know Redutaargh was a tap-dancing charm." Hermione shot back, indicating at the tap-dancing troll.
"Alright stop! Ron you shot the spell, how can you make it stop? I'm not sure whether I like the way that troll is using his bats, and he is now more violent then before because TROLLS CAN'T DANCE!" Harry yelled.
"Uhmmmm," Ron began uncertainly, "Oh fuck it, this better work; HGRAATUDER!" Ron exclaimed at the troll, saying the spell backwards.
The troll instantly stopped dancing, his face contorted precariously, he raised both his bats and charged at them, "RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRGGGGGGGHHHHH"
"PROTEGO!" Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who were thinking along the same lines shouted.
A large shield, almost the length and width of the room shot up, the troll ran into it and fell back with a loud thump.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron yelled, lifting up two bunk beds, directing them through the shield and dropping them on the troll's head, remembering their first year's encounter with a troll.
Harry and Hermione did the same as Ron both dropping bunk beds on the troll's head.
The troll raised his bruised head, his eyes were crossed and his tongue was lolling out, "One more time!" Ginny said happily, motioning a heavy chest over to the troll and dropping it with a loud "Bung" onto the troll's skull.
The troll was unconscious.
Angelina, Fred, George and Alicia didn't hesitate one second before sprinting over to the smashed bunk bed.
Harry followed them and saw George hoist out the limp figure of a blond-red girl.
"Katie." Alicia sobbed, "Oh no, Katie."
