Hadrian stared around the Great Hall at dinner in shock. Bats, jack-o-lanterns, dancing skeletons? What in Merlin's name was all this? Halloween was a muggle holiday, he certainly hoped tomorrow night would be more focused on the wixen holiday Samhain. He hadn't heard about a bonfire, or a respectful feast with a focus on fruits and vegetables or wild game. Would they have berries, nuts, rye, and pumpernickel? What about the mulled cider and mead? He had thought Mabon was bad with no ritual to give thanks or offerings to the Crone for the plentiful harvest, but this? This was sacrilege. It was not Samhain, and he had heard nothing about a second feast the following day, or any observance of the holiday at all..
While it was considered a somewhat minor festival in comparison to Mabon, it was a time to commune with Magic and one's ancestors, sharing accomplishments and asking for guidance. It was not these piles of candy, and while the feast was acceptable, it was not held in the traditional format, nor did it include the traditional foods. It was no wonder so few muggle-raised ever became Acclaimed if they never learned anything beyond what was covered in Wixen Studies. The class had so much to get through in two years that they only discussed the wixen holy days for two weeks, and the classes were not reinforced by the practice of the rituals. Hadrian knew those employed by Hogwarts had to be ranked to be employed. How were they managing to keep their ranking if the school was not celebrating the traditional rituals? He assumed they must be doing them separately, or by themselves. If Hadrian had been fully muggle-raised he would never have known that there true magical benefits. Disgraceful.
After his participation in the rituals with the Malfoys, the lack of them at Hogwarts was disconcerting. Hadrian wondered about it as well because they offered magical grounding which was beneficial for growing magical cores, allowing the person's magic to be guided by Mother Magic and directed for better use. He had found spells cast in the week or so immediately following a holiday ritual were more powerful, and more easily controlled, and when he learned new spells, they came more easily due to the magical influx from the ritual. He could not understand why a school housing so many growing magical cores would ignore the benefits of the holiday rituals. He'd have to ask Severus or Lucius.
Hadrian resolved to light a seven-day candle in his dorm window to guide the spirits before he went to bed that night. It would burn throughout the day, as well as for the next several, as was required for the ritual. It wasn't much, but maybe he'd get a glimpse of a spirit from someone in his family. He wouldn't be able to have a bonfire out of doors, but he would send Dobby to bring him a few small pieces of wood and would have a personal fire in his cauldron. He also wouldn't be able to celebrate with Draco, but at least it would be something.
While Hadrian was musing over his personal ritual, preparations for the feast had begun. Chatter was loud and spirits were high. He tried to select harvest foods for his meal, and set aside a small portion of each to be offered to the spirits with his candle. The main meal was nearly over and it was almost time for dessert when Professor Quirrell came staggering into the hall.
"T-t-t-Troll!" Quirrell gasped out. "Troll in the d-d-dungeons." He swayed. "Thought you ought to know," he finished and then collapsed in a heap on the floor.
It was completely silent for three seconds and then pandemonium let loose. Hadrian was frantically searching through the hall to make sure his friends were accounted for. Yes, there was Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table. And there was Neville, alone at the Gryffindor table. Wait. Alone? Where was Hermione?
BANG!
The headmaster stood tall in front of the head table, his wand raised having clearly just cast the spell which temporarily restored silence to the room.
"If we could all, please, not panic," he said clearly. "Thank you. Prefects, you will lead your students to their dormitories in an orderly fashion. Teachers will accompany me to the dungeons to deal with the troll."
With this, the students knew they were dismissed and prefects could be heard shouting over the growing noise levels for their houses to follow.
Hadrian made his way to the Gryffindor table as quickly as he could in the confusion, grasping Neville's shoulder before he could be led away.
"Where's Hermione?" he managed to get out.
"Not sure," Neville started, "but I heard Parvati say earlier she was crying in the bathroom down the hall. I guess Ron said something mean to her after charms."
"Not good," Hadrian responded. He saw Draco making his way past the two of them and reached out and stopped him as well. "Hermione is crying in the bathroom, she doesn't know about the troll."
"That's bad," Draco said immediately.
"We can't get a prefect, they're all leading everyone away," Hadrian started speaking again, "and the teachers are gone looking for the troll. Stupid headmaster, I can't believe he sent the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins to their common rooms which are IN THE DUNGEONS!" he finished angrily.
He stopped and took a deep breath, thinking to himself. "Ok, the troll is in the dungeons, the girl's bathroom is only a one minute walk, faster if we run," Hadrian began plotting. "Draco, you know the conjunctivitis curse?" he checked.
"Yes," Draco replied, nodding emphatically.
"Ok, if we see the troll... Please, Merlin, don't let us see the troll," here Neville whimpered, "If we see the troll, Draco you cast the conjunctivitis curse and we all run the opposite direction." Hadrian continued. "We run straight for the girls' loo, grab Hermione, then Draco you take that passage down to you know where and wait to give an update." Neville looked confused, but was distracted at the next moment when Hadrian looked at him, "Neville, you'll take Hermione and get up to Gryffindor Tower as fast as you can. Hopefully you'll catch up with the group, but if not, go straight there and make sure Hermione gets some food. Talk to a prefect if you have to. I know Ron is a git, but Percy isn't terrible, go to him." Neville nodded mutely.
The hall was almost empty. Thankfully, the girls bathroom was the opposite direction of the common rooms. The three boys shared a determined look before taking deep breaths, and running off towards the girls' loo. They didn't meet anything on their way, but when they made it closer to the entrance, they were assaulted with an awful smell and the sound of grunts and banging.
"I d-d-don't think the t-troll's in the d-d-d-dungeons anym-m-m-m-more," Neville stuttered, fear showing on his face. Draco and Hadrian shook their heads. Just as they were about to turn and run they heard a feminine scream.
"Hermione!" Hadrian almost yelled.
He looked to Draco and the two nodded. They ran into the bathroom and a sea of wreckage. Hermione was huddled in between two tall stone sinks, trying to avoid notice. It looked like the troll had destroyed three quarters of the bathroom trying to get to her. Harry yelled Hermione's name. Her head snapped to the doorway, and a slight expression of relief crossed her face until she realized there were no teachers behind her friend. Draco took advantage of the troll's distraction at Harry's yell to fire the conjunctivitis curse right at its ugly, smooshed face.
The spell made an impact, accurately too, but what they hadn't planned for was the troll to go crazy and start thrashing around the room. Hermione was in danger of being trampled! Hadrian made his way carefully along the wall, and tried to grab her hand, but she seemed frozen in fear. Draco and Neville were standing in the doorway, horror struck. Hadrian was frantically searching the space for something that could help when he noticed the troll's club laying on the floor a little ways away from them. It must have dropped it when the curse impacted.
He released his wand from it's holster, and with a precise swish and flick, and proper pronunciation, said "Wingardium Leviosa!" He levitated the club until it was directly over the rampaging troll and then released the spell. The club fell on the troll's head with a rather sickening crunch and the troll swayed and fell, knocked unconscious by his own weapon.
Hadrian was finally able to assist Hermione up and Draco and Neville were checking her over for injuries when Professors McGonagall, Prince, and Quirrell, as well as Headmaster Dumbledore appeared at the door.
They were all looking around the room in shock, but Professor McGonagall recovered first. "What in the name of Merlin happened here?" she bit out.
Hermione began to speak, "It was my fault, professors."
Hadrian cut in, wanting to explain, "When Professor Quirrell alerted us about the troll I checked the Great Hall for my friends. Draco and Neville were there, but Hermione was missing. I grabbed Neville to ask where she was and he said she was in the bathroom crying because Ronald Weasley bullied her after charms. She didn't know about the troll. The prefects were already gone, and so were all the teachers. I thought it would be safe enough, the troll was supposed to be in the dungeons, and the bathroom was a one minute walk away, faster if we ran. We ran. We saw the troll and were getting ready to run away but we heard Hermione scream. I had already told Draco to cast the conjunctivitis curse if we saw the troll, so I yelled to distract it, and Draco cast the curse. The troll started rampaging, so I sneaked along the wall and tried to get Hermione to come out so we could get out of here, but she was frozen, and Draco and Neville didn't have any other ideas, so I used 'wingardium leviosa' to levitate its club over its head and dropped it on top of him."
The professors blinked at the rapid recitation.
"Be that as it may," Professor McGonagall began, "it was very irresponsible of you."
"Irresponsible?" Hadrian cut in incredulously. "Irresponsible of me?" He repeated, in shock. "Irresponsible is sending half the school toward the last known location of a threat, or did everyone just happen to forget that the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins live in the dungeons? Irresponsible is sending away all forms of authority before ensuring all students were accounted for. Irresponsible is NOT making the best of a bad situation, having a plan, and executing it in the face of what was supposed to be limited danger." Hadrian was seething at this reprimand and couldn't prevent himself from spilling his thoughts.
Professor McGonagall looked taken aback, as did the now not-so-twinkling-eyed headmaster.
Professor Prince gave a nearly imperceptible wink and began speaking, "While I do not in any way condone a student putting themselves into danger, I believe Mr. Potter may have a point. They were operating under the assumption the threat was in a completely different area of the castle and when that turned out to not be the case, chose to protect a fellow student in the absence of other assistance. It was foolhardy and rash, but then I suppose his Gryffindor heritage had to come out at some point," Severus finished with a sneer.
"Now, now, Severus," the headmaster began, twinkle reappearing in his eyes, "the boy is descended from two very proud Gryffindors, and it speaks to his character that he would choose to protect a fellow student. He has, after all, protected our world before, perhaps it is simply ingrained in him to protect his fellows?"
Severus huffed when Dumbledore clapped his hands and continued, "Therefore, twenty points will be awarded to each of you, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Longbottom, and Mr. Potter, for outstanding bravery in locating and protecting a fellow student. Minerva, if you will escort your two lions to their common room, and ensure Miss Granger has a calming draught and dreamless sleep potion available should she need it?"
The witch nodded and Dumbledore continued, "And Severus, you may escort Mr. Malfoy to his common room." Severus humphed again as Dumbledore finished, "and I shall escort young Mr. Potter while Quirinius deals with the troll."
Hadrian rolled his eyes mentally at the headmaster getting him alone, but followed along. He knew Draco would give Severus the full details, and he would just have to be careful about what he said to the headmaster. He had already expressed his anger over sending two houses toward the threat, he couldn't afford to be seen disagreeing with the headmaster further at this point in time.
"Well, my boy," Dumbledore began speaking when they were a corridor away from the bathroom, "That was quite an adventure you had. Not many first years would be able to take on a fully grown mountain troll and survive."
"Yes, sir," Hadrian responded, irritated at being called 'boy' in any form, but knowing he had to say something.
"And the conjunctivitis curse, what made you think of that? That's usually not discussed until third year, and practiced until fourth," Dumbledore continued his questioning.
'Bugger,' Harry thought. "Draco and I saw it in a book earlier in the year and he bragged he could do it. I was reading a book on trolls just a few weeks ago and saw that their skin was similar to giants in that it could repel lots of spells, but their eyes were a weakness. I dunno why it popped into my head, but it worked," Hadrian bluffed, sheepishly, keeping his eyes averted, wary of the possible use of legilimency.
"Indeed it did, my boy, indeed it did," Dumbledore muttered. "But then you've just learned the levitation charm in class, recently, have you not?"
"Oh, yes, sir!" Hadrian gushed, playing the excited student. "We were working on the spell in double charms just today. Professor Flitwick finished the theory in Tuesday's lesson and today was all practice. We started with feathers, and then he let us do parchment, books, and desks. Draco, Hermione, and I were the only once to get to desks though."
"I see," Dumbledore twinkled. "Well, it is good you are safe, my boy."
Hadrian nodded, and then decided to ask about the headmaster's instructions. After his outburst about it he didn't think it would be too much of a problem.
"Headmaster?" Dumbledore looked at his student as Hadrian continued, "Why did you send Slytherin and Hufflepuff to their dorms?"
Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, I'm sure it looked most odd to you, however the teachers and I took a shortcut to the dungeons and ensured the route to the two common rooms was clear before the students were anywhere near them. You couldn't have known that, but there are always safeguards in place."
Hadrian nodded, not really believing him, since there were supposed to be wards preventing things like trolls from being in the school in the first place, but he figured if one had been brought in to guard the stone, it wasn't such a stretch another might have been as well.
They finished the walk in silence and Dumbledore dropped him off at the Ravenclaw common room saying, "Good night, Harry, my boy."
"Goodnight, Headmaster," Hadrian replied, seething internally at the familiar address and hated 'boy.'
Hadrian made his way to his dorm, uncaring that the feast had continued via the house elves' efforts to shift the meal to the common room. He followed the plan he had decided on at dinner for his personal start of the Samhain ritual, hoping it would steady him from the excitement of the troll, and prepare him for whatever was to come. He didn't think the headmaster had orchestrated this particular confrontation, but he was certain there would be another soon. Once he was done, his magic felt calmer and he cuddled up with Zils, and his stuffed wolf, grim, and stag, and drifted off to sleep.
Later that evening, Malfoy Manor"They WHAT!?" Narcissa cried, after hearing of the evening's events from Severus.
He had come through the floo after speaking with Draco and lost no time calling his elf Amaranth to fetch the Malfoys. He explained everything he knew of the situation from Draco, and the plan Hadrian had concocted to minimize the risks in alerting their female friend.
"I know it is distressing, but they have already done it, and are luckily no worse for the wear," Severus tried to soothe his lady love.
"But...but…" Narcissa could barely string two thoughts together, let alone words.
"I know, sweet, I know," Severus gathered her into his arms and stroked her back in an attempt to calm the distraught mother.
"This is an unfortunate situation," Lucius commented. "Draco has shown himself capable of more than first or second year spells, and Hadrian has questioned the headmaster in the presence of others."
"Our son, and our charge were in imminent danger of possible death, and you are concerned for your plots!?" Narcissa nearly shrieked from her place next to the potions master's ear.
"I do not discount the danger they were in, Narcissa," the blonde lord replied, "but as Severus pointed out, there is nothing we can do to prevent it now. It is time we begin planning for any damage control that may be necessary so that Draco and Hadrian are not placed under further scrutiny, and possibly into further situations which may bring them to harm."
Narcissa huffed, "I suppose you are correct, but my son, my baby, my dragon facing...a...a troll of all things! They are supposed to be safe at school, there are wards to prevent this sort of thing," she finished exasperated.
"They have been taken down." Severus said.
"They have...Been taken...Down?" Lucius could not have heard his friend correctly.
"Correct," his friend replied.
"Dumbledore has not followed the appropriate procedures. He is required to alert the board of any change to the castle's ward scheme." Lucius was in full on Lord Malfoy, Hogwarts Governor mode. "We can use this."
"We can?" Narcissa asked her husband.
"Well," Lucius thought for a moment, "Not immediately, no. We need to talk with Hadrian, get his version of events to ensure we have all the details. See what the students write home to their parents regarding the situation. We could use a public outcry about the troll to force a ward check, which would get him into trouble with the governors."
The other two nodded.
"What I am concerned about is that he sent two houses to their dormitories in the last known area of the threat," Narcissa continued the conversation. "All those children would have been in significant danger had the troll been where it was purported to be."
"Yes, and I'm sure there will be words with Quirrell on his intelligence," Severus said darkly. "If Dumbledore does not, I will."
"I am certain the boys will write, so let us adjourn until we have further details to discuss," Narcissa suggested.
"Indeed," Lucius confirmed, exiting the room to give the lovers some privacy. He knew Severus would not be able to stay long, needing to return to the snakes, but a few stolen minutes would help calm him. As he made his way to his wing of the manor, he thought over the information Severus had provided. He could not explain the level of terror that had gripped him when he was told that Hadrian and Draco, in the company of Neville Longbottom had faced off against a troll. He was proud of his dragon for the successful curse, but his nerves were still humming lightly over the thought of Hadrian being injured trying to reach the girl, and then having to knock the brute out with its own club. He shuddered at the image, and resolved to drink a very large brandy. If he couldn't sleep, he could at least be drun