Potter's Legacy

by TheGoldenSeraphim

What if?... If Harry Potter had been born Miranda Potter, what would have changed? If Miranda had had more friends and adults in her corner, who would she become? Covers all of 1st year. ON HIATUS.

3. Behind the Barriers

Potter's Legacy
Chapter 2 – Behind the Barriers

She woke at seven thirty, after only an hour and a half of sleep. Slowly, she stumbled out of bed and into her bathroom. She wished she'd gotten to sleep earlier the night – no, the morning – before. Then perhaps it wouldn't be hard to stay awake during the day. But now, she'd have to count on the classes to be interesting enough to keep her awake.

Her long black hair hanging wet behind her back, Miranda reemerged from her bathroom and shut her bedroom door, quickly pulling on jeans, a plain light blue t-shirt and a light sweater before pulling out a set of robes from her trunk. Absently, she twirled her wand between her fingers as she searched through a book Remus had gotten her – Simple Household Charms – for a charm to dry her hair. She was sure she'd seen one, and she didn't want to wait for it to dry and freeze in the meantime…

When her hair was dry, she tugged her trunk out a distance from her bed and flipped open the latch, slowly rifling through the trunk until she came to her pile of books on the bottom. She pulled them all out one by one and brought them into her small library, placing them on the shelves of her two bookcases. When she had finished, she took her textbooks and stacked them all on her desk, setting her bookbag – enchanted by Remus to be featherlight – next to them. Her supplies – quills, inks, parchments – went next, followed by several Muggle notebooks. (It had taken a great deal of work, but she had finally managed to convince Remus that notebooks would be more useful for organizing her notes, which she intended to recopy outside of class.) Her class supplies in order, Miranda left the small library and went back to her bedroom to check for Hedwig, whom she had let out her window at about three o'clock that morning. The owl had not returned, so Miranda left a few owl treats on the window, refilled the water dish beside it, and left her quarters to depart for the Great Hall.

Students were starting to file in to the hall as she arrived, but there were only about twenty students sitting. Sighing tiredly, Miranda rubbed at her forehead – it was starting to ache again – and nodded when she saw Remus gesture to her from the Head Table. She walked quickly up to the table and smiled at Remus as he conjured a seat for her opposite the teachers.

"Good morning, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You look exhausted, my dear, are you feeling well?"

At the end of the table, a woman wearing what looked like a nun's garb spun and stared at Miranda. "Ah, yes," Dumbledore smiled, "this is Madam Pomfrey, Miss Potter, our resident Mediwitch."

"Hello," Miranda greeted with a slight smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. But don't worry, Madam Pomfrey, I'm quite well – I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"Ah, homesickness," Dumbledore smiled broadly. "I myself still miss my childhood home once in a while. Don't worry, my dear, it will improve."

Remus scowled a few seats down and Miranda's smile became a bit forced. Rather than correct the headmaster, however, she asked quietly, "What is it you wish to speak of with me, Headmaster?"

"Of course, of course!" the man exclaimed jovially, his beard twitching, and Remus's scowl darkened. "Your schedule has been prepared, dear girl," he said, handing over a small square parchment with a flourish. "I would suggest you leave the Great Hall twenty minutes early, in order to give you time to return to your quarters and retrieve your books before going to class. Also, I would like to speak with you about how your status as a free student will affect your opportunities here at your earliest convenience – say immediately after dinner tonight? Professor Lupin can show you to my office."

"Certainly," Miranda agreed, forcing yet another smile. "Thank you, Headmaster."

"Not at all, my dear," Dumbledore smiled benignly, waving her to her seat, and Miranda smiled once at Remus before making a beeline for Padma, the only one of her friends yet in the hall.

The Indian girl looked up with a smile which quickly faded as she took in Miranda's expression. "You look exhausted," she said worriedly, and quickly, she pushed a cup of tea in her friend's direction. "Drink that. It'll help."

"Thanks," Miranda muttered, sitting down slowly across from Padma. She drained the cup quickly and reached for another, expelling a breath loudly as she slumped in her seat.

"What time did you fall asleep?"

Miranda shrugged absently as she pulled a plate of bacon closer to herself. "Maybe around six," she muttered as she collected food for her plate.

At that exact moment, Hermione and Neville walked into the Great Hall, bickering all the while, and Miranda waved as her friends passed. They smiled and waved back, taking a break from their bickering, but as they continued on Miranda overheard words such as "Trevor" and "escaped" and "bathroom". Stifling a laugh, she turned back to Padma as Fred and George ran passed, shouting out greetings.

Unfortunately, Padma was gazing at her with a concerned expression. "Six?" she repeated. "What on earth were you doing up until six?"

"Couldn't sleep," Miranda replied, glancing down at her schedule. "Potions first thing with Gryffindor and Slytherin," she murmured, and Padma frowned.

"I've heard horror stories about those classes," Padma murmured. "Snape apparently hates the Gryffindors and lets the Slytherin students have free reign over the classroom. And since the Slytherins and Gryffindors hate each other…"

"It should be interesting," Miranda said with a slight smile as Padma's voice trailed off. "My schedule seems a bit hectic, though…"

"Well, you had to stand out and be the only one without a house, didn't you?" Padma teased, a smile on her face. "Created all sorts of chaos, extra work for the teachers…"

"Mmm," Miranda agreed noncommittally, frowning slightly as she stared at her schedule.

"Let me see," Padma muttered, taking the schedule from her friend's hand. Placing it on the table, Padma smoothed the piece of parchment out and they both peered at it:

Monday:
900 AM - 1200 PM – Double Potions Gryffindor-Slytherin Professor Snape Dungeons, room 13A
1230 PM - 130 PM – Lunch Great Hall
200 PM - 500 PM – Double Transfiguration Ravenclaw Professor McGonagall Second floor, classroom 42
530 PM – 700 PM – Defense against the Dark Arts Slytherin Professor Quirrell First floor, classroom 9
730 PM – 900 PM – Feast Great Hall

Tuesday:
900 AM - 1030 AM – Herbology Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Professor Sprout Greenhouse 2
1100 AM - 1230 PM – Charms Ravenclaw Professor Flitwick Third floor, classroom 89
1230 PM - 130 PM – Lunch Great Hall
200 PM - 500 PM – Double Defense Against the Dark Arts Slytherin Professor Quirrell First floor, classroom 9
530 PM – 700 PM History of Magic Hufflepuff Professor Lupin First floor, classroom 15
730 PM - 900 PM – Feast Great Hall

Wednesday:
900 AM -1200 PM – Double Charms Ravenclaw Professor Flitwick Third floor, classroom 89
1230 PM - 130 PM – Lunch Great Hall
200 PM - 500 PM – Double Potions Gryffindor-Slytherin Professor Snape Dungeons, room 13A
530 PM - 700 PM – Defense against the Dark Arts Slytherin Professor Quirrell First floor, classroom 9
….

Thursday:
900 AM -1200 PM – Double Herbology Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Professor Sprout Greenhouse 2
1230 PM -130 PM – Lunch Great Hall
200 PM - 500 PM Double Transfiguration Ravenclaw Professor McGonagall Second floor, classroom 42
530 PM - 700 PM Astronomy Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff Professor Sinistra Astronomy Tower
…

Friday:
900 AM - 1030 AM – Potions Gryffindor-Slytherin Professor Snape Dungeons, room 13A
1100 AM - 1230 PM – Charms Ravenclaw Professor Flitwick Third floor, classroom 89
1230 PM - 130 PM – Lunch Great Hall
200 PM - 500 PM – Double Defense Against the Dark Arts Slytherin Professor Quirrell First floor, classroom 9
530 PM – 700 PM – Transfiguration Ravenclaw Professor McGonagall Second floor, classroom 42
….

Saturday:
1200 AM – 130 AM – Astronomy Gryffindor Professor Sinistra Astronomy Tower

Padma whistled. "Hectic schedule," she murmured. "At least we have three classes together."

"Not until this afternoon, though," Miranda replied.

"Only two classes with the Slytherins," George added in, and Miranda jumped – she hadn't heard him come up behind her. "Perhaps nasty old Snapey wants to keep you away from his poor, innocent little Slytherins."

"Or perhaps," Fred added cheerfully as Miranda spun to stare at them, "McGonagall wants to keep them away from her."

At that moment, Flitwick walked up to the table and began handing out schedules to his students. "Move along, boys," he said with a smile, waving Fred and George back to their table, and the two departed after they each patted both Padma and Miranda on the head.

Miranda left fifteen minutes later – it was already eight-thirty and she had to get all the way to her quarters on the second floor and then back down to the dungeons. She found her own rooms easily enough, grabbing her Potions, Transfigurations, and Defense books – she really didn't want to risk having to come back for her afternoon's supplies and finding she didn't have time. But when she left her quarters and started searching for the dungeons, she found it much more difficult than it should have been, somehow managing to get lost on the second floor. She knew that the stairs to the dungeons were right by the Great Hall, but she couldn't get there if she couldn't find the ground floor….

"Lost, are you?" an amused voice asked, and Miranda spun around, her hair flying behind her back, to see the bored black boy from the Sorting – Blaise Zabini – eyeing her with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

"Only a little bit," she replied absently, studying her surroundings once more. She was certain she'd already passed that portrait. "What are you doing here?"

Zabini shrugged. "I fancied a walk," he replied lightly. "Where are you headed?"

"Potions. The dungeons."

"Really?" Zabini brightened. "I know where that is. The Slytherin common room and dorms are in the dungeons. Follow me."

Miranda eyed him with no small amount of apprehension before shrugging and following several paces behind the unusual boy.

Zabini managed to get them down to the ground floor but as luck would have it, a staircase had moved and they ended up near the back of the school. Cursing in frustration, Zabini studied the paintings for a moment before–

"Right," he said angrily. "I have absolutely no idea where we are."

"See? This place is a labyrinth." Smiling slightly, Miranda set her book bag down and settled cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the wall. Zabini gaped at her for a moment before huffing in frustration and throwing himself down to the floor beside her. Absently, he rubbed at his head, which hurt quite a bit from being hit against the wall when he dropped down.

"So, what are our options?" Zabini mused aloud. "We can't be late to Potions – Snape isn't exactly the most patient and tolerant fellow…"

"He seems to hate me already," Miranda sighed. "I don't even know why."

"Really?" Zabini's eyebrow rose yet again. "Your father went here – I heard they hated each other. Maybe he just figures you're more of the same."

Miranda stared at him, scowling. "I don't even know my–"

"Hey!" Zabini held up his hands and scooted away quickly. "I didn't say it was logical or ethical. I was just suggesting it as a possibility."

"If he hates me for something my father did, he's a horrible man," Miranda muttered, and Zabini smiled.

"Don't hold back," he said with a chuckle. "Tell me how you really feel."

Miranda eyed him nervously before jumping to her feet, leaving Zabini to scramble up after her, his brow furrowed. "We should keep walking," she said hurriedly. "We're bound to find the way out sooner or later–"

Zabini stared at her. "In a place this size?" he asked incredulously. "We're more likely to get stuck in some room with a self-locking doorknob and starve to death before we're found."

Slowly, Miranda lowered her hands from where they'd been rubbing at her neck. "They have those?"

"I'm not certain if they have any here," Zabini replied, "but yes, they exist."

"Well," she began slowly, "then–"

"Hey, Potter!"

They spun quickly to see Cedric Diggory walking along the hallway, a broad smile on his face. As they watched, he sped to a steady jog and skidded to a stop beside them. "Miranda, right?" he asked, smiling at her, "and you're Zabini? Erm… what was it… Blaise Zabini?"

"That's right," Blaise said coolly, eyeing Cedric. "Diggory, aren't you?"

"Cedric Diggory, at your service," he grinned and held out his hand toward Blaise, who eyed it for a moment before shaking it. "Where are you two headed?"

"Dungeons, room 13A," Miranda replied. "Why, do you know where it is?"

Cedric's smile widened. "'Course I do, I was a first-year once," he said cheerily, and Zabini scowled slightly. "Follow me, I'll get you there," he added, and he set off down the hallway, leading them through passageway after passageway, until they came to the top of a set of stairs which led to what looked like a – well, like a dungeon.

"Here we are," Cedric said jauntily. "13A is the seventh door on the left. Have a nice day, you two."

"Thanks, Cedric," Miranda said earnestly, and the older boy smiled, clapping her on the shoulder.

"Anytime," he smiled before looking over at Zabini and nodding. "Zabini," he said evenly, and the Slytherin nodded back.

"Thanks, Diggory," Zabini muttered, and Miranda stared at him as Cedric set off down the hall.

"You could be a little more grateful," she muttered angrily. "He's probably going to be late to his own class now. He didn't have to help us."

Zabini just scowled.

They rushed into seats in the middle of the classroom just as the bell rang, sitting behind Hermione and Neville. Breathing sighs of relief, the two got out their potions books, several rolls of parchment, ink ports and quills before turning their attention to the front of the room. No one was there, but a moment later, the door banged open, hitting the wall behind them as Snape strode into the room, his robes swirling around his frame.

The man scowled like a thundercloud, barking instructions at the students before swooping up to the podium to take roll call. And when he got to Miranda's name –

"Miranda Potter," he murmured, nostrils flaring as he looked up at her, "our new… celebrity."

♠♦♠

Potions class with Snape was a horrible way to start off her first day at Hogwarts. After he questioned her mercilessly about several potions and ingredients, the horrid man put up a set of instructions on the board at the front of the class and ordered the students to start making the potion. They had no instructions beforehand, no introduction – just a recipe to follow. While she somehow managed to keep her face impassive, the whole lesson Miranda was wondering how on earth the man had gotten a job as a teacher – and why he kept it. It was obvious that the man hated the job nearly as much as he abhorred children.

When the bell rang she followed Zabini from the room, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him a few feet away from the door. The Slytherin boy scowled but followed her even as his classmates jeered.

"What?" he asked, scowling at her, and Miranda crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him.

"What did he ever do to you?" she asked, and Zabini's look of irritation faded, to be replaced with confusion.

"Who, Snape? He's a grumpy old–" he began, his brow furrowed, but Miranda cut him off.

"No, not Professor Snape – Cedric."

"Oh," Zabini murmured. "Diggory. Well, he – he – erm…."

Miranda raised her eyebrows and began tapping her foot impatiently.

"He's a Hufflepuff, all right?" Zabini finally burst out, and she stared at him.

"He's a Hufflepuff?" she repeated.

"Well, yeah, I thought you knew–" Zabini began yet again, but once more, Miranda cut him off.

"You people are unbelievable," she said angrily, and turning on her heel, she walked away.

"Hey!" Zabini called after her, still looking confused. "What did I do?"

♠♦♠

The rest of the week passed much the same – Miranda got lost on her way to nearly every class and had to be helped by Cedric twice more, by Fred and George three times, by Lee Jordan once – Zabini even managed to help her find the DADA room without much trouble, though she did hear him muttering about Cedric under his breath. Her first practical Astronomy lesson was torture – rather than taking Remus's advice and taking a nap before the class, she'd stayed up to wait for it and found herself extremely grateful that she had no more classes until Monday. She'd finally stumbled into the Great Hall at nine thirty that morning and Fred and George had gotten a great deal of enjoyment out of teasing her, though afterwards, they had been kind enough to help her back to her quarters for a much-needed rest.

Two weeks into the first term the flying lessons began, and Miranda was assigned to take her lessons with Gryffindor and Slytherin. As he'd warned her on the train, Neville was horrible on a broom, and he managed to break his wrist falling from the sky on his first attempt. A minor confrontation between Miranda and Malfoy after Neville's fallen Remembrall, a gift from his grandmother, had been found led to Miranda breaking Hooch's order to stay on the ground. Caught diving after the Remembrall, which Malfoy had dropped from over fifty feet in the air, Miranda was whisked off to the staff room, where the professors argued for a full thirty minutes about whether or not they should place her on one of the Quidditch teams. It was only when Remus pointed out, hiding his smirk behind one hand, that Miranda was, in fact, ineligible for Quidditch due to her lack of a house that the professors let her leave. Due to innate skill, Miranda was exempted from the flying lessons for the duration.

Hermione and Neville were smug for two weeks afterward, repeatedly taunting Malfoy about being shown up by Miranda, and Zabini smirked every time he looked at Malfoy for just as long – not that that was an unusual occurrence. The infuriating Slytherin smirked at everybody and everything.

Her classes were difficult – she had an essay due in every class in the very first week – but Miranda found herself enjoying them a great deal, save for Potions. Her academic interest in the subject continued, but Snape's lack of teaching skills made the hours she spent in Potions to be the ones she dreaded every week. Only Zabini's quirky sense of humor and Hermione's persistent – if slightly bossy – encouragement got her through the class when every day, she longed to throw her potion in Snape's face. The man's treatment of Neville was horrid, and the way he acted toward her and all other non-Slytherins in the class was downright ridiculous.

Charms and History of Magic quickly became her favorite classes – Flitwick's enthusiasm and good humor were infectious, and she never seemed to leave that class without a smile. And Remus had a gift for making history fascinating, something the Weasley twins told her his predecessor, a ghost named Binns, had never once managed. Indeed, it seemed that Binns' greatest accomplishment was putting all of his students to sleep daily. Miranda had had to check that fact with Remus before taking it as anything more than Weasley humor.

September raced by, followed by October, and Miranda settled into her new life quite comfortably. She went down to visit Hagrid with Neville every Saturday, and Sunday nights she talked with Remus in his quarters, listening to his stories and adding some of her own.

The week leading up to Halloween was one filled with excitement. Rumors flew all over the school about the entertainment Dumbledore had booked for the evening – some of the fifth years claimed he had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons, while the more nasty seventh years said, in a rather desperate attempt to scare the first years, that he had invited a gang of vampires to Hogwarts.

Halloween night arrived and Miranda rushed down from the Astronomy Tower to her quarters, with Hannah and Padma a few steps behind. She hurriedly dropped her bag on a couch in the living room and bolted out through the portrait as Hannah and Padma craned their necks, trying to see past the front room.

"We're going to be late," Padma said, glancing at her watch – it was already seven-twenty.

"We'll make it," Hannah soothed, "and they'll forgive us if we don't."

The three witches moved through the halls at a rapid pace. By the time they reached the main staircase, they were nearly running, and they jumped over the last three steps at the bottom of the staircase. The trio rushed through the doors and Hannah and Padma quickly moved off to their tables while Miranda waved and continued on – it was her night to sit with the Gryffindors.

When she sat down next to Fred at the table, she frowned, looking around for Hermione. But the bushy-haired witch was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?" Miranda asked quickly, and Neville scowled.

"Weasley here," Neville told her, jerking his thumb at Ron Weasley, four seats down, who was stabbing moodily at his potatoes, "got mad at Hermione because she showed him how to do a spell in charms. He thanked her by calling her a nightmare."

"'It's no wonder she doesn't have any friends,'" Fred parroted, glaring at his little brother.

"We tried to convince her she was wrong," George added from his seat next to Neville, "but she wouldn't listen. Ran off to the girls' bathroom on this floor about thirty minutes ago."

"We're thinking about turning his hair green," Fred said darkly, "the slimy little–"

Miranda stared evenly at Fred, who trailed off sheepishly. The twins had had a harder time adjusting to her odd acquaintanceship with Zabini than the others, but they were making an effort not to offend her. Unfortunately for them, that meant breaking several years' worth of habit.

Sighing tiredly, Miranda picked up a strip of bacon as glimmering plates appeared on the table. "I'll go check on her in a few minutes," she said quietly. "Maybe I'll see if Padma and Hannah will go – if she's still in the girls' bathroom, you certainly can't come in…."

"It'd be interesting to see the look on McGonagall's face if we did," George grinned. "I wonder how we'd get out of that one…"

"You wouldn't," Neville said shortly, and he frowned suddenly as Miranda began rubbing at her forehead. "You all right?"

"Hmm?" Miranda glanced up, startled. "Oh! Yeah, just a bit of a headache, that's all..."

"Are you certain?" George studied her carefully. "You've been getting those 'bit of a headache's quite often lately…"

"Maybe she's allergic to Snape," Neville joked, and Miranda smiled slightly.

"Or maybe she's allergic to garlic," Fred said savagely as Quirrell ran into the room. "There's a cloud of it following him around–"

But Quirrell's main concern didn't seem to be garlic or warding off evil. The fidgety, jumpy professor raced through the hall, pushing students out of the way as he ran to the Head Table. Miranda's head whipped around and she stared in concern as Dumbledore rose quickly to his feet.

"Troll!" Quirrell yelled. "Troll in the dungeons! Troll in the dungeons!"

Several students screamed and McGonagall and Remus leapt to their feet, followed quickly by Snape.

"Thought you ought to know," the professor added softly, and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Hermione," Miranda whispered, her face pale. "Neville, she doesn't know."

Neville's head jerked up and he stared at her, startled, but he nodded quickly, his face set.

"Prefects!" Dumbledore called over the din. "Prefects, escort your classmates to the dormitories immediately!"

The prefects throughout the room nodded and Percy Weasley got to his feet, waving his arms frantically. "First years, to me!" he shouted.

Miranda flew from her seat, turning and racing across the hall, and Neville stumbled out of his own seat and ran after her. Fred and George stared after them in dawning horror as Percy yelled for them to come back, and Cedric stared at them, shocked, as they ran by. Hurriedly, he jumped to his feet and ran after them as Remus started forward.

"Potter, you lunatic!" Blaise shouted from the Slytherin table, and he shot to his feet, racing after them.

"Miranda!" Remus shouted, starting after them, but the four students had a serious head-start and they bolted from the room without looking back.

As chaos erupted, Fred and George ran over to the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Fred grabbed Padma's arm and pulled the pale girl from the hall as George gently lifted Hannah up, hugging the quivering girl as he coaxed her from the room. The second they were out of sight, the two third-years began pulling the first-years down the hall at a rapid-fire pace, determined to catch up with their friends. But they were too far behind the others, and somewhere along the way, they took a wrong turn.

"Dammit!" Fred shouted, pounding his fist on the wall, as George studied their surroundings, and Hannah burst into tears.

♠♦♠

Blaise raced to catch up with the others, his sides aching as he ran. After a few moments, he finally managed to break even with Neville, who had fallen back, huffing and puffing, behind Miranda and Cedric.

"What is she doing?" he demanded of the Gryffindor boy, and Neville glanced over at him, his face red, before answering.

"Going after Hermione," he replied. "Ron Weasley made her cry earlier and she locked herself in the girls' bathroom."

"Ah," Blaise replied, "thank you."

Behind them, he could hear people calling their names, and the professors rounded a corner along the corridor they'd just crossed. Neville squeaked in fear and ran faster, breathing even more laboriously, but Blaise spun around, skidding to a stop. He gazed nervously at the professors, fingering his wand…

Miranda wanted to save Hermione. The professors wanted to stop her. They didn't have time to explain.

Right, then, Blaise thought calmly, no other choice. Might as well have a little fun…

The professors slowed to a halt before him and Blaise could practically see Lupin's eyes flashing in fear and anger. Scowling at the man, Blaise shoved aside the sudden wave of sympathy inside him. He could understand the man's fear, but he had a job to do.

"Blaise, my boy," Dumbledore started cheerfully, wheezing as he tried to remain upright, his ancient face reddening, but Blaise shook his head.

Smirking slightly, he waved his wand and cast a spell he'd learned when he was seven years old, then turned and ran again.

He passed Neville, who had slowed to a jog and was staring over his shoulder at the professors. He passed Cedric, who had stopped to wait for Neville. Frowning, he put on a burst of speed and managed to catch up with Miranda, who looked incredibly worried.

"The professors," she said worriedly, "they'll–"

"I took care of it," Blaise replied calmly, and she smiled.

"Thank you," she murmured.

They kept running.

♠♦♠

About a quarter of a mile back, the professors stood angrily, glaring at the barrier before them. Dumbledore stood at the front of the group, waving his wand in complicated jiggling motions. White sparks flew out of it and hit the barrier, traveling along the translucent shield. They shimmered across the hall and through the barrier, not reemerging for a good three feet.

"This is an incredibly complicated barrier," Dumbledore mused unnecessarily. "It will take some time to break through–"

"But we have to get to them now!" Remus snarled, glaring at the barrier, and Snape scowled at him.

"There's nothing we can do," Dumbledore replied mournfully. "I've never seen the likes of this before – it would take hours to break through it. Hopefully, by that time, we will have found and dealt with the troll, and–"

"Dumbledore," Snape broke in, his nostrils flaring, "the dungeons are that way."

His face set, the greasy-haired professor extended his hand and pointed through the barrier.

"Ah," Dumbledore deflated. "Oh, dear."

"How," McGonagall began, gasping, "how did a first year ever learn such a–"

"I think," Dumbledore replied softly, "you'd be surprised what a person can learn, and how young he can learn it, when it's absolutely necessary."

Remus scowled.

Turning away from the group, Dumbledore raised his wand and continued trying to break through the barrier. Behind him, Snape swept off, presumably to relocate his students.

McGonagall followed, a look of extreme concern on her face.

Three of her students were behind that barrier, after all.

♠♦♠

"Come on, Hermione," Miranda said softly as Blaise shifted nervously behind her.

The bushy-haired Gryffindor witch quivered on the floor, her head buried in her hands as Neville knelt beside her.

"Let's go, Hermione," Neville urged. "There's a mountain troll in the castle, it could be any–"

"Incoming!" Cedric shouted suddenly, raising his wand. He moved to slam the door shut, jerking back quickly –

– A huge club crashed into the door, easily larger than Cedric himself, and smashed the door down. Cedric dove, rolling out of the way just as the door started to fall. Grabbing Hermione's arm, Neville dragged her back, and Blaise stared at them all worriedly.

"Now what?" Neville shouted as he pulled Hermione closer to the back wall.

"Get her out of here!" Cedric shouted, and he stepped forward, Blaise and Miranda following.

"How?" Neville shouted back as the troll roared angrily, swiping its club toward the sinks – Blaise grabbed Miranda's wrist and pulled her out of the way of a large piece of porcelain projectile, and they stared as the shard embedded itself in one of the toilet stalls.

"We'll distract it," Blaise called. "Go! Wingardium Leviosa!" he incanted hurriedly, and all of the pieces of porcelain hovered in the air over the troll's head. He brought his wand down, breaking the spell, and the porcelain pieces fell, landing on the troll's head. Most of them bounced off, but some of them drove into the tough, leathery skin covering the toll's skull.

As the creature roared, Neville raced past, dragging Hermione with him, and they ran out of the bathroom, Neville immediately placing Hermione in a dark alcove. "Stay here!" he ordered her, and she nodded shakily, sliding to the floor, and wept.

Neville watched her for a moment, his throat tight, before turning and running back to the battle.

♠♦♠

The Weasley twins careened around a corner, each dragging their tag-along first-year behind themselves, and skidded to a halt at the sight of the great Albus Dumbledore casting spell after spell against a large, shimmering barrier.

"What in the bloody hell?" Fred asked aloud, and Lupin and Dumbledore spun to stare at him.

"Ah, Mr. Weas–" Dumbledore began with a strained smile, but Fred cut him off.

"Who cast this spell?" he asked, his brow furrowed as he studied the barrier.

"Mr. Zabini did," Dumbledore replied, his shoulder slumping slightly. "I must admit that I am stumped–"

"And they're on the other side?" Padma asked, her face turning an odd, porridge-like color.

"Yes," Lupin growled. "Any ideas?"

Fred and George exchanged a look. "Right," George said cheerily. "Let's start with the basics, then." Turning to the barrier, he grabbed Hannah's hand once more and pulled her forward. "Let us help them," he said clearly, and stepped through the barrier.

Behind them, Fred grabbed Padma's arm and marched her forward. "Let us help them," he stated, and they stepped through the barrier.

Lupin glared at Dumbledore before running forward. "Let me help her," he snarled, and the barrier shimmered once before disappearing entirely. He ran through it, passing a stunned Fred and George and out-of-breath Padma and Hannah, leaving Dumbledore standing behind him.

The moment the Headmaster stepped forward, intending to retrieve all his students before they could reach the troll, the barrier resealed the corridor, and Dumbledore drew back in shock.

What use would Zabini have for wards which measured intent?

♠♦♠

The three students were holding their own when Neville returned, shooting spell after spell at the troll. Miranda had jumped up onto one of the toilet seats for better aim while Blaise had positioned himself behind a pile of debris, constantly firing in the troll's direction. Meanwhile, Cedric was edging closer and closer to the troll, moving slowly as he crouched along the ground…

The troll's eyes were bloody, gouged by some of the porcelain swirling in the air – as he watched, a large, jagged corner of a sink flew by Miranda, missing her by a centimeter, and Cedric immediately cancelled the whirlwind spell he'd begun. Sensing opportunity, the troll swung out at Miranda and she ducked, the club missing her by half an inch. She lost her balance, falling off the toilet and landing with a sickening crack. Cursing under his breath, Blaise grabbed her arm, pulling her up again and holding her steady.

"Levitate the club on three!" Cedric called. "Ready? One… two… three!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" five voices called, and the troll screamed as his club flew out of his hand, and began blindly reaching out for targets. Miranda jerked her wand up, Blaise following a second later, then Neville and Cedric – but the club continued to levitate for a second longer before falling.

It landed with a dull thud on the troll's head, and the creature's bloody eyes rolled up into his head as he fell. Cedric jumped out of the way, pressed against the wall as compressed air ran up to the ceiling. Behind him, Blaise pulled Miranda back a few steps, ignoring her wince of pain.

A cloud of dust rose up as the troll's body hit the ground and they all coughed before Neville and Cedric spun to stare at the doorway. There stood Hermione, smiling brightly as she braced herself against the doorway.

"What?" she asked Neville as he stared at her. "Did you really think I'd let you do this on your own?"

But no one had the chance to answer – Remus Lupin swept into the room not a moment later, followed by Fred, George, Hannah and Padma. The History of Magic Professor gazed around the room as Dumbledore strolled in a moment later, sighing tiredly at the sight of so much destruction. His eyes fell on Miranda, still supported by Blaise, and he sighed once more and then moved forward, kneeling before her. Softly, he tapped his wand against her ankle and murmured, "Ferula." Immediately, bandages spiraled out of his wand and wrapped themselves around her ankle.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, he picked Miranda up, ignoring her protests, and strode from the room.

When he was gone, and Dumbledore had shooed the remaining students off to the hospital wing – Blaise, Neville, Cedric and Hermione were all covered in cuts, scrapes and bruises – Blaise turned to Cedric with a grudging look of respect.

"You're not so bad after all, Diggory," he said after a moment, extending his hand to the bemused Hufflepuff.

"Er… thank you. I think." Cedric replied, shaking his hand, and Blaise nodded once before turning and running off to the hospital wing. Neville, Hermione, Padma and Hannah followed only a step behind him.

As the younger students rounded the corner, Cedric turned to the Weasley twins, an expression of pure bafflement crossing his face.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked.

Fred and George grinned.

"Cedric, Cedric, Cedric," George said, clapping a hand on the other boy's shoulder, "he's a Slytherin."

"Oh," Cedric muttered, frowning. "Right."

♠♦♠

The students were held in the hospital wing all night and for the entirety of the following day. With a newly mended ankle, Miranda had perched on the edge of her hospital bed and listened as Remus calmly told her to never go running off like that again. The man had retained his composure until the end of his speech, when he had hugged her tightly and scolded her for worrying him. A few minutes later he left, leaving behind him a shocked, startled, slightly pleased girl.

Hagrid's visit later that same evening had made the girl even more cheerful – he had brought a large bouquet of flowers, picked from his own garden – Miranda watched the teeth warily – and a baby niffler. The large, kindly man sniffled as he went back and forth between telling Miranda to "not scare me like tha' again, yeh trouble-maker," and saying, "so proud, yer parents would be so proud". Hagrid calmed down enough to tell her stories about a colony of spiders he had begun in the forest, smiling while as he talked of Aragog, who did not sound like someone Miranda wanted to meet. After about an hour, he left, warning Miranda to keep her niffler hidden from Snape as he did so.

Miranda, Hermione, Neville, Blaise and Cedric were released just in time for the feast on November 1st and made their way into the Great Hall amid cheers and applause from the Gryffindors. As the professors tried to shush the students, Fred and George jumped up and ran to the group with broad smiles on their faces. The two took turns hugging Hermione, then Miranda, then Neville, then Cedric and then – to his horror – then Blaise. Miranda and Hermione leaned on each other as they laughed at Blaise, who scowled at them in embarrassment as he backed away from the twins. Shaking his head, Cedric walked away to sit with Hannah, waving at Padma as he went, and Fred and George grabbed Neville and Hermione by the arm, marching them off to the Gryffindor table.

Miranda watched her friends with a smile before glancing up at the Head Table. Hagrid smiled at her and gave her a thumb's-up, Remus shook his head and laughed and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Even McGonagall smiled slightly.

Turning her back on the Head Table, she strode across the room to sit at the end of the Slytherin table, Blaise following her bemusedly. She settled in comfortably and began talking to him about their classes, ignoring Malfoy's outraged shout about a non-Slytherin sitting at the table.

Dumbledore laughed out loud.

♠♦♠

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LIZ