Hello!

And whats this? Two chapters in one day? IM ON A ROLL!

I really hope you like this one! I had so much fun writing it!

Love you all!

Zoe x


"Fucking Hell!"

Draco's screech echoed down the hall, as he sprinted faster than he had ever moved in his life.

"If you can still talk run faster!" Hermione gasped back, slamming into a wall and using the momentum to launch herself down the next corridor.

There was a sickening crunch of stone from behind them as they both pelted it along the stone floor.

A loud anguished yell made them both flinch, and then duck as a slab of stone soared over their heads, smashing into a suit of armour.

"Shit." Hermione hissed, scrabbling along the floor.

"What the fuck did you say to it?" Draco wheezed, grabbing her arm and dragging her upright again.

"Don't blame me! It's obviously confounded!"

"Obviously" He hissed.

They skidded across the first floor landing and then Hermione shoved him down the stairs, hard.

He yet out an undignified yell of terror, before the stairs clunked into a giant slide launching them both down to the ground floor and into a very solid wall.

"Oh gods," he groaned, "why woman?"

"Get up, it's still coming."

His body ached something horrible and his legs shook with exhaustion. He could hear the thundering of its footsteps getting closer to the stairs.

Breath coming in sharp gasps he raced after Hermione, who made a bee line for the entrance hall and the main doors.

This was insane, SHE was insane, and HE was insane for listening to her!

Lets talk to it first, Draco! Convince it to leave peacefully on it's own, Draco! I've done this loads, Draco! No need to WORRY Draco, it'll be fine, Draco.

"Fuck my life choices." He hissed, forcing his legs to move faster. Maybe he should take up jogging. He glanced at Hermione, WHO WAS GRINNING LIKE A MAD WOMAN.

Oh gods he was surrounded by nutters.

A deafening roar reverberated from behind them, the Troll found the stairs then.

"How is it so fast?"

"Once they build momentum trolls can actually reach speeds….."

"I DON'T CARE!"

Hermione swerved across him, causing him to stumble; she dragged him with her into the Great Hall where they skidded to a stop.

Quirrel was on the floor, everyone was standing up, Dumbledore had his wand pointed to the ceiling and smoke was dissipating from the end.

It was very quiet.

As one, they all turned to look at him and Hermione. They must have made a sight, covered in dust, rubble, red faced, sweating and panting with huge gasps.

He opened his mouth to shout… something.

"It's in the stairwell." Hermione screamed, spinning in place and slamming the doors shut with a flick of her wand.

Draco spun and begun helping her to slide the bolts in place.

It was still very quiet.

Until the deafening roar of an angry, confused and very smelly mountain troll sounded on the other side of the door.

Followed by a huge slam of its club against said door, causing it to shake horribly under the strain.

He and Hermione stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the floor limbs shaking as they shuffled back.

A cacophony of screams assaulted his ears from every side, he curled round Hermione and they both covered their ears.

Panicked students began running to the teachers end, trying to get as far away from the attacking creature, some of them tripping over in their haste.

Arms grabbed him and dragged him to his feet, and Draco met the determined eyes of Harry as he pulled him back towards the teacher's dais. Glancing across he was surprised to see Theo holding up a shaking Hermione, with Ron hovering by their side.

The ginger hadn't taken his eyes off the door however, and was hurriedly herding them all towards the safety the teachers provided.

Speaking of, Draco noticed with humour that Quirrell, who had more than a few footprints on his clothes, was being very reluctantly shoved towards the door with all the other teachers as they made a human and magical barricade.

He let out a choked laugh, garnering him many wide-eyed looks of disbelief.

Hermione however, laughed along with him.

"I think they're going into shock!" Ron exclaimed resting a hand on Hermione's forehead, she swatted it away.

"I hate you" Draco laughed, staring straight at Hermione, Who was STILL FUCKING GRINNING. "I hate you so much."

She just giggled more; slowly sliding to the floor they both leant heavily against one another. He ducked his head into her should and gripped onto her arms.

"We nearly died, we nearly died so many times…"

"Yep."

"I want a divorce."

This sent her off into another wave of giggles, as they lay there clutching each other shaking with laughter and relief.

Exclamations of shock rippled through the crowd, the teachers must have engaged the Troll. Lifting his head slightly, Draco found his view blocked by students standing protectively in front of them.

"Don't worry," Harry said from his position above them. "We won't let it get you." The boy was standing protectively over them, wand in one hand and knife in the other.

Draco eyed the cutlery, nodding gratefully to the eleven year old.

Hermione met his eyes with raised eyebrows.

The enraged yells of the Troll were now muffled, as Snape had apparently blasted it away from the hall.

Fred and George had run to the door and had begun narrating as the Troll was forcibly levitated through the main doors and towards the forbidden forest.

"And Snape has the troll swinging by its ankles."

"A dangerous move for anybody wearing a loin cloth."

"In that we are in agreement."

"Dumbledore and McGonagall are performing some unrecognised charms upon it's, frankly rather disgusting, body."

"Very true Fred, it makes you wonder if trolls have ever heard of personal hygiene?"

Laughter was now rippling through the students, and most had moved to the windows in the hopes of seeing the floating troll.

Many of the first years however were hovering by Draco and Hermione, eyeing them worriedly. Draco tried to give them reassuring smiles but he was still zapped from the adrenalin coursing through his body.

"Quirrell said it was in the dungeon," Neville said shakily, he gingerly sat down on the floor facing them.

"He was acting like he had raced straight from seeing it," Blaise plonked down next to Neville, leaning back on his hands. "But that's shit isn't it?" He raised an eyebrow at Draco.

"Where were you two?" Harry said, a frown on his face, he didn't sit on the floor choosing to stay hovering above them. Theo stayed standing too.

Hesitantly sharing a glance with Hermione Draco answered, "First floor, by Binns's classroom."

The other kids all shared a look, when Harry piped up, "Do you think it was a distraction?" he paused uncertainly, "you know, to get past the Cerberus." He nodded to Hermione and she nodded back looking pleasantly surprised.

"Oh fuck me…" Draco lamented quietly. "Called it, I bloody called it."

"Yeah, you think it was guarding something?" Ron chimed in.

"Well Hagrid took something from a vault at Gringotts in the summer before we came here. Said it needed to be kept safe at Hogwarts."

"Gringotts was broken into over the summer… mother wouldn't shut up about it." Pansy said scrunching her nose up. "They didn't catch anyone. You saying it was Quirrell?" she snorted. "He looks like he'd run from a sneezing Kneazle."

"Maybe it's a trap."

Eyes all turned to Ron, who was staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"The something or the behaviour?" Theo asked eyes narrowed.

Ron had a far away look on his face, "Both? Yeah… both." He crossed his arms and tipped his head slightly. "If it were me, and I was after something in a place with a small suspect pool, I'd act as stupid as possible. And everyone would think, 'hey, it can't be him, he's too…"

"Incompetent." Hermione provided.

"Yeah, P..poor s..stuttering P..Professor Q..Quirrell." Ron laughed.

Hermione froze taking a sharp intake of breath.

"And the thing, must be something he wants, so Dumbledore has it under that three headed dog."

"Why would he want to trap Quirrell though?" Harry voiced, "You think he hates him?"

"No…" Ron said frowning at the floor. "I don't think it's for Quirrell, not specifically anyway. It feels like its just general bait? Like just seeing who comes along for whatever it is?"

"So Quirrell is a minion?" Blaise said, glancing across their circle.

Merlin when did it become a first year bad guy brain storming session. He even noticed Finch-Fletchley hovering with barely concealed interest.

"Yeah… that feels right."

"Who is he working for?" Neville asked nervously.

Ron sat silent for a few seconds before making eye contact with Harry, a frown on his face.

Draco watched as Harry's eyes lit with knowing before turning focused and determined.

"My scar hurts when he turns his back on me. A sharp stab.."

Ron nodded and a few others exchanged nervous glances.

Theo met Draco's eyes with a type of wide-eyed horror. Almost begging Draco to dispute it.

"Voldemort, you mean." He said instead, watching dispassionately as the kids around him recoiled, all except for Harry and Hermione.

"Are you nuts?" About three people hissed at him.

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione chimed in happily.

"Oh piss off Granger." Pansy spat.

"Feisty Pans" Draco said with a grin.

Hermione and Pansy smacked him from either side. "Ow…"

"Fine," Draco rolled his eyes. "You mean Mouldy butt is after whatever this is?"

The faces around him looked even more panicked at that. Hermione laughed however, and he took that as a win.

"Do you think he'll come after me again?" Harry whispered quietly.

The circle went silent; the others made awkward eye contact with each other, before Theo placed his hand on Harry's arm.

"He can fucking try."

A murmur of agreement travelled across them, as a group of eleven year old, first years, all agreed collectively to protect Harry Potter from one of the worst wizards to plague mankind.

Draco turned to Hermione imploringly, and she rolled her eyes before clapping her hands together.

"In that case, we should all get together and learn some defensive magic. I've read quite a few books on the subject and I think I can sort us out some good spells. Theo," She turned sharply to the surprised boy. "You've started a potions group, yes?"

"Yeah…"

"Excellent, I think we should all join and meet every Saturday for 'Potions study', if that's all right with you?" she said with a bright smile. "And maybe we can get Professor Snape to join us and see if we can squeeze some good spells out of him."

Theo grinned wickedly back at her. "I did like the way he blasted the Troll through the door way."

"All in agreement?" she said primly sticking her hand in the air.

Draco looked around at about thirty children with their hands raised, all grinning. Even Justin had his hand up, oh look and Susan Bones and Terry Boot and both Patil twins. In fact the only one without his hand up was himself, which he quickly rectified.

"Shall I get started on those badges then?" He asked jovially, getting a smack to the head for his troubles.

"Lets meet in the second floor corridor, second classroom at eleven tomorrow?" Hermione asked. "Perfect!"

It was at that moment, the teachers all swarmed back into the room and the first years dispersed like scattered marbles.

"Act traumatised," Hermione elbowed him.

"Act? Act? I am bloody traumatised!" He swooned to the floor, and tried not to giggle as Sprout fretted over 'the poor dears'.

Snape and Dumbledore were nowhere to be seen, and McGonagall was busy ordering the prefects to lead everyone back to their dormitories, as there had been, "Enough excitement for one night."