31st October 1991

Halloween was definitely Alex's least favourite day.

While many celebrated, as it was the anniversary of Voldemort's vanquish, it only served as a bitter reminder that she was a lonely orphan.

Well, least Harry felt the same way. Apparently, she was the first to tell him about their parents 'deathday'.

Oh how she wished she could give the Dursleys a piece of her mind.

Usually Alex would go to Minnie's office, or head down to the kitchens for some hot chocolate, but this year she had to sit through the Hogwarts feast. Silently counting down the minutes before she could leave, she noticed Hermione was missing.

"Probably off at the library," she chuckled, mentally planning on joining her once the feast was over.

Wondering if she could sneak down to the kitchen, her musings were interrupted by Professor Quirrell running in, looking fainter than usual.

"TROLL," he started. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON-"

He fainted.

'Impressive timing,' thought Alexandra.

The headmaster started to order the students back to their houses, when Harry grabbed his sister.

"ALEXANDRA, HERMIONE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THE TROLL!"

"Shouldn't she be in the librar-"

"I saw her in the girls bathroom," supplied Lavender Brown.

"Crying." finished Parvati Patil.

"And what should she be doing there?" asked Alex, turning around, noticing the boys looking rather guilty.

"Ron was being a prat, can we go find her?" finished Harry, after fumbling for a good fifteen seconds.

"Merlin's sake you lot are a piece of work," grumbled Alex. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR COME ON!"

The trio snuck out from the line of Gryffindors and ran down multiple flights of stairs hoping the troll didn't manage to find the girl before the troll did.

Perhaps not.

The girls bathroom was in such a mess, Alex wondered if magic could fix it. Then again hogwarts was definitely a special case.

"Hermione," she called, stepping over some of the rubble, "-are you in here?"

She heard a faint whimpering behind one of the cubicles and rushed towards the stall, pulling Harry and Ron with her.

"Oh thank merlin, there's a tro-"

"BEHIND YOU!-" yelled Hermione

"-in the dungeo-"

Harry tapped her on the shoulder, turning her around, face-to-face with a ginormous mountain troll.

"-well its here now-" whispered Alex, eyes widening as the Troll swung its clubbed arm up.

She ran out of the way, Harry holding her hand as Ron rolled out of the way. The club smashed into the cubicle right beside Hermione's. Hermione , panicking, ran out of the stall, underneath a sink just in time, when the troll swung its club once more. Completely smashing the stall Hermione was in.

"HERMIONE GET OUT FROM THERE," screamed Alexandra from the safety of the entrance.

Too bad the troll was heading her way now.

"AAAAAAAAAH," yelled Harry as he jumped onto the troll, effectively distracting it.

"HARRY!" yelled Alex, as the boy in question was dangling off the troll's head.

"AGUAMENTI!" she said, pointing her empty hands towards the troll, in hopes her determination would overpower the fact she was currently wandless. Who honestly thought she was gonna fight a troll mid-Halloween and brought their wand with them to a feast. That's just rude.

Luckily for her, a steady stream of water hit the troll straight in the eye, distracting it from trying to fling Harry off his head. It also soaked Harry, but he'll survive.

Hermione was shrieking incoherently from underneath the sink, as the club came alarmingly close to her head.

"Wingardium Leviosa," muttered Ron uncertainly, unsheathing his wand and doing the necessary swish and flick motion. The first time, the club hovered before nearly dropping on Harry's head.

'What is he playing at?" thought Alexandra, distracting the troll by sending red sparks onto the wall behind him.

Harry looked like he was going to pass out.

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" hollered Ron, now succesfully in control of the club, before using it to hit the troll on its head. Hard.

It dropped to the floor, motionless.

"YOU NEARLY HIT HARRY!" shouted Alexandra, pulling Harry up to standing. Yeah, he was definitely going to throw up.

Thoroughly soaked to the bone, Harry turned to Hermione, about to ask her if she was okay, when-

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS," screeched a wide-eyed Professor McGonagall, followed by a gasp from professor Sprout and a yelp from Professor Filch.

Professor Snape had his mouth pressed firmly, while Albus Dumbledore stood there with that twinkling look in his eye.

The four children looked at each other.

"I- er-we-" started Ron.

"Knocked flat out," announced Professor Flitwick, as he nervously walked towards the troll.

"Must I repeat myself?" said McGonagall, turning angrily towards the first-years, "What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This?"

Whoever said Professor Snape was the scary professor clearly hadn't gotten on Minerva McGonagall's bad side.

"I heard about the troll," cut in Hermione, before Alexandra could come up with an acceptable lie, "I thought I could take it on by myself. The three of them saved me from being killed."

"You mean to say, three first-years took on a fully grown mountain troll?" asked Professor Snape, sneering.

It reminded Harry of Alexandra's first impression of Hermione.

"Yes," said Alexandra.

"It's not impossible Severus." replied Dumbledore, eyes still twinkling."

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl. How could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own? Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I am very disappointed."

Hermione looked teary-eyed.

"Well, I must say that the three of you were very lucky," she paused before turning to Alexandra.

Something about the way she looked at the girl defied her earlier statement.

"Not many first-years can take on a mountain troll, let alone a fully grown one. You each win 10 points for Gryffindor."

Hermione's eyes brightened once more.

"30 minus 5, that's 25..." muttered Hermione, as the four of them made their way up the stairs, headed towards the Gryffindor dorms.

"Did anyone notice Snape? He was looking rather strange to me," interrupted Harry.

"Harry, just because the potions master doesn't like you, doesn't mean he has it out for you." said Alex, rolling her eyes.

"What about the third floor?" asked Ron.

"What about the third floor, is it not banned to ALL students?" replied Alex, stopping.

"What did you do?" she accused, turning to Ron.

"It wasn't me! Blame the stairs!"

"Oh of course, 11 year old versus stairs who would win?" snarked Alexandra.

"Probably the three-headed dog," interjected Hermione.

"THE WHAT?"

"Prolly," agreed Ron, "that thing was scary."

"Do you think that had anything to do with Snape's leg?" asked Harry.

"What would Snape want with a three-headed dog," asked Hermione.

Alex thought hard.

Three-headed dog. Menacing. Third floor? Wasn't there a trapdoor-

"It's hiding something," Alexanda exclaimed!

"We know," said Ron. "Hermione noticed the trap-door."

Alexandra turned, "What were you doing with these two, discovering a three-headed dog?"

"How about you tell your boyfriend, Malfoy, to stop challenging Harry to midnight duels? And the Fat Lady to stay in her portrait?" said Hermione.

"There are so many things wrong with that statem-"

"DON'T YOU GUYS GET IT, SNAPE'S CLEARLY TRYING TO GET WHATEVERS HIDDEN!" shouted Harry, tired of being ignored.

"Harry, you've lost it. We can't have an insane seeker," Alexandra said as the four of them stopped outside the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Pull it together mate, tomorrow you're against Slytherin, they pl-"

"Play dirty, cheat, and try to see whether they can pull all seven hundred fouls in one match. I know." sighed Harry.

Alex patted his shoulder, comfortingly.

"You're a natural, Harry, you'll be fine," she whispered, as she walked up the stairs to the girl's dorm. Arm in arm with Hermione.

She paused at the door.

"Unless you keep on with this ridiculous theory, in which case I might have to get you admitted in St. Mungos."

Harry let out a nervous laugh.

Alexandra smiled.

She couldn't sleep that night.