"So, that's it?" Hermione asked in the library, after Harry had read them an abridged version of the letter he had received from Bruce. "Somebody tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone, and so it was moved to Hogwarts for safekeeping. Mystery solved."
Harry shrugged. "I guess that's it."
The group, consisting of Harry, Hermione, Neville, Michael, and Padma, had no need to investigate any further, and so their conversation quickly turned to lessons.
"I don't want to start anything practical," Neville reluctantly admitted. "I'm not good at any of it, my Gran even thought I was a Squib at first."
"What do you mean you're not good at it?" Harry asked. "Remember when you helped take Malfoy and his cronies down on the train."
Neville vehemently shook his head. "That wasn't skill or learning," he explained. "Magic gets stronger based on your emotions and willpower. They made me angry and so my magic got stronger. I can't do any of it in a normal classroom."
"Maybe you just need some extra help?" Padma suggested.
"I'm sure the Professors won't mind giving you lessons," Michael added.
"No use," Neville said glumly. "I'm not even using my own wand, my Gran's making me use my Dad's old wand."
"You're not using your own wand?" Harry interjected incredulously. "Ollivander told me that no wands are the same, and that they have to choose who they're going to belong to."
"I know," Neville said miserably. "But my Gran won't let me buy a new wand. She says it's a 'distaste to my father's memory.'"
"You're your own person Neville," Harry said gently. "You don't have to honour anyone's memory if you don't want to."
Neville sighed, sniffed loudly, but nodded.
The next few weeks passed in a blur of normalcy, no late-night duels, three-headed dogs, or investigating any mysteries. It was simply a normal student life, as normal as a life could be at Hogwarts.
Eventually, it came to be Halloween morning and the students of Hogwarts woke to the smell of fresh pumpkins baking, the delicious aroma drifting throughout the corridor. Live bats flew around the Great Hall, darting around the candles that were floating above the tables.
Even better though, was that the lessons were becoming more interesting and practical, as the class mastered the basics and the theoretical. In Charms, Professor Flitwick had decided that the class was ready to start using Wingardium Leviosa, a spell that all were eager to practice ever since the first lesson when he had combined it with Diffindo and Incendio.
Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice with feathers that appeared in front of them. Harry was partnered with Padma, while Michael was paired with Sue Li (Harry sent him a look of pity, having to be paired with the girl he had never talked to).
"Remember the wrist movement," Flitwick instructed from the top of the pile of books he stood upon. "Swish and flick."
Harry grinned to himself, this was one of the spells he could no with minimal problems. He swished and flicked his wand at the feather and clearly said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather made its way skyward, hovering a few feet above the desk. Harry made a mental note to give Hermione thanks for correcting his pronunciation of the spell on the Hogwarts Express.
Padma grinned and also did the spell, her feather joining Harry's in the air.
"Well done," Professor Flitwick shouted, clapping his hands in congratulation. "Everyone see here, Miss Patil and Mister Wayne have both done it."
By the end of the lesson the room was filled with feathers drifting lazily overhead.
Harry, Michael and Padma went to their next lesson, Herbology, where Professor Sprout instructed the class on how to use Incendio effectively on the various plants. "These are Spiky Bushes," Professor Sprout yelled. "You may cast Incendio on them but step back to avoid their needles." The Professor demonstrated the needed wand movement for Incendio, a movement that vaguely resembled a candle's flame.
The plant they were currently looking at was the Spiky Bush, a bush that looked relatively normal other than the large yellow spikes that protruded at various angles. All the students were wearing their dragonskin gloves, as well as thick leather undershirts to protect them from the plant's needle spray.
The class began their lesson, enjoying the chance to be allowed to launch streams of fire all while dodging a volley of needles.
By the end of the class, everybody was exhausted and drenched in sweat, both from the heat of flames and the running to avoid projectiles.
During their lunch, Harry realised that he couldn't see Hermione at her table, and so he went to where Neville was sitting at the Gryffindor table and asked where she was.
Neville blushed a deep red but whispered, "Ron made her cry in Charms." He nodded his head to where Ron was talking to Seamus and Dean. "Ask Parvati if you want to know more."
Harry gave his thanks and waved Padma over, and the two walked to where Parvati and her friend were and tapped her shoulder.
Parvati turned to look, her eyebrow raised at being interrupted. "Sorry," Harry started, "but we were hoping you'd tell us what Ron did to make Hermione upset."
Parvati's expression changed in an instant, leaning forward with excitement at spreading gossip. "So, we were in Charms first period, learning Wingardium Leviosa. You learnt that one yet?" Harry nodded impatiently, mentally urging Parvati to speak. "Well, Ron was having a little trouble with it, waving his arms around and saying the spell all wrong. Hermione decided to help him, and taught him how to pronounce it." Harry remembered how she had done the same for him, which he had been thankful for." Ron sulked for the rest of the class when he still couldn't do it and Hermione could."
Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Is that it?" Harry asked.
Parvati slowly shook her head. "When we were leaving Charms, Ron started talking to Seamus and Dean, saying she was a nightmare and that he could see why nobody can stand her. She's in the girls' bathroom on the second floor now, she's been there since."
Harry felt his anger grow at Ron and glared at him from across the table, and the redhead had the decency to flush his cheeks and turn away.
Padma and Harry both gave their thanks to Parvati, and retreated back to their tables. "Do we go see Hermione?" Harry asked.
Padma shook her head. "Gods, no. Hermione tries to be a logical person, the last thing she'll want is for people to see her in this state of emotion. Best thing for us to do is ignore it, and if she wants to talk about it, we let her."
Harry sighed, but nodded. He began to fill his plate with food and soon he was back at his lessons, although his mind was still fixed on Hermione's wellbeing. During the Potions lesson, Harry filled Michael in about what had happened and Michael called Ron a few choice words that they were glad Snape didn't hear being said.
Soon, everybody was back in the Great Hall, the room full of casual conversation, while swarms of bats flew overhead. Harry scanned the Gryffindor table, but still couldn't find Hermione amongst the students.
He turned to look at the Halloween feast that had appeared and was about to help himself to some potatoes when Professor Quirrell sprinted through the hall, his turban askew and a look of pure terror fixed on his face. Everybody went silent as he rapidly reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, and he slumped against the table, yelling, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know." He then collapsed to the floor in a faint.
The Great Hall went from silence to a loud uproar in a moment. It took several explosions from the Professor's wands to bring back the silence. "Prefects," Dumbledore ordered. "Lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately."
The Ravenclaws got to their feet, and began to power walk in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower. They passed different groups of people scurrying in various directions. As they passed a group of Gryffindors, Harry realised. "Hermione!" he yelled.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Padma said, her voice tinged with a sad panic.
"We have to help." Michael and Padma nodded.
The group changed directions, blending in with the Gryffindor group. They passed Ron and Harry roughly grabbed his arm. "Hermione is in the bathroom sobbing, with no clue about the troll. Prove that you're a Gryffindor, do the right thing and help us."
Ron hesitated, but followed the Ravenclaws towards the girls' bathroom. They heard footsteps behind them as they rounded a corner, and Harry pulled the group behind a tapestry.
Peering around it, they saw Snape cross the corridor and disappear from sight. "Where is he going?" Harry mused aloud. "He should be with the teachers in the dungeons."
Once the coast was clear, they left the safety of the tapestry and speedily crept along the corridor in the direction of Snape. "He's going to the third floor," Harry said meaningfully. Michael and Padma gasped in shock, while Ron looked confused.
"What's so special about the third floor?" Ron asked.
Harry was about to refute any strangeness, when a pungent odour filled the air. "Do you all smell that?"
The group sniffed deeply, and instantly regretted it as the foul smell reached them, a mixture of sewage and unwashed bodies.
Then they heard it.
A deep grunting, and the sound of loud booms of heavy footsteps. Harry stopped the group from continuing onwards as he went around the corner.
The creature stood at twelve feet tall, its skin a dull, cobblestone grey colour, a thick body with an oddly contrasting small head on top. Its legs were short and broad with horned feet. In its arms was a long wooden club that dragged along the floor.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It contemplated for a moment, before hunching and entering the room.
"Oh Gods," Padma muttered in fearful realisation. "That's the girls' bathroom."
The group glanced at each other before sprinting in the room. "Hermione!" Harry yelled, as Hermione tried to press herself against the far wall. The troll was advancing on her, swinging its club at the sinks and stalls as it proceeded, shattering them.
"Distract it!" Harry commanded, casting a Flipendo at the troll's back. The troll turned in confusion at the slight impact and gave a loud grunt as the other students assisted with their own spells. The troll was a few feet from Hermione, and she took the opportunity of its distraction to run.
The troll had other ideas for her though. The club swung through the air, and the children froze.
The club made impact with Hermione lifting her into the air, where she seemed to hover momentarily, before she fell, hitting the ground with a sickening thud and crack of bones.
"NO!" Harry shouted. Harry had thought he had been mad before.
He thought he had been mad at the Dursleys for mistreating him.
Mad at the Joker for killing them.
Mad at Ron for causing this.
All of that was nothing compared to the burning wrath he currently felt at the troll. He suddenly understood what Neville had meant about magic and emotions being linked as he felt his magic flare around him.
No one else in the room knew what to do as Harry raised his wand with a focus somewhere between rage and serenity. "Diffindo." He slashed his wand repeatedly, casting the cutting spell. The troll was largely unaffected, a few small scratches appearing on its skin, the wall behind taking the most impact as the spell knocked debris from it.
"Incendio." What was previously only a small stream of fire was now far more powerful. An inferno of blue flames erupted from Harry's wand, and the troll groaned in pain as its skin blistered, the wall behind it blackening, the various pieces of the ruined wall igniting.
"Wingardium Leviosa." With a sweep of his wand, Harry levitated the flaming wall pieces, the detached sinks shards, and the remains of the stalls.
The objects hovered in the air for a few moments as the troll screamed in agony, before Harry thrust his wand forwards. The objects became a bombardment, showering the troll with the fiery stones, the sharp shards of sink, and the hard wood of the stall.
The troll fell to the floor, wheezing heavily, but Harry advanced still. "Flipendo." What before was a mere nuisance for the troll was much more now. The troll's head ripped from its body as it was knocked back, colliding with the wall in a splatter of blood.
Harry panted deeply as he suddenly felt exhaustion at his efforts. He didn't realise the amount of noise he had made, and did not notice when Professors McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape entered the room. Quirrell took one look at the charred and beheaded troll, gave a loud whimper and slumped on the floor, muttering to himself in panic.
Snape glided swiftly to Hermione's body and examined her, shaking his head after a few moments.
Professor McGonagall walked over to Harry and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "What happened?" she asked soothingly.
Harry didn't reply.
He simply walked over to Hermione.
He collapsed to the floor.
And he loudly sobbed next to her corpse.
Answering some questions in advance.
Is Hermione dead? - Yes
Will she be back? - Yes
Will I answer more questions about this? - Yes