CHAPTER TEN
HALLOWEEN
Perhaps it was because he was now so busy with the extra Charms lessons from Professor Flitwick and on top of all his homework, Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like a second home, just like Potter Manor had done so. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.
On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try learning how to use wand-lighting (or Lumos). Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Neville (which was a relief, because Neville was another one of his good friends). Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell which one of them was more angry about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry had been given his extra Charms.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
It was very difficult. Harry and Neville swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. When they tried a second time, Harry and Neville were more successful. Impressed, Professor Flitwick nodded and awarded Gryffindor and Slytherin house five points each. To his left, Harry saw that Seamus Finnigan got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Another student had to put it out with their hat.
Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard you."
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On his way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender Brown that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of his mind.
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when he looked over at Ron.
"You know, Ron." He said, "I've been thinking —"
"No," said Ron.
"But it makes sense to apologize to Hermione," said Harry.
"Maybe it does to you, but certainly not to me," Ron huffed.
"Look," Harry sighed with exhaustion in his voice, "I know we haven't been exactly friendly to her since we met her on the train, but we need to apologize to Hermione just the same."
"Alright, alright, fine." groaned Ron, giving up. "We'll apologize, but I won't like it. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, us getting expelled for bullying her?"
Harry was about to answer the question when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
Upon seeing the passed-out Professor Quirrell on the floor, Harry then looked back at Ron, rolling his eyes, "You had to ask." *
Afterwards, there was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Percy and Gemma were in their element. Harry and Ron however, were looking to escape their prefects.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
"How could a troll get in?" he asked Ron as he descended the stairs.
"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."
They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As he and Ron jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry then facepalmed himself realizing something.
"I've just thought — Hermione."
"What about her?"
"She doesn't know about the troll."
Ron bit his lip.
"You still want to apologize to her, don't you?" asked Harry. "Well, here's your chance."
"Oh, all right," Ron snapped. "But Percy and Gemma'd better not see us."
Ducking down, they rejoined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.
"Percy! Or worse… Gemma!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.
Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.
"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"
"Search me."
Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.
"He's heading for the third floor," Ron said, but Harry held up his hand.
"Can you smell something?"
They sniffed and a foul stench reached their nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.
It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.
"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."
"Good idea," said Ron nervously. They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.
"Yes!"
Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.
"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as any of the school ghosts.
"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.
"Hermione!" they said together.
It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.
Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.
"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.
The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.
"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.
The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped — it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.
Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.
Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. It was Hermione who spoke first.
"Is it — dead?"
"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."
He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.
"Urgh - troll boogers."
He wiped it on the troll's trousers.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning any points for Gryffindor or Slytherin faded quickly from Harry's mind.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your common rooms?"
Snape also gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.
Then a small voice came out of the shadows.
"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.
"I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."
Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."
Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.
"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Ravenclaw for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Ravenclaw Tower. Your peers are finishing the feast in their Houses."
Hermione stepped outside, she got a brief glimpse of Harry nonverbally telling her to wait for him and Ron, she nodded. Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.
"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win ten points to Gryffindor and Slytherin respectfully. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."
"Not so fast, Minerva," said Snape, "I'd like a quick word with Potter. You can tell his friends to wait for his return."
"As you wish, Severus," Professor McGonagall nodded. "After all, Potter is in your house, after all."
Once outside the girls' bathroom, Snape sat Harry down on a bench and looked at him firmly.
"Well Potter, is all of what Miss Granger said true?"
Upon until now, Harry had vowed he would never tell another lie to Professor Snape, but now that Hermione had his back, Harry decided to go with the flow.
"Yes, that and there was another reason."
"And what pray tell might that be?" Snape asked.
"Me and Ron wanted to apologize to her for being a little harsh towards her earlier when the term started." Snape nodded indicating he was listening, "I don't expect it to work out, but as they say, 'better late than never', don't you agree?"
"In many respects, yes," agreed Snape. "Incidentally, while I've also got you here Potter, I wanted to let you know that I've been speaking to Professor Flitwick about your extra Charms lessons."
"Yes, what about them?"
"He tells me that you are doing exceptionally well in your extra lessons," Snape complimented. "And that he is honored, as is most of the castle, to have you as a student."
"And what do you think of me?" Harry asked.
"You've been following my feedback on your studies from me, have you not?" asked Snape.
"I have, sir," Harry nodded.
"You and I may have gotten off to a rough start in my class when it began, but I am pleased to see you are doing better in Potions slowly but surely."
He gave one his of rare smiles.
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, rising to leave, "May I go now?"
Snape nodded, "You may indeed."
"And I hope you enjoy the rest of your Halloween, Professor," said Harry.
"We'll see. And I hope that you try to do the same on your part, Potter," replied Snape.
As Harry caught up to Ron, he heard his friend grumble, "We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.
"That may be true," Harry agreed, "but it's better than nothing."
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save Hermione."
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked that thing in with her," Harry reminded him.
They had reached the bench where Hermione sat patiently, awaiting their arrival.
"Listen Hermione," Ron began, "we just wanted to say that we're — well, you know —" He was about to escape when Harry fiercely jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow!" He shot Harry a dirty look and turned back to Hermione, "We're sorry."
Hermione nodded, "Apology accepted on both your parts. And I too am sorry for being such a pain."
"Apology accepted," Harry agreed, as he extended out a hand, "Friends?"
"Friends," confirmed Hermione as she added her own hand.
"Friends," nodded Ron, adding his own hand to the lot and all three shook each other's hand and then shook all three of them rather tightly and warmly.
Not another word said, with warm smiles on the newly found friends and the hatchet buried, the three tired students entered their common rooms.
The Slytherin common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Having grabbed a plateful of food and sweets, Harry entered his dormitory and began writing his next letter to his mom, Uncle Remus, Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley. He kept his letter short and simple and explained all of the latest things that happened to him and then sealed the four letters in four individual envelopes.
That night, as he laid asleep in his bed, Harry knew that Ron knew, one thing was absolutely certain from that night on: From that moment on, Hermione Granger became their best friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
As he slept, Harry wondered if his mom and Uncle Remus's first school year was very much like his own? Or was it extra special like today where you had to savor the little moments? Also, wherever he was, what would his step-dad Tobias Prince think of all this, if anything?
Harry didn't receive an answer for himself mentally about the last question, but he knew deep down, he was sure that not only would Tobias be proud of him, but so would his blood father James.
This definitely has been a Halloween to remember, and best of all Snape is actually becoming a little better at accepting me as a student and a person. A warm smile spread across his face. For the first time in your life, Harry, things are starting to go right. *
Author's notes:
* So that was my tenth chapter of the Sorcerer's Stone, and as always with every one of my stories, let me know what you all think so far by leaving your feedback in the comments area.
* The Harry Potter franchise, its characters, elements and everything else are owned and were created by J. K. Rowling.
* The "You had to ask." line Harry says to Ron after the latter asks what could go wrong can come from any move, but in my case I use the version from Avengers: Age of Ultron after Thor asks Ultron if his attacks (and duplicates) are the best that he can do. When Ultron reveals he still has more of himself, Captain America says to Thor the same thing that Harry says to Ron.
* Harry's inner monologue about things getting starting to get better for him comes from a moment Aladdin has to himself after kissing Jasmine and before Jafar arrests him and has the guards drown him comes from his own movie respectfully.
That said, until the next chapter my fellow Wizards, Witches and Muggles:
I'm M. R. Parkerson signing off…
