I own neither Harry Potter nor Star Wars. I promise to do nothing with other people's characters they haven't had them do themselves. Of course, for Harry Potter, that means I could have the wisest of all wizards protect an incredibly powerful magical artefact with a guard dog that can be put to sleep indefinitely by setting your iPod on repeat, but it already worked so well.
Harry Potter made it to his first charms class with only seconds to spare. He took the last available seat just as the Charms professor, a tiny man named Professor Flitwick, started to take roll. Professor Flitwick was a very excitable old man who nearly fell over when he read Harry's name. Harry felt he was standing out quite a bit dressed in his grey Jedi robes while everyone around him wore in black Hogwarts school attire. He hoped his new robes arrived soon, as he wasn't used to quite this much scrutiny. On this first day of class, there was no magic to be done. Professor Flitwick covered a quick orientation to charms and then began to teach the students how to write with a quill. Filius Flitwick was a kind man, who recognized that Muggle-borns who had used ballpoint pens all their lives quite often took some time to learn to write correctly with a quill.
"And some of the magically raised could probably do with a refresher as well," he squeaked. "This is as much for my benefit as it is for yours," he told the students, "as it means I have far less indecipherable papers covered in blotches and smears."
Harry was very appreciative of the lesson, as he usually used keyboards for any writing assignments with the Jedi. He had never even considered the possibility of using bird feathers to write with. They were assigned lines to practice, writing the phrase Flitwick had transcribed on the blackboard. Hermione, of course, was a Muggle-born, but she nonetheless took to a quill with the ease of one born to it. She demonstrated a very tidy script that earned Gryffindor five points from the tiny professor. Many of the half-bloods and pure-bloods wrote legibly, though with varying degrees of tidiness. Ron's handwriting, according to Hermione, looked more like an inkblot test for a muggle psychiatrist. Harry didn't show her his paper, which was covered with drips and smears, but he felt his wasn't any better than Ron's. Flitwick assigned the class an essay covering the first chapter of their textbook as writing practice.
"Ahh, Remus," said Dumbledore. "Please sit down. Would you care for a lemon sherbet?"
"No, thank you," Lupin said. As students, he and the other marauders once had a very lively debate on whether anyone had ever actually taken a lemon drop from the Headmaster.
"I take it your assignment went well?" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes," answered Remus. "I was unobserved and was able to maintain surveillance for most of the morning. I couldn't tail them into Gringotts, of course, but I was able to follow them for all of their other stops."
"Of course," said Dumbledore. "And did you gain any insight into the Jedi, and what their motivations with young Mr Potter may be?"
"Very little, in fact," answered Remus. "If they had been escorted by someone with more... social skills than Severus, then perhaps..."
"Ah... I am sorry about that," said Dumbledore. "I was going to send Hagrid, but Mr Kendet requested Professor Snape accompany them."
"I wondered about that," said Remus. "Hagrid would have loved to do it. In fact, he even showed up and gave Harry his owl."
"Indeed," answered Dumbledore. "I was somewhat startled when Mr Kendet made the suggestion. Not nearly as shocked as Severus was, I'm sure."
"I'll bet," said Remus. "Any idea why he requested Snape?"
"A guess alone," answered Dumbledore. "He was informed in last night's meeting that you had been searching for Harry for years. He witnessed Harry being left on the Dursley doorstep by myself, Minerva, and Hagrid. Severus was, therefore, the only person in the room he could have requested that had, to his knowledge, nothing to do with Harry being left there."
Remus Lupin was shocked at how Dumbledore had just deduced the exact reasons that Toma Kendet had given to Harry only a few minutes before.
"Yes, well," Remus said as he went through his notes. "The only other thing of interest I have to report is that neither Mr Kendet nor Harry responded in any way that I could perceive to Severus's verbal attacks."
"Attacks?" inquired Dumbledore.
"He was quite... brusque with them," Remus reported. "To be honest, he wasn't nearly as acerbic as I feared he would be when I first saw who was escorting Harry. He certainly did not encourage them to speak of themselves."
"I see," said Dumbledore. "I will speak with him again, but I do not expect it will be heeded."
"At any rate," said Remus, "I was able to look up some concepts last night based on what Mr Kendet said in the meeting. I believe, based on his description of 'The Force,' that the 'Jedi' belong to a religion similar to Taoism. 'The Force' being created by all creatures, and the Jedi being vessels of the 'The Force,' these concepts are similar to Taoism."
"I see," said Dumbledore. "Well, Remus, I do thank you for your assistance. I know that the additional time you have taken from your work is likely to cause frictions between you and your employer. Do you foresee any difficulties in retaining your job?"
"No," answered Remus. "It's been a good stretch for me, and I was able to arrange vacation time for this week. I knew when term started, of course, so I planned ahead. I do need to be getting back, though."
"Of course," Dumbledore said. "I do appreciate all of your efforts over the years. I do not foresee that I will require your services for the immediate future, so you are free to return home. I hope you understand that I am not sending you away. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish."
"Thank you," said Remus. "As much as I'd love to stay and get to know Harry, I do still need to earn my living, and my vacation is over."
"I may be able to arrange something for you closer to home," Dumbledore said. "You need only ask."
"That is kind of you," said Remus. "I'm good for now, I think. It eases my mind just to know he is found. I'll let him settle for a while before I indulge myself in renewing our acquaintance."
"As you wish," said Dumbledore.
At 11:00 AM, the first year Gryffindor students attended History of Magic. Harry was surprised to find that it was taught by a ghost. As a Jedi, Harry was training to be a diplomat and ambassador as well as a warrior. He recognized that history was an essential part of his education. Professor Binns, however, could bore the legs off of a Tatooine Eopie and still make it run to get away from him. His first lesson began in the middle of a chapter as if he had been teaching without students the entire summer and had simply not noticed. Harry wondered if he were to come back after term and check, would he find an empty classroom other than the old ghost talking about goblin revolutions to empty chairs. Harry was becoming alarmed that he was only in his second class and was already having to use some meditation techniques to keep from becoming frustrated. He knew that, similar to learning the Force, learning magic would not always be easy or fun. He did hope, however, that they'd get to something interesting soon.
After the longest hour Harry could remember, they were released for lunch. He sat with Hermione and compared notes from their history class. Harry was quite amazed at Hermione's ability to transcribe nearly word for word many of the ghosts sentences legibly, and he was a bit embarrassed at his own attempts. Hermione confessed that she had practised with calligraphy sets for years before she learned about Hogwarts, and that had helped her a lot. She gave him some pointers about the angle he was holding his quill, where to position his hand to avoid smearing the wet ink, and how to prevent most of the drips that dotted his parchment. Ron ate his lunch. He ate most of Harry's lunch as well since Harry was busy talking to Hermione.
Harry was finally allowed to take out his wand in his next class, Transfiguration. This was one of the lessons he was greatly anticipating. He was quite impressed when the teacher, the stern-looking Professor McGonagall, turned her desk into a pig and back. Under normal circumstances, he would probably have questioned why you would want to turn your desk into a pig, but he was far too eager to try it himself to ask. He quickly found out that they would not be performing at that level for years yet, and were assigned the less impressive, but no less magical task of trying to turn a matchstick into a pin.
Harry paid attention to Professor McGonagall and took notes with the rest of the class as she demonstrated how to hold their wand, the proper movement of the instrument, and the incantation they were to say as they waved it above the matchstick. When finally given permission to make an attempt, Harry took a deep breath, waved his wand above the matchstick in the pattern the professor had described and said the incantation. In a stunning display of magic, the matchstick did… nothing.
Harry looked around him and found that he was not alone in getting no results. Harry tried again and again for the remainder of the class but didn't alter his matchstick in the slightest. He took comfort in the fact that only Hermione had changed her matchstick at all. He began to wonder why it was so easy for him to use the Force, but so difficult to focus it through a wand.
Professor McGonagall kept him behind after class to inform him of some of the things he had missed at the opening feast. The most important of these notices was that students were forbidden from entering the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side, though the deputy headmistress left off the death threat Dumbledore had added during his speech.
The final class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Quirrell. The professor was a very odd man, who wore a large purple turban that looked quite out of place, both at Hogwarts and on his head. He told the students it was a gift from an African prince as a reward for defeating a zombie, but the students entertained a good deal of doubt about that. He stuttered quite a lot and seemed to fear absolutely everything.
Something unusual had begun happening in the defence classroom, as well. Any time Professor Quirrell turned his back to write something on the board, the scar that was still present on Harry's forehead began to sting. This scar had always puzzled the Jedi, who had tried numerous times to heal it. Eventually, the healers decided that since it wasn't physically hurting Harry, they would leave it alone. They were able to detect a strange energy emanating from the scar, but could never define what type of energy it was, or the source. It had not bothered Harry since the day Toma had healed it with a bacta bandage, but it had never gone completely away, either.
Harry did not think it coincidental that it began hurting on his first day of magical classes, but could not come up with a reason it started in this classroom. After it gave him a particularly sharp twinge when Harry asked the professor a question, Harry tried a meditation technique to clear his mind. The pain immediately stopped, and Harry was able to concentrate again.
Harry spent the afternoon working on his charms essay. The tips he received from Hermione had helped a great deal already. Ron came over with a chessboard and offered to teach Harry how to play. Ron beat him soundly on the first game, but Harry learned quickly. The second game was a long, drawn-out affair that lasted until dinnertime. Harry finally pinned down Ron's king to win the game. During all of this, Hermione was writing her charms essay, doing her history homework, looking up the next chapter they were to cover in DADA, and reading ahead in all of her classes.
That night at dinner, Harry's scar hurt again. It occurred as he noticed Professor Snape, who was sitting next to Professor Quirrell, staring at him with that piercing expression he had perfected. Harry closed his eyes and renewed his mental shields. The pain drifted back to nothingness, and Harry continued to eat.
The next morning, Hedwig and several barn owls turned up at breakfast delivering packages that turned out to be his school robes. Harry returned to his dormitory and changed into them as soon as he was finished with breakfast. He had kept the Jedi style tunic, pants and belt, and wore the school robes over this. He felt it was far more comfortable this way, and did not want to totally abandon the only culture he could remember. His lightsaber would be worn underneath the outer robes as well, but the more constricting school uniform did not have as many places to conceal the rest of the tools he was used to carrying, so they would have to remain in the trunk he had purchased.
The rest of the week was much of the same. The first class in a subject was generally an introduction and orientation, followed by the taking of quite a few notes. As the week went on and they were taught the introductory theory, a beginning practical lesson was held. Harry was starting to get some results from his wand but was not comfortable channelling the Force through the unfamiliar instrument yet. Friday saw the most challenging day Harry had yet experienced at Hogwarts. This was his first potions class.
Professor Snape, it seemed, had not yet forgiven Harry for being required to escort him off campus to obtain his school supplies. After singling Harry out during the roll call, he asked some complicated questions regarding ingredients Harry had not yet heard of. Harry had read the first couple of chapters from Magical Drafts and Potions. Only having obtained his books less than a week before, though, he had yet encountered references to Asphodel, Wormwood, bezoars, monkshood or wolfs-bane. In fact, only Hermione could answer the surly professor's questions, but Snape ignored her and took points from Harry.
Harry reported each night to Toma by way of a communicator. The Jedi Master had rented a small room above the Three Broomsticks and had spent his week getting familiar with the village and learning as much as he could about the wizarding world on this strange planet. Harry told his Master about the classes he was taking, what he learned in them, as well as the friends that he had made. Toma was quite concerned about Harry's report regarding his scar hurting but was pleased Harry was able to control it using his meditation techniques. Meditation had not been an easy task for Harry to learn, as he was naturally impulsive. Toma wanted Harry to integrate into this new culture but didn't want him to lose sight of his Jedi training, either.
The weeks passed quickly for Harry. He woke every morning before any of his dorm mates and left the castle for his morning exercises on the castle grounds. These included a warm-up run to the lake, and then lightsaber drills. One of his favourite activities required him to hold his lightsaber as still as possible while he twisted and spun his body over, under, and around the blade. Sometimes holding the weapon and sometimes leaving it suspended in the air by the Force, he would get as close to the shining emerald green beam as possible without touching it.
It was his second training lightsaber, given to him when his body and skills had outgrown the first. He was quite fond of it and practised with it daily. While it was considered a training lightsaber, it was only a trainer in name alone. The blade was in full operational mode and would remain so unless Harry was ordered to disable it by Toma. At his Master's request, he never performed his lightsaber exercises within sight of the castle. Toma expected Harry to keep up with his Jedi training but also wanted the weapons to remain a secret for as long as possible. After his practice, he would jog back to the castle and return to his dormitory. After showering and dressing, he meditated in the Common Room until his classmates started coming down. Breakfast followed, and then classes.
Out of all the students at Hogwarts, the only one Harry found himself actively disliking was a first-year Slytherin student named Draco Malfoy. The arrogant young man seemed to waste no opportunity to mock Harry, throwing his status around like being a pure-blood was akin to royalty. Harry did not generally respond to these provocations, except to try to stay out of Draco's way. Malfoy soon found ways to get Harry to respond, however. In their very first flying class, Malfoy took advantage of an accident which caused Neville Longbottom to break his wrist. Even though the flying instructor, Madam Hooch, had expressly forbidden any flying while she was away, Malfoy had stolen Neville's dropped Remembrall. He had then flown off to taunt Harry with it.
"Come and get it, Potter!" called out Malfoy. He was holding the small sphere out while holding his broom with one hand. Harry reached his hand out to Malfoy. Draco laughed. "You're not going to be able to reach it from down there, Potter!" he yelled at the strange boy. Suddenly, the Remembrall flew out of his hand and sped down to Harry, who caught it just as Madam Hooch was returning. Malfoy received detention for flying without permission and swore to get back at Harry.
Harry was frequently invited to have tea with Hagrid, and he was forming a great friendship with the giant man. Hagrid had a large dog named Fang, who was quite possibly the laziest animal Harry had encountered on any of the worlds he had visited. Hagrid was able to provide a lot of background information to Harry but refused to speculate on why Professor Snape seemed to hate him.
Before anyone knew it, it was already Halloween. Harry was still finding that doing magic was quite a bit more complicated than manipulating the Force, but was improving. In Charms, Professor Flitwick said they were finally ready to start trying to make objects levitate. He handed each of his students a feather and showed them the proper wand movement and incantation. Harry, along with most of his class, made an attempt, with varying degrees of success in imitating the swish and flick they had been shown. Ron looked like he was trying to bludgeon the feather into flight, prompting Hermione to attempt to correct him. He did not take the instructions she gave him well and was even more put off when she demonstrated that her advice was sound by being the first in the class to levitate her feather.
"She's a nightmare, honestly!" Ron lamented after class. They were walking through the courtyard to get to their next class. "It's no wonder she hasn't any friends." Suddenly, Hermione rushed past the boys and ran into the castle.
"That was uncalled for, Ron," Harry said.
"What?" defended the redhead. "No one can stand her, Harry."
"I certainly can," stated Harry, "and she is my friend. You need to apologize to her before Transfiguration starts."
"But…" started Ron, but Harry would not hear any excuses.
"No, Ron," declared Harry. "I know she can be a lot to take in, but she did not deserve what you said."
"Fine," said Ron. He knew that he had gone too far, but like most boys his age, admitting this was exceedingly difficult.
Ron did not get a chance to apologize before class, however, as Hermione never showed up. They did not see her the rest of the day, in fact. After classes were concluded, Harry dragged Ron around the castle, trying to find her but had no success. When Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, though, they overheard two of the Gryffindor girls talking about how she had been in the girl's bathroom all day, crying. Ron felt quite bad about this and didn't even need Harry to prod him into going to find her. They left immediately, rushing to the girl's bathroom closest to the courtyard where they had last seen Hermione. As they approached the corridor where the bathroom was located, however, they heard heavy breathing and the thudding sound of enormous footfalls. They rounded the final corner to find a massive, greenish skinned troll with a huge wooden club open a door and peer in. A high-pitched scream echoed out of the room, and the boys realized what room it was. Harry and Ron looked at each other in horror as the troll entered the girl's bathroom.
"Come on!" Harry yelled as he rushed to the door and flung it open. Hermione was backed into a corner, the bulk of the monster blocking any possibility of escape. She saw Harry enter, followed by Ron.
"Distract it!" yelled Harry as he quickly pulled off his Hogwarts robe to reveal his Jedi tunic beneath. Ron began throwing debris at the troll, trying to keep it off of Hermione. Harry pulled his lightsaber free from his belt, and held it out, pointed down at about a 45° angle. Hermione saw him do this and did not think much of his strategy to distract the troll with a flashlight. She was about to voice her opinion on this when Harry switched it on. With a hum of power, a brilliant emerald green blade of light erupted from the handle! Both Hermione and, more importantly, the troll was stunned into motionlessness at the sight and sound of the strange device. The troll let out a growl and advanced on Harry. It swung its club at the young Jedi. Harry reacted instantly, swinging his weapon up and then back down, the lightsaber parting the club into three pieces! Two of the pieces fell to the ground, leaving the troll to stare in confusion at the tiny bit it still held. With a roar of rage, it threw the stub at Ron, who was still pelting it with pieces of wood, glass, and porcelain. Ron squealed and ducked to avoid the speeding missile.
"Back down!" Harry yelled at the troll. "I don't want to hurt you!"
"What?" he heard Ron squeak, clearly not believing his ears. In answer, the troll raised its hands into the air, clasped them together into a fist, and with a roar brought the fist down to smash the Jedi! With no other choices, Harry spun out of the way, his lightsaber swinging in an arc around him. The troll howled in pain and anger as its hands were severed from its arms at the wrists by the shining blade of light. Harry backed off, gaining some distance. Now both furious and in immense pain, the monster charged at Harry.
The young Jedi threw his lightsaber at the hulking troll. Spinning as it flew through across the bathroom, the green blade slashed into the hulking troll, piercing its heart! The hilt of the lightsaber remained to stick out from the monster's chest. The troll, still propelled forward by its momentum, crashed to the floor with a ground-shaking thud. Ron and Hermione were stunned into silence at the sight of Harry standing above the vanquished beast. His lightsaber retracted from the body and flew back to the young Jedi. Harry powered off the weapon and replaced it on his belt. He offered his hand to Hermione, who was still sitting in a pile of debris on the floor. He helped her to her feet and was instantly smothered in a hug from the grateful girl.
"You will always have a friend with me," declared Harry. This squeezed more tears from Hermione, but they were good tears. Where before they were tears of despair, this strange boy had turned them into tears of relief and joy.
"Bloody Hell, Harry," Ron exclaimed. He was staring at the body of the troll, trying to come to grips with what he had seen.
The door to the bathroom suddenly slammed open, and Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell rushed in. With looks of shock and amazement, they took in the scene.
"Explain yourselves!" ordered Professor McGonagall. "All three of you are out of bounds! You were all ordered to your dormitories. What were you thinking, wandering the halls on your own?"
"We didn't know, Professor," Harry defended. "When we left the Great Hall, everything was fine, and we weren't told to return to our dormitories." Ron nodded his agreement with Harry's statement.
"Then what on earth were you and Mr Weasley doing in the girl's bathroom?" asked an incredulous McGonagall.
"Please, professor," whimpered Hermione. "They were looking for me."
"Miss Granger?" inquired McGonagall, not liking to think her favourite student had something to do with this. She had noted the girl's absence from class that day and had wondered if she was ill.
"Ron and I noticed that Hermione wasn't at dinner," interjected Harry. "We had heard she was upset and left the Great Hall to find her." Snape looked disbelieving at this and gave McGonagall a look that clearly stated he didn't believe this. Quirrell was hardly listening at all, examining the troll and its various injuries. McGonagall also noticed the trolls missing hands.
"How did you do this?" she asked. Harry didn't answer at first, and Snape advanced on him.
"You have been asked a question by a Hogwarts professor, Mr Potter," the potions teacher said, closing the distance between them. "You will answer this question immediately!" Harry, not having any options available to him, removed the lightsaber from his belt.
"With this," he explained, switching it on. He would have been entertained by the stunned looks each professor wore, had Harry not been worrying what Toma would be saying to him about this later.
"What in the world is that?" asked a shocked McGonagall. Professors Snape and Quirrell were staring at the shining blade in the hands of the young student.
"It is a lightsaber," explained Harry. "It's the weapon and tool of the Jedi Knights, and we are trained in its use from the moment we're old enough to hold one."
"You will turn that device off and hand it over to me this instant!" demanded Professor Snape. He was furious that the boy was carrying some alien weapon around the halls of Hogwarts. Harry wasn't about to give it to him, though.
"I cannot do that, Professor," said Harry.
"You will hand it over or be expelled!" shouted the irate man, spitting his words at the son of his most hated rival. Harry levelled the eyes that were so very much like his mother's at Snape, switched the lightsaber off, and attached it once again to his belt.
"I was instructed by my Master to keep it on my person at all times," Harry adamantly stated. "Any discussions on this will have to include Master Kendet."
"Stop calling him 'Master!'" spit out Professor Snape, shocking everyone present. "He is not your Master, nor should he be allowed to even step foot in this castle again!"
"That will do, Severus," said a calm voice from the door. Everyone turned to find Headmaster Dumbledore standing there. He entered the bathroom and walked over to Ron and Hermione. "I think, perhaps, it would be best if these two were to report to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can ensure they are uninjured. The rest of us should continue this discussion in my office." He gave Professor Snape a significant look. "Calmly." With a snort, Professor Snape swept out of the girl's bathroom, his robes billowing behind him.
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said to Dumbledore. "I'm sorry to have disturbed the Halloween feast."
"Are you all right, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Perhaps you should visit the hospital wing as well."
"I'm not injured, Headmaster," Harry answered. "I would like to request, however, that Master Kendet be present in your office during this discussion. He must be made aware of these events."
"I will notify him at once," Dumbledore agreed. "However, if a student encountered a mountain troll and I allowed him to go anywhere but the hospital wing… Well, I don't think a troll would compare at all to how angry Madam Pomfrey would be with me for letting that happen," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. They all left the bathroom and began walking towards the hospital wing. "I will escort you to the hospital wing, and we can wait to have our meeting until Mr Kendet can arrive here."
"Master Kendet, if you please," corrected Harry. "I know that it's not normal here to call someone Master, but I am a Jedi."
"Very well," Dumbledore agreed. "I admit to a great deal of curiosity on this point," the Headmaster said. "What does the title of Master mean to the Jedi?"
"Master is the highest rank a Jedi can normally obtain, except for the leader of the Order itself, who is addressed as Grand Master," Harry explained as they slowly walked the hall towards the hospital wing. "It is bestowed by the Council on Jedi Knights who have demonstrated that they have mastered at least one aspect of the Force." Harry and Dumbledore discussed the ranks of the Jedi Order until they reached the Hospital Wing. There, the Headmaster left Harry in the hands of Madam Pomfrey while he went to his office to send an owl to Toma Kendet. Dumbledore had observed the altercation between Professor Snape and young Harry and knew he would have to find some sort of compromise here. Knowing how his potions master was likely to respond, Dumbledore thought he'd rather fight the troll.
Hermione was having a very rough day. Even though she was easily the most intelligent girl in not only her year but in several of the years ahead of her as well, she was still very insecure. She had never made friends easily and had precious few people she could call friends in her life. She had always stood out, with her intelligence and love for learning, setting her apart from her peers. When she received her Hogwarts letter, and a visit from Professor McGonagall proved magic was real, she thought things might change. She believed the fact that she was magical explained why she was so different from everyone else she knew. Hermione was hoping that Hogwarts would prove to be a turning point for her, allowing her to finally be around others like her.
Reality was brought back to her like having a cold glass of ice water thrown in her face. It was no different here, she found. She still stood out from the other children. She still was alone. The only exception to this was Harry Potter, who seemed to like her. She was quite afraid that he was just polite, though, and secretly he wished she would just go away. Today had been the worst day yet. First, she had to endure watching Ron completely ignore all instructions in Charms. Then, when she tried to help him, it came out all wrong. She didn't intend to nag, but whenever she tried to help someone, it came out like she was trying to prove she was superior. Immediately after class, her greatest fear was realized. Ron told Harry that she was a nightmare, that it was no wonder she had no friends. She just wanted to go home. She had never skipped a class before in her life, but she just couldn't stand being around anyone. She wanted the earth to swallow her up.
Reflecting on the event later, she was astounded at the speed with which everything had occurred. One moment she was crying in the bathroom, at a sink about wash her face, the next moment a giant, twelve-foot troll peered into the room, growling and slobbering at her. One second before it showed up if given a choice between life and death, she was not sure which way she would have chosen. One second later, she could have volunteered for a suicide hotline. She chose life! And then Harry had shown up. Like a knight rescuing a princess in the fairy tales she used to read as a child, he showed up to battle the beast. He even had a sword. It was a laser sword, so the analogy to the fairy tales only went so far, but she had to admit the thing was effective. In one day, she had gone from not knowing if she would ever make a friend to being totally smitten with Harry Potter.
In the hospital wing, she and Ron were examined by Madam Pomfrey. She only had scratches, while Ron was completely unscathed. The matron healed Hermione's minor injuries in about a second, told them she wanted them to rest for one hour, and then would be allowed to go back to their dormitories. As soon as the nurse left them alone, Ron apologized to Hermione. As it turns out, she was not the only insecure Gryffindor first year. Ron told her how he had all these older brothers who were all very brilliant, and he was afraid he would never be as good as any of them.
Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall then entered, delivering Harry to be examined by Madam Pomfrey. After she declared him unharmed but wanting Harry to rest the same as the others, Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a table filled with food. They had missed the Halloween feast, after all, and were quite famished. Informing Harry that he wanted to see him in his office at 9 o'clock the next morning, he took his leave of them. Professor McGonagall awarded Gryffindor House ten points apiece for the Ron and Harry and then left as well. Left alone, the three youngsters then exchanged stories and smiles as they talked and ate for the remainder of the hour. They left the hospital wing, making their way back to their dormitory. Hermione finally had some friends, including the one who had started this mess to begin with. After all, you can't risk your life fighting a twelve-foot mountain troll without becoming friends with each other.