Chapter 5 - Halloween Trolls
What only felt like days, turned into months. It was Halloween already! I kind of expected it, every day seems to be blurred together. Wood has us practicing all the time which is still fine with me because I love Quidditch but the classes are getting harder as is the studying plus the homework piles are growing larger and larger. I basically owe my life to Hermione's brain. I barely have time to write to mum and dad. Madam Hooch has taken me and Harry out of the flying lessons so we can use that as a free period for homework so our other free period is used for Wood to train us. I am literally only doing well in two lesson's, Charm's and Transfiguration. I love the idea of becoming an animagus like McGonagall and the marauders. As soon as Fred and George showed me the parchment I knew Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were Lupin, poor Peter Pettigrew god rest his soul, Sirius Black and Uncle James. I haven't told Harry because I think it would be funny for him to find out for himself. When I finally had a spare minute I wrote a letter to Uncle Moony to ask which book they used to learn about being an animagus. One of the reasons I love Uncle Moony is the fact he laughs at an 11 year old girl wanting to become an illegal animagus and also promises not to tell my mum or dad. I have read the complete book and have started teaching myself but I'm only on the breathing lessons, I have also promised Uncle Moony updates on how far I get. Plus to top it off my first game, is the first of the season, is against Slytherin and is tomorrow! I woke up late, as usual, so I had to skip breakfast and run to the Charms classroom with Professor Flitwick. My partner in charms is always Dean Thomas which makes every lesson a laugh and we both happened to be excellent at Charms.
"One of a wizard's most rudimental skill is levitation or the ability to make objects fly. Do you all have your feathers? Good. Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing. Hum! The "Swish and Flick". Everyone: the "Swish and Flick". Good! Oh and annunciate! Wingardium Leviosa. Off you go then!" Professor Flitwick ordered everyone. We had to watch our partners first. Dean got his levitating on his second try, Seamus, who was with Harry, blew his feather up and Ron, who was with Hermione, failed miserably and when Hermione tried to help him he turned into a miserable git. I got mine on my second time, Harry on his third go and Hermione got it on her first go, earning Gryffindor ten points. Harry, Ron, Seamus and Dean rushed out pretty quickly while I hung back for Hermione. I now I wish we hadn't. Ron really is a fowl git. When we caught up Ron was talking about Hermione.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry, "she's a nightmare, honestly, no wonder she hasn't got any friends." That's all he had to say to make her burst out crying and push past Harry and run to the girls toilets.
"'Mione!" I yelled after her as I pushed through Harry and Ron in an attempt to catch her but damn is she fast when she wants to be.
"I think she heard you." Harry said to Ron behind me and that's when I got angry. I turned around to glare at Ron and he definitely looked scared.
"You! You complete and utter prick! I can't believe you! You are just an insufferable git with her because you are jealous of the fact she is a muggleborn who is a damn sight better at magic compared to you, a boy who has been brought up with magic! You can't even levitate a ruddy feather! Hell, even Harry's better than you! And he's on the Quidditch team! You are damn well lucky that we have practice otherwise I would already have hexed you from here to Timbuktu! And for your information she is my friend! Hermione is my best friend!" I yelled in his face. Lucky for him he didn't say anything back. "Come on, Harry." I said pulling him away.
"She scares me." I heard Seamus say behind us which made Harry chuckle. Quidditch training followed its usual pattern. A quick flying drill, passing and catching practice with Angelina and Katie then some shot practice with Wood while Harry practices catching the snitch with Fred and George. Then we end with a team talk. I got out of there as quick as possible to head to the Great Hall to find Hermione leaving Harry running after me. I checked the Hall but she wasn't there. Harry had just caught up so I turned around to him.
"I'm going to find Hermione, I think she's in the girl's toilets. I'll be as quick as possible." I shouted to him as I started running to the toilets. As soon as I went inside I heard her sobbing. "'Mione." I sighed as I walked to outside the cubicle she was in. "You've just got to ignore him, Hermione. He's only a complete prick because he's jealous."
"Jealous?" She asked me in a tiny voice.
"Yeah." I replied. "He's jealous of how good at magic you are compared to how much he sucks at it. And I told him that myself. You're good at magic because of how much you study so you should just ignore him because he's wrong, 'Mione. You're my friend. You're my best friend." I sighed again. "I know how boys act, I have two brothers and they can be insufferable pricks when they want to be, trust me. Can you keep a secret, Hermione?" I asked.
"Yeah." She squeaked back while she was blowing her nose.
"I'm training to be an animagus just like three of my uncle's did when they were in Hogwarts. It is illegal but my Uncle Moony doesn't care, he's the one who's been training me." I said smiling.
"That's brilliant." Hermione sighed as I turned around to something that made my heart stop, I just froze. It was a huge, smelly, mountain troll and it was standing right in front of me, staring at me. All I could think as Hermione kept on talking was who lets three-headed Dogs AND Trolls into a school. "I don't think I have the patience to become an animagus, it takes too much time." Hermione sighed.
"Hermione." I said in a very strained voice as I slowly moved away from her bathroom cubicle. "Here's what I need you to do. You need to stay in there, okay? Climb onto the floor and stay there and please for god's sake keep quiet."
"Why?" She whisper asked me.
"Well, Hermione, there is a mountain troll staring at me and I only know a little bit about them. They are very stupid. They live in mountains but otherwise I know nothing of use." I said as I hit the back of the room while the troll was still staring at me. "Plus did I forget to mention it's holding a big arse wooden club." I whispered as it started lifting its club. "Oh, bugger. Confundo!" I yelled point my wand at the troll. He lowered the club and just stared at me again for a minute. Then he lifted his club again and swung it straight at me so I had to jump out of the way to under the sinks. That's when I saw Harry and Ron come into the bathroom. If there wasn't a troll trying to kill me, I might have laughed at the fact that they were in the girls toilets. "WHO THE HELL LET A TROLL INTO THE SCHOOL?" I yelled at them as the troll swung at me again meaning I had to jump out of the way. "Confundo!" I yelled again giving me chance to run under it and into the cubicle next to the one Hermione was in. "Evanesco." I whispered tapping the wall between me and Hermione making it vanish. Then the troll swiped the top of the cubicles off making both me and Hermione scream. I looked up to see Harry and Ron throwing pieces of wood at the troll trying to get its attention. "Stay down." I whispered to Hermione.
"Oi, pea brain!" Ron yelled throwing a piece of wood that hit its head gaining its attention.
"Hermione, Ash, move!" Harry yelled so I grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her across the floor and to under the sinks. Unfortunately the Troll saw us and immediately tried to hit us before Harry jumped onto the back of the troll and stuffed his wand up its nose. The troll then grabbed Harry and started swinging the club at him. "Do something!" Harry yelled. Ron looked at me but I showed him I didn't have my wand.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Anything!" I screamed at him.
"Swish and Flick." Hermione said to him as he pulled out his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron yelled pointing his wand at the troll's club levitating it to above the troll's head then he dropped it, knocking the troll unconscious. I pulled Hermione up and walked over to pick up my wand. "I take back what I said, Hermione." Ron smiled at her.
"Then I take back what I said as well, Ron." I smiled at Ron.
"Is it dead?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think so." Harry replied. "Just knocked out." He then pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in snot. "Urgh, troll bogies." He said wiping his wand on his trousers. Just as Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Quirrel ran into the room.
"Oh my goodness!" McGonagall said. Snape went to look at the troll while Quirrel whimpered by the door. Then McGonagall looked at me, Harry and Ron because we had our wands out. "Explain yourselves, the three of you." She ordered. You can tell how angry she was. Both boys stayed silent so I went to say something.
"Well, err..." I started before Hermione cut me off.
"It's my fault, Professor." Hermione said.
"Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked.
"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could handle it. I've read all about them. Ash came running after me to stop me but got caught in the crossfire then Harry and Ron appeared and saved both of us. They knocked it out with its own club while Ash confused it with the Confundo spell." Hermione explained. I'm not sure how shocked I looked but Hermione was lying to a teacher.
"Well, in that case..." McGonagall started while staring at the four of us. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" She asked but Hermione just hung her head. "Five points from Gryffindor for this. I am very disappointed in you. Off to Gryffindor tower with you." McGonagall ordered so Hermione left. "You three were extremely lucky. Not many first years could handle a fully-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed along with your parents. You may go." I left the bathroom as quickly as possible as I tucked my wand away.
"Did Hermione just...?" Ron asked before trailing off.
"Lie to a teacher to get you out of trouble, Ron, yes. So I suggest you start being a hell of a lot nicer to her." I said.
"I will." He replied as we walked into the common room where Hermione was waiting for us.
"Thanks." Ron and Hermione said at the same time. Which then started our group of mates.