Edited 05/02/2020
"Mr. Potter that is not how you levitate multiple objects. Did you want to put all your eggs in one basket?" Professor Flitwick said. Harry begrudgingly focused on his teacher's council.
The reprimand was light in the grand scheme of things. Harry was having difficulty levitating more than three objects at once. He found it easier to levitate multiple objects together. It was easier to picture them all as a singular group instead of multiple objects. In his mind they were feathers instead of three feathers. While seemingly a distinction without a difference that wasn't the case. The users perception of the difference played a role in it.
Professor Flitwick levitated three feathers and launched them at Harry. In turn Harry waved his wand to battle the pint-sized Professor for control. While he battled for the control of one feather and almost took it the other two flew unencumbered. When they touched his chest, Harry realized he'd lost.
"Mr. Potter, now do you understand. While battling another wizard its best to present multiple targets to avoid a true battle of control. I didn't need every single feather to touch you to declare victory." The point hit home. Controlling multiple objects was superior to controlling a group.
"Ron you're saying the spell wrong. Its levi oh sah not levi oh so." Ron's face went red in embarrassment. A storm was brewing between them. Harry sighed and went back to work.
He focused on the feathers lifting two separate feathers. Two was his limit for now. Professor Flitwick waved his wand and they battled for control over two constructs. Despite the amount of qi flowing through Harry's body, he quickly developed a migraine. When the class ended his head was truly pounding hard.
"Can you believe how bossy she is?" Ron asked. "I mean mate, she really is a bird with how much chirping she's been up to." Harry felt his head pound with each word. His qi was slowly easing the pain, but he had over worked his mind this time. He sensed Hermione distancing herself from them but paid it no mind.
….
At the Halloween feast Hermione was nowhere to be seen. That was strange, normally she was stuffing her little face with the rest of Gryffindor. It wasn't like her to be absent. Something had to be wrong.
Harry stood up and began to walk towards an exit. Just as his hand touched the door, Professor Quirrell burst in.
"Troll in the dungeon. There is a troll in the Dungeon. I just thought you should know." Harry found it weird that a troll could enter the castle through the dungeon. Then again apparently Quirrell had a live troll present for his classes.
Harry adjusted his goal tacking on killing the troll if it crossed his path. In the distraction Harry pulled open the door and started head to the girls' lavatory. With his sixth sense it wasn't difficult to find her trail. It would have been easier if he had asked about her. He added that suggestion to next time.
He made it to the girl's lavatory quickly. Hermione was the only one inside. Harry could hear her weeping from the hallway.
"Hermione, its Harry I'm here." Harry said.
"Go away Harry, I don't want to talk to anyone." Hermione said. Her voice was hoarse from crying and barely carried over. He sighed and sat down.
"I'll be right here." Harry said.
"I don't want to talk Harry." Hermione cried out.
"We don't have to talk. I'll just wait here for you. I'll wait all night if that's what you need." Harry said.
"Why can't the other boys be like you? They are so immature. Ron can't even take criticism." Hermione said.
"No, he can't he's embarrassed at being average at magic. His pride is on the line and he couldn't afford to be seen as needing help. Not a friend to the great Harry Potter. That's how I see it." Harry said.
"The teachers are harder on you than anyone. You're better than the rest of us and instead of giving you more points, they make you fail." Hermione said, her voice raw. Harry chuckled at that letting his voice echo through the halls.
Harry stood up and walked into the bathroom. "Come on Hermione, all sitting on a toilet will do for you is give your bum hemorrhoids. Let's get back to the common room. There is supposed to be a troll in the dungeon." Harry said.
"Harry what's that strange smell?" Harry moved ducking down as a club smashed through several stalls.
He dug through the fallen debris finding Hermione's limp hand. Harry held her hand and pushed purity spiral through it. A white glow suffused her body as white qi flowed into her. Harry swished his wand moving the fallen panels and metal doors off her. He heard her suck in a breath. The relief that Harry experienced was equal to any nirvana. He couldn't have made it through Hermione's death. He swore then and there to keep her safe at his side from then on.
The troll roared and leapt at Harry. Its massive club tore through the ceiling tiles as it descended. Harry swished his wand levitating the club out of the troll's hands. Twelve sever all appeared behind him before four fired at the monster. They ripped through the troll cleaving through leather, flesh, bone, and sinew.
Harry hungrily ripped into the troll sensing its connection to fairy kind. The troll took a step back as green tendrils dug through its flesh. Even as the troll's natural regeneration kicked in, Harry fed. Harry wanted more, he craved it with every muscle and bone. More sever all converged on the troll ripping through it and consuming the creature.
His eyes glowed green as his qi pulsed and rotated in preparation to refine the troll's essence into qi. This was it for the troll its body crumbled in on itself only skin remaining. Twelve orbs of sever all entered his body and he rapidly refined the troll's meager offering. He received barely a percent of improvement despite the care he'd taken to consume all of it.
Hermione's eyes met his and she shivered in his grasp. He didn't know why but he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. His blood pumped and her body fit easily against his own. With every second he held her he knew he had her. There was a life debt between them, and he could feel the cord bind them tightly together.
"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked. Harry placed a finger to her lip to hushed her as he thought. Dumbledore and Professor Snape knew of his abilities. He could trust them that wasn't an issue. The caretaker Filtch had entered the second stage of refinery recently. Fitlch's sixth sense was active, if he felt the qi Harry used then it could be a problem.
The thought of killing Filtch to ensure Hermione's safety came to mind. He didn't find it unpleasant. His goal realigned to keep Hermione safe, he wouldn't lose her. It was time to study and acquire the consciousness power needed to use alchemy.
Still the thought of killing Filtch filled him with a spike of dopamine he'd never experience. The pleasure came from fulfilling his own design in the most direct way possible. That didn't mean there were no other methods to fulfill it. As jolly as killing would make him, there were better methods. It was risky but diplomacy was a step he was willing to take.
What were the odds that an old man denied power and forced to watch as students used power he'd never have abused and harmed him with it, would be bitter? Surely, he wouldn't be resentful. Perish the thought he'd never use that power to get his revenge.
Harry knew he would handle the situation carefully. A knife in the hands of an alley was better than in the hands of an enemy.
…
The teachers arrived to find the empty skin sack of the troll. The poor creature had been no match for Harry. Even now Harry refined the stolen essence as the Unicorn consciousness within him reveled at the death of the troll. Trolls ate unicorns, enough said.
Hermione held his arm tightly with both her hands. Her emotions were a swirl of chaos that confused even his sixth sense. He paid it no mind. After he got out of this situation, he'd start training in consciousness power night and day.
"What happened here?" McGonagall asked.
Harry levitated the rolled-up skin of the troll. It was covered in holes and ruined in places. Harry had invaded the creature's body and broke its flesh down into essence. Killing it had made him feel accomplished. Never in his life had a kill felt so justified. His new passenger could have had something to do with it.
"I killed it." Harry knew that wasn't enough of an explanation. "Hermione wasn't feeling well, so I left to check on her when the troll attacked. I killed it then that's all I can say." Harry said.
"It's just skin Mr. Potter, there must be more to this story." McGonagall protested.
"Please Minverva, Mr. Potter doesn't know how to answer you in a satisfactory way. Most first years don't have the focus to use magic around such a powerful creature." The headmaster said.
Author's note - This is something to hold you over. I'm going to work on the rest of first year tomorrow and finish it. If not by tomorrow, then it should be done by Monday.