A/N Hey guys! This chapter wasn't completely written by me, so I apologize for any errors.

BookMonkey08 - Hi! Thanks for the review, and I completely agree. I did rush the chapter because I wanted to get something up before I dove into soccer season. Snape should have put up a little more of a fight but I can't edit that now because it will change the rest of the story as well, I will, however, keep that in mind for future chapters!

Please review

Veronica

Chapter 5

Alexina POV

The Halloween feast was better than anything I've ever seen. The whole hall was decorated with Halloween themed decorations and the food all had a spooky twist. Like when I went to eat my pumpkin pasty, it tried to run away. We made sure that we sat as far away from the boys as we could and ate until we were too full to move. We decided it would be a good idea to sleep early because we have classes tomorrow.

Hermione and I were almost to the doors of the hall, about to leave when they burst open, revealing Professor Quirrel. He ran into the hall yelling

"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS.!"

And then he promptly fainted. Some defense teacher he was. "Everyone calm down" that was Dumbledore. "Prefects lead your house back to the common rooms while-"

"That's a stupid idea" I cut him off

Everyone gasped at my audacity. I rolled my eyes and explained. "The Slytherin and Hufflepuff common rooms are in the dungeon. What if they face the troll there? Besides just because professor Quirrel saw it there doesn't mean it hasn't moved. What if one of the other houses run into it? Who here can actually take on a mountain troll without dying? Except for the teachers of course, even then I doubt Quirrel can."

"You have a good point, Miss Night. Prefects I want a head count. Everyone stays here. " Lily Potter, Harry's mother said. She was the muggle studies teacher, so I wouldn't have her. But I knew she was widely respected by all the students. "Yes, staff come with me," Dumbledore said. They all ran out of the great hall, leaving us with no adult. Idiots. It hadn't even been 10 minutes when Hermione got my attention.

"Alex," Hermione said slowly, his eyes wide with fear as they started backing away from the massive creature shuffling into the Great Hall. "What is that?"

"A mountain troll" I responded. Screams filled the hall as more and more people saw the troll and I couldn't blame them. It was a truly horrifying sight. 12 feet tall, skin as grey as stone. It's lumpy horrible body with a small, bald head on its wide shoulders. Short and stumpy legs, like a tree that's been recently cut, feet as flat as the ground and holding a large wooden club that was dragging on the floor.

"Everyone get back! Run towards the teacher's table!" Alex yelled over the noise. No one had to be told twice, except Hermione. She was frozen in fear, right in the trolls path. It's beady eyes fixed on her. Alex acted without thinking. She knew the skin was impervious to almost every spell, except dark ones that she didn't know the wand movements for or would go to jail for using. She jumped in front of Hermione as the troll picked up its club to swing. She could hear people calling her name as she shoved Hermione into the crowd behind her. She heard them call out to her but she knew that if she ran towards the students, she would be putting them in even more danger, plus she had to do something! She couldn't let these innocent children die!

In her panic, an idea suddenly struck her and she pointed her wand at the wall behind the troll. "!" she shrieked. The exploding wall caught the attention of the troll and in the precious few moments, it turned its back to them she was running forwards and leaping, clawing, climbing, managing to fasten her arms around the troll's neck from behind. Her wand fell out of its holster and clattered somewhere on the floor. She knew that she couldn't rely on her magic right now, and her instinct kicked in. That's why, holding onto the troll's hard skin with one hand, her right hand pulled open the switchblade that she always kept on her. She drove the blade into the troll's eye with strength found from her drive to protect those she loved, she forced her arm nearly up to her elbow into the troll's skull, its eye bursting like a water balloon as she drove the blade through the back of the socket, skewering its brain.

The troll made an absolutely horrific noise and Alex had to fight to keep her grip, especially with the blood spurting from the wound, as the troll flailed around, it's desperate movements those of a dying animal. It let out a gurgling sound, it's still intact eye rolling back into its head, and then, with one last dying moan, the troll swayed on the spot and fell. Alex hit the ground next to it—hard—causing something to snap inside her chest while at the same time agony exploded in the shoulder of the arm she'd buried inside the troll's skull. The intensity of the pain nearly made her pass out, her vision blurring grey for several seconds, when she saw the teachers run in, having heard the sound.

"Oh god, Alex, oh god, please say something! Are you okay? Please say you're okay! Please!" Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco begged as Harry cradled Alex's head in his lap, the rest of the student body surrounding them. Alex managed to stretch her lips into what she tried to make look like a smile but ended up resembling more of a grimace. "Don't worry guys," she wheezed through blood-flecked lips, "it takes more than one measly mountain troll to keep me down." They were making mixed sounds like they were laughing and sobbing at the same time and then professor Potter was there.

"Where does it hurt?" She asked, voice trembling at the site of Alex "Ribs," she managed to wheeze out, "right side. Can't breathe properly. And my shoulder-dislocated or broken, don't know." Professor Potter nodded and waved her wand. Alex's world went black.

She woke up to the overwhelming scent of potions and the sight of whitewashed walls. She had a moment of peace before Madame Pomfrey came bustling in, diagnostic spells on the top of her tongue when she saw the Alex was awake. "Oh good! You're awake!" The sound of feet racing along the floor after her declaration made me look at the curtains in anticipation for…"Alex!" Four voices shouted at once. "So, what did I miss?" I was met with four incredulous looks. "That's the first thing you ask?!" Shouted Harry "You almost died!" All four of them were near hysteria. "Guys, it's okay. I'm fine." I started before Professor Potter cut me off.

"Young lady you most certainly are not fine!" She said sternly. "What on earth were you thinking? You could've been killed!" I could tell she was trying very hard not to scream. Though, I was confused about why she would be mad. "I was thinking" I started "that if I didn't do something, more than one life could've been lost! I couldn't let innocent children get hurt!" Professor Potter's face softened. "Oh honey, that's not your job!" "Yeah, I know. It's Dumbledores. The very same man who left the children with no protection in the great hall. I couldn't count on you getting there in time. And you didn't. If I hadn't done something, I guarantee I wouldn't be the only one in a hospital bed. I knew I couldn't stand back and let so many innocent lives be hurt!" I ranted.

"But what about your life, honey?" Professor Potter asked softly. I noticed that the four others were listening as well. "What about my life?" I replied, confused. A lone tear fell down Professor Potters face. "Why are you crying?" I questioned, confused. "What did I say?" I noticed the other four were huddled together in the corner. "Oh honey, your life is just as important as everyone else's," she said giving me a hug. I tensed, not used to affection from adults. She noticed and pulled away, keeping her hands on my shoulder. "What's wrong honey? Is your shoulder still bothering you?" she asked.

"No, I'm just not used to this much affection from adults," I whispered. Her face turned immediately concerned. "What about your mum and dad, hun?" I looked at Harry, surprised he hadn't told her yet. Harry, Draco, Ron, and Hermione were openly crying at this point. The professor noted the teardrops on their faces, "what am I missing?" she wondered out loud. "I was just surprised that Harry hadn't told you yet." "Told me what?" she glanced at the group in the corner and then looked back to me. " My parents died when I was five" Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. "What!" she gasped "Where have you been staying? An orphanage? Did they give you all those scars?" Her questions came in quick succession, reminding me a little of Hermione when she didn't understand something and I did."

"Well, I did go to an orphanage and they did give me a couple of these scars but not all of them, no, and certainly not the worst of them." Tears were threatening to spill again when someone who looked like a carbon copy of Harry, only much older, walked in. I assumed he was James Potter, Harry's father and Professor Potters husband. My theory was confirmed when Harry and his mother both exclaimed "James!" "Dad!", respectively. "What are you doing here?" asked Professor Potter, giving him a hug. " I had to come and investigate the troll, and how it was let in, I am an Auror Lily" He joked. She, Harry and the rest gave watery chuckles. "You know, I meant to ask why you were in the hospital wing instead of the great hall." she playfully hit his arm. "Well, I had to speak to one Alexina Cain, she is the one who stopped the troll, right?"
"I'm right here you know? And yes, that would be me." James turned to look at her sheepishly. She laughed. "So, are we going to get on with the questioning? Or can I leave. I've never been to a hospital before, but the smell is sickening." The other occupants of the room stored that information to ask her about later. "Yes, yes, lets. I want to get done with this and go eat dinner"

"Dinner? How long have I been out?" "Almost 2 days, we thought you died!" Hermione answered.

I was about to reply when James cut us off. "Let's just finish this and then you can catch up with your friends. Your name is Alexina Cain, correct?"

"I prefer Alex, but yes"

"And you are a first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"Yes"

"What happened while you were in the great hall on Halloween evening?" I retold the story in great detail. Throughout the story, I could see James and Professor Potter's eyebrows disappearing into their hairlines. When I got to the part about stabbing the troll their eyes became comically wide and I had to stifle a laugh, despite how grave the situation at the time was. I finished off the story to everyone staring at me. It was making me a little uncomfortable until James snapped out of it. "Well, we will have to inform your parents - " I cut him off "There's no need, they're not alive" "Who are your legal guardians, then?" I just shrugged and shook my head.

"Well, where do you live then? an orphanage?" I could tell he wasn't trying to be insensitive but well, that's what it came off as. I answered anyway "I used to live in an orphanage, but Catholicism and accidental magic isn't a good mix, so I ran away" I mumbled the last part. I could see the wheels turning in their heads and the exact same moment that Professor Potter and Hermione figured it out. Their simultaneous shouts of "You live on the streets!?" brought the guys out of their thoughts. "Uh, yes?" I answered. They looked like they were about to either scream or cry so I tried to placate them, "I mean, it's not that bad really, well, except in winter, it's hell in winter" I got lost in memories of winters before Hogwarts. What I would be doing now if I wasn't here.

A sharp pain in my left shoulder brought me out of my thoughts. I looked down at myself and for the first time noted that I was naked save for the blanket and the bandages covering my body. I winced a little as my shoulder came into contact with the headboard. Draco noticed and asked if my shoulder was still hurting. That's when Madame Pomfrey burst in with 2 different potions bottles, one pain relief, and one nutrition potion. Apparently, I was severely malnourished. This wasn't much of a surprise for me, but by the looks on the others faces, it was to them. I realized that I needed to tell them the entire story, and resolved to do so as soon as I could get a moment's peace after I get released from the hospital wing.

Two hours later I was pain-free and able to leave the hospital wing, with strict instructions from Madame Pomfrey to take care of myself and she doesn't want to see me in the hospital wing again for another couple of months at least. I saluted her and left. Madame Pomfrey had given my clothes back, clean and blood free so I was good to go to the dorm. I had eaten in the hospital wing with my friends and Harry's parents until they had to leave.

Walking into the Gryffindor common room I was greeted with loud applause and a party they were throwing in my honor. "Guys, thank you but this is too much" The entire common room was decorated in purple and gold instead of red and gold, I'm assuming because of my hair and eyes. They also had a banner that read "Thank Merlin Alex Was There!" In big blue letters. They had butter beer that the house elves had provided and treats that I'm assuming were acquired the same way. Draco, even though he was a Slytherin, was allowed to come to the common room for the party. "It most definitely is not!" Fred, one of the infamous Weasley twins exclaimed "Yeah! You saved our lives!" George, the other Weasley twin continued.

"We couldn't"

"Thank you"

"Enough" They both exclaimed together.

"You can use think of it as an early birthday party if you're really that opposed to it," said Hermione "Wait, actually, when is your birthday? I realized you never told us"

"Uhh," I said, confused as to how to answer this without putting a damper on the party. "I don't know?" I said like I was asking a question.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, I've never celebrated my birthday because my parents never told me when it was" I shrugged "All I know is that its sometime in early September"

"September? But that was so long ago! Why didn't you say anything! We could've celebrated your birthday when we did mine!" That was Hermione. I could see that everyone was getting upset so I said: "We'll celebrate next year for sure guys, but for now, I could use one of those treacle tarts!" They burst out laughing and I inwardly smiled at my success and started to walk towards the designated snack table.