CHAPTER 4

Life continued as normal after that, and Halloween seemed to spring upon us very suddenly. We were all very excited, as in the morning there had been live bats and ginormous pumpkins in the great hall: Halloween wasn't done by halves at Hogwarts!

Unfortunately, however, the Halloween feast was not until later that evening, and so we had a full day of lessons to get through before then. We had charms as our second lesson, something all the first years were excited about. We were going to practice our levitation charms for the first time!

At the start of the lesson, Professor Flitwick clarified the wand movement necessary for the charm (the swish and flick). We were then given one feather between two, and told to start practicing. I was with Neville, but neither of us were particularly successful. I managed to get the feather to shake and vibrate a few times, even partially lift off the table, but Neville didn't get any results. During one of his more successful results, my concentration wandered, and I ended up watching Ron and Hermione, who were paired together.

Hermione was lecturing Ron about how to say the incantation properly. Apparently, he was saying it wrong, although I thought Malfoy was the true offender. Ron, as usual, then got annoyed and defensive, and insisted that if she knew how to do it so well, then she should do it instead. Hermione huffed, but clearly said the incantation (albeit in a slightly haughty voice). The feather then delicately rose from the table, as if floating on a puff of wind. The classroom became almost silent, and the jealousy and annoyance coming from many people could be clearly felt. Professor Flitwick then praised Hermione in his squeaky voice, giving her five points to Gryffindor. The lesson then continued with more determination, but not before Seamus Finnigan managed to blow up his and Harry's feather.

It was after the lesson, on our way back to the common room for our break, that I overheard part of Ron, Harry, Seamus and Dean's conversation. They were discussing the charms lesson, and how it was disappointing that only two people had managed to successfully cast the charm: Hermione, and me. (I had only got my feather about a foot off the table before it ungraciously fell to the table again, but Professor Flitwick classed it as a successful levitation.)

Ron was just starting up about how Hermione had corrected his shabby spell casting, and I started to have a bad feeling about where the conversation was going. From the fact I could feel Hermione tense up next to me, I knew she was uneasy too. Things went from bad to worse when Ron mocked Hermione, saying, "Honestly, she's an absolute nightmare! 'It's Levi - oh - sa, not Levio - sah!'" That was a step too far, as before I could stop her, Hermione brushed past Ron, upset and angry tears forming in her eyes.

I started chasing after her, but had a sudden change of heart, and turned to face the boys instead. I spoke angrily, "Thought you were funny, did you? Check who's behind you next time. Not that you will do it again, will you?" I broke into a run after my friend, determined to try and comfort her, and get away from those idiotic boys.

I tried to follow Hermione, but due to crowds and twists and turns in the corridor, along with her head start, it didn't take me long to lose her. I mentally cursed Ron Weasley. This was all his fault. Because of the extreme size of Hogwarts, I knew it wouldn't be worth searching for her, and knew she'd turn up again when she was ready.

When she didn't return to lessons for the rest of the day, I got worried; Hermione never missed lessons. Ever! When she still hadn't been seen by the Halloween feast in the evening, I got really worried, but didn't know where to start if I was to go looking for her.

Luckily for me, Harry brought the subject up, just as the food appeared on the tables. After questioning her whereabouts, Neville said that Parvati Patil had seen her crying in the girl's toilets. That was all the information I needed, and I instantly leapt up from my seat and ran out the hall.

I rushed through the corridors, having a vague idea as to which toilet she was in. I hoped I was right, as otherwise it would take me an awfully long time to find her.

As I was sprinting past the grand staircase, I nearly bumped into Professor Quirrel coming up the stairs. He seemed to be in a terrible hurry, with an expression of terror etched on his face, but I couldn't tell where he was going. He didn't seem to notice me.

I finally came across the toilets, and was reassured they were the correct ones after I heard sobs coming from the nearest cubicle to the door. I tentatively walked up to it, and said, "Hermione? Is that you?

I got a muffled reply, "Go away."

"You know you don't mean that, Hermione. Come on, come out. We can talk better out here."

There was a very slight sigh, but the clanking of metal and the door unlocking was a welcome sound. Through the door, a teary and puffy-eyed Hermione appeared. "Ron didn't mean all those things he - " I stopped midway through my sentence.

A pair of large, ugly legs had appeared just inside the door. A grunting, equally ugly head was attached, and the monstrous arms were carelessly swinging a hunk of wood, most closely similar to a club. Next to me, Hermione faintly whispered, "That isn't good."

I instead murmured, "Troll."

We both then ran back inside the cubicle Hermione had just left, me frantically whispering a troll's weaknesses, although none could come to mind. We then heard the unlocking of another, bigger door; the main bathroom door. Two pairs of footsteps then seemed to enter the room, confusing the troll. In its angry and befuddled state, the troll swung its club even more, and powerfully aimed blow caught the row of cubicles in their middle, smashing them to smithereens. Planks of splintered wood clattered down on Hermione and me, a thin dust settling on our clothes.

Hermione then decided to try and make a run for it, but the troll saw her jumping across the debris. It cornered her under a sink, and smashed the one next to her, after the clumsily dodged the blow.

I had also stood up, but instead of trying to run away like Hermione had, I stood my ground, for I had a plan. Trolls came from mountainous and forest-surrounded territory. They were also exceptionally stupid, commonly thought to not even be able tell which way was up. It was this knowledge that I used to my advantage. Using a simple yet unusual home-decorating transfiguration, I made a few large and woody pot plants appear. (The spell was one my mum had taught me to decorate my dormitory with a more homely feel.) The troll was instantly drawn to the things that vaguely reminded it of its natural habitat, and dropped Harry, who it had taken hold of. I then shouted at Ron, "Levitate its club!"

In the corner, I could hear the wavering voice of Hermione going, "Swish and flick."

I kept on making new plants appear in order to keep the troll's attention off us. I told Ron, "Let it drop!" intending for the club to drop on the troll's head, and knock it out. If my plan didn't work, it would probably be our chance to say goodbye to the world. And it would be all my fault.

But luckily it did work, and the troll collapsed onto the rubble, crushing several of my hard-earned plants in the process. It was also at that point that the hoard of teachers arrived, and Hermione scrambled out from underneath the sink she was still cowering under. Harry carefully extracted his wand from the troll's nose, wary of its revolting bogies.

Professor McGonagall furiously asked us what had happened, and Hermione took the blame, saying she had read about trolls and thought she could handle it, dragging me along too. She said that if Harry and Ron hadn't turned up, we'd probably be dead. Harry being selfless, then said that what we ended up doing with the plants and club was my idea, not anyone else's. McGonagall then took away five points each from Hermione and me, for such 'lack of judgement', but also awarded five points each to Harry and Ron for 'sheer dumb luck'.

There was a slight pause, and then McGonagall gave me ten points for, "exceptional transfiguration skills". It was almost like an afterthought.

But that was how Hermione and I became friends with Ronald Weasley and the boy who lived.