Harry, Hermione, and Daphne slowly crept closer to the bathroom door.
Thud.
The sounds were certainly getting closer. Perhaps they could lock the door, and keep whatever it was out. Harry stepped in front of the others, and reached a hand towards the lock.
Crash!
The door shattered before he reached it. The three first-years scrambled backwards, eyes wide, as something shuffled into the bathroom.
It was massive, at least twelve feet in height. The thing reminded Harry somewhat of an ape, with arms that were much to long for its body. Its skin was a mottled gray, with lumps of varying sizes covering its entire body. A tiny head was perched atop shoulders as wide as Harry was tall, and the thing dragged a small tree along behind it that was studded with sharp bits of metal. Beady eyes scanned the room, seemingly not noticing the trio at first.
"Th-th-that's a troll," Daphne stammered, eyes wide and fearful. At her words, the troll's head swung immediately towards them, eyes narrowing. With a wordless roar, it swung its club in a wide arc, smashing half of the stalls in the process. Debris showered Harry and his friends as the club dropped to the tiles, shattering them. The troll blinked, as if surprised that its wild swing had missed. Harry came up with a rudimentary plan.
"Alright, we need to get around it and into the hallway. I'm gonna draw it to this side, then you two sneak around and distract it so I can get around," Harry said, firm tone allowing for no argument. Daphne nodded, drawing her wand and moving towards the sinks.
"Hey, stupid!" Harry shouted at the troll. "Over here! Glacius!" An icicle formed in front of Harry's wand, then launched at the troll. It impacted on the things shoulder, but barely had an effect other than annoying the creature. With a grunt, it turned towards Harry and away from the girls, who began creeping along the wall towards the door. It raised its club again, and brought it flying down towards Harry. Augmenting his reflexes and speed, Harry leaped to the side before casting again, this time with more power behind it. "Fulgus!" A bolt of lightning flashed from Harry's wand tip to the troll's head.
The ugly creature roared in pain and confusion, its eyes becoming unfocused. While this last attack appeared to have some effect, it served to enrage the beast even further. The club swung back and forth in wide motions, destroying the last of the stalls and several sinks, sending water spraying across the room. On the third swing, it came directly at Harry once more. In desperation, Harry sent his magic flowing into the floor. Nearly instantaneously, a barrier of stone shot up from the floor, blocking the swing. Both the troll and the three students stared at it for a moment, at a loss for words.
"Hey! Over here!" Hermione called, brandishing her wand. "Incendio!" The flames had no effect on the troll whatsoever, but succeeded in drawing its attention. With a grunt, it flung its club towards the two girls. A desperate "Ventus!" from Daphne barely managed to divert the club so that it didn't crush them against the wall. Harry dashed around the side of the troll, placing himself firmly in front of his friends.
The troll looked annoyed at their continued efforts to evade him. The unblinking eyes gained a cruel shine, though, as it hefted its club and threw it with great force. For a moment Harry was worried this was it, but the club wasn't directed at him. It impacted on the wall above the entrance to the bathroom. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with sharp cracks and groans, the wall completely collapsed, burying the entryway in a massive pile of rubble. Harry's heart sank.
The students in the Great Hall were getting restless. At first, the fear of trolls breaking down the doors had kept them quiet, but soon the sound started to increase again. The remaining teachers still stood guard near the entryway, nervously glancing at each other. Tracey and Blaise were trying to push their way towards the teachers, but older students were keeping them back.
"Excuse me, we need to speak to one of the teachers," Blaise said as he tried pushing through the crowd.
"Sorry, kid, Professor Dumbledore wanted the younger students to stay away from the doors. You'll just have to wait," an older Ravenclaw replied.
"You don't understand, my classmate—"
"Look, kid, I'm not gonna tell you again. Get back with your year."
"What's going on here, Davies?" an older Hufflepuff student interrupted. She was fairly tall, and had shockingly pink hair. Blaise thought he spotted a Prefect badge, but was distracting when she addressed him.
"You alright, kid?" she asked him.
"I'm fine, yes, but two of my friends weren't here when they locked the doors," Blaise explained with a glare at the Ravenclaw.
The older girl's face paled. "Come with me," she said. She pushed her way through the crowds, Blaise and Tracey close behind, eventually breaking through the front, and approached Professor Sprout.
"Professor," she began, "this student needs to tell you something."
"Well, Mr. Zabini? Out with it," Sprout said, clearly feeling the stress of the situation.
"Er, well, two of our friends didn't make it to the Great Hall for the feast," explained Blaise. "Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass, we haven't seen either of them since Charms."
An expression of worry grew on Sprout's face. "You're sure? They weren't sitting anywhere else at the table?" Blaise and Tracey just nodded. Sprout turned to the doors of the Great Hall. "Expecto Patronum!" The students watched in wonder as silver mist poured from Sprout's wand, eventually coalescing into a badger. Sprout spoke in a hurried tone. "Headmaster, there are at least two students that never arrived to the feast tonight: Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass. Their friends don't know where they are." The badger stayed a moment longer, then turned and dashed through the doors. "Don't worry, they will be just fine," Sprout told them, though it wasn't very convincing. The pink-haired witch put a hand on each of their shoulders, and guided them back into the back of the Hall.
The first-years screamed as the club swung down at the ground once more. They were showered with chips of tile that were blasted from the ground, scrambling to get as far away from the troll as possible in the cramped bathroom. They tossed all the offensive spells they knew of, but nothing seemed to have any significant effect. They were all beginning to feel exhausted, both from the constant running and the constant spells.
When Hermione stumbled and was nearly caught by the next swing, Harry felt furious. A rumbling filled his ears, and his vision narrowed until he could only see the troll in front of him, pulling its club back for another swing. The anger slowly built up within him, and sparks began to jump between his fingertips. Unknown to him, his eyes began glowing a light blue and a predatory smirk grew over his face. The troll paused in its windup, as if realizing it was messing with something it shouldn't. Then, it shrugged, and brought its club forward in an overhand swing.
Blinding white light filled the room. A massive bolt of lightning left each of Harry's upraised palms, connecting with the metal jutting from the club. For a moment, it looked as if the club would not be denied. But, with one last push, the club vaporized, dust raining down upon the children. The troll blinked, not comprehending what had just happened. This confusion was then replaced by the troll's other standard emotion, rage. It smashed its fists against the floor, bellowing, and launching bits of spittle over Harry.
Harry was barely in control of his actions at this point. The power flowing through his limbs was almost addictive, and he felt as if he could level the entire castle if he so desired. He forced his attention back to the raging troll before him, watching dispassionately as a fist flew at his chest. With clinical precision, Harry jumped up, landing on the mottled forearm of the beast. Faster than it could react, he then leaped to its shoulders. Placing a palm on each side of his head, he began pushing his magic out as fast as he can.
The motions of the troll became more erratic and less controlled, as electricity flowed from Harry's hands into the troll's skull. Its eyes unfocused, then gradually began to roll backwards into its head. As the troll ceased its motions, so too did the magic flowing from Harry's hands. He panted in exhaustion as his momentary strength fled his limbs. It was all he could do to not fall from the thing's shoulders.
Harry looked down, seeing that both Daphne and Hermione were alright, if shaken up. He shot a lopsided grin in their direction, but that soon dropped from his face as he felt motion beneath him.
Albus Dumbledore's wand was moving as if it were that of a conductor. The motions never ceased, spells flying this way and that as he corralled the four massive trolls into an unused classroom near the exit from the dungeons. Each time one of them attempted to break away down the hallway, he would quickly react, a spell pushing the beast back in line. Just as he was about to begin the final push, a silver blur next to him caught his eye. Knowing that a lapse in concentration while forcing them into the room could prove disastrous, he slowed down his casting for a moment, allowing his fellow teachers to assist as the Patronus spoke.
"Headmaster, there are at least two students that never arrived to the feast tonight: Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass. Their friends don't know where they are," Sprout's voice came from the badger's mouth before it dissolved. Dumbledore paled. At the beginning of the fight, a smaller troll had broken away before he could stop it. He had believed that area of the castle to be abandoned, but if those students were down there…
Magic poured from Dumbledore in fresh waves. Within the span of five seconds, the trolls had been pushed into the room, and the door sealed and warded. Motioning for Flitwick to guard the door and bolster its defenses. Then, he turned and ran down the hallway after the last troll with speed that belied his age. McGonagall and Snape rushed after him, trying their utmost to keep up.
He slid to a stop before a crumbled archway. With a single wave of his hand, the arch reformed as if it had never been damaged. McGonagall gasped, seeing the destruction that was apparent beyond the entryway.
Slowly, with wands raised, the three teachers entered the bathroom. Not a single stall or sink was left in its place, and there, in the center of the room, laid the last troll. Next to its head were two girls, Hermione Granger and Daphne Greengrass. Relief filled their eyes as they saw the three teachers enter.
"Professors! The troll landed on Harry, and we can't get him out!" Hermione exclaimed.
Dumbledore flicked his wand, and the body slowly raised into the air, revealing a small body with black hair where its shoulders had been. He moved the troll to the side of the room, noting that it was merely unconscious, not dead. Snape immediately moved to the boy's side, wand darting back and forth across his motionless body.
"Sir, he has no grievous injuries. Several broken bones in his extremities, and his core is nearly empty, but he should recover with no long term issues," Snape said. Dumbledore sighed in relief.
"Come on, girls, let's get you to the hospital wing," McGonagall said, placing gentle hands on the girls' backs. Snape levitated Harry carefully behind them, and the group began their trek.
Author's Note: Wish I could always update this quick. Please tell me your thoughts on the fight sequence, I'm not sure if I was clear enough. Thanks for reading!