EDIT: 1/30/2012
I honestly don't remember if I changed anything in this one other then grammar stuff… hmm… oh well! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything other then my OC's it all belongs to the lovely J.K Rowling
Chapter six: Rose are red, Trolls are blue
Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.
Indeed, by the next morning Harry, Ron and Riley thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron and Riley in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.
"It's either really valuable or really dangerous." said Ron.
"Or both." said Harry.
"Or dangerously valuable." Riley smirked.
"Why dangerously valuable?" Harry dared ask.
"Because valuably dangerous doesn't make sense." she said with a "Duh!" tone of voice. Harry just looked at Ron and shook his head. He doubted they would ever understand what goes on in her head.
As all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.
Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again. ("But Neville it was probably a really sweet dog – once you got past the 'I'm-going-to-eat-you' thing.")
Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. Riley thought it was really mean of them but had to agree it was nice not having Hermione nag at her all the time now.
All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.
As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Riley wasn't very amazed to see the owls soar down and drop it right in front of Harry, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel. Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.
Professor McGonagall
Harry looked positively gleeful as he handed the note to Ron and Riley to read.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one." They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.
"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." Ron, of course, couldn't resist it.
"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." Before Ron could answer, Riley had her wand out and pointed at Malfoy and Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, children." he squeaked.
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly. Riley rolled hers eyes as she lowered her wand quickly so Flitwick wouldn't notice she had it out. Tattle tail much?
"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. Riley stuck her tongue out at him. Childish? Yes. But it's effective all the same. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," Harry added.
Harry, Ron and Riley headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.
"Well, it's true." Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team..."
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules." came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.
"Yes, yes we do. In fact it's not just for breaking the rules… but breaking the rules and not getting caught." Riley replied with a sweet smile. Hermione just glared at her. That seemed to be the only reaction Riley could ever get out of the girl.
"I thought you weren't speaking to us." said Harry chuckling at Riley's comment.
"Yes, don't stop now;" said Ron, "it's doing us so much good." Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.
Riley turned to them as they got to the common room.
"Well boys, it's been lovely, but I got to run. Things to do… pranks to plan…" she trailed off walking backwards out the portrait hole.
Once she was gone Ron turned to Harry. "What about her classes?"
Harry shrugged.
~{}~
Riley walked down the corridors, slipping through hidden doors, down unseen staircases. Searching for the boys who could help her make this plan work. Finally she found them standing in a corridor behind a tapestry on the third floor watching a fifth year Ravenclaw trying to reverse the spell put on him to cause purple spots to appear every time he opened his mouth.
"Excuse me, good sirs." She whispered tapping them on their shoulders, making them jump. They spun around quickly and smiled when they saw who it was.
"Ah milady, what can we do for thee?" said Fred bowing.
"Well," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I had this idea… and I was wondering if you could help…"
The twins grinned.
"Of course."
~{}~
That afternoon Riley came skipping into the Great Hall looking absolutely ecstatic. She skipped over to the table and sat down between the twins who immediately asked;
"So, did it work?"
Riley smiled. "Perfectly."
"Did what work?" Harry asked sitting down across from them with Ron.
"Oh, don't worry you'll see." Riley answered in a sing song voice.
Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.
Suddenly laughter started to break out through the hall, and the group looked up to see the Slytherins come marching into the hall, as each one stepped through the door they started to turn from their hair to their socks different shades of bright pink and purple.
"Ah yes, they seem to have decided on new house colors… I think they fit much better don't you?" Riley said trying to smother her laughter.
"Hm… I quite agree. What you think Fred?" George didn't even bother to try and hide his glee.
"Yes, it's defiantly their color. It levels out there brutish and knavish quite well don't you think?" said Fred.
Riley looked at him surprised.
"Knavish?"
"Hey," Fred said pouting. "I know stuff."
And with that the three of them burst into laughter. This was defiantly a job well done.
~{}~
The rest of the month went smoothly. So smoothly in fact, that Riley had gone into a sort of pattern. She went to classes, planned pranks at meals with the twins and Lee, set off the pranks, got into arguments with Malfoy and his cronies, got detention from Snape, did her homework with Ron and Harry, pranked some more, went to bed and started all over again in the morning.
She also started to notice which classes she was best at, now that they had moved on from the basics. She found charms to be her favorite subject because Professor Flitwick was such a happy and excited teacher and he always enjoyed her pranks. Not to mention Riley found she had a real knack for charms too.
She had also started to look up and do research on dark creatures. She had always liked learning about them and since Quirrell was such an awful teacher and had a horrible stutter, Riley didn't learn much from him and started to teach herself. Plus with all her pranks, she started to learn some very handy jinxes and hexes that could distract an enemy.
Potions turned out to be really easy for Riley. Snape hadn't had anything to criticize about her potions since her fourth lesson. But even so, he never complimented them either. He seemed to have decided that she was just as worthy of his undying hatred as Harry. Though they still didn't know why he hated them so much. Well, Riley knew why he hated her, seeing as she always caused trouble in his class. (Yet somehow, she was still able to finish her potions in time and correctly.) But his reason for hating Harry was still a mystery.
As for the rest of her classes, she wasn't terrible but she was no Hermione. She had managed to end up in the hospital wing five times already, because something in Herbology had bitten or scratched her. Professor Sprout had taken to making Riley work next to her so she could stop Riley getting hurt so much. And in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had to make sure she was separated from Ron and Harry so as to keep her from causing so much trouble.
Needless to say, Riley had already made a name for herself among the teachers and they seemed to be split down the middle on their feelings towards her. Half of them hated her and half seemed to love her.
~{}~
The days rolled on and before she knew it, Riley was waking up to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors and orange and black decorations all through the castle.
Halloween had arrived.
As they sat in Charms later that morning, Professor Flitwick announced that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly. Something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.
Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan and Riley was with Neville (she figured this way she could stop Neville hurting himself or someone else). Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to any of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
It wasn't very difficult. Riley had it on the third go. So she then proceeded to ask Flitwick what spell Baruffio said so she could try and get a buffalo to show. Sadly he refused to tell her. So instead, she sat and watched everyone else in the class, while giving Neville little tips and encouragement.
She was trying to boost his confidence so he could do well in class, but it was hard work, with Snape having a go at him every lesson. Otherwise, she thought Neville could be a spectacular wizard.
Seamus and Harry seemed to be getting nowhere and Seamus got so impatient that he prodded the feather with his wand and set fire to it – Harry had to put it out with his hat. Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong." Riley heard Hermione snap. Riley would have helped but she was too busy laughing at his ridiculous attempt. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa; make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever." Ron snarled.
Riley had no doubt that he was going to regret that. Hermione hadn't even tried yet, but Riley would bet she was going to get it easy.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. (See? she can be right sometimes...)
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it too!"
Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry and Riley as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor. "She's a nightmare, honestly." Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Riley caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard you."
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
"Ron! You are such a moron! She was just trying to help you." Riley said exasperated. He just looked even more uncomfortable and didn't reply. Riley huffed and started to walk after Hermione. Saying over her shoulder "You guys go to class. I'll go check on Hermione."
Riley chased her down to the girl's bathroom near the dungeons. She wasn't sure why she was going after Hermione, because she was never good at dealing with crying people.
Finally she caught up to the crying girl and knocked on the door. Here goes nothing… Riley thought as she heard Hermione sniffle.
"Ron didn't mean it Hermione…"
Hermione scoffed.
"No, really he didn't. He's just a sore loser that's all… don't let him get you down." Riley smiled. That wasn't so bad.
"Really?" she heard Hermione say quietly. "You mean he doesn't really think I'm a nightmare."
"No... Of course not…"
"Do you think I'm a nightmare?"
"No, I don't think you're a nightmare… a bit bossy, yes… well a more then a bit but—" Riley cut off when she heard Hermione start to cry again.
Damn, my big mouth!
"Look Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm really bad at this sort of thing." Riley started to explain but stopped when she smelled something awful. It was kind of like an outhouse that had been in the sun for a long time. Then she heard a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Riley looked to the door to see something huge was looking at her.
It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was dull, granite gray. Its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs, thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was also holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The troll peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, and then slouched slowly into the room. Suddenly the door slammed and the troll was no longer paying attention to her.
Riley decided to take advantage of its distraction, and started to walk slowly back towards the stall door Hermione was behind and whispered into the crack.
"Hermione, just stay calm, I need you to come out slowly. There's a troll in the bathroom with us."
But Hermione didn't listen instead of coming out slowly and quietly, she slammed the door open, looked at the troll, and screamed.
The door to the bathroom was pulled open suddenly and Harry and Ron ran in. Hermione had started to shrink against the wall opposite of them, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on Riley, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. And the only thing Riley could think was; he smells awful!
"Confuse it!" Riley heard Harry say desperately to Ron, and seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.
The troll stopped a few feet from Riley. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, and then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
That, more than anything broke Riley out of her daze. Grabbing her wand, she started shooting off every hex, jinx, curse and insult she knew (which admittedly, was not a lot. Not counting the insults) making it turn towards her again. The troll was starting to turn different colors and get a large amount of boils. Absently a part of Riley's brain was gawking at the fact that these spells were actually working on the troll.
"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber as he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder. But it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry even more time to run around it.
"Come on! Run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, while he and Riley tried to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move. No, she wouldn't move. She was still flat against the wall, her mouth open wide with terror.
"Really not the best time to freeze Hermione!" Riley yelled as she turned back to the troll to confuse it some more. The shouting and the echoes seemed to drive the troll berserk. It roared and started toward Ron again, who was nearest and had no way to escape.
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.
Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright, Riley was still trying to distract it and Ron pulled out his own wand – not knowing what he was going to do, he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over – and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.
Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.
It was Riley who spoke first. She ran at Harry, tackle hugged him and then did the same to Ron babbling about how awesome they were and how she couldn't wait to tell the twins they all battled a troll.
"Is it – dead?" Hermione asked finally.
"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."
He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.
"Urgh - troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four of them look up.
They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making. But of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
Snape bent over the troll while Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron, Harry and Riley with eyes like steel. Professor McGonagall was angry, very angry. But Riley was sure it wasn't angry enough to expel them… She hoped.
"What on earth were you thinking of? And why is that troll blue?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.
Riley looked at Harry and Ron seeing their looks of terror she realized they had never seen McGonagall this angry before. Riley had, of course seen her this angry before, when one of her pranks went wrong and five students ended up with broken bones from landing on each other; the timer on the charm to turn the main staircase into a slide went off too early.
"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
Snape gave Riley and Harry a swift, piercing look. Riley looked away, he always made her uncomfortable with that stare.
Then a small voice came out of the shadows.
"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.
"I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read all about them."
Ron dropped his wand, while Riley tried to pretend this wasn't all new to her. Still she was shocked; Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? It was hard to believe.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose, Riley distracted it and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." Harry and Ron looked completely shocked.
"Well – in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring hard at the four of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione hung her head. Riley was stilled shocked and promised Hermione in her head, that she would buy the girl as many sugar quills as she wanted the moment she had the chance.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left with her head hung low.
Professor McGonagall turned to Harry, Ron and Riley.
"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.
"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.
"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that." Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her." Harry reminded him.
"You did that?" Riley asked them sharply. They looked at her sheepishly. "Thanks guys, it's so nice to know your friends lock you in a room with a TROLL!"
Riley glared at them for a moment, and then burst into laughter at the terror on their faces. She never knew she could be so scary. She kept laughing until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pig snout." they said and entered.
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
While the boys chatted, Riley ran over to the twins and Lee smiling brightly.
"You'll never guess what I just did." she said in a sing song voice.
"What?" Fred asked.
Riley leaned in closer to the boys and said in a conspiratorial tone of voice. "Fought a fully grown mountain troll with Harry and Ron."
The boys gaped at her, while Riley laughed. Ah; it was so worth the faces!
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