Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Jujutsu Kaisen. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Chapter Five - Troll and Intrigue

Harry didn't see Daphne again until dinner that night when she plopped down in exhaustion in front of him on the other side of the table. "Well?"

She sighed and started dishing herself up a plate of chicken, "Tracy and I just spent the last three hours talking Hermione down and drying her tears. What Weasley said… it really got to her. She's apparently had trouble with bullying and making friends for years."

"But she's friends with us." Draco cut in, though that fact still boggled his mind sometimes.

"Yes, but she didn't have enough experience to fully come to terms with that fact. Needless to say, she was very happy to find out we actually wanted her to be around us."

"So where is she now?"

"In the second floor girls bathroom. Tracy stayed there to help her clean up."

Just then the great doors to the hall burst open to reveal a frantically running Professor Quirrel. He stumbled to a stop in the center of the vast space, and stuttered out loud enough for all to hear, "T-T-Troll! Troll in the dungeon! Just thought you ought to know." Then he promptly passed out on the floor to the uproar of all present.

"Silence!" Dumbldore was on his feet now as he regained control of all present. Harry may have hated the man on principle, but he had to admit that he had gravitas in spades. "Now, the professors and I will handle the troll. Prefects, please see the students back to their common rooms."

As everyone moved to follow the bearded man's directions, Harry started walking in the opposite directions, out a nearby side door into the hallways. He was joined a few seconds later by a rather stressed looking Draco and Daphne.

"Where are you going Harry?" Daphne hurried to ask, already fearing the answer from her rather violent friend.

"To get Hermione or kill a troll. Whichever comes first." He hadn't stopped walking so the others hurried to catch up.

"Are you mad?" It was Draco this time. "We need to get to our common room where it is safe!"

Harry looked his first magical friend in the eyes and held up three fingers, "Three things, Draco. First, Hermione and Tracy are alone in that bathroom. They didn't hear the warning and have no idea that they should be hiding from a dangerous creature. Second, Our common room is in the dungeons… you know, that place Quirrel said he last saw the troll. Third," his fingers closed into a tight fist, "I've been dying for a good challenge for ages. Do you know how boring it is beating the shit out of muggles and weak wizards? Trolls are supposed to have a remarkably tough hide." He finished with a dark chuckle that made his friends slightly wonder about his sanity. "I've also never tried adding a magical creature to my internal zoo and I'm curious if it would work. A troll could be quite useful in the future."

Yet as they watched him carry on they both knew that there was no stopping their ponytailed friend. Even in the short time they had known him, they had seen how much he craved a challenge. Academics were nothing to him, the older students had proved to be beneath his notice, and there was nothing but his training to occupy him. Well, and them, but training clearly came first for him.

So up stairs and hallways they followed him until they heard a crashing sound around a corner at the end of the hall, followed by a pair of clearly female screams.

A glint appeared in Harry's eyes and without waiting for his friends any longer he puffed himself up with cursed energy to enhance his speed, reflex, and muscle density, and shot off down the hall to reach the source. Rounding the corner in but a couple seconds to behold two of his targets. The troll had apparently been drawn by the smell of two children, and barged into the bathroom by way of his oversized club. Hermione and Tracy were holding on to each other in fear as they cowered beneath the minuscule cover of the sinks. Well that just wouldn't do.

"Hey ugly!" He yelled, catching the beast's attention at once before he let loose with "Red Menagerie!" At once his visible specter's shot out and began to harass the beast as Harry once more claimed his ax from Mr. Smile. He channeled his power into the weapon itself, leapt into the fray, and slammed the blade into the monster's right ankle, smirking as the keen edge cut deep into the tendon and muscle and sent the beast roaring with pain and toppling into a set of nearby stalls.

As the dust settled he looked down upon the girls and exclaimed, "Well! Get out of here! Draco and Daphne are around the corner."

Tracy came to attention first and dragged a staring Hermione by the hand behind her out the door just as the remnants of the stalls began rumbling and falling over as the massive beast clambered back to its feet. It was favoring the injured ankle, but still clearly dangerous and just as clearly pissed that something so small had injured it so badly.

The sight brought a huge smile to Harry's face as he leveled the ax over his shoulders in his favorite ready stance and charged it up with his power once more. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

The troll responded by roaring anew and swinging its club to smash the ground in a downward arch that the boy swiftly sidestepped before leaping into the air and swinging his own weapon free and out. He took one of the troll's ears with the attack, and then reversed the trajectory, smashing the blunt end back down into its shoulder.

Harry felt a moment of satisfaction at the feel of cracking bone before a reactionary backhand drove his body back to smash through the mirrors on the wall. For the first time since he'd awakened to his ability to channel cursed energy, the boy who lived was experiencing a blow at least as strong as one of his own. It felt… invigorating! Wiping a smear of blood from the side of his mouth he cracked a fresh grin and launched himself back at the creature.

It swung the club again but Harry was ready. Drawing on his years of training under Yuki he leveled out at the last second, chose his moment, stepped to the side, and chopped down with all of his weight and momentum backing it up as if he were trying to take down a tree. The club, just a hunk of wood to be honest, shattered to pieces in the beast's hands.

It had just enough time to look at the remains of its ruined weapon in confusion before Harry gripped its face in both hands, knee slammed its nose into its cranium, and forced its skull into the wall, where he began pummeling it with his fists and feet. With every blow he grew faster, with every shriek of pain from his foe he grew wilder, and with every spurt of blood that leaked from the beast's nose he exulted. "This was strength, this was power, this was what it felt like to truly be alive!

It was only when he heard the broken groans escaping the troll's ruined lips that he pulled himself back and looked at the gaping mess of flesh he'd created. That was right, he wanted to try something before actually killing it. Summoning his menagerie back into himself he extended his hand out to the broken beast beneath him and focused his cursed technique upon it. He didn't really expect it to work, and was justly surprised when he felt it connect and engulf the defeated troll in the black flames of his power before pulling it into himself as it had with all the others. The troll felt markedly different from his spirits, but all the same he knew instinctively that it belonged to him now. He'd proved his theory. The boy who lived was just as capable of assimilating magical creatures now as cursed spirits.

Meanwhile Hermione and Tracy had finally managed to stumble upon their other friends being questioned quite enthusiastically by their head of house and Professor McGonagoll. When they saw them however the questions rapidly changed to inquiries about their health. It took several moments before Hermione could hold their attention long enough to let them know that Harry was fighting the troll in the girl's bathroom. Then they were off with the other students following them at a rapid pace to the destroyed remnants of the lavatory door.

The sight that awaited them was enough to make the hardiest of their number gape with utter shock. The room was absolutely decimated. The mirrors shattered into pieces, the stalls in piles of splintered wood, huge divets and craters littered the walls and floor. But none of that was what was causing the reaction the educators now found themselves in. No, that was the eleven year old riding piggyback on the shoulders of the troll now standing in the middle of the room.

As they watched, it shrank down in size before disappearing entirely into his shadow.

Before anyone could say anything, a pair of blond and brown missiles shot past them, embracing Harry in a teary eyed group hug.

"You're okay!" Hermione happily exclaimed.

"Don't ever do that again!" Daphne scolded.

Draco meanwhile was holding back a bit. He had no interest in being at the front of the teacher's attention right now. That being said, he too was happy that his friend had survived, and judging by the damage he saw and the blood red sleeves, got the challenge he so desired.

For his part, Harry was a little confused as to why two of his girl friends were hugging him, but it wasn't exactly an uncomfortable experience so he decided to leave them be.

"Uh, Mr. Potter," Minerva decided to take charge of the situation and stepped up to the boy and cuddling girls (oh now that was just adorable), "Did… did you do all of this?"

In answer, Harry directed a thumb to his shadow where the head of the troll rose up once more before falling back and away. "Yup."

The Scotswoman raised a knowing brow. "Your special technique?"

"Yes. Turns out it works like this too."

"Good to know. However, that was incredibly dangerous, young man. You were supposed to return to your common room."

"Right, you remember that this fuck was supposed to be down where mine is right? How the fuck was that a good idea again?"

"Language, Mr. Potter." But all the same Minerva shot a side eye to the headmaster. It really had been a terrible idea.

The aged man cleared his throat before saying, "Questionable decisions aside, young Harry, I must ask how you came to be here and what exactly happened to the troll. How is it… inside your shadow?" The headmaster looked to the other professors, but none of them were sure if that was the correct verbiage either. Though he didn't show it, both of those things were starting to worry him a great deal. The boy's attitude and house placement were bad enough, but if he actually had skill to back them up then shaping him to meet his destiny was going to truly be an uphill battle. Especially with the annoyed way he always looked at him and the complete lack of remorse he displayed for having taken an intelligent life. Sure, trolls were not the epitome of advanced life, but they were capable of speech in some cases. Surely that counted for something?

His hopes for a relationship of any kind with the boy dimmed further that night as the young man looked upon his elder with hatred plain to see in his eyes. "You can ask, you old fuck, but I ain't telling you shit. You aren't entitled to my secrets. McGonagall knows and that's more than enough already."

"Ten points from Slytherin." Snape bit out, hating the fact that he was finally penalizing his own house, yet knowing he couldn't let such an insult stand in front of the rest of the faculty. Though inside he was exulting in someone finally saying the words he'd only dreamed of to the manipulative old badger.

Dumbledore looked like he'd swallowed something sour, and was clearly about to ask more questions when a nervous Hermione shuffled before them all, shielding Harry's visage with her body.

"It's my fault, Professor." She managed to get out. "I heard about the troll, and thought if I killed it my housemates might finally accept me. It was stupid, and if Harry had not found me I would probably be dead. Please don't punish him for what I did."

"Ms. Granger, that was incredibly foolish!" McGonagall exclaimed. However, she couldn't deny she understood. It was the greatest regret of her lifetime that she had not been able to remove blood bigotry from her school. She'd done her best, but Albus' continuous refusal to punish those who openly practiced it meant her efforts could only go so far.

"I know." Hermione sniffled, "But I was desperate." A hand on her shoulder stopped her tears from falling anew as she turned to face a stern looking boy who lived.

"Raise your head Hermione, and do not cry before others. You are skilled, brilliant, and powerful in ways you have yet to discover. Do you think I would allow a weakling to stand by my side as a friend since school started?"

The brunette shook her head in the negative, unable to form sentences as to her eyes, her savior seemed to nearly be glowing.

Seeing a pointless back and forth about to start, Flitwick cleared his throat. "Perhaps the children should be sent to bed. It has been an eventful evening, and whether you like it or not, Albus, it is more important to find out how this creature got loose in our halls than how it was defeated."

"I agree." Pomona said.

"Defeated?" Dumbledore argued, "It's in the boy's shadow. For all we know it could come out at any time. Until we know what exactly happened we cannot be sure the students are safe."

Stepping in before the meddling old man could irritate them further, Minerva said, "As Harry noted, I am aware of his particular set of skills. As such I can promise you all that the school is now safe. Whatever is inside Harry's body or shadow he has full control of." Minerva smiled at the small troop. "Mr. Potter, can I trust you to return your friends to the dungeons yourself?" He assured her that he could and took off with his group in tow. As they made to leave their sight however she added, "And each of you take twenty house points for bravery in the face of massive odds." They stopped in place at that, and after enjoying the surprised look of all present she ordered the children to return immediately to their house and dragged her superior after her by the beard into the lavatory to examine the extent of the damage that would need to be repaired. While she respected him, the old man sometimes needed reminding of what was truly important. In this case, the possible security breach that affected the entire student body.

"Really Minerva, I must protest this treatment." The white haired man groused as he smoothed down his beard after such rough handling.

"You can protest all you want after we know how this troll got inside the walls. I thought there were safeguards in place."

"There are, and they have not fallen."

"Then how…" Minerva's voice trailed off as a thought struck her. "No. Albus please tell me this isn't the troll from the third floor corridor?" When the man wouldn't meet her eyes she knew she had the right of it. "By the gods, Albus. I warned you the challenges were not a true threat to a serious wizard trying to get in, but clearly they aren't in any way serious enough to stop a stupid troll getting out! The children could have been killed!"

"They were never in any danger, Minerva." Albus tried to placate his irate deputy, but he could only do so much when she was actually right.

"Never in any-" The Scotswoman took a moment to reign herself in before continuing, "Ms. Granger and Davis were practically smashed to bits. If it hadn't been for Mr. Potter then we would have two dead students on our hands. Doesn't that bother you, Albus?"

"Indeed it does, Minerva. Though what worries me just as much is how an eleven year old first year defeated a troll of that size. We all saw how massive it was when it was placed as a protection by Professor Quirrel and no first year should have been able to handle it. None of their classes have even been taught defensive magic yet." He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again it was so soft that his deputy almost missed it. "I would also like to know why he seems to hold such animosity towards me."

"Oh that's simple. He knows you left him with his relatives." Minerva was not about to let Albus think he didn't deserve such treatment. "From what I gather he has had a hard life under their hands and the fact that you are directly responsible for it should explain why he dislikes you so much."

Albus was aghast, "How could he possibly know that?"

"It came up when I took him to his vault to pay for his school things."

"What? But… I sent Hagrid to take care of that?"

McGonagall's eye twitched at that open admission. "Yes, and we are going to speak in great depth later as to just why you would glomp my duties, and a wizarding world introduction, onto a man that can't even write passably at a second year level."

"Did you at least take his vault key back?"

"Why on earth would I do that, Albus? It is his by right and law. I had no prerogative to take it from him, and you had none to hold onto it in the first place."

Only through sheer force of will did the old man hold in his groan at those words. He couldn't very well tell the woman that he was dangling the key in front of Molly Weasley as a prize for her family's continued loyalty, Ginny's hand with Harry's, or their youngest son's eyes on the boy. "It just seemed the thing to do at the time. It would not do for him to have grown up spoiled with his wealth." He tried to mask his mistake with a heaping load of grandfatherly airs, an act that usually worked, but this time Minerva's cold gaze made it clear it hadn't taken. He would have to be a lot more careful how he spoke around the woman from here on out.

Standing up after finishing his inspection of the room he asked, "You have no doubt interacted with young Harry more than I have, so is there anything you can think of that would take away his anger toward me?" The boy who lived absolutely could 'not' hate him. If he did then convincing him of the rightness of his destiny was all the more difficult. He needed to trust him implicitly.

"I'm afraid not, Albus. I can think of nothing you have or could offer that he would want. You should prepare yourself to never hold a relationship of any kind with that boy. And after placing him with the Dursleys in the first place you don't really deserve one in the first place." So it was that with a great deal of her respect for Dumbledore lost, Minerva left the lavatory and started on down the halls. She had a house full of nervous students to reassure.

Elsewhere, the Slytherin students were approaching the portal to their common room, and the others had pulled ahead to give Harry and Hermione room to talk without being overheard.

"Harry," Hermione began, "did you really mean all of those things you said back there?"

The boy stared levelly at his friend as he answered, "Have you ever known me to lie?"

"No."

"Then you have your answer." In an uncharacteristically tender move, the prideful boy stepped closer and took his friend's hands in his own. "You are strong, Hermione, and I know there is bravery inside you to match it. I've seen it. The idiots in this school make fun of you because they see it too, but unlike me they fear it, because it only shows them how flawed they are in comparison to you."

Hermione let out an inarticulate sound of happiness and threw her arms around Harry's shoulders. "Thank you!"

The boy just chuckled and patted her back. "You're welcome."

A sudden thought came to her mind and she asked, "Harry? You train in the mornings right?"

"Yup."

Mustering the courage her friend had assured her was there, the bookworm asked, "Could I train with you?"

Harry was confused, "You… want to work out with me?" He was surprised that she'd request this given that both Daphne and Draco had denied it.

Hermione blushed, "Yes. I want to be as strong as you believe I am." She flexed a stick thin childish arm and said, "I have a long way to go."

"Well, it'll be nice to have another exercise partner. Padma is great but she only ever wants to run. She says she's afraid to get bulky."

"Is that a bad thing to be?" Hermione fretted, only to be reassured by Harry waving a hand.

"Not at all. A bit of muscle on a girl is a great thing. It shows they're active, skilled, and can likely take care of themselves." As an aside he muttered under his breath, "I wonder if that's my type of woman. I'll need to talk to Yuki about it."

He hadn't meant for that last to be heard, but Hermione had definitely picked it up and tucked the nugget of info away for later.

"Meet me in the common room at five AM and we'll head outside to get started. I like to begin with a few laps around the black lake."

"A-A few laps?"