Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I do not own.
A/N Nanettez pointed out that I had called Thomas 'Sebastian' a few times in the last couple chapters. That was his original name before I changed it to Thomas at the last minute. I'd thought I'd gotten rid of all the times he's referred to as 'Sebastian' before posting the pre-written chapters, but obviously I didn't. Sorry for the confusion, but the embarrassing mistake is corrected now. If there is any other mistake, please let me know so I can correct it as soon as possible. If there's any questions or comments, please review or PM me as well. Thank you for the reviews I've gotten so far and please keep the feedback coming!
Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that the four friends were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Thomas, Phoebe and Harry thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure and they were quite keen to have another one. Serena was more concerned about the treatment of the poor three-headed dog and Neville wanted to forget any of it happened.
Harry filled his friends 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." Phoebe had a dangerous glint in her eye as she spoke.
"Or both." Harry put in. But, 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.
All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy. Phoebe wanted to feed him to the three-headed dog, but that sounded too vicious. Thomas and Harry wanted to shove his head in a toilet, but they could never find him alone and didn't want to risk Crabbe and Goyle turning their plan around on them. Serena wanted them to forget about revenge. They didn't listen to Serena.
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. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, 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 had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Serena to read. They all 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."
"Well, Harry is favored over you." Phoebe told him. Before he could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope?" He squeaked. Every teacher, apparently, had heard about the fist-fight and Phoebe and Malfoy could hardly be in the same room without a teacher swooping in to stand in between them.
"Not at all, Professor." Serena said it with such innocence that Professor Flitwick smiled and started to walk away.
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor." Malfoy said quickly.
"Yes, yes, that's right." Professor Flitwick said, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir." Harry replied, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." He added. The group 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..."
"See, breaking the rules is fun!" Phoebe said with a giggle.
"Lunatic." Serena accused, with a fond tone.
The group stopped in the common room and dumped the package on the nearest sofa. Harry began to unwrap it, tearing off the paper in a near frenzy while Serena scolded him for not being more careful and was quickly hushed by the others for her trouble.
"Whoa." Thomas gasped as they saw the broom. Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. Phoebe grinned as she reached out to touch the tail.
"Now that is one bloody heck of a reward for breaking the rules."
Potions was never enjoyable. But as Halloween came around, Professor Snape seemed to be in an even worse mood than usual. He was harder on everyone, but it seemed to be Harry, Serena, Thomas and Phoebe that got the brunt of it. On Halloween day, Snape chose Phoebe to mercilessly bully during class.
"At least your father actually applied himself!" He snapped towards the end of class. As they filed out of the classroom, Harry caught a glimpse at Phoebe and saw she was actually crying. Too shocked to do anything, and not sure what to do in the first place, he tugged Serena's sleeve and motioned to Phoebe as the girl hurried away.
"Thomas!" Serena caught his attention as he muttered something about time bombs and Professor Snape's goblet under his breath. He seemed to know what was going on immediately and the group hurried after Phoebe.
She disappeared into the girl's bathroom and Serena wasted no time going in after her while the boys stopped short, unsure of what to do. The girl's bathroom was a no-go zone, but Phoebe was obviously upset. Harry looked hopelessly at Thomas, who just shrugged. They waited outside.
A few moments later, Serena came out.
"She is officially not talking to us." The way Serena said it told them that Phoebe hadn't left any room for arguments. She huffed and tossed her hair. "We should report Professor Snape to... someone! He can't talk to students like that. He knew this would set her off." She fumed, madder than Harry had ever seen her.
"Here, move." Thomas shuffled past them into the bathroom. They could hear arguing from inside, but couldn't make out the words. Finally, Thomas returned, shaking his head in defeat. "She's not leaving." He announced.
"We can wait for her." Harry suggested hopelessly, knowing she wouldn't leave until she was good and ready to. They had more classes and then dinner; they couldn't wait for her all day.
"Just go!" Phoebe said from the other side of the door, sniffling a little.
"Come on, let's give her a while." Serena suggested quietly. She tugged on Thomas's arm and the three of them left.
Phoebe didn't appear for her next class and, in fact, wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Thomas decided to go try and talk to her again. Serena and Harry offered to help but Thomas thought it'd be better if he went alone, so they let him.
As they stepped into the Great Hall, the decorations momentarily distracted them from their worries. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.
The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped:
"Troll... in the dungeons... thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar, everyone jumping up and screaming at once. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects!" He rumbled. "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Percy was in his element.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
"How could a troll get in?" Serena asked, blood draining from her face, as they climbed the stairs towards Gryffindor tower.
"How should I know?" Harry asked. They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Serena stopped suddenly, grabbing wildly at Harry's arm.
"What about Thomas and Phoebe? They don't know about the troll!" She whispered. She swallowed audibly and fought to keep her expression calm. "We're going to alert Percy, who will go tell a teacher-."
"You do that." Harry encouraged. Yanking himself free from her grip, Harry ran away, leaving her fuming and unsure of what to do. Ducking down, Harry joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. Harry had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. Thinking it was Percy, Harry ducked behind a stone griffon to hide. Peering around it, however, Harry saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.
Quietly as possible, Harry crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. He was heading for the third floor. Suddenly, a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then he heard it: a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet.
Harry turned towards where the sounds seemed to becoming from. At the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. Harry shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a 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 holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.
The key was in the lock. Mouth dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out, Harry crept forward. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it. He let out an excited 'yes!' and ran back down the corridor.
Rounding the corner, he collided with Serena and they hit the floor. She moaned and raised her head, holding her hair out of her eyes with one hand.
"What are you doing? Where's Thomas and Phoebe?"
"I trapped the troll!" Harry told her excitedly.
"Where?" She asked and Harry tried not to be peeved that she neglected to say 'good job' or 'you're a hero, Harry'.
"There." He pointed at the door. Serena's eyes followed his finger.
"That's the girls bathroom." As if to back Serena's statement up, they heard something that made their hearts stop: high, petrified screams... and it was coming from the chamber Harry had just locked up.
"You know, Snape is just a bully. He didn't get enough hugs as a kid or something and now he's bitter." Thomas talked on and on outside the stall door, trying anything and everything to get his friend to come out. He turned to face the door again. "Can I just come in?" He heard Phoebe undo the latch and the door opened a crack.
Phoebe scooted over the toilet lid and Thomas sat down next to her, their shoulders pressed against each other and the opposite sides of the stall. Neither of them spoke; Phoebe sniffed occasionally but Thomas made no comment about it. He glanced around as if the stall was interesting.
"Nice place you got here." Phoebe laughed at that and then they fell into a slightly happier silence.
That silence made sure that they heard the grunting and heavy footsteps. They looked at each other in confusion and then stood up on the toilet lid in unison, looking over the wall of the stall. A giant, lumbering troll walked into the bathroom. The door shut behind it and locked with a click.
"Yes!" They heard an all too familiar voice shout.
"Did that just happen?" Thomas whispered in shock, a slightly bitter tone in his voice. Harry was going to pay for that one... The troll turned towards them.
"Duck!" Phoebe cried and they dropped down and hit the floor together.
They'd barely hit the ground before the tops of the stalls came collapsing in on them, boards falling on top of them with bruising force. Thomas and Phoebe screamed together, both screams coming out higher pitched than they'd like and in almost comical unison. The troll was advancing towards them as they started kicking and throwing boards at it and trying to crawl away at the same time.
A board hit the troll in the back of the head; Harry and Serena were arming themselves with debris by the door, both pale and shaky but determined.
"Move!" Harry ordered Thomas and Phoebe and they were quick to obey, army-crawling their way across the debris covered floor.
The troll was lumbering around, unsure of where to go and who to swing at. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
"Harry!" Serena shoved him one way and ran another as Thomas picked up a metal tap and tossed it with surprising accuracy at the troll's head.
"Hey, over here, you garbage can!"
"No, over here, you-." Phoebe said something that would've gotten her detention for a month if she'd said it in front of a teacher. She picked up a piece of porcelain and threw it overhead with both hands. It bounced off the troll's shoulder and narrowly missed Serena, who shrieked at the close call.
"Come on!" Harry threw a board at it, hoping they could all keep it distracted and prevent it from going towards anyone in particular. Long term? He had no clue what they were going to do.
"No, I am Spartacus!" Thomas shouted and threw another piece of debris. Serena called him the same name Phoebe had called the troll for trying to be funny in their dire situation and Harry thought for a moment they were going to start fighting each other.
The shouting and the echoes of debris bouncing off the walls seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Serena, 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.
Phoebe and Thomas were trapped by the far wall, having to duck each time the club came their way. Serena shakily drew her wand and shouted the first spell that popped into her head. Green sparks shot out of her wand as the troll spun around in an attempt to get Harry off him. The sparks seemed to drive the troll into a frenzy and he started running around. Phoebe and Thomas curled up in the fetal position to avoid it and it came running towards them. It hit the wall face first, its feet narrowly missing Thomas and Phoebe.
The troll swayed on the spot and then fell backwards, with Harry leaping to safety at the last second. It landed with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Serena was standing there with her wand still raised, staring at what she had done.
It was Phoebe who spoke first.
"Please say its dead." For once, her viciousness wasn't out of place.
"I don't think so." Harry responded. "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. "Ugh... troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers as Serena dove to a toilet to heave.
Thomas wrinkled his nose and started gagging as well. He turned to Phoebe.
"Cup your hands." She jumped out of the way and then, as an afterthought, shoved him none-too-gently towards a toilet instead.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the five 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. Professor McGonagall came 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. Professor McGonagall was looking at the group. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" Professor McGonagall asked, with cold fury in her voice.
Harry looked at Serena, the one who usually could stay calm. She just turned and heaved into a toilet again. Thomas straightened up from his own toilet and tried to smile reassuring at their teacher but it came out more like a grimace. Harry and Phoebe looked at each other but neither found the courage to say anything.
"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" McGonagall demanded. Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor.
"It's my fault, Professor."
"Miss Black!" McGonagall seemed to notice Phoebe for the first time.
"They were looking for me. If they hadn't found me, I'd probably be dead. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."
"What were you doing in here during dinner?"
"Bad day. Thomas was here trying to get me to come eat." Phoebe explained uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to another.
"Well... You are all very good friends to each other." McGonagall cleared her throat, as if that reminded her of something awful. "Now, everyone is finishing the feast in their common rooms. Five points to all of you. For sheer dumb luck. Off you go." McGonagall waved them away and they were all too eager to run away back towards Gryffindor tower.
As they neared the portrait hole, Phoebe stopped to throw her arms around Harry in a hug. Awkwardly he patted her back. Serena was breathing heavily and laughing like a crazy person. Thomas dropped to his knees. They all looked at him as he threw his arms in the air.
"We are the supreme lords of the bathroom!" He yelled. That was not a title Harry wanted to be known for, but he laughed anyway.
"Yes, we are!" Phoebe agreed in the same loud yell. Serena shook her head, but laughed slightly less hysterically. Phoebe slapped her best friend some high-fives as he finally got up off his knees. Serena pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek and then started bouncing around with the other two, like rabbits hyped up on energy drinks. Harry just laughed at the sight of his insane friends.
Finally, they shouted the password and hurried through the portrait hole, content with the knowledge that they had another adventure under their belt.