"YEEEEEAH!" Harry zoomed around the Quidditch pitch, circling the goal posts and diving from high heights. His Nimbus Two Thousand turned beautifully, and Harry saw colors blur at the sides when he really got going. It was amazing.
"Oi, Potter!" Oliver Wood was at the bottom of the goalpost Harry was farthest from, but Harry was there in seconds. He was a little annoyed that he had to stop flying around, but he knew that he had to start training. "McGonagall was right," Oliver said with an excited gleam in his eye. "You're a fabulous flyer. Without any training, too. That means we can whip you into such top shape that you can outfly anybody."
Harry grinned. That sounded like a deal. Wood explained Quidditch to him in a few minutes, and Harry got to pass the Quaffle around with him for a while. "Can I see what the Bludgers do?" Harry asked. Oliver released one, and picked up a Beater's club. He hauled back with his arm, and knocked the incoming Bludger straight towards the castle. Harry grabbed another club, and his strike knocked it even farther than Oliver's did.
"Not bad, Potter." Oliver nodded in approval. The Bludger circled around, and as it hurtled towards the two, Wood jumped on top of it, forcing it back to the ground. He latched it back inside the Quidditch ball chest, and finally pulled out the Golden Snitch.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. He knew instantly that his entire life was meant for Quidditch. As Wood released the Snitch, Harry's hand snapped out and caught it. "Blimey!" Wood exclaimed. "You're a natural!" Harry got up on his broom after the Snitch had time to fly around the pitch for a while, and his first try only lasted three minutes.
"Potter!" Oliver called him back down after his seventh success. "You did brilliant today, honest. But we have to get back to the castle. Team practice is next Wednesday. Be there, alright?" Harry grinned and nodded, and the two went back to the common room.
Harry sat by Ron, who was busy playing his chess set against Seamus. His knight brutally demolished a pawn, and Seamus angrily stood up and walked away. "Fifth game in a row," Ron said. "He hates losing."
Harry told Ron all about practice over a game of wizard chess, which Ron beat him at very quickly. "Blimey," he said, impressed. "Wood seems to really like you." Wood was busy conversing with the Weasley twins, the team's Beaters.
"I can't wait for practice on Wednesday," Harry said excitedly. "I get to practice with the whole team."
Wednesday drew closer, but in a painfully slow manner. Harry was busy daydreaming in Charms class when Ron's furious attempts at a Hovering Charm were ineffective. "Wingardium Leviosa!" His flapping movements drew the attention of Hermione Granger.
"You're saying it wrong. It's Win-gar-dium Levi-o-sa. Make the gar nice and long." Ron rolled his eyes.
"You try it then," he complained. Hermione cleared her throat.
"Wingardium Leviosa," she said in a clear voice. The quill in front of her began to hover admirably.
"Well done!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Ten points to Gryffindor!"
Ron was aggravated after class. "It's no wonder she's got no friends," he said gruffly as a side comment to Harry, but his voice carried, and Hermione pushed past the two in tears. Ron began looking awkward, and when they passed the girl's lavatory, the sounds of sobbing made things even more awkward.
"I mean, I wasn't trying to make her cry, really. She was just so annoying. I mean—" But Ron's comment was cut short by Professor Quirrel, who burst into the Great Hall, screaming, "TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! TROOOOOLLLL!" He reached the head table, and collapsed before Dumbeldore. "Thought you ought to know," he mumbled before fainting.
The Great Hall had never erupted into screams in Harry's time at Hogwarts, but this time sure made up for the lack of such experiences tenfold. "SILENCE!" Dumbledore shouted, his voice magnified magically. The Hall quieted immediately. "Everyone, if you please, follow your prefects back to your dormitories, and stay together at all times. Teachers, if you would follow me to the dungeons."
Dumbledore led the teachers out, and the prefects led the students to each of their respective dormitories. Harry and Ron were near the back of the line out, but suddenly Harry stopped dead. "Ron," he whispered, horrified. "Hermione."
Ron's eyes widened. "You mean she didn't come back into the Great Hall?" Harry shook his head, and the two rushed to the bathroom, from where they soon heard troll grunts and eleven-year old girl shrieks. "HERMIONE!" Harry screamed, and bolted inside.
The troll, humongous and warty, had thick gray skin that gave off a foul stench. Hermione was cowering in a stall that the troll had just knocked apart with its giant, gnarled club. "Do something!" Hermione yelled, panicked. Harry shot red sparks at the troll, and tried levitating a few sinks up to smash the troll on the head.
The troll turned around, confused. "Rargh?" it growled, not sure what to do. Ron's next levitated faucet stuck up the troll's nose, so it decided to go after him.
"Harry, what do I do?" Ron screamed in a panic.
"ARE YOU A WIZARD OR NOT?" Harry yelled.
Blushing but still sweaty and panicked, Ron flicked his wand and yelled, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The troll's club stopped midair, and fell onto the troll's head. A heavy, satisfying clunk resounded from the troll's skull, and it collapsed in a heap.
The three stood still, silent except for the spraying faucets of broken sinks.
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Dumbledore burst into the room. "Potter! Weasley! Ms. Granger!" she said, clutching her heart. "My goodness! What...how…" McGonagall continued to sputter, but Harry didn't notice. All he saw was a glint of malice in Snape's eyes, and a slight sneer.
"It was my fault, Professor. I let the troll in. I thought I could beat it." Hermione said quietly. Harry and Ron were shocked. She had sacrificed her perfect record for them?
After that event, the three became the best of friends. There was no talk of reconciliation. They just were. Gryffindor House earned five points that night, ten added from Ron and Harry beating the troll, and five taken from Hermione's "actions".
Harry got into bed, exhausted. He fell asleep, and had a nightmare of the troll chasing him around, squeaking in Professor Flitwick's voice, "Swish and flick! Swish and flick! Swish and flick!" Standing by him was Professor Snape, who sneered and laughed. "You can run, Potter, but there is nowhere that you can hide. Nowhere."