Hallowe'en
Draco was shocked to no end upon seeing Arthur and David still at Hogwarts the following morning, looking tired yet cheerful.
By next morning, the two felt that the encounter with the three headed dog was quite the adventure and didn't mind having another one, though not so soon after. Meanwhile, Arthur explained to David about the package Hagrid took from Gringotts and how it must've moved to Hogwarts and this started the two trying to figure out as to what needs heavy protection.
"It must be something of value. Perhaps something dangerous." David threw some ideas.
"Maybe it's both." Arthur considered. All they knew for sure was that the mystery item was around two inches big. They didn't have any chance of guessing what it was without any more clues.
Neville didn't even show an ounce of interest about what was underneath the trapdoor as he just wanted to never get near that dog ever again. Chrys, however, seemed to be distant from the two, as though she was trying to deal with what happened on her own. They didn't mind as she was just using her own method of coping.
Regardless, all the two need now is a way to get back at Draco, which will arrive with the post a week later and it's a way that they'll enjoy immensely.
When the owls flooded the Great Hall as usual, everyone noticed a long thin package that was carried by six screech owls. Arthur was wondering what the package was and ended up being shocked when the owls swooped down and dropped the large package in front of him. They flutter off just as another owl arrives and drops a letter on top of the package.
The first thing he did was see what the letter said. Which turned out to be a good move because it read:
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 pitch at seven o'clock for your first training session.
Prof. M. McGonagall
Arthur was barely able to hide his glee as he handed the letter over to David.
"What? A Nimbus Two Thousand? They're going all out." David said quietly as Arthur looked at the High Table, seeing McGonagall look at him with a smile. He smiled back before he and David left the Hall with the package, so eager to unwrap the broomstick in private before they'd go to their first lesson.
But it was when they reached halfway across the Entrance Hall that they saw the way upstairs being barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Draco came up behind Arthur and David, seizing the package from Arthur and felt it.
"That's a broomstick. You'll be for it this time, Pendergast, first years aren't allowed them." He said, throwing it back to him with jealousy and spite evident on his face. David took this chance to rub it in.
"Well, it just so happens to be the new Nimbus Two Thousand! And to think you have a Comet Two Sixty in comparison. Me and my siblings all have Cleansweep Sevens." He said, just getting on Draco's nerves as the latter brooms outclass the Comet Two Sixties.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" Flitwick appeared by Draco's elbow.
"Pendergast's been sent a broomstick, Professor." Draco said quickly, like a little snitch telling on someone, hoping to get Arthur into trouble.
"Yes, yes, that's right. Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Pendergast. And what model is it?" Flitwick beamed at Arthur, resulting in Draco having a look of horror on his face, something that satisfied Arthur to no end.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir. And it's all thanks to Draco that I've got it." He replied, adding the salt to Draco's wound. And he wasn't wrong. If Draco didn't snatch Neville's Remembrall and got on his broom, Arthur wouldn't have gone after him and caught it in the air.
He and David made their way upstairs, trying their hardest to contain their laughter at Draco's shock, rage and confusion.
"Nice package." They heard Chrys' voice behind them. They turned, seeing her on the stairs with a few books in her arms.
"Thanks." Arthur nodded to her and watched as she went up the stairs, heading off on her own.
Arthur was finding himself struggling for the first time to keep his mind on the lessons that day, This was because he kept thinking about the dormitory where his new broomstick was under his bed, or even about the Quidditch pitch where he'll learn how to play that night.
When dinner came that evening, he just bolted after finishing his food quickly, with David by his side up to the dormitory and there, he finally unwrapped the Nimbus Two Thousand.
David whistled in awe as Arthur placed the broom on his bed so that they could examine it well. He knew of the different brooms, thanks to David explaining them to him, and that helps him to understand just how brilliant this broomstick is.
It was sleek and shiny with a mahogany handle with the name of the broom on the very top, written in gold. It also had a long tail of neat, straight twigs held by a golden frame. There were also pedals for his feet.
As seven o'clock was near, Arthur left the castle and headed directly to the Quidditch pitch, which was in an oval shape with a number of various stands in different colours to represent the different houses (one though was black and white) between seats.
Arthur had never been inside the stadium before now. At either end of the pitch, there were three metal poles with hoops on the end, all at different heights with the middle one being the highest. At first they reminded Arthur of what Muggle children use to make bubbles.
Finding himself too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, he just mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground. And he found himself amazed as he swooped in and out of the goalposts and then started speeding around the entire pitch. The Nimbus Two Thousand was able to turn wherever he wanted with just the lightest touch. It was just perfect for him.
"Arthur Pendergast, come down!" Oliver Wood had just arrived. He seemed to be carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Of course, Arthur landed next to him.
"Very nice. I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." Wood told him with glinting eyes.
He then opened the crate up, which had four different sized balls in it.
"Right. Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are chasers." Wood started off. Despite having read this stuff in Quidditch Through the Ages, he didn't want to cut him off, seeing that he's obsessed with the sport.
"Right." He replied as Wood took out the largest of the balls. It was bright red and the size of a football.
"This ball's called the Quaffle. The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try to get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?" Wood explained. Arthur understood him clearly, nodding. It was a bit like basketball but with broomsticks and more hoops.
"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper, I'm the Keeper for Gyffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring." Wood then talked of his role in the team.
"Got it." Arthur nodded.
"And what about the other balls?" He then asked.
"I'll show you now. Take this." Wood handed Arthur what looked a lot like a rounders bat.
"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do. These two are the Bludgers." He then showed two identical balls that were jet black and smaller than the Quaffle. They also looked like they were straining to escape the straps that held them in the box.
"Stand back." Wood then warned Arthur as he bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.
Immediately, the black ball rose up in the air and suddenly pelted right at Arthur's face. However, he swung the bat at it with his quick reflexes and sent it zigzagging away in the air. It then zoomed around their heads before shooting at Wood, who dived onto it, pining it to the ground.
"See?" He panted, struggling to place the ball back into the crate, strapping it down safely.
"The Bludgers rocket around trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team. The Merlon twins are ours, it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them towards the other team. So, think you've got all that?"
"The three Chasers try to score with the Quaffle, the Keeper guards the goalposts and the Beaters try to keep the Bludgers away from their team and to knock the opposing team." Arthur listed off quickly, seeing that he knew and remembered.
"Very good." Wood said, rather pleased.
"By the way, have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Arthur asked, feeling a need to know.
"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludger-"
"Unless the latter cracks my head open."
"Don't worry, the Merlons are more than a match for the Bludgers, I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."
Wood reached in the crate and took out the final ball. It was roughly the size of a walnut, making it much smaller in comparison to the Quaffle and Bludgers. It was also bright gold with little fluttering silver wings. It looked beautiful.
"This is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages. I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep." Wood went on, surprising the boy with the last point about the three month long game. He didn't ever hear of Muggle sports matches lasting that long.
"Well, that's it. Any questions?" Wood then asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Not really." Arthur shook his head. He knew exactly what his role in the team is and also knew he'd have to train the hardest to ensure he'd get the Snitch first before any opposing teams.
"We won't practise with the Snitch yet. It's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these." Wood said as he carefully shut the Snitch back in the crate. He then pulled out a bag of ordinary golf balls out from his pocket.
A few minutes later, the two were up in the air and Wood threw the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Arthur to catch.
He hadn't missed even one of them, which delighted his Captain. After half an hour passed, night had truly fallen and they couldn't carry on.
"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year. I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Kenny Merlon, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons." Wood said, ending up with a frown, clearly thinking that Kenny did something sacrilegious
Arthur found himself hardly believing that he had been at Hogwarts for two months at this point. Even though he felt that the Dentleys were a home, Hogwarts felt more like his true home compared to Privet Drive. Even the lessons started getting more and more interesting after mastering the basics.
Come Hallowe'en morning, they woke up to a delicious smell of baking pumpkin that wafted through the corridors. And even better, Flitwick had announced that in Charms, he felt they were all ready to make objects fly, which everyone has been dying to try since they saw him make Neville's toad zoom all around the classroom.
Flitwick put the class into pairs to practise. Arthur was paired with Mike, whom Arthur started becoming proper friends with, though he'd always have David as his best friend. Speaking of David, he was paired with Chrys, who started interacting with him and Arthur more after she coped with the adventure with the three headed dog.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising! 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." Flitwick squeaked, perched on top of a pile of books, as usual.
It was proven difficult for a lot of the class. Arthur saw Seamus, who was paired with Neville, swishing and flicking yet the feather he tried to make go skywards just lay on the desktop. He got so impatient that he prodded the feather with his wand, resulting in him setting it on fire and trying putting it out as Neville was scared.
Arthur and Mike both first tried to properly pronounce the incantation before doing the wand movement.
David, at the next table, didn't have much luck.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" He shouted, waving his wand around.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there. You're mispronouncing it. Make sure you make the gar nice and long and make the 'o' clear." Chrys tried helping him out.
"Thanks." David muttered, seemingly embarrassed.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She then said, swishing and flicking her wand. Her feather then rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done! Everyone see here, Miss Ranger's done it!" Flitwick cried. Eventually David, Arthur and Mike made their feathers hover before the lesson ended. David, however, had some things to say as he and Arthur pushed their way through the crowded corridor.
"If I wanted help, I would've asked for it. I swear, she can be a bit too much, much more than I expected." He ranted. Someone knocked into Arthur and saw that it was Chrys, who hurried past him and started crying as he saw a glimpse of her face.
This made him glare at David.
"She heard you." He told him off, though it wasn't necessary as David realised that he was being mean. This left an awkward silence between them.
They also noticed that she didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen throughout the afternoon. As they made their way down to the Great Hall for the Hallowe'en feast, the two heard Parvati Patil tell her friend Lavender that Chrys was crying in the girls' toilets, wanting to be left alone. Arthur glared at David once more and David felt so much guilt that he said he'll apologise and explain himself to her after the feast.
Once they entered the Great Hall, they were stunned.
There were a thousand live bats fluttering from the walls to the ceiling and a thousand more swooped over the table in low, black clouds, which made the candles in the pumpkins stutter. And like the start of term banquet, the feast suddenly appeared on the golden plates.
Arthur was able to enjoy the feast and as he was in the middle of having sausages when Quirrell suddenly sprinted into the Great Hall with a look of terror on his face and his turban was askew.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" He screamed at the top of his lungs to the High Table. This left the entire Hall in silence as everyone stared at him while Dumbledore stood.
"Thought you ought to know." Quirrell then said right before he fainted, falling face first to the floor.
Everyone then screamed until several purple firecrackers exploded from the end of Dumbledore's wand to silence them all.
"Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!" He rumbled. Sam's expression was one of seriousness.
"Follow me, first years! Just stay calm, we'll be far from the troll. Make way!" He barked, leading them all through the castle quickly.
"How the hell could a troll get in the castle?" Arthur asked David.
"I don't know, they're supposed to be stupid. Though, it could be Peeves as a Hallowe'en joke." David shrugged. As they made their way past a group of confused Hufflepuffs, Arthur, to his horror, realised something that made him grab David's arm.
"What is it?" He asked, confused by the sudden action.
"It's Chrys, she doesn't know about the troll." Arthur explained and David also had a look of horror on his face. They wordlessly agreed that they had to do something.
So they ducked down and joined the Hufflepuffs, who were heading the other way. Then they slipped down a deserted side corridor and ran as fast as they could to the girls' toilets. They had turned a corner when they heard quick footsteps heading their way from behind.
"Hide." David hissed before pulling Arthur behind a large stone gryphon. Peering his head around it, Arthur saw that it was Snape as he crossed the corridor and disappeared from view, heading to the third floor.
"It was Snape." He whispered to David, who made a look of confusion.
"Where's he going? Shouldn't he be with the rest of the teachers in the dungeon?" He asked.
"He's heading to the third floor. But we need to go." Arthur said, leading him down the next corridor quietly after Snape's fading footsteps.
David suddenly stopped, holding up his hand.
"Do you smell that?" He asked. Arthur sniffed and instantly covered both his nose and mouth as a foul stench was in the air. It was like a mixture of old socks and a public toilet that no one cleaned for years.
And then they heard a low grunting and shuffling of gigantic feet. They looked at the end of a passage to the left and saw something huge moving towards them. The boys hid in the shadows, watching as the creature emerged into a patch of moonlight.
It was truly an awful sight. It stood twelve feet tall, with dull, granite grey skin. It had a great lumpy body like a boulder with a small bald head perched on top. It had short legs as thick as tree trunks, which had spiky warts, with flat, horny feet.
The smell coming from it was much stronger than before, nearly burning the boys' nostrils. The creature was holding a large wooden club, dragging it along the floor as its arms were so long.
The creature, no doubt the troll, stopped next to a doorway and peered within. Its long ears waggled, made up its tiny mind and slouched slowly into the room. Arthur noticed a key.
"The key's in the lock. We can lock it in." He muttered.
"Good idea." David replied.
They edged their way to the open door, hoping and praying that the troll didn't come out to see them. Then with a great leap, Arthur grabbed the key, slammed the door and locked.
They silently cheered before starting to run back up the passage.
However, once they reached the corner, a high, petrified scream rang out, making their hearts stop. This was because it came from the chamber they locked up.
"No…." David said, so pale he could be mistaken for a ghost. They just locked the troll in the girls' toilets.
"Chrys!" They said in unison. They may not want to confront the troll, but there was no choice because the troll could kill her if they didn't stop it soon.
Turning on the spot, they sprinted back to the door, unlocked it (though fumbling slightly) and ran inside.
Chrys was shrinking up against the wall opposite, looking like she was going to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking sinks off the walls as it did so.
"Confuse that thing!" Arthur said in desperation, seizing a tap and throwing it as hard as possible against the wall.
This made the troll stop a few feet from Chrys and it then lumbered around, blinking stupidly to see what made the noise. Its mean little eyes landed on Arthur. It hesitated before making its way to him, lifting its club as it went.
"Hey, brainless!" David yelled from the side of the room, throwing a metal pipe at the troll. It seemed oblivious to the pipe hitting its shoulder, though it heard his yell and paused once more, turning its really ugly snout towards David, which gave Arthur time to run around it.
"Get up and run!" He yelled at Chrys, trying to pull her to the door, but she was so struck with so much terror that she couldn't move, keeping herself flat against the wall.
All of the shouting and echoes started driving the troll berserk as it roared again and stomped towards David, who was nearest and wasn't able to escape.
This made Arthur do something that was both brave and stupid: he took a running jump and fastened his arms around the troll's neck from behind. However, he also ended up sticking his wand up into one of the troll's nostrils.
This caused it to howl in pain and started twisting and flailing its club. Arthur clinged on for dear life, knowing that at any second, the troll would rip him off or strike a terrible blow at him with his club.
Chrys found herself able to move, getting closer to the door as David pulled out his wand and ended up crying out the first spell that popped into his head.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
To his delight, it worked as the club suddenly flew out of the troll's hand, rose high into the air, turned over slowly and then dropped onto the troll's head with a sickening crack. The troll then swayed on the spot before falling flat on its face with a thud that made the entire room tremble.
Arthur got to his feet immediately, shaking and out of breath. David stood there with a stunned expression. Chrys walked over to his side, her eyes never leaving the troll.
"Is it… dead?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't think so. It's more than likely knocked out." Arthur said, noticing that it was still breathing. He then bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. The bogies looked like lumpy grey glue, which just disgusted the three before Arthur wiped his wand on the troll's trousers.
Suddenly, the door slammed open and loud footsteps made the three look up. Naturally, the racket attracted people downstairs with the crashes and roars.
A moment later, McGonagall bursted into the room with Snape and Quirrell behind her. Quirrell made one look at the troll and let out a faint whimper, sitting down a toilet and clutching his heart.
Snape had bent over the troll while McGonagall looked at Arthur and David. Arthur found himself scared upon seeing how angry she looked with her lips now white.
"What on earth were you thinking of? You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" She said with cold fury in her voice. Snape gave Arthur a swift, piercing look as well.
"Professor… they were looking for me." Chrys' small voice said, stepping forward from where she was.
"Miss Ranger!"
"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." She then said.
Arthur and David were beyond shocked, so much so that David dropped his wand. She just truly lied to a teacher.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Arthur stuck his wand up the troll's nose and David knocked it out with its own club. They weren't able to go and fetch someone. When they arrived, it was right about to finish me off." She then explained. Both boys were able to hide the fact that the story was new to them. McGonagall then stared at all three of them before speaking another word.
"Well… in that case… Miss Ranger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Chrys had hung her head, looking ashamed. Arthur just couldn't believe it. Chrys came across as someone who wouldn't do anything against the rules and yet here she is, pretending that she did, just to get them out of trouble. It would be if Snape started handing out sweets.
"Miss Ranger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. 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." McGonagall said before Chrys left.
McGonagall then looked at Arthur and David.
"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." She said.
The boys hurried out of there and didn't speak until they were two floors up.
They were grateful to finally be away from the troll's stench as well.
"That turned out better than expected." Arthur said, looking over at David, who looked so guilt ridden.
"But if I didn't say all those things earlier, she wouldn't have been in harm's way." He said.
"Don't worry, you'll still apologise and explain yourself." Arthur reassured him, patting his shoulder.
They eventually reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pig snout." They said and entered.
The whole common room was packed as much as it was noisy. Everyone was eating their food, which was sent up. Chrys, though, stood by herself by the door, waiting for them. Initially, there was an embarrassed pause before they each said thanks and went to get plates.
It was from that moment on that Chrysanthemum Ranger became their friend. It seems that knocking out a twelve foot mountain troll has a way of bonding people together.
This chapter introduced us to David's main flaw, which will be explicitly explained in the next chapter.
Btw, whoever is constantly telling me to update my Ghost story, can you PLEASE stop? Not only am I focused on this story at the moment, I'm also thinking of deleting my Ghost story because I'm not pleased with how it's written and may end up rewriting it from scratch. Key word MAY.