Come Together KeeperPawsOffMe Chapter 8
Christmas Break came faster then the students thought it would, even Ginny who at the beginning of the school year was convinced that every minute she was imprisoned in Hogwarts would feel more like a day or maybe even a week but once the study groups started time just flew.
Harry, Neville, Hermione, Ron and the triplets were kept busy making up lesson plans for their subjects, double checking with the appropriate professor to make sure that the lessons were board approved and finally comparing UK standards of education against the European, Oriental and America's standards of education. They discovered that the UK was ahead in standards in some areas of education like potions and herbology while being behind in classic areas like mathematics and writing. The Oriental classes had different areas of study in such classes as runes and arithmacy, they studied what was used in there area while the Americas had lessons in Native American (both north and south) magic.
Professor Dumbledore was amazed; every student that had joined the study groups had improved their standings in class. Most students were now a half a school year or better head of where they were expected to be by Christmas Break even students with very little magical abilities had tremendously improved. Dumbledore and McGonagall both realized that the Hogwarts staff would be very busy this breaks revising how they would be teaching their students from now on. Some teachers may even find themselves with assistants to help them with the soon to be required lesson plans.
The afternoon of the final feast before Christmas Break found Hermione over seeing the packing of the five boys.
"Heck, Hermione," said Harry, "We're only going home for like 10 days. It's not like Aunty Alice doesn't have clean socks for us at home ya know."
Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest and mad a hurumph sound. "Harry James Potter, what are you gonna do if you get home and discover you have left your good shoes here and it being Christmas and all your aunt and uncle require you to dress up for a party, huh?"
"Send a house elf?" commented Fred or was it George sometimes if Hermione wasn't paying attention she had a hard time telling them apart, the offending male Weasley triplet ducked down behind their trunk lid n an attempt to hide but with a nod of her head Hermione had the lid fall so that he was soundly clunked on his head. "Ow!" he said "Why Fred, I do believe our little house mother has hit me."
"Why yes George I believe you are right but feel safe in knowing I didn't feel a thing, OK Hermione I'm all packed" said Fred grabbing his book satchel from next to his trunk. "As you can see everything has been shrunk and put safely in here. Would you care to look?"
Hermione glanced into the satchel and then stuck her wand in and gave it a small stir. "Yup; a little messy, but all in there." Hermione beamed at Fred.
"Of course it's messy you just stirred up my organization in there." Fred said peering into his bag.
"Is it time to eat yet?" came a voice from over on Ron's bed his nose still stuck in a book on the Second World War's strategic concepts.
"Are you packed?" asked Hermione?
"Yes" he said indicating his satchel at the end of his bed. "I'm starving can we go eat yet?"
"Sure you all seem to be packed good enough. Like Harry said if it' not home too do you really need it? Come on the food is supposed to be exceptional at leaving feasts." Hermione jumped up off where she had been sitting on Neville's bed and headed for the door.
"Come on are you guys hungry or what?" all five guys jumped up and followed her out of the room, the group grabbed Ginny out of the common room and headed to the Great Hall. The food was excellent and the friends all had a wonderful time.
Suddenly the side door of the Great Hall crashed open and Professor Quirrell stood in the doorway.
"Troll in the castle!" he squeaked "I thought you should know." He then passed out just as complete chaos erupted in the Great Hall.
Professor Dumbledore rose quickly from the staff table directing his staff to different doorways and the heads of house to their appropriate tables.
Hermione and Ginny hopped up and rushed towards the fallen professor. Neither girl cared for the man but still they did not wish the man ill or harm. Hermione had her wand out quickly and cast a simple diagnostic charm that Tonks had taught them a few years ago. According to the charm the professor was fine he didn't even appear to be passed out the charm said he was just laying there with his eyes closed. Ginny preformed a smelling salt charm to come from the tip of her wand and the Professor jerked awake.
"Troll." He whispered out
"Yes Professor we know, where is he?" asked Hermione before the school mediwitch gently pushed her out of the way.
Quirell said to no one in general "Downstairs."
"According to my charm he isn't hurt Madame Pomfrey," said Hermione, "He just passed out from the stain."
"Yes, yes dear now let a professional check him out, please go back to your house table the Headmaster wants everyone sitting at their tables for a headcount. Hermione gave Ginny an annoyed look as the two girls were pushed away from the scene of the fallen professor. Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Hagrid all left the Great Hall in search of the Troll. Snape left the 7th year Prefects in charge of his table.
The remaining staff did their best to calm the chaos of the moment, they tried to have everyone finish their meal and finally as a last resort they allowed the house elfs to have the tables cleared and to present the desserts. A large amount of sugary concoctions did finally acquire the attention of the majority of the students who settled down to sample some of the kitchen staff's best work so far that year.
Close to an hour later the three professors returned to give the all clear and explain what had happened.
As far as they could tell a little used delivery door had been pried open, from the inside, and a young or possibly closer to teenaged troll had been lured into the castle and finally gotten hold up in a little used girl's bathroom. It had smashed most of the equipment in the bathroom before it was rendered unconscious and finally removed from the castle. Professor Dumbledore had requested that a few of the house elfs place the troll closer to the area they usually stayed and far enough away from the castle where it probably would not return. He then excused all the students to go back to their houses and reminded them that the carriages would be heading to Hogmeade station for the students that were going home for the holidays. The majority of the students would be returning home to spend the holidays with their families.
The only student that was heading home that didn't seem excited about it was Draco Malfoy. He hid behind a book so that no one could see the haunted look in his eyes. Draco knew he was in for a rough holiday his father had learned from the best how to torture without leaving a mark. Father Christmas would not be leaving anything for Draco Scorpios Malfoy this year, once he returned to school his mother would sneak a couple presents out of the manor to him via the family owl under the guise that he had forgotten them. Draco smiled; his mum was one brave woman.
Harry was excited to be home. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it until he saw Longbottom Manor. Even though it was the holidays everyone had agreed to meet except for Christmas and Boxing Days to keep up their studies. Harry and Neville pestered both Remus and Tonks until they agreed to contact a school in the orient and a school in Central or South America since all of their students wished to learn about the magics of those areas. Alice, Frank, Remus and Sirius all thought that after all this might be the magic that the dark lord knows not.
By the end of the Christmas Holidays Remus and Tonks had their answers from a school in Peru and a school in Hong Kong. Both schools would gladly share the lesson plans from years one and two. The kids could do these lessons starting at summer break like a weekly correspondence class. All of the kids were excited at the prospect and were excited to see what the Hogwarts Library had on these subjects.
The ride back was quiet most of the students from the extra study classes stopped by to see how their holidays went. As the train pulled into Hogmeade Ron commented that they hadn't seen Malfoy the whole trip. The group agreed to look for him once they were back in the Great Hall.