Chapter 8
Halloween morning dawned cold and clear. All of the school was excited about the Halloween Feast later that night and the Professors were having trouble controlling classes, especially amongst the lower years.

During the lunch break, Harry noticed that Hermione was sat all on her own at the table. He knew what it was like to be the outcast, the one nobody liked or wanted to be friends with. He had thought that it was his fault, that if he tried harder and was less freaky then people might start liking him. Auntie Poppy had told him otherwise many times of course.

"Ron, Hermione's all on her own. Shall we go sit with her?" Harry asked.

"But she's a know-it-all, a teacher's pet. Why would you want to sit with her? It's her own fault she's got no friends." Ron replied

Harry looked away from Ron and just glimpsed Hermione stand up quickly and leave the Great Hall. As she passed by them Harry thought he heard a sob and he could tell her eyes were wet.

"What did you do that for, Ron?" Harry said

"Well she's a nightmare, she always knows everything and never lets anyone else answer. No wonder no-one likes her really."

Harry went back to his lunch, promising to himself that he would find Hermione in afternoon class and apologise. He knew what the exclusion felt like and it wasn't pleasant.

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Harry spotted Hermione coming out of the girls bathroom. She had missed the last period, so he had come looking for her.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry for what Ron said at lunch. I know what it's like to be the one everybody avoids, the odd one out. I'd like to be friends if we could?"

"Really? You want to be friends? It's just that I thought that it would be so different here, with everyone being able to do magic. I was so excited when my letter came, it explained so much. No-one liked me at primary school because I would do strange things that I couldn't control. I took refuge in books and all the teachers at school just started to ignore me because I could do more and was asking things that they said I shouldn't be."

"Yes Hermione. Really. I wasn't allowed to do well in school either. I wasn't allowed to get better grades than Dudley or I would get a beating. I'd love to be friends. Now we'd best get a move on or we are going to be late for Potions."

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As Harry changed out of his shirt and tie later that afternoon he was glad that he no longer had to go for a check up in the Hospital Wing all the time. It appeared as if his Auntie Minnie had scolded Auntie Poppy for being too clingy so she had relaxed some of the rules about his flying and check ups. Of course, she had grounded him for a week for disobeying her and he had had detention from his Head of House for it as well, but at least he now didn't have to suffer through any more of his auntie's checks before he was allowed to do anything. She still made him always wear the ring though.

"Hey Harry do you think those massive pumpkins we saw Hagrid growing last week will be used tonight?" Ron said suddenly

"Dunno Ron but I hope so, they were huge! Bet the decorations will be good in the Great Hall, and the twins say the food is extra special as well." Harry grinned at his best friend as his stomach grumbled "I'm starving, can we go?"

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The food was delicious. Harry felt like he didn't need to eat again, he had eaten so much. Both his aunties were sat at High Table along with Severus and the other Professors and he had looked up at them a few times during the meal. Both his aunties looked very approving to see him sitting with Hermione but Ron certainly was not.

"Why do we have to sit with her?" Ron had complained as they entered the Great Hall.

"Because I'm her friend, Ron." Harry replied simply.

Just at that moment, the food appeared on the table, effectively cutting off whatever Ron was about to reply.

Ron's anger towards Hermione had grown so much that he had left after his fourth slice of treacle tart. Being brought up with so many brothers he had never been alone and so now Harry was ignoring him in favour of the know-it-all was too much for him. He knew he had to leave before he did something he would later regret when a Howler came from his mother.

About twenty minutes later, just as the feast was ending, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor Quirrell ran in.

"Troll! In the dungeon! Thought you ought to know..." he shouted before fainting face first onto the stone floor.

Poppy was by his side in an instant. Whilst Dumbledore was trying to restore order to the Great Hall, she fixed his broken nose and woke him up, telling him that although she could detect no signs of illness or further injury, he was to call her immediately if he felt unwell. Harry watched as his auntie worked, knowing her "you will look after yourself" lectures almost by heart now. As the man turned to leave, a short, sharp, stabbing pain shot through Harry's scar and he clasped a hand to it, letting out a soft hiss of pain.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Poppy was still stood close to him and had obviously seen what had just happened.

Harry smiled back at her. "I'm fine. It was nothing."

"Harry..." Poppy started

"Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories. Teachers follow me to the dungeons." Dumbledore's magnified voice cut over everything.

"It was nothing." Harry said again. He gave his auntie a hug and then joined Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors leaving the Great Hall.

"Hermione!" Harry suddenly exclaimed "What about Ron?"

"Oh!" she clapped her hand to her mouth "he doesn't know about the troll!"

"We have to find him Hermione! Come on!"

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Ron's anger had slowly abated as he had wandered the halls. It was eerie how empty the castle seemed when there weren't any people around.

He had debated going back to the dorm but he didn't know how long the feast would go on for. After aimlessly wandering for a bit he found himself in the empty Charms classroom. He heard footsteps going past and he stood behind the door so that they wouldn't notice him. He wasn't ready to see Harry or, heaven help him, Hermione yet.

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"Let's try the Charms classroom." Hermione suggested "I really kinda showed Ron up earlier in there, he might have gone to brood. Plus you said he likes Charms."

As they skidded around the last corner Harry gagged.

"Blergh, What's that smell?!"

"Harry - look!" She pointed towards the door of the Charms classroom in which a twelve foot mountain troll was making its way inside.

"Ron!" they both shouted

"Harry!" came a frightened shout from inside

"We should really get some help Harry. We can't fight a troll!" Hermione turned to where Harry should have been. "Harry? Harry!"