The following day, Harry groggily went down to breakfast and slumped into his seat, resting his head on his arms. Draco was talking about his father's job at the Ministry with Zabini Blaise while Goyle and Crabbe stuffed their faces. As Harry tried to get up the energy to eat, the mail arrived and with it a rather curiously shaped package. As his fellow Slytherins looked on with interest, Harry carefully unwrapped the paper to discover none other than a Nimbus 2000 broomstick. His jaw fell open, recalling the excitement back in Diagon Alley over the broom.

"Hey!"

The voice made him jump and he turned around to see Ronald Weasley standing up on a bench to see what the fuss was over at the Slytherin table.

"First years aren't allowed broomsticks!" Ronald announced, causing even more students to turn their attention to the Slytherin table.

"Shove off, Weasley," Malfoy snapped.

Harry smiled at this, but the smile disappeared when Ron turned to an approaching Snape and Flitwick as the teachers headed towards the staff table.

"Potter has a broom!" Ron accused, pointing his finger at Harry.

Snape merely raised a brow as Flitwick turned towards Harry.

"Ah, yes, Professor Snape was just telling me about how masterfully you can handle a broom," Flitwick squeaked as he smiled at Harry. "And congratulations, Mister Potter."

Harry's mouth fell open and he turned to look at Snape, but the man was already walking past them towards the staff table.

Flitwick excused himself and Malfoy made some kind of snide remark at Weasley as the redhead complained about that not being fair.

"I could make the team too if I had my broom!" Ron huffed.

"Tying some straw to a stick doesn't constitute a broom, Weasel," Malfoy shot, his words turning Ron's face even redder.

Without anything to say, Ron sat down in his seat muttering to himself.

"You've a note," Terence suddenly motioned towards the packaging, pulling Harry's attention away from the Gryffindor table.

Harry opened it and smiled a little at learning he would be meeting with Flint later that day to learn about Quidditch.

Feeling much better than he had before walking into the Great Hall, Harry finally had enough of an appetite to eat.

Halloween day found Harry in his Charms class trying to levitate a feather, but it turned out to be more difficult than he had thought it would be. His jaw dropped when the student next to him managed to do it on his second try.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked in surprise as he watched the feather float higher and higher in the air.

"How do you think?" the boy replied in an icy tone.

"I mean, can you show me?"

The boy's brow rose as he glanced at Harry.

"No." The boy's reply surprised Harry. "If you had properly paid attention, you should be able to do it."

Scowling, Harry concentrated on his feather, but no matter how hard he tried he wasn't able to get it to levitate.

He was so frustrated at the end of the lesson that he spent the rest of the day in the library practicing. It wasn't until he noticed it was dark outside the windows that he realized he'd missed his first Halloween feast at Hogwarts.

Grumbling to himself, he packed up his books and headed out of the library towards the common room.

A scream made him jump and he turned towards the sound. His eyes went wide at the sight of a monstrous being. He had no idea what it was, but it was lumbering towards him while chasing a girl from Harry's year. His mouth fell when he recognized Hermione Granger.

"Run!" she yelled at him as she reached him. "We have to get a teacher!"

"R-right!"

They started running again, the monster swinging its club around, smashing it against walls and pillars.

"What is that thing?" Harry gasped as he shoved through a door.

"Troll!" Hermione responded and then she screamed.

Harry skidded to a stop, thinking something worse was now in front of them, but instead he was met with Professor Quirrell's classroom, its desks lined in neat rows.

His jaw fell as he realized why Hermione had screamed.

"His office!" Harry shouted as the troll barged into the classroom. "Hurry!"

They rushed up the stairs leading into their Professor's classroom, but the troll grabbed Hermione before they could even get the door open.

"Help!" she shrieked as the troll tried to hit her with its club. "Harry!"

Yanking out his wand, he tried to use the levitation charm, but as it had all day it refused to work for him.

"Help me!" Hermione begged as she wiggled in the troll's grasp.

"W-wingardium leviosa!" Harry finally shouted, waving his wand around in what he was sure was the wrong hand movement.

The club slipped right out of the troll's grasp and surprised the troll looked up to find the club was now levitating over his head.

Hermione gave a scream when the club came down on the troll's head and it dropped her. Scrambling away from the troll, she just barely got out of the way when the troll came crashing down atop the desks, splintering chairs and sending books off of the shelves lining the walls.

Whimpering, Hermione turned to Harry and hid her face into his chest as he stared at the mess they'd made of Quirrell's classroom.

"We're in so much trouble," Harry finally murmured as he stroked Hermione's back.

"We're going to be expelled!" Hermione sobbed.

"Y-y-yes, y-y-you are."

They both looked up in surprise to see Professor Quirrell in the doorway leading into the classroom, a horrified look on his face with a hint of anger in his eyes. Harry hadn't thought it possible for the man to be angry. He had always seemed too meek and terrified to muster up any anger, but there it was.

"Professor," Harry started in alarm. "I can explain!"

Two more arrived at the scene and Harry's blood chilled to see Snape and McGonagall.

"What is the meaning of..." McGonagall began, but then stopped when she noticed the troll. Her eyes went wide as her face went rigid. "Potter! Granger! Explain yourselves!"

"I was just about to," Harry argued, but it was Quirrell who cut him off.

"Th-these s-s-students s-sabotaged my c-c-classroom!"

"We didn't mean to," Harry objected. "But the troll was chasing us! We had to escape!"

"And why weren't you in your dormitory with the rest of the students?" Snape cut in, glaring at Harry. "Or did you ignore Dumbledore's announcement in the Great Hall, Mister Potter?"

"I never went to the Great Hall," Harry replied. "I was in the library, sir. I was just about to head to the dormitory when I heard a scream. I looked up and there was a troll chasing Granger!"

"And?" McGonagall prompted, looking at Hermione. "Why was the troll chasing you?"

Hermione was blushing and began to wipe at her eyes while she spoke.

"I had been in the girl's lavatory. When I went to leave the bathroom, the troll was there. I screamed and I ran."

"And why were you in the girl's lavatory instead of the feast, Miss Granger?"

"I...I was crying, Professor."

There was a long pause as the teachers considered this, eyeing each other and then the students with quiet contemplation.

Finally, Professor Snape spoke, "And what happened to Professor Quirrell's classroom?"

"We ran into here by accident," Harry insisted. "And the troll followed us. It attacked Hermione and I...I..."

"He used the Levitation Charm on its club," Hermione said with a hint of admiration in her tone. "And knocked it out."

At learning this, the Professors ushered the two students away from the troll and out into the hall.

"It seems," Professor Snape was talking again, his voice level and cool. "That they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Minerva."

Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod and then awarded both of them five points for their bravery in such a crisis. Afterwards, they were waved back to their dormitories.

"Thank you," Hermione said after they were out of earshot of their professors. "If you hadn't come along, I..."

"Might have been a fair state better," Harry replied. "I'm the one who opened the door to Quirrell's classroom."

"True..." She smiled at him. "But still: thank you."

Harry nodded solemnly to her and they parted ways.