Chapter 14: Halloween

Notes: Hello Lovelies 3 :) sorry for the wait, was going to post last week, but then my beat and I had some technical difficulties when it came to emailing. But fear not we got it working (as you can tell xD) I do hope that you like this chapter :3 we are putting a spin on everything now! As always I love it when you guys leave your thoughts below, it lets me know how I am doing with the story! well on too the chapter!

It had been a calm few weeks at Hogwarts, Harry was slowly getting used to all the classes, while the nightmares slowed down to a small trickle. Of course, they were still there, but they were not as bad as they were at first. Harry still didn't talk about what they are about, but kept promising that he would soon. Severus had mentioned that perhaps Harry should see a mind healer, but Harry shot down the idea, not wanting anyone else to know what happened. Severus just frowned and made a deal with Harry if he had not talked to anyone by summer that he would be going to see a mind healer. He wanted to make sure the young boy could be healed, so he wouldn't have to be afraid so much. Harry eventually agreed.

Now it was Halloween, and classes seemed to be a little easier allowing the younger years a break just in time for the celebrations. Charms class was interesting to say the least, they were learning the levitation spell, causing the objects to fly upwards to the ceiling. It seemed that this spell was giving everyone a little trouble. Harry had managed to get his feather a few centimeters off his desk before it started to wobble a bit and fell neatly back to the desk. Draco, of course, had already mastered the spell and was trying his best to show Harry how to do it. It was part way through class that they heard a conversation across the room where the Gryffindor's sat. Ron Weasley was getting upset that he could not do the spell and shouted in frustration, "Wingaradium Leviosa!" Both Harry and Draco snorted, they both thought Ron was acting like a spoiled brat. He was flicking his wand at the feather like a windmill, his face growing as red as his hair.

"He is going to take someone's eye out if he continues this," Draco whispered to Harry as they watched everything unfold.

"It would also help if he would pronounce the spell right, then maybe he could be a proper wizard," Harry replied, getting a laugh from the Slytherins around him. Ron shot the group a glare, that's when Hermione stepped in to help her housemate.

"You're saying it wrong Ronald," Hermione snapped, taking his wand hand and lowering it gingerly. "It is Wing-ger-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' sound nice and long." Hermione instructed the red head.

"Well if you're so smart, why don't you do it!" The red head snapped back, a smirk spreading across his face, he was just waiting for her to fail.

So that is what she did, she took her wand out and with a swish and flick motion that they had practiced at the beginning of the class along with a proper pronunciation of the spell, she had the feather float upwards and stop about four feet above their heads.

Professor Flitwick gave her a big smile and clapped his tiny hands together, "Way to go Miss Granger! Look here class this is the proper way to do the spell! 10 points to Gryffindor!"

Hermione just smiled at the praise while the red head just sneered and laid his head down upon his stack of books. Upset that he was showed up, by a girl no less.

The rest of the class went by in ease, some students still struggling with the spell while others exceled and didn't have to practice it for homework.

"Draco, do you think you could help me some more before the next class?" Harry asked, turning to look at his blonde companion, before being shoved out of the way by a certain red head. The red head was storming out of the Charms classroom, unhappy because of what took place. Draco quickly caught the smaller wizard before they both could take a tumble, sending a glare the red head's way.

The red head didn't even notice what he just did, he continued to storm his way out into the courtyard talking to two other first year Gryffindors, not caring about who could hear him. "It's a real surprise that she has any friends at all, I mean those snakes don't count for anything," the red head sneered, "she is just a nightmare to be around."

Harry saw Hermione shove her way past the red head boy, noticing that her eyes where glistening a little.

"I think she heard you," one of the other Gryffindors said to Ron, who just smirked at the retreating figure of the young girl.

"So? She has to notice that no one likes her." With that they moved out of the range of the two young snakes. Harry was concerned for his friend, but thought to give her some space, casting a glance at Draco, the just continued on with their day.

By dinner time Harry still hasn't seen Hermione in any classes that they shared, nor did he see her at the Gryffindor's table. Harry frowned, this was not like his friend at all, to miss classes, but on top of it all, dinner as well?

Harry turned to Pansy, "Hey Pans, have you seen 'Mione?" Harry asked knowing that the fellow first year hears and sees everything in the school, even when there seems to be no one nearby. Pansy, who was considered to be the eyes and ears of the school, turned to and look at Harry. Harry and Pansy where friends of sorts, helping each other when possible, of course being in the same house had a lot of do with it.

"I heard that she was in the girl's bathroom in the dungeons, crying." Pansy said recalling what a couple Gryffindor's said. Harry nodded and thanked Pansy for the information before taking a few pastry treats and folding them in a napkin.

"Hey Draco, I'll meet you back in the common room," Harry whispered, "I am going to go find 'Mione and see how she is." Draco just nodded at his friend and wished him luck, before turning back to the Halloween feast. Harry quickly left the Great Hall and made his way down to the bathrooms in the dungeons, to hear the faint sound of crying coming from a stall.

"Hermione," Harry called out, knowing that she was likely only one in here. "'Mione, come out please." Hermione just sniffled in her cubicle, not moving an inch.

"'Mione don't worry about Ron said please, he is just upset that you are better than him in every way possible." Harry said, taking a seat outside the stall Hermione barricaded herself into, "so there is no reason to cry over such a stupid person if they can't see how nice you are."

Hermione's tears dried up some, Harry heard the latch of the bathroom stall move and the door opened to reveal a red eyed Hermione, sitting on the floor of the bathroom. Harry gave her a smile and handed her the napkin of food, "I thought that you might be a little hungry, since you are missing the feast."

"Thank you Harry, not just for the food, but for being a good friend. You are right, I shouldn't let Ron say get to me. He isn't my friend, nor should I let him say influence what I think of myself." Hermione just smiled at her true friend, the one that came down to find her when he didn't have to. Harry and Hermione enjoyed the pastries Harry brought down, unaware of what was happening just outside in the hall way.

* * * meanwhile at the feast * * *

Draco sighed, Harry had been gone for a while now, off looking for Hermione. It wasn't that he was jealous, it just concerned him that Harry was alone. Of course he knew that Harry could take care of himself, but he liked to keep an eye out for him when he could. The feast was just winding down, all the students had enough to eat and where now just talking to one another, before being dismissed for the night, when the two large doors that lead into the hall burst opened. In runs professor Quirrell his robes flying out behind him, and it was a huge surprise that his turban didn't come flying off with all his crazy movements.

"TROLL!" Quirrell shouted until he got to the middle of the hall, staring dead at the head table. "Troll in the dungeon! I thought you ought to know." Before falling to a dead faint, right then and there. The hall was quite for a few seconds as the news started to sink in before the whole room started to scream in terror. Draco was still in shock, troll in the dungeon and so many thoughts were going through his head. First was where was Harry, in all the commotion he had forgotten that Harry went in search for Hermione. Second was that their house was located in the dungeon, where were they supposed to go? Wait Harry, left in search for Hermione where did they go again?! Draco thought eyes widen in terror now turning to Pansy, seeing the girl in shock like most of the student body.

"Pansy! Where did you say Hermione was to Harry?!" Draco yelled over top the screams of terror and the commands that the Heads of Houses and Prefects shouting at them as well. It took a moment before what Draco asked to process in Pansy's mind, "I-I said that she was in the dungeon's bathroom."

Pansy eyes widened at what she just said. Meanwhile, Draco was already taking action, pushing his way to the head table as the other students pushed to get out of the hall. Harry is in trouble and I am not there to help him!

Draco ran up to the Head Table, making his way up to his Head of House, grabbing the sleeve his robe. Severus spun around as he was going to making his out of the hall to help like every teacher was going to do. "Draco what are you doing up here? You are supposed to making your way to safety with the Prefects!" Draco tried to steady his shaking hands as he looked up at Severus.

"Harry is down in the dungeons right now, unaware of the danger of the troll, he went down there looking for Hermione," Draco said, making direct eye contact with Severus the whole time, he was so worried about what was happening to him right now and he wasn't there!

Severus's own eyes widened. "Draco I want you to-"

"No! I will not go with the other students! Harry is my friend and I will not leave him behind!" Draco said eyes on fire at the suggestion of being left behind. Severus cast a look at Draco, studying on how serious he was. Finally, he decided it would be safer to take Draco with him rather than having him sneak out alone.

"Alright, you can come, but you must stay behind me the whole time, and no arguing at commands I give you, got it?" Draco just nodded following the Potions Master out through the teacher's door, slowly making their way to the damp dungeons, keeping an ear out for trouble. As they rounded the corner leading to the bathroom, they heard a bloody curdling scream and the sound of destruction and terror coming from just inside the bathroom. Draco's face blanched, as both he and Snape took off in a sprint. What they saw was horrifying. In the ruble of the stalls were two prone bodies and a humongous troll standing over them, club swinging in arc motion upward, preparing for another attack. Everything seemed to go slow motion from there, the club now coming down wards to the two prone bodies, Snape's wand being swept out of his sleeve, words flowing from his mouth as Draco watched on. Those few seconds seemed like hours, and before he knew it the troll was lying on the floor. Still, Draco was frozen just reliving the seen. One that he would never forget, one where he almost watched his best friend die.

As soon as he was released from the spell, he took off, shoving ruble out of his way to get to Harry. Dust particles where dancing in the air, along with the water spray from the broken sinks, but Draco didn't care. All he wanted was to get to Harry. When everything was cleared away, they found Harry covered in dust, his leg was smashed where he was too late to move, his face and arms littered with scratches from the splinters that broke away when the stalls where broken. Hermione was in better shape than Harry since it seemed that he pushed her out of the clubs way. She was also covered in the settling dust with a few scratches from the splinter remains of the door, but she was saved from the bone crushing power of the club. At some point she passed out and was unresponsive to the noise that was happening around her. It was then that the rest of the staff had shown up to see the remaining damage that the troll had left in its wake. Severus was working hard on Harry, already trying to stabilize the bones in his leg, along with trying to stop the bleeding on several concerning gashes upon his body, before moving to Hermione. All Draco was capable of doing was cradling his head in his lap as he brushed the fringe of his hair out of his face. The rest of the staff were trying to remove the troll from the bathroom, as well as to fix up some of the damage water pipes before it flooded the floor. It was shortly later that Snape decided that the students were stable enough to move to the hospital wing where they would be in more capable hands.

Through all this, one teacher was missing, the professor was taking his chance at the secret located down in the depths of the castle. He was unaware and unconcerned by what was happening in the walls of Hogwarts herself. It was just his luck that he was stopped at the first part, making him take a chance to see the local healer, where it just so happened a certain green eyed child was resting.