It was October 31. Halloween feast was just a few hours ahead, and Hermione and I are quite friendly since our studying in the library. Considering that in the beginning I didn't like her at all, we turned out to be quite similar. And that wasn't bad thing at all!
We had just finished our lessons, so we still had some time to be together before the feast starts, and Hermione thought that it would be best if we spent this day outside, because the weather was perfect for a walk.
We were enjoying ourselves while we walked on the school ground, when we overheard conversation between Potter and Weasley.
I surprised when I realized that they were actually talking about us. My curiosity, being bigger then it should be, made me to want to listen to their conversation. So I motioned to her to get a little bit closer so we could hear a little bit better.
"It is Levioooosa, not Leviosar!" Ron said in rather mocking voice. Beside Potter and Weasley there were some other boys whose names I didn't know and they all had been laughing at Weasley's mocking. "She is a nightmare !" he continued making fun of her. "Honestly, no wonder she hasn't got any friends!" I could tell Hermione's blood was boiling inside her.
"But she does actually have one" Potter said as if they weren't talking about anything serious.
"That snake can't be anyone's friend, they are evil I tell you!" Weasley shouted at the last part.
If I was angry before now my anger crossed the line. I sped up so I could catch up with them, while mumbling under my breath that they will pay for what they said. But I didn't manage to do anything because Hermione suddenly stormed past Weasley and went inside the castle.
"I think she heard you!" Potter said a little bit concerned and I snapped,.
"Of course she heard you...y.. you idiots!" I was furious. "Really, how dare you, at least she has some brain, not like you!" I shouted at top of my lungs.
I didn't even wait for them to said something , I've already went to find Hermione.
I have been searching for her for almost two hours and there just wasn't any sight of her. This freaking castle was just too big and there no way I could find her.
It was time for dinner so I went into the Great Hall hoping that she will be there.
When I went inside the Great Hall my eyes immediately found its way towards the Gryffindor table, but she wasn't there. I slowly went towards my table and the nearest free seat were beside Blaise. That fitted me just fine because Pansy and Draco were just across the table.
"We didn't see you almost all day." Pansy said before I even sat down. "Where have you been?"
"I was studying with Hermione in the library" I lied, they don't really have to know what happened.
"I really don't understand why do you even hang out with that...that!" Draco said a little bit irritated. "Well Professor Snape happened to put me as her partner in class" I said swinging my fork up and down for some reason. "And if I want good grades we need to study. And by the way she isn't that bad at all."
They mouths fall open a little. " What? At least she is smart unlike the rest of her house." I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And somehow it was.
"That's true, but she is still muggle-born." said Blaise with his mouth full of the sweets that were on the table because of the Halloween Feast.
"You know that I don't care about that." I started eating myself. "My father was muggle-born wizard and that is not bothering me at all!"
"But how can you have said that?" Draco didn't believe a single word I said. "My father always told me that they are just a waste of space and that we would be better off without them. They are unworthy of the magic that was given to them and they just put us as the bad word. I mean really they are making us pure-bloods looking like nothing important." Draco finished and it looked like he would explode at any moment.
"Wow..." I cleared my throat. "I have to say but you sounded like your father right now ,and believe me that is not a good thing." He looked at me with the overwhelmed expression, he looked kind of scared too, I don't know why.
He didn't say a thing, he didn't even eat his dinner, he just sat there looking at his food almost not moving at all.
We were sitting like that for some time when a loud bang spread thought the Great Hall. Enormous door were wide opened and Professor Quirrell was running through the hall. "Troll in the dungeon, troll in the dungeon!" he shouted at top of his lungs. He stopped in front of the table where professors were sitting ."Thought... you might want to know." he said and then he fainted.
When I realized what he said people around me were already starting to panic. "Silence!" Dumbledore shouted and with the echoing charm his voice echoed throughout the Great Hall and everyone froze in their spot. "Everyone please not panic, now Prefects will lead their house back to the dormitories, teachers will follow me to the dungeon!" He said and everyone slowly started making their way to the dormitories.
We went to our common room and we stayed there for the rest of the night, because everyone was too scared to go outside. I just hope that Hermione wasn't anywhere near the corridors when the troll went inside.
Next morning I found Hermione sitting with Potter and Weasley at breakfast.
''Hermione, can we talk for a moment?'' I was standing beside the Gryffindor table and again people were looking quite weirdly at me.
''Sure.'' she said and we went outside.
''What happened yesterday, I couldn't find you anywhere.'' I said calmly.
''Err...well.. er..'' she was quiet for a moment. ''Well I was kinda in a girls' bathroom.'' she turned her head away so I couldn't see her face.
''You were in a girls' bathroom for half a day!'' she just nodded. ''Please don't tell me that you were in the bathroom when troll was in the castle?!'' I said hoping that she would deny it.
''Actually I was, and said troll went into the bathroom and he attacked me.'' I covered my mouth in shock. Trolls are stupid and violent, she could have died. ''But Harry and Ron were there and they knocked him out. And I kind of forgive them for what they said about me yesterday.'' She finished.
''Ugh... okay!'' I wasn't happy with that information at all but she can hang out with whoever she wants.
''But how he even got out, I don't understand?'' This was a weird thing to happen.
''Listen'' said Hermione suddenly. ''Harry, Ron and I have a little theory about what happened, but you can't tell anyone because they will expel us for that.'' She looked so serious and kind of nervous.
''Okay I will keep your secret.'' I said with curiosity consuming me.
''Well, first of all we think that someone let him out.''
I looked at her weirdly. ''But who would want to let troll wander around the castle?''
''I'm gonna tell you that later. Okay, so few days ago Ron and Harry snuck out in the middle of the night and I followed them. They went to some stupid duel with Malfoy''
I interrupted her. ''Draco didn't mentioned to me anything about that duel.'' I said.
''That is probably because he never showed up.'' She said and continued with the story. ''We were halfway to the place they said, but Peeves showed up and then we tried to run away from him. Long story short we ended up at the third floor.'' She just stopped to catch her breath, she were talking way too fast for me to understand what she said. ''We went inside because we heard Filch behind us. And you won't believe what we found!'' I didn't even have time to ask her what they found because she almost said instantly.
''There we saw a huge three-headed dog and it looked like he was guarding something. And most importantly we think that Snape is the one that is looking for that thing, whatever it is. We still don't know for sure.''
I flinched at my father's name. Why would he wanted something that is locked up in the forbidden part of the castle?
''I don't think that's completely true. I mean why would Professor, who has been working at Hogwarts for years, wanted to do something like that?'' I stopped for a second still not believing in what she has told me. ''And how did you get the idea that it was him who let out the troll? ''
''Well we are still not quite sure if it was him.'' Hermione said and shrugged. ''The only clue that we have is that he injured his right leg. We think that he tried to get past the dog, and that he also was the one who let the troll into the castle as a diversion. That way no one would see that he went to the third floor."
''That is a very big accusation, and I don't thing that is smart to do anything about that. I think that Dumbledore has everything under control.'' I tried to be calm but it was hard. They were accusing my father as a thief!
''I just hope that you are right.'' Hermione said and went back in the Great Hall to finish our breakfast.
I couldn't ask my father anything about this and that was bothering me way too much. It is not fear, he is good person and I don't know why people don't see that.