A/N: We're getting closer and closer to the end of this one! Less than two months until Christmas break, which will be the end of this one! Unfortunately, there are no plans for a sequel, though if anyone's interested in using Lilah in their own works, they may do so as long as it's not a mature/smutty piece (I draw the line there, even if she's aged forward to 18). I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

"Silence!"

The normally calm and collected Professor Dumbledore had just commanded everyone's attention with one word.

He nodded toward the prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl. "Prefects, please escort the students in your respective houses in the dormitories. Any student that has not finished eating may resume in their own quarters. The faculty will go to the dungeon to address the situation. I urge everyone to remain calm and keep their wits about them in the meantime – the threat will be dealt with most appropriately."

Each house's prefects shepherded the students and led them to their respective dormitories. Despite the headmaster's pleas, there was much fear and trepidation in the air, particularly among the younger students. Even Hermione felt compelled to hold Harry's hand during the ordeal.

A chill rushed up and down Harry's spine with a sudden and discouraging thought. "Lilah!" Harry whispered to Hermione as they made their way up the stairs. "She's down there with Daphne!"

Hermione gave Harry a look. "Oh no you don't, Potter. You are not going to rush down there to rescue them."

Harry sighed. "They're in trouble, Hermione. They've been down there a good half hour, who knows how long that troll's been down there!"

"Precisely, Harry, which is why you need to stick around here." replied Hermione. Although she was frightened to her core, she did her best to give Harry a reassuring look. "Look. Lilah is a very capable witch. If there's a firstie that can at least buy time until help arrives, it's her." She managed a small smile. "Lilah is the top student of our year for a reason, Harry. I mean, I'm not just going to concede to her just yet. But as I said before, if I have to finish second to someone, I want it to be her."

Harry smiled in return. "You two are neck-and-neck. It's not like she's head-and-shoulders above you. And you're right, I think she can handle herself… but as gifted as she is, I still can't help but worry about her at least a little bit, y'know…"

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand. "I know, Harry." Her caramel eyes looked into Harry's green ones. "Lilah and Daphne will be all right. I guarantee it."

"All right, Hermione. I believe you," Harry replied softly. He returned the gentle hand squeeze.

While all the students made their way back to the dormitories to finish the Halloween Feast, Lilah and Daphne remained in the girls' lavatory in the dungeons. Unfortunately for them, they were completely oblivious to the fact that a monstrous cave troll was on the loose. Lilah had just finished helping Daphne make herself look presentable before returning to the Great Hall when an ugly grey monster, probably ten feet tall, burst into the latrine.

Daphne screamed at the top of her lungs, but Lilah simply drew her wand. "Stay behind me, Daphne. I'm going to try something on this ugly overgrown house elf."

Daphne couldn't help but giggle at Lilah's remark, but she was completely stunned at how calm… even brave Lilah looked in the face of mortal danger.

The troll had dull senses, except for a keen sense of smell. It picked up the scent of the two first-year students in the bathroom and advanced toward them deliberately, dragging a heavy cudgel behind it.

It took a mighty swing and knocked over a couple of porcelain sinks, which clattered to the floor. Daphne screamed again, but Lilah remained focused. Just a little closer, she told herself. The troll took a few more steps towards Lilah and Daphne… and raised its nasty club nearly to the ceiling…

"Petrificus totalis!" Lilah yelled, waving her wand at the troll. The troll seized, dropped its club, and fell on its side, completely frozen in place.

"The full-body bind curse!" Daphne exclaimed appreciatively. "You're a genius, Lilah!" She gave Lilah a big hug in gratitude. "You saved my life… thank you."

"You're welcome, Daphne," Lilah replied with a broad smile. "Now, this spell isn't permanent, but it'll buy us some time until help arrives at the very least. Now, we probably need to go back upstairs and find one of the professors to alert them as to what's going on… I don't want to stay down here one second longer than I absolutely have to!"

"I'm with you on that, Lilah," agreed Daphne. She smirked at Lilah. "That was a total Gryffindor move, by the way. You had this look on your face… like you were completely unfazed…"

"I was scared out of my mind, Daphne," admitted Lilah. "Not just for me, but I was just as scared for you. But courage isn't the absence of fear – it's being scared but doing something anyway."

"You were very brave regardless," Daphne replied. "Nobody in Slytherin would have done that, that's for sure."

As the girls exited the lavatory, several faculty members – Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Quirrell – were marching down the hallway, frantically looking for the troll."

"Professors!" Daphne cried out to the search party. "The mountain troll is in the girls' loo… Lilah knocked it out with the full-body bind curse!"

All of the professors' jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Miss Darling, Miss Greengrass? Would you mind explaining why the two of you are down here and not in your respective dormitories?" asked Professor McGonagall, in a slightly accusatory tone.

"Erm, Professor… it's kind of a long story…" Lilah blurted out.

Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow. "Oh, I have time, Miss Darling. Tell me everything, if you don't mind." She gestured to her fellow faculty members. "If the three of you could handle the troll in the meantime…"

Professor Snape snorted, while Quirrell and Sprout followed him into the lavatory to deal with the petrified troll.

Professor McGonagall straightened herself, folded her arms, and nodded toward the girls. "All right, young ladies. Explain yourselves."

Daphne started to tear up again. "Professor, it's my fault, really. You see, after class, several of my housemates made fun of me for being friends with Lilah because she's Muggle-born… they called me horrible names… they called me 'blood traitor', they called me a 'Gryffindor wannabe' – that by itself wasn't hurtful, but it was their intent that mattered – they told me to act like a Greengrass and stop hanging out with my friend. I told them to mind their own business, but they kept going at it until I couldn't take it anymore… I went down to the girls' loo and just cried my eyes out."

She sniffled and regained some of her composure. "And that's when Lilah came downstairs to the dungeons and started looking for me. The first thing she did when she found me was she gave me a hug… and it's unlike any other hug I've ever gotten. Even my mum's hugs aren't like hers! The way Lilah hugs people… they're so warm and reassuring, like everything's going to be okay…"

Lilah continued the story. "Tracey came looking for me and told me that Daphne was by herself. I couldn't just leave her, so I asked one of the Hufflepuff prefects for permission to help Daphne out. This of course was before anyone knew there was a troll downstairs, so she said I could. I went down and found poor Daphne just crying her eyes out in the last stall… the first thing I knew to do was just to hold her, to let her know that everything's going to be okay… to let her know that she's valued…"

Lilah took a breath. "I came to the realization that I was the source of this whole ordeal, because other purebloods told her that she and I aren't supposed to be friends, but Daphne told them that she's still going to be my friend. And that takes some stones to stand up to those gits… I'm very proud of her for doing that. I just held her, and listened to her, and told her that I'm glad that she's my friend, and she told me the same."

"And that's when the troll burst into the loo – it was hideous," Daphne added. "The biggest, ugliest thing I've ever seen. It took a big swing with its massive club and knocked some sinks off the walls. Lilah told me to stay behind her, and all she did was draw out her wand and wait for the right moment, and then she cast the full-body bind curse! I couldn't believe it – she looked like she had done it a thousand times. She looked so determined, so confident… I'm so grateful she came and found me, because I might not be here if she didn't."

"I was frightened to my core," Lilah said with a shudder. "But I did the only thing I knew – I could freeze the troll and buy time until help came, which thankfully it did."

Professor McGonagall clung on to the girls' every word. She could sense that they were both telling the truth, and when they finished, her lips curved into a small smile.

"First of all, Miss Greengrass, I sincerely apologize to hear that your housemates made fun of you for your choice of friends. I know Miss Darling very well, and you won't find a higher-quality friend than her… the only thing I regret is that she is not one of my own, as she certainly has the heart of a lion."

She continued. "I also know that as a Slytherin student, seeing your head of house wouldn't truly resolve anything, at least as far as situations like these go. That doesn't mean that Professor Snape doesn't care for you – I promise you that he does, and deeply, at that – but Slytherin is also a very difficult house to manage – it's nearly impossible to please one member without angering another. I don't envy your house head in that regard."

Her smile broadened. "If your housemates continue to tease you for being Miss Darling's friend, please owl me. I unfortunately cannot punish the offenders for the same reasons that apply to Professor Snape, but I willingly offer you my time and my ears. I can also offer… gentler, more feminine words than Professor Snape can, and if all else fails, it's an excuse for me to get tea and biscuits going."

Daphne nodded. "I'd like that, Professor. An adult to talk to that's not Professor Snape would be nice for a change. He's not one to sugarcoat things."

Professor McGonagall smiled again. "Very good, young lady. And I'm delighted to award Slytherin five house points for your honesty.

Daphne's eyes widened. "Thank you, Professor. I definitely wasn't expecting that."

Professor McGonagall turned to Lilah. "As for you, Miss Darling… I'm also proud to award Hufflepuff five house points for your honesty, plus fifteen more for your bravery and quick thinking, which saved the life of a student from outside of your own house. You're a student for all of Hogwarts to be proud of, not just Hufflepuff, young lady."

Lilah gasped. "Thank you, Professor."

"And I thank you, young lady," Professor McGonagall trilled. "I am loath to think what further damage the troll might have caused had you not intervened. This school is a much better place with you in it, there is no denying that."

And like that, October had come and gone. November had arrived - sort of a dreaded month at Hogwarts as the skies were mostly grey and there was a definite chill in the air, necessitating overcoats, mittens, and scarves much of the time, but it wasn't quite cold enough for snow either. The Christmas break was creeping up on them, slowly but surely, but six weeks away might as well be an eternity to the students.

Harry was excited to spend Christmas break with Hermione and her family, and there was a realistic chance that they would get to meet up with Lilah and her family for at least a few hours as well. The thought of them spending time together outside of school - as regular children - brought him a sense of joy he rarely felt. No Dursleys, no Snape, no Malfoy... just Harry and Hermione and hopefully Lilah.

Harry had started to appreciate his biweekly therapy sessions with Madam Trudy. Exactly one week after Halloween - the first Thursday of November - Harry had his next session with Madam Trudy during his free period.

"Good afternoon, Harry. Would you care for a pumpkin juice again?" Madam Trudy asked.

"Yes, please," Harry replied.

Madam Trudy handed Harry a pumpkin juice. "Christmas Break is coming up in just a few short weeks... do you have any plans?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I'm going to spend Christmas with one of my two best friends and her parents," Harry said with a grin.

"That was nice of her to offer," Madam Trudy said with a smile. "I'm sure you'd find it much preferable than back in Surrey with the Dursleys."

"For sure," agreed Harry. "Even staying at the castle would be a better option."

"I'm inclined to agree," murmured Madam Trudy. "I still can't believe how horrible you were treated there... that's the family of my old friend. It's just so... shocking. You didn't deserve any of it." She smiled. "You'll notice a night-and-day difference between your old household, and the environment your friend grew up in."

"I'm jealous of both of my best friends... they're Muggle-born, and they both talk so fondly of their families," sighed Harry. "I never got any of that... I was just an extra mouth to feed."

"I know I can't undo the physical and emotional damage that they caused, but what's important is that you are loved now. You have two wonderful little witches that positively adore you. Professor McGonagall is very fond of you, as is Mister Hagrid, and even the Headmaster has a bit of a soft spot for you."

"I know, and I'm very grateful for the friends that I have, because they're the only family I have... I just wish I had an actual family... one that loves me for me."

"I agree, Harry, which is why both Professor McGonagall and I are pushing for the Darlings to become your guardians. The Grangers are our backup choice, but because Mrs. Darling has experience working with traumatized children, we feel that they are the slightly better fit, but the Grangers certainly seem to be a lovely family themselves. Do you have a preference, Harry? Because if you do, I cannot promise that you'll get your pick, but we want you to know that your input is valued."

Harry shook his head 'no'. "I'd be very happy to be placed with either family. Both Lilah and Hermione make me very happy - both individually and when we're all together. The three of us make a great team." He smiled at Madam Trudy, who returned it. "Lilah was the very first friend I ever made - which was on the Hogwarts Express, and Hermione reached out to me shortly after I got sorted later that evening. Both of them really wanted to be my friend, that much was obvious... I've never had anyone want to get to know me, it was a strange concept for me because I had no frame of reference, but it was so wonderful, too!"

"Now, Miss Darling is a Hufflepuff? Did that disappoint you?" Madam Trudy asked.

Harry nodded. "I remember that night very clearly... I wanted to be a Hufflepuff so badly, I couldn't see straight. She was the only friend I ever had at that point, and when I got sorted into Gryffindor, it was like the one happy place I ever had got taken away." He chuckled. "But it all worked out... that's when Hermione saved the day - she understood my disappointment because Lilah was my only friend... so she told me that while she couldn't replace Lilah, she really wanted to be my friend. She also told me that it's okay to have friendships outside of Gryffindor, and the next morning I had breakfast with Lilah at the Hufflepuff table. We then started hanging out at each other's tables, and it didn't take long before Lilah and Hermione became friends... they might as well be sisters, given how close they are."

Madam Trudy nodded. "See? Sometimes things work the way they do for a reason. If you got sorted in Hufflepuff, you'd have Lilah, yes, but you wouldn't have Hermione, would you?"

Harry grinned. "Exactly. I'd do anything for either of them. They mean that much to me."

Madam Trudy arched an eyebrow. "Now Harry, do you have any feelings beyond friendship for either of them? Now, you have two terrific lady friends now, but say, three or four years from now, things might get a little awkward because it's possible - if not likely - that both of them want you to be their boyfriend, and you can only choose one."

"That's what scares me, Madam Trudy," Harry said. "I know that's going to be inevitable, and that while we may always be friends, the relationship itself changes, like we might not be as close, you know?" He sighed. "I don't have any feelings for them like that right now, if that's what you're asking."

"Okay, I'm glad that to know that you're aware that those feelings will likely pop up at some point... and I'm by no means trying to rush things, in fact, I encourage you to enjoy your friendship as it is right now while all three of you have your innocence," replied Madam Trudy. "That said, do you find them attractive, in a platonic, friendly way at least?"

"Yes I do," Harry said. "I thought Lilah was the most beautiful girl I ever saw when we met on the train, actually. Her hair's gorgeous, and her eyes are this very light greyish blue, almost silvery. I've never seen anyone with her kind of eyes before. And she has a very pretty face too." He paused. "At first, I thought she was quite a bit prettier than Hermione... I mean, she wasn't bad looking, but her hair's kind of a wild jungle and her front teeth are a little wonky... I guess she can't help some of that. But when she actually tames her hair and uses a beautification charm or two on herself, she's really, really pretty. Like, Lilah-pretty. When she has just a touch of makeup, they really make those caramel-brown eyes of hers stand out. They have these little flecks of green in them too... very pretty."

"So you've seen her look like this first-hand, huh?" chuckled Madam Trudy.

"I have... I got special permission from Professor McGonagall several weeks ago to take Hermione out to the Three Broomsticks, just the two of us, y'know, and we had some butterbeers. She looked really, really pretty when her hair was all smoothed out and in Muggle dress clothes." Harry blushed. "I, erm... I... I kinda wanted to kiss her. But I resisted the urge, I didn't want to make an enjoyable time, y'know... awkward."

"That's totally understandable, Harry," Madam Trudy said. "I think you're mildly attracted to both of your friends, and that's perfectly natural. And I would have to imagine that they're both mildly attracted to you. It's sort of a hard concept to grasp as a first-year student because your emotional maturity isn't there yet, and won't be for several years, but it'll become much more clear in time. Now, your friends will... blossom in certain areas in the next couple of years most likely, and they'll likely draw the attention from other young wizards, so please don't assume that your friendship automatically gives you a head start... trust me, I was a first year witch at one point too. I've had friends that were boys as a firstie, but had my first boyfriend as a fifth year student that wasn't one of my old friends... girls tend to lump boys into two groups - boyfriends, and those in the 'friend zone'. And it's possible that Lilah and Hermione may not see you as dating material when they're ready to date, so please prepare for the possibility that they'll be dating other wizards."

She smiled knowingly at Harry. "You're a terrific young man, Harry. I know there's a witch out there that'll make you very, very happy. But now's not the time to worry about it." She put her quill and parchment away. "And that's all the time we have for now, Harry. Same time in two weeks? We'll only have a couple more before the break."

Harry nodded. "See you then!"