The smell nearly made Remus black out before the loud, billowing roar made his ears ring, the grip on his wand was a lost cause by then as he was assaulted from too much. Only someone tackling him to the ground saved the whoosh of air breaking apart rather than his skull.

"Remus, move!" Sirius hauled him right back up and tried to pull him along, but the troll was everywhere at once, the eight of them seemed to have no hope of getting about anywhere without its mottled leg being in the way, its club spraying them all with bits of wood and porcelain from the destroyed bathroom.

Malfoy was already at the door, his screams and banging unheard even by them under it all while Tonks was shooting spells she knew were useless to try and keep its attention as Hermione was caught under a beam near the bathrooms stalls, her screams only adding to the pandemonium as she pushed at nothing moving fast.

Ron and Neville were on the opposite side slamming pipes against the wall and screaming insults, but it was too much, uncoordinated. The troll was plenty confused with to many things in sight.

Harry was running full speed at it.

"Harry, no!" Even Sirius couldn't charge forward fast enough to stop it happening though as his godson locked his arms around the trolls neck once more, his wand seemed to remember itself where it needed to go, right up that large available nostril.

"Neville, head towards Tonks," Ron tossed his pipe to him, "try to get her attention and show her the plan!" He hadn't the breath to tell him what the plan was, let alone the spell to use, eyes only on her mass of brown hair that had blood in it, Harry was hanging on for dear life and waiting for somebody to fell this beast! Ron tried once more to dart around those horribly large feet that were now stomping blindly, the guttural roars of pain were going to drown out Hermione's scream as she threw her hands over her head because he wasn't going to get there in time-

The troll stepped on nothing, the shield charm blasted him back hard enough to leave a hole in the wall by his coconut head making the entire castle shake from the impact they were sure. Draco slashed his wand through the air again just as Tonks did, and the two combined finally caused a concussive blast that tripled the impact leaving the creature slumped in place.

Harry was pressed flat against the smooth wall with the troll's bumpy gray skin of his neck smashing him into place with no room to move. One look up showed where a bump would already be swelling out, another inch and his own head would have joined the impact and likely come out less put together for it. His breathing already ragged, but with just enough space that if he let go and wiggled he could fall back down without major injury. Yanking his wand loose and freefalling, Sirius was beneath him before he even had to worry about what he'd land on, his godfather grunting when he fell into his arms.

Ron and Neville were already unburying Hermione's shaking frame while Tonks shot a few spells to tie up the beast, just in case. Remus came staggering over and tried to take Harry's other side dragging him to the far end of the room while still plugging up his nose and looking as unlit as the troll's skin.

Harry shook them both off, or at least tried to, as Sirius's grip turned bruising as he pulled his godson about to face him. "What were you thinking! That thing could have killed you!"

"Let go of me!" Harry wrenched his arm free, still white and gasping, but eerily calm. Harry had a nasty retort on his lips about being jerked around by his Uncle Vernon before he saw Sirius was still shaking, looking as clammy and ready to pass out as Lupin. He'd never seen that look of stark fear on his face before. Sirius wasn't reaching for him again. "Err, sorry," he stepped tentatively forward, "I, um, should have warned you guys again, but when we didn't run into the dog I was hoping-"

Sirius reached gently for him, and Harry stepped into his embrace without hesitation, feeling the shuddering breaths around him as his godfather chanted, "you're okay, you're okay." A statement, more to assure himself it seemed as his shaking hands curled as tight around him as he could.

The anger and determination not to be scolded like some child drained out of Harry just as fast as he whispered, "yeah Sirius, I'm okay, I promise," holding him back just as tight. Mrs. Weasley flashed through his mind as he felt a stirring in his chest, even more powerful than that other lone hug. His eyes closed with a contentment he'd never known, he was eleven years old again and biting his lip not to laugh that had been too easy.

His godfather pulled back first with that same anger now slightly cooled, gripping his arms more in support, but the shake he gave still wasn't that gentle. "What were you thinking?" Sirius was clearly trying so hard not to shout.

"Hermione," was his only answer, turning suddenly out of his grasp again only to see her getting shakily to her feet, the gash on her forehead already sealing back shut, unharmed and smiling around at them all as Ron and Neville supported her.

"Hey, look at me," Sirius's hand was still shaking just a bit on his elbow. Harry dragged his eyes back and ground his teeth together to fight off a scowl. "What was that?"

"It worked last time," he gestured vaguely around, watching both him and Remus gawp at him with a roll of his eyes. "I thought Ron was going to knock it out again."

"Sorry," Ron said sincerely, "I, um," his ears were turning a bit red, Neville had let her go but Ron still had his hands carefully on her arms.

"You saved her," Neville broke all of the awkward silences as he said in awe.

Draco was smoothing down his hair with a peeved look on his face as he summoned the book. "I'm not dying because a mudblood couldn't get to her wand!"

He started reading underneath the heaving breathing still permeating the air warning they may not get a respite forever.

"Call her that again Malfoy and I'll-"

"Ron," Hermione reversed the grips, now soothingly grabbing his hands. "Let it go, for now. We need to get out of here."

"What were you lot doing in here?" Lupin demanded, even with his nose still plugged up and looking as sickly as if a full moon were any moment, his voice was hoarse, but steady as he watched all of the kids in concern. "Why was a troll in here?" The title made no sense of any of it.

"Dumbledore apparently hasn't told you lot anymore than me," Harry rolled his eyes, but the vindictive pleasure of holding this over their head didn't last. He'd never seen anyone look at him with as much concern as his godfather still held in his gray eyes, so he explained everything about Quirrell and the upcoming tasks underneath his first Quidditch practice which neither of them batted an eye at this time.

They looked so dreadful by the end of the explanation it was Quirrell and what else they had to look forward to in as vague of details as possible about all the traps behind the door he couldn't bear getting into his next year yet and decided to save that for later. He instead finished with a quiet plea, "I had to Sirius."

He didn't know what he was expecting from his godfather, he'd already felt like he'd disappointed him so much lately this year by wishing him to be careful. Was Sirius going to start shouting at him now like Ron's mum? Smack him around like Uncle Vernon? He couldn't imagine what else was about to happen.

Sirius pulled him into another hug and whispered into his ear, "ah pup." It was an acceptance, resignation, and declaration all in those two lone words of exasperation.

Warmth flooded out the embarrassment of being held like this in front of his friends and loathed enemy as he pressed his face into his shoulder and felt a peace like he'd never known.

Harry began twitching uneasily in his grasp though soon enough as Ron and Hermione's fight in Charms began and he knew what was coming, so he leaned back this time and asked, "I thought you knew, honestly. You didn't at all seem surprised about my wand connection, or my being a parslemouth, or the hat wanting me to be in Slytherin." He'd been a dog at the time though, so maybe he hadn't been able to express as well how little in the dark he was about his troublesome godson.

"Dumbledore's had very little direct correspondence with me," Sirius reminded in his own bitter tones. "I wouldn't think twice about what house you're in Harry," he gave him another, this time actually gentle shake as his lips twitched in amusement. "And ah, well I knew you wouldn't like it, but I did read Skeeter's articles, so I knew about the snake talking too," he finished with his own air of sheepishness while Harry groaned miserably in embarrassment. Sirius rushed on, "the wand thing, well the whole Order knows that, Dumbledore's mentioned it, but I was there in his office the first time, remember?" He finished tentatively himself, like he was afraid Harry had forgotten his traumatic night appearing outside the maze and everything that had followed.

He hadn't forgotten Sirius being there for him during the retelling, a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he recounted the horrid details of the event, but had remembered more Sirius turning away from the effects of the spell than the details leading up to that moment...

"McGonagall's only mentioned you've gotten into trouble you're past two years before I came," Remus elaborated on what little they did know, now releasing his nose but breathing shallowly through his mouth, a troubled look on his face as he heard why the two boys at least went racing up here. "When I pressed for details though, she simply told me you'd thwarted You-Know-Who twice since being here, and to ask Dumbledore if I wanted to know more. I was, ah, avoiding him a bit during my time so I didn't, and it just hadn't come up since. We were expecting you to jump into trying to stop some of his horrible plans, not, this," he finished in exasperation as the trio united in this place over the thrilling fight they'd lived through.

"I'm proud of you for what you did here," Sirius murmured to him as he kept a weary eye on the troll. "Your father would have done the exact same thing." Harry beamed at him and would swear he hadn't felt so happy in his life.

It was chaotic and not any more pleasant to hear than see for themselves. None of the adults even scolded the kids like they so clearly wanted to at the mutual frowns when avoidance of teachers was in fact more involved than asking for help!

Ron hadn't said one snide comment about how impressed he was Malfoy could even read as he ignored them all, instead keeping one hand on his wand and the other on the small of Hermione's back. Neville hadn't pissed himself, and Sirius pulled Harry just a bit closer and kept his arm around his shoulders the rest of the chapter.

Tonks stood next to Remus smiling around and decided to take back her comment. Maybe they'd make it out of this after all.

HPHPHPHP

I didn't even realized I'd abandoned this story for so long, time just gets away from me that easily. I always knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but I was really daunted by writing a fight scene so kept putting it off. Hope you like what finally came out, and the next won't be nearly so long a wait!

If there's any future locations you're super looking forward to, let me know!