Despite sitting at the Halloween Feast and enjoying the food provided, Harry found himself concerned. He hadn't seen Hermione since Charms class, and there was no sign of her at the feast. It was very unlike her to miss classes for any reason, and she was normally first in and out of the Great Hall at meal times as she rushed off to the library. It was as he was eating, however, that he overheard two of his yearmates - Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown - discussing the girl.
"Really?" Lavender asked in surprise. "In the bathroom? Still?"
"Yup," Parvati confirmed. "Has been since Charms. Not sure, but I think she's crying."
"You think?" Lavender asked uncertainly. "She's a pretty noisy crier after all. Kept me up the first few nights missing her folks."
"Nah, this is the silent kind," Parvati corrected. "Only sure it was crying because when I asked if she was okay, I heard her sniffle before asking me to let her be."
Harry frowned worriedly as he overheard that. Part of him wanted to go to Hermione to try and offer comfort...but he genuinely didn't know how to go about doing that. It wasn't like he had much experience on either end of that situation. Beyond that, she was in the girls bathroom, apparently, someplace he definitely wasn't allowed...and he wasn't willing to risk whatever magical security measures there might be over this. He already had learned that there were spells on the stairs to prevent boys going up to the girls' dorms, after all.
As he thought about this, however, he noticed that Ron had slowed dramatically in his eating, just holding up a piece of food as he slowly chewed, an unhappy, guilty expression on his face.
"So he at least knows he's the reason she's crying," Kevin hissed quietly from Harry's sleeve, going right into his ear as Harry was leaning on his left elbow while in thought. "Hopefully he can swallow his pride enough to apologize, even if he does wait on it. If not, he may not be worth salvaging."
Harry's frown deepened at that. Kevin didn't exactly have a high opinion of Ron. Not that the snake disliked him, just that he hadn't seen qualities he felt made him a good influence on Harry...and Ron's lack of academic drive and struggles with the practical side of magic left Kevin of the opinion that Harry would have a better chance at success without the red-head. Harry couldn't fault Kevin's points, but he wasn't about to ditch his first friend over something like that. He would indicate that Ron owed Hermione an apology, though...and if Ron refused to do so, he'd definitely reconsider his perspective. He opened his mouth to say as much-
"Troll!" Professor Quirrel screamed out as he sprinted into the hall, his turban askew and a terrified expression on his face. "Troll in the dungeons!" he screamed again as he staggered up to the Head Table. Grasping the table, he gasped for breath before gasping out, "Thought you ought to know..." just before his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped to the floor.
There was immediate bedlam throughout the Hall as everyone began talking - or screaming - at once, moving towards a full fledged panic. Before anyone could get up and start running around in fear, however, Professor Dumbledore fired off several purple firecrackers, their deafening explosions immediately silencing the Hall and drawing all attention. "Prefects," he instructed firmly, "escort your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
As the Prefects began moving to do as instructed and the teachers moved to follow Dumbledore - presumably to the dungeons to deal with the troll - Harry turned to Ron. "Hermione doesn't know about the troll," he whispered worriedly. "Someone needs to tell her."
Ron nodded in hasty agreement before turning to Parvati who was sitting nearby. "Which bathroom did you say Hermione's in?" he asked intensely. "We need to let her know about the troll."
Parvati looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. "Second floor, third corridor on the left, by the stairs," she explained quickly. "I won't cover if one of your brothers asks after you."
"No problem," Ron responded immediately as he prepared to make for the destination in question as soon as the Prefects weren't looking.
"Thanks," Harry offered as they went for it as the opportunity arose.
As they ran, ducking around a few statues and pillars to keep from being seen before they got there, Ron turned to Harry. "Harry, I know this isn't the time...but how do you get the Dematio working? I'm still struggling-"
"Focus, Ron," Harry responded immediately and intensely.
"I know, we need to warn Hermione, but it's the only spell I know that might help if we encounter the troll-"
"No, focus is the key!" Harry clarified. "Focus on what it is you want the spell to do and why until it becomes all consuming. That's why the perfect circle, because you strike with all of you."
Ron's mouth hung open as they headed up the stairs. "Oh...right..." Just as they cleared the stairs, they heard a crash and a scream. "Hermione!" Ron screamed out as they raced for the source of the noise.
As they arrived, they saw the door to the bathroom ripped from its hings, and several stalls smashed to bits. Hermione was against the back wall, with the troll towering above her as she looked up at it, frozen in terror. The twelve foot tall, granite grey, hulking brute raised its club in its log-like arms, ready to bring it down on her.
Ron's wand thrust out. "Dematio Invocus!" he screamed out, barely getting the motions right. His wand seemed to glow as his smoke came from around where he gripped...and then there was the sound of a shotgun being fired as Ron flew back against the opposite wall even as a crimson wolf charged from his wand tip with a snarl. It lunged between the troll's legs before leaping upward, shouldering the troll's club aside as it grabbed Hermione's robes in its teeth. Bracing against the back wall, it kicked off as it flipped over the troll pulling Hermione with it. As the wolf landed, it skidded back towards Ron even as Hermione landed astride its back. Just as it reached Ron and slowed down, it dissolved into dust as Hermione fell to the ground beside him. She quickly scrambled to check on him, knocking his wand from his grip where it smoked and shot red sparks from both ends.
The troll turned slowly to see what had happened, only to sneeze as the crimson dust blew in its face. Glaring with its tiny, beady eyes, it let loose an enraged bellow as it took a lumbering step towards them, once more lifting its club. Without hesitation, Harry stepped between it and the others.
"As if I needed more proof the Hat was right to make you a Lion," Kevin grumbled from his sleeve. "But that thing's hide is too thick and muscles too hard for my fangs to penetrate at my current size, and its eyes are too small to easily make eye contact...so I hope you have a better plan this time than pointing me at it again."
"I do," Harry murmured as he reached into his pocket, pulling out what Fred and George had prepared for him. It was a tiny tincture jar easily cradled in the palm of his hand, a glowing green liquid visible within and a bubble seemingly frozen just before popping at the top. The cap had a quill inside it, and bulged outward. Pressing the cap down, he heard the click he'd been told to listen for and lobbed the jar at the troll.
As the jar flew through the air, the glass dissolved and the bubbling green liquid splashed out, landing on the troll and coating it from head to foot. As the cap - still containing the quill - clattered to the floor behind the beast, the troll let out a bellow of agony as boils began erupting across its body everywhere the liquid had touched it. Slipping in the water as it reached up to try and grasp its face, it fell onto its back and let out another bellow of agony that mixed with whimpers of pain as it struggled to paw at the boils that erupted around its eyes and ears, whimpering as moving its limbs caused the boils on the inside of its elbows to compress painfully.
"...so that's what would have happened if Neville had put the porcupine quills in before taking it off the fire..." Harry muttered in surprise. "Now how to stop it...?"
"Well, that was more clever than you first thought," Kevin murmured, his tone impressed. "The boils all over have compromised its magic resistance, and it'll embrace anything magical that will ease the pain and discomfort. Somnorus is next to useless in a combat situation normally, only really useful to mediwitches for just those reasons. Aim your wand into its nose if you can, the motion is drawing a 'zee'."
Nodding, Harry walked forward and braced himself on the spots on the troll's chest where there weren't boils before putting the tip up the creature's nose. Making the motions as small as he could, he spoke, "Somnorus," as firmly as he could get his voice...which was quite firm and steady, to his surprise. The troll, for its part, immediately began to relax as it laid its arms out to its sides, the club slipping from its grip as it slipped into peaceful, painless slumber.
It was right at that moment that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape, and Quirrel came charging in, most of them screeching to a halt at the sight. Quirrel, fainting at the sight of the troll, skidded across the wet floor to slam against the one still intact sink, causing it to collapse from the strain.
It was several moments before Professor Sprout managed to voice what the Professors who were still conscious were thinking. "...wat?"