Harry's P.O.V
October 31st
Before Harry had even realized it, the span of a month had passed him by. The slightly cool air of September gave way to the colder winds of October which would only grow colder as time went on.
Harry sat at the breakfast table, Fleur beside him bundled in both her own and Harry's robe.
"It's not that cold Fleur," Harry said incredulous.
"Yes it is," she shivered glaring at him," 'ow you could sit zere in just pants and a shirt I 'ave no idea!"
"If anyone should complain about the cold it's me. You can turn your hair into fire. How can you possible be cold?"
"Zat is not 'ow it works," Fleur said huddling further into the bundle of robes," in my 'uman form I am zat, 'uman. Ze only difference is my allure and 'igher affinity for fire," at this fact she looked very annoyed.
"You're not gonna take my robe with you to your classes are you," Harry asked as he felt a chill run up his back. He didn't fancy going to potions later in the day without it, the dungeons were already cold enough without the added chill of later October days.
"Of course not, I am not unfair enough to take your robe. I am getting enough stares as it is," Fleur grouched turning her glare on the people staring at her, other than the usual people that stared at her anyway.
"Well to be fair, the extra stares is because of how ridiculous you look," Harry deadpanned looking around at the glassy eyed faces of boys and some girls enthralled by Fleur's passive allure. Then there was the odd looks some of the students farther away we're giving her as she huddled into the robes she wore.
"Zey can stare all zey want! Zis dreadfully cold castle is already irritating enough without zose fools."
Not wanting to antagonize the moody girl beside him Harry turned back to his breakfast forking himself some more sausages.
"What classes do you have today," Harry asked picking a safe topic to discuss.
"I 'ave double Ancient Runes at eleven forty to one. Zen double 'istory of Magic with Slytherin. I can't believe zey let zat ridiculous and boring ghost teach a class. What about you?"
"I don't have a class until eleven thirty and that's Charms. And then Potions a few hours later with Hufflepuff," Harry cut a sausage in half passing one portion to Cobalt who was laying in his lap.
"You really shouldn't give 'im food like zat. It will make 'im fat."
"I have to bribe him just to stick with me the whole day, otherwise I guess he either wanders around or finds you," Harry complained.
"Well zat is your own fault, is it not? Maybe if you treated 'im as lovingly as i do 'e would like you more. Isn't zat right, mon petit chaton?" She asked scratching Cobalt under the chin causing him to purr loudly.
Harry glared at the kitten as it languidly stretched and pawed over to Fleur's lap, abandoning him yet again in favor of the girl," whose cat even are you? At this point I think you're just using me for food."
Meowing at his question the cat rolled over to its back ignoring Harry.
"Uh, hey mate you got a second," asked a familiar voice to Harry's left.
Looking over Harry saw the slightly unfocused gaze of Ron Weasley as he attempted, and failed, not to look at Fleur who sat giggling playing with Cobalt.
"Hey Ron! Sure what's going on?"
"Well... Hermione wont let me copy off her History of Magic homework and I was hoping you'd let me. She's to much of a know-it-all to get along with, you're really smart too but not as in my face about it."
"Sure, I don't have a problem with it," Harry smiled moving slightly closer to Fleur on his right, letting Ron have the end seat of the Ravenclaw table," just be sure not to make a habit of it. I might not always have the same subjects as you and just copying from me won't help you learn properly."
Nodding Ron tried with great difficulty to pull his attention away from Fleur so he could copy Harry's homework, it seemed to be an uphill battle," fair enough mate."
Harry glanced at Fleur who was glaring at Ron. Meanwhile the freckled boy was diligently trying not to tare his gaze from the paper as Fleur reached past Harry to grab a dish," Professor Flitwick told me we can 'old club meetings on a day of our choosing," she said pointedly ignoring Ron," I thought we could 'ave ze first introduction meeting for ze joining members a week before our Christmas 'olidays. Zis way we give people ample time to sign up before ze first club meeting."
"That sounds good, we won't have to worry about working around classes, so close to the holidays."
"Are you talking about that dueling club mate?"
"Yeah, its gotten a lot more attention since my duel with Malfoy a month ago," Harry flippantly said moving his food around on his plate absently.
Ron was now openly gawping at Harry, the ink on his quill was blotching the page," wait you actually dueled Malfoy? I thought Fred and George were lying when they said you turned his head into a pumpkin!"
"Er, they did lie when they said that. I did duel Malfoy, I didn't turn his head into a pumpkin. That's a bit to advanced for me."
"Oh but I'm sure if you tried ze spell you could cast it in just two or three tries," Fleur testily added.
Sighing, Harry ignored her comment. She had been upset ever since Harry had told her how easily magic seemed to come to him. It was like she was equal parts proud of him and annoyed at him, she had made him try various spells she knew over the weeks after telling her and Hagrid about his skill with spell work. A majority of them were just a year or two more advanced than first year school magic, but she had grown especially mad when he had managed to use the summoning charm after only one failed attempt. Pretending to not get a spell as fast as he usually would made her extremely testy with him, and more than once she had threatened to throw a fireball at him if he kept pretending.
"I wish I could've seen it," Ron sighed forlornly," I bet the look on Malfoy's face was priceless."
Looking at Fleur out of the corner of his eye Harry nodded at Ron," well like Fleur just said we'll have our first club meeting a week before Christmas holiday, so maybe Malfoy will show up and you can give it a go."
"I'd love to wipe that smirk he always has off Malfoy's face myself," Ron said, a look of relish on his own face as he paused, copying Harry's homework.
"Be sure to change some of those answers by the way, can't have everything look the same."
"Oh, right almost forgot," he began furiously smudging out answers and writing slightly different variations on them.
"How do you think Professor Binns even grades the papers," Harry asked just then thinking about it.
"I- I actually do not know," Fleur bewilderedly said scrunching her eyebrows in thought," 'e must though, mustn't 'e. Zere is no way Dumbledore would keep 'im as a teacher if 'e couldn't."
"I don't know. I once asked him a question and he looked at me for so long I imagine he forgot anyone was there. And then he called me Podmore, I don't even think he remembers anything past his set lesson plans properly."
Leaning back on the bench and groaning in frustration Ron threw his quill onto his parchment," are you telling me I'm wasting my time doing this homework and he's not even going to grade the thing!"
"I mean it's not really a waste. You'll have to take a History of Magic O.W.L won't you? So it's better that you do the work and remember it rather than not doing it and getting a bad score," Harry reasoned looking over Ron's copy job of the homework," so really I'd say keep the homework you do and use it as notes for this class."
"That's way to much parchment to keep up with mate. Some of us aren't as mental as you or Hermione about this stuff," Ron grinned rolling up his homework after Harry had handed it back.
Shrugging Harry pulled out his wand muttering a quick tempus charm to see what time it was.
10:50 a.m.
Harry shot up very quickly startling both Fleur and Ron. He shot a furtive glance around the great hall looking for Hermione's bushy head of brown hair at the Gryffindor table.
'Nope not there. Which can only mean one thing!'
Grabbing Ron by the arms and hauling him up while the other boy cursed Harry looked at Fleur who was gaping at the pair," sorry Fleur, we're about to be late for Charms have a good day in classes!"
"Oi! I didn't get to finish my food," Ron complained.
"It's fifty minutes past ten Ron, I don't think Hermione would be to pleased with us if we were late."
"Yeah, yeah. You still could've let me finish eating at least," Ron complained.
"You'll have plenty of time to eat during the Halloween feast," Harry reassured the other boy as they turned down the long walkway over the lake. This way would take them towards Hogwarts' western side and out into the open yet roofed air of the bridge joining the two half's of the castle.
"What're we even doing in Charms? Any idea mate," Ron asked Harry.
"I think Professor Flitwick is going to be going back over the levitation charm."
"Ugh, I was no good at that one I only got it to work after you explained it a few times."
"Well that's how learning works, so you must be doing something right," Harry laughed opening the Charms door letting Ron go in first.
"Oh! Mr. Potter I was worried you wouldn't be making it today," Professor Flitwick jovially called to him as Harry closed the door behind himself.
"Hello Professor, sorry the time nearly got the better of me before I realized the time."
"No trouble at all! Just mind the time from now on. Can't have you being late to future dueling club meetings."
"Of course sir," Harry nodded as he scanned the room to find Hermione in the trios usual seats on the Gryffindor side of the room.
As Harry made his way over to her he could see a few Ravenclaws sending him odd looks. Harry frowned at them as he sat with his Gryffindor friends prepared for the lesson, even if it would be a repeat lesson he might still learn something if he paid attention.
12:45 a.m.
Well as Harry had expected the class had widely followed the pattern of their first lesson with the levitation charm, but the large majority of the class had gotten a better grasp on the practical use of the spell now that they had the theoretical aspects memorized.
Well, for the most part anyway," I keep telling you Ron! You've got the later part of the spell down it's the beginning you're getting wrong. You need to really enunciate the GAR in Wingardium. See look WinGARdium Leviosa," she said causing her feather to float into the air with no flaws in her casting.
Ron grumbled under his breath in anger," well excuse me for not being an annoying know it all git."
Hermione had a very watery look in her eyes as she glared at Ron," well excuse me for trying to help you just like Harry does!"
Hermione gathered all of her books and stormed away covering her eyes. Harry looked at Ron in consternation as he too packed up his school bag with his books.
"Oh, what? She's always going on and on about something. When we first got to Hogwarts all she could do is quote that stupid book on its history for the entire first two weeks. Then she started going on about the different wizards and witches in their portraits on the grand stair case. Now she can't stop nitpicking everything in classes, you don't have to go back to your common room with her mate! It gets old quick!"
"I didn't say anything Ron," Harry said as they made their way out of the Charms classroom.
"Well your judgy look said it all."
"If there was a look like that you'd be seeing, it would be because you feel like you should be judged," Harry said neutrally.
Ron was heading towards the dungeon stairs no doubt for potions with Slytherin, while Harry would have a free period.
"Listen mate," Ron said pausing at the dungeon entrance," I'm sorry I upset Hermione and if I made you think I was mad at you too."
"I don't think I'm the one you need to apologize to Ron, but thanks for that anyway. Just try to make up with Hermione as soon as you can."
Ron looked like he wanted to say more, but thought better of it nodding at Harry before waving and making his way down the steps to his Potions class.
Now Harry was free for about two hours before he had his Thursday Potions with Hufflepuff, so he figured he could spend this time looking for a classroom or something similar for Dueling Club and then before the Halloween feast he could visit Salazar and Rina.
First he would have to search the castle for a place to hold club meetings. Sighing not having the foggiest idea where to start, Harry figured he might as well start from the first floor up. It was going to be a long day.
5:30 p.m.
Exhausted that's the only way to describe how he felt at the moment. Harry had spent the better part of two hours searching the first two levels of Hogwarts for an empty classroom to use and had so far only found one and it was far to small for Dueling Club use. The rest were occupied and by the time he was going to move on to the third floor it was nearly time for his Potions class with Hufflepuff.
The class had gone by quietly and with little to no mishaps, which didn't seem to be the case for the poor Gryffindor boy named Neville. Who had somehow melted through the bottom of his cauldron, table, and through the subsequent feet of ground the disastrous potion had eaten through after. To say Professor Snape was livid would be an understatement, he was still fuming two hours later when Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's first years had made their way to the class.
After the class Harry had visited Salazar and Rina just as he'd wanted, but what he'd found had shocked him. Rina had curled up in the warm alcove that branched off from the tunnels in Salazars statue. The portrait had explained that just like most other snakes Rina had to hibernate but she needed to do it much sooner than most snakes due to the already cold nature of his Chamber of Secrets.
It was strange for Harry; on one hand he was unnerved sometimes by the enormous snake but on the other it was strange not having her around following him while he explored every nook and cranny of the chamber. She often even offered him rats to eat, and while that was very gross she did it because she could tell he was very small for his age, no doubt because Salazar had told her.
So while she hibernated Harry would go about making sure she would have a comfortable rest by stealing pillows from the Ravenclaw common room, using the engorgement charm on them, and placing them under sections of her long body he had narrowly been able to lift.
This process had taken him another two hours before he finally walked back to Salazars study and slumped down into the desk chair propping his feet on the desk.
"You know, you didn't have to do all of that just to make Rina more comfortable. She's told me before that she can't really feel anything while she's hibernating past extreme physical pain," Salazar said frowning at Harry's treatment of his furniture.
"Well I didn't feel right leaving her like that, she doesn't have anything other than centuries old straw that's decayed by now and stone to lay on," Harry pointed out, leaning forward and taking a book from one of the many stacks on the desk reading it's cover absently.
"How have you been finding our school so far?" The portrait asked quirking an eyebrow trying to ignore Harry's cavalier treatment of the furniture.
"Well honestly it's amazing, this is the only place I've ever felt like I can be better than I ever thought I could. I've made more friends here in a month than I ever did all of the years I was at the Dursleys, it probably helps Dudley can't threaten to beat any of them up though to be fair," Harry laughed.
Grimicing at Harry's implication Salazar nodded," I am glad you enjoy Hogwarts, even though I personally never was one for teaching children, I wanted to help build a safe place of learning for them along with Godrick, Helena, and Helga. To see the fruits of your labors is a pleasure not many can enjoy."
Putting the book down Harry leaned over to the portrait and smiled mischievously," you think you could take a vacation from your century long retirement and teach one more kid a few things?"
"Oh please, we both know I would have taught you even if you had not asked."
"Is there anything you want to teach me in particular or are you just going to stare at me sternly like always?" Harry joked trying to hide his eagerness at learning something from the highly accomplished wizard.
The portrait absently stroked the head of the snake coiled around his shoulders, pursing his lips in thought," perhaps dueling transitions and deflecting spells?"
Harry scooted the high back leather chair closer to Salazar, eagerly looking at his ancestor for these lessons.
"I know you have a vested interest in dueling despite your… fairly gentle nature. I have extensive knowledge of ancient dueling techniques not many people in this century would likely know. So you can imagine the useful nature of these lesson I will be imparting to you. I hope you are proficient at visual learning as opposed to hands on."
"Why," Harry asked frowning.
The portrait gave a long suffering sigh rubbing his eyes, as if warding off a headache," I. am. a. portrait. I can't exactly give you hands on experience. Honestly, Helena is rolling in her grave at the decline of her houses students."
"I'm your heir, it says more about you than it does her house," Harry remarked.
"Little snarky…" the portrait muttered a few choice insults under his breath before directing Harry to stand," You'll need to carry me out into the chamber proper for these lesson, I'll not have you ruining my study."
Harry slid his wand from his sleeve directing the tip to the portrait intending to levitate it.
"Ah-ah-ah, this portrait has anti-levitation wards on it, I'm afraid you'll need to carry me out into the chamber," Salazar smirked looking at Harry.
After a seconds deliberation and a quick appraisal of how heavy the frame must be, he came to a decision," Wingardium Leviosa."
A quick wave of magic shivered between the air his spell and the portrait took up, before he was slammed backwards into a bookcase knocking a few knick knacks over.
"You idiot!" Salazar yelled," I told you it was warded!"
"I thought you were messing with me! I thought you'd gloat if I had gone an insanely long time thinking I had to carry you around, when in fact I could have levitated you all along."
The portrait was howling with laughter at Harry's expense," t-that is the single most f-foolish thing you could have thought. I would never be so churlish as to do something like that, maybe Godric might but I am far above such antics."
"You say that, but you're the only founder who has let something as dangerous as Rina stay in the castle," Harry grimaced, rising back to his feet and placing all of the fallen objects back on their shelves.
"That is neither here nor there," Salazar crossed his arms," now are you going to take me out of the study or keep squalling like a newborn babe?"
Mumbling a few choice words about lighter fluid and the average flammability of normal paintings, Harry grudgingly picked the portrait up stumbling with great difficulty through the short tunnel to the statues chamber bridge. As he crossed Salazar kept yelling at Harry any time he wobbled even slightly.
"Watch your step! If my canvas gets wet you'll not hear the end of it for as long as you live!"
"It would help if you stop screaming in my ear you crotchety old man," Harry snapped not wanting to fall into the cold dark water just as much as the portrait," god knows what's even in that water at this point, being down here so long without anyone tending it, and the nearly black color can't be a good sign."
"I put self cleaning charms on the chamber but they've undoubtably warn off after so long. I wouldn't think it a good idea to go in either, I think I'll teach you the upkeep spells for the chamber as well eventually," Salazar said as Harry placed him against a hissing snake statue.
"Now, no doubt you've been taught how to duel traditionally, correct?"
"Well yeah, both participants face one another then walk ten paces before turning and commencing the duel. That's how I've been taught to duel anyway," Harry frowned wondering where Salazar was going with this.
"That is the proper way to duel yes, but only in controlled tournament duels and the like. Most wizard duels won't be as cordial as that, others will lie, trick, outmaneuver, and even outnumber you in a real duel. The goal of this is to infuse a little of that sort of trickery into your practical dueling skills, while honing your traditional dueling skills in that club of yours. These spells I'll teach you are not meant to be used on your fellow classmates unless properly provoked, and I mean they are not to be used on them unless they have extremely harmful intents for you. Am I clear?"
"Yes, I promise," Harry said remembering he had debated using what was most likely a very harmful spell on Fleur, when he had thought she had ill intentions for him. Swallowing the lump in his throat Harry looked to the portrait," um, Salazar do the words Avada Kedavra mean anything to you?"
Snapping his gaze to Harry Salazar ceased twirling the end of his beard," where did you here that curse? From what you've told me you haven't been in the magical world for long, so how do you know it?"
"It's weird, I haven't really told anyone about it before," Harry said not knowing if he should tell Salazar the truth about the voice in his head that seemed to crop up at terrible times.
"What? What is it? If you haven't told anyone it must be fairly distressing to you," Salazar asked worry evident on his face.
"Well I kind of, hear a voice sometimes. It mainly whispers mean or discouraging things at me or other people. I started hearing it when I was really young."
Now there was clear skepticism on the portraits face as he scrutinized Harry," that could just be how you feel about people Harry. Most people have an inner dialogue just as you do, it's what you do despite those inner thoughts that decides what sort of man you will become."
Harry had to suppress a sigh, he knew why Salazar would think he was misunderstanding his own thoughts as something he could never come up with. And any other time he would think Salazar was right, but in this instance he didn't think so for one reason.
"The voice told me about that curse, even showed me the wand movements to cast it," Harry said interrupting whatever tangent the portrait was about to go on regarding mental acuity.
The portrait could only stare and blink at Harry in disbelief," it… told you about that curse? How could you teach yourself about a curse you didn't know?"
"I don't know. That's why I asked you about it. I thought you of all people, well all portraits, would know."
Salazar had begun stroking his substantial beard in thought again, his acid green eyes staring past Harry and into the stone of the wall behind him," I have a few theory's. None of which can fit very firmly for how little we know. The first is that you've been possessed by a ghost. While it is not unheard of, ghosts do often prefer to stay in their translucent forms wanting to mimic their living visage. The problem with this is ghosts can only be the spirits of wizards and witches, you claim not to have known or seen anything pertaining to the wizarding world until very recently. So the problem would be that there is no way a ghost could have possessed you at a young age. Unless it is one of your parents," Salazar muttered that last part with distaste.
"No," Harry shook his head fervently," the voice is a mans, but I won't believe my dad would ever sound like that. Even if I don't like him very much," Harry muttered darkly.
Salazar raised an eyebrow at that but didn't push further," the second idea is more unsavory and not an ideal idea. Perhaps, you have a mental condition, it wasn't uncommon in my time for some wizards and even muggles to be mentally unstable for one reason or another. Perhaps you've gone through some trauma you wish not to remember or do remember but don't want to talk about, perhaps there is some history in your recent family tree of mental illness, but we cannot know for sure until we observe the problem thoroughly. Just know this, we shall find the root cause of this voice and deal with it together, no heir of mine will be weak mentally or otherwise."
"Thanks Salazar, really I'm glad I told you about this. I don't think anyone else would believe me."
"Of course, just tell me if you hear the voice again and do not perform any spells it tells you to. Just for reference I will tell you what that curse it taught you does. The curse, Avada Cadavra, is know by a simple yet very self explanatory nickname, the killing curse. With this curse any living target you hit will have its soul instantly severed from its mortal moorings, or that is to say they will die instantly with no exception I have ever heard of."
Harry gulped, his body feeling as if it had been dunked under ice water.
'I almost killed Fleur,' Harry numbly thought glad he hadn't jumped to conclusions in Moaning Myrtles bathroom.
"I understand why it's important to know what spells do before you use them now," Harry solemnly said.
"Good, now these spells I will teach you are particularly nasty and as I said not to be used flippantly. I will first teach you the spells, the pronunciation, the theory behind them, and finally the execution of them. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry nodded paying rapt attention.
"Good. Now this first spell is particularly nasty and very painful, so do be careful."
Fleur's P.O.V
6:45p.m.
Fleur wouldn't typically describe herself as an anxious person, but the Halloween Feast had gotten nearly into its full swing and Harry still hadn't shown up. She knew Harry was very responsible for his age, and he didn't need her worrying about him but she still couldn't shake the bad thoughts about what had happened to him hours before his duel just a month ago with Draco Malfoy. And while nothing like it had happened since she was still on edge about it; no doubt the odd apparition constantly wrapped around his aura was responsible.
She still had no idea how she would brooch the subject with the boy, but the longer she took to mention it the more difficult it would be to explain why she hadn't.
And now he was late for dinner yet again, but this time it was the Halloween Feast that they had both been exited for not knowing how it would be executed by Hogwarts. She of course had greatly enjoyed Beauxbaton's Halloween Feast the past three years, but this would be Harry's first ever event.
The ringing sounds of students scraping fork and spook on their bowls and plates was beginning to grate on her nerves, further annoying her making the whispers of her feathers prickle at the skin of her arms. She had the short wish to hurl a fireball down the length of the Great Hall, and just as she was sizing up the scorch mark she would leave on the massive doors leading to the hall she spotted a small black haired boy with glasses entering, timidly looking around at the mass of students.
He looked haggard, his robes were covered in dust and filth, Fleur wrinkled her nose at his appearance wondering where he possibly could've gone to get so filthy. Harry's gaze was scanning the tables; most likely he was looking for his Gryffindor friends first because he saw them far less than Fleur.
Sure enough Fleur spotted Ron Weasley grinning and waving at the filth covered Harry, but oddly enough Hermione Granger was nowhere to be seen. Fleur could see Harry making his way over to the Gryffindors, no doubt to greet Ron and discuss a few things before heading over to the Ravenclaw table.
Waiting for him to finally make his way over seemed to take an eternity, as Fleur gazed distastefully at a pumpkin pie covered in whipped cream. When Harry did finally sit next to Fleur he had a deep frown on his face, which was just as filthy as the rest of his clothes.
"What is it 'Arry," Fleur asked seeing Harry pause at the food picking none up.
"Ron just told me he hasn't seen Hermione since their Potions class. I'm worried because another Gryffindor girl, I think her name was Lavender, said she was in the girls bathroom crying. Obviously I can't just go into that bathroom and ask her what's wrong. I mean it is a girls toilet after all," Harry said frowning, while he reached to plate himself some food. Just as he was about to make contact with a piece of the foul pumpkin pie, Fleur gently stopped his hand.
"'Arry don't touch food with dirty 'ands. Zat is 'ow you get sick," she scolded casting a quick cleaning charm on his robes, hands, and face," zere now you can eat."
"Er, thanks Fleur," he said red faced, partly due to the cleaning charm scrubbing him nearly raw, partly from embarrassment.
"I don't see why 'er being in a girls bathroom would stop you, you've stayed in the second floor girls bathroom for quite a while before.
"This is different, that bathroom is out of order and no one ever goes in it. The one Hermione is in is on this floor and fairly used. I was hoping you'd come with me after the feast and ask her to come out so we can talk, if it's not to much trouble I mean."
"Of course I'll 'elp 'Arry, but eat first you look 'ungry," Fleur said crossing her arms waiting for him to begin.
"Can I have my robe back? I haven't had it all day, and while I did say it wasn't that cold it's been pretty cold for me without it."
Fleur felt heat rush to her face as she realized she had been wearing Harry's cloak over her own all day. No wonder she had been quite a bit more comfortable than normal.
"Sorry, I meant to give it back after breakfast. You left so fast I forgot," Fleur apologized passing the cloak to him careful not to inadvertently touch his hand. He's opened up quite a bit more to being touched by people but you could only come so far in a month.
"Thanks, it's fine I'm the one who left without warning, and now I'm starving it's been such a long day," Harry said sighing in contentment as he slid the warm robe around his shoulders, pulling a few dishes towards himself.
"Speaking of which, why were you so filthy when you entered ze Great 'All?"
"Well I-" but just as Harry was about to explain why he had been so filthy, the disheveled form of that stuttering mess, Professor Quirrell, burst into the Great Hall yelling at the top of his lungs.
"TROLL — IN THE — DUNGEONS!" He wheezed through pants. "Thought you outa know," he weakly said passing out into a dead faint.
Just as his body fell to the ground chaos broke out in the Great Hall, students screaming and running about in erratic ways. People were shoved about at most of the tables, meanwhile a majority of the Ravenclaw students were sitting watching the other houses make fools of themselves. But Fleur could swear someone had tried grabbing her chest before she rose the heat around herself by a few degrees making sure anyone near her would be quite uncomfortable, and that anyone touching her would be burned.
Thankfully, Harry had risen from his spot on the bench to look around at the chaos, and was no longer as close as he usually was or he may have been burned by her subconscious use of her powers.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore boomed from his spot at the head of the teachers table, demanding the attention of everyone gathered in the Great Hall.
"Now, I believe that in light of present circumstances, it would be prudent to have the prefects of each house to lead their fellow housemates to their respective common rooms. Meanwhile, I must ask that all teachers accompany me to the dungeons while the troll dilemma is sorted.
"What about Slytherin, our common room is in the dungeons!" Yelled a fifth year Slytherin boy.
"Ah, yes. So it is. In that case I'm sure the Ravenclaw house would be more than accommodating while we sort this matter out.
"Of course," Professor Flitwick beamed at the milling Slytherins," follow Hilliard to our common room in an orderly manor."
As Harry and Fleur began to follow the prefect Hilliard along with the rest of Ravenclaw, Fleur could see Harry be taken to the side by Ron. The two seemed to be having a very heated conversation before finally coming to some agreement, at which point Harry made his way back over to Fleur.
"Ron and I are going to go get Hermione she still hasn't come back from the bathroom and I'm worried," Harry said, his eyes creased in worry for his friend.
"Very well, lead ze way," Fleur defiantly said not letting Harry leave her behind to worry about him.
He looked very surprised at her but brushed it off quickly nodding and smiling," thanks Fleur, if there's anyone that'd be good to have around with a troll about, it's you."
Fleur proudly straightened her back to reach her full height preening," of course it is, I am very 'andy in any situation."
Harry laughed," of course you are, now let's hurry and get Hermione before anyone notices we've slipped away."
The trio split off from the end of the Slytherin line as Ravenclaw led them to their dorm, so Ron led Harry and Fleur down the same bridge connecting the two halves of the castle he and Harry had taken that very morning. It was a chilly night and the fog hanging over the Black Lake made it twice as eerie.
"I think I should 'ave kept your robe," Fleur grumbled beside Harry as Ron led the way.
"Then I'd be even colder than I already am," he smiled at her cheekily.
Fleur's gaze didn't waver as she looked forward but she held out her left arm that Harry was beside as an open invitation, just in case he was to cold. Surprisingly, Harry hesitated for only a moment before moving closer to her allowing their shared warmth to fill Fleur's robe.
"That is a lot better," Harry sighed shuffling back a little more against her, making feathers prickle up Fleur's cheeks in embarrassment.
"Do you two really have to flirt right now? We're trying to go get Hermione while a troll is loose in the castle," Ron said with a deadpan look on his face at the two of them.
"W-we are not flirting," Fleur squawked sounding a little to much like her full Veela form for her liking.
"Sure you're not," Ron snidely remarked," it's just around this turn on our right I think."
"You think?" Harry asked not moving away from Fleur clearly caring more about the cold than Ron's teasing.
"Well I'm not exactly going into every girls bathroom I find am I? I think this is the right one the boys would've been around that last corner but on the left."
Fleur had begun to say something about that, but then a foul stench filled Fleur's senses along with a loud lumbering stride. Looking down the corridor Fleur, Harry, and Ron had all stopped seeing the towering frame of the troll wandering down the hall.
And just as was their luck the troll's large protruding ears wiggled at the door beside it, almost certainly meaning it could hear something from within the room.
"Isn't that-"
"Yeah, that's the girls bathroom," Ron whispered answering Harry's unfinished question as the troll slipped inside nearly having to crawl just to enter.
A very dramatic pause filled the corridor, making the trio almost wish they had went to the wrong bathroom. But just as they had all been about to release a quiet sigh a young girls scream filled the air, along with a great cacophony of smashing.
"I guess it was to much to hope Hermione had chosen a different bathroom," Ron sighed running ahead of the two Ravenclaw students.
"Well I suppose we will 'ave to 'andle ze troll ourselves 'Arry."
"Yeah it looks like it," Harry agreed moving from the warmth of Fleur's robe to draw his wand from the folds of his own.
The pair rushed behind Ron who had opened the door gazing around inside the room, which had gone strangely silent.
"What is it Ron? What's going on?"
"I think Hermione's hiding, the troll is just looking around smashing a couple sinks."
Just as Ron had said; when Fleur and Harry had opened the door further to gaze inside, the troll was swiveling it's tiny head to and fro looking for something.
"I think we should strike while it is distracted," Fleur suggested turning her wand over in her hands nervously," trolls are dangerous when up close but zey aren't very smart, so I think we could incapacity it before it knows what is 'appening."
"That would be a bloody good plan, but I think you're forgetting one crucial detail," Ron said looking around at the broken sinks and the large club the troll held.
"And what is zat?"
"Harry and I are first years! We don't know any defensive magic yet, so how are we supposed to help? I mean, I suppose we could levitate some bits of sink at it."
Fleur could barely make out Harry mumbling something, but it was far to quiet to properly hear.
"What was zat 'Arry?"
"I-I know a spell that might give us a window to knock it out, if it was any other creature other than a giant I could end the fight before it starts but it's hide is to thick. So I'll get it's attention, disarm it, and then you two need to hit it from behind while I do from the front."
Fleur frowned," what spell is it? Are you sure you can disarm ze troll."
Harry nodded setting his jaw in determination," it's what I was working on before the feast. I'm sure I can do it. What you'll need to do Fleur is show Ron the Stupefy charm and hope it works on the first few try's for him. I'll sneak in, in the meantime have Ron try casting the spell a bunch of times outside the bathroom at the wall until he gets some results."
"Uh, mate? I'm really flattered that you think I can get a spell like that down in a few minutes but I don't think this plan is very sound. So why don't we go find a teacher or better yet Dumbledore," Ron frantically said barely keeping his voice low.
"No Ron, I'm sorry but we don't have time for that. If we wait any longer Hermione could die, the worst case scenario is you don't get the spell working and I have to use my last resort spell. A troll's hide might be thick but it's not thick enough to save it from that curse," Harry said with a grim white expression on his face.
Ron seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation before he nodded steeling his nerves and turning to Fleur," teach away Professor Delacour."
Fleur rather liked the ring of that, so she got to work going through the wand motions and proper pronunciation for the Stupefying charm.
Harry's P.O.V
This was just great, he had only learned this spell from Salazar not even two hours ago, and he had barely gotten the hang of it before he had needed to leave for the feast. Now he had to use it to save his friend. This was so typical for his run of luck.
Stepping into the bathroom as Fleur frantically explained the Stupefy charm to Ron, Harry saw that the troll was swiveling it's tiny head around looking, no doubt, for Hermione. Harry maneuvered his way over to the stalls, taking care not to kick or crush any of the debris, for his plan to work he'd need Hermione to help him and the others incapacitate the troll. Hopefully she had studied up to the Stupefy charm.
If all else failed Harry would have to use Avada Kedavra on the troll, and while he knew he'd be able to cast it once; Salazar had made it abundantly clear the strain on his magical core would leave him bedridden for three days, and that was only if he cast it in one go.
"Hermione!" Harry whispered crouching down to see beneath the stalls.
"Harry!" The girl foolishly yelled from what he thought was the third stall.
"Get down!" Harry yelled seeing that the troll had turned sharply at Hermione's yell.
Just a few scant seconds later, the brutes oversized club swung through the three end stalls sending splinters in all directions. Harry could see Hermione had taken his warning seriously as she threw herself to the ground crawling towards him.
"Harry! What do we do?"
"You keep coming this way I'll get its attention. On a slightly related note, do you know how to cast the Stupefy charm?"
"What? Are you really discussing academics at a time like this?"
" Just answer the question," Harry yelled as another half hazard swing sent a half shattered toilet into the wall by the sinks.
"Yes, I know how to cast it! Why?" She asked as she finally came to the end of the cubicles, where Harry began helping her up.
"Good, now just go to the door and let Fleur and Ron know I'm ready. When you see the troll disarmed cast as many Stupefy charms as you can in succession."
"Alright," Hermione said frowning in confusion, but listening to his orders.
Harry nodded running along with Hermione until they both split in the middle of the bathroom. Hermione continuing forward while Harry darted to the right, heading almost directly for the troll, who at this point had noticed Harry running toward it.
The troll began to raise its club to smash Harry to death, thankfully years of staring down big ugly Dudley had made Harry nearly immune to the look of a vacant eyed idiot about to squash a bug. So thinking quickly, Harry raised his wand tracing the familiar spell he'd used on Draco Malfoy, he began focusing the exact same intent as he had before," Chorus Flamma!"
The bright orange of the spell rocketed toward the trolls hand, and as it hit a mid sized concussive bang made the trolls hand shoot backwards canceling its swing.
'Now!' Harry roared in his head.
He sprinted around the troll as it confusedly looked at his running form that somehow hadn't been smashed. No doubt it couldn't fathom why Harry wasn't dead, but it was quickly thinking of winding up for another swing.
Just as it had lifted the club back up, Harry had made his way around the brute far enough to make it completely turn its back on the bathroom door.
"Now everyone!" Harry yelled pointing his wand at the trolls club.
"Decrusto!"
A pale gray jet of light zipped out of Harry's wand, colliding with the trolls club and a few fingers. As Harry watched with interest the spells impact point began to eat away at the club, causing it to crumble and chip away before turning to dust just before hitting the ground. The spell had a rather less significant but noticeable effect on its skin, while it didn't disintegrate quite as fast as the club it did begin to cause the skin to wither and twist the digits falling from the trolls hand.
As Harry was transfixed with the outcome the three students outside the bathroom burst in, each casting their charms.
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
"S-stupefy!"
Two bright red jets of light left Fleur and Hermione's wands, while a dim trail of red left Ron's. Thankfully the first two hit their marks, Fleurs slamming into the back of the trolls head, Hermione's hitting it's back, and Ron's sparks went wide hitting the wall above the troll.
"Keep casting," Harry yelled," it's still up!"
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
This time each of them had cast a successfully charm each hitting the troll in various areas. Fleur's again in the back of the head, Hermione again in the back, Ron's had been aimed low and most unfortunately for the troll at its rear end, and finally Harry's had hit the troll square in the face.
For a few long seconds the troll blinked crosseyed in confusion, looking at its empty mangled hand that had held the club, before falling over with a loud cacophonous boom.
"Well… that worked," Harry sighed falling to his backside in a sitting position.
