Chapter 3: Boys and Trolls

Thanks to my beta, darrelldeam, for all his help in making this easier to read for you, my readers. All mistakes are still my own.

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All was right in Harry's world. He had good friends, a great study group and was on the Quidditch team. He and Hermione had a bit of a falling out on that last one, but Millie had taken Hermione aside and chastised her for wanting to take something good away from Harry and they were alright now.

It happened because of a small infraction in Flying Class. But somehow that had landed Harry a slot on the Quidditch Team as the seeker. He didn't even ask for it. He was drafted. It had come as a complete surprise to him. If he had been asked, he probably would have turned it down. Now, he had no idea how to get out of being on the team without disappointing loads of people.

Right now, it was Halloween and the whole castle smelled of pumpkin spice, and other sweets. Harry couldn't wait for the feast. He had never been to a large Holiday celebration before and wanted to see if it was different from the Muggle one. His friends in the study group told him that though they celebrated with feast and treats, the family gatherings were usually quite tame. It was a day to honor the dead and that he should say something to his parents' spirits before retiring for the night. He felt that it might give him a bit of closure to do just that.

Harry was walking with Ron, who was complaining about Hermione helping him in Charms Class. He was just about to defend her when Ron called her a nightmare and said that she didn't have any friends. The two boys were pushed apart as a bushy-haired girl streaked past them, with tears in her eyes. Figuring his friend needed to have a minute to calm down, he rounded on Ron.

"What is your problem?" Harry all but yelled. "She was only trying to help you, and I hate to say it, but you needed that help," he said, getting in the redhead's face. His other bunkmates were nodded their heads in agreement. "If I was sitting next to her, I'd have listened to what she was saying. Hermione is the smartest girl in our class. How could you not want her help?" the dark-hair boy asked thoroughly disgusted with his friend.

"What do you mean you'd've wanted her help? She is a bossy girl who is always telling people what to do?" the confused Ron asked, not liking that Harry was defending the girl. Who wanted to be bossed around? He had enough of that with his mum.

"Don't you want to do well in school, so you can get a good job? If you had listened to Hermione, you would have done better at that spell, and she wouldn't be crying right now. Does it make you feel better to make someone cry?" Harry asked, hoping that wasn't so. He didn't think he could be friends with a bully. He had enough of that at home. Dudley was always making the kids on his street and in primary school cry.

"Well, no," Ron said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I just didn't think about it."

"Maybe ya should start thinkin' before you speak. 'Cause you're startin' to sound like Malfoy with your name calling," Dean suggested, butting into the conversation. The others around the three nodded in agreement. Ron was always cutting someone one down and they were getting tired of it.

Ron's face morphed in horror. "Really? Do you guys really think that?" he asked. He had never really thought about it before. Coming from a large family, with few outside influences, cut downs were thrown around a lot. He figured it was the same for friends, not realizing that you had to be close friends for them to let that slide. Maybe he should watch his mouth better because he really didn't know he was coming off like that blond-haired git.

"Look, Ron, I like you, but I won't be friends with a bully. Think about it. I have to go and find Hermione," Harry said, clapping Ron on the back. Given the look on Ron's face, there was hope for him yet. He then turned and started off the way his best friend had run. He could hear the conversation continue behind him and hoped the others could make Ron see the road he was headed down.

Harry missed his next class trying to find Hermione. He looked everywhere he could think of. Finally, he saw Millie and went to catch up with her. "Millie. Hey Millie, wait a minute. I need your help," he called after her. She would know what to do. She was a girl.

Millie stopped, waved her friends on, and waited for her favorite firstie. "What's wrong, Harry? You look frazzled. Did you and Hermione fight again?" she asked concern etching her face. She hated to see the kids fight.

"No, it wasn't me this time. Ron said some mean things about her, and she heard him and ran off. I can't find her anywhere," Harry said, desperation leaking into his voice. He was distraught and very worried.

"Don't you worry, my favorite firstie, I'll find your lost lamb, yeah. I can go places you can't and since we're both girls, I think I know where to look. You go to class and let me take care of this," she said, hoping to make him feel better. She ruffled his hair and sent him on his way.

Harry reluctantly left and went to class. Millie would take care of it. She was a godsend to him and Hermione. She made them feel better many times since they came to the school.

Millie started with the bathrooms on the ground floor and worked her way up. She finally found her in the one on the second floor. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," she sang in a teasing voice hoping for a laugh. She did hear a snuffled giggle coming from the last cubical.

Hermione slowly came out of the stall. Her hair and face were a mess. The hair was bushier that usual, like the poor girl keep grabbing and pulling it. Red blotches where on her tear-stained cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying. Her usually neat uniform was wrinkled, and parts were wet from where she used it to wipe the tears.

"Oh, come here, sweetheart," Millie said opening her arms to the sad little girl. She remembered coming here when she was in first year and someone called her a mudblood. That day was the turning point of her life. She vowed never to let someone make her cry again. It didn't work quite like that, but she was stronger for it. "Tell me what happened," she said after Hermione all but flew into her arms. "You know Harry has been tearing apart the castle looking for you. You have him quite worried, yeah."

"We, ahem," Hermione started and cleared her rough sounding throat and tried again. "We were in charms class learning the levitation spell. I was partnered with that git, Ron. He was waving his wand around and almost poked me in the eye and he was saying the incantation wrong. All I did was trying to help. I don't know why he doesn't like me." Fresh tears started to fall. "Anyway, after class he was walking in front of me and called me a nightmare and said I didn't have any friends. Why would he say that? I've tried to make friends really, I have, but they all call me a know-it-all."

"Hermione, you are being silly," Millie said, drying her tears and looking her in the eyes. Then she hugged her again. "Not everyone calls you that. Harry adores you and I know some of your study group thinks you are a good friend." she chastised, releasing the hug, and wiping the tears with her thumbs. She gave the smaller girl a big smile. "I am your friend too, yeah," she stated as fact. "As for Ron, well friends don't do that, but he is a boy so maybe you could wait and see what he does next."

"I guess you're right. I think I'm just letting the past get to me. I didn't have any friends in primary," Hermione said with insight that only girls could reach at that age. "How do I stop them from calling me names?" she almost begged, hoping the older girl had some advice on that.

Millie thought a moment about all she had heard about Hermione and came up with a solution. "Okay, from what I've heard you like to answer all the questions in class, right?" she asked, knowing the girl liked the attention the teachers gave her.

Hermione nodded her head quickly because it was true. "Right," she said, softly.

"If you don't want people to call you a know-it-all, then stop doing that all the time." She raised her hands to stop the protest.

"But…" was as far as the younger girl got when Millie went on.

"Look, I know you're smart," Millie said, still wiping the girl's tears, which hadn't stopped yet. "You know you're smart. Everyone knows you're smart. The problem is you're not letting anyone else be smart. They think you're trying to show them they're stupid," she said, giving her a smile to take the bite out.

"But…" Hermione said, again, only to trail off.

"I know that's not what you are trying to do," the older girl continued, "but it comes across like that. So, try not answering any questions for two weeks, unless no one else knows the answer. Give it a minute before you raise your hand and let them have a go, yeah," she suggested. She had a friend in her year that had been the same way, and this worked for him. Maybe it would work for this little girl too.

"Oh, I never thought of it like that. They really think that?" Hermione asked with dawning realization. That must be what the kids in her primary school thought as well.

"Just give it a try," Millie said, petting down the other girl's hair and turned to the sink and grabbed a paper towel got it wet and gave it to her. "Clean your face and we'll go to the feast, yeah. We'll let Harry know you're okay." She waved her wand and Hermione's clothes were wrinkle free and dry.

Hermione did as recommend, and the two girls left the bathroom and made their way to the Great Hall. Millie hadn't realized they had spent that much time in there. When Harry saw Hermione, his face lit up with a huge smile. He rose from his chair and went to give her a big hug. Seeing Millie stand behind his friend he gave a winning smile and then guided Hermione to the seat he had saved for her.

Millie went to join her friends at the other end. She told them what happened and then settled down to eat. She was just glad the two had each other.

The feast was going well until the Defense professor came crashing through the doors, yelling about a troll in the castle. Millie got up and went immediately to the firsties. When Dumbledore told them to go to the tower, she grabbed both their hands so they wouldn't wonder off. The group of Gryffindors had just reached the third floor when an overwhelming pungent smell came drifting down the hall.

The entire house turned as one and saw a giant ugly troll heading towards them. From the middle of the group, they heard twin voices yell.

"Everyone, follow us and run!" The two redheaded twins started away from the troll and led them down the corridor to a secret door that was guarded by a picture of a lady dressed in pink. "Hobnobbing," they yelled, and the portrait swung open.

The group followed the passage, up two flights of narrow stairs and out on to the seventh floor. No one was really sure how that worked, but, hey, magic castle. Everyone made it safe to the tower and the twins were seen as the heroes of the hour. Harry was just glad it wasn't him.

That night when Harry was in bed and all his bunkmates were asleep, he looked out the window to the starlit sky and said, "Mum, Dad, I know you are closer to me today. And I just wanted to say, thanks. Thanks, for loving me enough to die. Thanks for giving me life. Thanks for just being my mum and dad.

"I've always wondered what you looked like. Everyone tells me Dad and I look exactly alike, except I have Mum's eyes, but no one really says what Mum looks like. If only I had a picture, then I'd know, ya know.

"Well, that's all I really had to say. Maybe when I can picture you in my head I can talk longer. Thanks again Mum and Dad." And with that he closed his curtains and went to sleep, dreaming of a beautiful red headed woman hugging a man that looked just like him. They smiled a sad smile at him and watched him through the night. He didn't remember it in the morning, but he felt loved.

Hermione did as Millie suggested and didn't raise her hand in class unless no one else did. It took her classmates a few days to realize what she was doing, and class participation got higher, much to the relief of the professors. Smiles were starting to come her way and more congratulations on correct answers filled conversations.

Ron did apologize, but they still weren't good friends. He was just too grumpy for her taste, and she was just too bossy for his. Ron stopped himself many times from making cutting remarks and it upset him just how often that was. His friends would wait and see how long it lasted with that temper of his.

Still life was good for Harry.