A Better Plan
by Roff
Chapter Six
When Harry heard there was a troll in the castle and the Granger girl was not with them as they headed to their common rooms so the professors could deal with it, he asked Parvati and Lavender if they knew where she was.
They told him that she was upset about something and they saw her go towards the girls' loo instead of going to the banquet. No one had seen her since.
Harry grabbed Neville so they could sneak away and find that Granger girl since she would not have heard there was a troll on the loose in the castle.
When they were near to the loo, they heard a scream and picked up their pace until they reached the doorway to the restroom and opened the door. Neville propped it open.
Seeing the troll, Harry gave instructions quickly.
"You get the girl while I get the troll. Wait until I get its attention before you make your move."
Harry didn't wait since the troll was about to kill the girl. He summoned the troll's club then pushed Neville out of the way and let the club fly past him until it hit the wall across the hall behind them, landing on the floor.
The troll made a grunt that was strangely similar to the question "huh?" and then saw Harry standing there with a smile on his face when it looked in the direction its club went. The troll turned and started walking toward Harry who started backing up slowly and further away from where Neville was waiting.
"Get ready, Neville. I believe I have its attention."
Neville stood there as the enormous twelve foot mountain troll exited the loo and steadily went after Harry. As soon as the troll cleared the doorway and was in the hall moving toward his friend, Neville quickly went into the loo and grabbed Hermione.
She held onto Neville as he took her out of the loo and into the hall, still unbelieving that she had not been killed. The last thing she expected was for a fellow student to help her. Once in the hall, Neville led her in the opposite direction as Harry and the troll. However, they stopped and turned around when they heard a big thud behind them.
They saw the troll laying on the floor and it wasn't moving. They both saw Harry putting away his wand in his holster as he walked toward them.
"Are you alright, Miss Granger? That troll didn't hit you anywhere did it?" he asked as he walked up to them.
"N-n-no, I don't think so. I thought for sure it was going to kill me though. You… you… but how did you?... I mean.. you… took down a troll. How?" she asked.
"Oh, it was no problem. I just persuaded it take a long nap while Neville here made sure you were taken to safety."
Harry pulled his wand again and waved over the two of them to dry off the water before putting it back in its holster. Hermione was wondering how he knew that spell and he cast it silently too. She decided to ask something else.
"But why did you help me and how did you know where I was?" she asked.
"When we were told there was a troll in the castle," Neville started explaining, "they sent us to our common rooms. We noticed you weren't with us. Your dorm mates told us you looked upset about something and went toward the loo instead of coming to dinner."
"So we snuck off to find you and make sure you were informed," Harry added. "Of course, we heard you scream and figured you already found out about the troll. After that it was just a little team work to take care of the intruder and make sure you were safe, Miss Granger."
"Thank you for saving me, both of you. And please call me Hermione."
"Then I'm Neville and this is Harry," he said pointing at his friend.
That's when they were interrupted.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Longbottom! Miss Granger! What in Merlin's name happened here?" asked McGonagall as she rushed past the troll and over to her lions.
Snape and Dumbledore was with her but they stopped to examine the troll and make sure it was not a threat.
"Oh! Hello, Professors!" greeted Harry turning around. "Apparently, we found the troll or perhaps it would be better to say that the troll found Hermione."
"It completely destroyed the girls' loo, Professor," Neville added.
"And nearly killed me while it was at it. If it hadn't been for Harry and Neville, I would be dead right now."
"Why did you three not go to your common room as instructed?" she asked perturbed.
"Hermione didn't hear about the troll or the instructions. She wasn't in the Great Hall at the time," Harry explained. "When we saw she was missing on our way to the common room we were told she went to the loo. So Neville and I went to let her know about the troll in the castle."
"Unfortunately, the troll found her before we did," added Neville.
"But, it all worked out using good old fashion team work," Harry continued. "The beast was knocked out and the damsel in distress was saved. All's well that ends well, they say."
"So you were in the loo when the announcements were made?" she asked checking with Hermione.
"Yes, Professor. I never made it to dinner."
She shook her head. "Three first years taking on a fully grown mountain troll is simply unheard of," McGonagall almost mumbled. "You're all lucky to be alive!" she exclaimed with her voice raising a few octaves.
"Since we took down the troll, Professor," asked Neville, "do you think you guys can take it from here? I believe we need to go finish eating. Fighting trolls can work up an appetite, especially when you were never allowed to finish in the first place."
"And, Hermione missed dinner completely," Harry added.
"Ten points to each of you for taking down the troll. Now head to your common room. The food has been moved there for each house so everyone could finish eating."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione told her as they walked off.
When they passed the loo they saw Dumbledore cast a reparo spell that started fixing everything in there, putting it back the way it was, including the busted pipes. He then dried up all the water and cleaned up the entire room with another spell.
As the three were walking back to their common room, Harry asked a question.
"If you don't mind me asking, Hermione, what were you upset about when you didn't go to the Halloween feast?"
"You'll think it's silly."
"Not if it upset you. Was someone mean to you? Did they say something they shouldn't have? I won't stand for bullying," Harry informed her.
"I won't either," Neville added.
"No. I was upset with myself. I've always had a difficult time making friends and kids have usually picked on me because I was different and I always made better grades than everyone else. I thought it would be different here with all of us learning magic, but it's not. You see, I don't have any friends. I guess I just don't know how to make friends."
"Well, that's not true. Right, Nev?"
"Definitely not true. Not at all," he replied.
"You see, Hermione, we became friends when we took down the troll," Harry told her.
"Right! We've been friends for several minutes already. Did you miss it happening back there?" Neville asked her.
"I guess I did. Are you guys sure you want to be my friends? You're not doing this just to make me feel better are you?" she asked as they neared the entrance to Gryffindor House.
"We are definitely your friends, Hermione," Neville assured her.
"Yes, no doubt about it," Harry emphasized.
Hermione smiled as they entered their common room to a feast going on.
Harry and Neville's parents were none too happy when they heard about the troll getting into the castle and a young girl nearly getting killed by it. The fact that Harry and Neville had to save the girl and take down the troll did not please them in the least.
They were pleased with how the boys worked together and how Harry knocked out the troll, but they were wondering where the adults were in all of this. How come they didn't show up until after the kids saved the girl and dealt with the troll on their own?
Dumbledore and McGonagall had to answer a few questions from four very curious parents who were concerned to say the least. They met in the headmaster's office to hash out the details. It was explained that a young first year Slytherin spotted the troll in the dungeons and rushed to tell everyone in the Great Hall. Unfortunately, she wasn't very helpful knowing where the troll was headed. They had to go look for it while the kids were sent to their common rooms to finish eating there.
James and Lily showed up with a memory from Harry so they all viewed it together.
In the memory they saw from the time the boys heard the scream and them putting on some speed to get there quicker. They saw clearly the troll was ready to strike the girl and kill her when Harry gave his instructions and summoned the club from the trolls hand.
They watched as Harry calmly began backing up and casting stunning spells, one right after another, hitting the troll over and over. Since trolls are magically resistant the stunners did not knock it out. But Harry seemed to know this.
Even though the spells did not knock out the troll, they noticed that it was slowing down from the accumulation of stunners, and needless to say for those viewing the memory, the power behind them. Harry stopped casting stunners when the troll stopped and shook its big head to help clear it.
Instead, Harry summoned the club from the floor behind the troll and waited until the club was almost to him before he banished it straight at the troll, hitting it hard right in the face. The troll stumbled a bit before starting to fall backwards. Before it fell though, the club hit it even harder, but this time right over the top of its head as Harry guided it magically with great proficiency.
The troll then fell straight backwards onto the stone floor, out cold and not moving. The memory ended with Harry putting his wand away as Neville and Hermione stopped and turned to look after the troll made a loud thud when it hit the floor.
After it was over, McGonagall asked, "How in name of Merlin can a first year do that? I thought when Mr. Potter said they worked as a team that they all three took it down together."
"Harry is not very good at taking credit even when it's due him," Lily offered. "Besides, Neville did his part perfectly in getting the girl to safety so Harry could focus completely on the troll and not worry about her.
"Now, we must have your word, Minerva, that you will not talk about my son's abilities or his extra power to anyone. Harry is a child of prophecy and will need every advantage he can get. Not knowing what he's capable of may save his life one day."
"Albus, Frank, Alice, Sirius, and Remus are already keeping this secret with us," added James. "We just need you to keep it too."
"You have my word on that, Lily and James. That secret is safe with me."
"Good. I knew we could count on you, Minerva," James replied smiling at his transfiguration mentor.
"What did you do with the troll?" asked Frank.
"I turned it's clothes into a portkey and sent it to a spot I know in the mountains," Albus informed them.
"Do you know how the troll managed to get into the castle, or even get close to the castle?" asked Alice.
"No, but most likely it was someone who brought the troll into the castle. I doubt seriously that a mountain troll would wander into the castle on its own."
"I agree," said James.
"Do you have an idea who could have been behind this?" asked Lily.
"Not yet, but I will be looking into it further," Albus assured them.
"I find it interesting that on Harry's first year at Hogwarts, he's already had to deal with a fully-grown mountain troll on Halloween. Has anyone ever heard of a troll getting into Hogwarts in the past, for instance, several centuries?" asked James. "I know we never had a troll get into the school when we were students."
"I think you could be right James. It is peculiar that the year Harry begins his Hogwarts education we get a threat to the school like this when we've not had these type of threats before, or at least in the last one hundred years, to my knowledge.
"Coincidence? Maybe. But we would do well to keep our eyes open and stay ready for any other threats to the students. Many Death Eaters bought their pardons and pleaded the Imperius Curse after all. I would not put it past a Death Eater to send a troll into the school," Albus concluded.
"They've been lying low for years," offered Frank, "and Harry's entry into school and the magical world could be all that was needed to start one, or a few of them, down their old paths."
"Let's also not forget about Voldemort still being around," Lily told them. "He may not be in physical form but that does not mean he can't get his followers to do things. He could even be possessing someone as we speak, hiding in plain sight."
"Yes, we must all be watchful," Albus agreed.
"We'll speak to Amelia and use the Auror office to shake some trees to see who falls out," Alice told them.
"The Unspeakables are already working on the issue, mainly because I work there and make sure we are looking into anything dealing with Voldemort or his Death Eaters. I'll share whatever I can with you as I learn of it."
"I'll feel out the Wizengamot members to see what people know or have heard," James offered.
"And, I will protect my lions and this school with all that I have," McGonagall swore.
"Thank you, Minerva. I appreciate your commitment," Albus told her then turned to the other four. "I think we all know what we need to do. Thanks, everyone, for your input and sharing Harry's amazing take down of that troll. I was most impressed. Please send me any updates as soon as you can and have a pleasant evening."
The three kids were seen hanging out together constantly after that. Harry and Neville made sure Hermione had friends and they looked after her. They had to help her realize that not everyone enjoyed studying as much as she does and how that was okay. Everyone is a little different after all and you have to allow them to be themselves with all their differences.
She complained about Ron Weasley a bit but that was mainly due to his desire to always wind her up. Harry and Neville thought he got a kick out of it. Plus, Ron was one of the least dedicated students in first year. This likely bothered Hermione more than anything else.
With her being close friends with Harry and Neville then she naturally saw more of Ron as he tended to come around quite often to spend time with them. He pretty much floated between spending time with Dean and Seamus and spending time with Harry and Neville.