I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them sertainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
For now, the story will update every second Saturday, until I say otherwise.
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Chapter 17: Halloween Surprise
Time seemed to fly by when you were being kept busy. Their days were well-filled with school work, practice for the Quidditch team members and whatever they did in their free time.
Especially for those playing on the Quidditch team, even if they were in the reserve team, this was true. They'd had no idea how hard real training could be, compared to what they did before. Up to now the reserve team had lost all the games they played against the regular team, but that was understandable due to the experience gap. They however were not discouraged by it, especially since the regular team told them that with time, they would get better.
There also had been a small celebration in the common room of the tower to celebrate Hermione's 12th birthday at September 19th - she was the oldest of the group - and her mother had sent her something she had hidden away, not even wanting the girls to see what it was. Considering her blush, Hermione clearly felt it was too embarrassing.
Now it already was Halloween and the castle was filled with excitement at the festivities that would take place in the late afternoon. The decorations certainly looked nice, especially the big pumpkins that Hagrid grew behind his hut and were modified to give the right atmosphere.
Harry for his part had always had a conflicted relationship with this day. While on one hand he did enjoy the festivities, he on the other hand was too aware that this was the day his parents got murdered. He'd never been able to truly get into the spirit of this day, but he had learned to not let this ruin the day for him. Also, with this many friends, the day could only go well.
Right now however they got the final lesson of this Thursday - apart from those still stuck in flying lessons - which in this case was Charms. They've had this together with the Hufflepuffs and the lesson was about the spell Wingardium Leviosa - the hovering charm.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual."Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
That got a good laugh from the class, who understood that it was a joke to lighten the atmosphere. After the instructions from Professor Flitwick, they were told to practice with a feather to see if they could get it to hover.
"This actually feels a bit too easy," Ron told Hermione, with whom he was partnered with, while making sure his feather continued to hover at eye level.
"It's only because we've had these easy spells before. These lessons are geared to those who never tried them before,"Hermione reminded her friend while hovering her own feather.
"Yes, Mr. Lupin is really good at explaining such things. I remember how he told me moving my wand arm like a windmill wouldn't accomplish anything." Ron still felt that his first attempt at the spell had been rather stupid. "Are you good?"
"Yes. Seeing Professor Flitwick help students curbs the urge to do so unasked." Hermione by now knew that unasked help, especially if it looked condescending, was not appreciated by others. "By the way, Ron, please try to not dally with your homework again."
Ron sighed. "Hermione, you know I actually do it. Not everyone is like you and likes to get it done as the first thing."
"Ah, yes..." He was right in that he did the homework in time. "Still, think of it like a band-aid. Better pull it off as fast as possible."
Ron gave her a look that he didn't understand the expression. "Eh, sorry?"
-woosh- All feathers dropped when the students saw that Seamus had somehow set his feather ablaze.
"Oh my! Mr. Finnigan, your enthusiasm in honor, but please be more careful," Flitwick reminded Seamus after putting out the fire and providing a new feather. Things then returned to normal.
"That's already the third time this week he sets something on fire. I wonder if he is pyromaniac," Harry remarked to Ginny, who was partnered with him. "I bet Luna would say, with this love for fire, he must have some dragon ancestry."
"Yes, that sounds like something she would say..." Ginny after all knew Luna too well. "Nothing against Flitwick, he's a great teacher, but that we already know the spell makes the lesson a bit dull."
Harry laughed a little. "I guess that's the price for learning ahead. Must be how Hermione feels all the time - bored that she already knows all these things. Perhaps that is why she reads ahead so much."
It took a bit longer before class was over.
"I felt a little uncomfortable with how much Professor Flitwick was praising us," Neville admitted while they made their way back to the tower to drop off their things. "After all, we already learned the spell some time ago, and not today."
"Oh, didn't you realize he knows that?" Seeing how the others gave her a questioning look, Luna knew she had to clarify. "You really didn't notice? He knew right away when watching us do it with no problem. After all, he is a teacher. He praised us for already knowing the spell so well."
"Sometimes your gift of observation is a bit scary," Ginny told her friend.
"It is scary? Perhaps I should try to make it sound more funny." Now, that was a typical Luna reaction.
While on their way to the tower, they did pass a group of gossiping Slytherin girls. They looked to be from one year above them, but Pansy was with them and did notice the group. "Look, there is that Granger girl again," she told them, not even bothering with trying to whisper.
"Dear goodness, why is Potter keeping such company?" another girl sighed. "How embarrassing that he tolerates someone like her."
Another girl snorted. "Just look at her. With such beaver-teeth, she could chew on a tree. And to make it even uglier, she put metal into her mouth as well. She clearly has no pride at all."
The girls laughed nastily while walking away, with Parkinson giving Hermione a nasty grin over her shoulder. Hermione thought she had grown a thick skin, but these horrible insults out of nowhere did cut deep. Feeling that he emotions were about to get the better of her, Hermione dropped her bag and ran away.
"Hermione, wait!" Harry called, but then lost sight of her.
"They did that just to hurt her!" Ron growled, knowing very well that Parkinson had to have planned that.
Hopefully, they could find Hermione quickly, since she looked quite upset.
Some time later, Harry and Ron stood beside a door, looking awkward. The group had split up to search for Hermione, and the two of them had found out with a few questions where she was, but had encountered a problem that was forcing them to wait for the others to arrive.
They waited until their other friends arrived and Ginny asked the obvious question. "Why are you standing here instead of searching?"
"Well, Hermione is in there... but there is a small problem." Harry pointed to the sign on the door which proclaimed this to be a girls' toilet. "We can hardly go in there and decided to wait for you two to do so."
"No chance we go in there. Gryffindor means brave... not suicidal," Ron added, not wanting to imagine the fallout of them doing it anyway and getting caught.
"Yes, it would not have been wise for the two of you to go in there. No way you two could be mistaken for girls," Luna observed.
Ginny shook her head, not commenting on it, before taking hold of Luna's sleeve. "Wait out here for us, boys. Hopefully this won't take too long." She the led her friend inside.
It was not difficult to hear in which of the stalls Hermione was, the sounds of crying were too obvious. Any other girls had vacated the room, clearly feeling that they should stay out of this situation. That at least would make things less awkward.
Ginny gently knocked on the stall door. "Hermione?"
"G-Ginny? Oh, please leave me alone." Hermione did sound quite upset.
Ginny had a feeling she had to be a bit firmer. "Look, we'll go nowhere until you come out of there."
"I don't plan to." Hermione's voice was a bit shaky.
Ginny gave Luna a look and the blond girl knew she should try. Luna knew she had to now be actually careful with her words, or they could hurt Hemrione more. "Hermione, it is very strange you react so strongly to their words, despite the insults you've had to endure before. What is really going on?"
"It... I..." Hermione seemed to struggle finding words for it. "It were not so much the insults themselves. It was the whole situation. I got a nasty flashback how girls in primary school treated me."
"Oh dear..." Ginny whispered. She then noticed Luna looking a bit pained as well - which meant something considering Luna's personality - and she understood what that was about. "Luna, can you...?"
The girl nodded. "Hermione, both of us do understand how you feel. I was bullied in school as well, only that I got Ginny to defend me."
There were some seconds of silence, before Hermione asked "You were bullied?" After all, Luna had never talked about it before.
"As it turned out, many did not appreciate me being myself. They also showed a massive dislike to me being devoted to honesty," Luna explained. "A few times it even got physical."
That finally got Hermione to open the stall door. She looked like a mess from all the crying, but clearly that Luna's bullying had become physical had shocked her. "It never got so far with me. Did they...?"
Ginny, seeing that Luna started to have difficulties talking about it, took over. "The worst was when one girl slapped her so hard, she fell to the ground and bled from the mouth. But even then, Luna didn't give her the satisfaction of being intimidated."
"She did not appreciate the truth that her being horrible to me only revealed how nasty of a person she is." Luna remembered. "After the teachers sent her away, I had to have my teeth checked."
Now Hermione felt a bit silly. Yes, she still did have every right to be upset with how she had been treated, but at the same time she realized Luna had been treated much worse, and while still struggling with the memory, refused to let it make her suffer a breakdown. Luna squeaked in surprise when suddenly the older girl hugged her and held a close for a bit. Luna said nothing, as there was a silent understanding between the two girls.
When the two of them separated, Ginny saw that Hermione finally had calmed down. "You feel better now?"
"Yes, but like with Luna, I think it will hurt for a long time." Hermione then looked into one of the mirrors over the sinks and sighed. "Can you tell the boys I need a moment?"
Both girls nodded, understanding that Hermione didn't want to upset the boys with how much of a mess she looked right now. They would give her a few minutes to wash her face and calm down further. Every girl after all did have her pride, even though Hermione claimed she didn't think much of traditionally feminine beauty ideas.
"We wait outside. The boys do have your bag," Ginny told Hermione, before they left.
Looking into the mirror again, Hermione hoped she could fix this mess.
o
It finally was time and the six friends walked to the great hall, which had been closed for several hours, to see how it would be themed for the day. Entering, they were impressed.
The school certainly had worked hard to make the Halloween feast in the great hall memorable. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. Hagrid looked especially proud, clearly he had helped creating the fitting atmosphere. Thankfully, the same enchantment that kept the tables clean from the owls also kept it clean from the bats.
"Oh boy, oh boy!" Ron rubbed his hands as, when like with the feast at the beginning of the school year, the food appeared on the tables.
"Ignore that. My dear brother does think with his stomach when seeing such a well-stocked table," Ginny remarked, though how she eagerly licked her lips betrayed how much she herself couldn't wait to dig in.
"They really went all out on the decor," Neville remarked.
"Oh, I think it is a nice touch," Luna remarked, looking in fascination at the bats. "Although it's a pity none of the castle's ghosts are present, apart from Myrtle."
Said Myrtle, hearing her name, quickly flew over. "It's been like that every year. This also is the day Sir Nicholas got his head chopped off... well, mostly. All the other ghosts are celebrating with him. I never saw the appeal and no longer attend."
Harry looked a bit amused. "Well, that certainly sounds weird. Still, this here looks like a party with the Addams family..." Harry then noticed blank looks from everyone except Hermione. "I'll explain, OK?"
He tried to do so while for the moment they were able to forget the stress of school life and enjoy themselves.
Sadly however, just a few minutes into the feast, there suddenly was a SCREAM, causing everyone to drop whatever they were holding. After some moments of utter silence, there was some confusion at what exactly was going on, when suddenly one of the doors was thrown open and Filch ran in, looking quite scared and as if he'd run for his life.
"A troll is loose in the castle! I saw it on the way towards the dungeons!" he called while running up to the faculty table.
There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. "This is a crisis! The students from Hufflepuff and Slytherin are to stay in the hall. It is too dangerous to move to your dormitories. Perfects, make sure the Houses Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are safely escorted back to their towers. Make sure no one is missing!"
The teachers then swarmed out to try and find the troll.
Percy was in his element. "Follow me! Stick together, first-years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"
"How in all names did a troll get in?" Harry wondered, noticing how Neville and Ginny looked quite frightened at the idea.
"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," Ron said. "I certainly have no wish to meet it."
"Sadly, I can't speak troll, or I could have told it to stand down." They had no idea if Luna was being serious or not, but they guessed the former.
"I don't think it would work anyway," Harry remarked. All he'd read about troll didn't paint a nice picture.
The first few minutes went by with no problem. It was only then, when trouble hit them.
The first thing everyone noticed were heavy footsteps, then came the grunting, and then the smell of old socks and a public toilet no one bothered to clean. Finally, the source of it walked around a corner. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The angry grunt from it when spotting the students finally did it and caused a panic!
"Stop, stop!" Percy cried, but to no avail. The panicked students just want to run away from the troll, which seemed to have made up its mind and advanced with its club risen.
It was complete chaos beyond any hope of control and students tried to escape in any possible direction - just away from the huge troll and its menacing club. Everyone knew, one his from that thing, and it was certain death.
The six friends tried to stay together and somehow they all ended up in a much smaller group that Percy and two other Perfects were trying to get to safety. To their bad luck however, it seemed the troll had selected them as their prey and was following them down the corridor. To their horror, the corridor led to a dead end, with only two classrooms left and right, the troll blocking the only way out.
"Get in there!" the female 5th year Perfect called to the younger students while getting open the classroom doors. The children did as they were told, leaving only the Perfects and a handful of students from the upper years.
With the younger students out of the way, the older students prayed that whatever spell they had available would be enough to stop the troll, otherwise things would look bleak. Waiting no longer, they all drew their wands and opened fire with the most powerful spells they knew. Nothing the older students threw at the troll seemed to faze the beast, spells either bouncing off right away or only seeming to make it madder than it already was.
Watching from the door, Harry gulped hard when seeing the troll still advancing. "Oh-uh! How is that possible?!"
"I've heard trolls are really resistant to weaker spells," Hermione remembered.
"Not good!" Ron gasped in fear. "I remember Bill saying they don't actually learn truly dangerous spells at school."
"Luna...?" Ginny looked to her friend and saw that she looked even paler than normal, eyes wide in terror. Getting no response, Ginny took her by the hand and led her back into the classroom.
Obviously, Percy knew this as well when seeing the troll still advancing slowly, despite the spells it was peppered with. He had not imagined something like this would ever happen to him. In his mind, the world was well-ordered and nothing unusual should happen. He'd been told over the previous year the merits of order, authority and enforcing the rules. It was something that filled the hole left by his disappointment that his father had driven his own career into a dead end.
He had imagined his time as Perfect simply as keeping the order and enforcing discipline - well-suited to prepare him for higher and better things. This however now was total madness! He felt a raw panic gripping him deep inside in the face of that monster, with no teachers nearby to save them, peeling away the outer coating to reveal what he was: a fifteen-year old teenager afraid he was about to die.
This is not working! It's only making that thing madder! he though panicked, looking around to see if there was anything that could be used to their advantage. I don't want to die!
He then spotted a long lance that an armor standing in the corridor was holding, and got an idea. Granted, it was an idea born out of sheer desperation, but right now even something incredibly stupid was better than letting that thing murder them. Ripping the lance out of the armor's hands, and ignoring its protests, he quickly run to the other two Perfects
"I've got a plan! Hover this between you two! Anchor it with levitation spells and not let go!" he instructed them.
They asked no questions and the lance hovered between them. Please let this work... "Acceleratæ! Acceleratæ! Acceleratæ! Acceleratæ!"
With each casting of the spell, the lance was starting to vibrate more and more, until it looked like it could tear itself apart. Both Perfects had real trouble to keep it in place and the troll was almost upon them. Percy then knew it was now or never. "Let go now!"
The effect was as amazing as it was horrifying.
Freed from the forces holding it back, the lance blasted forward at sheer incredible speeds. The troll had no time to react before the lance blasted straight into its chest, the sheer kinetic energy blasting it backwards. But it didn't end there, as the lance exploded and the focused blast ripped through the troll, causing it to have a massive hole in its chest and splattering its innards all over the corridor. The troll then finally slammed with a loud splat against the wall at the far end, painting it with its blood, before crumpling into a heap.
Percy looked in fascinated horror at the effect of his improvised plan. All of them looked. Only after some moments did it register that the troll now was stone-dead. Sure some of them had seen animals die before, but the troll, despite being grotesque, was humanoid enough for them to understand. They were looking at a dead being.
"No, children! You don't look!" The female Perfect cried when seeing that some children, after retreating when the lance had went off, were trying to look out of the doors. She wanted to spare them the sight, after all she was barely holding herself together, so one wand movement, and they were pushed back, before the doors closed and locked themselves.
It was that moment when the teachers finally ran in, and stopped when seeing the carnage.
"Now... now we are all safe." Only then did Percy allow himself the luxury to finally faint from all the stress he'd endured, while the female Perfect lost her inner battle and vomited after all the horrors of the past minutes.
...barely an hour later...
Such an incident could hardly be covered up; a troll getting into the school already was bad enough, but it almost managing to attack several children only to be turned into a gory mess at the last moment was too much. They had been forced, as since there was no other path, to blindfold the children and then lead then safely past the mess, so that they wouldn't be traumatized by the sight.
Also, the whole thing could hardly be kept secret and the school had quickly alerted the authorities. Several Aurors were currently busy with the aftermath and the school felt they had to inform the parents of all underage students of this incident, making the teachers very busy with having to visit the households that had no magical means of communication.
So besides the authorities, the castle also got invaded by concerned parents - something they hadn't experienced in a long time. That came a bit as a shock to students from magical families, since many non-magical parents insisted on seeing in person, if their children were all right. No one honestly could blame them after the incident.
This turned out to be quite the experience for the six friends.
"To think that a troll got into the castle!"
Ron and Ginny knew it was better to stay silent when their mother was so close to hysterics. Molly Weasley cared a lot for her children, so that no less than three of them had been in mortal danger had almost caused her a heart attack.
Molly however was not done yet. "I thought my heart would stop when seeing the three of you on the clock suddenly turn to 'mortal peril'!"
That was another factor why she had been so close to having an episode. Hearing a chime on the special family clock that showed everyone's status, only to see the hands for Percy, Ron and Ginny turn to 'mortal peril', had already horrified her enough, but to then get confirmation from the faculty what had caused this danger... Arthur had not even tried to stop her and went with her.
"To think I could have lost all three of you..." That seemed to be the breaking point, and Ron and Ginny squeaked in surprise when their mother hugged both of them, holding them close. "I already lost my brothers. I couldn't live through another such loss..."
They knew that their mother's brothers, their uncles Fabian and Gideon, got killed in the war. It was a loss their mother had never fully gotten over and made her worry she could lose one of her children the same way. To someone as young as them that always had been kind of an abstract fear to have, but now, after almost getting killed by a troll, they did understand better what she was going through.
It was only after their mother had calmed down, that they asked something that was on their minds. "Mum, where is Dad?" Ginny asked.
"Your father is with Percy... My poor son. He was at the front of this and witnessed all of it." Molly looked sad.
Indeed, in a different room, Arthur Weasley was talking to Percy.
Percy looked haunted by what he'd experienced and it was only now that he was starting to open up to his father. "It was horrible... Regardless what we threw at the troll, it either didn't notice or only seemed to get more angry..."
Arthur knew that his son Percy was not comfortable with unusual situations. They had discovered early on that Percy liked having an ordered life with no big surprises. However, the change Percy had gone through in his previous school year had startled Molly and him. Percy seemed to have become stiffer and more distant. The upset teenager right now trying to explain to him how he felt was much more like Percy used to be.
"You felt like you were not in control, and you didn't like that." Arthur had an idea what this was about. "Son, while this was horrible for all involved, you seem to take it the worst. Why are you taking it so hard?"
This finally made Percy confess to his father how much he had been told about order and authority, as well as how disappointed he had been with him for stalling his own career, wanting to do better with everything he had learned. How he'd tried so hard, until the troll incident. How all of a sudden all of it had looked so useless in the face of mortal peril, and he now felt lost, as the world had not went along with how he wanted it to.
"Percy... while order and authority do have their place, what these students fed you was honestly tailored to make you a tag-along who would have found nothing wrong working with an authoritarian regime." Seeing the horrified looks Percy gave him, Arthur knew his son had not discovered that fact on his own. "What they told you is the same reason my career is stuck."
Percy looked perplexed. "Fa... Dad, I don't understand."
Arthur sat down next to his son, seeing the explanation would be hurtful for him. "Percy, you thought I had sabotaged myself, but the truth is I'm not some kind of radical. I simply saw things that were not going well in our society, but those in power did not like that I noticed. See, those in power want to make sure they stay there. When it turned out I could become a danger to them, some of them decided to make sure this would never happen, thus why where I am now. The advice you were given would have simply turned you into a yes-man, who would not ask any questions, and thus not question those in power."
Percy looked stricken at this truth. "No... I don't want to be like that."
Arthur put a hand onto his son's shoulder. "You are still young, and there is still enough time to decide differently."
In a different room, Harry was reassuring his guardians he was all right.
"No, really! I didn't even see what happened to the troll, as they blindfolded us so we couldn't see whatever happened," Harry told his guardians. "I didn't even want to see what happened! The smell alone was horrible enough!"
"Thank all goodness for small mercies..." Veronica sighed while holding Harry close.
There had been a huge scare when Professor McGonagall had come to their house and told them of the incident. They thanked all goodness Mark was already soundly sleeping, meaning they would not have to ask Diane to watch him. That was for the better, because of course Sirius would also come with them, to see if Harry was all right and to have a serious word with the Headmaster. Right now he was busy with the Headmaster.
"Please promise us something, Harry," Thomas asked the boy. "Do not develop the habit of actually running towards the trouble."
"Why should I do that?" Harry wondered. "I was scared enough with that troll, no way that I actually seek out such things!"
"It's just a preemptive measure, Harry, trust me," Thomas replied, still pleased with the answer. Children at the age also had the unhealthy habit to think they are the hero and nothing could hurt them. Sure, he was sure Harry was not like that, but better safe than sorry.
"Well, better believe I won't do so, ever!" Harry promised, meaning it after today's scare. (Little did he know he shouldn't make promises he couldn't hold, but this was still some time away.)
"You have no idea how important this is for us to hear..." Veronica said, not wanting to let go of Harry yes.
Harry knew his Aunt Verni needed more time, and thus didn't mind. "Uh, where is Uncle Sirius?"
"Oh, after being told you are all right, he said he first wants to have some words with the Headmaster concerning security in the school," Thomas said, remembering the more colorful words Sirius had used. "He's currently in the Headmaster's office."
"I actually feel sorry for the Headmaster. Uncle Sirius can be quite... forceful," Harry said, remembering a few times where Sirius had lost patience with some people and became a lot less diplomatic.
At the same time, Hermione felt like she was drowning in her parents' concern for her.
Not that it came as a surprise, since they had thought she would be well-protected at Hogwarts, thus this incident had shocked them and they needed to see her, even if only to reassure themselves that she was in good health. Both of them had even ignored the wonders of the castle outright, being too concerned about her health. Not that she could fault them for their concern.
"Mum, Dad! Please..." Hermione tried to protest.
"No, sweetie, we need this as much as you do. You are our only child." Jean made no secret of how much the news had scared her.
"Yes, I had thought you would be safe at school, and then something like this happens..." Ian stood up and started pacing. "I wanted to ask the Headmaster some hard questions, but Mr. Black beat me to it."
That was little wonder to Hermione, considering that Sirius was highly protective of Harry. Harry had told them that Sirius could be downright vicious in such situations. She was already happy enough her parents were not entertaining any thoughts of pulling her out of school - perhaps also because they knew such a move in the end would only hurt her.
"That must have been very scary for you?" Jean asked Hermione.
Hermione gulped hard. "It was scary... I never want to feel like that again! Good thing I didn't see what happened to the troll. The smell was bad enough."
The Grangers were relieved that their daughter had been spared that sight. No child the age of twelve should be subjected to seeing a corpse. They had heard enough to know it had been a huge mess, like something out of a slaughterhouse. Considering that law enforcement was present, they hoped the incident would be investigated properly.
Neville meanwhile had his own talk with his parents, who surprisingly were less jumpy than the Grangers.
"I have no idea how this happened. I'm just glad you came out of it unharmed!" Alice said, while holding her son close. Neville blushed, but understood why his mother needed that.
Frank Longbottom knew his wife needed the closeness to reassure herself Neville was in good health. "Thankfully, no one was hurt. However, the whole thing makes my senses tingle. There is no way the troll could have broken in. Why was a troll kept in the castle in the first place? I hope Dumbledore has a good answer to that."
"Frank, this has time. Right now we have different priorities," Alice reminded her husband.
"Sorry, old habits..." Sitting down beside them, Frank turned his attention to their son. "Now, Neville, I can guess you never want to experience something like that again, do you?"
"No chance! ... Sorry, but I almost wet myself in terror. Does that make me a coward?" Neville asked.
"Of course not!" his mother insisted. "Considering you are only eleven years old and got confronted with a massive troll, you've had every right to be scared."
Neville was just glad his parents were reasonable. He'd heard stories that some parents saw being sorted into Gryffindor as that you had to become borderline suicidally stupid, seek out fights and throw yourself against all and any danger. Needless to say, all these stories either ended badly, or with a broken family. He thanked all goodness that Mr. Lupin had explained the houses, and that being brave did not mean turning off your brain or take risks you really don't have to.
I don't want to imagine Mum and Dad not being there to comfort me, he thought.
Interestingly, it was Luna, the final member of their group, who was being affected the most by the incident.
Luna herself wouldn't have believed this to be possible, while her parents were giving her concerned looks when seeing how pale she still was. Never before in her life had she been in a situation, where she had been in mortal peril. The raw emotions that suddenly did manage to break through had hit her unprepared - the closest occasion she had felt like this was when her mother had almost died, but this one was even worse. She had held it in, but once alone with her parents, she had cried like a little girl - well, she actually was a little girl - and confessed that feeling so utterly scared had been awful.
"Oh, Xeno, we knew this would happen someday. We protected her well, but we can no longer shield her from the world," Pandora told her husband while gently cleaning Luna's face.
"I know, Pandora. And that... that is what makes me so sad." Xenophilius admitted, right now for a change being dead-serious.
"I was really scared..." Luna finally said, right now not at all sounding detached. "I don't like how it feels."
Pandora held Luna close. "Sweetie... We know you have trouble expressing emotions like others do, but this will start to change. The healers told us with the years it will become easier for you. I only wish it would have been something nicer for you to discover this..."
Luna felt unwell. She'd always had trouble with her emotions, and how at some times they felt muted and it was difficult to carry them to the outside world. Hearing that this would change was making her honestly wonder how much she would change. Deep inside there always had been the spark of envy how easily others could express how they felt.
Now she wondered if this was a case of being careful what you wish for.
o
The Malfoys were not exactly known to be helicopter parents, they trusted their son enough to know that he could fend for his own at school. They were also of the belief that one had to suffer the consequences of self-inflicted failure to do better in the future. Thus they had agreed to not get into the habit of visiting the school, like some other parents are tempted to do.
This situation however was far from normal.
True, their son had never been in any danger due to having stayed in the great hall - the only ones in danger had been Gryffindors - but the sheer influx of parents who after getting the news of a troll running amok wanted to make sure their children were all right, felt like a good opportunity to speak with their son in person after some other things which had come up since the start of school.
Well, and even if they didn't want to admit it, seeing their son in person also reassured them that he really was all right.
"I will certainly bring this incident up with the Board," Mr. Malfoy remarked, seeing this was too good an opportunity to miss. After all, a chance to weaken Dumbledore was in his mind never to be wasted. "It's about time the old fool gets some egg on his face."
"Draco, it's been a while since you last wrote us. Has anything happened that you feel you have to tell us?" Mrs. Malfoy asked her son.
"Well, mother... I watched the students more closely. You know... those." Draco made no secret of his dislike. "I think they act so bold because they got training before school. They openly spoke about it. They don't feel any need to adapt to our culture."
"Disgusting," his father said. "But it fits. It's still difficult to find information, but I know this Lupin is the closest friend of Sirius Black. No doubt Black is behind all this."
Draco honestly had no idea what to expect from Sirius Black, never having met the man in his entire life. He only knew of the effects the man had on their lives, mainly the man completely cutting them out of any of the Black fortune. That alone made him dislike the man, but he knew right now the man would merely see him as an annoying kid who was no danger to him.
"Father, did you find out anything about that wife of his?" Draco asked, the question burning under his nails.
"Nothing, which means you were right and she has to be of non-magical stock. Alone the idea that Black would sink so low..." Mr. Malfoy then composed himself. "Nonetheless, sooner or later we'll find the answer."
"Well, enough of this. Since we are already here, is there something bothering you, Draco?" Mrs. Malfoy asked Draco.
"I'm still annoyed I have to share the dorm with a mudblood. It makes me wonder how he even got into Slytherin. I have no idea what Greengrass and Bulstrode see in him," Draco complained.
"Well, the Bulstrodes are already a lost cause, considering her ancestry." Nacrissa Malfoy had levels in her bigotry, and someone having one parent who was muggleborn clearly was unacceptable for her. "As for that Greengrass girl, try to ignore her. Her family did themselves no favors by trying to not take a position."
"Oh, and I'm also still angry they didn't allow me to try out for the team this year," Draco complained.
His parents shared a look that made it clear they had heard that complaint before - even if only by letter. It was times like these were they were not scheming, but simply suffered the headache of dealing with a bratty prepubescent son - something they had in common with many parents. They had already told him it was his own fault that he didn't get to try out, but clearly he would continue to be problematic about it.
Mr. Malfoy sighed, clearly not wanting to warm up that particular topic. "Listen, Draco. Nothing can be done for this year, but if you keep your marks high, I can do something about next year."
Really, Lucius? Narcissa wondered when seeing Draco's mood improve visibly. While that works in politics, I don't want our son to depend too much on you.
o
"So, let me get this straight. You know someone is after the Philosopher's Stone. Someone who you strongly suspect to be Voldemort in order to revive himself. You know he must have someone helping him to get it and that this someone's meddling accidentally released the troll before it could be deployed properly." Sirius tried to be calm, but was clearly failing. "Hiding it in the school... Albus, are you insane?!"
Dumbledore had explained this reaction. Ever since he'd hidden the stone in the school, he'd known it would only be a matter of time before Sirius would call him out on it. "Do not think I made that decision lightly, but after Gringotts was broken into, Hogwarts is the only place now where it can be stored."
"And today is not being proof to you that it endangers the students instead?!" Sirius asked sharply.
"Sirius, I'm many things, but naive is not one of them. Of course I know of the dangers. Why do you think I made sure that students don't even remotely come into contact with that corridor?" Dumbledore returned.
"How about simply shattering that damn stone, then Voldemort has no chance," Sirius stated the simple solution.
"That actually was what I suggested to Nicolas. Alas, he naturally didn't like the consequences of that course of action. As long as he doesn't agree to it, that simple solution is out of our reach." Dumbledore sighed, clearly being annoyed with the situation. "Just a little longer, then our little thief can reach the stone to his heart's content."
"What are you planning, Albus?" Sirus asked.
Dumbledore told him.
"I still don't like it," Sirius declared. "Should something happen, I'll hold you responsible."
"The first person, who holds me responsible, is myself." That statement made it clear to Sirius, that should even one student suffer serious harm because of this plan, Dumbledore would surely resign as Headmaster. "However, there is something else... It concerns the sorting."
"Ah, yes." Sirius had due to time constraints held off talking with the Headmaster about that.
"You remember the prophecy of the Chosen Six I told you about?" Dumbledore asked.
Hearing that, Sirius did make the connection. "You mean Harry and his friends...? Albus, you don't honestly suggest to send children into a war?!"
"No, of course not!" That was quite a forceful reply from the Headmaster, causing Sirius to fall silent. "You know that prophecies are a vague thing, but it would certainly explain why the Sorting Hat was so insistent to keep them together, and also put them all into the same house. Sadly, the prophecy also means that Voldemort will sooner or later find a way to revive himself. The only thing we can do is to delay him as much as possible. Preventing it is beyond our reach."
That left Sirius feeling trapped. Worse, right now Remus was the only person he could tell. He dreaded the day he would be forced to tell the parents of Harry's friends and Harry's guardians - basically having to tell them that their children would be forced to fight in a war the adults caused. He had no illusion that this wouldn't sit right with them at all. No, he really dreaded the day when he had to do so.
-ding ding ding- That was a bell above the fireplace, causing Dumbledore to sigh. "That's Cornelius. Of course he couldn't stay away when something like this happens. He has to show presence."
"At least the investigation will only conclude the troll was locked in there to be deployed somewhere else, and someone opened the door unauthorized." Sirius looked to the fireplace. "Let him in. By now I don't care if he sees me. I have a good enough excuse to be here."
Dumbledore opened the floo and Minister Fudge entered. "Oh, Dumbledore, truly horrible business this is..." He then noticed Sirius. "Oh... eh... Mr. Black..."
"No, don't me stop you, Minister. After all, nothing said here is secret in any way." Just by that reaction Sirius could already see that Fudge was not suited for such a position. Considering how nervous Fudge now got when being in the presence of the elusive Sirius Black, that impression was only confirmed.
"Oh...certainly Mr. Black." Fudge still gave Sirius a look as if seeing a poisonous snake. "Dumbledore... this is very unfortunate, and that it happens so early in my term. Especially since Harry Potter was involved..." Fudge then again remembered Sirius.
"Don't worry. My godson is in good health and in just a few minutes I'll see him in person," Sirius waved it off. He didn't show what he really thought of Fudge's statement.
Fudge took that at face value. "Ah, yes... that is good. Dumbledore, I need to be shown the place where it happened. The public is asking questions and the press is about to arrive."
Watching this display, Sirius knew his thoughts about Fudge had all been correct after finally seeing the man in person. Just a spineless wimp who was elevated to his position by dear Lucius to do his bidding. Albus was right, this man has no backbone and is an utter fool.
o
"Fool! I hope you got the lesson that next time you use spells to check what is behind a door, before you open it! I even warned you about this!"
"Y-yes... M-Master..." Quirrell stammered while lying curled-up on his bed.
His Master had punished him severely for screwing up. With the Halloween feast going on, they had deemed it the ideal time to scout out the corridor in which the stone was hidden. His absence from the feast wouldn't be seen as suspicious, as several other faculty members were also staying away, like Filch disliking such things and Snape having holed himself up to experiment with a potion. However, things had not gone according to plan.
How should have have known that behind one triple magically locked door was a troll? At that, a troll that had felt annoyed it had been disturbed while eating, and thus went amok. No doubt the troll had been meant as a security measure, but he had interrupted it before it would be deployed properly with orders from the correct handler. He'd quickly made a run for it, despite being capable of taking care of that brute. He'd hidden in his room to have an alibi, while the panic happened.
"Just be glad no one died, or they would turn over every stone to find out what happened!"
That was also an irony, that Voldemort cared that no one one had died. Normally he couldn't care less about such things, but with the need for secrecy, dead students would have blown his cover for sure. Then, every single member of the faculty would have been checked, and no way their connection could have stayed secret.
"Master... what do we do now?" Quirrell asked, hoping it wouldn't displease his Master.
"Hm, for now we wait. No doubt the old goat will be extra observant for the time being. We can't allow us to create anymore attention for now. I hope for your sake you understand that."
"I understand, Master." Yes, while he did have a new outlook on life, he knew when he had to surrender. Thankfully, it would all be worth it.
...Quidditch pitch, November 9th...
Over a week had passed since the troll incident and by now things were back to normal. The newpapers had run their course with the story, and since no one got hurt, soon enough the students found other things to occupy their mind.
Though today was a special day for Gryffindor.
Harry resisted facepalming when Wood gave a last minute speech in the locker room before they would go onto the pitch and play the first game of the season - this one being against Slytherin of all teams. Both teams, regular and reserve, were present and it seemed while Wood was good at tactics, he certainly would not win a prize for motivational speeches.
"Okay, men," Wood said.
"And women," chaser Angelina Johnson said, wondering how often he would forget that not insignificant detail.
"And women," Wood agreed, knowing he again had ticked off Angelina. "This is it."
"The big one," said Fred with a comically serious expression.
"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry when seeing the questioning look, "we were on the team last year and heard it often enough after all. Charlie is a good player, but not good with speeches, so he'd left that to Oliver."
"Shut up, you two," Wood said, looking unamused. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, 'Or else.' "Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."
Maybe he shouldn't have said that, Harry thought.
Walking out to the pitch, Harry was reminded that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. While the pitch itself was clear, the landscape around Hogwarts was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Not to speak of the low temperatures and the frosty winds. Thank all goodness the Quidditch uniform had a winter version for such conditions.
Trying to calm his nerves, he remembered some things he'd read in Quidditch Through the Ages, a book that Hermione had found and for which Ron almost had hugged the girl. Things like that there were seven-hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them.
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," Madam Hooch, acting as the referee, said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth-year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. It was obvious that Wood trusted Flint as far as he could throw him - meaning next to nothing.
"Mount your brooms, please!" Madam Hooch called, which the reserve players walked to the benches at the edge of the pitch.
Everyone started to hover in mid-air, waiting for Hooch to mount her broom as well and the final words, before the game would officially begin. Harry felt a bit nervous. Although his job meant not much active play against the opposing team, he would be a prime target for the Systerin beaters and hoped he wouldn't end up with broken bones.
Well, it's too late for second thoughts, Harry thought when hearing Hooch blow her whistle to signal that the game was on.
On the stands meanwhile, Hermione, Neville and Luna watched the game begin. They'd created a nice banner, which they had unrolled and and fastened to front of the stands for all to see. They were joined by Dean and Seamus in the stands. Making a quick count, Hermione noticed that one first-year boy was unaccounted for.
"He's not coming?" Hermione asked, the boys knowing she meant Schuster.
"No, he isn't. He made it clear Quidditch isn't played in his country and he couldn't see the appeal of it." Dean shook his head while trying to follow the game. "I can understand him, I'm also more of a football fan, but his dislike of Hogwarts has grown a lot since that incident with the troll."
That was a painful truth. Schuster had made it clear his opinion of Hogwarts had not improved at all. Academically, he was years ahead of his peers, since he'd after all started to do magic years earlier, and was bored to tears in class. His already meager interactions with other students had ceased almost entirely after the troll incident, with him declaring the school to be a madhouse which he would leave, if he could. The most people saw outside of class of him, was him being busy with writing or drawing.
This was a painful reminder that forcing someone to attend would only make them resentful. They were sure he was a nice guy, but due to circumstances he was almost unapproachable.
The game continued and something became clear very fast.
"Well, Lee Jordan is certainly entertaining, but I don't see him doing the commentary for any future games," Neville remarked.
No wonder about that. Lee Jordan was so painfully one-sided pro-Gryffindor in his comments - even ignoring the fact that Slytherin was playing quite a bit dirty - that Professor McGonagall standing beside him looked rather angry. Even Jordan's witty language couldn't save that train wreck. Clearly, after this game was over, there would be a new rule the commentator had to be from a House not involved in the game in question, and Lee Jordan would never do commentary again.
"Doesn't look like Harry has had much to do yet," Luna remarked, noticed, pointing at where Harry was still circling the pitch on the lookout for the snitch.
Suddenly Harry seemed to notice something and clearly was making haste to get the snitch, when out of nowhere Marcus Flint crashed into Harry - clearly on purpose - and when Harry got his bearings back, the snitch of course was gone again.
That caused lots of boos. Dean was especially angry while watching Madam Hooch having some words with Flint. "Foul! Send him off!"
"Too bad that Flint will get away with it, since he didn't actually knock Harry off the broom," Neville said, looking unhappy.
"I hope this is not like one of those games Ron told me of. One of those that goes for hours or even days," Hermione said to herself. She'd had problems sitting through a football match on the telly, so anything longer than that would test her patience.
"You must enjoy watching Potty getting knocked off his broom and not finding the snitch."
Of course they knew that voice too well by now. Looking behind them, they saw Malfoy sitting there. His two grunts sat behind him, while Parkinson sat right next to him. Hermione grimaced when seeing the girl. She had somehow managed to become a constant presence with Malfoy and these two seemed to have agreed to some sort of 'sharing the work'. Malfoy had it out for the boys, especially Harry and Ron, while Parkinson was gunning for the girls, and this meant Hermione in particular.
Hermione didn't know how to feel about that 'honor' and instead looked to Malfoy. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time than following us around?"
Malfoy snorted, clearly not wanting to answer her. Parkinson did that for him. "Now, that is a baseless accusation! We have exactly the same right to be here than you do. Obviously you must feel quite entitled to think you can tell us to leave."
Hermione frowned. Parkinson had managed to sound so condescending that it was as if she was talking down to some savages. Perhaps that was how she saw her. "You shouldn't look down on others like that."
"Why shouldn't I?" Clearly, Parkinson had long made up her mind.
"Oh, ignore her, Pansy. I can't decide who's worse... her or her companions," Draco said, looking at Luna and Neville. "It's difficult to decide between the bespectacled headcase and the overweight crybaby. Potty is really great at making friends."
Neville became red when hearing the cruel laughter that followed. "Oh, you..."
But before he could continue, Luna sudden stood up, turned around and jumped into the seating so that she was on eye level with Malfoy. Their laughter stopped and Malfoy sudden saw that Luna's blue eyes were different from normal - now being filled with anger. -SLAP!- Then suddenly she slapped him hard, leaving an angry-red hand print on his face.
"I can take me being insulted, but leave Neville out of it," Luna told him coldly, before turning around and sitting back down.
The Slytherin boys were shocked and also unsure what to do next. Draco being slapped by a girl - one younger than him at that - was right now outside of their comfort zone and Draco started to feel humiliated. Pansy on the other hand had no such reservations.
"You little blond moron, you dared to touch him. Oh, I'll..." Pansy hissed.
"Better don't do anything, Parkinson."
Looking to her left, she spotted Millicent and Daphne sitting there, both girls giving her unimpressed looks. Millicent then continued "Draco acted like an ass, not that you were much better, and he deserved that. Better save what's left of your dignity before you make it worse."
Pansy looked like she wanted to argue, but then thought better of it, sharing a look with the three boys before all of them left for seats further up on the stands.
"Uh, eh... thanks?" Neville said, unsure how to deal with this.
"No problem. Please don't think Malfoy and his little cronies are representative of our House," Daphne told him.
Hermione gave the girls a careful look. "Up until now the only interaction we've had with Slytherin was not exactly positive. Don't take this the wrong way that we are careful."
"I actually understand you. There are actually many decent people in Slytherin, but they are all intimidated by those bullies and don't reach out. It pulls our whole House through the mud." Millicent explained, clearly being unhappy with it.
Further conversation stopped when someone else arrived and used the seating Malfoy had vacated. "Budge up there, move along."
Neville was the first to react. "Oh, hello Hagrid!"
"I've been watching from my hut," Hagrid said, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as being in the crowd. Couldn't stay away after seeing Harry nearly getting knocked off."
"Well, Harry is OK, but Flint only got a slap on the wrist for it," Ron said. "Up until now the game is fairly even."
"That means all is still possible," Hagrid remarked, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.
Harry meanwhile was getting nervous while avoiding a few bludgers. The Slytherin seeker Higgs had lost the snitch as well, but it had been close. Harry was sure, the next time Higgs would actually get it. Considering how even the game was, the snitch would bring the decision, meaning victory or loss were on his shoulders.
Talk about pressure... Harry thought.
Suddenly he spotted something near the ground and was reminded of when he'd caught the Remembrall. Acting on instinct, he went into a sharp dive, causing a huge gasp from the entire stadium. It... didn't work out exactly as he'd planned, but he did hear the whistle signaling that Hooch had seen the snitch getting caught. Harry cared little for that. While he managed to stop his broom in time, he still fell off it - thankfully the drop was only a meter - holding his hands on his mouth.
The reserve team was running to him. "Harry, mate, are you OK?!" Ron cried, hoping Harry was not hurt.
Ginny knelt next to Harry and finally managed to ply his hands off, seeing what was the matter. "It's the snitch! He's caught it with his mouth!" Ginny then clapped Harry hard onto the back a few times, so he finally managed to spit out the snitch into his hands.
"Mate, the snitch is for catching, not eating!" Ron laughed, the tension falling off him now that he knew Harry was safe and they had won the game.
"I know... tastes awful!" Harry gasped in relief for not only that the snitch was out, but also that the game was won.
He barely heard in the background Flint protesting, only to be shot down by Madam Hooch that the rules only talk about catching the snitch, not that you have to use your hands for it. It seemed someone was being a sore loser, but Harry couldn't care less with being surrounded by the now celebrating team.
o
"Severus, so nothing at all happened?" Dumbledore asked Snape.
"No, nothing at all. Whoever our thief is, they are clearly too smart to try something this brazen. Attacking the boy in open daylight wouldn't help them. The incident with the troll must have been an accident from their side," Snape reported.
Dumbledore had told Snape to watch out if anything unusual happened during the game in regards to Harry, speculating that Voldemort could order his helper to attack Harry when he was vulnerable. A student falling from a broom and 'accidentally' breaking their neck would have been really nice for the Dark Lord. However, it seemed Voldemort had given strict order to keep hidden. That of course made finding the guilty party more difficult.
"Yes, Voldemort must have told him to keep away. To be honest, it confuses me a little. I thought he would take the opportunity - not that I wished for harm to befall Harry," Dumbledore thought aloud.
Snape shook his head. "Think about it. The Dark Lord already was insistent ten years ago that only he was allowed to kill Potter. He surely would have told his helper to keep away from the boy, or suffer his wrath. No, knowing him, he wants to kill the boy with his own hands and no one else has that right."
"A bizarre way to ensure Harry's safety, but we should not complain," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his seat.
"I hope this damn mirror can be delivered soon. Keeping guard is starting to get tiresome," Snape then complained, not mentioning that it was mostly him keeping an eye on the corridor.
"Oh, don't worry, Severus. The mirror will arrive as soon as the students leave for Christmas break. We then have until their return to install and enspell it properly. As soon as that is done, we are set," Dumbledore told Snape.
Snape knew that should be good news. However, he had the feeling that the Headmaster was a little too overconfident and underestimated the Dark Lord. After all, despite his faults, Voldemort wouldn't have come so far being a fool. Despite his temper and at times narrowed sight, Voldemort was very clever. Snape did not put it above him to outsmart them in some way, despite them thinking they had taken everything into account.
...December 20th, late in the afternoon...
The final lesson of Friday, Potions, was over. The next day most of the students would go home for Christmas break, apart from those who would stay at the school due to circumstances. While Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville would return to home as normal, it was a bit more complicated for the Weasleys. Since their parents wanted to visit Charlie in Romania, the Weasley children had expected to all stay in the school. That however had changed when Ron and Ginny had gotten the invitation to stay with Harry. Both of them would never miss such an opportunity.
However, they first had to go through this day, which had been difficult enough.
Ever since the Quidditch game, Malfoy and Parkinson had it out for them, not having forgotten their literal humiliation at Luna's hand. Sure, they had learned to be way more careful about it, but their nasty remarks were hurtful. Today had been more of the same. While both of them would never dare to do any kind of sabotage in Slughorn's class - Slughorn would somehow always know - Crabble and Goyle actually had been dumb enough to try.
That had resulted in Slughorn lecturing both of them in front of everyone at how incredibly stupid that had been. The Professor being absolutely dead-serious showed how dangerous doing something like that would be. The two fools could then forget about leaving for Christmas, Slughorn saying he got the perfect punishment for them.
Now however there was something else they had to do before they would leave the next day.
"I hope this is worth it. I'm still uncomfortable with the whole thing," Hermione said while they were walking to the room Professor Slughorn had told them about.
"While it is commendable that you stay to your ideals, there are times where we have to swallow our pride," Luna said. "I for my part want to see if any of my theories are proven true. My father writes a lot about Professor Slughorn."
"See it this way, Hermione, it's not like we are actively trying to take advantage of it. We're just there to humor Professor Slughorn," Ginny reminded her friend.
Hermione sighed. "I hope it's only that."
Professor Slughorn had asked them to attend a nice get-together of what he dubbed the 'Slug Club', and there was no way they could decline, not after the pains it took to make sure they would be in it together. The Professor has assured them that this little get-together at the afternoon was for those up to third year, while those from fourth year up would meet at the evening. He'd added he didn't want them to be bored.
They hoped that meant more age-appropriate company.
It had not helped that he had spoken with them about it directly after class, giving Malfoy and Parkinson just another reason to dislike them. After all, in their mind it was unfair that Harry and his friends were members of Slughorn's exclusive club, while they weren't. Jealously after all was a good motivator to dislike someone - or even more in their case.
Finally arriving at the correct room, they were actually greeted by Professor Slughorn right at the door. "Ah, welcome! We are about to start; everyone is now only waiting for you! I know you will love this little get-together."
"Waiting for us?" Ron wondered.
"Oh yes! You will be surprised at some of the guests I have invited!" Slughorn told them with a wide smile under his mustache while opening the door.
Let's hope for it, Harry thought, since otherwise their afternoon would have been wasted.
The room looked... colorful. Slughorn - or at least someone he'd paid for it - must have done quite some magical trickery to not only make the room larger on the inside, but also decorate it so well. Harry was reminded of a new years party in New York he'd seen on the telly. The air was filled with music they'd heard in Ron's house before - it was what wizarding youth saw as fast and hip music.
While most of those present were indeed students from the first three years Slughorn had picked, there were adults as well. Harry and Hermione were pretty much oblivious to who these people were. The others however recognized them.
"Oh, she's here?! I can't believe it!" Ginny suddenly gushed when a young woman in her early 20s approached them. Ginny then noticed no recognition from the others. "That's Gwenog Jones, a rising star in the Holyhead Harpies!"
"Well, looks like I have a little fan!" Jones said with a smile when seeing Ginny's reaction. "Although Slughorn also told me about Harry Potter and his daring catch."
Harry blushed at the reminder. "I'm just glad I didn't choke on it."
"Nonsense! A good catch is a good catch. I have the feeling you'll get far on a broom." Jones then returned her attention to Ginny. "But seeing how much the little redhead here is hopping, I bet she's got lots of questions for me."
While Jones 'abducted' Ginny for a little bit, there suddenly was a squeak from Luna of all people.
Luna's eyes were wide in excitement and she acted very unlike her usual self. "Oh...oh... I can't believe it! I must ask him, this chance doesn't come again soon!" Luna then made a beeline for a young man in a rather atrocious outfit.
"Any idea who that is?" Ron asked when watching Luna engaging in an excited conversation with the man.
Neville had an idea, due to Luna sharing some numbers of the Quibbler with him. "I think that's Nigel Fairbanks. I know he's sending in guest articles to the Quibbler by mail, though the stuff he writes is much weirder than what Luna's father comes up with. No wonder Luna wants to talk to him."
Ron then suddenly spotted someone. "Can you excuse me? That's Chris Browne, the keeper of the Chuddley Cannons! I really want to meet him!"
"Looks like our party is dwindling..." Neville remarked when seeing Ron leave.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You won't catch me doing that. After all... oh my!" Hermione right then had spotted someone and she blushed a little when seeing her approach.
Harry and Neville had the feeling that soon enough all of them would have met someone they really wanted to meet. It looked like Slughorn was quite good at his guest selection. Considering these all were people he'd sponsored and helped in the past, it spoke of how busy the man was with creating his net of favors and gratitude. It was impressive, even if a bit scary.
Two hours later the six of them were walking back to their dorms.
"I still can't believe she gave me this," Ginny said in awe at the signed autograph card, before putting it into the safety of her pocket.
"That certainly went different than we thought it would," Ron remarked, giving Hermione a look. The girl blushed at the memory how easily she had forgotten herself when actually meeting someone she really wanted to meet.
Neville glanced to Luna, seeing how while her demeanor was back to normal, a slight blush still graced her cheeks. The girl clearly had not expected to suddenly act so different from what she was used to, and still was trying to process it all. Not to misunderstand, Luna knew how to have fun, but to display it so openly was new for her. Neville hoped it would happen more often.
"It was... very nice," Luna finally said.
"I caved just like that..." Hermione shook her head, disbelieving herself. "Professor Slughorn is way smarter than I gave him credit for."
One thing was for certain, Professor Slughorn certainly knew how to use his Slytherin qualities to the fullest without harming anyone by doing so. Honestly, he had been really sneaky by finding guests that appealed to all of them and thus actually bound them closer to the Slug Club. Obviously, the man had seen they'd only intended it as an obligation, and by giving them a good time, he felt it would start to change their mind.
Thing was... they all felt he was really good at doing so.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"The Stress With the Dragon"
Notes:
Here the notes.
I always found it strange why Voldemort thought in canon that the thing with the troll was a good idea. Thus why I made it into a genuine error done by Quirrell. In canon the whole troll sequence was there to change Hermione's trajectory. Could you have foreseen that I would use it to change Percy's instead?
We get a bit more insight into the Malfoys and what they are doing.
Harry still made his daring catch, but the circumstances are widely different, especially since Quirrell learned the value of "discreet". Hope you don't mind Lee Joardan, but no way the school would have tolerated a highly biased commentator.
I felt the Slug Club for the first few years would be quite a bit different since Slughorn knows children that age need to be entertained differently. I hope I also showed off Slughorn's Slytherin traits here, in that he is really sneaky but doesn't do it at someone's expense.