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"Now, all of you will go to your beds and remain there," Professor McGonagall said as she stared down at the whole Gryffindor house, "If I hear about any of you coming out of that door before I come back to the common room, there will be dire consequences."
"How did the troll get in the castle in the first place?", someone asked, making Professor McGonagall sigh heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We do not yet know how the troll entered the premises, much less moved about inside the school without our knowledge. Hogwarts' wards are impressive, and should have made the former impossible and our House-Elves and paintings should have prevented the latter."
"Wait… aren't there supposed to be tunnels connecting Hogwarts to various places in its vicinity," one of the Weasley twins remarked, making the other nod theatrically at his words, "maybe it got lucky?"
"Those tunnels are something only the Headmaster and the Deputy are supposed to know about," Professor McGonagall stated, causing the twins to go deathly pale before she continued, "and those are in case the castle was to be evacuated or something like that. All of them are well hidden and protected by passwords, there is…"
She trailed off as a silver spectral phoenix floated in through the walls and said something in her ears, making her gasp loudly and clutch her chest, her eyes bulged out from their sockets before it dissolved into thin air.
"What is it, Professor McGonagall?"
She looked up at Percy, her face utterly devoid of any color, but the shock and horror were clear for everyone to see.
"Ha-Harry and Persephone Potter," she stuttered as her voice died in her throat and she closed her eyes.
"Are they dead?"
"Did the troll kill them?"
"Probably turned on them once they brought it inside the castle."
"Heh, Good riddance I say."
"I knew something was wrong when I didn't see them at the feast."
"SILENCE! McGonagall thundered, and everyone quieted down at the anger on her face, "A hundred points from Gryffindor for such disgusting and inhumane behavior!"
"What did we do wrong?" Ron cried out, making the Professor glare at him before she spoke, "Wishing death upon children is not something any decent human would do, Mister Weasley. Whatever your opinions may be regarding the two of them, I will not tolerate such vileness amongst my students!"
With that, she started to turn around and exit the room, but she stopped at the threshold and looked back at all of them.
"What I had intended to say was," she paused for a moment and looked down, then her eyes raised towards them all, "Mr. and Ms. Potter have killed the troll in the Dungeons."
Professor McGonagall ignored the stunned silence that had descended upon the common room, and quickly strode away, the portrait closing behind her. That seemed to break the spell that had gripped all of the Gryffindor house and another round of shouting immediately began as the words finally sank in.
Two first years, not even a semester into their education, had killed a mountain troll. Whilst not a danger for any competent wizard or witch, for anyone below the third year, it could very well be a death sentence. Magically resistant hide, powerful limbs, and deceptively fast movements with a penchant for hunger and rage made it a Class XXX creature.
Professor Quirrell had been teaching them in advance, and each of them were making quick progress under his tutelage, but he had never taught them anything that could bring down a troll! Neville's further thoughts were derailed as Granger's obnoxious voice made it to his ears, and he rolled his eyes at the muggleborns viewpoint.
"They aren't learning anything other than we are studying, Granger," he said as he stood up from his seat by the windows and moved forwards, catching the attention of several children around him, "They are just smarter and a lot more powerful than you are to use the basics to take down a mountain troll."
"Hey! You can't talk like that to anyone!" Ron shouted as he moved forwards, "Besides she is smarter than you and any snake out there! I don't see you answering every question in the class like a know-it-all!"
'Is he…defending her?', Neville thought, his confusion reflected on everyone's faces around them as they watched Hermione's eyes fill up with tears before she ran away.
Deciding to apologize to the girl for the moron's lack of tact later, Neville turned towards the red-eared Weasley in front of him and spoke, "Weasley, please learn how to use that space between your ears except for anything not related to chess and food."
Finnegan and Thomas both erupted into laughter at that, and the girls around them too started giggling at his words, causing Ron to turn even redder before the redhead stomped his way to the dorms in anger and humiliation.
Neville shook his head at the antics of the youngest Weasley and then looked around the common room. Each and every student was busy speculating and talking about how in the name of Merlin, the two first years had managed to bring down a mountain troll, of all things, permanently.
Theories ranging from dark magic to lucky shots and whatnot were running rampant, the Weasley twins having already started a betting pool on what the correct reason for the Potters' triumph was. In front of him, several galleons were put on the Potters secretly learning Dark Arts from the library, with a few putting monies on some other senior killing the troll and the Potters simply being found at the right place at the right time and stealing the glory
"Twenty galleons that they didn't use the dark arts," Neville proclaimed as he strode towards the betting students, shifting everyone's attention to him, "and that they killed the troll themselves without any help."
"That is quite a bold claim to make, Neville," Katie stated, "two first years accomplishing that is impossible, no matter how good they are at first-year magic if what you're saying is true."
"No matter now!", one of the twins yelled in euphoria as he shook Neville's hand, "The bet has been placed, and if Neville Longbottom's words will ring true tomorrow- "
"-then he will be taking away almost five times what he has bet tonight," the second twin spoke up, "with that, the betting for tonight- "
"Has closed, so- "
"Back to your bed's everyone- "
"Before McGonagall comes- "
"And hear us and tears us all a new one!"
She had just decided to retire to her chambers for the night when the infirmary doors were pushed open and Nymphadora Tonks rushed in, two stretchers floating in behind the girl.
"Madam Pomfrey!" she shouted, "Two students have been injured!"
Her eyes immediately noticed the familiar crimson locks she had seen just today, and she immediately levitated the unconscious twins to the infirmary beds. She went to work without a pause, summoning the Blood Replenishing potions and healing salves with a flick of her wand before she raised the privacy screens over their forms.
She started with Harry, her experienced eyes easily telling her the symptoms of blood loss and magical exhaustion by the sickly pallor and the heavy sweating exhibited by the boy. Banishing his clothes away to be cleaned and repaired by the elves, she gasped as she found small gashes on his arms. She floated him above the bed and her eyes widened as she found stones lodged into his back and thigh, both wounds steadily leaking blood.
She removed the small bits gently, coaxing them out of his body before healing the wound for the moment with a murmured "Episkey". Finding no other wound on his body, she rubbed the healing slave on the partially healed wounds and then bandaged them up with a flick of her wand.
After administering a vial of Blood Replenishing potion to the sleeping boy, she then turned to Persephone, and once again undressed her before healing the considerably smaller gashes on the girl's body. Five minutes later she stepped out of the makeshift cubicle, raising the privacy wards around the sleeping twins with a press of her finger against the rune engraved at the foot of the bed.
"Ah, Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore's voice greeted her, "How are Harry and Persephone?"
"Ms. Tonks sent you a message?", she asked as she glanced at the seventh-year, who was busy looking down at the ground, nervousness practically oozing from her.
Dumbledore inclined his head in agreement once and she sighed before motioning at the chair in front of her, the headmaster taking the seat a moment later.
"They both are magically as well as physically exhausted," she revealed as she too sat down, "and got a couple of gashes on their bodies. Tell me, Albus, did they get attacked by some students again?"
"Attacked? Yes," he responded. "By students? No, according to Nymphadora here, both of our first years just killed the mountain troll that had somehow snuck inside the school."
"What in the name of Merlin do you mean a mountain troll snuck inside the school?"
"We will come to that later," he said with a raised hand, "But first, how about we listen to young Nymphadora here, I am sure she has quite a tale to tell."
She frowned for a moment, but knowing that certain things should not be disclosed in front of students, nodded her assent.
The Metamorphmagus took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "Just a moment Ms. Tonks, I think that the other heads of houses should be here also, no need to make you repeat yourself twice now is there?"
"No, Headmaster, "The girl mumbled out, making Dumbledore chuckle as he brought out his wand and gave it a single flick, making a bluish-white phoenix appear at the end of his wand and then shoot off through the walls the next second.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Filius and Snape both arrived together, with Minerva and Pomona just a few feet behind them. Dumbledore conjured chairs for them to sit upon and then they all turned towards the only student between them.
"Now you may begin Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, "And do start with how you came to be in that corridor, and why weren't you present in the Great Hall when I ordered all the prefects to lead the students back to their dormitories."
"Um, right," she began, her hair shifting to a bright red before it reverted back to her original black, "I was going to the kitchens for some food, didn't really feel like staying for the feast after we had brought the students there. I went to the kitchens, ate some food there and then I was coming back to the Great Hall when I smelt something foul, and after I heard the loud stamps of the troll, I ran in its direction."
"Were you perhaps hoping that you would subdue the troll yourself?", Snape sneered, "Idiot girl! Though it is t- "
"Severus!"
The potions professor immediately quieted at the headmaster's voice, and Nymphadora glared daggers at him before she continued, "No, Professor, unlike some, our fourth-year defense teacher knew how to teach children that trolls have an unparalleled sense of smell amongst bipedal creatures, and therefore if it wasn't going to the Great Hall, then there must have been a nearby living thing it was going to have for its dinner."
"A very astute deduction, Ms. Tonks," Dumbledore commented, making her smile slightly, "and kindly refrain from badmouthing the faculty, however…troubling they may be to you."
Everyone except for Snape smiled at the comment and the jab within it. The Potions Professor just turned his face away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, Professor," she acquiesced before continuing, "I followed the smell and arrived just in time to see Harry and Persephone banish a spear right into the troll's chest. I deflected the spear away from me and in the meantime, both of them fell to the ground. After that, I rushed them to the infirmary on a pair of stretchers."
"What do you mean you deflected the spear away from yourself?", Professor Sprout asked, causing Nymphadora to frown for a moment before she said, "They had sent the spear into the troll with such force that it went through it completely, and as I was standing behind it at the moment, I had to deflect it from its path."
"Merlin!" Pomona gasped out, "Two first years capable of banishing a metal with enough power to punch through a troll's hide, that two times in a single hit. No wonder they were magically exhausted!"
"I think they may have used even more magic before that," Tonks spoke up, "A mountain troll never goes away from its lair without its club, and there isn't a single spear in Hogwarts as big and thick as the one they both used."
"Transfiguration," Dumbledore commented softly, "Probably Ligno Ferrum, but to turn a troll's club into something of similar size, without compromising its structural integrity…".
Dumbledore trailed off for a moment before he spoke up, "Severus and Filius, come with me to the dungeons, we may learn more of what happened before the twins wake up. And Ms. Tonks?"
"Yes, Professor?"
"Fifty points to Hufflepuff for a logical deduction of a problem, and helping two students in their time of need," Dumbledore declared, making Tonks' hair flash red for a moment before she got control of herself and thanked him.
"Come on, Tonks," Professor Sprout said as she stood up, "Let's get to the common room and settle the children there". Nymphadora nodded in response and followed the older witch out of the infirmary.
"I shall be leaving too," McGonagall disclosed to Poppy after a few moments of silence, "I am going to follow the troll's scent. If I am lucky, I can probably find the spot from where it entered the wards."
"Why not just follow its footprints on the grounds?", Poppy asked.
"It is possible that the person who led it inside the wards may have removed the footprints," she responded, "On that note, I also need to have a chat with the elves and the portraits. There is no way a mountain troll could have reached even a single corridor inside the castle without them witnessing it."
"Good night, Minerva".
"Good night, Poppy," Minerva acknowledged, standing up and turning around., "Ask one of the elves to send some food here in case they wake up in the night, they weren't present at the feast."
Before she had the time to respond, Minerva took a step forward, and a small, grey cat raced out of her infirmary a second later.
His blue eyes traced over the walls and floor around him before dropping towards the dead troll a few feet away, its green blood thoroughly coating and pooling on the stone floor. He walked forwards towards the dead body, and kneeled down to inspect the half-foot wide hole in its chest.
"They were lucky they managed to get its heart," Flitwick's voice echoed through the corridor as he knelt beside him, "any other place and its regeneration would have healed him within minutes."
"Your thoughts?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up and moved towards the green-tinted spear resting nearby, without so much as a drop of blood on his robes and shoes.
"They tried to throw it off their trail deeper in the dungeons at first," Snape remarked, "the drag marks and his foot-prints are present up to a few meters, but then they retraced here."
Dumbledore nodded at that and hummed slightly, stroking his beard as he looked at the piece of metal in front of him.
"They then summoned it out of its hands, which is a mind-boggling feat considering how heavy that thing is," Flitwick pointed at the transfigured spear, "and how hard trolls grip anything when they don't want it to leave their clutches."
"After that they transfigured it and blasted it through the troll's heart, harming it beyond its capability to regenerate," Snape concluded, "And then, they fell unconscious due to what I presume to be the blood loss and exhaustion."
Dumbledore didn't say anything at that as he kneeled down by the troll's head and touched its head with the tip of his wand. Words too low to be heard came out of his lips, and a blue mist emerged from his wand before it seeped into the creature beneath him. A second later Dumbledore drew up to his full height and stared at the spot where the slight stains of the Potter's blood were visible.
"Albus?"
"Severus, process the remains and the blood, and get the house elves to clean and repair this hallway. It seems I have quite a few matters to ponder upon."
Dumbledore left the corridor with a nod to his two colleagues, with Flitwick following a moment later.
"Bloody Potters!", Snape cursed as he turned towards the corpse and grimaced at the work just dumped on him.
Dumbledore entered his office and couldn't do better than chuckle as Fawkes alighted on his shoulders and trilled softly. The melody of his song and the magic that floated in it lifted his everyday stress from his shoulders and he felt better right away, as light as if the day was just beginning.
The phoenix nipped at his ear, and a few chirps later, flew off towards the stairs. A fond smile grew on his face as he gazed at the fiery creature before Fawkes disappeared into the doorway above and Dumbledore shook his head once before he moved towards a cabinet behind his desk.
He laid his palm upon the small series of runes carved into the wooden door, and a brief golden light flashed in front of him before the door swung open, revealing the contents within. He laid his hands against the cabinet's edges, and looked into the shimmering depths of his Pensieve, the artifact emitting a slight blue glow.
"Three powerful sorcerers once again," he said as he touched his wand to his temple and drew out a white, cloudy strand from his head, "All born with exceptional intelligence, and the drive to reach out to the stars. Neither has had the childhood they deserved, and none of them are content with mediocrity. I hope history doesn't repeat itself one more time."
Dumbledore, with an expressionless face, put the memory into the Pensieve. The Potter twins glared at him with their hands extended, fury and determination on their faces and seconds after, banished the transfigured spear right at him, all of it done without their wands.
"Where are they?" Tracey asked as she turned towards Daphne, "I didn't see them in the common room. Even if they had been out in the castle, Persephone should have come back to the dorms by now."
"I don't know Tracey," Daphne said after a few moments, her eyes still turned towards the ceiling, "Maybe they are serving detention? It is quite possible that a professor gave them one because they didn't attend the feast."
"Do-Do you think they are hurt?", she asked hesitantly, "Filch did say the troll was in the dungeons…and th- "
"Don't be stupid Tracey!", Daphne snapped sharply, before she continued in a softer tone, "While I admit the circumstances of their absence are not exactly good, and believe me I am worried about them too, if a student would have been harmed by the troll, then we would have known about it. So don't worry much, I am sure that they both are serving detention or are just studying in any of the rooms."
"Mmhm."
"I still don't get it," Parkinson's voice suddenly came from their right, and at their looks of confusion, she clarified, "Why are you associating with both of them?"
"If you would have gotten it, then you wouldn't be asking that question." Daphne said back and closed the curtains around her bed, making Pansy huff at her and do the same. She turned towards the empty bed in front of her own, her eyes straying towards the bag on it, before she sighed and went to sleep herself.
She almost lost her mind when she woke up the next morning, and Persephone was still nowhere in sight, but somehow, she contained her fear and worry for her friend, and just started to get ready for the day ahead. And despite not showing it on her face, Tracey knew that Daphne was just as worried as her for the twins, the blonde's eyes constantly flicking towards the redhead's bed every few moments.
Her last flicker of hope, that both of them would be present and of well-being in the common room, shattered when they, after entering the common room, couldn't spot them even there. Malfoy was, who would have thought otherwise, crowing about something or the other to his sycophantic bootlickers, which must have been something regarding Harry's and Persephone's absence if the smirk he gave them was of any indication. Tracey and Daphne shared a look, before the blonde shook her head nearly imperceptible and they silently walked to the Great Hall.
However, when they reached the hall, it was not to the usual chattering and bantering between various students that greeted them. Instead, everyone was engrossed in their Daily Prophet or of one of their neighbor's, and hushed whispers flowed through the air. At the staff table, each teacher was talking much like the students and if this all wasn't weird enough, then Dumbledore not smiling out at them told her that something was wrong.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat, making the hall go absolutely still and turn its attention towards him.
"I am completely sure that Rita has told a very riveting and capturing tale of what transpired here last night," he spoke, making Tracey's heart jump in her throat as her mind found the worst reasons for the words, but she somehow controlled herself as Dumbledore continued, "But as your headmaster, and most importantly someone who was here at that time, I think I can give you the best account of the events that transpired here yesterday."
"Yesterday night, during the feast, someone managed to obscure a Mountain Troll and bring it inside the school through undisclosable means. Due to it being hidden magically, the house elves and the portraits weren't able to detect it until the veil over it was lifted, and Caretaker Filch found it near the dungeons" he said, making a few students grumble at the undisclosable part, but at a glare from the deputy by his side, the students quickly quieted down.
"At that time, the students were all told to go to their dormitories, since the troll would have very likely come towards the Great Hall with the smell of food and humans luring it, and a professor was also with you for your safety. However, two students were absent from the feast last night," he looked at the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw table at that, making Tracey glare at the two bullies who had caused Persephone and Harry to not come to the feast, "Harry and Persephone Potter were in the dungeons at the time due to unknown reasons, but they came across the troll and…and killed it together."
"WHAT?", "Are you joking?", several voices shouted, mostly from the Slytherin table as many faces lost their smiles and looked at the headmaster, the words shaking them from head to toe.
"No Mr. Montague, despite my age and senility, this is something that is beyond my capability to joke about," he responded, making a few chuckles sound through the hall at the self-deprecating words, "But, yes, Harry and Persephone Potter defeated the troll, albeit in a quite violent manner, but they defended themselves successfully in such a manner that no one can call it dumb luck."
Exclamations of surprise came from all around, and Tracey turned towards Daphne with surprise and shock on her face, the blonde faring none better at Dumbledore's revelations.
"And for this act of intelligence, determination and bravery, I award Harry and Persephone Potter fifty points each for Slytherin," he proclaimed, "additionally, ten percent of the monetary value of the ingredients extracted from the troll will be added to their vaults, each."
With that, the old wizard gave them a wide smile and exited the hall through a door near the staff table, leaving a stunned student body behind him.
"Why is everyone so quiet?", came the voice from the entrance of the hall, and as one, everyone turned towards a bemused Harry Potter, his sister holding on his arm as they walked into the hall and sat by Daphne. Both of them looked around at the stares they were getting, and turned towards Daphne for an explanation, only for the blonde to take her own copy of Daily Prophet and thrust it towards the twins.
"Potters kill troll single-handedly on Halloween inside Hogwarts? What is next?", Harry read aloud and looked at the murmuring students around him before he turned towards his sister, and they sighed together when the questions and accusations started to get hurled at them.
"Who told everyone that it was us who killed that thing?" Persephone asked with a frown on her face as she stood up and pulled her brother with her, Daphne and Tracey following a second later as all four of them moved out of the hall.
"It was Nymphadora Tonks," Daphne answered, "Hufflepuff Seventh year Prefect."
"How do you know that?" Harry asked as they turned towards the dungeons.
"I heard some second years talking about it just now."
"I am surprised she didn't leave us out to bleed and freeze," Persephone commented, "Considering how strongly Gryffindor and Hufflepuff hate us both."
"Family must mean something to her, astonishing considering her own status", Daphne said back, making the twins come to a stop and look at her with surprise.
"Family?"
"Yes," she nodded, "I forgot to tell you, but Nymphadora Tonks is the daughter of Andromeda Tonks née Black, granddaughter of Arcturus Black, which makes you and her mother second cousins, and you are he- "
"Second cousins once removed", Harry ended slowly.
"Yeah," a voice rang out from behind them, and they found a nervous-looking Nymphadora Tonks standing there, her hair shifting through a myriad of colors as she looked at them before a wide smile split across her face and she stuck her hand out
"Wotcher Harry and Persephone! I'm Tonks, your cousin from the Black side of your family. Nice to meet you!"