Chapter Nine
Time seemed to fly by at Hogwarts. Harry studied hard at his classes, practiced with the orchestra and the Quidditch team, visited Hagrid from time to time, and played Wizards Chess with Ron or Exploding Snap with Seamus and Dean until before he knew it, almost two months had passed since he'd come to Hogwarts! He still missed his family and home, but Hogwarts was becoming very dear to him, and he was glad he'd decided to attend the school.
All Hallows Eve came, heralded by the smell of fresh pumpkins baking in the kitchens. The candles in the Great Hall had been replaced by carved Jack-o-Lanterns, grinning wickedly above the students. Harry hadn't felt too homesick lately, but he felt it quite strongly come Halloween.
Halloween was one of the Addamses' favorite holidays. Every All-Hallows-Eve, the Addamses celebrated, venerating their honored dead. Gomez would carve a pumpkin using Uncle Fester as a model. Morticia would read poems by the immortal Edgar Allen Poe and bake a fresh toadstool and hedgehog pie. Sometimes, the ghosts of long-since-passed family members would visit them, like their Great Aunt Singe, a Witch who had been successfully burned at the stake in Salem. Usually, accused Witches were hanged in the American colonies, but they had made an exception in Aunt Singe's case.
When Harry, Wednesday, and Pugsley were younger, they would go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, dressed in their scariest costumes and with their bags filled with treats. Then, they'd come home to play fantastic games like Bobbing for Crabs and Juggling Tiki Torches!
Harry didn't know what festivities would be held at Hogwarts but was sure they couldn't compare to those back home. He'd asked Professor McGonagall about possibly going home for the holiday, but she said students stayed at school during that time. Harry wrote to his family, wishing them a Happy Samhain and saying he would miss their festivities.
Charms class that day had been exciting, as they would make objects fly through the air. Harry had been partnered with Seamus Finnegan and Ron with Hermione, much to their mutual disappointment. Flitwick instructed them about proper wand movement and pronunciation. Hermione lectured Ron on saying the spell correctly after he flubbed it multiple times.
Harry could make his feather rise and hover over the table, but Seamus's wand exploded, incinerating his feather. After class, Harry walked with Ron, who was moaning about Hermione again.
"She's a nightmare, honestly! It's no wonder she doesn't have any friends!" Hermione brushed past them, and Harry could tell she was in tears. She had heard them. Harry wasn't fond of Hermione's bossiness but could tolerate her better than Ron.
The day went on, and Hermione wasn't seen again. Harry overheard Pavarti Patil telling Lavender Brown that Hermione had locked herself in the girls' Lavatory and cried all afternoon. She still had yet to be seen when Dinnertime came. A flock of bats fluttered overhead, making the flames in the pumpkins sputter. Dumbledore stood at the owl podium and welcomed the students to the Halloween feast. He then introduced the Hogwarts orchestra and the Frog Choir, who would perform for them before the feast.
This was Harry's first performance with the orchestra; they had been practicing for months to prepare for Halloween. The playing students gathered before the staff table with their instruments and began tuning up. The choir got into place, each holding a cushion on which enlarged frogs and toads were placed. The frogs were trained to croak in time to the music. Flitwick stood before the orchestra and choir and stood upon a stool with his baton. The students and teachers hushed to listen to the performance. Flitwick directed the orchestra and choir. They played a song befitting the season of Halloween that sang of the ancient traditions of Samhain. Harry followed the notes, playing where his section was marked. Occasionally, he glanced at the audience, who seemed enraptured by the performance. Once they were finished, there was a moment of silence; then the entire Hall burst into applause.
Flitwick turned and bowed to the students and teachers and then directed the Orchestra and choir to bow as well. Harry felt a swell of pride at sharing his talent with the school. Ron was standing, cheering, and clapping loudly. Their performance was done; the students put away their instruments, frogs, and chairs and joined their Houses for the feast. Once everyone was settled, Dumbledore raised his hands and said,
"Let the Feast begin." The Halloween feast appeared on the golden plates, piles of savory and sweet food, to the admiration and awe of the students who began to tuck in. Harry had just filled his plate when there was a shrill scream outside the Great Hall. Professor Quirrell burst into the room, screaming in terror. "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He panted for breath and then fainted dead away. Silence filled the hall momentarily when everybody started screaming and jumping up from the tables.
Dumbledore stood and bellowed for everyone to be silent. The students froze and stared at the headmaster. In a calm voice, Dumbledore instructed the Prefects to take their students to their dormitories while the teachers would follow him to the dungeons to deal with the Troll.
Percy stood and called all Gryffindors to follow him back to the tower. Harry and Ron followed their Housemates out of the hall and up the stairs towards the Fat Lady. Suddenly, Harry stopped and pulled on Ron's sleeve.
"Hermione, she wasn't at dinner!" Ron shrugged and asked,
"So what?"
"So, she doesn't know about the Troll!" Harry tried to get Percy's attention, but the uproar of the other students drowned out his voice. Harry turned and ran the opposite way, Ron following behind. Harry and Ron raced through the corridors to the First Floor Lavatory.
Suddenly, Harry stopped, hearing quick footsteps behind him. Quickly, he ducked around the corner, pulling Ron with him. Harry peeked around the corner and saw Snape headed up the stairs, not toward the dungeons. Harry and Ron crept along, following the Potion teacher.
"He's headed for the Third Floor Corridor!" Harry wondered what Snape could be up to when suddenly, Ron tugged on his sleeve.
"Ugh, what's that stench!" Ron sniffed the air, repulsed. Harry sniffed and smelled a foul aroma filling the hall. He was used to odd smells back at home, what with Fester's chemical experiments and Grandmama's potions, but this was different.
Suddenly, they heard a shuffling, thudding sound coming down the corridor and a deep, grunting voice. From around the corner came the hulking, ugly Troll. The giant beast had gray, lumpy skin. Its massive feet had only two toes and were covered in spiky warts. It was dressed in a filthy loincloth and a ragged vest and dragged a massive club behind it.
The Troll lumbered along until it came to the Lavatory. Cautiously, it nudged the door and entered the room. Harry and Ron hurried and crouched low to the doorway. The key was in the lock. Silently and carefully, they closed the door and locked it shut. They were just about to turn and run to Gryffindor Tower to tell Percy the Troll was safely locked away when a horrified scream came from the Lavatory. Hermione was still inside!
Quickly, Harry unlocked the door and raced inside. Hermione was crouched in the corner of the room, cowering. The Troll was roaring and swinging its club over its head, crashing into the walls and the toilet stalls. Harry called out to the Troll, gutturally roaring.
The Troll turned and looked confusedly at Harry and Ron. Harry had been taught to speak several languages by his parents: French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and even some inhuman languages. He only knew a handful of Trollish and hoped he could convince the hulking monster not to attack.
"Why-You-Here! Humans-Here! No-Trolls!" Harry struggled to ask the Troll how it had found itself in the school. The Troll squinted at Harry's pathetic Trollish but seemed to understand. It roared and grunted and gestured with its club. Harry struggled to understand, but it appeared the Troll was saying it didn't know how it found itself in Hogwarts. It woke up in the castle, lost, confused, and angry.
"Leave-Castle! Go-Forrest!" Harry grunted. The Troll snarled and raised its club. Harry backed away, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. The Troll roared and brought its club down on the floor, shattering the tile. Harry and Ron jumped back to avoid the flying debris.
"I don't think it's gonna leave quietly!" Harry said to Ron. The Troll raised its club to take another swing. Harry tried to run towards Hermione, but the club came down and blocked his way. Harry turned his head towards Ron.
"Try and distract it!" Ron began to shout and throw smashed pieces of pipe and tile at the Troll. It was like trying to fell an elephant with a BB Gun, but it got the Troll's attention away from Harry and Hermione. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and tried to pull her away from the wall. Hermione sat frozen in terror, not budging as Harry tried to pull her away. Harry turned back to the Troll. Ron was dodging and rolling to avoid its swinging club.
Harry then got a very daring and foolhardy idea. Harry ran towards the Troll with its back turned, then leaped upon its back. Harry climbed up the Troll's back and grabbed hold of its ears. The Troll roared and tried to shake Harry off. Harry tugged on the Troll's ears, trying to direct it away from Ron. The Troll dropped its club and began to scramble to grip Harry. As soon as the club was on the ground, Harry shouted to Ron.
"Charm the Club!" Harry hung on for dear life as the Troll tried to buck him loose. Ron pulled out his wand and cast the spell.
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" He spoke the spell correctly and gave the proper swish and flick. The club began to rise off the smashed floor and floated up into the air. The higher Ron raised his wand, the higher the club rose. As soon as the club was high enough, Ron shouted to Harry.
"Get Down!" Harry leaped from the Troll's back, rolling as he fell, somersaulting across the floor. Ron gave his wand a sharp flick, and the club fell through the air, crashing hard down on the Troll's head. The Troll gave a sharp grunt, and its beady eyes rolled into the back of its head and, with a mighty crash, fell flat on its face.
Harry got to his feet and brushed off his robes. Hermione slowly backed away from the wall. Ron still stood in shock at what he'd done. Hermione approached the Troll, staring at the fallen monster.
"Is it…dead?" She asked. Harry crouched low and put his fingers at the Troll's neck. He could feel a steady pulse beneath its skin. He shook his head, confirming it was just knocked out. Harry turned to Hermione and laid his hands on her shoulders.
"Are you all right?" Hermione nodded and asked Harry the same. Harry nodded; he was fine. Hermione turned to face Ron.
"That was amazing, charming its club like that, thank you!" Ron's face turned red, and he stammered; she was welcome. Suddenly, the door was thrust open, and several teachers burst into the Lavatory.
McGonagall gasped in shock at the sight of the fallen Troll. Snape and Quirrell followed her. Quirrell shrieked with horror; Snape, as ever, seemed calm and stone-faced, though his eyes did widen slightly at the sight before him. McGonagall stammered to find her words, gesturing between the Troll and the three students.
"Explain yourselves, all of you!" She finally managed to shout. Harry opened his mouth to explain when Hermione suddenly spoke.
"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall!" Minerva turned in shock at Hermione's statement.
"I went looking for the Troll. I'd read all about them and thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me, I'd probably be dead." Ron's eyes bugged at Hermione flagrantly lying to a teacher. Harry smiled at Hermione's attempt to save Ron and himself from getting in trouble.
McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron and asked if this was true. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who gave him looks to go along with what she said. Harry appreciated what she was trying to do but couldn't let Hermione get in trouble in place of himself.
"No, Professor, it's not true. Ron had insulted Hermione earlier today, and she was distraught, so she came into the Lavatory until she felt better. She wasn't in the Great Hall when Professor Quirrell told everyone about the Troll. I realized she didn't know she was in danger, so Ron and I went to find her. The Troll entered the Lavatory and began to go berserk. Ron and I tried to get it away from Hermione. Eventually, it dropped its club, so Ron levitated it and brought it down on the creature's head, knocking it out." McGonagall listened calmly, her face a mixture of rage, horror, and pride.
"Be that as it may, it was extremely foolish of you to leave alone; you should have alerted a Prefect or a Teacher about the situation."
"We tried to tell Percy, but the crowd was too thick!" Ron said. McGonagall shushed him and continued her admonishment.
"I understand your worry about Miss Granger's safety, but your actions could have gotten all of you killed! Five Points will be deducted from all three of you for Miss Granger's lying and your lack of judgment." She took a deep breath, glancing at the Troll and then at Harry.
"However, I am proud of your honesty, Mr. Potter-Addams, Mr. Weasley's, and your efforts to safeguard Miss Granger's life. You will be awarded five points for ingenuity and sheer dumb luck. It is time for you all to return to Gryffindor Tower immediately." Ron and Hermione took their leave, but Harry remained to speak with McGonagall.
"Professor, my family has taught me to speak several languages, some of them non-human. My Trollish isn't good, but the Troll said it didn't know how it got here. It just woke up in the castle, dazed and confused. Someone brought the Troll into the castle for some nefarious purpose." McGonagall's eyes widened, glancing again at the now snoring Troll.
"Are you certain of this, Mr. Potter-Addams?" Harry affirmed he was. He may not be fluent in the language of Trolls, but he recognized enough to know it had not come into the castle on its own.
Snape was kneeling, examining the Troll, but he glanced at Quirrell. His eyes darkened when he looked at the nervous Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Harry looked at Quirrell, his face sweaty and anxious. His eyes darted back and forth shiftily, and his hand was clenched and shaking, his knuckles white. Harry looked back at Snape, whose face was in a determined sneer.
Harry and Wednesday taught themselves to study other people's body language to understand their thoughts or plans better. Snape was furious about the Troll, but exactly why wasn't clear. Quirrel seemed afraid as usual but also hiding something, as though he knew how and why a Troll would be in Hogwarts. As Snape got up, he gave a wince of pain. Harry saw in a glimpse that Snape's trousers were torn, and there was a nasty wound on his leg, bleeding. It almost looked like he'd been bitten by something. Snape noticed Harry looking and quickly covered his hurt leg with his robes, giving Harry a dirty look.
McGonagall said Dumbledore would be informed of this and told Harry to catch up with Ron and Hermione. Harry left the bathroom, but as he passed Snape and Quirrell, another flash of pain shot through his scar. He glanced at the two men. The last time his scar had hurt was at the Welcoming Feast, and both Snape and Quirrell had been present. Harry doubted that was a coincidence. Somehow, the Troll and the pain in his scar were connected to these two men, and he was determined to figure out how and why.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked up to Gryffindor Tower. Ron lamented that they had only gotten ten points for defeating the Troll. Harry told him they were lucky they didn't lose more than five points for Hermione's lying to McGonagall, and he reminded Ron that they were fortunate to get away with their lives.
"It was good of Hermione to try and get us out of trouble like that. Why'd you have to spill the beans about what happened?"
"It may have been noble of her, but I couldn't let her face the trouble alone." Ron shrugged. He then asked Harry if he had tried speaking with the Troll.
"I only know a smattering of Trollish; I'm better at Gobbledygook and Dwarfish. The Troll wasn't here by accident; someone let it in deliberately."
"Who'd be mad enough to let a Troll into a school?" Harry told him he had some ideas brewing but would tell him once they were in the dormitory. At last, they reached the Fat Lady portrait and told her the password. The portrait swung open to let them inside.
The Common Room was full of students eating the dinner they had left in the Great Hall. Hermione had hurried ahead of them to the Common Room and had been waiting for them to arrive. She momentarily looked down at the floor, embarrassed, then looked up at Harry and Ron.
"Thank you, both of you, for saving me. I'd be dead if you hadn't found me." Harry smiled at her and held out his hand. Hermione took his hand, and he gave it a firm shake.
"You are most welcome, Hermione. Thank you for trying to save Ron and me from trouble." Ron muttered thanks, too, and then apologized for insulting Hermione earlier that day. Hermione thanked him and led the two boys over to the food.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione served themselves the dinner they had been forced to leave. The food was still piping hot and fresh, presumably charmed to stay that way. The three ate and began to speak amongst themselves. Harry suspected Ron and Hermione were starting to like each other after all.
Once dinner was through, the students went up to their beds. Harry and Ron changed for bed and then waited for their dormmates to fall asleep. As promised, Harry told Ron what he suspected. Someone had bewitched the Troll and brought it into the school for some reason. He suspected it had to do with whatever Hagrid had taken from Gringotts and was now guarded by the Cerberus on the Third Floor. The Troll was a distraction to take whatever was being guarded.
"What the bloody hell could this thing be? And who wants to get it?" Ron wondered. Harry told him about the expressions and behavior of both Snape and Quirrell and how his scar had hurt in the presence of both of them, two separate occasions now.
"Snape is one slimy git, like most Slytherins; I wouldn't put it past him to let a Troll in the school, but Quirrell? Scared of everybody and everything, Quirrell?"
"It may seem unlikely, but he didn't just seem scared of the Troll itself; he seemed scared it had been defeated, as though he hadn't expected three First Year students to take it down so easily." Ron scoffed at Harry calling what they went through, easy.
"So, who do you think brought the Troll in, Snape or Quirrell?" Ron asked.
"I'm not sure yet; it could be one, the other, or both. Snape did give Quirrell a dark look. He could have ordered Quirrell to bring it in." Harry explained.
"But how could they make your scar hurt?" Harry didn't know how they could have caused that. He told Ron they should probably get to bed now and that they would talk about it more tomorrow.
"Still, one good thing came from tonight: I finally got to wrestle with a Troll, as Fred and George had joked about!" Harry and Ron shared a chuckle and retired to their beds, feeling quite exhausted despite the thrill of the evening's events. Harry would write to Wednesday about what he had gone through and his theories; she would undoubtedly have some insight into these events.