Chapter 4, everyone! In which Hermione discovers Snips and a troll is fought…use the same ending line in this as is in the canon chapter—I don't know why, but I like that line. :)

Thanks for the review, guest! Ah thanks—I was wondering how it'd be taken, so I'm glad it's got some fans. :D Yes…much nicer when he looks like Petrie and sounds like Woodstock. :D

Harry Potter © JK Rowling

The next major incident happened at Halloween.

Ron and Harry still hadn't had much luck with deducing what manner of creature Snips was supposed to be, and Hagrid wasn't having much luck on that front either. Neville studied with them in the library, but his area of expertise was shaping up to be Herbology, which didn't exactly help considering Snips wasn't a plant.

Snips also didn't have much to do with Neville, which seemed to suit the boy just fine. Snips, if Harry were to be perfectly honest, didn't seem to care to have much to do with anyone except Harry and Ron and sometimes Hagrid, and more Harry than Ron.

Adding to their troubles was the fact that Malfoy was now actively plotting against them, having been continually bested by Harry's ability to squeak out of trouble once in it. Malfoy had attempted to sabotage Harry's potions several times since, and had taken to skulking with Crabbe and Goyle in the halls in the hopes of jumping Harry between classes. Snips had once again proven invaluable in these situations, batting the firecrackers away or quickly tossing in things that neutralized whatever it was Malfoy snuck in and directing Harry and Ron up and down all sorts of secret passages and shortcuts that got them where they needed to be without crossing Malfoy's path. In all, a good system.

Unfortunately, Snips somewhat added to Harry's other problem, that of the ever-increasing competition with Hermione Granger that Harry was now, unfortunately, becoming aware of. Mostly because Hermione had buttonholed Harry in the common room once, having pained herself by swallowing her pride and asking Harry what book he was consulting to make him so good at Potions.

Snips had not approved of Harry tugging him out of his robes and presenting him to Hermione, and Hermione didn't approve of either Snips' assisting in the classroom or the edits they had been giving to their textbooks.

"It's cheating!" Hermione insisted, all but stomping a foot (although Harry wouldn't have been surprised if she did).

"How is it cheating?" Harry asked, as Snips quickly scurried back to his usual spot. "Snips can tell what ingredients are the best to use and how to use them—I guess it's cheating to have owls deliver mail too?"

"I'm telling Professor Slughorn!"

"No you're not!" Ron insisted, having come up behind her when he spotted his friend literally cornered by the bushy-haired girl.

"Snips doesn't just help with potions—he's been helping me and Ron get around the castle," Harry protested. "And he's been helping us avoid Malfoy and fixing it when Malfoy tries to ruin my potions—I'd have failed every class this past month if it weren't for him."

"And do you know what it is, exactly?" Hermione asked crossly.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances at that—of all the questions to ask….

Which led to an entire argument about how they ought to turn Snips in anyway—Snips, meanwhile, had buried himself in the back of Harry's robes and, by the feel of it, had covered his head in an attempt to block out their arguing. Harry had finally pointed out that Hagrid—an adult—had not seen a problem with Harry keeping Snips, and the argument had been postponed—not finished—by Percy finally coming over and telling them they were getting too loud and disrupting the common room, stop it.

They had dispersed, and Harry had sat with Ron and taken quite a few minutes to try to coax Snips back out—they had finally gotten him to tolerate the common room, but their argument had obviously bothered him.

And then Fred and George had plopped down next to them.

"What's this we hear about our little vegetable-pusher?" Fred asked.

"Something about him navigating all over Hogwarts with no trouble at all?" George asked.

Harry and Ron exchanged grimaces, but explained that Snips had been helping them find their way around the castle for the past month or so.

"Very nice," George said.

"I don't suppose he'd care to demonstrate?" Fred asked.

Snips, who had resumed his usual post by Harry's neck, very pointedly crossed his wings, closed his eyes, and settled down in a slouch.

"No," Harry translated. "Snips won't do anything he doesn't want to, and I guess he's not in the mood after earlier."

Fred and George, at least, left it at that.

Ron, however, got steadily more antagonistic towards Hermione over the incident, coming to a head when they were paired together in Charms class. Harry—before having his feather blown up by Seamus Finnegan—overheard Ron and Hermione verbally snipping at each other over how to properly perform the levitating spell, ending with Hermione doing it properly and winning Professor Flitwick's praise.

Ron was more than a little upset when they left the classroom.

"Completely insufferable know-it-all," he was muttering. "It's no wonder she doesn't have any friends!"

Which was when Hermione blew past them, head down.

"I think she heard you," Harry said.

Halloween night at Hogwarts was nothing short of spectacular, from the decorations to the dishes, although Harry couldn't help but think that Snips disapproved of all the candy laid out, something a glance at him proved. But Harry was having a hard time not enjoying himself, having a run of chocolate frogs before running up and down the table—and then over to some of the other ones—swapping them with the other students, Ron shortly getting in on the action and several other students joining in. Harry had even, after much fierce debate and haggling, gotten Malfoy to leave him alone for a week and give him three cards as well in exchange for a holo variant Uric the Oddball.

But in that running up and down and all around, Harry had noticed one particular student still missing.

"Hey," he asked upon sitting back down at the Gryffindor table. "Has anyone seen Hermione?"

"Not since class," Neville said. "I heard she's been in the girls' bathroom, crying."

Harry gave Ron a look that Snips apparently seconded, flying over to Ron and nipping his face, much to the redhead's consternation, and probably would not have stopped had Professor Quirrell not come running in at that moment.

"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" Professor Quirrell practically shrieked, voice an octave higher than usual. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!...Thought you ought to know…."

And then he fainted.

Silence reigned for a whole moment before everyone started loudly panicking, grabbing what they could and running into each other and—

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore bellowed, standing. When everyone quieted and looked his way: "Prefects, escort the students to their common rooms. Teachers, with me to the dungeons."

Harry tucked in with the other Gryffindors as everyone filed out of the Great Hall, hearing the Hufflepuffs expressing relief that their common room wasn't too far away and some of the Slytherins panicking because wait a minute, our common room is in the dungeons—

And then Snips, who had returned to Harry's shoulder in the kerfuffle, nipped at his jaw.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at him. "I'm going to the common room, like I'm supposed to."

In response, Snips pointed away and down a different hall. But why—

Oh no.

"Ron!" Harry hissed, catching his friend's arm. "Hermione! She doesn't know about the troll!"

Ron blanched at the realization, hastened after Harry as he ran down the side hall, following Snips' directions—

And then plastering themselves behind a statue at Snips' sudden change in directory and agitated yips.

Why he changed their course became very clear when the troll came into view.

Harry briefly recalled Ron's comment that Fred had told him that first years had to fight a troll to get accepted, and was very glad that had been proven false—this thing easily filled a hall that could have swallowed the Dursleys' house, with knobby warty thorny thick skin and sloping forehead and club the size of a bus. It was huge, it was horrible….

It was fortunately passing them by in favor of squeezing into another room.

One with a door and a lock.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, nodded—

And as soon as it was in, they ran forward and yanked the door shut, locking it for good measure.

They were well on their way to congratulating themselves when the reason for Snips' insistent tugging on Harry's ear and frantic yipping became clear—a scream coming from in the room. In a panic, they ripped the door back open—

To find that they had locked the troll in a bathroom.

To be specific: the bathroom Hermione had been in and was currently in, squashed in a corner and looking up at the troll in absolute terror.

Things happened quickly and without much sense after that—throw debris at the troll to distract it—Harry threw himself at the troll, managed to get up on its back and hanging on for dear life with his wand up its nose as it flailed about—Ron ran over to Hermione, hauled her to her feet and tried to drag her back to the door—dodge the troll's attempt to squash them with its club—Snips clawing onto its face and snapping his tail (which hurt, in Harry's experience) in its eyes—

And then the troll got a hold of Harry, ripping him forward—dead he was so dead—

"Swish and flick!" he heard Hermione yell, before he balled himself up as best he could and waited for the end—

Tiny claws gripped at him instead of a huge club bashing into him—he looked—

To see that Snips had jumped to him, spread out as far as his little body could be, and was looking up at what he and the troll both noticed: the club floating over its head—

And then falling directly on it, knocking it out and sending Harry tumbling.

The first thing Harry was aware of after getting his wind back was that Hermione was over him. "Are you okay what were you thinking you could have gotten killed!"

"Ow," Harry said in reply, sitting up and checking to see that Snips was all right—Snips was, and was chittering at the same speed Hermione was. Look around for Ron—there, still with his wand out and staring at the unconscious troll.

"Wicked," Ron breathed finally.

Their elation was short-lived, as several teachers stormed in, including Professor McGonagall. Harry was certain that they were doomed—

And then Hermione took the blame.

Harry and Ron stared, completely flabbergasted, as she said how she had thought she could take on the troll and how foolish she had been, to the surprise of everyone present—even Snips, back in his usual position, was positively still.

Professor McGonagall was firmly in agreement with Hermione on that matter, taking five points from Gryffindor.

"As for you two," Professor McGonagall continued. "It's not many first years that take on a full-grown mountain troll, and live to tell the tale! Five points, to each of you. For sheer dumb luck!"

Harry didn't care, they were alive, they were—ow.

Harry glared at Snips as Professor McGonagall shooed them out with the intention of making sure they got to their dorm rooms this time—Snips, meanwhile, was looking pointedly at Professor Quirrell, who had volunteered to stay behind and take care of the troll—

And who was quickly flicking his robe to hide a bloody leg.

Harry glanced up at Professor Quirrell's face, again feeling that pang in his scar when he did so.

But any concern about Professor Quirrell was abated by Hermione stopping them in the entrance to the Gryffindor tower and thanking them for saving her life.

"You should thank Snips," Harry pointed out. "He was the one who found you so fast."

Hermione smiled at Snips when he poked his head out of Harry's robes. "Thank you, Snips."

After that, Hermione was their friend. There were just some things in life people can't go through without becoming friends, and fighting a mountain troll was one of them.