Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to Warner Media and JK Rowling
Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far by favouriting, following, reading and reviewing it and apologies for leaving you all waiting so long for the next chapter.
A special thanks to the following people for being the latest to follow, favourite and review the story; fons19, lojosmom, aquabeauty, Moonflower995, MissJodie, magali-gobeyn, Anaklusmos15, Hedkracka, ms6352, IzzyFireGirl55 and DarthRevan3891.
Harry Potter-Weasley Chapter Seven:
Halloween arrived and with it the blustery cold and rain that characterised late autumn in Scotland. Harry's mind was, however, not much on the weather at this precise moment as he ambled slowly up the corridor to the stone gargoyle that guarded Headmaster Dumbledore's Office.
Harry's mind was instead focused on the reason for his trip to Professor Dumbledore's Office, namely to meet with his parents who would be taking him on a quick visit to the village of Godric's Hollow and graveyard there.
Godric's Hollow was a mixed Muggle and Wizard village situated in the English West Country and was the place where Harry's birth parents Lily and James Potter had died trying to keep him safe from Lord Voldemort. As soon as Harry had been old enough to understand, his adopted parents Arthur and Molly Weasley had informed him of the events of Halloween Nineteen Eighty One and given him the option of making the trip to Godric's Hollow to see where he and his parents had lived.
Harry, despite being devastated at learning the fate of his birth parents had been ecstatic at getting the chance to see his old house and the statue erected in his family's honour in the town square.
Walking alongside Harry was his brother Ron, the sibling that he was closest to. "Thinking about your birth parents?", Ron asked shrewdly.
Harry glanced at his brother who was, despite people's perceptions, a rather perceptive individual, at least where his family and friends were concerned. Harry nodded. "Yeah", he said in subdued tone of voice.
"They were real heroes", Ron commented, "and from what Mum and Dad have told us down the years it's clear that they loved you a heck of a lot".
Harry nodded. He didn't say anything as he didn't trust in his voice right now. He blinked back tears and halted as he realised that they had reached the stone gargoyle. He must have been deeper in his thoughts than he'd believed.
"Password", the gargoyle demanded.
"Fizzing whizzbees", Harry answered promptly having been given the password by Professor McGonagall in advance.
"You may pass", the gargoyle declared as it leapt aside to reveal the spiral stone staircase that led up to the Headmasters quarters.
Harry and Ron stepped onto the staircase and a comfortable silence descended as they stood there waiting to reach the Headmaster's quarters.
The staircase stopped abruptly as it reached it's destination. Harry and Ron stepped off and walked at equal pace down the corridor to the Headmaster's office. Harry and Ron were flabbergasted as the office doors opened to admit them while a voice said "I believe that Mr's Weasley and Potter-Weasley are here already".
'How did he know we were here?', Harry thought in amazement as he and Ron entered the office and found Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk stroking a magnificent golden feathered creature that Harry recognised immediately to be a phoenix. Their parents were sat in comfortable armchairs on the opposite side with their backs to the two boys.
At Professor Dumbledore's pronouncement Arthur and Molly rose and walked over to their sons. Arthur patted them on the back and gave them a hug while Molly pulled them into one of her famous "Weasley hugs".
Harry was glad they were here for while he had adjusted to being away from the warm and loving atmosphere of the family home, the Burrow, he still missed the place and his parents quite a lot.
"All ready for the off then boys?", Arthur asked his sons who gave firm nods in response. Their father smiled and led them over to the fireplace.
Molly hung back and turned to address Professor Dumbledore. "Albus, thank you for the use of your fireplace. It would have been really awkward to arrange this little trip otherwise and it does mean so much to Harry". She cast a fond maternal look at her youngest son.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled slightly and his mouth turned up in a smile but Molly recognised the sadness behind his eyes for she felt the same as regarded the Potter's deaths, missing them terribly. "It is not trouble at all Molly. I shall see you all later on".
Dumbledore went back to stroking Fawkes' feathers as Molly left him and headed over to where her family stood waiting to enter the Floo.
"In we go then boys", Molly declared in a falsely bright voice and with a warm smile on her face. She was sad but knew she needed to be strong today.
Ron went through first, followed by Arthur. Harry went next after a concerned look at his mum. Molly went last and as the green flames began to transport her she could have sworn that there were tears rolling down Albus Dumbledore's lined face. A single tear escaped her eyes as the green flames completed their work.
Harry landed with a thud on solid stone and stumbled slightly out of the fireplace, looking around at the familiar cosy surroundings of Bagshot Cottage, home of the famous historian and Weasley family friend Bathilda Bagshot.
Arthur caught his son as Harry stumbled and shook his head with a fond smile, wondering just how Harry could be so good at flying as to get onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his first year and yet still always have trouble exiting the floo network.
"Ah there you are!", said a kind voice from nearby. The familiar slightly round and white haired figure of Bathilda Bagshot walked into view. She greeted each of the Weasleys with hugs, giving Harry an extra long hug.
"Hello Miss Bagshot", Harry warmly greeted the old woman. He liked her. She told him stories of Lily and James and even of the times she had babysat him when he was an infant.
"Hello Harry dear. Ron dear. Arthur and Molly", Bathilda greeted the Weasleys in turn.
"Thank you as always for this Bathilda", Arthur thanked the older witch with a smile.
Bathilda waved the thanks away. "Anything I can do to help I'm glad to".
The four Weasleys sat down to tea and biscuits while Bathilda asked Harry and Ron how their first term had been at Hogwarts, Arthur about his work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and Molly with her efforts to run a house full and deal with having Amos Diggory as a neighbour.
"I'm afraid we really must be going Bathilda. We'll see you in a few hours to use the floo back to Hogwarts", Molly said giving the older woman a kiss on the cheek.
Bathilda nodded and showed them to the front door.
It was bitterly cold and the rain lashed down as the four Weasleys strode down the main street of Godric's Hollow the short distance to the nearby churchyard.
"Harry, Ron, come here and let us dry you off dears", Molly called out to her two sons from just ahead as they were about to open the churchyard gate.
Harry and Ron duly stood still and waited as Arthur and Molly caught up and cast identical drying charms on the two boys "Haec Vestimenta excoquatur". The two boys sighed in relief as their wet clothes began to emit steam and dry out.
The boys thanked their parents and foursome entered the churchyard. Harry was silent as they walked caught up in the emotion of the moment. The first sound he made was to choke back tears upon sight of the familiar marble stone graves of Lily and James Potter.
Harry approached the graves which lay side by side and stood there for a moment eyeing the various floral wreaths and bunches of flowers that festooned both graves. He sank to his knees and ran a hand over the marble bearing the names and dates of his birth parents lovingly tracing his fingers over it and saying in a choked voice "hi Mum, hi Dad. We came to visit again".
Ron stood just behind his brother and stared sadly at the marble headstones. He said nothing, just occasionally patting Harry's shoulder in comfort, he knew his brother well enough to know that Harry preferred silence when he visited the graves and gave Lily and James the latest news from himself, the Weasley family in general and anyone else they might have known.
After a long time kneeling before the graves, Harry rose to his feet, shifted his glasses and wiped away the tears in his eyes with the sleeve of his blue jumper.
"Let's change the flowers and wreaths shall we?", Arthur asked his son kindly.
Harry looked over at his dad and smiled shakily. "Thanks Dad, that would be nice".
Arthur patted Harry's shoulder and, together with Molly, conjured a wreath each and several bunches of colourful flowers to adorn the graves or lay alongside.
Harry smiled at the sight feeling sure from what he'd been told, that his parents would love such a sight brightening up such a dreary place.
The Weasley foursome left the churchyard just as Molly remarked. "I hope you've been practising hard young man", to Harry.
"Of course I have Mum", Harry replied with a grin, knowing just what his mum was referring to.
"Glad to hear it. I'll be so proud when I see you up on that broom playing Quidditch and I know James would be too", Arthur declared.
"Lily would be as well", Molly told Harry before adding, "though she'd be shocked at your rule breaking to get on the team!".
The four Weasleys chuckled as they reached the front door of Bagshot Cottage.
Bathilda greeted them upon their knock at the door and ushered them inside out of the torrential rain, casting drying charms on everyone before bidding them all goodbye with hugs and kisses on the cheek as they exited via the floo calling out "see you at Christmas!".
Back in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts Arthur and Molly greeted Albus and hugged their children goodbye. "We'll see you both soon and your brothers as well. We're hoping to be at the first Quidditch match of the season", Arthur informed Harry and Ron.
Harry gulped. The thought of his parents watching the first time made him nervous. He only hoped he didn't make any major mistakes.
"We love you both", Molly hugged her sons fiercely, "you both take care. We'll see you soon". She pulled back from the hugs and waggled a finger at them "and no pranking! I have enough to deal with what with Fred and George's escapades!". Harry and Ron sniggered and their mother merely shook her head, kissed them on the head and headed over to the fireplace.
"As your Mother said boys, we love you, stay out of mischief...or at leas try not to get caught", he winked at them as he said the last bit and ruffled their hair before moving off to join Molly.
"Bye Mum, Dad!", Harry and Ron waved as their parents left via the floo network.
"I daresay you will be wanting to meet up with your friends Mr's Weasley and Potter-Weasley", Professor Dumbledore said with a kind smile, "but would you care for a lemon drop before leaving?". Harry thanked the professor and took one, he loved lemon flavoured sweets. Ron declined the offer as he did not care much for the confection.
"I wonder what the food will be like", Ron wondered aloud as he and Harry strode back to Gryffindor Tower together.
"I hear that there is special Halloween themed food served up by the House Elves. And Fred and George mentioned something about tap dancing skeletons being booked as entertainment, I think they might have been joking though", Harry replied.
The twosome met Neville just as they were about to enter Gryffindor Tower by way of the Portrait Hole. "Hey Nev...", Harry cut off the greeting as he took in the serious look on their pudgy friends face. "Somethings happened", Harry guessed.
"What's the matter Nev? you look like you lost a galleon and found a knut", Ron commented.
Neville scowled. "Lavender Brown is what happened. She teased Hermione over the way her teeth look and her hair. She said that the reason neither of you have been around today is you were probably fed up with her and her 'bossy attitude'" he used air quotes on the last part.
Harry and Ron had both been frowning but now wore scowls as deep as Neville's as they heard of how their friend had been treated.
"That Lavender can be a right cow sometimes", Harry seethed. "Where is Hermione now?", he asked in concern.
Neville shook his head. "I know she mentioned something about needing some time to herself and ran off to one of the girls bathrooms but can't remember which. Parvati or Molly might know though".
The trio walked together down from the Seventh Floor landing to the Great Hall resolving to find Hermione before getting anything to eat.
Half an hour of searching later and all three boys felt thoroughly exhausted. They had searched most of the girls bathrooms and quite a few empty classrooms without any success.
"I'm hungry", Ron groaned as they trudged down from the Second Floor to the Entrance Hall.
"Me too. We'll get a bite to eat and check with Molly or Parvati if they've seen Hermione", Harry suggested, "sound good guys?". Both Ron and Neville nodded and the trio headed for the Great Hall from where the sounds of laughter and chatter were emanating.
Harry, Ron and Neville looked down the length of the Gryffindor table upon entering the hall. "There they are", Neville pointed out the space where Mary and Parvati were sitting and chatting together.
"Lavender is with them", Ron added through clenched teeth. He, like Harry, had a pretty fiery temper when roused.
"We'd better get it over with", Harry strode ahead of his best friend and his brother as they approached the space where the three girls were chatting together.
"Ahem", Harry coughed to get the attention of the girls who turned as one at the sound. Harry couldn't help noticing that while Parvati and Mary looked embarrassed, Lavender looked away from them seeming ashamed a little. Harry was glad she was feeling some remorse.
"Have either of you seen Hermione?", Harry addressed the question to Parvati and Mary, ignoring Lavender completely.
Both girls nodded and Mary answered for them. "She's in the girls bathroom on the Second Floor. She was...", Mary gave Lavender a significant look, "...well someone upset her. Neither Parvati or me could convince her to leave the bathroom so we thought we'd try again later".
Harry nodded. Grateful that they had tried. He turned his attention to Lavender and said coldly "next time Lavender keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything nice to say". He turned around and he, Ron and Neville went to the opposite end of the table where Oliver Wood had just sat down and pulled them into a conversation about Quidditch.
Harry had just finished eating his sausage and mash and was about to sample some sticky toffee cheesecake when the doors to the Great Hall crashed open loudly. On the enchanted ceiling thunder boomed loudly. These two occurrences startled the combined student, teacher gathering. The occupants of the hall were doubly startled as Professor Quirrell the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher stumbled up the centre aisle and shouted, "troll! troll in the dungeon!", in a hysterical tone of voice, "thought you ought to know", he mumbled as he fell to the floor in a dead faint.
There was pandemonium in the hall as students leapt to their feet. Many people screamed, some cried. There was a lot of loud muttering and rushing for the doors. "Silence!". The hall occupants duly fell silent as one as the voice of Albus Dumbledore boomed out above the din.
Dumbledore's eyes swept across the hall as he spoke. "Prefects please lead your fellow housemates to your dormitories immediately. Head Boy and Head Girl please stay behind with myself and the other professors while we assign areas of duty for keeping the troll contained".
As Percy Weasley and the rest of the prefects began to round up their housemates Harry frowned. He observed Snape exiting the Great Hall through a side door and looking very shifty as he did so.
Harry idly wondered where Snape was going but had no chance to think on it for long as he, Ron and Neville lined up with Seamus and Dean who drew them into conversation over the troll and the five of them shared theories as to how it had got in to the school.
The five of them were in the Entrance Hall in the midst of a large cluster of fellow students when Harry had a certain horrifying thought. Bile rose in his throat and he had a hard time not panicking as he said loudly "Ron! Neville!".
His brother and friend turned towards him trying to block out the loud chatter of the other students. Harry's face was as serious as if someone had died when he said "Hermione doesn't know about the troll, we need to get her away from the bathroom while there's time!".
Ron looked between the main staircase and Harry. He sighed and nodded.
Neville looked scared. He gulped but then said "we're with you".
The trio looked around to make sure the other students were still distracted and slipped silently through the crowd until they were on the edges. Fortunately for them the prefects were so busy keeping the other students together that they did not notice three First Years sneaking off towards the Second Floor.
"Percy is gonna go mad, you realise that right?", Ron commented sounding slightly out of breath as he, Harry and Neville hurried along the corridor in the direction of the Second Floor girls toilets.
Harry chuckled. "Percy's always mad at us for something, comes with being a younger brother", he replied with a grin.
Ron didn't grin back. "I know that but he's guaranteed to tell Mum if he catches us!", he hissed as he grimaced.
Harry's face fell for just a moment before he recovered his composure. "In that case we need to make sure he doesn't find out then, right?".
Ron nodded but didn't look any more reassured.
"Your brother is a real stickler for the rules eh?", Neville said.
Harry and Ron shared a look and then sniggered. "You have no idea. Think he's bad here well he's worse at home" Ron told their friend.
"How can he be wo...", Neville stopped speaking as booming footsteps sounded nearby.
"Wha...".
"Shhh!", Harry cut Ron off from speaking and dragged he and Neville back around the corner. The three boys peered from their cover, eyes widening in shock at the sight that greeted them. A huge creature. Larger than any other they had seen in person before, save for the giant three headed dog, with sickly green skin colour and a head bald as an egg was lumbering down the corridor, his meaty fist clenched around a giant wooden club. The troll grumbled and growled menacingly, sniffing the air and staring at his surroundings.
"What do we do?!", Ron was in full panic mode and Harry couldn't blame him for it. They had never had to deal with something like this before.
Harry thought for a moment. Casting a look at the rest of the corridor his eyes lit upon a room that lay open near the troll. It seemed the troll had noticed the room as well for it turned to stare through the doorway, scratched itself and brandished it's club high in the air ready for a fight. It lumbered through the doorway. "Lets lock it in that room and get one of the professors!", Harry said loudly.
Harry ran on ahead of Ron and Neville forcing them to speed up to catch up with him.
"Now!", Harry yelled. Neville grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door tightly shut with Harry helping him keep it shut as Ron twisted the old iron key in the lock.
Harry wiped sweat from his brow. "Quickly, lets get Hermione and...".
"Argh!", a high pitched ear piercing scream split the air.
"Hermione!", the three boys said in unison.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment before turning around as more screams sounded from the room in which they had just locked the troll.
"Have we just...", Ron started to say. Harry nodded in resignation, embarrassment and fear for Hermione.
Harry, deciding there wasn't a moment to lose after his mistake, whipped out his wand, aimed it at the locked door and shouted "Alohamora!". The door clicked open and all three boys rushed into the room.
Harry, Ron and Neville froze in place at the sight of the troll rampaging through the bathroom smashing sinks, light fittings and pipework.
Another scream sounded from one of the cubicles. "Hermione get out of there!", Harry yelled in desperation.
The three boys ducked to shield themselves from flying wood splinters as the troll demolished the row of toilet cubicles with one swing of his massive club. Hermione crouched down to avoid being hit.
"We have to do something!", Harry shouted.
"Like what?", Ron shouted back.
"This!", Harry waved his wand at a large piece of wood. Muttered an incantation and the wood flew across the room to hit the troll square in the face.
The troll grunted and shook his head looked confused. His eyes locked on Harry and the wand he was holding. The troll growled and advanced angrily in Harry's direction.
"Guys!", Harry shouted.
Soon the three of them were either using spells to fling debris at the troll or throwing it by hand. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw, with relief, that Hermione had managed to scramble away from the ruined toilet cubicles over to a row of sinks and was now crouched down using her own wand to help distract the troll.
The troll lumbered past them forcing them to dive out of the way. "Hermione!" Ron yelled in horror as the troll lashed out at the row of sinks.
"Wingardium Leviosa!", Ron called out in desperation causing the trolls club to fly out of his hand, up into the air and come to rest some distance above his head.
The troll paused for a moment, realising that the club was gone. The creature glanced above his head and blinked at the sight of his weapon hovering above him. "Ron release the spell I want to try something. It's a spell I've read from the library!", Harry said.
Ron nodded and released the spell at the same time as Harry calmly said "Incarcerous". Thick magical ropes bound themselves around the trolls arms and legs.
The troll tried violently to struggle free of the ropes binding him just as his club came crashing down upon the top of his head. He blinked for a few moments, shook his head and then swayed, stumbled and began to topple over like a mighty oak being felled.
"Out of the way!", Harry called before diving to the side. Ron and Neville needed no telling twice, copying him in the nick of time as the troll impacted hard with the stone floor, so hard in fact that the stone cracked in several places.
Hermione, seeing the troll incapacitated, breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled from her place of cover to join the three boys as they went to inspect their fallen opponent.
"Is it dead?", Hermione asked.
Harry knelt down and listened in. He shook his head as he stood back up. "I don't think so", he replied, "just knocked out".
"What on earth is...oh my goodness!".
The foursome whipped around coming face to face with Professor McGonagall who was surveying the scene of carnage and the downed troll with a look of shock on her lined face. A moment later Professors Snape and Quirrell appeared in the doorway. Snape looked grimly at the troll and then glared at the four students while Quirrell let out a rather high pitched shout and clutched at his chest. Harry rolled his eyes wondering how the man had ever become Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher when he was so afraid of everything.
"Potter-Weasley, Longbottom, Weasley, Miss Granger...what do you think you are doing in here and with..with this troll!". Professor McGonagall sounded furious and despite knowing they had done the right thing Harry could sympathise with her.
"Professor McGonagall I...".
"It was my fault Professor", Hermione spoke cutting Harry off. Harry stared at her and she gave him a meaningful look back as she said "I've read all about Mountain Trolls and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong and in way over my head. If Harry, Ron and Neville here hadn't come to help me...I'd probably be dead".
Professor McGonagall stared hard at Hermione and then at the three boys before shaking her head. "It is lucky you have such brave...or foolish friends Miss Granger. Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor for your naive actions putting yourself in danger".
Harry tried to speak up but Hermione shook her head. "Five points however to each of you Mr Potter-Weasley, Mr Weasley and Mr Longbottom for your bravery and skill in taking down a fully grown Mountain Troll. Few come up against such a creature and live to tell about it. I do not however wish to see such a thing happen again, next time come and get a teacher!".
The four of them were ushered out of the bathroom by their Head of House, ignoring Snape's glare and the terrified looks Quirrell cast at the troll. Harry's eyes were, however, drawn to Snape's limp that seemed to have just developed as Snape walked over to the troll and examined it.
Harry frowned, wondering just how Snape had hurt himself. He put it aside for the moment to make sure Hermione was alright. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her.
Hermione nodded giving Harry and tentative smile. "I am thanks to you three".
"Why did you lie to McGonagall?", Harry asked her as they walked.
Hermione shrugged. "I didn't lie...not exactly. You three did save me. Besides I didn't want her knowing the real reason I was down here, too embarrassing".
"Lavender can be a right cow", Harry stated. Hermione smiled. "I told to shut up in future", he whispered.
Hermione giggled. "You didn't!".
"I did", Harry grinned.
"Thanks Harry", Hermione said gratefully.
Harry smiled. "What are mates for?".
By the time the foursome reached Gryffindor Tower, not even a telling off from Percy could dampen their spirits as all four of them, even Hermione, agreed that it had been a rather exciting adventure.