Troll in the Dungeons
For a moment there was only dead silence in the hall then everyone erupted with panicked yells and shouts.
Hayley also felt a rise of panic in her chest. Her common room was in the dungeons! Then it increased when Professor Dumbledore told the Prefects to guide the students back to their dormitories.
What? But the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons!
As the Gryffindors started to shuffle out of the Hall she too followed them, hoping to sneak back with the Slytherins outside. But then Harry halted her and Ron by taking their arms and pushing them out of the crowd.
"Hermione! She doesn't know about the troll!" Harry hissed with worry. Ron groaned and seemed to be making his mind.
"Urgh... Alright!"
"Come on, I know the quickest way!" She told them and sprinted to a tapestry behind an old statue. She led them down an abandoned corridor.
"How do you know this?" Harry asked her.
"Slytherin common room is in the dungeons and it takes a lot of time to get to the classes so I have seen the older students use this path to get to the above floor quickly–Come on... This way..."
As they turned a corner, they saw Snape hurriedly making his way towards the third floor. They all exchanged a knowing look.
"You think..." She started but didn't want to complete the sentence.
"Maybe..." Harry said quietly.
"I think definitely..." Ron mumbled behind her. But now wasn't the time to think about Snape, they needed to reach Hermione.
They were now in the corridor that led to the girls lavatory. But a horrible stench made them halt their steps. Then came the heavy footfalls and they darted towards the shadows to conceal themselves.
Ron pointed a shaky finger towards the far side of the corridor. The troll was ten feet tall and granite grey. Its arms were longer then its torso and fell below its knees. A huge club gripped into his hand was dragging behind him.
The troll came closer and peered inside a room, his ears twitching and then slipped inside.
She realised with horror that the room was the girls lavatory!
"We could lock it inside." Harry suggested.
"Good idea," Ron nervously agreed.
"No! That's the girls' bathroom!" They both looked at her in horror. Soon, a high pitched scream sounded from inside.
That made her feet run towards the scream on her own, Harry and Ron on her heels.
As they entered the bathroom, they saw Hermione crouched under a sink, looking terrified; her face plae and eyes wide with fear.
"Do something! Confuse it!" Harry yelled at Ron who started to shout at the troll to gain his attention and away from Hermoine.
It didn't seem to work as the troll smashed the sinks just a few paces away from Hermoine with his club. Hermione screamed again.
Hayley took out her wand and pointed at the troll, "Pertificus Totalus!"
She gaped at the troll as it had no effect on it.
What?
"Pertificus Totalus!" She again screamed.
"Why isn't it working?" She felt panic like no other. She was trembling now. Ron had started to throw stuff at the troll and the smelly monster drew his eyes to the red haired boy.
Ron had no way to escape now. "Harry! Use your wand! Do something!" She yelled at her brother.
Harry then did something that was utterly brave and utterly stupid. He jumped up at the troll's back and shoved his wand up the troll's nostrils. The troll howled in pain.
"Not like that! Use your wand meaning use magic! You idiot!"
Well whatever, that did distract the troll. So she went to Hermione and dragged the girl who was frozen with fear, out of the danger zone but the troll started to stomp around in pain and panic, nearly crushing them both.
Hermione had come to her senses now and was trying to get away without her help. The troll now had Harry in his hand, dangling him upside down.
Her brother yelled out to Ron, "Do something! Anything!"
"What exactly?"
"Use the Levitating Charm, Ron!" Hermione said this time. "Wingardium Laviosa." She encouraged him.
Ron took out his wand, and said the spell. Hayley looked in astonishment as the troll's club slipped out of his hand and lavitated into the air, above his head. Then Ron dropped it on his head with a heavy thud and the troll swayed forward, falling down flat on his face.
Harry dropped to the floor with a groan and she ran to him, "Are you hurt? Let me see!"
She started to pat him, checking for injuries. "I am alright, I didn't get hurt."
Oh thank god!
He stood up and withdrew his wand from the troll's nose. It came out drenched in slimy grey liquid.
"Urgh... Troll boogers." Ron shuddered. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Why didn't my spell work on him? It worked splendidly on Crabbe and Malfoy."
"Because it was too big. It might have worked on a smaller target." This time Hermione answered her, her face was still pale but she wasn't trembling anymore.
Then suddenly the door slammed open and three figures came rushing in. They looked up to find Professor McGonagall, followed by Snape and Quirrell. Her heart suddenly started to beat faster again.
Oh no. She was going to get in trouble. All of them.
Professor McGonagall stared at them with angry eyes and Professor Snape gave her a withering glare before bending down to check on the troll who was knocked out cold.
He looked somewhat impressed but that quickly disappeared as he straightened and looked down at them.
"What on earth are you doing here? You all could've been killed!" McGonagall said with with furry, "Why aren't you in your dormitories?"
They all kept their heads down, Ron's wand was still upright in his hand. She slowly grabbed his arm and lowered it.
That earned her an ahem and she looked up at Snape to find him glaring at her with a piercing look, "Care to answer, Miss Potter?"
Then a small voice answered from her side.
"Please, Professor McGonagall... They were looking for me." Hermoine's head was down as she said this.
"Miss Granger!"
Color had returned to her face now and she looked deeply ashamed. "I went looking for the troll because I... I thought I could deal with it on my own you know, because I've read all about them."
Ron's mouth dropped open, not believing that Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher. She was also gaping at her now. Harry watched in shock.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. Hayley helped me move to safety, I was too afraid to move. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish off when they arrived."
Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them. She also nodded her head, trying to look convincing.
"Well, in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione hung her head even lower. They all were speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."
Hermione left.
Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.
"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have done that. For that, I'll award you five points to Gryffindor. Each. For sheer dumb luck."
They both shared a look of shock but when that subsided they grinned at each other but when Harry's eyes fell upon her, he turned to look at the older witch.
"But Professor... What about Hayley?" Harry asked hesitantly.
McGonagall pursed her lips, "Miss Potter is a student of Professor Snape's house, it is up to him to deal with her punishments and rewards. Now go."
Harry looked at her worriedly, hesitant to leave her with the professors. She gave him a weak smile and mouthed: I'll be alright. Go.
He nodded but didn't look convinced. Ron all but dragged him away. She then faced Professor Snape who came closer to her while the others examined the troll more closely.
"You should be in detention, Miss Potter," Snape coldly drawled, and she hung her head low, not wanting to witness the wrath in his eyes. "But... Since Professor McGonagall has awarded those idiots points then why not, I should do the same."
At that she looked up in surprise. "Five points to Slytherin. Now go. Students are having their feast in the common room."
"Uh... Yes. Thank you, Professor." With she ran out and didn't stop until she was at the entrance of the common room.
"Magicae potentiae." She said the password and slid in. Slytherins ought to use Latin words and phrases for their passwords since almost everyone of them knew how to write and speak Latin.
It had become easy for Hayley to read and say the words properly ever since she started learning it using that book Pansy had given her, she had improved quite alot in these past two months.
Pansy never talked about that book or gave any indications that she had helped her. The girl was confusing. One second she was friendly, offering to help her but then the next second, she was cold and rude.
She was getting use to her mood swings now. She entered and saw almost everyone in the common room, eating away. Not having much appetite, she went straight to her room, changed into her night gown and slipped into bed.
—•••—
It was November now and the school was buzzing with excitement as the first Quidditch match of the term approached. Harry was being grinded into practice every day now by the devoted player of Quidditch, Oliver wood.
The Gryffindor Team Captain treated Quidditch as if it was one true religion. The Weasley twins were groaning in frustration at their treatment at the hands of their captain. They were Beaters.
Hermione Granger ignored them and the whole concept of Quidditch all together. After the incident on Halloween, she became their friend now.
Well, she was friends with Harry and Ron so she also hung around with Hayley whenever she was with the boys.
She wasn't sure if the Gryffindor girl even considered her a friend.
They were currently out in the freezing courtyard in their break time. Hermione had conjured up blue flames and carried it around in a jar. It was extremely beautiful magic.
Hermione was a talented witch even at such a young age, she almost felt jealous. But the flames were warm so she appreciated her talents nonetheless. She'd have to ask the girl to teach her that spell.
Then Snape limped through the courtyard and they all huddled together to hide the flames. He noticed them and gave them an extreme look of suspicion.
"What have you got there, Potter?" He barked, looking at Harry with displeasure. Harry showed him the book Hermione had given him; Quidditch Through the Ages.
He took ten points out of Gryffindor for taking the library book out in the courtyard.
What a load of crap! There's no way that's a rule.
Harry thought the same as he snapped, "He just made that rule up! I'll go and see if I can ask it back."
With that he was gone. The three of them waited for him outside, still huddled together to escape the cold.
"So tomorrow is the first Quidditch match of the term. Gryffindor versus Slytherin," Ron said as he rubbed his hands together to produce some heat. "Who are you going to support, Hayley?"
She didn't know. She wanted to cheer for her brother on his very first Quidditch match but she was also a Slytherin. She wanted Harry to win but deep down she wanted Slytherin to win as well.
"Well?" Hermione asked when she didn't answer for several minutes.
She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. But I think I am going to be cheering for both of the houses."
"Really?" Ron's eyebrows shot up. She nodded.
"Yeah. Why not? If Gryffindor wins, Harry would be happy and if Harry is happy then I am happy. If Slytherin wins, I am sure I'll be happy that my house got extra points. I do want Slytherin to win the House Cup, you know."
"You do?" Ron tried and failed to mask the harshness in his tone. She looked up at him with annoyance.
"Yes I do, Ron. In fact I have been working extra hard in my classes to earn points for Slytherin."
Ron frowned and was about to say something when Hermione cut him off, "I am sure whoever wins, would be deserving of that victory. So no need to argue, guys."
Hayley gave Ron one last look and smiled at Hermoine, "You are right. Whoever wins would be a worthy winner."
Harry came running to them, his hands empty.
"I knew he wouldn't give it back." She muttered as Harry stopped in front of them.
"You have to listen to this," Harry said, panting. He told them he overhead Snape and Filch talking about the three-head dog and how it bit him.
They all looked at him in shock. He was convinced that Snape tried to steal whatever the dog was guarding. Hermione disagreed. Ron looked at her with irritation, completely agreeing with Harry. They then all looked at her, asking her for her opinion as well.
Oh. Well...
"Hermione is right. He wouldn't dare to steal something right under Dumbledore's nose." Harry and Ron started but she held up a hand, silencing them.
"But... I wouldn't put it past him to try something like that. The point is we don't know for sure. It could be anything, either he was trying to steal it or just checking if it was safe."
Harry and Ron both shook their heads at her, not wanting to believe that Snape could be trying anything other than stealing it. She didn't argue much either.
Next morning, everyone was sitting at the Great Hall, it was buzzing with a new kind of energy she had never seen before at Hogwarts. It was like almost everyone loved Quidditch here.
She ate her breakfast at the Slytherin table and went to cheer Harry up who was a nervous wreck. All of the Gryffindors were cheering him up and she also joined them.
As they made their way towards the Quidditch pitch, Ron looked behind his shoulder, "It's strange don't you think? Malfoy hasn't come to bully us yet."
She smirked at him, "Oh he won't be coming."
Harry looked at her, that look of mischief coming back into his eyes whenever they played pranks on Dudley and his friends, "What did you do?"
"I might have accidentally locked him inside the boys' bathroom." She said as she fumbled with the inside of her robes. "I followed him insde after I spilled pumpkin juice all over his shirt. I then shoved him inside a stall and locked it."
Harry and Ron grinned but Hermione frowned, "But he can just unlock it with a simple spell."
Her smirk turned wicked as she whispered, drawing closer to them, "I made sure he didn't have a wand with him."
She pulled out a wand out of her robes that was definitely not hers. Hermione's eyes went wide and she gasped.
"You stole his wand?"
"I didn't steal it. I found it lying around... In his bag."
Harry's and Ron's grins widened even more. Hermione shook her head but she was also grinning now.
"Brilliant, Hayley!" Ron exclaimed as they neared the pitch. But then Ron's smile flatered a bit.
"But what Crabbe and Goyle? They surely won't stop until they found him."
She grinned at him as she lowered her voice, "I nicked their pumpkin juice last night with a sleeping spell. They are in deep sleep right now. And with everyone here, no one will hear poor Draco's screams."
They laughed as she finished. Ron looked at her astonishment and a bit of fear as well. "Wicked! Now I know to never piss you off."
"I have a very good feeling about this match now." Harry said, waving them goodbye and went to change. Ron and Hermione went to the Gryffindor stands and she made her way to the Slytherin stands.
She sat beside Pansy who looked relieved to see her.
"So? How did it go?" The girl asked her.
"Splendidly."
"Oh good. I thought he got you."
"He won't. Ever. Thanks for the help by the way. You know, with the wand..."
"Anytime." The witch winked at her. "Besides, he had it coming."