Chapter 7
“If you don’t stop stepping on my feet I’ll step on your face!”
“Salazar, you’re dramatic tonight.”
“Maybe if you didn’t steal my best robe then I wouldn’t be so damn pissed!”
“You wouldn’t have come with me if I didn’t!”
“Stealing my best, most favourite robe is not the way to do it.”
Harry rolled his eyes and checked to make sure the cloak still covered both their feet. Draco was huffing and held the cloak above his head so it didn’t ruin his hair.
“You two are scarily like my parents.” Blaise joked.
Harry snorted. “What? Your parents act like 11 year old boys?”
“No, my parents act like they’re married.” Blaise retorted teasingly.
Draco gasped. “We do not act like a married couple! Imagine! Me being married to this dipshit-“
“I’d make an excellent husband, thank you very much!” Harry defended, crossing his arms and walking faster so the others had to catch up to stay under the cloak.
“Make sure you get married after we graduate, I’m not in the mood to hear anything more than what I hear now.” Crabbe pleaded.
“We aren’t getting married you overdramatic wuss.” Draco snapped.
“Uh-“ Goyle whimpered, “we should have brought Pansy, I don’t where the girls bathrooms are.”
“It can’t be that hard, how many bathrooms are even on the second floor?” Harry asked, hoping himself that there wasn’t more than one.
“Can you smell something?” Blaise asked hushly.
Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and uncleaned public toilets. And then they heard it, a low grunt and the shuffling of giant feet. Goyle pointed, at the end of the corridor on the side, something big was moving towards them. Harry pushed them back against a wall that was emerged in shadows and watched as the giant shape walked into a patch of moonlight.
It was horrible. Twelve feet tall, its skin was pale grey, its lumpy body even huger than the boys thought, with a small bald head on top. It had short thick legs, long spaghetti arms, horned feet and a smell Harry knew he’d never get out of his nose. It was holding a giant wooden club, which dragged on the floor behind it.
The troll stopped halfway in the corridor next to a doorway and pushed open the door to look inside. It tipped its head to the side, as if making up its mind, then creeped into the room.
“Please tell me that wasn’t the girls bathroom?” Draco whispered shakily.
Then they heard something that made their arm hairs raise; a high, petrified scream, and it was coming from the opened door.
“Oh, no.” Crabbe said, looking as pale as the Bloody Baron.
“It’s the girls bathroom!” Harry gasped. “Hermione!”
As Harry started running forwards, it was honestly the last thing he wanted to do but what choice did he have? Someone gripped the back of his hoody and pulled him back. It was Draco.
“Are you out of your mind?” He screeched in a whisper, “there is a goddamn troll in there and you’re planning on running straight into it?”
“Yes!” Harry exclaimed breathily.
“That is the most stupidest thing I have ever heard you say.” Draco deadpanned.
“I’m not leaving her in there to die!”
“And we’re not going to let you die, either!”
“No one’s around to save her but us, if something happens to her and I could have prevented it, I’d never forgive myself.” Harry pleaded, making puppy eyes.
“You need to be smart about this, Harry.” Blaise whispered.
The same high pitched scream seared the air and Harry looked pleadingly at his friends.
“I should’ve stayed in bed.” Crabbe grumbled before gripping Harry’s elbow and leading them quickly to the chamber. Inside, Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite the door, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking sinks as he went.
“Confuse it!” Harry said desperately to Crabbe, who seized a fallen tap and threw it as hard as he could against the wall.
The troll stopped a few feet away from Hermione, turning slowly around and blinking stupidly to see who had made the noise. Its tiny eyes saw Harry and Crabbe. The troll made a groan, then made towards them instead, lifting its club as it went.
“Oy, dumbo, over here!” Yelled Blaise from the door, flying sparks out of his wand. The troll didn’t even seem to notice the sparks flying around his face, but it heard the yell and paused to turn its head towards Blaise instead, giving Harry time to run around to his stunned friend.
“Come on, run over here!” Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her towards the door, but she couldn’t’t move, she was staying flat against the wall with her mouth open in terror.
The continuous shouting and echoes of the Slytherins seemed to be driving the troll crazy. It roared again and started towards Draco and Goyle, who were waving their hands from the first cubicle nearest to the door. They had no way to escape with the way the troll was coming at them.
Crabbe, in the heat of the moment, did something extremely stupid. He took a great jump mid run and wrapped his arms around the troll’s neck from behind. The troll didn’t seem to feel him hanging there, but did notice the large stick that was shoved up his nose. Crabbe’s wand had been in his hand when he jumped and shoved it straight up one of the troll’s nostrils.
With a loud howl of pain, the troll twisted and flung his club around its back to try and get Crabbe off, the large boy clung for the life of him because at this rate, the troll was going to manage to rip him off or hit him with a terrible blow of the club. Hermione had sunk to the floor again in fright as Harry, in the moment of fear for his friend, pulled out his own wand, not yet knowing what he was going to do, he seemed to shout the first spell that came into his head.
“Imperio!”
The troll stopped moving and swinging his club around, instead its eyes rolled to the back of its head, making a pained sound from the depths of its throat. Harry scrunched his eyebrows together and lifted his wand suddenly, making the troll move his club above its head. Later, Harry recalled to be doing this without even thinking. He then brought his wand down and the troll smacked its head with the club not once, but twice before it swayed on the spot and fell flat on its face, making the whole room tremble.
Crabbe got to his feet unevenly. Harry was standing there with his wand still raised, looking at the lump on the floor that he created. Blaise, Draco and Goyle came over with very wide eyes.
Hermione slowly walked over, pale as a sheet; it was she who spoke first.
“Is it dead?”
Draco gave a bewildered look “Thats what you’re asking about here?”
Crabbe poked its head with his food and they all jumped back as it grumbled unhappily, luckily still blacked out.
“I don’t think so,” Crabbe muttered, “only temporarily knocked out.”
Harry was shaking and sweating through his shirt noticeably.
“That was- that was terrifying.”
“You just cast an unforgivable!” Blaise whispered angrily. “That should not be possible at our age.”
“An- an unforgivable?” Hermione trembled even more. “Like, You-Know-Who, unforgivable?”
Harry looked to the floor guiltily.
“How is this even possible? You could barely do ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ in charms this morning.” Draco accused angrily.
“Well I don’t know what happened, okay, it just came out.” Harry defended.
“In our first Snake Conclave the ghosts did say you were the most powerful in the year.” Blaise encountered.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“What’s the Snake Conclave?” Hermione asked suddenly. Everyone jumped, forgetting she was even there.
“Nothing important.” Crabbe grinned easily, not sounding the least bit convincing. Hermione did not seem to fall for it and crossed her arms.
Crabbe seemed to remember and bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll’s nose, it came out covered in what looked like a lumpy green slime.
“Gross! Troll boogers!” He blanched, wiping it on the trolls pants.
“We need to leave soon,” Goyle called from the doorway, “I hear running footsteps.”
“Where’s my cloak?” Harry asked.
“I have it here.” Said Draco, bringing it out from where he dumped it in a cubicle.
The five boys huddled under and Harry left it open for Hermione to slip under, but she didn’t move.
“Come on Hermione! The teachers are coming, I can hear them now.” Harry urged.
Hermione only shook her head. “I…I need to take blame for what’s my own fault.”
“What do you mean? Just come on so we can leave.” Blaise snapped He crossed his arms and looked to the open door nervously.
“You’ll get in trouble if you don’t with us and loose House points.” Draco added.
Crabbe perked up. “Maybe we should just leave her then.”
“No.” Harry demanded. “We won’t tell anyone and the teachers won’t care, just come under before we all get in massive trouble!”
Hermione ran quickly under the cloak and the moment Harry dropped it, a sudden slam and loud footsteps echoed in the room. Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Professor Snape, with Quirrell behind them.
——
After dropping Hermione off out the front of her Common Room entrance, the boys made it back in time to redress and meet the other students in the Snake Conclave meeting room. At exactly 9 ’o’clock, Professor Snape came waltzing on with the smuggest grin.
“Anything you need to tell us, Professor?” An older girl asked, flirtily.
“Indeed I do, Adeline.” Snape replied. “It appears, that by mysterious luck, the troll was found unconscious in the second floor girls bathrooms. The pea-brain creature somehow knocked itself out with its own club.”
Everyone laughed, Harry winked knowingly at his roommates.
“How did you find it, sir?”
“The teachers and I heard screaming so, of course, we went to investigate seeing as the troll was not found in the dungeons where Professor Quirrell said it was.” Snape sounded awfully snarly at the mention of the turban wearing professor but no one made a comment.
“Are we okay to go back to our actual common room?” A second year asked.
Snape tutted. “Best not. Trolls sometimes travel in little groups, there might be more than one still lurking our premises.”
No one seemed upset by it, this make-shift common room had everything they needed, even the Snake Conclave looked the same. The same fluffy carpet and softs couches, even the cool portraits that covered the walls were the same.
“Since tonight is the full moon, it was time for the conclave to meet,” Snape started, “I wanted to start discussing brewing potions, since I am the potions master.”
Some older students wiggled happily in their seats, two girls gripped each others hands and shared a whisper.
Snape grinned. “I have been asked by some students, whom I will not name, to share my knowledge on dark potions which we aren’t allowed to teach at school.”
Harry heard Blaise breathe a deep excited breath. “The books which hold these potions aren’t found in the restricted area, Professor Dumbledore banned them from the library after one… troubled student used them for his own gain.”
“Bet it was one of our fathers.” Draco whispered to Crabbe and Goyle who nodded.
Snape looked at the clock behind him and clicked his tongue. “Years 5, 6 and 7, stay behind if you are interested in dark potions, I will not encourage younger students to partake in these sessions until I feel they are of age.” Blaise groaned in unsatisfaction. “Get some sleep, it’s been a long night.”
“This is stupid!” Blaise yelled once they were all in their dorm. “I have just as much of a right as those 7th years to learn about dark potions!”
“Talk to Snape if you really want, but I don’t think he’ll change his mind.” Draco grumbled, face down on his bed.
“It’s not fair!” Blaise grumped again, throwing himself on his bed in a fit of rage.
“You can do it in a few years?” Harry tried.
Blaise slammed two fists on his covers. “I don’t want to wait a few years, I want to do it now!”
“I’m starving, we should call up for midnight snacks.” Crabbe said, getting changed into his pyjamas.
“Food is stupid too!” Blaise muffled.
Goyle gasped and threw a pillow at him. This did not encourage the sad boy to get up.
“Stop touching me and leave alone!” Blaise screeched suddenly. He sat up and threw the pillow back at Goyle so hard that Goyle fell back onto his mattress, then Blaise stood up and stomped all the way to the bathroom before slamming the door shut.
“Should one of us talk to him?” Harry asked hesitantly.
Draco frowned. “I don’t think so, we best leave him to kick the shower in peace.”
“I didn’t think he’d want to brew day potions this bad.” Goyle grunted.
“His mum does spew-doe—science. He told me once she did a personal experiment for the Dark Lord.” Draco whispered, as if it was a secret. “Wait- I think it’s pronounced pseudo-science. Yeah, that’s it.”
“What in the name does that mean?” Crabbe asked.
Draco shrugged. “I think it’s something to do with proving evidence or something."
Harry frowned. “What would Voldemort want to prove evidence for?”
“Don’t say his name aloud! Are you mad?” Draco snapped, putting a finger to Harry’s lips.
Harry brought his shoulders back and raised his chin. “I’m not scared of him.”
“I always forget you almost killed him before you could even talk.” Goyle teased.
Harry only shrugged.
A noise was heard from the bathroom and the door slowly creaked open to show a red eyed Blaise Zabini standing awkwardly. He looked smaller than usual.
“You guys aren’t quiet.”
Draco giggled and patted the spot on the other side of him for Blaise to sit. “Neither were you.”
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, didn’t know where that came from.” He muttered guiltily, sitting next to his friend.
They were silent for a few moments, looking between themselves predicamentally. Harry noticed now that it seemed as though the dorm mates were split. Crabbe and Goyle sat on Crabbe’s bed together whereas Blaise, Harry and Draco were sharing Draco’s bed. Was this just a coincidence?
“Harry, this day 10 years ago, you defeated him.” Blaise suddenly said, smiling proudly at Harry.
“Salazar,” Harry breathed, “today has been so long that I almost forgot!”
“Oh, Hare Bear, good thing you have us, aye.” Crabbe teased, tapping their feet together.
Harry snorted. “Hare Bear?”
“It’s better than kitten?” Blaise smirked.
Draco made an outraged sound. “He sounded like a kitten, okay, you gonna sue me?”
“You make him sound like a girl!” Blaise screamed out in laughter as Harry tackled him.
“Liar!” Harry raged, tickling the taller boys ribs.
“Angry kitty, sad kitty, not so very grandly kitty-“ Draco sang in a high pitch tune.
“On guard!” Harry screamed as he and the two cousins gripped Blaise and Draco and tackled them mercilessly on the bed.