Until The End

Until The End

Chapter 8: The Halloween Feast

“It always seems impossible until it’s done…”

Ron Weasley’s P.O.V:

Halloween was inching closer. Hagrid has decorated the castle with beautiful Halloween ornaments and immensely carved pumpkins, thus giving Hogwarts an aura of mischief and exhilaration for the upcoming event.

Ron had been feeling much better these past few days. After Daphne had re-joined the group, the girls had become livelier, and Ron had done his best to forgive Daphne and fixate any remaining ire in his training of spells. Daphne had done her best by rekindling a mutual alliance with both Ron and Xavier, and spoke to them more, regaining their trust and friendship slowly. It was rather awkward when it came between Daphne and Xavier as she couldn’t always look him in the eye without blushing, whilst Xavier preferred to stick to his reticent and withdrawn behaviour.

Ron had ended up winning thirty Galleons from Theo, Blaise, and Daphne who had challenged him to a chess match as promised and they lost quite tragically, to which they held up their end and gave him ten Galleons each. Ron also earned five Galleons each from Pansy and Tracey as they believed he would lose but were ultimately incorrect with their decision. Ron’s giddiness over his obtainment of Galleons was both hilarious and downright annoying for the others.

The only major problem that kept agonizing Ron throughout the past few days was the vision he had experienced back in the infirmary when Hermione had made physical contact with him.  

Ron would wake up in the middle of the night, breathing erratically and dripping with thick sweat, heavily dismayed from remembering the demolished corpses of Harry, Neville, and Hermione. Sometimes throughout the day at sporadic intervals, the screams of the Gryffindors rang through his ears distantly.  

Ron knew that if this vision was indeed true, he would have to somehow defeat or distract the Troll and save Harry, Neville, and Hermione from that fate.  

A few years back, Charlie had taught Ron willingly about the Expulso and Confringo spells, two highly effective blasting curses that Ron had already begun practising ever since witnessing the horrific vision and he had finally gotten the hang of the both of them, much to his thrill. If Ron had to do what he had to do, then he would gladly blast the Troll into a million pieces, which was the fairest price he could get as it would save the three Gryffindor’s lives.

The process of mastering the two blasting spells was made easier from all the pent-up anger Ron had stored in his heart from the arguments and issues that he had been involved in with Daphne and the customary sneers and looks of revulsion from Slytherins such as Malfoy. 

Xavier, on the other hand, worked on levitating heavier objects wandlessly as it required sheer patience and sole determination. Ron had taught Xavier the blasting curses he had mastered, and Xavier had caught on quickly.

Ron and Xavier synchronously entered the Great Hall to find the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams dressed in their flying uniforms, no doubt going over tactics and adept strategies as they devoured their breakfast for the upcoming first match of the season. Ron caught Harry’s eyes and gave him an encouraging nod, which in turn made Harry grin nervously. You’ve got this, mate…

Originally, Ron was going to openly support Gryffindor for Harry and the twins, even opting to wear a scarf with the House of lion’s colours, but when his friends found out, they had immediately persuaded him to not go through with the idea.

When Ron had demanded a reason, Theo explained that the other Slytherins and Snape would be sickened by seeing Ron openly advocating the opposing team and it would enkindle more trouble for Ron. Ron couldn’t give less of a shit of what the other Slytherins thought, but the idea of disappointing Snape was enough to reconsider Ron’s choice of attire.

Theo also decided to make a bet with Ron, and it was that if Slytherin won the match, Ron owed him a certain amount and if Gryffindor won instead, Theo would gift a certain amount.  

Ron was going to decline as soon as Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, Millie, and Pansy all joined Theo’s side of the bet as Ron didn’t want to lose the thirty Galleons he had won from the chess matches so soon, but Xavier had come to his aid. Xavier told Ron that he had a fortune left from his parents in his vault and he would definitely back up Ron if he had to plus, Xavier was confident that Harry would catch the snitch, which gave some morale for Ron.   

As Ron and Xavier continued making their way to where their friends sat, Ron halted abruptly, his mind coming to a final decision. He had to speak to Professor Dumbledore. He was the only person who knew of Ron’s ‘gift’ and was the only person Ron could trust to act. Ron spun around, pivoting on his heel and he headed towards the professor’s table and marched right up to Professor Dumbledore, straightening his back, and holding his head high.

“Good morning, sir,” Ron started, utilizing an overly respectful tone as Snape’s piercing eyes landed on his figure.

“Ah, good day, Mr. Weasley, what may I help you with?” Dumbledore replied ebulliently, his eyes twinkling.   

“I was hoping to speak to you about a certain matter in private, if you don’t mind, sir,” Ron answered quickly, and the Headmaster nodded. Ron felt a pang of guilt for interrupting the old man’s breakfast, but this was urgent. Good, now I can tell him…

Albus Dumbledore’s P.O.V:

Albus guided Ronald out of the Great Hall and into the Courtyard and faced the red-haired boy. A slight breeze washed over their faces, ruffling their hair. The clear, blue sky was enveloped with wisps of clouds, and Albus smiled softly.

“Beautiful weather for a day like this,” Albus noted, and Ron nodded.  

“I’m sorry to interrupt you like this, Headmaster,” Ronald apologised sincerely, and the Headmaster dismissed his unneeded apology with a reassuring smile. I see that his House is influencing his respectful manners.

“It’s quite alright, Ronald,” Albus chuckled, before adorning an intrigued look. “What was it that you wanted to converse about, my boy?”  

“Professor, I had a vision a few weeks ago,” Ronald started slowly, inhaling a deep breath, and Albus’ brow furrowed. He could see that Ronald was indisputably hiding the anguish from the topic he was about to discuss.

“A few weeks ago? Explain, my boy,” Albus requested, and Ronald nodded.

“It was the day when Xavier had that incident and I was in the Hospital Wing, keeping him company when Hermione Granger, a friend of ours, came in to visit him just like I was doing,” Ronald supplied, and Albus gestured for him to continue, albeit he was smiling at the fact that both Ron and Xavier were befriending a student from another House.  

“When he introduced me to Hermione, I shook hands with her and I got a vision,” Ronald imparted sincerely.

“I think it’s safe to assume that your visions occur sporadically or spontaneously through physical touch,” Albus commented, his fingers stroking his beard. “What did you see in this vision?”

“I was at Hogwarts and there some commotion going on in the girls’ lavatory. I’m not sure what floor the bathroom was on, but I followed the commotion and I saw a Troll-” Ronald stated, but he was cut off by Albus’ bewildered expression.

“A Troll in the girls’ lavatory?” Albus questioned incredulously. How could this be?

“Yes, sir. Harry, Neville, and Hermione were all there too, and they were trying to escape the Troll. I don’t know why they were there or how the Troll got inside the lavatory, but I saw Harry…” Ronald trailed off. It made him sick every time he thought, spoke, or saw it in his nightmares… the decapitated bodies… it was all just too much for him.

“What did you see?” Albus inquired gently as he squeezed Ronald’s shoulder and Albus could see that the red-haired boy was stubbornly refusing to cry as his expression trembled slightly and his face was paling by the second.

“He… Harry jumped on the Troll’s back to cause a distraction, but the Troll just shook him off and he… he killed Harry with its’ club!” Ronald whispered, choking a sob and Albus immediately pulled the boy into a hug. Ronald then began to sob uncontrollably, and Albus patted his back lightly while shushing him softly. My dear boy…

Albus had observed a small, but an unambiguous change in Ronald’s behaviour over the last few days and now it all made sense; the poor boy had witnessed something so horrifying that no eleven-year-old child should have ever had.  

“He bones cracked and he… he died,” Ronald stammered, his breathing becoming more inconsistent and Albus felt a knot in his stomach form. How could this have happened? A Troll ends up killing the boy-who-lived? How!?

And then it hit him… Quirrell! The Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor was going to make his move to let the Troll in to distract the school and retrieve the Stone. It had to be the only possible explanation for this horrendous conundrum.

“Headmaster…” Ron sniffed as he wiped away his tears. “The Troll also stepped on Neville’s body and it… it bit off Hermione’s head…”

At this point, Albus felt as if he was going to feel sick himself. Not because of such imagery. Yes, it sounded horrendous, but Albus had seen many dreadful things throughout his many years. What sickened him was the fact that a young, innocent boy had to witness all of this. All of this puzzling madness.

Albus couldn’t let this happen and he knew that he would have to tell Severus. However, that meant Albus had to divulge Severus about Ronald’s momentous ability, which would thus break his promise to Ronald when he had confided in him, but this was of dire significance, and Severus was another highly trusted individual of Albus’, maybe even the most trusted person Albus could count on. Severus would never divulge such information on Ron’s Seer abilities to anyone and he was an extremely skilled Occlumens.    

Albus looked back to Ronald’s figure shaking violently and his skin as pale as a Hogwarts’s ghost. He requires a Calming Draught now.

Albus took the shaking Ronald back inside and as Ronald waited outside the Great Hall, Albus entered it and walked over to Minerva and Severus, who were both debating heatedly about which of their teams were going to win.

“Minerva, Severus,” Albus called earnestly, and they both faced him.

“Severus, I need you with me. One of the students requires a Calming Draught forthwith,” Albus requested, and the Potions Master nodded curtly.

“Minerva, once breakfast is done, take them all to the grounds, so the match can begin,” Albus instructed, and the Deputy Headmistress nodded firmly.

Albus and Severus then made their way out of the Great Hall, breakfast forgotten, and Albus spotted Ronald, still shivering and shaking. Poor boy…

“What happened, Albus?” Severus asked as he examined his student’s appearance with a cocked eyebrow. 

“I shall explain everything to you, once you have arranged Ronald a Calming Daught,” Albus answered firmly, and Severus nodded tersely.  

“He looks like he might need the Draught of Peace instead,” Severus suggested as he led Albus and Ronald to his office. “It will calm his nerves and reduce any agitation or anxiety that he is experiencing right now.”

Once inside, Albus sat Ronald down gently as Severus went to grab a concocted Draught of Peace potion from his storage cupboards.  

“Why am I here, Headmaster?” Ronald queried as his widened eyes darted around the room.

“Professor Snape will administer you a potion to calm your nerves, my boy,” Albus replied truthfully, and Ron just nodded absent-mindedly.

Severus then appeared behind Albus with a vial filled with turquoise-blue simmering liquid and handed it to Ronald.  

“Drink this, Mr. Weasley,” Severus instructed, and Ronald took the vial and chugged it down without another thought.

Albus and Severus watched as Ronald’s expression slowly went from affrighted and baffled to a more relaxed, serene, and exuberant countenance in mere seconds.   

“How are you feeling, Mr. Weasley?” Albus asked and Ronald faced him.

“Bloody amazing, Professor!” Ronald replied excitedly and Albus’ eyes widened. Albus then shook his head and let out a chuckle.

“That was the Draught of Peace, right?” Ronald recalled, and Severus nodded aloofly. “Hmm, I definitely need to concoct that one. I can’t forget about the porcupine quills it requires…

“You may go now, Ronald. Enjoy the Quidditch match and thank you for telling me everything,” Albus consented with a warm smile and Ronald grinned.

“Goodbye, Professors,” Ronald returned eagerly, and he left Severus’ Office in a hurry, leaving the Headmaster and the Potion’s Master alone.

“Care to explain what happened?” Severus asked after a moment, his voice suggesting little interest.

Albus just stared at his ex-student. Should I let him on Ronald’s secret? I trust Severus with my life, and he could be of further substantial help to us in the future… I’m sorry Ronald, I hope you’ll understand one day, but Severus will be vital if he knows about your secret…

“Severus,” Albus started and the Slytherin looked at him. “Ronald is a Seer.”

Silence followed his statement and Severus just scrutinized Albus with an unreadable expression. Severus was clearly trying to evaluate the truthiness in Albus’s tone as it was one of his specialties.

“Is this some joke?” Severus asked, his tone laced with annoyance.

“I assure you, I’m speaking the absolute truth, and let me explain,” Albus proposed, and Severus sat down on a stool, glints of suspiciousness gleaming in his dark eyes.

“Do you recall the tale I told you of Ronald saving Pandora Lovegood’s life?” Albus reminded and Severus nodded once.

“Well, Ronald had actually experienced a vision when he came into physical contact with Pandora and when I went to go meet the young Weasley, I studied his magical core involuntarily and there was another source of magic interlinked with the usual magic a witch or wizard has procured from the day they were born. A Seer has a different signal in their magical core, and I had felt said signal within Ronald’s magical core. The Seers have a bizarre insight embedded within their minds and it reminded me of the sources hidden within Ronald’s magical core. He is a Seer or has Seer-like capabilities, specifically experiencing visions. As far as I know, Ronald hasn’t spewed out any prophecies or hasn’t dabbled in crystal balls,” Albus explained thoroughly, and Severus’ brow furrowed.   

“How is that possible? The Weasley’s are not known to have had a Seer in their lineage,” Severus inquired earnestly.

“I still need time to figure this question, but as I said before, Ronald Weasley receives visions that showcase glimpses of events in the future. Only he and I know this, and now I’m placing my trust in you to keep this a secret. He’s been having visions at unsolicitous times whenever he comes into contact with someone else and his latest vision has bothered me immensely, Severus,” Albus admitted, and Severus listened intently. Hearing Albus admit that he was worried definitely put Severus on guard.

“What happened in this vision?” Severus questioned slowly, keeping a neutral expression.

“From what I’ve gathered, Ronald’s vision showed that Quirrell will make his move to steal the Stone… by letting a Troll in to cause a distraction,” Albus responded, and Severus shot out from his chair with an infuriated look.

“That stuttering fool will put the students in danger by bringing a Troll in!” Severus hissed and Albus nodded gravely. 

“Indeed, Severus. In this vision, Ronald witnessed Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss. Granger all meeting their ends to the hands of the Troll in the girls’ lavatory,” Albus provided uneasily, and Severus sat back down on his stool, rubbing his forehead at the appalling information he had heard.  

“So, this Troll ends up obliterating the three Gryffindors, while Quirrell may have possibly obtained the Stone,” Severus recapped and Albus nodded once.

“Merlin…” Severus muttered, paling slightly. He then looked a little sympathetic, much to Albus’ surprise.

“And Mr. Weasley saw all this and has been enduring those images since when?” Severus asked. Albus then understood why Severus felt a little sympathetic.

“Since Mr. Desmond’s little incident, I believe,” Albus replied, and Severus gazed stagnantly. For a second, Albus thought he saw Severus look genuinely disheartened for the boy, but it disappeared as fast it came.

“What are we going to do, Albus? Did Mr. Weasley know the specific day that this event would take place?” Severus questioned, and Albus sighed heavily.

“No, I don’t recall him providing me with any dates or time, but I need you to keep an eye on Quirrell and since you now know about Ronald’s secret, you will keep it to yourself,” Albus ordered firmly.

“Understood,” Severus replied curtly. We must stop Quirrell from getting that Stone…

Xavier Desmond’s P.O.V:

The Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium was buzzing boisterously from the student body and ecstatic chatter permeated through the air. A soothing wind ruffled everyone’s hair and clothes, and the weather couldn’t have been better for the first match of the season.    

On one side of the pitch was the Gryffindor stand, heavily decorated with gaudy colours of red and gold, while a large percentage of the Gryffindor students were dressed in attire matching their House’s colours.

The Slytherin stand was also bedecked with their House’s colours, which were green and silver, and like the Gryffindor stand, many of the Slytherin students were wearing scarves, gloves, beanies, or clothes that carried the Slytherin House colours.

Xavier and Ron were probably the only two Slytherins that were rooting for Gryffindor, and they placed their faith in Harry. Although Harry was short and skinny for his age, it would be utilized greatly for his position as seeker.

An enthusiastic chortle came from behind Xavier, effectively tearing him out from his boredom and he looked back to find Ron staring at the whole pitch

“Hey mate!” Ron exclaimed, his thrilled eyes landing on Xavier.

“Where have you been?” Xavier asked, cocking an eyebrow at Ron’s enlivened behaviour.

“I was just talking to the Headmaster about something. Merlin, I can’t wait for this match to start!” Ron exclaimed even louder, and Xavier glanced at his Slytherin friends. Theo and Blaise wore the same expression as he did, Tracey and Millie were chuckling to themselves, and Daphne and Pansy looked concerned. Xavier shook his head. He’s probably too gassed about the match…

After a few more minutes of anticipation, Lee Jordan, a close friend of Fred and George Weasley and Quidditch commentator, spoke through the microphone to garner everyone’s attention.

“Welcome to the first match of the season,” Lee Jordan’s voice boomed, his tone enraptured by the ordeal and the student body let out keen cheers. “The first match of the season will kick off with Gryffindor taking on Slytherin. May both teams please arrive on to the pitch.”

The two Quidditch teams obliged, and they came flying out, earning screams of delight from the students. Slytherin cheered loudly for their team while booing at the Gryffindor team and Gryffindor did the same vice versa. It was obvious that Hufflepuff was rooting for the Gryffindor Quidditch team by the evident cheers intertwined with the Gryffindors for the Gryffindor team. Ravenclaw seemed to be mixed, some going for Gryffindor, while others supported Slytherin. 

Xavier’s eyes landed on Harry and the bespectacled boy looked positively anxious and shifty on his Nimbus 2000. You’ve got this…

Madam Hooch then requested Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor team, and Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin team, to shake each other’s hands and both looked like they were trying to crush each other’s fingers.

As soon as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, the game began with Lee Jordan commentating and the crowd watched closely as the tension became palpable almost instantaneously. 

A few minutes ticked by and Slytherin had already scored first, which made the Slytherin supporters bellow with jubilant tones, whilst the Gryffindors would just boo loudly. The vice versa occurred once Gryffindor had gotten a few points and Xavier opted to ignore Lee Jordan’s biased commentary as all he repeated were things like ‘Slytherins were cheats’, and instead, Xavier focused his sight on his Gryffindor friend.

Ron, who was seated next to Xavier, had the excitement of a three-year-old visiting a candy shop and though it amused Xavier, he was still perplexed by the sudden change of Ron’s behaviour. The redhead wasn’t acting like this in the morning when they were practising spell casting.  

Half time had come and Slytherin was leading by thirty points. No one had spotted the Golden Snitch yet and the tension was so tangible, it was enough for anyone to jump off a broom.

Suddenly, a gold glint whizzed past the crowd, and they all clamoured as Harry and the Slytherin seeker, Terrence Higgs, both searched around frantically, their captains shouting incessant instructions at them.

Then, all of a sudden, Harry’s broom started to malfunction, and the crowd watched in horror and discombobulation as the Nimbus 2000 jerked in every direction violently. Poor Harry had no clue of what was happening as he just held on for dear life. What the hell? What’s going on?

“What the bloody hell is happening?” Ron shouted over the crowd.

“I think someone had jinxed his broom,” Theo replied in a yell, his eyes fixated on Harry, and Xavier immediately looked, his eyes scanning over the student body.

With no surprise, Malfoy and his goons were sniggering loudly, but Xavier knew those cunts couldn’t be capable of jinxing a broom.

Xavier continued his inspection, and everyone seemed to have shellshocked, frightened, or incredulous reactions. However, to Xavier’s sudden surprise, his eyes caught two people muttering fast under their breath. And it was Snape and Quirrell. 

Xavier narrowed his eyes and watched Harry’s broom jerk violently as Snape and Quirrell both muttered incoherently. What are those two up to?

Another shock came quickly as Quirrell looked behind him when something caught his attention and Harry’s broom immediately stopped jerking about. How intriguing…

So, Quirrell had been muttering some sort of jinx to make Harry’s broom malfunction… Why? And why the hell was Snape muttering as well? Was he a part of it?

Xavier started feeling a sense of wariness arise in him from the actions displayed by Quirrell and Snape. The boy-who-lived could have potentially gotten seriously hurt or may have even died if he had plummeted from his broom. Then again, I don’t doubt that one of the professors would have used the Arresto Momentum spell to slow down his fall…

Once Harry regained control over his broom and the crowd had calmed down, the match resumed with the sole intent of waiting for the seekers to catch the Golden Snitch.

Some had time had gone by before Harry began accelerating on his broom unexpectedly and the crowd immediately focused on his movements. Has he found it?

Terrence noticed this and a panicked expression filled his face as he chased Harry. Terrence tailed the Gryffindor seeker, getting closer slowly, however, he discontinued this when he and Harry were getting too low. Harry made a sharp turn upwards and followed the Golden Snitch attentively. As Harry reached out his hand, the tail of his broom collided with the ground and Harry bounced harshly across the grass. Gasps and winces emanated throughout the student body, while the professors stood up from the seats, looking down below at Harry with consternation.  

Harry then slowly stumbled to his feet, and he began gagging. When he opened his mouth, the crowd went hysterical as the Golden Snitch, dripping with saliva, dropped into his hand. Every Gryffindor supporter went ballistic as Harry held the Golden Snitch up with a small, relieved smile.

“Fucking yes, mate!” Ron yelled in awe, and Xavier shot him a look to relax before the other Slytherins caught on.  

Lee Jordan was exclaiming his euphoria from his booth and even McGonagall was clapping enthusiastically with a proud smile and Xavier shot an impressed smirk at Harry, who had been hoisted upon the twin’s shoulders. Well done, mate…

“Pay up,” Ron commanded with a smug grin, and everyone, save for Xavier, scowled heavily at him. Theo and the others had taken the loss to heart, especially since the fact that they had lost a bet against Ron and Xavier.

“What are you going to do with all this money?” Tracey questioned as she handed her due amount to Ron and Xavier.

“What would you buy with this money, Trace? After all, it’s your money- oh wait, it’s mine!” Ron exclaimed with a triumphant cackle, and even Xavier chuckled.

“You don’t have to be so conceited about it,” Daphne huffed indignantly, while Tracey glared at Ron.

“Well, now that we’ve seen the outcome, Blaise and I will be joining your side from now on every time Gryffindor plays,” Theo proposed firmly.

“Brilliant!” Ron encouraged loudly and they all blocked their ears. Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy… He must be on some potion…

“But why?” Ron suddenly inquired rigorously, his expression shifting to one of curiosity.   

“Well, as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them,” Blaise answered smoothly, and Ron nodded fervently in understanding.

“Fair enough,” Xavier responded.

Gryffindor’s win had finally faded off by the time Halloween finally arrived upon them.

Though Xavier appeared calm and collected as usual, he was overwhelmed deep down. Halloween was so much larger and more lavish in Hogwarts, compared to the way the orphanage would celebrate Halloween.

The castle glowed of its beautiful, yet intimidating theme mostly put together from Hagrid’s ideas. Even Peeves, the trouble-making Poltergeist, seemed to be more alive and cheerful at the brilliant festive decorations.

Charms class had finally finished, and Xavier was feeling sated with himself; he was able to move a feather in class wandlessly and with ease as lifting smaller, lighter objects were nothing to him anymore. Xavier understood the use of directing his magic through his arm as a conduit and it made lifting the feather easier than expected.

Ron and Hermione were the only two people other than Xavier, to lift the feather with their wands in their first go and they had earned points for the House respectively. Theo, Blaise, and Daphne were also able to demonstrate ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ in their first few tries and helped the others.  

Xavier strolled silently with his Slytherin friends, mostly listening to their conversations, though he could also hear Seamus Finnegan ranting out his frustrations.  

“I swear it’s me bloody wand! Every time… I just can’t bloody do it!” Seamus whined, gazing at his wand with exasperation.

“Well maybe it was because you were waving your wand harshly,” came Hermione’s voice and though it sounded bossy, Xavier knew Hermione was only trying to advise Seamus Finnegan. “Maybe, if you practise-”

“Shut up, Granger,” Seamus interrupted in a loutish tone, and Hermione gasped audibly. The Gryffindors all stopped to watch the dispute, while the Slytherins twirled around and emulated the Gryffindor’s actions.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a know-it-all, then you could have made a friend by now. Merlin, no wonder no wants to be around you,” Seamus spat out boorishly and before Xavier could step in, Hermione rushed past the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, her eyes filled with overflowing tears, and she disappeared from sight.  

Much to Xavier’s antipathy, the Slytherins and even some of the Gryffindors were sniggering to themselves. The only people who seemed blatantly concerned and unamused like Xavier were Ron, Harry, and Neville.  

A cold expression flitted across Xavier’s face and as if someone was controlling him, his temper got the best of him this time, and he marched up to Finnegan and pushed him harshly onto the floor.

“What the hell was the for?!” Finnegan roared as everyone watched with unease.

“Why did you insult someone her, eh? She was just trying to help,” Xavier snapped aggressively. Xavier felt a pair of hands hold him back, restraining him from attacking Finnegan, even though Xavier wasn’t going to anyway.

Xavier glanced back and found Ron holding him back, a look of fury directed at Finnegan. “If you ever insult Hermione again, you’ll regret it, cunt,” Ron sneered loathingly, and Finnegan gulped as he backed away.  

“Fucking twat,” Xavier growled, shooting a death-glare that seemed to chill everyone down to their bones.  

“Come on, Xavier, let’s go,” Ron whispered as he shot another look of contempt at Finnegan and Xavier obliged reluctantly.  

“All a bunch of swines, the whole lot of them,” Ron snarled, and Xavier clenched his teeth, regaining control over his emotions. Hermione was right… no one gives a single damn about her…

“Thanks for holding me back there, Ron,” Xavier spoke, his attitude revealing appreciation, and Ron waved it aside.

“It’s alright mate, but I honestly wanted to jump that git right then and there,” Ron scowled darkly, and Xavier couldn’t help but agree.

Xavier and Ron turned back to find their friends catching up to them and to their annoyance, their Slytherin friends didn’t look bothered by what occurred.

“You shouldn’t have lost your temper, Xavier,” Theo pointed out. “It could have ruined your reputation, mate.”  

“Reputation, eh?” Xavier repeated indifferently. “I was being kind to that twit.”

“And why are you lot snickering?” Ron chimed in, eyeing the girls with a grimace. “What’s so funny about Hermione getting insulted by her own Housemate?”

“Look, I know you’re friends with her now, but it’s not like we are, Ron,” Tracey reasoned.  

“In all honesty, she is a know-it-all, and she acts like she is superior to everyone around her. Even in the beginning, she did it with you two,” Pansy added, smirking slightly. “She had it coming.”

“Yeah, then what about me? Don’t I count as a ‘know-it-all’?” Ron shot back, his voice starting to rise as anger graced his face. Very good point…

“You aren’t like her, Ron,” Daphne responded earnestly. “You don’t act like you are more significant than others just because you have more knowledge.”

“And you guys don’t think it was wrong of how Finnegan insulted his own Housemate?” Ron grit out, and they all shrugged.

“I couldn’t care less,” Blaise answered aloofly. 

“You know what? Fuck this,” Ron spoke after a moment, and he stormed off to his next class. Xavier glimpsed back at them coldly before following after Ron. Fuck… it was better when I didn’t care about people… now I’m feeling emotions I really wished I never did… It’s going to be the end of me…

Transfiguration class had gone by rather sluggishly as all Xavier could ponder about was where Hermione had disappeared off to.  

Hermione would never miss her classes for anything in the world and yet, she had disappeared without a trace, her seat empty. Even Professor McGonagall had noticed this discrepancy but nonetheless continued her class. Xavier silently hoped to himself that Hermione hadn’t done any drastic action to herself, otherwise Finnegan would pay the price dearly for it.

Xavier honestly thought that Harry and Neville would step up to defend Hermione, but they didn’t, and Xavier felt quite disappointed by that. Sure, Harry and Neville had recounted him about how Hermione was like and how she came off with her imperious behaviour, but at least they could have done something.  

Xavier also noted that Ron was adamantly ignoring his Slytherin friends, and Xavier opted to replicate Ron’s choice. It definitely created some tension between the eight Slytherin students. 

As the class finished, lunch proceeded and then they all had free time to themselves before the extravagant Halloween Feast would be upon them.

Much to Xavier’s respect, Harry and Neville had indeed felt bad for not stepping up for Hermione and had proposed to go locate her. They both asked Xavier and Ron to join them, to which the two Slytherins obliged firmly.

Xavier was brought back to the present moment when someone coughed to grab his attention.

“So…” Tracey started, five minutes into their silent lunch.

“Are you lot excited for the Halloween Feast tonight?” Theo asked and they all nodded, save for Xavier and Ron, who were still ignoring the rest of them.

“I said, are you lot excited for the Halloween Feast tonight?” Theo repeated louder, his eyes fixed on Xavier and Ron. Both knew better than to fall in and give satisfaction by answering the question.

“Guys, eat something, you’ll get hungry,” Pansy spoke up gently, but Ron chuckled coldly, while Xavier scoffed darkly.

“I think I’ll be able to eat after I found out where in Merlin’s beard Hermione disappeared off to,” Xavier replied, and Ron nodded in agreement.

“Seriously, what is up with you and her?” Tracey asked, no doubt trying to make Xavier blush, but Xavier kept his face stone cold and indifferent.

“Do you… do you like her?” Daphne questioned dubiously, and a wave of awkwardness washed over them.

“No, I don’t see the point of such foolish ideals such as ‘liking’ someone,” Xavier replied taciturnly, his tone colder than ice and his expression aloof like Blaise’s. He missed Daphne’s disappointed look.  

“You didn’t have to say it like that,” Tracey advised, while Pansy frowned.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. After all, I’m certain that gossip and romance is your only forte,” Xavier responded harshly.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Daphne demanded icily, her ice-queen persona coming into play.     

“I don’t know, Xavier,” Ron chimed in loudly. “I’m starting to believe that I had befriended the wrong lot.”

Much to Ron’s raw satisfaction, the others seemed quite hurt by his comment.

“Oh really?” Theo asked, raising an eyebrow. “You two would be all alone if we weren’t your allies and friends.”

“You lot came to us,” Ron shot back, his eyes hardening.

“It wouldn’t matter to me if you lot weren’t my friends,” Xavier added, his eyes still engrossed somewhere else. “Maybe, I’d be better off without any of you…”

“Ok, seriously, what’s the matter? Are you saying all of this because of Granger?” Blaise’s cold, disinterested voice crept in. Blaise was always too reserved and aloof to join into these sorts of conversations, but when he did, it symbolized the fact that shit was getting serious.

“You want to know, eh? Then let me tell you how it is,” Xavier looked back at them, and his eyes pierced through their souls. “Hermione apologised to both me and Ron for her behaviour and we respected that. She’s a Muggle-Born who only recently learned of her magical status weeks prior to Hogwarts opening for another year and she’s got no one in her House. She’s all alone, engulfed by solitude, and even though she prefers books to people, I can see that she doesn’t always value her seclusion. I know the way she behaves is a stimulus for the specific reactions a lot of people present her, but she just wants to start fresh and help out those who are in need of it.” I’m like her… I wanted to gain socialness when I came here… to break out from my isolation back at the orphanage… That was one of my goals… That was one of my promises…

They were all at a loss for words as Xavier finished his ramble, partly due to how Xavier was never vocal about anything and was more calculating, but also the light he brightened upon them. Ron, who had been nodding vigorously with Xavier’s words, looked as if something had dawned upon him.

“It all makes sense to me now,” Ron spoke softly, and everyone’s attention was gathered to Ron’s figure.

“What do you mean, Ron?” Millie asked, her voice betraying her uneasiness.  

“I overheard you guys the other day, in the library,” Ron started, and Xavier’s brow furrowed when the others all looked uncomfortable.

“Go on, Ron,” Xavier ordered, his curiosity sky-rocketing.  

Ron took a deep breath and explained, “I came to the library to meet up with Hermione and I saw you guys studying, so I decided to come over. But when I got closer, you all were hushing to each other, and I heard many things.”

“What… What things, Ron?” Tracey asked, feigning innocence.

“Things like how we are valuable allies and that it wouldn’t be a good idea to lose us,” Ron’s soft tone had ascended into a growl, and Xavier gazed between them wordlessly. I’m a fool… How could I not have noticed this? They don’t want our friendship or mutual alliance… we’re only used for our knowledge, expertise, and a gateway to escape Malfoy…

“Is this true?” Xavier questioned calmly, his countenance emotionless.

“No…” Millie started quickly, but she fell silent.

“Well, technically yes, but it’s not what you’re thinking-” Tracey was cut off by Ron’s betrayed look of hurt. 

“So, this whole time… you just wanted us to be your allies and you acted like you felt bad for Hermione when you really didn’t give a fuck at all,” Ron supplied as if piecing a puzzle.

“No, that’s not right at all,” Tracey replied, her eyes starting to shimmer. “You’ve misinterpreted-” Enough of this.

“Don’t talk, you filthy half-blood,” Xavier snarled viciously, and Tracey’s eyes widened in horror, whilst everyone else was sent into pure disbelief. “Exactly. That’s how Hermione would feel if she knew what Mud-Blood even meant and you lot were just using us for your benefit. Shame on me for not remembering that this is the Slytherin House, where some of our strongest traits are being cunning, guile, and opportunists. I should have seen this from the beginning.” Big mistake, Xavier, maybe being alone was the best choice after all…

The bell rang, notifying the student body that lunchtime was over, and both Xavier and Ron stood up immediately.  

“No, wait, just listen!” Theo snapped, losing his own temper at the ordeal.

“Nah, we’re finished,” Ron concluded, shaking his head in disappointment. Xavier and Ron both then marched off, not sparing a glance at their ex-friends. Both Xavier and Ron fell silent as emotions bubbled up in their souls. They had thought that they had gained some worthy allies and valuable friends, but they were dead wrong. They simultaneously exited the Great Hall and found Harry and Neville waiting for them.

“Hey guys,” Harry greeted, but all Xavier and Ron could do was nod curtly. “Are you two alright?”

“We’re fine, mate,” Ron replied, forcing a small smile.

“We just had some small squabble with our frie- I mean our allies,” Xavier corrected himself with a cold look and Harry just nodded.

“Anyway, do you guys want to go search for Hermione right now or do you want to swap into some normal clothes first?” Harry proposed.

“I reckon I’ll change into some normal clothes first, mate,” Ron voiced his opinion, and Harry nodded.

“Alright, we’ll all meet at the library and start there,” Xavier instructed and the other three nodded. They departed off to their respective common rooms.

Once inside, Xavier and Ron made sure to avoid eye contact with anyone in case they were their ex-friends, and to their luck, Theo and Blaise weren’t in the dorm either, so Xavier and Ron quickly changed into some normal fresh clothes and headed out of the Slytherin Common Room to go meet up with Harry and Neville as planned.

Once the four boys met up, the search for Hermione Granger began, their first choice of area to seek to be the library. They all scoured through several sections of the library, looking between the aisles of bookshelves, walking over to any study table, and even asking Madam Pince. Hermione wasn’t at the library.  

The four then opted to split up to cover more ground in less time; Harry headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron went out to the grounds, Neville disappeared off to check in vacant, spare classrooms and as for Xavier, he went to the infirmary.

It was like a game of hide and seek, except this was no game… Hermione had actually disappeared, and it began to worry the two lions and the two snakes.

5 minutes… 10 minutes… 15 minutes… 20 minutes… Still no Hermione…

Xavier turned a corner and found Harry, Neville, and Ron all waiting for him and the knot in his stomach remained in place when he saw that none of them had Hermione by their side.

“No progress, eh?” Xavier asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, we haven’t found her at all,” Harry replied with displeasure, and they all sighed concurrently. 

“Where could she have gone to?” Neville muttered, and they all thought hard.

“I’m going to take a piss,” Ron announced after a moment, and he ran off the loo. Wait… the Loo… that’s where girls go when they’re upset…

“I think I’ve got it, lads,” Xavier noted, and the two Gryffindors listened avidly.

“I think Hermione might be in one of the girls’ lavatory,” Xavier provided. Harry and Neville’s eyes slowly widened in realisation.  

“Yeah, we haven’t checked any of the toilets at all!” Harry remarked.

“It makes sense,” Neville added, smiling at their new chance of hope.

“But we’ve got a problem,” Xavier frowned. “Hermione will obviously be in the girls’ lavatory… and we’re all males. The last thing we need is to get caught.”

Harry was sporting a light blush, and Neville looked positively terrified of the thought of getting caught by a female student.

“What do we do?” Neville questioned anxiously.  

“We can’t go in ourselves, so that means we must need help from a girl to go talk to Hermione, IF she is in there,” Xavier informed firmly, and the two Gryffindors nodded in agreement.

“What did I miss?” came Ron’s voice. Xavier proceeded to explain everything to Ron and there was a rather peculiar shift of expression in Ron’s face when Xavier mentioned the possibility of Hermione hiding in the loo. It was as if a realisation of terror had dawned upon Ron’s face, and Xavier was perplexed by this behaviour. Why does he look so afraid all of a sudden?

“Hmm… we can always ask one of the female prefects for help,” Ron suggested, feigning thoughtfulness and the other three boys found themselves nodding with that. It seemed that only Xavier had the slight shakiness in Ron’s tone.

“I say we go ask the Gryffindor prefect for help as the Slytherin one probably wouldn’t care for a Gryffindor like Hermione,” Xavier recommended. “Speaking of which, who is your Gryffindor prefect?”

“Our female fifth-year Gryffindor prefect is Sydney Moore. Don’t worry, she’s really nice,” Neville answered, and Xavier nodded curtly.

“Alright then, Neville and I will go get Sydney and we’ll meet you guys back here,” Harry said, and the two lions departed to go recruit their prefect.

Ron Weasley’s P.O.V:

Ron could feel his heart thumping and it was hindering Ron’s thought process; if Hermione was in the girls’ lavatory, then it would be one of the ways she ended up in the lavatory in Ron’s vision in the first place. On top of that, Harry and Neville were currently helping Ron and Xavier find Hemione, so this was a way for them to end up in the lavatory just like in the vision. Is this day? But who would let Trolls in? And when?

However, at the same time, Ron couldn’t be certain of this probability. He and Xavier were looking for Hermione and yet, Ron didn’t recall seeing himself or Xavier in the vision. Or maybe they had escaped? No, Ron nor Xavier would ever ditch without making sure their friends were safe and sound… Ron had to ascertain if this was the day that the Troll would make its way to Hogwarts. But he just didn’t know how.

“Ron, are you alright?” Xavier’s voice interrupted his thoughts and Ron looked back to Xavier. Ron hadn’t even noticed that he was sweating profusely and that he was very pale.

“You got something on your mind? You can confide in me,” Xavier assured, and Ron didn’t respond immediately. Should I tell him? I can trust him… but I shouldn’t… I promised that I wouldn’t tell anyone, especially the fact that someone could Legilimency on him to find out my secret…

“I know and I’m fine, Xavier, I promise,” Ron said firmly, and Xavier just nodded curtly, even though Ron could tell that Xavier wasn’t fully convinced.  

The echoes of footsteps reverberated from behind Xavier and the two Slytherins spun around to see Harry, Neville, and a fifth-year girl, presumably the Gryffindor prefect approaching them. The Gryffindor prefect had chestnut-brown hair with small curls that spiralled to her shoulders, and she wore a friendly aura around herself. 

“Guys, this is Sydney Moore,” Harry introduced after catching his breath.   

“Nice to meet you, Syndey. I’m Ron Weasley, and this is Xavier Desmond,” Ron greeted with a relieved smile; the sooner they got Hermione out, the better. 

“Aww, you’re so cute!” Sydney cooed and Ron went bright red, much to Harry and Neville’s amusement. Umm… alright, then.

“It’s a pleasure meeting the both of you,” Sydney said earnestly, shaking the two Slytherin’s hands, and she smiled at Ron. “You do remind me a lot of Percy, I’ll give you that.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ron blushed, not knowing what else to respond with.

“Do you know the plan, Sydney?” Xavier questioned sincerely, and the prefect nodded.

“Harry and Neville explained the situation and I should commend you all on how brave and loyal it is to go find a friend like that, especially when two of you aren’t even from the same House. Five points to each of you,” Sydney praised, smiling brightly at the four boys.

“Where should we start?’ Neville asked curiously.

“We’ll start at the girls’ lavatory on the first floor. Follow me,” Sydney instructed resolutely, and the four boys followed the prefect through the landing and up the stairs to the first floor. They reached the girls’ lavatory and Sydney peered through, before looking back at the boys.

“I’ll go in and see if your friend is in there,” Sydney stated, and the four boys nodded. 

More than 5 minutes had gone by, and Ron was starting to get impatient and wary. What’s going in there? What’s taking so bloody long?

The door to the girls’ lavatory then swung open and Sydney appeared with a troubled expression.

“Finally! What happened?” Ron immediately interrogated.

“Hermione Granger is indeed in one of the stalls, but she won’t come out no matter how many times I’ve tried to persuade her to do so,” Sydney answered, frowning slightly, and Ron clenched his teeth. Fuck… I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands…

“Then let me go in and talk to her,” Ron suggested boldly, and everyone gawked at him. “You can warn me if another girl is coming, but we need Hermione to get out of there.” They don’t understand… if Hermione doesn’t come out, this could be the very choice that leads her right to her death… and I will never be able to forgive myself for that…

“Ron’s right, I will join him as well,” Xavier jumped in after a moment and Sydney nodded strongly.

“Alright then. Harry and Neville here will help me stall anyone that might come to the loo. Make it quick,” Sydney agreed. 

With that, Ron and Xavier entered the bathroom, and they listened carefully as they heard distinctive whimpering and sniffling from the stall at the very end of the lavatory.

“Hermione… it’s us… Ron and I,” Xavier whispered as the two Slytherins silently crept up to the stall, and Hermione’s sniffling ceased.

“YOU TWO SHOULDN’T BE IN HERE!” Hermione screeched loudly.

“Yes, but we wanted to find you and make sure that you were alright,” Ron replied gently, and Hermione scoffed.

“I’m perfectly fine, Ronald, thank you very much,” Hermione huffed indignantly.

“Well then, would you come out of there?” Xavier requested, but no answer came to his words.

“Hermione, talk to us,” Ron urged softly, and they heard Hermione’s sniffling continue.

“I… I’ve never had any friends before… I always preferred reading and having knowledge than befriending others… my parents told me it wasn’t healthy, but I didn’t listen… b-because I thought it was too late… but then I found out I was a witch… a-and I was so happy…” Hermione stammered, and Ron couldn’t help but feel a pit of guilt form at the bottom of his stomach.

“I don’t know why I was so jealous of you two in the beginning… I thought being the cleverest would gain me friends… but I… I guess I was wrong… I was still the same old self,” Hermione continued, and she suddenly broke into a muffled sob. Ron and Xavier listened quietly, not moving a muscle.

“I thought… I could make friends… I thought I could start over… But I don’t have any… No one cares about me at all… And it’s all my fault…” Hermione wept, and Ron felt his heart break ever so slightly at her words. He glanced at Xavier and even he could see the somber glints in Xavier’s eyes.

“Hermione, we are your friends… we care about you… a lot,” Ron reassured, the flashing images of Hermione’s screams before getting her head masticated off by a Troll scarring his soul. If it were Ginny or even Luna, Ron would have easily consoled them by now, but this was Hermione. Ron wasn’t sure how to appease her properly.     

“It’s only a matter of time before you two find me annoying like everyone else… and you’ll leave me,” Hermione cried, heaving her breaths, and Ron felt a small tear slide down his cheek at the fear in his friend’s voice. Hermione clearly cared about the two Slytherin prodigies and had become accustomed to their presence by their study sessions.  

“No, we would never, Hermione,” Xavier promised, his tone firm and certain. 

“And what about Harry and Neville? They were the only other two who were concerned for your absence and they’re waiting outside this door right now,” Ron stated truthfully, and Hermione hiccupped.

“R-really?” Hermione asked softly.

“Yes, really Hermione, all four of us care for you. You’re the smartest witch in our year and everyone else is envious of your sheer intelligence,” Xavier clarified solemnly.

“Forget about them, Hermione. You are your own person and all you need is us,” Ron pointed out, a ball of hope enlarging in his soul.

There was a moment of silence between the three; it was obvious that Hermione was touched upon the words Ron and Xavier had spoken.

“I just… I just want to go home… I don’t want to be here anymore…” Hermione choked, and Ron felt his own eyes starting to fill up with salty, unshed tears. It felt painful… very painful… Ron couldn’t bear the thought of a depressed Hermione dying to some disgusting slob which was the Troll… No one deserved it… She didn’t deserve this pain… this isolation in an amazing school of magic…

“Hermione, please just-” Xavier started, but he was cut off by Neville’s frantic voice.

“Guys, you have to leave, some girls are about to head to the lavatory right now! Harry and Sydney are trying to distract them. Hurry!” Neville ordered with a fearful look on his face and Ron felt his heart thumping. We have to get her out now!

“Hermione please, come out, I beg you!” Ron pleaded desperately.

“Hermione, the Halloween Feast is starting soon. Please just come enjoy it. Don’t put yourself here!” Xavier insisted, but Hermione still made no movement.

“Just… just leave me alone,” Hermione whispered softly, her voice trembling. Ron swore furiously under his breath as he, Xavier, and Neville rushed out of the toilets. Fuck! She’s still back there! What am I going to do?!

The trio watched two Hufflepuff girls giggle at something Sydney said and then enter the girls’ lavatory. The three boys then approached Harry and Sydney and they all sighed in defeat.

“She didn’t budge,” Xavier supplied, and he looked ashamed of himself.

“Well, the Halloween Feast will commence soon, so I suggest you four go on and enjoy yourselves. Maybe your friend will come out by then and if not, I’ll ask Professor McGonagall for help. For now, she clearly needs some space and time to herself,” Sydney explained, and she patted all the boys’ shoulders and left to go to the Great Hall. The boys all glimpsed at one another before walking silently to the Great Hall. Fuck… this is not good… not good at all… maybe I should tell Professor Dumbledore? No, I have to be absolutely sure…

Ron and Xavier sat at the very corner of the Slytherin table, avoiding all eye contact from their ex-friends, albeit it was pretty easy. Xavier was no doubt pondering about a way to convince Hermione to get out of the toilets, while Ron was worrying profoundly about the lineup between his visions and the present moment. Thus, they missed their ex-friends’ shooting them subtle looks of regret and distant glances.

In Ron’s vision, there was no clear date or time of when the vision took place. Hermione was somehow in the lavatory in Ron’s vision and right now, she was hiding in the loo, crying to herself. On top of that, how would a Troll even get inside the castle? Someone had to have been behind it…

How would fate play out today? Would anything even happen? Ron was uncertain and dubious, but he couldn’t take his chances at the same time.  

A clinking sound coming from the professor’s table caught the student body’s attention and they faced the professor’s table to see Professor McGonagall lightly hitting a spoon with her goblet and the student body fell quiet.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and he presented a golden smile to everyone, his eye twinkling with pure delight.

“Without further ado, may the Halloween Feast, begin!” the Headmaster then clapped his hands, and the students began pulling the savoury, sweet and delicious victuals that appeared before them onto their shiny, golden plates.

Even Ron and Xavier, who were having a hard time concentrating before, were surprised by the scrumptious and mouth-watering delicate meals and actually took a bit of everything and began eating away.

Ron soon started devouring everything like a wild beast and he didn’t care; his hunger had pronounced itself more than ever in the moment, plus, a few others were eating wildly and ravenously just like he was.

The Great Hall almost seemed like some sort of paradise; endless amounts of the best-prepared food and drinks in a grand feast, students eating and bantering away, even some of the professors diving into fun conversations and chuckling heartily at each other’s jokes.

Ten minutes into the feast and it was still going strong. Ron had consumed chicken wings, baked potatoes, numerous candies, various pastries, salads, savoury items, and Ron was ready for more.

That’s when the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor Quirrell stumbled inside, garnering everyone’s attention as he panted like a dog with a terrified look plastered on his face. Wait, what the hell? Where has he been?

“TROLLS! TROLLS IN THE DUNGEON!” Professor Quirrell yelled hoarsely, and everyone stared at him with horror. Ron’s eyes were wider than saucepans.

“Thought you’d ought to know…” Quirrell mumbled and then the stuttering professor passed out. Screams, shrieks, and a mass movement erupted throughout the Great Hall.

Ron could feel his chest ready to explode. MERLIN, HELP US ALL! IT’S HAPPENING! WAIT, HE SAID ‘SOME TROLLS’… THERE’S MORE THAN ONE?!

“What the actual fuck is going on?!” Xavier bellowed for the first time Ron had heard, and Ron couldn’t respond as he felt his mouth become drier than a desert.

“SILENCE!” Professor Dumbledore’s voice boomed. Everyone became silent and the Headmaster’s brow furrowed with an earnest look on his face.

“Head Boy, Head Girl, and prefects, please maintain order and lead your respective Houses to their dormitories immediately. Professors, follow me, if you will,” Professor Dumbledore ordered firmly and before he left, he shot Ron a nod and Ron nodded back shakily.  

As the professors all departed, the prefects began rounding up everyone else into straight lines and Ron could hear Percy from the other side of the spacious room, shouting things like ‘please, get into order’ or ‘I’m your prefect, follow me’.

Harry and Neville both shot Ron and Xavier a look before disappearing with the Gryffindors out from the Great Hall. Ron turned to face Xavier, and Xavier had a tranquil expression on his face as he stared back.  “Xavier, Hermione is still out there-” Xavier cut him off by placing a hand on Ron’s shoulder.

“I know, do what you need to do,” Xavier advised calmly, and Ron nodded vigorously.

“You go distract the prefects and I’ll slip past, alright?” Ron proposed, and Xavier shot him a nod.

Without another word, the two boys went to play their part; Xavier headed to the front of the line to preoccupy the Slytherin prefects, and as soon as they turned their backs to talk to Xavier, Ron took his chance and dashed past them, making his way to the girls’ lavatory on the first floor.

Waking up in the early morning and running laps around the lake, whilst practising spell casting afterward had increased Ron’s stamina quite noticeably, as Ron’s pace sped up every step he took. Ron slid past a corner and his eyes locked onto the girls’ lavatory. As Ron got closer, he could hear a noisy ruckus occurring from inside the loo, and Ron’s heart pounded strenuously. It was happening… just like in his vision, but Ron was no longer some invisible spectator… he had practised and waited solely for this moment… in his vision, he could only watch hopelessly, but this was real life… he had his wand and himself… that was all…

Ron entered the lavatory and he caught sight of Harry jumping over the Troll’s club as Neville and Hermione scurried to a corner.

They hadn’t noticed Ron’s entrance, but did when Ron shouted, “Oi, you ugly bastard!”

The Troll clumsily spun around, and his eyes beady eyes narrowed upon Ron’s figure.

“Ron, what are you doing?!” Harry yelled, but Ron ignored him. Saving your bloody lives!

The Troll swung his club and Ron dodged it expertly as he withdrew his wand and pointed it at the Troll.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” Ron chanted and the club lifted itself out from the Troll’s tight grip, much to the confusion of the Troll.

“Take this, you ugly cunt! Confringo!” Ron chanted and his wand vibrated in his hand as a fiery orange spell hit the Troll squarely in the chest. The Troll exploded to a thousand bloody pieces and the force of the spell pushed everyone back severely. Neville and Hermione were already crouching on the floor, holding onto each other, Harry was pushed back into one of the stalls, and Ron’s back hit against the stone wall.

Everyone’s breathing was uneven, rapid and they all had looks of similar silent shock written all over their faces. I did it… I fucking did it…

Before anyone could do or say anything more, Harry’s eyes darted to the entrance and he warned loudly, “Ron, look out!”

Ron turned back to see another vicious Troll entering the lavatory, no doubt sensing the smell of its fellow brethren’s burning flesh. The Troll oscillated his club at the redhead and Ron moved away just in time, but as he tried to scramble to his feet, he slipped and collided the back of his head against the stone wall. 

“RON!” Hermione shrieked and Ron groaned in agony. A bursting headache was growing in Ron’s temples, and the back of his head ached painfully.

The Troll snarled at Ron and gripped its club tightly and held it over its head, ready to bash Ron to his death. This was it… Ron was going to die… Well, he did take care of one Troll… and if he died… Harry, Neville, and Hermione could escape quickly…

The impact of the club never came however, and when Ron opened his eyes shakingly, the thick, brown club was floating in the air.

He turned his head to the right and found Xavier levitating the club wandlessly with his left hand. Xavier…

“Expulso!” Xavier chanted mercilessly and a bright blue light cast itself from Xavier’s wand and impacted the Troll’s body.

The Troll’s body exploded into innumerable pieces of flesh, blood, and bones and everyone felt the same silence of revolting shock reinstate them once more. Xavier’s clothes were stained with the Troll’s sticky blood, his face splattered with some, giving him a maniacal look.  

“You lot alright?” Xavier questioned firmly, eyeing the exploded parts of the Troll with a look of loathing, and he then walked over to Ron, extracted his bloodied jumper, and folded it into a sort of pillow, placing it behind Ron’s head.

“Yeah… we’re… alright,” Harry whispered, and he was shaking like a leaf in the cold winds of Winter.

“You two… you killed the Trolls…” Hermione muttered, her eyes filled with terror and disbelief. Neville was trembling violently, and his face was paler than a ghost. 

“We had to…” Ron groaned as he moved his head slightly. “It was the only way…”

Footsteps echoed from the entrance and Ron caught the Slytherin prefect, the Headmaster, Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Quirrell appearing en masse at the doorway of the destructed lavatory.    

The Slytherin prefect was trying not to gag at the horrendous smell, Dumbledore and McGonagall were lost for words, Flitwick was staring at the five kids with disbelieving looks, Quirrell was stuttering and whimpering loudly, and Snape was evaluating the place with a cold, calculating look.

“What In the name of Merlin…” Professor McGonagall started, and her eyes were as wide as tennis balls. “EXPLAIN YOURSELVES THIS INSTANT!”

“And we will, Professor, but please these four need to get to the Hospital Wing, now,” Xavier assured firmly, and the Headmaster nodded his agreement.

“And that includes you, Mr. Desmond,” Professor McGonagall noted, still reeling from her shock.

“But I’m fine-” Xavier trailed off at her stern look and relented.

Xavier Desmond’s P.O.V:

Xavier stifled a tired yawn in his bed; he, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Neville were placed in adjacent beds at the infirmary and were to stay for the night from which Madam Pomfrey insisted thoroughly.

She had distributed a small dose of Calming Draught to the five of them and their nerves had pacified them, although Xavier was already tranquil the whole time. If anything, Xavier was rather fulfilled about how the Trolls met their end and he was sated with his spell work as he had wanted to try out using some of the spells he had learned recently in a real-life situation.  

Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Flitwick were all discussing something in low tones, and the five students just ignored them.

However, Xavier and Ron were both extremely grateful when Madam Pomfrey had dismissed and shooed any students from entering the infirmary. This included their ex-friends, who had all tried to come in and talk, but they were the last people that Xavier and Ron wanted to see.

The doors to the Hospital Wing suddenly opened, revealing Professor Dumbledore and Snape. Dumbledore nodded at something Professor McGonagall asked.

“Poppy, I must talk to them,” Dumbledore requested, and the matron frowned heavily.

“Albus, they need their rest and some time to regain their sense of usual selves,” Madam Pomfrey countered.

“I’m afraid this can’t wait, Poppy,” Dumbledore said firmly, and she sighed reluctantly. Madam Pomfrey then nodded tersely, and the professors all approached the students’ beds. Hmm, those are the words he always says to get Madam Pomfrey to comply with him…

“Xavier, my boy, may you please explain what occurred in the girls’ lavatory,” the Headmaster requested.

“I believe I should give you the whole context, sir. We had Charms class first thing in the morning and as it ended, there was a little altercation,” Xavier started truthfully.  

“Altercation, you say?” Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“Seamus Finnegan insulted me, Headmaster,” Hermione spoke up and everyone looked at her. “I was only trying to help, but he insulted me and I… I got very offended and so I ran to the girls’ lavatory.”

“Is this true?” Professor McGonagall asked the other four boys, looking very disappointed over the fact that her own Gryffindors were bullying one another.

“Yes, Professor McGonagall, the Gryffindors, and the Slytherins all saw it,” Harry replied candidly. 

“I will have some words with him,” McGonagall noted, and the Headmaster gestured for Xavier to continue.

“We, as in Ron and I, didn’t see Hermione in Transfiguration and we began to worry, Headmaster,” Xavier said, and Professor McGonagall looked ashamed for not trying to seek Hermione the minute she hadn’t turned up to her class.

“Transfiguration then ended, and lunch came afterward. Harry and Neville approached us, and they asked if Ron and I wanted to join them in finding Hermione and we all agreed,” Xavier provided, and the headmaster turned to the two Gryffindor boys.

“It’s true, Professor Dumbledore. Nev and I felt bad that we didn’t stand up for her when Seamus insulted her and we wanted to find her,” Harry explained shyly, and the Headmaster broke into a smile. 

“We couldn’t find her in the library or anywhere else and we started to panic a little until Xavier thought of checking the lavatories,” Ron chimed in, and the Headmaster nodded.

“Since Hermione would be in the girls’ lavatory, we asked the fifth-year Gryffindor prefect, Sydney Moore, to help us,” Neville supplied softly, his face red from the presence of the professors.

“Sydney agreed to help us, and she found Hermione, but Sydney couldn’t convince her to come out, so Ron and I decided to go in and try ourselves, while Neville, Harry, and Sydney stood guard, thwarting anyone from coming in,” Xavier informed, and the Headmaster had an intrigued countenance.

“Is this all true, Miss Granger?’ the Headmaster inquired, and Hermione nodded vigorously.

“They comforted me with their words, but I still felt sad…” Hermione trailed off and Professors McGonagall patted her shoulder gently.

“Two Hufflepuff girls were coming, and Neville came in and warned Ron and I, and we had to leave,” Xavier added in. The Headmaster looked over to Neville for confirmation and the boy nodded absent-mindedly.

“After you all left the Great Hall, I still wanted to get Hermione out, just to be safe. Xavier decided to distract the Slytherin Prefects so I could run past them to go gather Hermione as we noticed she hadn’t come to the Great Hall and when I reached the lavatory, there was a Troll inhabiting it with Harry, Neville, and Hermione,” Ron elucidated, his voice shaking at the end, and the Headmaster squeezed Ron’s shoulders comfortingly, almost knowingly in Xavier’s opinion.

“How did you two get there first?” McGonagall questioned, her eyes on Harry and Neville.

“We were walking with the Gryffindors to our common room, and I convinced Neville to take a detour to go check the girls’ lavatory just to be sure Hermione wasn’t still there. When we got there, a Troll had entered the lavatory,” Harry elucidated, while Neville nodded fervently.     

“How did you two take down the Trolls?” Snape questioned indifferently, placing the attention back on Xavier and Ron.  

“Well, I uh… I used the levitating charm on the Troll’s club and I… um… I took it down with Confringo…” Ron answered slowly. McGonagall, Flitwick, and Pomfrey all gaped openly, while Snape stared at Ron with suspicion.

“And you, Mr. Desmond,” Dumbledore addressed, a serious look plastered on his face. “What spells did you perform?”

“I used wandless magic to take care of the Troll’s club and I then eradicated it with Expulso,” Xavier responded nonchalantly. The professors looked shellshocked.

“You both used blasting spells?” McGonagall started slowly. “You also used wandless magic to levitate a much heavier item than what you are usually used to?”

“Ron and I have been practising, professor,” Xavier replied, whilst Ron nodded strongly. “I’ve also digressed to more hefty items such as rocks and small branches, and it’s still quite tough, but in that moment, I was fuelled by many emotions, and I was able to overcome the exertion of levitating the Troll’s club.”

“Incredible,” Flitwick complimented in awe.

“That is indeed incredible, but where did you two learn the Confringo and Expulso spells?” Dumbledore interrogated, his brow furrowed deeply and his eyes no longer twinkling. “These spells aren’t even touched upon until the fourth or fifth year.”

“It was my brother, headmaster,” Ron spoke up and everyone turned to him. “Charlie taught me about some highly effective spells that cause damage, and the Confringo and Expulso curses were two that he mentioned. I had always wanted to practise them, so I tried them for a few weeks, even teaching them to Xavier. Guess it came in handy.”

Dumbledore scrutinized Ron intensely and much to everyone’s relief, the Headmaster smiled widely, and his eyes twinkled once more.

“Absolutely brilliant, indeed, my boys,” Dumbledore praised firmly. “You two risked your own lives to save others and Hogwarts will never forget for what you have done today.”

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Xavier and Ron replied concurrently.  

“I award twenty points each to Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom and fifty each to Mr. Weasley and Mr. Desmond for your heroic actions and acts of selflessness. Well done! You all may sleep now, I can only imagine how exhausted you all are,” the Headmaster concluded, shooting the five a wink and he left the room. The professors glanced back at the five first-years as they followed after Professor Dumbledore.

As Madam Pomfrey dimmed the lights and went back to her office to finish her reports, the five first-years stared up at the ceiling in silence, their breathing more eased and their drained souls bringing t

“Thank you, guys, for caring about me and being my friends… Good night,” Hermione whispered, breaking the silence.

“Good night, Hermione,” the four boys all whispered back and one by one, they all drifted into a dreamless, cozy sleep.