Harry stared at Severus, school robe halfway on with his hand caught in the other sleeve. “What?” he asked, the word coming out more like a squawk than an actual word. It returned inertia to his body and he haphazardly shoved his arm into the sleeve. “Why? What are the other kids receiving?”
“Detentions,” Severus offered crisply, though the softened edges of the man’s expression was enough for Harry to know it wasn’t simply being brushed aside. “A few will only serve a day or two. Mr. Malfoy will be serving two weeks.”
“But I’m supposed to suffer through mine until Winter Break!”
Severus sighed as he knelt. “I know it seems unfair right now but this truly has your best interest in mind.” Harry initially backed away from Severus’s reaching hand but seeked it out as the man talked. Severus’s hand carded through his hair, grounding and reassuring in equal parts. “Hogwarts lacks a lot of what you are used to back home and this will guarantee you spend some time not studying. While I wish there was another way to structure time for you to fly, at least you are not part of the team officially.”
“Unless someone is sick,” Harry grumbled.
Amusement pulled half a smile to Severus’s expression. “Well, yes, but as we have quite the talented witch in the Hospital Wing, it is highly improbable that any of the Quidditch team will require substitution from illness or the like. Now,” Severus stood and turned Harry towards the door, “off to breakfast. I will be right behind you.”
Harry still thought it was unfair. He could see where Severus and the other teachers were coming from - kind of - but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t serve a proper detention first. Not to mention the fact that
he didn’t like Quidditch. Was that so hard for people to understand? There were far better things to do than waste time with a sport he-
“Well, well, well. Would you look at that; the Boy Who Lived being praised for doing a good deed.”
Harry’s gaze snapped up from the floor even though he already knew what he would find. Standing in the last stretch of hallway before the Great Hall was one Draco Malfoy and a cluster of other Slytherins. Harry wasn’t sure if they were all First Years or not but it didn’t matter. Draco was sneering ready for a fight and Harry wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of it. Turning right around, Harry started back the way he had come. There was more than one way to get to the Great Hall and, if nothing else, he wasn’t ashamed to simply go back and walk with Severus if he absolutely had to.
“Oi, Potter! You don’t get to ignore me!”
Several pairs of feet started running towards him. Spurred on by adrenaline and a spike of fear, Harry took off at a sprint without a glance back.
Someone remembered they had a wand because he heard a spell get shouted somewhere behind him before his feet started to not behave. Grabbing his own wand, he cast the only counter-jinx he knew. It worked to his immense relief but it hadn’t been quite fast enough. A hand roughly grabbed at his robe and shoved him against the wall. He managed to curl forward enough to keep his head from hitting the wall. Draco - because of course it was Draco - wasn’t strong enough to make the impact bruise but it would certainly hurt for some time.
“You think that just because you’re famous you can ignore whoever you want?” Draco demanded, his words edging on a snarl. “That you can throw your fame around to get out of punishments, too?”
“I’m getting punished just as you are, Malfoy,” Harry bit back, one hand on Draco’s wrist, the other still tightly gripping his wand down at his side.
“The hell you are! You got put on the Quidditch team!”
Vaguely Harry wondered if his appointment as the Hufflepuff reserve had been publicly announced or if Draco just somehow knew. “And I’d rather be scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the year than play Quidditch,” Harry snapped back. Something other than the apparent anger flickered in Draco’s expression. “Not everyone likes Quidditch and I would much rather have a few hours of detention every evening for two weeks than give up who knows how many evenings for practices I don’t even want to be at.” His grip tightened on Draco’s wrist as he glared at the Slytherin. “But, then, that’s what makes it a good punishment, isn’t it.” Draco’s anger was still there but the other had fallen silent in the wake of Harry’s words. It wasn’t like Harry had expected an actual response anyway. “Let go, Malfoy,” Harry said, his voice low and monotone in the threat, “before I make you let go.”
That spurred Draco back into action and the Slytherin took a solid step into Harry’s space, adding his weight to Harry’s chest. “I would like to see you try.”
If there had been some warning, some announcement to Severus’s arrival, Harry had missed it. Instead, Draco was suddenly not in front of Harry anymore and, for a brief moment, Harry thought it had been another student until a swirl of familiar black robes obscured his line of sight. The hall filled with noise. Draco was shouting, spitting accusations first at Harry and then at Severus, of all people, but it was all short lived as Draco quickly found himself with two more weeks of detention for threatening another student and picking a fight with a teacher. Had it been back at IPPA, Harry would have expected Draco to have been suspended instead but, then, Hogwarts wasn’t IPPA.
Severus was Professor Snape when he placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder and walked him past the gaggle of onlooking Slytherins. There were no kind words exchanged, no check-in, but the touch was gentle, caring despite how Severus made it look. “I would do my best to avoid causing any more trouble, Mr. Potter, or you might actually end up serving detention,” Severus warned before turning on the Slytherins still standing there.
Harry hurried off, leaving the Slytherins to their Head of House.
Would they get reprimanded as well?
Would they blame him?
Most of his friends were at the Gryffindor table today and Harry was immensely grateful they were as far from the Slytherins as was possible. Blaise was sitting with them but Blaise wasn’t the Slytherins Harry was avoiding now. He plopped himself between Hannah and Fred a bit too quickly and ended up bumping them both. Neither commented on it, though Fred did send him a worried look. Harry pretended to not notice as he greeted everyone and everyone’s attention turned to him.
Unfortunately, the topic of conversation went immediately to the rumors flying around.
Ron choked on his juice. Susan didn’t let the startled silence last, quickly asking, “How is being the Hufflepuff Quidditch team a punishment?”
“It’s Quidditch,” Ron said, struggling through the remnants of his inhaling of juice. “There’s no way. This has to be a joke.”
Harry made a face, though his gaze didn’t stray from the table. “I wish. Would be better if it was.”
“But Quidditch?” Blaise asked, more neutral about it than the rest of the group. “Isn’t that more of a reward than punishment?”
“I don’t like Quidditch,” Harry reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. “It’s an ok sport but it’s not fun to me. Besides, I’m only the reserve. It’s not like I’ll actually play.”
“Not unless someone gets sick,” Fred put in.
George added, “Or injured.”
Fred nodded. “Which does happen.”
“Still, though,” Ron said, the words still sounding a bit breathless. “To be made part of the Quidditch team as punishment.”
“Give me cleaning cauldrons any day,” Harry grumbled, pushing his mashed potatoes around on his plate.
“And that’s why it’s a fitting punishment,” Hermione said, sitting down in her usual spot not far from Neville. When she gained incredulous looks from everyone including those from the other table, her cheeks darkened but her posture stayed proud. “Just because you all enjoy Quidditch doesn’t mean everyone does.”
“Have you ever seen a Quidditch match?” Ron challenged. When Hermione’s lips tightened in her hesitation to respond, Ron took it as answer enough. “Wait until you actually see a match! Then you’ll understand how it’s not a punishment.”
Harry had hoped his friends would have been a bit more receptive to the fact that
he didn’t like Quidditch and that the punishment seemed to be far larger than what Draco had to deal with and Draco had been the one to instigate the whole reason why Harry was even being punished in the first place.
A soft touch settled on Harry’s arm and he looked over to find Hannah’s concerned expression as neutral as she could make it. “Want to come visit Hagrid with me?” she asked softly. “Before class.” He tried to keep his dislike for the idea private but it must have shown on his face because she offered him a gentle smile. “He’s really kind and I think escaping all this is better than staying in it.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “I don’t really get Quidditch either so you can vent about it on the way.”
Harry relaxed and offered her a weak smile. “Ok.”
They stood and left without a word to the others who were now debating Quidditch teams and game tactics. Hannah took Harry’s hand and didn’t let go, not even when they approached the small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest after a good few minutes of walking. And just as Hannah said he could, Harry ranted about the stupidity that was his punishment and Quidditch the entire way. Hannah seemed quite happy to chime in once he started on Quidditch specifically, joining him in his lack of understanding of how people could get so into a sport. It was nice that Hannah came from Muggle culture so she knew the craze even the Muggles had and the pair were sharing comparisons by the time they reached the house.
It was certainly smaller than Harry’s home but that was about it. The door seemed larger than a standard door and the house itself, though self contained, seemed like it could hold the entire Hufflepuff common room with ease. There was a fence that stretched sideways from the back of the house that enclosed what looked to be some kind of garden. There was more fencing beyond it but from the doorstep, Harry couldn’t see much more. A scattering of items were tucked in around the house - barrels and crates predominant - but a crossbow and a set of galoshes were resting beside the front door.
Hannah knocked on the door with the same carefree cheer she had been in the entire walk. It was rubbing off on Harry and he was determined to thank Hannah later for it. Barking started up immediately at Hannah’s knocking. Harry looked to Hannah in surprise even as a voice from inside called out, “Back, Fang! Back! Calm down, you great lug.”
“Hagrid has a dog,” Hannah explained with a shrug. “He’s a good boy but a bit rambunctious.” Worry crossed her expression. “You’re not allergic, are you?”
Harry shook his head as Hagrid opened the door. Hagrid beamed at Hannah as Fang tugged against the collar Hagrid had a firm hold on, though Hagrid’s gaze did flicker over Harry briefly. Fang was a massive black dog that wasn’t as tall as Snuffles at the shoulder but was certainly stockier as if built to take down boar instead of deer or wolves. “Good morning, Hannah! What brings you way out here this early? Don’t you have classes?”
“Morning, Hagrid. Yes, we do, but I wanted to go for a walk; and since Harry was kind enough to join me, I thought I’d stop by and let him say hi since I haven’t been very good on bringing my friends by to say hi like I said I would.”
Hagrid chuckled, the sound a deep rumble that seemed as light as the breeze drifting through the treetops. “Don’t fret about bringing them around. You know that I don’t mind just hearing about them.”
Hannah smiled brightly. “I know but I still want to.” She looked to Harry. “Harry, this is Hagrid. Hagrid, this is Harry.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Harry,” Hagrid said, shaking Harry’s hand. “Hannah and Susan talk highly of you when they’re here.”
“Hopefully only good things?” he asked, though it was more of a tease in Hannah’s direction.
She playfully swatted his arm even as Hagrid spoke proudly, “The best of things. Now, how much time do you two have? Enough for a spot of tea?”
“Enough for a cup, at least,” Hannah said, stepping forward. She paused at the threshold as Hagrid disappeared back into the house tugging a still eager Fang. She met Harry’s gaze. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
Harry, already halfway into the motion of following after her, shook his head. “I don’t mind staying for a cup.”
The inside of the house was unsurprisingly full, though it didn’t feel cramped. There were a number of food materials hanging from the ceiling, a massive bed off to one side, a fireplace, and a table among all of the other items Hagrid kept in there. Harry could make out a cage and what looked like a bear trap tucked in behind a few crates. Hannah crossed to the table and sat down, looking smaller than she normally was beside the massive table. Harry joined her.
Fang, released so that Hagrid could get the tea together, bounded over to Harry and Hannah and immediately started loving on both of them. Harry didn’t mind dogs but the slobber of any breed always made him recoil. He was used to Snuffles but, then, Snuffles didn’t slobber like a lot of the bigger breeds were prone to; Fang in particular was drooling on Hannah’s lap as she happily petted his head and Harry shuddered at the idea of drool soaked pants.
Hagrid placed three cups on the table. “So, Harry. Been enjoying your time at Hogwarts?”
“For the most part.”
Tiny droplets splattered onto the table as Hagrid filled each cup. “Gotten the chance to learn much about your parents while you’ve been here?”
“No,” Harry said, drawing his cup closer. “But my guardians have told me many stories about them. One of them said there was a plaque with my dad’s name on it in the trophy room but I haven’t gone to see it yet.”
“Both of your parents probably are, what with them being Head Boy and Girl when they were here, but your guardian was probably talking about the Quidditch plaques. Your dad was one of the best Seekers Gryffindor has ever had, mind you. And I heard that you’ve now been made part of the Hufflepuff’s team. Youngest to join in over a century, so I hear.”
Harry shrugged. “I’m only the reserve; I only play if there’s a player unable to play on game day.”
There was a pause, a brief moment of contemplation before Hagrid asked, “Don’t care much for Quidditch, do ya?” Harry looked up in surprise and found Hagrid watching him with a fond smile. “Your mum wasn’t too fond of Quidditch either. At least when compared to the rest of the students. She would much rather find a nice place to read on the grounds or help in the gardens than sit in the stands but she went just as all the other students did and found ways to enjoy it with everyone else.”
“Did you know her well, then?”
Hagrid stroked his beard. “I wouldn’t say well, but I did know your mum and dad. They were good people, once they let themselves be.”
That peaked Harry’s interest. “Are you talking about my dad and his friends picking on Professor Snape back when they were in school?”
Hagrid sat up straighter, almost as if he had been taken aback by Harry’s question. “You’ve been told about that?” Harry nodded. “That would be it, yeah. Your dad and Sirius - you know who Sirius is, yeah?” Harry gave another nod. “Those two were not the kindest of boys. I never learned quite what it was about Snape that had earned him their wrath but they would go out of their way to pick on him. It died down the older they got - or I just didn’t hear about it as much - but when they left school, it was very clear where the line had been drawn.” Hagrid gave Harry a rather shrewd look. “Who you living with now? Did Sirius take you in? He was named your Godfather when you were born and I certainly haven’t seen him since- ah, well…”
Harry adjusted his grip on his cup. “My guardians have asked to remain nameless but I have spent time with my Godfather.”
“How is Sirius?”
“Good.” He hesitated. Certainly it wouldn’t hurt to give more than that, right? “He’s working and seemed healthy the last time I saw him.”
Hagrid nodded. “Do you know if him and Remus are still in contact with each other? Remus had been one of their friends.”
“I know Remus,” Harry assured Hagrid. “I’ve met him as I’ve met Sirius. As far as I know they stay in contact.” Watching his tongue was weird. “They’re the ones that have told me a lot of the stories about my mom and dad.”
“Good.” Hagrid sagged a bit more in his seat. “Good.”
Hannah pulled the conversation away from Harry and his family by asking after Hagrid’s garden. From what little Harry picked up, it sounded like Hannah occasionally dropped by to help. Harry had nothing to contribute with the topic on gardening so he let his gaze wander over the not overly clean table. There was a small scattering of what looked like newspaper clippings and other documents on the table, though most weren’t overly understandable being folded or the backside of a torn out article. One was a cutting from the Daily Prophet, a small article that seemed rather odd for Hagrid to have kept.
Gringotts Break-In Latest
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July that is widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches still unknown. Gringotts goblins insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
Huh. Harry tucked the article back into place. Maybe Susan would know a bit more about that since her aunt was in the Ministry.
Cedric stopped him and Hannah as they were heading to their first class in order to let Harry know that first practice would be that evening. Despite Hannah’s best efforts, Harry’s mood declined the longer the day went on. Hermione’s solution at dinnertime was to give Harry a book, much to the disbelief of most of the others. Harry, though, was grateful for the distraction, appreciating that it wasn’t a nonfiction book even more. It was a worn fantasy novel and Harry had a mind to ask after whose it was when he gave it back.
“Harry?”
Harry looked up from the book to find an older student standing on the steps to the window nook Harry had claimed since he had returned to the dorm after dinner. The older student offered him a reassuring smile, finished ascending the steps, and offered a hand to shake. “Sebastian Reed. I’m Captain of the Hufflepuff team.”
“And Head Boy,” Harry added, getting up and shaking Sebastian’s hand.
Sebastian blinked before chuckling. “And Head Boy,” he repeated, oddly amused by it. “I’ve come to gather you for Quidditch practice.”
Harry frowned, glancing at the nearest clock. “But I still have half an hour.”
“I figured it’d be better if we started a bit early in one of the unused classrooms. Gives you the chance to meet everyone.” Sebastian gave him a rather pointed look. “Gives me the chance to fill everyone in.”
Annoyance pressed against his chest but he ignored it, looking back at his belongings still tucked into the window seat. “I’ve got to put my stuff away.”
“Of course.”
Sebastian didn’t say much as he led the way towards some unused classroom not far from the Hufflepuff common room. Six students were already inside chatting away and appearing content, if not a bit bored. Harry immediately recognized Cedric and quickly moved to take up the seat next to the Third Year.
“Good, everyone’s here,” Sebastian said, stifling the chatter almost immediately. “Let’s get underway, then, so that we’re not wasting anyone’s time.”
“Right to business, ey, Sebastian?” teased one of the older Years.
Sebastian ignored the comment. “I’m sure you all are aware that Harry will be joining us until Winter Break as our reserve but I want to make sure you all understand what that will entail.”
“Is he just reserve for Seeker or is he going to be filling every position?” a different older Year asked.
“All positions,” Sebastian clarified, raising his hands quickly as several spoke out. “Hold up, hold up. Before you all start talking over one another and before I get too far into the explanation, I want you all to introduce yourselves. No point having Harry sit here not knowing who you all are.”
“What, like he knows you?” It was the same older Year who had teased Sebastian earlier.
Sebastian gave them a flat look. “Go first.”
The student snorted before looking to Harry. “Travis Clayton, Seventh Year, Beater.”
The one to Travis’s right raised a hand in greeting. “Sarah Johnson. Sixth Year and I’m the other Beater.”
The one sitting on Travis’s left leaned forward. “Becky Moore. Fifth Year and one of the Chasers. Peter and Sebastian are the other two.”
Sebastian nodded and the person sitting on Cedric’s other side raised their hand. “Peter Rollins. Fourth Year.”
“And I’m the Keeper,” said the one sitting between Peter and Becky. “Vanny Hense. Fifth Year.”
Harry looked to Cedric. “Making you Seeker, then?”
“Yep,” Cedric said, grinning. “I’m also the youngest as the only Third Year. Well, not including you.”
Vanny reached around Peter and ruffled Cedric’s hair. “Ced might be the youngest but he’s one spitfire of a Seeker. We’re sure to win the Cup this year with him on the team.”
“Cedric,” Sebastian said, a frown heavy both in tone and on his face. “Introduce yourself.”
“Ah, but we-” Harry started but Cedric cut him off with a brief touch to the knee and an even faster, “Right, Captain. Sorry.” Cedric turned to Harry, grinning again. “Cedric Diggory. Third Year and the team’s Seeker.”
Sebastian nodded. “And I’m Sebastian Reed. This will be my last year as both Captain and Chaser as a Seventh Year so I expect everyone to step up and show me that Hufflepuff has a standing chance of winning the Cup once I leave.”
“Not expecting to win it this year?” Travis asked, an eyebrow cocked as if challenging Sebastian.
Sebastian only raised an eyebrow in return stating simply, “I expect our team to be the best performing team on the field but if you keep being chauvinistic and missing the bludger, I will not hesitate to post for a new Beater.”
Snickers danced through the room as Travis, rather dramatically, pressed a hand to his chest and feigned offense even as a grin colored the edges of his expression. “You wouldn’t dare,” Travis said, that challenging glint very clear in the older Year’s eyes.
Sebastian strode over and pressed a hand into one of the desks sitting next to Travis, letting it take his weight as he leaned in close and challenged right back, “Try me.”
Harry jumped when something
plopped against Sebastian’s shoulder at the same time Becky bemoaned, “Get a room, you two.”
“No flirting in front of the First Year,” Sarah chastised, though Harry could make out the teasing tones in both of their words.
Sebastian huffed as Travis started laughing. Cedric leaned over and whispered, “Don’t mind them. They’ve been like this since I’ve been on the team.” As Sebastian straightened, Harry couldn’t see a hint of embarrassment between the two Seventh Years. “Sarah says they’ve been like this since she’s been in Hufflepuff but they only started dating after they made team their Third Year.” He did, however, catch Travis’s fingers sliding down Sebastian’s arm to briefly cover the other’s hand before Sebastian pulled away completely. “They’re both professional on the field, though, so it’s only during and in between practices that they act like this. The rest of us have gotten used to getting them back on track.”
Peter leaned over, adding, “I’ve gotten really good at conjuring pillows. If you ever need one to chuck at them, let me know.”
Harry nodded, though he didn’t expect to need one. Knowing they weren’t going to start going after each other’s throats was enough for him. They could flirt all they wanted; it wasn’t like it affected him.
“Alright,” Sebastian said, emphasizing it with a clap of his hands, “now. The ground rules with Harry. He is our reserve and our reserve only. The only reason he’s here is because at least one of the professors has a sick joke on what a punishment should entail.”
“Wait,” Becky interjected, sitting up, “so the punishment rumor was actually real?”
“How can Quidditch be a punishment?” Travis added.
Sarah shoved at him with her foot. “Not everyone likes Quidditch, numbskull.”
Travis grinned at her. “And here I thought you were going to say it was because of me.”
“No, you’re Sebastian’s hell. We don’t care until you let a bludger through.”
That gained a round of chuckles.
“Back to point,” Sebastian said. “I expect each and every one of you to do your best not to get sick before a game. I want us to put forth as much effort as we can to keep Harry from ever having to play a game. Practice will be practice but having him here will also help us to remember to have fun during practices as well. I expect you to treat him right as you’re showing him the ropes on the days he’s slated to train with you. Understood?”
Vanny raised a hand. “So we’re each going to have time teaching Harry?”
Sebastian nodded. “I’ll set up rotations as I see fit but, for starters, we’ll start with a week per position. If I find that’s not working, I’ll change it up but I don’t want to pass him around too frequently otherwise he’s not going to be able to learn.”
Harry stiffened when several pairs of eyes landed on him. It was Sarah who asked, “You ever play, Harry?”
“Not on a team but one of my guardians was determined I knew about Quidditch and how to play, though the focus was on the Seeker position since my dad was Seeker for Gryffindor.”
“You have the build for Seeker,” Travis said, sounding as if he was agreeing on Harry focusing on Seeker. “One of my friends in Ravenclaw told me about hearing you flying from one of the First Years. From the sounds of it, you’ve got the skills for Seeker, too.”
Harry sank a bit deeper into his perch, looking to Sebastian. While he was pleased with the praise, the reminder of yesterday was uncomfortable.
Sebastian stepped forward, taking up the group’s attention once more. “We’ll all get to see how he flies later. Right now, since we’re here, I want to go over a few maneuvers I want us to practice today before we hit the field.”
Quidditch practices were indeed something Harry had needed. Sebastian was an amazing Captain, putting Harry through his paces while at the same time making it
fun. It became very apparent very quickly that Harry was a good Seeker and a good Keeper if given a broom that could handle the maneuvers Harry was naturally inclined to do to catch either ball. Chaser was a bit trickier since Harry’s aim and throwing strength was horrible but he had potential since he very rarely fumbled or dropped a ball. Beater was more complicated. Making contact was the easiest part but hitting the bludger was like hitting a cannonball with too heavy of a stick. Getting the bludger to go in the right direction was seemingly impossible, especially when it became clear Harry just didn’t have the arm strength to swing the bat around hard enough.
But, more than anything, Harry found himself looking forward to practice, to joining everyone on the field and running through whatever plans Sebastian had that were more like games than rigorous exercises. Even within the short span between that horrible Thursday and Halloween, Harry saw progress. Practice the night of the 30th had seen Harry throw the quaffle - with decent accuracy - further than he had the first time he’d thrown the quaffle and the entire team had been as thrilled as he had.
Halloween the next day was uneventful but the Halloween Feast was definitely something to write home about. The Great Hall was decked out in decorations. Numerous carved pumpkins floated among the candles that normally filled the air between the tables and ceiling. The ceiling itself was still enchanted but bats fluttered from the rafters to ledges along the walls. It was hard to gauge if they were living or enchanted but they never swooped beneath the lowest candles, though their wings did stir the little candle flames.
The tables hadn’t bothered to separate into the individual Houses, friends too eager to celebrate together to care about tradition. Students moved freely between the tables and the entire atmosphere was joyous. For the most part, at least.
Susan sat down heavily at Harry’s side and sighed, alone despite what Harry could assume was her best effort. Harry lowered his fork as he asked, “No luck?”
“She won’t even talk to me,” Susan ground out, shooting Ron a dark look. Ron was sitting at the Gryffindor table and was oblivious to their conversation as he chatted with Seamus. “Honestly, I don’t know where he gets off on being so mean to her.”
“It’s not like she doesn’t deserve to be knocked down a few pegs,” Draco drawled.
Susan turned her glare to the Slytherin at the same time Blaise and Hannah glared at him. “What, like you don’t?” Susan spat.
Harry frowned at Draco but he diverted the escalating fight by touching Susan’s arm and regaining her focus. “We’ll just have to make sure she gets something to eat later tonight. I’m sure the house-elves would be more than happy to recreate anything she wants.”
Before anything more could be said on the matter, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall with his turban askew and terror on his face. A hush fell over the hall as most of the student body fell quiet to listen. There were scattered few muttering but the tone was confused or inquisitive as Professor Quirrell slumped against the head table. “Troll. In the dungeons. Thought you ought to know,” he said between gasps of breath before slumping to the floor as if the man had fainted.
It was a split second before the hall exploded with pandemonium. Quite a number of students surged to their feet and quite a number had wands in hand.
Several loud cracks rang through the hall. Harry flinched, looking over to see the Headmaster standing with his wand raised, his expression tight but still kind. “Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately. Head Boy and Girl, you will accompany the Slytherins. Hufflepuffs, take the smaller passageways.”
Shouts to organize immediately filled the room as the student body started to sort itself into Houses. Harry stood to follow but Susan grabbed at his arm, her grip painful. “Hermione,” she hissed, her eyes bright with either fear or determination. “She doesn’t know about the troll.”
“Could always tell a Prefect,” Blaise suggested, only overhearing because he was standing right behind Susan with Hannah. “Or a Professor.”
“They’re going to be busy protecting the rest of the student body,” Susan countered, shaking her head.
Harry looked around the room. Surely someone would help them if they asked. Unfortunately, Susan’s comment seemed to be founded as the professors started leaving the hall through a side passage. “If we’re quick, we should be fine. Go in, get her, and then head for Gryffindor Tower. Avoid any ways to the dungeons.”
“But we don’t know where that is,” Hannah said as Blaise stepped away. “And Hermione might be too upset to help.”
“We can snag Ron on the way,” Harry said, though he doubted Hermione would remain upset if they told her a troll was in the castle. “Come on.”
The three Hufflepuffs moved through the crowd with surprising ease. Harry had no idea where Blaise had gone off to; hopefully to tell a Prefect or something. Finding Ron was nearly as easy as cutting through the crowd. Harry grabbed at Ron’s arm, rushing, “We’re getting Hermione. Come with us.”
“What?” Ron said before his brain caught up with Harry’s words. “Why should I?”
“Because you’re the prat that made her go cry in the bathroom,” Susan spat.
Ron flinched but Harry didn’t give him a chance to snap back. “It’ll be safer to head to Gryffindor Tower and we figured it was better to have two Gryffindors to rely on remembering the way and the password than the one that’s also been crying all day.” He tugged on Ron’s arm. “Come on, Ron. The more of us there are, the safer we’ll be.”
Ron glanced at something over Harry’s head before huffing a sigh. “Fine, but if Malfoy starts anything, I’m leaving you all behind.”
Harry glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, Draco was standing right behind him, along with Blaise and Theodore. Draco didn’t look overly pleased but the Slytherin was looking paler than normal so maybe that was the fear. He looked to Susan. “Lead the way.”
The small pack of friends slipped into a side hallway before they broke out into a run. Susan led them down the fastest route to the bathroom Hermione was in only to come to a screeching halt around the last corner. Several people collided with her - Harry among them - but between all of them, no one fell.
It was obvious what had caused her to freeze.
A foul stench seeped into their nostrils as they watched a massive figure trudge away from them, grunting and huffing as it dragged what looked to be a club behind it. There was no mistaking it for anything other than the troll it was, easily twice the height of most of the Professors and twice as big as Hagrid. They watched as it stopped and bent close to a doorway, peering inside. Even from that distance Harry could make out its ears flicking as if it was listening or thinking before it committed to the thought and slowly entered the room.
Hannah let out a pitiful squeak as Susan said breathlessly, “That’s the restroom Hermione’s in!”
Blaise placed a hand on Hannah’s shoulder as Susan, Draco, and Ron took off at a run again. Harry lingered, confused until Blaise urged, “Hannah, go find a teacher! Quick!”
“I’ll go with her!” Theodore said, taking off after Hannah.
Light flared from the open doorway as echoes of some shouted spell reached Harry and Blaise as nothing more than sounds. Harry and Blaise had their wands in hand by the time they careened through the doorway to find the massive troll had turned around to focus on Ron and Draco. The pair were against the side wall closest to the door as Susan snuck past under the sinks.
Ron and Draco were standing a good ways apart and were alternating at getting the troll’s attention.
“Oi, pea-brain!” Ron shouted as he threw a pipe. The troll didn’t seem to notice the pipe hitting its arm but it did hone in on Ron’s shout.
Blaise darted past Harry after Susan and Harry raised his wand. “Here you great lug!” he shouted, trying and failing to recall any spell that could help. There had to be something he could do to help beyond just yelling.
Draco shouted a spell in his stead and the Leg-Locker Curse hit the troll. The curse didn’t have the normal effect but it did seem to throw the troll’s balance off and that was distraction enough.
Except, the troll was swaying in the wrong direction, leaning dangerously towards Susan, Blaise, and Hermione who weren’t even close to the door yet. Without a second thought, Harry took a running leap and latched onto the troll, throwing his weight towards the stalls as the troll staggered. It didn’t seem to notice him there but it was enough to get the troll to start swaying a different direction. Unfortunately, Harry was forced to climb higher as the troll kept moving towards the stalls, shattering the doors of two and the support between them. Harry managed to loop his arms around the troll’s neck but had forgotten he still had his wand in hand.
The troll howled in pain as Harry’s wand was shoved up its nose. There was a large clatter as the massive club came around, smashing another two stalls and half of a third in its wake. Harry was certain if the troll wasn’t also trying not to fall over, its free hand would have grabbed him by now.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
Ron’s shout echoed off the walls as the club was jerked out of the troll’s hand. Harry immediately let go, his feet hitting uneven ground and going out from under him. Draco appeared seemingly out of nowhere and practically manhandled him back towards safety as the club rose higher before dropping with a sickening crack on the troll’s head. The troll stayed upright for a brief moment before falling flat on its face with enough force, the floor trembled beneath their feet.
Draco was still clinging to Harry as Harry slowly got his feet back under him and Harry wasn’t inclined to let go any time soon either. They were both trembling, adrenaline still coursing through veins as all of them starred at the troll.
“Is it dead?” Hermione asked from where she was tucked into Susan’s side, her voice weak and trembling.
“I don’t think so,” Blaise said. Harry started when the other boy stepped into his line of view, crossing to the troll’s head. “Just knocked out by the looks of it.”
Ron joined Blaise for a moment before it became clear what Blaise was doing. Both Slytherin and Gryffindor made a face at the state of Harry’s wand and Blaise was quick to rub the troll boogers off on the troll’s trousers. Harry was going to have to wash his wand once they were safe in the common room again.
Something slammed as a cacophony of footfall suddenly filled the room. All of them jumped, whipping around as Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell came bursting into the room. Professor Quirrell caught sight of the troll and looked like he would faint again as he stepped back over the threshold.
“I don’t believe it,” Professor McGonagall said. Her expression was pinched, like she was pissed, but her words quaked in what Harry was hoping was relief. “Are all of you unharmed?” As they all nodded some sort of affirmation, clustering closer towards her and away from the troll, she started talking again. “What were you all thinking running off like that? You could have been seriously hurt.”
“But Hermione didn’t know about the troll,” Susan rushed, still clinging to Hermione. “I knew where she was because we’d been studying before dinner but because she was in the restroom when the announcement went out, she wouldn’t have known and I really thought that we would be ok if we stayed together and were quick about making our way to Gryffindor Tower.”
Blaise placed a hand on Susan’s shoulder, offering in a much calmer voice, “Susan hadn’t wanted to risk anyone else and with the whole of the student body in danger, she didn’t want to draw attention away from their protection so we went with her. It wasn’t like we thought the troll would actually be up here but we figured it would be better to have safety in numbers just in case; if nothing else, it made it possible to send two of us to find teachers when we did find the troll.”
“We really weren’t trying to go up against the troll,” Susan said, her voice quaking even more now. “We just wanted to make sure Hermione was safe, too. Please. She could have died had we not shown up when we had.”
Professor McGonagall’s expression softened. “As much as I would like to deduct points for your tomfoolery to come after Miss Granger yourselves…” Professor McGonagall’s gaze landed on the troll for a moment. “…I will not deny that you all did something very brave and most likely aided in keeping Miss Granger and yourselves alive until we could arrive. Five points will be awards to each of you for your efforts today.” Professor McGonagall turned a sharp look onto Susan. “I will presume going up against a mountain troll will be punishment enough. I expect future situations will have you running to an adult first, until you are of age and are trained to handle such situations. Children should never have to deal with these sort of situations, especially not on their own.”
“Professor,” Blaise spoke up as Susan nodded. “What of Hannah and Theo? Will they be getting points too?”
“They have to be included in this,” Harry said, cutting off whatever Professor McGonagall’s first reaction to Blaise’s question was. It wouldn’t be fair if Hannah and Theodore didn’t receive points, too.
Ron nodded. “They would have stayed and helped. And running to a teacher in time has got to be worth something.”
Professor McGonagall sent Severus a look that Harry was all too familiar with. It was the same look Remus and Severus would shoot each other when Sirius was being rather ridiculous but had a good point. Severus, for his part, only raised an eyebrow. Apparently he was going to let her choose. With a heavy sigh, Professor McGonagall said, “Yes, Miss Abbott and Mister Nott will also receive five points each. Now, enough fretting about points. We will be escorting you back to your common rooms.”
“Ah, Minerva-” Professor Quirrell started nervously but Severus cut him off, his voice flat. “I can manage the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins back to their dorms, Minerva. Let Quirrell stay and guard the troll.”
Professor Quirrell gave a feeble squeak.
Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows at Severus. “If you are sure, Severus.” Severus nodded. “Alright, then. Quirinus, I will be back with the Headmaster shortly and then we can get this creature out of the castle.”
The children were ushered out of the room. Susan gave Hermione a tight hug before following after Severus and Harry lingered long enough to give Hermione a hug as well. As he started after Severus, he caught Ron muttering, “Sorry about earlier, ‘Mione. I was a bit of a prat saying that.”
“A bit,” Hermione agreed just as softly. After a moment, she added, “Thank you. For the rescue.”
“Course.”
Harry hurried to catch up with a small bit of hope in his chest. Maybe now Hermione could be part of his friend group properly.
Bookmarks