Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day,

"I really was, I had hoped that Filch caught you." said Malfoy quietly.

looking tired but perfectly cheerful.

"You had bags under your eyes and big smiles, I was so pissed." said Malfoy smirking over to them.

"Your shocked face was what made us smile." said Harry in a cutesy voice.

The school, even Malfoy, started to laugh.

Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure,

"In retrospect it was an excellent adventure, not then and there. At the time, it was an absolute nightmare!" said Ron shaking his head, Harry nodded in agreement.

and they were quite keen to have another one.

Under the glare of the adults in the room. Ron and Harry shifted uneasily in their seats.

In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.

"I was absolutely floored when he told me. I could hardly believe it." said Ron shaking his head again.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both." said Sirius and Lupin.

"Or both," said Harry.

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's messy head, and Lupin gave him a broad smile.

Harry smiled, this was the kind of attention he liked, attention from a family, HIS family.

But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

"Harry must've came up with about two hundred things that would fit that size. And what it really was, was the first ruddy thing he said." said Ron looking a little irked.

"What is it?" asked a second year, quickly.

"Not telling, you'll find out when first-year Hermione does." said Ron and Harry.

Several people groaned.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

"Neville's smarter than the three of us in that aspect." said Harry happily over to a grinning Neville.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.

"Ouch, sorry about that Hermione." said Ron and Harry.

"It's alright guys." said Hermione.

"I really, REALLY don't mean to be mean, but, how in the BLOODY hell did you guys become friends. Because you lot are like enemies in this book." said Bill with widened eyes.

"WILLIAM! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" admonished Mrs. Weasely.

All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.

"What happened?" said Sirius, getting excitedly.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls.

"We know what that is!" cried the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him,

My second letter and my first parcel!" said Harry, beaming broadly.

knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said.

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't

want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll

all want one. Oliver Wood will meet youtonight on the

Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session

Professor M. McGonagall.

"Very lucky that you read the letter first." said Lupin hiding a laugh.

"You got a Nimbus? Who paid for that?" asked Charlie incredulously.

"That would be me." said Dumbledore proudly.

The school went silent.

"What made you take it upon yourself to buy the broomstick, with the school funds?" said Umbridge angrily.

"I didn't spend a knut of the school's money. I spent my own. I missed out on several birthdays and several Christmas' presents and I thought I should get him his very first professional broom." said Dumbledore proudly.

Harry looked at him, and gave him a large grateful smile.

Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the not to Ron to read.

"You were ecstatic, mate." said Ron.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."

"Since then, I've ridden one!" said Ron remembering Harry's first broom.

"Several times, actually." corrected Harry.

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class,

"Which was wishful thinking." said Ron sadly.

but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package

People slowly turned and faced Malfoy with angry looks on their faces, who cringed slowly in his seat.

from Harry and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he said,

"You're brilliant." said Bill rolling his eyes, "a thin, long parcel and you needed to feel it to make sure?"

throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealously and spite on his face. " You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it.

"Hey, we finally had something that Malfoy didn't, after all the crud we had to put up with, Harry deserved some bragging rights." said Ron defending himself against the condescending smiles sent his way.

"And I wasn't saying a word, I was letting Ron take the ball." said Harry brightly, trying not to laugh.

"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?"

"Not a bad broom, but those aren't nearly as good as a Cleansweep or Nimbus, in the way of speed. Comet's are used mostly for just showing off with their extra features and colors." said Harry absently.

"How do you know?" asked Malfoy curiously. "You've only had the best racing brooms."

"I subscribe to a few Broomstick magazines." said Harry.

"How about 'Moonlit Flight?'" asked Sirius with a wicked grin.

"If I catch you with that, you aren't going to be able to sit for a month." said Lupin quickly.

Harry laughed loudly. He could guess what that particular magazine was all about.

"Hey! The articles are great!" said Sirius indignantly.

"I'm sure, but you never read those articles, have you? You focus on the other part of the magazine." said Lupin with the sides of his mouth twitching.

"So do you." whispered Sirius to his friend. That statement earned him several smacks with cushion by the reddened face man.

Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasely, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy stepped back.

"Coward." growled Moody.

"Ron aimed a swing at him, Malfoy stepped back and put Goyle in front of him." said Harry

"I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

The Weasely children sat and scowled over to Malfoy.

Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"We wouldn't do that! Not in a million years!" said Harry, Ron and Malfoy together sarcastically.

The entire school laughed.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"I'm just a big Quidditch enthusiast as Severus, Pomona, and Minerva." said Professor Flitwick.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.

"That was a low blow." said Sirius trying not to laugh out loud.

Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.

"Funniest face I had ever seen since Dudley got that pig tail." said Harry laughing hard.

The school was reminded of the tail and they couldn't contain their riotous laughter.

"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team..."

"Give credit, where credit is due." said Dumbledore smiling.

Malfoy blushed heavily.

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.

Hermione gulped loudly as McGonagall blinked at her in shock.

"Sorry, Professor. I-I-" she trailed off.

"She wasn't aware of the facts." said Harry quickly.

McGonagall nodded, Hermione mouthed 'thanks' to Harry.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron. "it's doing us so much good."

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

The three friends looked amongst themselves and mouthed an apology.

Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating,

"That tells you that he's excited about something really, really good." said Ron.

and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.

"I thought you were going to open it before the first class." said Angelina

"I never got that far, Malfoy and Hermione stalled me way too long. I would've been late to class." said Harry.

"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.

Even Harry who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.

Harry sighed in remembrance of his very first racing broom. His very favorite broom.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Mr. Weasley eagerly explained what the book was talking about. Hermione and Harry had to correct him a few times, however.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling-he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.

"God, I miss that broom." said Harry, wiping the moisture from his eyes. Sirius patted his arm as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What is it with boys and toys?" she whispered to Ginny.

"They love to go fast, they're crazy like that. But then again...I'm a Quidditch player too Hermione." she smiled widely.

Both girls laughed.

"Hey, Potter, come down!"

Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant...you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

"Those were the good old days." said Alicia, Katie, Fred, George, and Harry. Angelina huffed playfully and crossed her arms.

"I'm not that bad!" she pouted.

"Close." said the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.

"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

First year Muggleborns, who were confused at the very first game, listened intently.

"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.

The Chasers of the Hogwarts' Quidditch teams stood up to the loud cheers.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So-that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"

"What's basketball?" asked Malfoy.

"I'll explain at another time." said Harry.

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"Never mind," said Harry quickly.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper-

The keeper's then stood and took a bow, even Ron, though he was blushing and looking down.

I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Best one we've ever had, that is why we judge you so harshly Ron, it's nothing personal. We want you to be the best you possibly could be." said Angelina kindly.

"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all.

So were some of the first years.

"And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.

"I'll show you now." said Wood. "Take this."

He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"Yeah, you are really going to need that." said Fred warningly.

"If we are right, on what he's about to set loose." said George quietly.

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do." Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."

He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly small than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.

"They've broken those straps before." said Fred, rubbing his arm.

"Right after a game too, when we tried to put them away." said George rubbing his chin.

"Took us off guard." they both said.

"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air

"Wow. Nice shot!" complimented Fred and George.

-it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team

The Beaters from each house stood up to the sound of cheers. Fred and George graciously allowed their replacements stand up.

-the Weasely twins are ours-

The twins stood up quickly to the furious round of applause.

it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So-think you got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.

"Very good," said Wood.

"Er-have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.

"I don't think I sounded offhand, I heard myself squeak." said Harry snickering.

"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that.

"We can add broken arms to that, numerous cracked bones from falling from more than fifty feet in the air, and the wind being knocked out of someone." said Madame Pomfrey darkly.

"They had better not have all been from you" said Sirius warningly.

Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers-"

"-unless they crack my head open."

"Don't worry, the Weaselys are more than a match for the Bludgers-I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."

"Yet he could never compliment us to our faces." huffed Fred and George.

"Only cause you could barely fly with your heads being already swelled by your egos." said Angelina laughingly.

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

The seekers of the school began to cheer loudly this time.

"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it.

The Seekers stood up and received the loudest cheer and applause yet. Harry remained seated and applauded his replacement, Ginny. Ginny stood and pulled Harry gently to his feet and when he did. The sound of clapping and cheering was almost deafening. Umbridge scowled.

You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages-I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the player could get some sleep.

"Well, that's it-any questions?"

Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do, all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.

People stared at Harry, he was nervous about playing? The star Quidditch player?! They couldn't believe it.

"We won't practice with the snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try out with a few of these."

He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.

Harry didn't miss a single one,

The Seekers all whistled, including Sirius and Lupin.

"Your dad did that little practice exercise, but he missed four of them!" exclaimed Sirius.

and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.

"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasely, and he could have played for England if hadn't gone off chasing dragons."

"Hey, now." said Charlie, pretending to look hurt." I wouldn't give up my dragons for nothing." he said defiantly.

Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had.

"No one should really say that, but I am glad that you can call this a home." said Dumbledore, his eyes brighter than usual.

His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

The teachers smiled.

On Halloween morning they woke up to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors.

"Kinda warns you that something is going to happen. Learned that one real quick." muttered Harry. Hermione and Ron both nodded solemnly.

Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

"Trevor's still afraid of heights." whispered Neville to Ron, who snorted.

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).

"Sorry about that." Harry said looking over to Neville, he smiled and nodded in response.

Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this.

"I don't mind being paired with her/him anymore." they both said absent-mindedly.

She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very importantly, too-never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Several people turned to look at Harry, he looked back at them.

"What?" asked Harry curiously.

"I think they are wondering if you have some revelations about what Professor Flitwick said." said Dumbledore kindly.

"Saying the word properly is very important, pronouncing it, can vary the spell's results. I'll explain later, I think I know where this is going." said Harry, slowly taking out his little black notebook.

Umbridge looked longingly at that notebook, how she wanted it!

It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop.

"You didn't even wave your wand. You let me go first with the feather, you never even got a chance."

Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it-Harry had to put it out with his hat.

"The only good use for those hats." said Harry and Seamus.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap.

"There is no real way to say that particular spell wrong, Hermione, the only thing he was doing wrong was the impression of a spinning wheel." said Harry flicking through the pages.

"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"Not necessarily. It's the swish and flick and saying the word that gets it done. Making the 'gar' nice and long, will make it hover four feet, no more, no less. When Ron does it now, he can make it climb to about seven to eight feet." said Harry calmly. Hermione nodded and Ron beamed at the compliment.

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

"It's kinda cool challenging her, and seeing her prove you wrong." said Ron smiling broadly.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Four feet, no more, no less." said Harry looking kindly at Hermione.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

"That was a major understatement." said Harry and Ron.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her, " he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor. "she's a nightmare, honestly."

"Sorry, Hermione, I didn't really mean it." said Ron sheepishly, before any adult could tell him off.

"It's alright Ron, I forgave you years ago." Hermione smiled brightly.

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face-and was startled to see that she was in tears.

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed that she's got no friends."

"That is all you could say, Harry?" asked Sirius in shock.

"That wasn't all that I said." said Harry quietly.

All of a sudden a several small balls of light erupted from the book, which startled Charlie.

"What are those, usually its scrolls!" shouted Charlie.

"Those are called Scattered Shots, they show some small part that pertains to the part of the book at hand. The Scrolls show's Harry's past, but those are longer bits. The Scrolls are long, the Shots are short." said an Unspeakable.

The balls of light then circled around Great Hall and then they broke apart into hundreds of pieces. Each piece flew into a different person. Once it entered a person's body, their vision blurred and then turned to darkness.

Then they found themselves in the corridor right beside the Charms' classroom. They saw younger Harry and Ron come out of the Charms class. They heard Ron say:

"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly!"

They then saw Hermione run right into Harry and speed off.

"I think she heard you." said younger Harry with a shocked look on his face.

"So? She must've noticed that she's got no friends." said Ron shifting slightly.

The Watchers then watched in shock as Harry looked over to Ron and then grabbed him by his ear and dragged him over to a deserted, empty classroom.

He just about threw Ron bodily into the room. The Watchers stared in amazement, what was going on?

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHY ARE YOU ACTING THIS WAY?" shouted Harry.

"You know what she is like!" Ron shouted back. "She's overbearing, a know-it-all!"

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" shouted Harry again. "Ron, she's new here, she doesn't know anybody. It's hard to make friends in a whole new world."

"You managed." said Ron shortly.

"You wanted to sit in the same compartment as the 'famous Harry Potter', Ron. I know, I sound like a hypocrite talking to you like this when I don't even watch my own mouth around her. But I saw her crying as she banged into me. You went too far, I went too far. We need to apologize to her in the next class. Alright?" then they heard Harry's voice break. "I know what bullying can do; I know what it feels to be on the wrong side of the punch, be it physical or verbal. I don't...I will not...allow the Dursleys affect me."

Dumbledore paled, as did a majority of the other Watchers, but not nearly to the same degree.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron nervously.

"It's nothing, just Dudley. Listen, we'll both apologize, alright?" said Harry shaking his head and then looking at Ron.

Ron nodded.

The balls of light left their bodies and there they were back in the Great Hall. The students looked around to the three friends.

"So they apologized and you all became friends right?" said Lavender towards Hermione.

"Umm...more or less." they said shifting about a little.

"How come I have the feeling it's leaning towards the 'more' part." said Lupin with a raised eyebrow.

"If it happened the way I suspect, it's A LOT more." said Snape drumming his fingers against each other.

"Thanks for agreeing to apologizing, Ron, means a lot actually." said Hermione with a smile.

Ron blushed and gave a half shrug.

Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon.

"So you didn't just apologize and become friends then." said Ginny.

On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.

"I felt real, REAL bad." said Ron

Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and opened her mouth in mock indignation.

"Hermione, I was hungry." whined Ron.

"When are you not hungry." said Ginny and Hermione, both were smiling.

"I was hungry too, actually." Harry pouted, playing along.

"Oh well then, that's fine." said Hermione, Ginny and Sirius who caught on quickly.

The school laughed at the look of pretend shock on Ron's face.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

"Sorry I missed it now." said Hermione sadly.

"Compared to where you were, yeah, I would be upset if I missed it too." said Ron trying to cheer her up. Which amazingly worked.

Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.

"Oh no, what is it now?" groaned Remus.

Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll-in the dungeons

"HOLY CRAP!" shouted Sirius

-thought you ought to know,"

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

"Useless piece of garbage." muttered Moody and Tonks.

There was an uproar.

"First there was dead silence." said Harry with a smirk.

"THERE IS A TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS! THERE ISN'T ANYTHING FUNNY ABOUT IT!" shouted Sirius wringing his hands. Lupin was dead pale. "KNOWING YOUR LUCK, YOU'RE GOING TO MEET IT!"

Harry didn't say anything. Sirius groaned even louder.

it took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Go figure." said Bill whispering to Charlie.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders!

"What are you supposed to be able to do?" asked a first year. Percy blushed.

Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"

"Hex me if I start acting like that." said Ron quietly to Neville.

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

"He wouldn't do that, Peeves loves almost all the students. He enjoys bringing excitement into children's life. But he wouldn't do anything life threatening." said Professor McGonagall.

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.

"I've just thought-Hermione."

"What about her?"

Ron mouthed an apology.

"She doesn't' know about the troll."

"OH MY GOD! HERMIONE!" screamed Mrs. Weasely.

"I'm fine Mrs. Weasely, I'm fine!" reassured Hermione.

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped.

"Love you too, Ron." said Hermione raising her eyebrows at Ron. He mouthed another apology.

"But Percy'd better not see us."

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girl's bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.

"Good reflexes, Weasely." said Moody approvingly.

"Learned to dodge Percy all the time at home." muttered Ron.

Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeon with the rest of the teachers?"

The guests and the students slowly turned to look at the man. The regular staff knew what he was doing and weren't concerned. They were more worried about the three first year Gryffindors.

"Search me."

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.

"One of only times I noticed something, before Harry." said Ron brightly.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

Students cringed, in their seats. They weren't sure if they wanted to eat again.

And then they heard it-a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed-at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

"Don't tell me what you saw was the troll." begged Sirius.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, it's skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. it was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

"I don't ever want to see it in person, ever." said a group of first years.

The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind,

"I found out later, much later, that what that means is that they hear something." said Harry sadly

then slouched slowly into the room.

"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

"Sorry, Hermione, it was my idea." Harry whispered to Hermione. She sent a reassuring smile over to him.

They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

"Yes!"

"Good! Now get the hell out of there! I don't want you any nearer to that troll then you've already been." said Lupin worriedly

"Then go get a teacher!" yelled Sirius

Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop-

"CRAP! WHAT NOW?" yelled Bill. He didn't want his little brother getting almost killed by a fully grown mountain troll!

a high, petrified scream-and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.

"Dear lord, that room," said George weakly

"It was..." whispered Fred, even weaker than his brother.

They hurried over and pulled and hugged onto Hermione tightly.

"What the..." said Ron

"We aren't leaving till we know she's okay." they said quickly.

Sirius and Lupin looked over to Hermione worriedly.

"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.

People who didn't catch on nearly as quickly as the twins, started to scream:

"HERMIONE IS IN THERE!" screamed Ginny.

People screamed even louder.

"Hermione!" they said together.

It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?

"Do...not...tell...me...you...went...in...there!" moaned Lupin weakly.

Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.

"NO! DON'T GO IN THERE, GO FIND A TEACHER!" screamed Mrs. Weasely.

"I don't think they would've gotten there in time. From the dungeons to the girls' bathroom, not even I could fast enough to be in time to help her." said Harry quietly.

The teachers clutched at their throats, if they had gone for a teacher, would Miss Granger still be with them?

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the wall as it went.

"OH, HERMIONE!" wailed Lavender.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron and seizing a tap, he threw it hard as he could against the wall.

"You look like a weak shrimp, but you are really strong when the need arises Harry." said Ron quietly to Harry.

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.

"NO! NOT TOWARDS HARRY! NO!" screamed Sirius.

He stood up quickly and shielded Harry with his own body. As if the troll had made a repeat performance.

"Sirius, I'm fine, it's not here." said Harry looking up at his terrified godfather.

"Sirius, calm down!" yelled Lupin.

Snape hurried over and pulled Sirius' head back by the hair and poured a Calming Draught down his throat.

Sirius started breathing deeply, he was calming down, but he wasn't going to move from where he was kneeling.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead,

Bill ran over and embraced his younger brother now. "Don't get hurt, don't get hurt." he whispered over and over.

Mrs. Weasely and Mr. Weasely were practically sobbing into each other's shoulders.

giving Harry time to run around it.

"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

"Bad time to freeze Hermione." whimpered Tonks.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Charlie then rushed over and hugged Ron tightly as well. He threw the book to Moody, who continued on for him.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:

"I think, all hell is going to break loose again Harry." said Ron sadly from the cocoon of his brother's arms.

Harry nodded, looking a little warily from Remus to Sirius who was still kneeling in front of him.

He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.

Sirius moaned piteously and sank lower onto the floor.

The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had been in his hand when he'd jumped-it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

"Ewww..I forgot all about that, Harry." said Ron with a sickened look on his face.

"Tell me you cleaned your wand after words." said Hermione a little pale.

"I borrowed Ron's wand and used a disinfecting charm on it." said Harry with a laugh. Which shocked Sirius and Remus, Dumbledore chuckled as well.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" bellowed Sirius to Dumbledore. "Harry going to get killed by a bloody troll!"

"What year was he in, when this occurred, Sirius?" said Dumbledore brightly.

"What? Oh, um...first year...my godson was eleven..." he said, then erupted into tears.

"How old is Harry now?" said Dumbledore calmly.

"Fifteen..." said Sirius looking up slowly.

"So, that means he didn't get killed, he's right here. Now calm down, if you don't I won't let you take him for the summer. I won't have someone so high-strung taking care of such a rambunctious teen. I will care for him myself." he said firmly.

Sirius worked hard to calm himself down.

"That's better, now Alastor, continue please." said Dumbledore looking quite pleased with himself.

"Gladly." said Moody gruffly.

Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

"Keep calm, Sirius, keep calm. He's just fine, he just fine." said Sirius grasping Harry's hands and holding them close to his chest.

Harry had no notion of what to do to calm him down. He was hoping the Troll bogies on his wand would have made him laugh at least. Harry placed his forehead on Sirius's forehead. His eyes fluttered open and his dark eyes, met Harry's green.

"I'm fine, I'm right here. I'm not gone." he said soothingly.

Sirius stood back up and sat back in the bowl. He laid Harry's head back on his lap and grasped one of his hands.

"Once again, you're so grounded when I get you home." he muttered into his ear.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand-not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

"The only spell you can't do, you pick that one." said Malfoy, shaking his head.

"I think it was nice, Ron was so worried about Hermione that he used a spell that he associated with her. Shows that he learned something from her." said Luna serenely.

Hermione and Ron both blushed deeply.

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over-and dropped, with a sickening crack,

"Kinda describes the noise you made when you straightened your nose, during the scroll." said seventh year Hufflepuff to Harry.

Harry looked at him in confusion. Lupin quickly told him what the seventh year was talking about. Remembering, Harry nodded.

onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

"Tell me it didn't land on anyone." said Mr. Weasely weakly

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath.

"Thank goodness, It didn't get Hermione or Ron and Harry didn't get hurt when the troll hit the floor." said Mr. Weasely, heaving a giant sigh of relief.

Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

"Hey I was in shock." he said to the people sniggering.

It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it-dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, " I think it's just been knocked out."

"Good show, Potter, don't let your guard down. Could wake up at any moment." said Moody nodding.

"I didn't need to hear that." said Sirius weakly.

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.

"Didn't need to hear that, either." he said chuckling a little.

"Urgh-troll boogers."

He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

"Not too sure if that would have made it better or worse really." said Harry.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roar. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

"Plan didn't go too well for him did it?" whispered Hermione to Ron

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"Don't ask me where that thought came from. Cause I won't be able to tell you." he said waving away the incredulous looks.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave Harry a swift piercing look. Harry looked at the floor.

"I wanted to use Legilimency to find out what had happened, but he looked down too fast." whispered Snape to Dumbledore.

He wished Ron would put his wand down.

"I thought my wand was down." said Ron sheepishly.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall-they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"Bout time." muttered Moody. He wasn't pleased with Hermione, freezing like that.

"I went looking for the troll because I-I thought I could deal with it on my own-you know, because I've read all about them."

"What did she say?" said Lupin weakly.

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"Miss Granger! You lied to me! You and I are going to have a little chat once this chapter is done." said McGonagall sternly. Hermione looked down and nodded slowly.

"If they hadn't found me, I 'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up in its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

"Only truth to that story it seems." muttered Snape, looking over at McGonagall. "And it is the more important part of the story, how she came to be there, is not so significant."

"She still lied to me." she muttered McGonagall firmly. "All the same, I guess, I cannot blame her, but I will still have a talk with her about lying to me."

"As long as it has nothing similar to Harry's detentions with Umbridge, I'll take whatever she gives me." muttered Hermione seriously to Ron who was going to speak up against Hermione getting detention.

Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.

"We failed miserably, I think." said Ron with a smile over to Harry.

"Well-in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

"Turns out she didn't think she could." said Tonks giving Hermione a wink.

"Good thing too. Freezing up like that, foolish girl." said Moody shaking his head.

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was pretending she had, to get them out of trouble.

Hermione smiled broadly over to Harry.

It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

The school laughed loudly, but silenced immediately when Snape threw a glare at them.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses."

Hermione left.

"I didn't want to look at that troll anymore." she said blushing.

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

"Now we know all the facts." said Dumbledore brightly clapping his hands together. "I was a little concerned; I felt that I wasn't told everything."

"Why didn't you let me know that?" said McGonagall incredulously.

"I thought you were the one holding back." he said with smile and the twinkling in his eyes were going strong.

They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than ten points." Ron grumbled.

"I could've taken points, Mr. Weasely if you prefer." said McGonagall stiffly.

Ron quickly shook his head.

"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione."

"I wasn't complaining." said Harry quickly to his Transfiguration teacher.

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"Wouldn't need saving if you lot didn't make fun of her and lock the troll in there with her." said Lupin sternly.

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.

"Spot on." said Lupin.

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

"Bit anticlimactic, isn't it." said Fred, pulling himself away from Hermione. George did the same thing.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

"I think we'll have to take your word for it." said Bill with a smile untangling himself from Ron. "You better hope, you don't get into any more dangerous situations, or I'll do to you what Snape did to Malfoy." he said sternly.

"It was embarrassing coming back in here, after that." said Malfoy quietly.

"Don't feel too bad Malfoy, I'm guessing, that if I wasn't laid up, I'd of been paddled several hundred times by now." said Harry kindly. "Besides, not many people noticed you coming in."

Several people nodded.

"Oh," said Malfoy, feeling a bit better.

Charlie held the book out at arm's length.

"Whatcha doin', Charlie?" asked Bill with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, every night, we have that scroll come popping out of this thing. I thought it would happen again." he said meekly.

"If a Scattered Shot happens during the story, there will not be a Recollection Scroll that day. It takes a lot of magical energy to produce both of those." said an Unspeakable.

"Thank goodness, if it was a bad Recollection Scroll today, I don't think my heart could take it." said Sirius brushing his lips in his godson's messy locks.

"Well, now I think we better have some dinner. Before we all perish from hunger." said Dumbledore brightly.

The tables of food appeared once again and plates of food were magicked over to the trio in the bowl again. Harry helped himself to a piece of chicken, he munched greedily at it.

Umbridge, who was quiet for a large portion of the chapter, sat glaring at the three in the bowl. She was about to lose her teaching position, and her power over the Ministry personnel is fading fast. Even her hold over the Minister is waning, she needed to act! Last night's attempt went wrong somewhere. House-elves are supposed to go about unnoticed, how did that stupid house-elf get caught before he could slit the boy's throat? At first, she wanted nothing more than to discredit him, show he was a liar. But now, she wanted him to...suffer...yes that was it. She wanted nothing but screams of pain coming from that wretched boy! Now, how was she to go about it?

Bathilda pulled out the photo album from her bag and began to thumb through it once more.

"Oi! Don't hog that all to yourself Batty, let us see it too!" whined Sirius.

"Hey, not in front of everybody!" cried Harry.

"Harry, I want to see more of your baby pictures, we don't' have any of you growing up." said Sirius gleefully.

"Doctor Clark has pictures of me, about a year's worth." said Harry quietly.

"When he gets here, then we will ask him for some. But for now, we are happily stuck with your baby pictures." said Lupin consolingly.

The pictures were magnified to an extremely large size and it showed a tiny version Harry chomping down on a chocolate chip cookie, the cookie was the same size of his head.

"Did you finish, that thing?" asked Malfoy, laughing out loud.

"Oh no, his father finished it for him." said Bathilda, smiling over to Harry, who was blushing.

The next picture was one of baby Harry, fast asleep, snuggling against a giant stuffed dragon.

"Awwww!" cooed the girls in the Great Hall.

"I got ya tha'!" said Hagrid proudly. "I even remember wha' ya named it. You named it,.."

"Scorchie..." said Harry quietly, staring at the picture.

People cooed even louder.

Umbridge stole out of the room silently. No one even took notice of her leaving, their attentions lying on the pictures hovering in the air. She hurried up to the library and crept into the Restricted Section, she opened one book after another. Searching for something, anything, finally she found it. It was perfect, a delightful mix of emotional and physical pain. The only problem was, it required a potion, and from she noticed from the readings, Snape would never agree to making it. She would need another Brewer.

She knew just the man. She copied the spell and potion formula down and stole her way out of the castle.