Chapter 5: Flying Lessons and a Troll
Harry had felt some trepidation when he saw the notice that Gryffindors and Slytherins would be learning flying together.
The idea of flying on a broomstick appealed to him greatly, but he was fairly certain Malfoy would love to push him off his broom, especially after their first Potions lesson. Apparently, the Potions master who had taken points off him was Malfoy's godfather, which made a lot of sense to Harry – that type of people just seemed to gravitate towards each other. Malfoy had been colder than ever after that lesson, especially since the other Gryffindors seemed very pleased by Harry snarking back at the teacher.
He was also hearing from Fred and George Weasley that the school brooms were old and had a tenancy to break or jerk around when you mounted one. Ostensibly the school didn't have the money to replace them, which was strange for the most respected magical school in Britain.
Malfoy liked to talk a lot about flying. At breakfast and dinner he was always going on with stories of that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping muggle helicopters. Harry highly doubted these stories were true, but at any rate he had never been on a broom before, and Malfoy definitely had. It was never good to have lower ground when dealing with an opponent.
That was enough to make Harry tempted to skip the class and hide out somewhere, but he scrapped the thought. He wasn't about to miss out on flying because of Malfoy.
It was a sunny, cloudless day with a pleasant breeze as the Gryffindors and Slytherins piled out into a field where they were greeted by Madam Hooch, the flying instructor. There were twenty broomsticks lying in rows on the ground. They didn't look to be in the best shape, as the Twins had said.
"Everyone stand by a broomstick," Madam Hooch instructed. "and say, UP!"
"Up!" Everyone shouted.
Harry's broomstick immediately flew up into his hand. It was one of three that did, Granger's simply rolled on the ground while Neville's wouldn't budge. Harry felt kind of sorry for Neville; nothing ever seemed to work out for him, and Malfoy took delight in bullying him about it. Harry didn't think Neville would do well on a broom anyway; he was a very nervous boy.
Next, Hooch told them how to stay on their brooms without sliding off; she walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry didn't bother to hide his smirk when she told Malfoy that he'd been doing it wrong for years.
Then came hovering."Now, when I blow my whistle, I want you all to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down. On my whistle – three – two – one."
A Slytherin girl named Tracy Davis was careful to do as instructed, but when she kicked off, her broom suddenly shot straight up like a rocket, hurtling high up in the air. It gained momentum steadily until she was at level with the towers, nearly a dot to anyone looking up.
"Come back!" Hooch yelled. Tracy's only response was a distant, terrified scream. Her panic spread to the other students; Dean and Pavarti Patil bolted from the pitch back towards Hogwarts, hoping to get a teacher before it got any worse.
The broom jerked a few times, and suddenly split in half, sending the redhaired Slytherin hurtling towards the ground.
Harry couldn't remember doing it, his response was purely instinctive. In a split second he mounted his broom and flew straight up towards the falling girl.
Tracy was terrified, she shut her eyes waiting for it all to end there was no way she'd survive a fall from that height. The wind howled around her as it dragged her back onto the ground, the impact of which would shatter every bone in her body and leave her a bloodstained indentation in the earth. Her life was flashing in front of her, it wasn't fair it was so short, she didn't want to die yet –
Suddenly, there were arms around her breaking her fall. The broom below her shuddered and dropped a few feet, but held steady.
Harry said a few words he'd picked up from Carrie as his broom jerked under the extra weight. These brooms really were pieces of crap; it would hardly obey him. He kept an iron grip on the handle with one hand, keeping it from moving around, his other arm securing the shaking redhead, who was still crying out. "You can stop screaming," He managed, the wind blowing her hair into his face somewhat.
Tracy blinked, and finally registered she wasn't falling anymore. She pulled her head back just a little and stared in shock and amazement at the black-haired Gryffindor who'd caused a commotion in Potions class holding onto her, saving her from certain death. He regarded her with clear emerald eyes, "I still want to be able to hear in that ear," he said lightly.
Tracy was too shocked to respond. She couldn't believe it; she was saved, by a Gryffindor no less – she never would have expected a lion to lift a finger to a snake, much less risk their own life for one.
Carefully Harry manoeuvred his twitchy broom to take them both back down to the ground. When they reached it, he dismounted carefully, still holding Tracy who nearly collapsed when her feet touched solid ground.
Harry was immediately swamped with students shouting and babbling with amazement; Madam Hooch ran over to Tracy and took her from Harry's steady hands. "Are you hurt?" She demanded.
Tracy managed to shake her head no, still trembling from her near-death experience, turning her head to stare at Harry some more. She was crying a second later, and started babbling in German. It took Harry a second to realize she was thanking him.
"Mr. Potter!"
Harry looked back to see his Head of House running towards him, Dean and Pavarti right behind her. She was pale with shock, "I never – not in all my years – I can't believe – d-dear Merlin, are you both alright?"
"I'm fine," Harry responded. "Tracy might be suffering from shock, though." He nodded towards Tracy, who was sitting down on the grass not trusting her legs at the moment.
"How did you do that?" Ron demanded, eyes wide, managing to make himself heard over all the yelling going on. "With a school broom?"
Harry shrugged. "I wasn't thinking about it, with a girl about to fall to her death and everything-" there were a few giggles that held a certain degree of nervousness or hysteria to them; Neville had put a good three feet between himself and the broom he'd been using. "but I just did what felt right, and kept a strong hand on the handle. Wasn't that hard."
"I see," Professor McGonagall said. "Madam Hooch, do you have any idea what happened?"
"No." Hooch looked ready to riot, "I've been telling the Headmaster for years that these brooms need replacing, but he simply refuses to listen – I don't understand why that happened, but these old brooms are dangerously unpredictable."
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and nodded. "I see; I hereby declare the school brooms a safety hazard, no one is to use them until they can be replaced. I'll be informing Professor Dumbledore of this incident, and we'll be investigating it." She nodded at the shattered remains of Tracy's broom. Her eyes then fell on Harry. "Harry Potter is hereby awarded seventy-five points for saving another student's life. Mr. Thomas, Ms. Patil, please escort Ms. Davis to the infirmary to be on the safe side. The rest of you, dismissed."
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Harry
Wow, I wish I could go to Hogwarts – it doesn't sound like it's ever boring there. Carrie predicted right – everything around here since you've left is back to boring-as-hell routine. Our parents have been having rows every other day, Carrie's brothers nearly burned her house down when they came home drunk, but apart from that we've been wandering through schoolwork and stuff. Miranda got busted for swiping the principle's car keys, but we haven't had charges since you left either.
Keep an eye on that Malfoy brat; spoiled brats will hold grudges to their deathbeds if they feel sufficiently insulted. If that vampire teacher (Snipe or something) favours him you'll want to be as discreet as possible. As for Carol Winchester, you might want to watch her carefully – there might be more to that weird feeling.
Keep Writing – Carrie, Pierce and Miranda.
Harry read over his letter on the way to Charms class, contemplating how to retell the story of him saving Tracy. It was all his housemates wanted to talk about; he'd been receiving many admiring looks in the hallways, like he was some sort of 'freaking action star. After being well-known for less heroic reasons over the years Harry found this attention awkward. He wasn't sure how to respond to it.
He'd seen Tracy walk into the Great Hall at dinner. Daphne and another girl who's name was escaping him ran over and hugged her. Tracy glanced his way, blushed fiercely and sat down to eat, head lowered, golden-red hair falling around her face.
Harry shook his head to collect his thoughts and was headed for the Gryffindor table where he saw Draco standing, talking.
"I can't believe flying lessons are suspended," Draco said angrily, "just because of one cursed broom-"
Ron, as usual, let the blonde pureblood get under his skin with minimum effort. "In case your forgetting," he snapped, "That girl Davis could have died."
"It's a travesty for the school not to have flying lessons. How are the first years going to try out for Quidditch next year?" Draco demanded.
"And that shows where your priorities are," Ron growled.
Draco turned and saw Harry, scowling. "Potter."
"What now?" Harry asked, "If you want Neville's Remembrall that badly, I'm sure you could badger your rich father into buying you one." Draco had tried to take the item at breakfast, but had been stopped by McGonagall.
Draco's cheeks flushed. "Alright, Potter, if you're so confident. I bet you couldn't fight with a wand – don't think I forgot about what you did on the train. It's a disgrace to the Potter family – you rely on your fists and feet like a common thug."
"What's your certainty on that?" Harry raised one eyebrow. "You don't go anywhere without those two meatheads – what, expecting to get mugged?"
"I could take you on any time alone," Malfoy said confidently. "Tonight, if you want. Wizards duel – no contact. Just wand. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Just because I was raised by muggles doesn't make me an idiot." Harry responded dryly. He'd read about the Duelling circuit in one of the Wizarding Events books he'd bought. "Where do you want to go?"
"Midnight, in the Trophey room. The door's always unlocked?"
"How do I know you're going to be there?" Harry asked sarcastically, having guessed the answer. "I'm willing to bet you're going to take the easy way out, skip it and hope I get caught by Filch or his rotten cat."
Malfoy glared at him and said, "I swear on my magic I'll be there. You better be there too."
"Fine." Harry smirked. "Don't worry – you'll learn to eat your words."
Draco Malfoy glared at him, before tossing his head and stalking towards the Slytherin table.
"Excuse me."
Harry rolled his eyes and turned towards Hermione Granger, "What do you want?" He asked impatiently. "Can't I eat in peace without you hanging over me?"
"Well, I couldn't help overhearing you and Malfoy-"
"I bet you couldn't." Ron muttered.
""-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think about all the points you'd loose for Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be, it's really selfish of you-"
"What makes you think I'm going?" Harry responded with a roll of his eyes. "Malfoy's a moron, I haven't known him for long but he's always talking himself into situations that he's not cut out for or thinking through. I have ever intention of just sleeping tonight; if Malfoy gets caught and in trouble, so much the better."
Hermione scowled at Harry, "Can't you do anything that doesn't involve causing trouble and dragging other people into it?"
"Does saving someone's life count?" Harry countered, standing up. He had a good inch on her. This teacher's pet was starting to get on his nerves in a permanent way. "Oh, I suppose I shouldn't have done that either because she said not to fly higher than a few feet – nevermind that not doing anything would have meant Tracy's death. And you got at me for making a sarcastic comment towards a teacher who was asking me a question I couldn't possibly answer to embarrass me in front of the class."
Hermione took a step backwards, eyes wide, but Harry wasn't finished, "Here's a job for you – is following the rules at the expense of someone getting hurt worth it? Because with the way you act, it's no wonder you don't have any friends."
Hermione recoiled like he'd physically slapped her with that last comment. After a second, her breath started trembling, and she bolted from the Great Hall.
Harry watched her leave, a bit startled. Any other teacher's pet he'd talked to that way had glared hatefully at him and reported him to a teacher anyway. They just got worse after that. He couldn't remember one of them looking genuinely hurt, or running away from him.
"Good riddance," Ron muttered.
Harry felt something in his stomach twist a bit; he wasn't entirely sure he shared the sentiment all of a sudden.
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Harry was walking back in the direction of the common room after dinner when he heard Daphne yell for him; he turned around to see her and Tracy heading his way. He stopped and waited for them to catch up.
Daphne hugged him, catching him by surprise. A second later she let him go, looking a little embarrassed but thankful. "I was hoping to catch you," she said. "Thank you for saving Tracy. That was amazing."
Harry smiled slightly, "No worries." He glanced at Tracy. "Can I help you with something?"
Tracy nervously approached him, too shy to meet his eyes, and said, "Har- Mr. Potter, I ...My father came in to see me and heard about you saving me...and he reminded me of this. I must acknowledge that I, Tracy Leia Davis owe you a life debt. H-how do you wish that I repay it?"
Harry glanced at Daphne in surprise and mouthed out, "Life Debt?"
Daphne saw this and, remembering he was muggle-raised, explained, "It's a thing in pureblood society...when you save someone's life, they're obligated to repay you in any way you desire. It could be anything from money, the deeds to land or buisness, or servitude...of both sorts," she glanced at the floor when she said this.
Harry didn't have to ask her to elaborate to guess what 'both sorts' meant. He was appalled; he may have a criminal history but it was purely petty – he wouldn't inflict that on any girl, definitely not as young as they both were. He thought for a minute.
"Well, uh...I, erm, Harry Potter, acknowledge this debt. And, well...okay, you may repay me by calling me Harry and sharing your Potions notes with me." He scowled. "That class sucks."
Tracy was astonished. She'd never seen anyone dismiss a life debt so casually, let alone a young boy who see the potential in asking a more, ahem, 'long term' arrangement. Her father had warned her of the dangers of being so indebted to a family like the Malfoy's or another similarly ruthless group, and yet Harry had asked basically nothing from her, after risking himself to save her, someone he didn't know.
She couldn't help it; she took a step forward and kissed Harry on the cheek, "Thank you, thank you... you're more deserving of the fame surrounding you than others."
Harry blushed at this; he really wasn't familiar with this kind of thing and didn't know how to handle it. "Uh, no problem. Any time."
Daphne giggled at this before saying more seriously, "On that subject, there's some dark rumours rolling around. I've been hearing people say that broom was meant for break."
"Meant to?" Harry echoed, startled. "Someone meant to kill a student?"
Both Daphne and Tracy nodded. "The story going around is that someone cursed it and laid it out, hoping for someone to pick it and fall to your death. And since all the school brooms are so worn, no one would suspect it." Daphne explained. "Many of the rumours say it was meant for you."
"What do the Professors think?"
Tracy scowled, "Professor Dumbledore just twinkled at my father when he asked that very question and said they were looking into it very carefully. But I think he does know about it, more than he's saying. It's just a feeling in my gut, though."
"Who here would want to do that?" Harry asked. "For a second, I thought of Professor Snape...but his behavior is way too obvious. He'd get himself caught."
Daphne looked troubled. "I...Professor Snape can be very harsh, but I agree – whoever did this wasn't him. It couldn't be." She shook her head. "It – It's just a rumour...we could by worrying over nothing...but what happened to Tracy was frightening, and I can't remember the school brooms, worn out as they were, behaving like that..."
"But then, who did?" Harry wondered out loud. There weren't any obvious suspects in his mind, and he couldn't think of a possible motive for killing an eleven-year-old. The thought of murder inside a school was an alarming one.
"I think," Tracy murmured, "That I'll be looking over my shoulder a lot this term."
"Good idea." Harry muttered. The student body had an enemy somewhere, and that was never a good thing. An enemy you couldn't see was much more dangerous than one you could.
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To Carrie, Pierce and Miranda-
Today was a bit of a roller coaster, and it's leaving me a little worried, to be honest. It started out easily enough, but during our first flying class, the broom a girl named Tracy Davis was on suddenly flew up really high, jerked around and then split in half. I'm not sure exactly what came over me, but I got my broom to fly far enough up to catch her and take her back to the ground. She's alright now, but the stories going around are what's got me awake.
Some people seem to think that the broom Tracy had been flying on was cursed to take her up that high, break and send her to her death. I don't put too much stock into rumours, but in the off-chance that it's true, that means there's someone here who's trying to kill a student. There's not much evidence going on it, but I'm on my toes nonetheless – the teachers are investigating it right now, but I don't know if they've turned up anything yet.
On a less frightening note, Malfoy was stupid enough to challenge me to a wizard's duel at midnight. I made him swear on his magic that he'd be there, because I'm certain he meant not to show up and leave me to Filtch, and I have no intention of going out. I wonder if he'll get caught.
Ow, Maria! Don't claw my stomach!
-Harry.
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"Has Albus Dumbledore said anything yet?" Molly Weasley asked her husband anxiously. Percy's letter home had worried her immensely. Ginny hadn't seemed to register the potential danger; she was repeating the tale of Harry's daring rescue of the Slytherin girl from certain death to anyone who would listen.
"Not yet," Arthur Weasley responded, looking at his wife with concern. "Look, Molly – it was probably just an accident. The students have been complaining about the school brooms for a while now – it's perfectly possible it was just a freak accident. The Davis girl came to no harm, and the brooms are being replaced. And if there is danger, Albus Dumbledore is Headmaster – he won't let any harm come to his students."
Molly exhaled and watched her daughter bounce in and out of the kitchen, rereading Percy's letter for the tenth time. "I hope your right Arthur."
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Astoria pressed against the handrail of the stairs, straining to hear her parents talking. She was holding Daphne's letter in one hand. Harry's heroic rescue of Tracy Davis made the boy more endearing than before and made her more impatient to get to Hogwarts, but the rumour of the attempted assassination had her desperate to glean news.
Astoria was not an idealist, mainly due to her most likely lot in life being Malfoy's wife, and there was one name that immediately came to her mind when she thought of potential targets.
Yes, Astoria was absolutely certain this was an attempt on Harry's life. She could think of several people who would want the boy-who-lived dead and had the influence to attempt it. She knew better than anyone that not all of You-Know-Who's followers had ended up in Azkaban. But who would be close enough to curse the brooms? Would her sister be safe?
The younger girl went back upstairs to write a letter to her sister, pleading caution. She hoped that there wouldn't be another incident too soon.
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Maria woke Harry early the next morning, asking for food. He had been teasing her with a little catnip when he saw Hermione Granger stumble into the Common Room, looking like she'd slept for a grand total of five hours. She was rubbing at her eyes, which were red.
Harry focused on Maria's paws batting at the green leaves just out of reach, pretending to be too absorbed in this game to notice her.
"Harry!" He was surprised to see a different distraction come in the form of Ron. He was holding his rat Scabbers while scowling down at Maria. "Can't you keep your cat from hurting Scabbers? She clawed him last night!"
"I thought you were going to keep him in his cage," Harry said distractedly. For some reason, Maria had taken an intense disliking to the old grey rat, and Ron was unhappy that she chased him everywhere.
"I forgot, okay? Besides, she's a sneaky one – she tried to push the cage off the desk once!"
"I'll do something," Harry muttered. "Come on – let's get to class."
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Harry was sitting down in Charms class when he heard some girls whispering when Hermione walked in. "I heard her crying last night," Lavandar Brown whispered. "How long do you think she slept?"
"She's not looking so good." Pavarti agreed.
The Charm they were practising that day was a levitation charm. Ron was having trouble with his feather and quickly got frustrated.
Hermione reached out and stopped his flailing arm. "Stop, stop. You're saying it wrong," she said. "It's Levi-o-sa, not Levio-sa."
Ron scowled at her. "Why don't you do it, then, if you're so clever."
Hermione pointed her wand at her father and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Sure enough, her feather floated off her desk and into the sky.
"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick said happily. "Ms. Granger's done it, see!"
Ron was in a very bad temper. "It's bad enough that she has to act like everyone's mother," he was snarling to Seamus when they were walking out of class, "the fact that she's actually good at it makes her unbearable. Why couldn't she be sorted somewhere else? She's a shrew, honestly."
Someone knocked into Harry as they picked up the pace. He saw it was Hermione – and was startled, again, to see her crying.
Something twisted in Harry's stomach, something he didn't really like feeling – guilt. Sure, she'd been obnoxious and somewhat overbearing, but he'd never driven a girl to tears before, and he wasn't very happy with the fact he finally had.
It didn't help that he later overhead Lavander saying that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom and wanted to be alone. She didn't show up to any of the other classes. Harry's gut feeling was getting more pronounced when he made his way to the Hall for dinner.
About halfway through the meal Professor Quirrel hurtled through the doorway, screaming "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROOOL IN THE DUNGEON!"He paused. "Thought you ought to know." he promply sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was a single crack of thunder before every child in the hall gave a collective scream of terror. Everyone dropped what they were holding and started running for the exit -
"SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore yelled. The room fell silent, probably more out of shock than anything. "Prefects, lead your students to the towers. Teachers, follow me to the dungeon."
Percy Weasley immediately began yelling, "Gryffindors, follow me, this way!" They began filing out. Harry was headed up when something occurred to him. Something important.
He stopped in his tracks. Had Hermione heard the troll warning? The girl's bathroom was a ways away. Was she still there? There was no sign of her in the crowd. And if the troll left the dungeon...
Harry glanced in the direction of his house, then toward the back of the hall, and growled in frustration. However much Hermione had annoyed him over the past few days, being a teacher's pet did not warrent being left to a troll, an encounter that would most likely end in her death. Something that would be entierly his fault ( and Ron's) for putting her in that emotional state in the first place.
"Of all days to grow a conscious," he said to himself, before turning on his heel and running in the direction of the girl's bathroom.
He was halfway there when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around to see Daphne and Tracy right behind him, trying to catch their breath.
"What are you doing?" Daphne gasped. "There's a troll on the loose."
"I know." Harry said. "There's a girl – Hermione Granger – she's been in the bathroom for hours, she doesn't know about the troll – have to go get her -"
Tracy went pale. "Move, move!" She whispered. All three students hid behind a pillar. At that very moment, a massive, stone grey figure slowly lumbered from around the corner, dragging a massive club along beside it. Harry swore again. That thing was at least twelve feet tall and over two hundred pounds.
"Damn it to hell...the troll's left the dungeon."
Daphne's breath caught in her throat. " Oh no. It's going into the girl's bathroom!"
Moon: Yes, a double update! I wrote chapters five and six back to back due to a brainwave. I hope you all like them! Also, there will be no Harry/Hermione. Sorry, but unless Hermione has a major change with how she views authority, she and Harry won't get along very well, even if he does save her life. I do not own Harry Potter. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Troll and Cerberus
A second after the troll disappeared, Harry, Daphne and Tracy exchanged a single horrified look. "We should get a teacher-" Tracy said as the three of them bolted towards the bathroom.
"They're too far away, won't get here in the time – please tell me one of you knows an offensive spell -" Harry said.
"I know something, but it could be dangerous." Daphne said.
"It'll have to do." Harry said, throwing the bathroom doors open.
Hermione was curled up in a ball under one of the sinks, screaming for help. The massive troll had smashed most of the stalls and one of the sinks, and it wasn't far away from her. Her brown eyes caught sight of the three of them. "Help! Please!" She cried, tears running down her cheeks.
Daphne pointed her wand at the troll's club, "Incendio!" She yelled.
The club was wreathed in fire; the troll howled in pain and anger and dropped it. It turned around to see the other three students, its beady eyes glaring down angrily at them. "Now what?" Daphne asked, sounding a little scared.
Harry thought furiously, they needed some sort of plan, "Do we know anything about trolls?"
Daphne nodded, "This one's a mountain troll. It's not very smart, but its skin is mostly spell resistant, it would take dozens of powerful stunners to knock it out. We could try a cutting curse but I'm not very good with that one..."
Harry thought about that as the troll took a menacing step forward. Then he remembered something Pierce and Carrie had always said about bigger opponents "-never go in from the front, they'll waste you. Get behind them, go for the legs or the nose."
"For now, we distract it. Tracy, get Hermione out of there." Harry pointed his wand and shouted, "Stupify!" The spell knocked the creature's head back but didn't have enough punch to knock it out. Sure enough, it began to follow Harry and Daphne, who ran out into the hallway.
"Where are we going?" Daphne asked.
"The stairwell!" Harry responded. "It goes down for ages; it falls far enough and it's dead!"
Daphne nodded, fear fading as adrenalin took over, "Okay. But this isn't that high up – we should lead it up a floor or two." The troll's footsteps were getting louder, so they put on extra speed.
Tracy flattened herself against the wall as the troll walked past her, going after the other two. As soon as it turned the corner she rushed over to the sink Hermione was hiding under and held out her hands. "Come on!" She said. Hermione nodded shakily and took the offered support.
Tracy was about to bolt out of the room when Hermione said, "Wait! How are they going to stop that troll?" She looked scared, "Harry's stupify didn't knock it out!"
"I don't..." Tracy trailed off when the doors exploded open. Both girls spun around to see Blaise Zabini and Dean Thomas standing in the doorway.
"Figlio di una cagna!(son of a bitch!)" Blaise yelled, staring at the burning club and the trashed bathroom in shock.
"I saw Harry run off – what happened here?" Dean asked breathlessly.
"I – I didn't realize – I – the troll cornered me -" Hermione stammered, still looking horrified, "Harry, Daphne and Tracy came in, Daphne burned its club and it's chasing her and Harry!" She wailed the last bit, "Oh god, this is all my fault what if it kills them, oh my god!"
"Smettere panico!(stop panicking!)" Blaise snapped, and then coughed. "Sorry. I speak my native language in situations like this. Which way did they go?"
"That way!" Tracy said. With that, all four students rushed down the hallway.
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Voldemort was ecstatic, well part of him was. He was pleased that the troll and the traps he had set in the dungeon were enough to distract the entire Hogwarts staff just long enough for him to get into the third floor. It was so classic of Albus Dumbledore to try and eliminate a danger to his precious pawns in full force, not even considering that it might be a trick. Or if he had guessed it, then he obviously going senile. At last, the Philosopher's Stone would be his!
"Alohamora," his servant intoned, unlocking the door that would lead to the stone.
A shouting voice broke through the silence, "Harry, I think this is far enough! It's getting closer!"
Harry...Harry Potter? Oh, this was just too good! He could eliminate the brat that had destroyed him the first time and regain his physical form in one swing! The Potter brat was just a boy, after all, there was no possible way he could be a threat to his host. There was another child out there, but it was a girl, and easily silenced.
He swept in the direction of the voice, desperate to destroy the source of his years wandering, reduced to a pathetic wraith. In his hurry, he completely forgot that he had unlocked the door.
A moment later, one massive dog head butted the door open.
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Harry swore when the staircase under his feet suddenly started moving. The troll wasn't far behind them. He looked downwards; the other staircases seemed to go on forever. "Think this is far enough?" He asked. They were approaching the forbidden part of the third floor.
"I think so," Daphne said. "Now we need to push it off the side."
They both got off the stairwell and crossed a balcony, before turning and facing the troll. It looked angrier than ever, and it approached them with it's hands over its head.
Daphne's hand was trembling on her wand, but she stood firm. "It'll take several stunning charms to knock it over." She said. "Ready?"
"I'm always ready," Harry said, watching as the troll lumbered a bit closer.
"Harry!" The troll turned back a bit. Harry saw Tracy, Dean, Blaise and Hermione all hanging back from another entrance on the opposite side of the troll.
"What are you doing!" Dean yelled. The troll looked between the packs of children, obviously struggling to decide who to go after first.
"Getting rid of the troll!" Harry shouted back. "Push it over the side!"
Blaise shot a quick look over the side of the balcony, seeing how far down it went. "Good point." He said. "That'll kill it. Come on, we'll help!"
Hermione whitened slightly when she saw the thing that had nearly killed her, but drew her wand along with the others nonetheless. They all pointed it at the troll.
"STUPIFY!"
All six spells slammed into different parts of the troll, sending it stumbling towards the railing. It let out a low growl of pain. Harry grinned. This was going to be easy.
Suddenly, there was a scream, this one unmistakably an adult. It was followed by another, which suddenly broke off with a horrible ripping noise that made Harry's spine stiffen and the hair on the back of his neck rise. Next there was the sound of chewing and bones cracking. There was a short pause – and then, a low, wolfish growl.
Everyone – troll included – turned and stared down the hallway to the forbidden corridor.
Tracy, Hermione, Dean and Daphne all screamed. Harry and Blaise were too shocked, sickened and now, genuinely scared, to say anything.
For standing in the hallway was a massive creature straight from legend and nightmare. It had three heads, all dogs, a massive torso and four huge paws that looked strong enough to crush a full-grown man into pulp. In all three mouths were the remains of Quirrel's limbs and lower torso, leaving just the bloody upper body behind. Blood pooled by its paws and dripped down its teeth. Three pairs of malevolent yellow eyes were now fixed on the troll.
The Cerberus, guardian of the gates of Hades, howled in challenge and bolted towards the troll.
"SCATTER!" Harry shouted. All six students turned and bolted for the nearest staircase to the lower floors as the Cerberus crashed into the troll, knocking it to the ground.
Daphne, who'd glanced over her shoulder, turned green and let out a sickened squeak when she saw the Cerberus rip the troll's head clean off, spraying blood everywhere.
Both Blaise and Tracy were swearing frantically and very inventively in their native languages, Hermione was screaming, Dean was yelling something at the portraits and at the Bloody Baron who'd appeared from the wall upon hearing the noise, Daphne was trying very hard not to throw up and Harry was wondering where the hell the teachers where when you needed them.
"What do we do?!" Tracy screamed over the racket. The Cerberus, evidently unsatisfied with the troll, had raised its bloody heads from the torn, savaged corpse, tracking the children.
"Why the bloody hell is it looking at us like that! We barely even qualify as bloody appetizers and it's got a perfectly good troll right there!" Blaise shouted.
"It – it- it – it's very very skinny!" Hermione stammered out, her voice pitched so high only bats would be able to hear it soon! "I – I c-could s-s-see it's ribs! It – it – it probably hasn't eaten in weeks! T-T-That's why!"
"*******. Just our ****** luck." Harry snarled. "We've got to get behind something!"
"The Armoury is on the second floor!" A nearby portrait shouted. "The doors are double-reinforced; it won't be able to get in!"
"You'll be able to barricade it when you get inside, there will be crates!" Another portrait added.
"Thanks!" Dean said. "This way!" The other students followed his lead in a mad dash down the hallway. Behind them, the Cerberus howled. The hunt was on.
The Armoury came in sight a second later. Dean and Harry got their first and immediately went to the doors. The three girls cannoned in, Blaise bringing up the rear. The Cerberus had turned the corner and was headed right for them -
SLAM! Dean, Harry and Blaise managed to shut the doors just in time. Hermione, Daphne and Tracy quickly spelled various spears and swords and ran them through the door handles while Dean and Harry activated the locks, the Cerberus slamming its full weight against the doors the whole time.
Heart pounding wildly, Harry grabbed the nearest weapon he could get his hands on – a silver sword. He held his wand in the other hand and pointed it at the door. The others haphazardly followed his lead, the girls grabbing bows and arrows while Dean and Blaise picked up spears. They stood in a semi-circle, staring at the door as the monster on the other side continued to bat at it.
After what felt like an eternity but was actually a minute, the Cerberus, barking in frustration having been denied its prey, stopped banging on the doors. Slowly, Harry and the others lowered their wands and weapons, just listening. There was heavy breathing on the other side, indicating that the huge dog was still there.
"Why won't it leave?" Hermione asked, her voice a barest whisper. It was hoarse from all the screaming she had done.
"If you hadn't eaten for weeks," Blaise whispered back, "and someone put some food behind a locked cabinet, would you leave it alone just because it was locked? I think it's going to try and starve us out."
"Well, that's all well and good," Harry said sarcastically, "but could someone care to explain how the bloody hell there's a goddamned Ceberus in here to start with? A troll was bad enough, but a Cerberus?"
No one had an answer to that. Hermione was shaking like crazy. "A-According t-t-to Hogwarts: A History, there's s-s-supposed to be wards in place that keep Dark Creatures out of the castle." She managed through her trembling. "I-It's sup-p-posed to be the safest place in Britain."
The two pureblood girls swapped nervous but meaningful looks. Dean looked uncomfortable. "Then...but then how..."
"Either the book exaggerates how safe Hogwarts is," Blaise muttered, "Or someone let the troll and the Cerberus inside."
"S-So that was the 'most painful death' that awaited anyone who went into the third floor corridor." Daphne whispered. "My father is going to be furious when he hears about this."
"W-Why would anyone let in a troll and a Cerberus?" Hermione asked timidly. "D-D-Do you t-t-think someone's trying to hurt us?"
Harry stared at the door for a minute. The Cerberus's breathing was still audible, but it was making no more attempts at the door. But there was also no sign of the teachers who had been searching the dungeons for the troll. It was completely quiet. "I think we better get comfortable." He muttered.
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"Where are the teachers?" Tracy whispered when they were all sitting against the far wall of the Armoury. It was a big room; there were old weapons stocked on the wall and duelling circles drawn on the floor. There was dust on many surfaces, indicating the room wasn't used very often. There were no windows or portraits inside. By some unspoken agreement, the unlikely group was huddled together at the back wall, wands in hand in case the huge dog managed to breach the doors after all. "It can't possibly have taken them this long to search the dungeons, and the ghosts must have heard the commotion we made, first with the troll and then when the Cerberus appeared. Why haven't they come to get us?"
There was a pause. No one had an answer to that. "Maybe whoever let the troll in also set up some traps for when the teachers came down to investigate it." Dean suggested.
"Speaking of which, how did you two know where to look for us?" Tracy asked.
"We followed the screaming." Dean responded. "I saw Harry leaving, and it took me a minute to realize Hermione was gone too. I remembered Lavander saying how Hermione was in the bathroom crying and I took off. I ran into Blaise halfway there because he'd seen you two leaving to help Harry." He glanced around. "Who set its club on fire?"
"That would be me." Daphne said, having the grace to look embarrassed. "My mother taught my sister and I a few offensive charms over the years, and that was the first one that popped into my head." She glanced at the doorway. The Cerberus had become quiet, except for the rumbling of its breathing. "My father is going to hear about this. Not just a troll, but a Cerberus? That's a dangerous breach of security if there was ever one."
"Which begs the question of how it was in here at all." Harry said. He sighed in frustration and stared worriedly at the door. "This is beyond anything I was expecting...I have to admit none of this makes sense to me."
"Let's try making sense out of it." Blaise suggested. He, too, was staring at the door. "We've got nothing else to be doing, anyway." He bit into his lip. "Wait until my mother hears about this...oh, Merlin." He shuddered, and then continued. "Okay...so, someone lets a troll into the school, and it nearly kills Miss Granger here."
Hermione could only nod meekly at this. "Somehow, I don't think you were an intended target, if that makes you feel any better." The Italian said. "So, we go find her, then we take it up to the third floor to find a way to get rid of it. Then, this Cerberus appears from the forbidden corridor, attacks first the troll and then us." There was a pause.
"First question, and I think it bears repeating – why the bloody hell is there a Cerberus inside the school to begin with?" Harry asked dryly. "I've seen some very crappy schools and detention buildings, but none of them had monsters inside them."
"Maybe to guard the school?" Hermione offered tentatively. "It's supposed to be really safe, after all, and I can't imagine anyone wanting to attack a place with a Cerberus in it."
"But if it was here to guard the school, why was it so hungry?" Dean pointed out. "It wouldn't make sense for your guard dog to be so hungry that it tries to eat the students it's supposed to be protecting."
"To keep it locked up, maybe? I've heard of Cerberus cubs being sold to purebloods for attack dogs. The treatment of them can be very inhumane, maybe this one was still feeling the affects of its earlier servitude." Blaise suggested, but then frowned, "but why in a school, where it could get at children, instead of with a trained Dark Creature handler?"
Dean blanched, "You can buy Cerberus cubs?"
"Only if you can cough up the money." Daphne responded softly. "There aren't very many Cerberus in the world because of how dangerous they are, and the fact they're connected to the underworld. They're exotic...having a trained Cerberus is considered a symbol of power among purebloods."
Hermione shuddered at the thought.
"Maybe it was protecting something." Tracy suggested. "That makes sense, doesn't it?"
Harry's eyes widened. "The Philosopher's Stone?"
"What?" Blaise stared at him. "How did you guess that?"
Harry looked around the group and said, "You know the Keeper of the Keys, Hagrid? Professor Dumbledore tasked him with getting something from Hogwarts...on the very day he collected me from my aunt and uncle and took me shopping for school stuff."
"Why would he do that?" Dean asked. "Show a kid a highly confidential artifact while he's getting his school stuff. Wait," he blinked, "if it was confidential, how'd you know what it was?"
"I overheard some people talking about it;" Harry muttered, cursing himself for nearly admitting to his theft with Hermione still in the room. "It's not here anymore. Someone stole it."
"What?" Hermione squeaked. "Just like that?"
"A Philosopher's Stone." Tracy breathed. "I hadn't thought one still existed...imagine, you could turn anything into gold, live forever...wow..." She looked critically at Harry.
"But..." Dean frowned. "Where was this Stone first?"
"Gringotts."
"Why would they move it here? If there's any place in Britain that's completely secure, it's Gringotts."
"And if it was stolen." Blaise added, "Why is the Cerberus still here? The thing it was supposed to guard never came to school."
There was a long pause as the students considered this and came to a conclusion. "It's some sort of trap." Daphne decided. "The stone was meant to be a lure, but Professor Dumbledore never admitted that it had gone mission, so whoever wanted to steal it would still come for it, and run into the Cerberus."
"Set up a trap? Inside the school? What for?" Tracy asked.
"It...it ate Professor Quirrel..." Hermione muttered, sounding like she was going to become hysterical again any second.
"Why was Professor Quirrel up here anyway?" Dean asked, looking shaken and green as he remembered seeing the Professor's mauled corpse. "I mean, I suppose he could have heard the racket but why didn't he come up the stairs towards us instead of walking past the Cerberus? And wasn't the door to the room locked?"
"Was he trying to get whatever the Cerberus had been guarding?" Blaise asked uneasily.
"... ...Do any of you think whoever wants the Stone was the one who cursed the broomstick that nearly killed me?" Tracy asked, sounding frightened by the concept.
"...Possibly. Maybe he cursed the broom and when that didn't get results, let the troll in."
"But that attacked two different people!" Daphne pointed out. "First it was Tracy, but the troll cornered Hermione. Why go after two different people? I thought for a little it might be because of pureblood dogma, but Tracy's pureblood, so it doesn't make sense that she be attacked."
"Maybe those events were meant for someone else," Blaise started, "but snapped up you two instead. Whoever's behind it has been acting indirectly and as vaguely as possible to avoid rousing Dumbledore's suspicions."
"Then who is it meant for?" Dean asked.
Harry was quiet. He'd been thinking about that, too. Sure enough, Blaise looked towards him. "I can think of someone who'd have a few people cursing his very existence." He said.
Harry let out a snort. "The worst bit about that is it makes perfect sense." He said shortly. "I blew up the Dark Lord when I was still in my cradle – I have no idea exactly how that worked – and Hagrid said not all of his followers were in jail. They probably hate me for the position their in as much as for destroying their boss."
Hermione made a noise of distress, "We have to tell Professor Dumbledore this – he's got to do something, or we'll all get killed."
Harry glanced towards the door. "Doesn't look like anyone's coming yet." he said. "We might as well try getting some sleep."
Tracy and Daphne both winced at the thought of sleeping on cold stone, but nodded reluctantly. They all made themselves as comfortable as possible and eventually sleep came.
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The sun was rising when Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore opened the doors to the armoury and found several students sleeping inside. Harry's right hand was touching Daphne's, his other clutching both his wand and the hilt of a sword. Dean and Blaise were there as well, lying in front of Hermione and Tracy, holding spears close by in case they needed to use them. Tracy was next to Hermione; she'd clearly been offering the girl comfort.
"They must have run here to hide from the Cerberus. Clever." Snape muttered in an attempt to distract himself from the shock of discovering the room.
Gryffindors and Slytherins, fighting together, fleeing together, safeguarding each other. There must be ice skating in Hell tonight.
"Are you sure we shouldn't tell him, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked. She'd been frantic last night when Percy had reported three first years were missing; she'd been running around the entire night fearing the worst. Stumbling on the Cerberus had nearly given her a heart attack.
"Minvera, he's much too young to know something so terrible-"
"He's got every bloody right to know, Albus! He nearly died tonight; if he'd been any slower Hagrid's creature would have slaughtered them! Why wasn't it properly fed?"
Albus hid a wince. He couldn't very well answer with 'because I needed him to attack anyone who came in to maximize the effectiveness of the test', not after it had gotten loose.
"Besides," Professor McGonagall whispered, "We know He is not gone. We saw the wraith escaping Hogwarts last night. He must be ready."
Albus's merely twinkled at his Deputy Headmistress as he looked down at Harry. Inside, he was disapproving. He wasn't pleased with Harry's history or the company he was keeping. He had wanted to obliviate the three delinquents mentioned in the letter he'd received, but he did not know their names, and Harry was bound to get suspicious if they had no memory of him.
At this moment, Daphne Greengrass stirred. Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing as cramps hit her arms and legs. She blinked slowly and then said, "Guys? The door's open."
She said this loudly enough to wake the others; they must have been sleeping very shallowly. "Professor?" Dean asked dazedly. "Professor!"
This roused them the rest of the way; the strange group of students scrambled to their feet, dropping the weapons they had been holding. "Thank Merlin." Tracy said. "We thought no one would ever come for a little there."
Professor McGonagall fixed all six students with a frosty look. "What were you doing?" She demanded. "Why weren't you in your dormitory? You could have been killed!"
There was a short pause, and then - "It was my fault, Professor," Hermione Granger, star student, said timidly. "I – I had been in the bathroom when the troll came in, I didn't know it was there...I never heard any alarm until it came in after me. Harry had realized I wasn't with the others and came back to find me." She nodded at the startled black-haired boy. "H-Harry and Daphne lead it away when Dean and Blaise showed up, they'd noticed their missing classmates too...we were headed up the closest way to the towers when the Cerberus came...it's my fault, blame me..."
At this point both Harry and Dean were looking at Hermione in open shock, something McGonagall noted as confusing, but she was more concerned with her obviously distraught student. She turned her attention to Harry, Daphne and Tracy. "W-Well, that was very brave of you children, but you should have gone to your Prefect."
"I know," Harry said, sounding a little impatient, "But I figured the troll was still in the dungeon, and the bathrooms weren't far – I hadn't realized it was there until I saw it enter the bathrooms, and by then if I'd gone back it would have killed her by the time I returned. And everything else just kind of happened."
"Where's the Cerberus?" Blaise asked cautiously. "It's hungry enough that it'll probably jump on the first living prey it sees, student or not."
"The Cerberus has been removed from the castle." Snape said smoothly. "Ten points to Slytherin and-" He grimaced at this point, as though it was physically difficult to say "-and to Gryffindor for taking decisive action in an emergency. Now all of you get down to the infirmary."
Dean looked shocked, again, that Snape had actually given them points. Harry obviously decided not to push his luck and headed out, the others trailing behind him. Professor McGonagall fixed Albus with a stern look and walked out after them.
When they were alone, Snape said, "Well, that was unexpected. I thought Greengrass and Davis might follow Potter around, but other than that he's a very standoffish boy. I wasn't expecting Thomas and Zabini to go after him to." He frowned at the Headmaster. "You have no intention of telling him, do you."
"I don't know what he'd do with the information." Albus said heavily. "He's already been behaving in a dark manner..."
"You work with Mundungus Fletcher, and you have a problem with Potter's history?" Snape snorted. "You should keep better track of your plans, Albus. Potter can't be the wizarding world's savior if he's eaten by a Cerberus."
End Chapter
Okay, as some of you have pointed out in the first version of this chapter I made Harry do something very OOC. I have corrected this mistake now and won't repeat it; should have been paying better attention. Where would I be without my reviewers? Thanks for saving me.
Apart from that, I always wanted to try and write a Cerberus chase scene. I figured it could work since I was doing things differently. Alright, next chapter deals with Daphne's father hearing about the troll, Christmas, and the Mirror. Until then!