Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.
"Even if you were caught, you wouldn't have been expelled," Cedric said, "so I don't know why he's so surprised."
"Unless he's surprised that their perfectly cheerful," Hermione pointed out.
"True," Cedric said.
Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another.
"Of course," Hermione sighed, though she herself looked interested as well.
"I don't think your book self will be interested in having one," Luna said, noticing her interest.
"I know, but that doesn't mean that I myself can't be interested," Hermione said. "I can already say, while I'm not completely different, I do have some differences compared to my book self, even now. And I have the feeling that we'll be finding more differences as the books go on."
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.
"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.
"Probably both," Hermione said.
"Or both," said Harry.
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.
"I wonder what it is," Harry said, thinking.
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.
"He's the smart one, then," Cedric said.
Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, bit she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.
Hermione grimaced; it looked as if Cedric was indeed right earlier, though she had already knew that before hand. This was just showing it better than being told.
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.
"Your broom," Cedric said at once.
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. 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, 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 you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.
Professor M. McGonagall
"You know, that warning's pretty much useless since people are probably able to tell that it's some kind of broom," Cedric said.
Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."
They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.
"What gives him the right to just grab things from other people," Hermione said.
"His inherited idiotic thoughts of his own superiority," Cedric said.
"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."
"But Harry is because he's on the Quidditch team, though you could use a school broom," Cedric said. Hermione had a sudden thought.
"Hey, Cedric, are first years not allowed to be on the Quidditch teams at all, or is it that they just aren't allowed a broomstick?" she asked. He thought for a few minutes, then said, "I think it's just not allowed broomsticks."
"So, basically, Harry could get on the team his first year, he'd just need to use a school broom," she said.
"Yeah," Cedric said.
Ron couldn't resist it.
"What's he got to brag about? It's not his broom," Hermione said, sounding a bit confused as to why Ron felt the need to brag.
"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?"
"Comet's are flashy, but no where in the same league as the Nimbus," Cedric said.
Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"So, basically what I just said," Cedric said.
"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."
"Bastard," Cedric said.
Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"So, basically, no chance for Ron to do something he'd end up regretting," Hermione said.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.
"No, they weren't arguing," Hermione said, "just about to fight, that's all."
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.
'He's trying to get you into trouble, but it's going to backfire on him," Cedric said.
"What would happen if it had been Snape?" Hermione asked. Cedric shrugged, unsure, since they weren't exactly breaking rules, but they were Gryffindors, so…
"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?"
"Like I said, it's going to backfire on him," Cedric laughed.
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face.
Harry had no qualm about not laughing now, and did so with great relish.
"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.
"Oh, that's most likely going to confuse him," Hermione said.
Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.
"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…"
"Very true. Though, it still doesn't feel right," Hermione said. "I mean, I'm glad you're on the team, because, from the sounds of it, you'll going to enjoy being in the air, and being on the team makes that possible, but it feels as if you're being rewarded for breaking rules, though I know that's not your fault. It's not like you asked to be put on the team, after all. You were put on because of a show of talent that you weren't even really planning on doing."
"You're rambling, Hermione," said Harry, able to tell what she meant; it seemed that she was trying not to offend him like she does in the book, though, if he was honest, she wasn't really deserving fully of his irritation; she was just trying to keep him from getting into trouble, after all.
"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.
"It seems like you don't change much," Harry said. "Only difference is that you're not putting the blame on me in real life as you are in the book."
"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.
"That's kind of polite to say," Hermione said.
"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron. "It's doing us so much good."
"And that's not," Harry said, frowning. He could understand that Ron was…annoyed by Hermione's tendencies, but that didn't really mean he should be rude to her.
Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.
"That makes me sound snobby," Hermione said, frowning.
Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wondering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under the bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night.
"I don't blame you," Cedric said. "Quidditch is extremely fun to play, and so is riding a broomstick."
He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and there rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.
"I probably would have done that before class," Cedric admitted.
"It's probably a good think he didn't," Hermione said. "He would probably have even more trouble concentrating if he had."
"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 a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.
Cedric looked as if he was about to start drooling at the description, which caused Hermione to giggle at him.
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.
Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling
"I really hope it's right about what a feeling it is, since it sound so good," Harry said.
– 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.
"It sounds so perfect," Cedric moaned.
"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."
"Of course, that'll change as the year goes on," Cedric said, remembering last year, when the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain would complain about not being able to get the field for practice because Wood had increased his teams practices.
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."
"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.
"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?" Cedric asked.
"Another Muggle sport," Hermione answered.
"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.
"Never mind," said Harry quickly.
"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper – I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop on the other team from scoring."
"Kind of like the goalie in soccer," Harry said.
"Sounds like it," Hermione agreed.
"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "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.
"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 smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.
"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
"Sounds like you'd make a fair Beater," Cedric said.
"It makes me think of baseball," Hermione said.
– 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 Weasley twins are ours – it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So – think you've 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.
"Not that I've ever heard of, and never at Hogwarts. Most you'll get is a broken jaw or cracked skull – I think the balls have some sort of cushioning charm on them," Cedric said, "Enough so that they don't hurt as hard as they look like they can, but not enough that it's noticeable."
"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. 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 Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers – I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."
"That's kind of true," Cedric said, remembering the way they were in the matches last year – if there was one thing he wasn't looking forward to if he got on the team, it was the fact that he would be faced with them.
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.
"That sounds like it'll be hard to see," Hermione said. "Harry's going to be the Seeker, right?" Cedric nodded his head. "Why do I get the feeling that this ball is mostly for his team position's use?"
"Because it is," Cedric said.
"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."
"Lovely," Harry said.
"Harry, if you can catch the Remembrall, which is just a bit bigger than the snitch, but nearly transparent, you can get the snitch," Cedric said.
"It's the Seeker's job to catch it. 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 true as well," Cedric said. "It the team your playing against has a suburb team of Chasers and a Keeper, then they can still win, even if the Seeker is crap."
"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
"Though it hasn't ever happened at Hogwarts - most of the teams don't bother have a reserve in place, unless absolutely needed, and that's usually when one of the other players is unable to play the game, and they have time to have tryouts to find a good substitute - the headmaster decided, once it hit a certain time, then whichever team has the highest amount of points wins. Of course, that's taking out the fact that the snitch is charmed not to go past a certain point on the field," Cedric said.
– I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep."
"Why don't they do that here, with the exception of the fact that there is no back-up team for the other house teams?" Harry asked.
"Games take place during weekends during the school year. Since you have classes on Monday, and, if the record is three months, then, if they didn't have those rules they have here, then there is the possibility of missing class," Cedric said. "And, of course, the teachers don't like that idea."
"Nor do I," Hermione said, much to the amusement of the others.
"Well, that's it – any questions?"
"It's pretty easy to understand, so I won't be having any questions," Harry said.
Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.
"I doubt you'd have a problem doing it," Cedric said. "Considering how well you did during your flying lesson, it should be easy for you during a real game. Plus, knowing Wood, he's probably just tell you to stay out of the main game while you searched for the snitch."
"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."
"Yeah, he'd probably go crazy if it got lost," Cedric said.
"How is he to practice if he can't use the snitch," Hermione asked.
"I think they use Muggle golf balls, which are about the same size, and throw them up in the air for the Seeker to catch when they do tryouts; the one who catches the most usually ends up in that position on the team," Cedric said.
"Let's try you 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, 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.
"His lifelong dream: to win the Quidditch cup, which he's been trying to do ever since he took over captaincy from Charlie Weasley," Cedric said.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"The Hogwarts rumor mill. Plus, with how obsessed he is about it, there's really no way to hide what he dreams of," Cedric said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."
"That's true, though I don't think Quidditch interested Charlie all that much. I mean, sure, it's fun to play, but not something to make a career of for some people," Cedric said. "In truth, Quidditch is best for those who plan on having a job that has to do with international cooperation. You can begin building bridges with those who are there to do the same thing."
Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practive 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.
While Hermione was glad that Hogwarts felt like home to Harry, she was sad that he didn't have somewhere else that was considered to be a home to him as well.
His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.
"That's usually how it works," Cedric said.
On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridor. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.
"Awesome," Harry said.
"I wonder who will get it first," Luna said,
"Hermione," Cedric and Harry said. "If how she managed to get a needle in her first Transfiguration class, then she'll probably have no problem in Charms," Cedric said. Hermione blushed at the confidence he seemed to have in her skills.
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).
"Harry," Hermione said, sounding a bit stern. He winced.
Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger.
"Why do I have the feeling that this is just going to end in anger and tears?" Cedric asked.
"Because we know how Ron is, and we have a reasonable idea on how Hermione is," Luna said.
It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.
"Are you sure I haven't?" Hermione asked. "Or have you just been ignoring me when I try to?"
"I'd talk to you," Harry said. Hermione, however, from her own attitude and the fact that she and Harry just didn't get along all that much at the moment in the book, had a feeling that he might have ignored her, if she had said anything to him
"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 important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
"Is that true?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. I just know what pronunciation is very important to begin with during your first years. Of course, the intent needs to be clear as well," Cedric said.
It was very difficult.
"It is," Cedric agreed. "It took me at least another class before I managed to get it."
Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it
"Oh, lovely," Hermione said.
"Great, I get stuck with a fire starter," Harry said.
– Harry had to put it out with his hat.
Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"Okay, he's not even doing it right, and he's going to poke someone's eye out if he doesn't stop the windmill action," Cedric said.
"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"At least you stop him, and are attempting to help him, just as you should when partnered in class."
'You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
"Now that's a challenge that Hermione isn't going to ignore," Harry said.
"And it's just going to anger Ron when she manages to do it," Cedric said, though he was frowning as he did.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"I have the feeling that Ron's going to run his mouth off if you're able to do what he can't, and it's going to be something mean in nature," said Cedric.
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.
"Congratulations," Cedric said. "Particularly since you didn't even have to do a swiching motion."
"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.
"He is definitely going to run his mouth off," Cedric said worrily.
"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."
Hermione winced at that. Harry noticed the wince, but didn't quite know what to say.
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.
Cedric looked over at Hermione to see if she was crying this time around. She wasn't – nor did she look like she was about to – but she did look sad, so he wrapped an arm around her, letting her lean into him.
"I think she heard you."
"That's kind of stating the obvious," Harry told his book self.
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
"I sincerely hope that you didn't hear that part, because that's just beyond cruel to say," Harry said, unable to believe that he was friends with this person at the moment.
Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon.
"I think that's a sign that I did hear the second part," Hermione said.
On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween fest, Harry and Ron overhead Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.
Harry looked uncomfortable to hear this, knowing that he should have kept Ron from saying what he did because it wasn't Hermione's fault she knew the spell where Ron didn't, nor was it her fault that she was showing off, since Ron pretty much told her to do the spell.
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.
"I guess I can't compete with decorations and food," Hermione said, though with humor in her voice, letting Harry know that she wasn't upset with him.
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and coiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.
"Sounds nice," Hermione said a bit wistfully, knowing that, in the book, she was missing it.
The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
"It usually does on holidays," Cedric said.
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. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know."
"Uh-oh," Cedric said.
"I take it that it's not a good thing," Harry said.
"Trolls are usually not the nicest of creatures in the world," Cedric said. 'I wonder how it got in?"
"Would Peeves or the twins let it in?" Harry asked. Cedric shook his head.
"What about Quirrell? I mean, he apparently saw it, so…" Hermione said.
"With how cowardly he is?" Harry said critically. Hermione thought.
"What if it's an act? Why was he even near the dungeons, anyways?" Hermione said. "Plus, with how cowardly he is, he most likely would have fainted if he had seen a troll rather than run to the Great Hall ad announce it to the world…which also has the effect of allowing panic to ensue. Someone, especially if your not paying attention to them, could take advantage of such chaos."
Cedric had to admit, with how she put it, it did make sense, but it was hard to connect the Quirrell he'd been hearing about, from older years and this book, to someone who was able to act as well as what she was saying.
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
"There's the faint," Harry said.
"Which means that no one's going to expect him to help look around, since it would be time consuming to wake him," Hermione countered, still believing that he had something to do with the troll.
"How about a bet. Five Galleons that Quirrell has nothing to do with the troll," Harry said.
"And five for me if he does? Agreed," Hermione said. The four watched as the bet appeared on the paper, informing them that they would indeed find out the answer at some point.
There was an uproar.
"Like I said, there would indeed be panic," Hermione said.
It took several purple firecrackers
"You must have been paying close attention to know what color the fireworks were," Hermione said.
"Why purple?" was Harry's question. Cedric shrugged.
exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
"Wait, that's not good. The Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons," Cedric said. "And, while trolls aren't quick, I wouldn't put it pass it to have headed upwards either. Staying in the Great Hall would be better, since you can lock and seal the doors. Plus, you can have some teachers stay there as well."
Percy was in his element.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now, Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
"I wonder if the person he's yelling at is another prefect, or head boy," Cedric mused.
"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as hey 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."
"As horrible as he can be, I don't think Peeves would let in something that could kill someone; he'd be exorcised immediately if he did, and he knows it," Cedric said.
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.
Just as the Harry in the book realized it, so did the Harry who was reading.
"You don't know about the troll," he said, looking straight at Hermione, who went pale as she realized he was right.
"I'm sure you'll be alright," Cedric said, though he still worried as well.
"I've just thought – Hermione."
"What about her?"
"She doesn't know about the troll."
"Your planning on coming to get me," Hermione said with a smile. Even though it was going against the rules, they were going to break them to help someone, so she wasn't upset. The fact that she was the one being rescued mostly helped with those thoughts, of course.
Ron bit his lip.
"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."
"Why am I not surprise that he not only had to think about it, but that he's worried that his brother might see him," Hermione said.
"Probably because it does sound exactly like something he would do," Luna said.
Duckling down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipping down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom.
"Do you know which bathroom she's in. I mean, the castle has a few of them, after all," Cedric said.
"No, but maybe it was mentioned to us, just not noted in the book," Harry said.
They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.
"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.
"Unfortunately, I doubt it. If Percy found out that they weren't there, he'd get the others to the tower, and have a portrait tell one of the teachers that your missing," Cedric said. "He wouldn't abandon the others."
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 dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"
"That is a good question," Harry said, in agreement with himself.
"Maybe he's the one who let the troll in," Cedric said.
"Or maybe he knows that Quirrell did," Hermione countered. "And he has a suspicion of where Quirrell is planning on going."
"So, what, you think Snape thinks that Quirrell is up to something," Cedric said. Hermione nodded.
"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,
"Of course," Hermione said. "Quirrell probably wants whatever it is that is there on the third floor."
Or Snape does," Cedric said.
"I think it's Quirrell," Hermione said stubbornly.
but Ron held up his hand.
"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.
"The troll," Cedric said.
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.
It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its 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.
"How did it get from the dungeons to there so quickly?" Hermione asked. "It doesn't sound as if it's very fast."
"They're usually not," Cedric said, sounding confused as well.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, them slouched slowly into the room.
"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."
"No," Cedric said slowly, thinking. If they were where he thought they were, then they were near one of the bathrooms, and the troll obviously heard something…
"Oh no," he said. "The troll's in the girls bathroom, specifically the one that Hermione's in."
Harry and the other suddenly looked fearful, especially when they thought about the last sentence.
"Good idea," said Ron nervously.
"No, no it's not," Harry said, retracting his last sentence. "I don't think it's a good idea at all."
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.
"No!" they all said.
"Yes!"
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 – a high, petrified scream – and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.
"And here, we just find out where Hermione was at," Harry said, praying that Hermione was all right.
"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.
"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.
"Hermione!" they said together.
It was the last think they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?
"Well, we could have gone to find a teacher, especially since Snape's nearby, but, unfortunately, neither of us trust Snape, and you'll most likely end up dead if we take the time to find a teacher," Harry said.
"I'd rather you get in trouble than let someone else get injured or end up dead," Cedric said.
"So would I," Hermione and Harry both said.
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.
Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking off sinks on the wall as it went.
"You're trapped," Cedric said, looking worried at her.
"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.
"Smart idea, very smart," Luna said.
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, them made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
"Oy, pea brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pope 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, giving Harry time to run around it.
"Good, now you can get out of there," Cedric said, sounding relieved.
"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.
"Now's not the time to freeze, Hermione," Harry said.
"No, it's not," Cedric agreed.
"Why am I in Gryffindor if I freeze when in danger," Hermione wondered.
"Bravery comes in all different forms," Cedric said.
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.
"That could be seen. It didn't say that he moved very far from the door, after all," Cedric said.
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.
"Harry, I don't think that Fred was serious when he said that you'd have to wrestle a troll," Hermione said, causing everyone to snort.
The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up hits nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
"Ew," Hermione said.
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.
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!"
"He does the one spell that he can't do," Cedric said in disbelief.
The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over – and dripped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and them fell flat in its face, with a thud that made the while room tremble.
"Okay, apparently, he can do it," Cedric amended.
"Apparently, in order to get him to do a spell, you need to threaten and have someone he's not an enemy to in trouble," Hermione said.
Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.
It was Hermione who spoke first.
"Is it – dead?"
"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."
He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.
"Urgh – troll boogers."
He wiped it on the troll's trousers.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up.
"The teachers," Cedric said. "I think you book selves forgot about them."
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 roars, A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell brining up the rear.
"What's Quirrell doing there?" Hermione asked. "Especially since he's supposed to have fainted. Plus, I would have thought, once they brought him around, Dumbledore would have taken him so that he would know exactly where he had seen the troll."
Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
"Coward," Cedric said.
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.
"When did that hope come into your mind," Hermione asked, amused. Now that they were actually safe in the book, she was feeling much better.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.
"They were thinking that Hermione should know about the troll. The fact that they ran into the troll wasn't on purpose," Cedric said.
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?"
"I already told you why," Cedric said.
"Cedric, it's a book. She can't hear you," Hermione said. Cedric blushed.
Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.
"He's probably frozen with shock that it spell worked," Cedric said.
"What should we tell Professor McGonagall?" Harry wondered.
"The truth. You'll most likely get some serious points as long as you don't lie, plus, Professor McGonagall won't be so mad. She might worry, but she won't be mad like she is now," Cedric said.
Then a small voice came out of the shadows.
"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Okay, there's a good start. Now, you just need to tell her that they were looking for you because you weren't at the feast and didn't know about the troll."
"Miss Granger!"
"I don't think she was expecting you," Harry said.
"So, basically, she didn't know that I wasn't at the feast," said Hermione.
"Seems that way," Luna said.
Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.
"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."
"You're lying to a teacher," Harry said, sounding amazed.
"Well, that will keep Harry and Ron out of trouble, though it's not really needed for them. However, it gets you into trouble," Cedric said.
"I probably felt like I owed it to them," Hermione said.
Ron dropped his wand. Hermione, telling a downright lie to a teacher?
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now, Harry stuck his wand up 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."
"Hmm, smart. You're telling the truth, and yet your making it fit your lie as well," Luna said.
Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.
"You probably didn't do well in that case," Hermione said. "Especially since your so surprised that I lied."
"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?"
"Do you think she knows that I'm lying, or do you think that she honestly thinks that I did that?" Hermione asked. No one answered her, having no idea as to how Professor McGonagall thought process worked.
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. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.
"It does sound impossible," Harry said, "especially when it's connected to the way you were acting in the last chapter."
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall.
"See. If you had stuck to the truth, you most likely wouldn't have lost any points," Cedric said.
"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.
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."
"So, basically, we win five points, with another five to even out the five taken away from us," Harry said. "I think Cedric's right; telling the truth would be better."
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.
"I'd bet, especially if it really does smell as bad as it's said to smell," Hermione said.
"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled .
"Actually, you're lucky to get any points whatsoever, especially since, with the lie Hermione told, they could have assumed that you've known since before you left the Great Hall, and then you could have told a teacher. You're just lucky no one thought of that," said Cedric, having just realized that.
"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."
"She wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't been rude," Cedric said, then, with another thought, turned to Hermione. "You know, this means you owe Harry here a life debt."
"Why? And why don't I owe Ron one? And what is a life debt, anyways?" Hermione asked.
"A life debt is a debt owed to someone when they save a person's life," Luna said. "Only, in the wizardings case, if you call someone out on owing you, they have to fulfill the terms given to you."
"Yeah, and you owe Harry one because he went to save you. Even though Ron was the one who knocked out the troll, Harry's life was the one in the most danger, so it's owed to him. Plus, it's Ron's fault you were there to begin with, and that cancels out any possibility of owing a debt to him, since he's at fault," Cedric said.
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the think in with her," Harry reminded him.
"That's another good point, though you would have still had to save her, because it went in there on it's own, and I don't think Hermione screamed because she found the door locked, after all."
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 along my the door, waiting for them.
"You're waiting for us?" Harry asked.
"I guess I am," Hermione said.
There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
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 that I prefer making friends through sharing things," Harry said.
"Prat," Hermione said.
"That's it," Cedric said, handing the book over to Luna.