11 The Troll (1/2)

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

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

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus while Arth had Neville to look after. Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to any of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.

”Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!” squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual.

”Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too -- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.”

It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it, Harry had to put it out with his hat.

Arth didn't have such a good time either, every time Neville waved his wand, Arth felt an unexplained feeling of danger.

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

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

”You're saying it wrong,” Arth heard Hermione snap. ”It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long.”

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

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.

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

Seeing that Neville was distracted, Arth casted the spell causing the feather to stick to the roof. He watched in relief as Neville clambered around trumping to find it. He didn't think he would live past the class if he let neville continue to practice.

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

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

”I think she heard you.”

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

Arth sighed.

”I will be very surprised if you end up getting a wife, you have no talent in reading the hearts of girls.”

Ron grumbled.

”And where did you get that? From a book?”

”Nope, from intelligence.”

That shut Ron up for the rest of the trip.

Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.

Ron looked still more awkward at this, but forgot when he saw where the Halloween decorations. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Arth was just about to eat a specifically delicious looking turkey egg 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.”

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

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

Arth sadly looked at the untouched whole turkey. He tried to save it for later when Ron grabbed him before he could.

”Do you really feel like eating right now? We have a TROLL!”

”Who gives a damn, this is probably the safest place for us so let me at least take a leg.”

Alas, it was too late.

”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!”

Damn it.

They walked back to to the dormitories in a manner that reminded Arth of baby turkeys following a turkey mom.

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

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

”Peeves isn't that much of an idiot, he wants to cause chaos for sure but he wouldn't go overboard like this. Dumbledore would expel him out of the castle if he did.”

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

”I've just realized that Hermione-”

”Doesn't know about the troll.” Arth said groaning. ”Why is it that every time something goes bad, the worst situation happens around a you two.”

”We need to go warn her,”