The Marauders of Slytherin

If it keeps on raining

Troll in the dungeons – Test week

There was a thunderstorm outside. It had been raging since this morning, in addition to the rain that had been holding on for about two weeks. Inside the castle though, it was warm and cheerful. There were Halloween decorations everywhere, Mattheo and Theodore could blow off steam by continuously pranking first years, and there were fires burning everywhere. Tonight was the big feast and we all sat around the Slytherin table enjoying pumpkin soup and an enormous cake with cherry-sauce dripping from it like blood. Lorenzo stuffed as much liquorice black cats in his pockets as he could, which drew a raised eyebrow from Astoria.

"I keep looking over at the Gryffindor table, but he really is just a little meagre kid. How could he survive something so... powerful?"

"Astoria, be careful what you speak of," Mattheo said, also looking over at the Gryffindor table. My back was toward it so I couldn't see, but I had seen the kid in the corridors occasionally and I had to admit that he looked kind of disappointing for someone who caused the defeat of the Dark Lord. Another thunderclap and the doors of the Great Hall swung open.

"TROOOLLLL! TROLL in the dungeons!" Quirrell screamed at the top of his lungs. It sounded like he was in terrible pain or something. "There's a – I thought you'd like to know," he squeaked. Then, he fainted onto the ground in a painful thud as his knees hit the stones first, his body and arms following. I frowned at the lifeless hump of cloak and turban on the dusty floor. There was a brief pause as everything sunk in. Then, everyone around us started screaming and getting up from their benches. Theodore wanted to get up, along with Astoria, but Mattheo pulled them both down. Lorenzo covered his ears against the screeching, and I patted him on the back. There was no such thing as a troll sneaking into Hogwarts on its own. Judging by Mattheo's tranquillity, I'd say the troll was a prank from him and Theodore, but the latter seemed genuinely terrified. And how would they have managed to lure a troll (a troll!) into the school?

"SILENCE!" roared Dumbledore. He banged his fist on the master table, his eyes piercing through his glasses. Everyone stopped in their tracks and silence fell over the room like a blanket when the last echo had died out. I could feel his gaze shift toward where we were seated – the only ones not already standing.

"All students go to their Common Rooms. Prefects; guard the first years and count heads. All staff gather in the dungeons."

Everyone started hurrying out of the Great Hall, little more orderly than moments before. I looked around for Draco, when I saw Professor Snape leave the Great Hall through a side door. Perhaps there was another secret passage to the Common Room through there. I pulled Mattheo's arm to lay his attention on Snape, who just disappeared through the door. But he shook his head and strung me along with the rest of the students. Draco was with us, that was the most important thing.

Later that night, we heard news from the patrolling prefects that there had indeed been a troll on the lower floors of the school, and that Harry Potter, a Weasley (probably Charlie's youngest brother: Ron) and some mudblood had been involved with taking it down. Four pairs of eyes looked at Mattheo, who sat in the reading corner on a comfortable leather chair. He looked like he was contemplating deeply, looking us in the eye one by one without saying anything. No one dared disturb his silence while we sat and stood around his chair.

Who would have thought that the meagre Boy Who Lived would take down a troll during his first month at school. He might not be as powerless as we had hoped. Lorenzo went to bed early as he had eaten too much during the feast and trolls made him nauseous. Astoria and I followed soon after. I was too tired to worry about trolls and stupid boys that undermined everything.