Harry Potter and the Second Chance

Chapter Seven - A Troll in the Girl's Bathroom

It was Halloween, and our last class of the day was Charms. Hermione loved every class, but this one seemed to be her favorite.

"Alright class, has everyone got their feathers?" Professor Flitwick asked. We all nodded in reply.

"Remember the movement I've taught you. Take your wand and do a simple swish and flick!" The class repeated his movement.

"Windgardium leviosah!" Ron said, swishing and flicking his wand.

"No, no, it's leviOsa, not levioSAH." Hermione said.

"Well if you're so brilliant, why don't you do it, then." Ron retorted.

"Fine. Windgardium leviosa." Hermione chanted, and the feather started to rise.

"Excellent! Excellent, Ms. Granger! Everyone, look over here. Ms. Granger's done it!" Flitwick praised.

"Wingardum leviosa! Wingardum leviosa! Wingardum-" Seamus chanted. Suddenly, a bright light flashed and a puff of smoke and ash shot back at him.

Wide-eyed, Harry turned to Flitwick. "Professor, I think we're going to need another feather over here."

---

Harry, Ron, and I gathered our things and were on our way to the common room to drop them off.

"Did you hear her? 'It's leviOsa, not levioSAH.' Blimey, it's not wonder she hasn't got any friends." Ron said. Suddenly, Hermione pushed past us and ran out of sight.

"I think she heard you." Harry said.

"Oh no." I whispered.

---

The Halloween feast was extraordinary. There were pumpkin cakes, and turkeys, and hams, and other various treats galore. Suddenly, Harry noticed that Hermione was missing.

"Where's Hermione?" He asked.

Neville leaned over to speak. "Parvati Patil said she's been in the girl's bathroom all afternoon. Crying." He whispered the last word.

"Look what you've done, Ron." I said, giving him a pointed look.

"What I've done? Well, I wasn't wrong, was I?" Harry and I both looked down and continued to shovel delicious food into our mouths.

Quirrell burst through the doors and came running down the great hall. "Troll! In the dungeons!" He shouted. Everyone immediately became silent as Dumbledore stood. "Troll in the dungeons!" Quirrell                                                                         started to sway. "Thought you ought to know." And then he collapsed, unconscious.

Chaos broke loose. Everyone was screaming and hollering, running this way and that.

"Silence!" Dumbledore shouted, and everyone stilled immediately. "If everyone would, please, not panic. Now, prefects will lead their houses back to the dormitories, teachers will follow me to the dungeons." Students once again started chattering as we all started exiting the great hall.

"Gryffindors keep up, please, and stay alert." Percy shouted over the noise of everyone's chattering.

"How'd a troll get in?" Harry asked, confused.

"No clue. Trolls are really stupid." Ron answered.

I pulled both Harry and Ron back. "Hermione! She hasn't heard about the troll. We have to find her!"

"Oh no!" Harry exclaimed, and we all started running.

---

Midway down a hall, we stopped abruptly as a large shadow started moving down the intersecting hall. Harry pulled Ron and I behind a pillar.

"I think the troll's left the dungeons." Ron whispered. I nodded.

"He's going into the girl's bathroom!" I exclaimed and started running.

"We can't go in there! It's a girls bathroom!" Ron said.

"Oh, come on! We've got to help her!" I told him.

Hearing screams, we burst into the bathroom. The troll had knocked down the stalls with his giant club and was trying to crush Hermione.

"Hey, pea brain!" Ron shouted to divert the troll's attention. Harry and Ron started throwing pieces of debris at the troll while I helped Hermione out of the destroyed bathroom stalls. Suddenly, the troll grabbed Harry by the leg and started swinging at him with the club. But Harry could only dodge it for so long.

"Do something!" Harry shouted, staring at Ron.

"Like what?" He asked, confused and clueless.

"Anything!"

Ron pulled out his wand and looked at me. "Swish and flick." I yelled to him, pulling a huge piece of wood off of Hermione and helping her up.

"Windgardium leviosa!" Ron shouted, and the club flew out of the troll's hand. Confused, the troll started looking around, until the club fell directly on its head.

"Wicked." Ron whispered.

The troll stumbled around for a second, then fell. I helped Harry out from under the its giant arm.

"Is it... dead?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so. Just knocked out." Harry answered.

McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell came running into the room.

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped. Her shocked turned to anger. "Explain yourselves!" She looked pointedly at Harry, Ron, and I. We were speechless, looking at each other with shocked expressions.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall." Hermione blurted.

"Ms. Granger?" McGongall confirmed, even more shocked than the three of us.

"I went looking for the troll. I've read about them and though I could handle it. But I was wrong." She said it begrudgingly. "If Eleanor, Harry, and Ron hadn't come and found me... I'd probably be dead."

"Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do." McGonagall started, but Harry and I were distracted. Snape had a huge hole in his pant leg, which revealed a gash on his leg. Seeing us eyeing it, he pulled his robe over it to conceal the wound.

"I am very disappointed in you, Ms. Granger." McGonagall said. "Five points will be taken from Gryffindor, for your serious lack of judgement. As for you three..." She continued turning her shaken gaze towards the rest of us. "I seriously hope you realize just how fortunate you are. Not many first year students could take on a fully-grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points, will be rewarded to each of you. For sheer, dumb luck!" McGonagall and Snape both exited, and Quirrell beckoned us to follow.

"P-Perhaps it's b-best to go. The th-thing might wake u-up!" He laughed awkwardly.