Slow Grenade

Chapter Six

Sat on the freezing cold toilet seat lid, Hermione sobbed quietly into her hands. Having rushed out of the library she had found the girls toilets empty and locked herself into a corner cubicle.

What made this moment even more painful was how reminiscent it was of times she hoped were far behind her. She had spent more hours than she cared to admit crying in the toilets of her primary school because she was different, because people didn't like her.

Hermione lifted her head and gazed at the grey door in front of her. She had been so certain that things would change when she arrived at Hogwarts. Perhaps she just wasn't a likeable person?

"No," Hermione thought to herself. "Whatever his flaws, Draco at least saw something in me. He sought me out and tried to make amends. Maybe I ought to – "

Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt as a deafening crash echoed through the bathroom. She immediately froze; her whole body was stiff and her nails dug into the palms of her hands.

A low grunt and the sound of heavy footfalls brought Hermione back into the room. Whatever was making those awful noises sounded as though it was coming towards her hiding place.

Heart hammering painfully against her chest, Hermione bent down and peered under the cubicle door. The sight she witnessed made her blood run cold. There, standing by the sinks, was a twelve-foot, granite grey troll.

Hermione involuntarily stumbled backwards and sucked in a gasp of breath. It was the wrong thing to do. A foul stench leaked into her airways, causing her to retch.

Her choking was loud enough to encourage the troll to move in her direction at a quicker pace, dragging its heavy wooden club along the floor as it went.

Mind racing, Hermione prayed desperately for a plan. She glanced up to the ceiling and decided her best course of action would be to try and jump between cubicles. Trolls were renowned for being incredibly dim-witted and she hoped the element of surprise would be on her side.

As she steadied herself enough to stand on the toilet seat lid, she heard a key click softly in the door that was to be her exit. Hermione's bravery seeped away and she screamed.

The troll advanced.

Feeling faint, Hermione thought she was hallucinating as two figures suddenly burst through the just locked door. They were jumping up and down, waving their arms, and shouting which meant the troll lost interest in her and lumbered away towards the new arrivals.

Hermione quickly left the cubicle and stared past the monster towards her rescuers: Harry and Ron.

"Confuse it!" Harry yelled desperately, seizing a tap and hurling it towards the wall.

The troll blinked stupidly before making for Harry, lifting its club menacingly.

"Harry!" shrieked Hermione.

"Oy, pea-brain!" Ron shouted as he threw a metal pipe.

Although the troll didn't seem to notice any pain to its shoulder, it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout towards Ron instead.

Hermione thought she heard someone in the distance telling her to run but her legs trembled, and she sunk to the floor in fright. She watched dazedly as the fight continued, wishing she could help the two boys rather than curling up against the wall.

The next thing Hermione was aware of were two small but strong hands gripping her shoulders and pulling her to her feet, just as the bathroom door flew open yet again.

Three adults rushed in and took stock of the scene before them. Snape strode over to the lifeless troll whilst Professor Quirrell whimpered and turned to stare at the students.

"Some please explain this," Professor McGonagall said with barely suppressed anger.

Harry and Ron both looked at the floor.

Hermione gulped and whispered, "Please, Professor McGonagall – it's my fault, they were looking for me."

When questioned further, Hermione continued to lie and said she had gone looking for the troll because she thought she could deal with it by herself.

Pausing to look at the boys, who were gazing at her open-mouthed (not very subtle, she thought), Hermione continued, "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now."

An uncomfortable stillness filled the bathroom as her words sunk in.

Finally, Professor McGonagall sighed. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione's cheeks were tinged pink as she looked to the side and avoided making eye contact.

In the end, Gryffindor lost only five house points which, she supposed, could have been worse.

The trio walked back to their dormitory in stunned silence. It was only when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady that they all muttered to each other, "Thanks", and hurried through the hole.

From that moment on, Hermione knew she had made two new friends. There were some things you couldn't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll was one of them.