บท 16: Chapter 14: Halloween
[A/N
Hi all! There were a couple questions about last chapters poll and I'm here to address them. No, I will not be dropping this story to focus on another. No, adding another story will not decrease the already low chapter turnout. Yes, I am planning on writing them all at some point, your votes only decide which is first. Basically, whichever is voted on the most will bet secondary story for when I am bored or burnt out from this one, or if I face a writers block. I am also just interested in writing other stories. I hope this helps clarify some things, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
A/N over]
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"I can't believe you actually said that!" Harry exclaimed as we walked down towards the Great Hall for dinner. "I've never seen Malfoy so mad before. Serves him right for picking a fight with you though. He even went for his wand. Lucky McGonagall was nearby and saw what was happening. A month of detention is hilarious!"
"Haha, it was so easy to rile him up. The only reason I took it that far is because McGonagall was nearby and how annoying Malfoy has gotten lately. Not to mention the points he lost, the rest of Slytherin will be so mad at him," I said. Malfoy had ambushed Harry and I after defense. Hermione, Tony and the others had already gone to the Great Hall, but Harry and I stayed behind to ask Professor Quirell a few things.
While Professor Quirell was a horrible teacher and undeniably evil, he still knew his stuff. The man had interesting insights on how defensive magic should work, and I was determined to use the knowledge he had to its fullest.
It was a little creepy considering there was a high chance Voldemort was on the other side of the turban, but as long as I didn't look him in the eyes I had nothing to worry about. After all, I was just another student. A promising one, but no child of prophecy like Harry was.
After struggling through Quirrel's stuttering explanation of the difference between garden and woodland gnomes, we had left the room, only to be stopped by Malfoy and his henchmen. The two goons, Crabbe and Goyle weren't even paying attention. After all, this had turned into a semi-regular thing. Even those two got bored of the daily back and forth between Malfoy, Harry, and sometimes me.
Crabbe was looking at the wall, a small puddle of drool escaping his fat lips. Goyle was picking his ear while thinking about something, probably food.
Malfoy had said one too many things to Harry this time, so I stepped in. I talked to him in a way that insulted not only him, but his father, mother, great grandmother and every one of his unfortunate future descendants.
His face quickly turned from milky pale to a shade of red only beaten by Ron's hair. Malfoy's hand flashed to his pocket where his wand was kept, drawing it clumsily. Noticing McGonagall furiously stomping up behind him I kept mine away. The wand hadn't even reached my chest level when it was snatched out of his hands.
"Mister Malfoy! Not in my 35 years of teaching have I ever seen such blatant disregard for the rules. 50 points from Slytherin and a month's detention with Professor Flitwick. You're lucky you didn't manage to cast a spell or that would have been grounds for expulsion!" She yelled at him, anger all over her face. Her nostrils were flared and her eyes seemed to turn into slits for a second.
'Interesting, it seems like the animagus transformation has effects outside of the conscious, full transformation. I'll have to study that further,' I thought to myself.
Malfoy's face drained in color, becoming so pale I almost mistook him for a ghost. He was quickly frog marched away by McGonagall with his goons, but not before she yelled at us too.
"And you two, don't needlessly rile someone up. Ten points from each of you for fighting in the halls." That stopped our snickering, at least until she turned the corner. After we were sure she was gone, Harry and I looked at each other and burst into laughter. We laughed until our sides hurt and Harry was dropped to the floor.
Wiping tears from my eyes, I managed to catch my breath long enough to stand up.
"Come on, we're going to be late for dinner." I said in between breaths.
"Just a moment", Harry wheezed, "I just have to catch my breath."
After collecting ourselves, Harry and I left for the Great Hall. Inside the dining hall there were hundreds of jack o' lanterns floating about, replacing the usual floating candles. Animated bats flew between them, while candy filled the tables. Harry and I quickly said goodbye and left to our respective tables. I found a seat between Tony and Michael and quickly sat myself.
"Where were you? You guys were like ten minutes late, I thought you were just going to ask about gnomes." Michael said to me with a slice of apple pie in hand.
"We were busy getting Malfoy a month's worth of detention and fifty points taken away by McGonagall." I said with a smug look.
"50 points?! How the hell did you manage that? Plus a month of detentions. I wish I could've been there to see that pompous ass's face." Tony sighed with a dreamy look on his face. I quickly began telling them how it all went down.
We continued talking about other topics for the rest of the feast. The hall was buzzing with activity and laughter of the kids celebrating the holiday. Even Harry seemed to be feeling okay, probably due to Malfoy getting the metaphorical shaft.
I knew the joy wouldn't last for long, but I didn't let my knowledge bother me. I still wanted to experience the feast as any other kid would, even though it could end terribly.
'I wonder if me talking to Quirell will affect the story at all. I've made sure that no one is missing, so Hermione won't get caught by the troll in the bathroom. If I'm lucky he will have abandoned the idea all together, and if not I'll just let the teachers deal with it. It's not my problem.' I thought to myself.
I cast a quick glance over to Hermione, simply making sure she was still here. Sure enough, her bushy head of hair could be seen from across the room as she talked animatedly with Harry and Seamus.
Suddenly, the main door burst open with a large crash. The hall went silent as everyone looked to see what the commotion was. Quirrell ran out from the opening with fear written all over his face.
"Troll!" he yelled, terrified. "Troll in the dungeon! I thought you ought to know." He said before completely face planting onto the stone floor, snapping his nose in the process. I had to respect his acting skills above anything else. He may be dumb as a brick for becoming Voldemort's meat suit, but if I didn't know beforehand I never would have realized he was the traitor. The dedication he had to his stutter which stayed surprisingly consistent, his actions and even breaking his nose for a bit impressed me.
The hall erupted in screams as the students stood up in panic. Even Tony and Michael, who I thought were pretty sensible, started screaming. They were still children, but there's no reason to scream.
Before I could tell them to sit back down, a loud bang resonated through the hall, coming from Dumbledore's wand. When I looked up, I saw nothing but a flash of gnarled, knotted wood as he put it back in his robe.
"Quiet!" He yelled. "Prefects, please lead the students to their commons. Slytherins will stay in the great hall. Teachers, with me."
The class erupted in whispers and scared mutterings as Marissa, the fifth year prefect, rounded up the first years. We met up with her fifth year partner, John Marks, and then with the Head Boy and Girl. They led us out in a group through the halls and up to the tower.
Despite the rest of the students being frightened, I was calm. I knew the Troll would go to the bathroom first, and none of the commons were in the direction. I did think it interesting that the Slytherins were instructed to stay in the Great Hall this time, but it made sense. If the troll was in the dungeon, why would Dumbledore send the Slytherins?
Suddenly, as we rounded a corner on the fourth floor, a pungent smell suffused the hallway. Students gagged and teared up as they smelled rotting meat and old socks mixed in one. My heart dropped as I remembered the description for trolls.
Then, the armor started to rattle. Thumps were heard. The entire group was frightened beyond belief, kept quiet by fear. The Head Boy and Girl stepped in front of the group with a solemn look on their faces, wands raised. I was actually quite impressed by their dedication to the students. John, the male fifth year prefect, had already passed out. Melinda was gripping her wand tight enough to turn her knuckles white. The sixth year prefects stood tall with the Head Boy and Girl.
I, of course, didn't step in. I was only a first year, no matter how much I have trained. These were trained, nearly adult wizards. If Ron and Harry were able to take it on, I'm sure these capable wizards would be enough.
But of course, I'd quickly find my assumption to be quite lacking.
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