The Dark Lord's Daughter (Book 1): Song Bird

TROLL

Its Halloween, my favorite holiday and I'm in the bathroom. Really I'm comforting Hermione from outside a bathroom stall. Ronald Billius Weasley- you are a definitely getting a letter from mum. I sighed heavily and felt my stomach rumble.
"Hermione- love it's okay- take it from me Ron is an idiot. He's just jealous." Hermione sniffs loudly and scoffs.
"Why would he be jealous of me- I have no friends." She sobbed and blew her nose.
"I'm hurt Hermione- whether you like it or not I'm your friend-" I open the door to the stall, she looks at me with red puffy eyes.
"I would even say I'm your best friend- and Harry is your friend too- hes just a bit thick." I grabbed a wad of tissue and wipe her face. She sniffs sadly and doesn't look at me. I grab her nose with the napkin and pull it so she's forced to look at me.
"Blow, dear." I feel like I'm channeling mum. She rolls her eyes and grabs the tissue from me. She even almost smiles.

Harry POV

"Where's Hermione and Notte?" I ask Neville whos sitting spooning pumpkin soup into his bowl.
"Parvati Patil said that Hermione wouldn't come out of the girl's bathroom. She said that she'd been in there all afternoon...crying. Notte's been in there with her." He paused and showed me a slightly concerned face. I look at Ron who's face is ridden with guilt.
The Great Hall's doors burst open and Professor Quirrell runs in, his turban end flapping behind him. He looks more terrified than normal.
"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! T-TROOLLL IN THE DUNGEON!!" Quirrell seems to collect himself for a moment and stops dead center of the Great Hall.
"Thought you ought to know." He faints. The Hall is eeriely silent for a moment before the students erupt into utter chaos and start running towards the door.
"SILLLLLEEENNNNCEEEEE!" Dumbledore booms- now standing at his seat. Silence follows.
"Everyone will please, not panic. Now, Prefects will lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons." The teachers and prefects spring into action- Percy starts to corral the Gryffindors towards the commons.
"Gryffindors with me!" Percy yells over our heads.
I catch a glimpse of Snape scurrying through a separate door than the rest of the teachers went through.
"Gryffindors...keep up please. And stay alert!" Percy leads us into the corridors
"How could a troll get in?" I ask Ron whos almost running down the hall with the other Gryffindors.
"Not by itself. Trolls are really stupid. Probably people playing jokes." I pull Ron to a stop and drag him over to the side.
"What?" He asks almost heading back to the group.
"Notte and Hermione! They Don't know!" Rons eyes widen with panic and take off towards the girls bathrooms. The hall before the bathroom I hear a thud and pull Ron behind a corner. We peek around the corner and see a great big ugly troll trudges into the girls bathroom. My heart sinks- the girls are in trouble.
"He's going into the Girl's Bathroom!" I whisper yell at Ron.

Notte POV

I've finally coaxed Hermione out of the bathroom stall and brought her over to the sink to wash off her face. I hear the bathroom door open and turn to look and see if Patil was here to check on us again from Neville. It. Was. Not.
I pull on Hermiones sleeve and my mouth falls open into a silent scream. Hermione screams and grabs a hold of me.
I start screaming realizing the troll is lifting its giant club to swing it at us- the adrenaline kicks in and I pull Hermione into the stall- shes still screaming.
"CRACK!" The club hits the sink we were at and my stomach sinks.
"GET DOWN!" I yell and push Hermione to the floor as the trolls club hits the green bathroom stalls. They splinter and the debris falls ontop of us.
"Notte,move!" Harry shouts. The troll readies his club for another swing. We move under the last of the intact stalls.
"CRACK!" Again he splinters the stalls and Hermione and I scream. I shield Hermione as best I can.
"Help! Help!" Hermione starts shouting at the boys and they grab pieces of wood and chuck them at the troll.
"Hey, pea brain!" Ron throws wood and it smacks the troll in the head. Hermione scrambles to the sinks trying to get towards the door. The troll sees her and goes to smash her with his club.
"Ahhh! Help!" She covers her head with her arms. I stand up and grab my wand from my pocket- what I'm going to do I have no idea. But I have to do something.
You're useless- she'll die because of you.
Not today she won't.
"RICTUSEMPRA-" I all but flung my wand at the troll. George had taught me the spell a few days ago- to use only in self defense of course. The troll seemed to sieze up and let out what I assume was laughter. It was deep and rumbling and frankly terrifying.
Hermione seems too stunned to move- Harry though runs and grabs ahold of the Trolls club. The troll is trying to swing his club at Hermione again but almost smacks Harry into the wall.
I can teach you the spells to defend yourself Nottie-
Leave me alone!
Avad-
Harry is swung upward and he lets go of the club.
"Per-pertrific-" I stutter not remembering how the incantation goes, and not wanting to hit Harry by mistake.
"Whooa! Whoa, whoa!" He lands on the trolls head. The troll is still laughing causing Harry to get lurched forward and back until he accidentally shoves his wand up the trolls nose.
"Ew." Ron says quietly. That seemed to have snapped the troll out of my jinx and starts trying to buck Harry off of his head.
"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Harry loses his grip and the troll is now hanging him upside down by a leg. The troll tries to swat Harry with his club and Harry pulls himself up to avoid it.
"Do something!" The troll tries to hit Harry.
"What?" Again the troll swings at him.
"Anything! Hurry up!" Harry yells at us. Ron pulls out his wand and Hermione gestures at him.
"Swish and flick!" She shouts.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The club floats out of the trolls hand and he looks down at his hand confused.
"Cool." Ron says- proud that he finally managed the charm. The troll looks up at his club and Ron lets it fall onto his head, knocking the troll out. Harry falls to the floor with it and I rush over to him and help him to his feet. Hermione approaches the troll slowly.
"Is it...dead?" She asked with her arms clutching her stomach.
"Episkey." I flick my wand at Harry's face which had a few dozen cuts and he nods appreciatingly at me before I move to Hermione, who had more cuts on her face from the flying wood and do the same for her.
"I don't think so. Just knocked out." He yanks his wand from the trolls nose.
"Ew. Troll bogies." He wipes it off with the inside of his cloak. I hurry over to Ron and check him for scrapes.
McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell run in and they all gasp and pale at the scene before them.
"Oh! Oh, my goodness! E-Explain yourselves, all of you!" Shes very pale and looks to and from the troll to each of us.
"Well, what it is..." Ron starts to answer before Hermione inerjects.
"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall." They all gape at her, but I can't help but feel rather proud of her.
"Ms. Granger?" McGonagall asks astonished.
"I went looking for the troll. Notte tried to stop me but I'd read about them and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me...I'd probably be dead." She said slowly and evenly.
"Be that as it may...it was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behaviour on your part, Ms. Granger. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgment. As for you two gentlemen I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many students could take on a full grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. 5 points...will be awarded to each of you. For sheer dumb luck. Notte next time one of your classmates go after a troll- please find a teacher instead of going after them yourself."
"Perhaps you ought to go...M-might wake up...heh." Quirrell tells us and we don't hesitate to go back to the commons. Going through a troll attack seems to have brought all of us closer together, and I hope that that means no more bickering between Hermione and Ron.