(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Twenty-Two

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The Gryffindor house is being led through the halls by Percy Weasley. Close by, almost colliding and mixing with the Hufflepuffs who cut through the corridor too. Percy exchanges a small glare with the Hufflepuff prefect. Harry and Ron are right in the centre of the group, getting jostled when suddenly a Slytherin grabs them. Pixie. They both look at her.

"Come with me!" She tells them, holding to the sleeves of their robes.

"What's going on?" Harry asks her as he and Ron both go willingly.

"Hermione" She answers. "You have to help me find her" Ron and Harry share a look. Pixie gives them both a look. "She doesn't know about the troll," She is quick to add. Ron looks back at Pixie. At those huge eyes pleading with him. "I don't have anyone else to ask" She admits. She knows that the Slytherins wouldn't have helped her. Ron sighs a little.

"Oh, all right," He caves and she smiles a little, bouncing on her toes. "But Percy'd better not see us." The three of them duck down and slip into the Hufflepuff crowd, heading the other way before they slip down a deserted corridor before picking up the pace, hurrying towards the girls' toilets. They hurry around a corner when they hear quick footsteps behind them. "Percy!" Ron hisses, grabbing and pulling Pixie behind a large stone griffin as Harry ducks out of sight with them. The three of them slowly peer around the stone griffin, but it is not Percy they see. It's Snape. He crosses the corridor, heading down another corridor.

"What's he doing?" Harry asks quietly. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me." Ron mumbles and the three of them then sneak forward, following Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Pixie points out but Ron holds up his hand to stop them. He frowns as he sniffs at the air.

"Can you smell something?" He asks. Harry and Pixie both take a deep inhale as well. And it's foul. A mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. It is then followed by a low grunting and shuffling footsteps. Pixie narrows her eyes through the dark, trying to make out whatever it is. Something huge moves at the end of the passage to the left and towards them. Ron pulls Pixie back with him as they duck back into the shadows. Their eyes locked on the patch of moonlight in the centre of the corridor. That is where they are going to get their first glimpse of this thing. It's twelve-foot tall, dull, grey, lumpy skin with a small bald head. Pixie covers her nose and mouth as it passes and they get a full blast of that smell. And behind it, it drags along a huge wooden club. The troll stops next to a doorway and peers inside before it slowly heads inside.

"The key's in the lock," Harry whispers. "We could lock it in"

"Good idea," Ron agrees. The two of them edge forward towards the door. Harry lunges and grabs the key, pulling the door shut before he locks it.

'Yes!" Harry cheers and then the three of them start back to the passage. Before they even reach the corner, they are made aware of their mistake. A high pitched, petrified scream echoes through the corridor.

"Oh, no," Ron whispers.

"It's the girls' toilets!" Harry adds. Pixie turns around first.

"Hermione!" She shouts and rushes off heading back towards the locked door. Ron and Harry race after her. Pixie almost slams into the door as she fumbles with the key before she manages to get it. Pushing the door open finally they stumble through it to find Hermione is shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she is about to faint. The troll is advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it goes. Pixie's eyes flicker around before she turns to Harry. "Harry, get to Hermione" Pixie is quick to tell him as she turns towards the toilet cubicles.