[1] New Beginnings: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and the Philosopher's Stone

20: hallow's eve

She shrugged. "No. Last I heard she was still in the girl's bathroom, crying her eyes out. Whatever he said," she nodded at Ron, "must have really upset her."

"Oh," Percy frowned. "Okay, thanks." He turned to Harry then. "Harry, I'm starting to kind of worry about her."

Harry sighed. "Percy, she'll be fine. Why don't you focus on the feast? We can find her after."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Feeling uneasy, Percy turned back to his food.

****

Once everyone had eaten their full, Dumbledore stood up from his throne-like chair and called for silence. "Now-"

The doors to the Great Hall crashed open. Heads everywhere turned to look at Professor Quirrell, the one who had opened the doors. He came rushing in, turban slightly askew and panic clear on his face. "Troll! Troll! In the dungeons! Troll in the dungeons! Thought you ought to know." His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

Everyone started screaming and yelling, panicked about the troll. Students started getting up from the tables and running to the doors. Percy heard Malfoy give a loud shriek from the Slytherin table. There was a roar of "SILENCE!" Everyone looked at Dumbledore, the one who had yelled. "Prefects will escort all students back to their dormitories immediately. I can assure you, the troll will be gone by morning."

"But the Slytherins' dorm is in the dungeons!" a girl shrieked from the Slytherin table. In the sudden commotion, no one paid her any mind.

Everyone began following the prefects out of the Hall and to the common rooms. The three of them, Harry, Percy, and Ron were about to start climbing the staircase to the Gryffindor common room when Harry pulled the other two aside. "I've just remembered! Hermione!" Percy's eyes widened and he dashed to the stairs the led to the dungeons and went down them, followed by Harry and Ron.

They kept going, down and down, until they reached the dungeons. Percy, hearing the shuffling and heavy footsteps of the beast, quickly shushed Harry and Ron. Percy peeked his head around the corner and immediately drew back, pushing the other two farther up the stairs. The troll wasn't even fifteen feet away from them. The three boys waited with bated breath as the troll slowly stomped its way past the staircase. Once they could no longer hear the troll, they emerged from their corner and ran after it, making as little noise as possible.

"It's headed for the girls' bathroom!" Harry led the other two after the troll, still making as little noise as possible.

By the time they had rounded the corner, the troll had already entered the bathroom and the door had closed behind it. "Lock it in," Percy yelled. Ron ran forward and locked the door. "I just hope Hermione already left." There was suddenly a piercing scream from the bathroom, accompanied by a loud roar. "Never mind, then." Ron quickly unlocked the door and the three of them barged in. Hermione was huddled underneath one of the sinks, screaming her head off. Percy and Ron started throwing pieces of wood from the destroyed stalls at the troll's head while Harry yelled insults at it, trying to get its attention away from Hermione.

"Oi!" Harry threw some rock at its head. "Ugly! Down here!" The rock met its mark. The troll grunted, startled, and turned its great ugly head to look down at them. It raised its club and they scrambled backward. The troll swung its club and Harry rushed forward, grabbing onto it once it had reached the bottom of its arc.

With wide eyes, Ron yelled, "Harry, what the bloody hell are you doing!" Harry let go of the club as it swung up again, dropping down onto the troll's shoulders.

"Harry!" Percy was quite astounded at this point. The troll, having noticed that there was a boy on its shoulders, started jerking around, trying to get Harry off. It jerked again and Harry's wand, which was being held in his right hand, was swung around and shoved into the troll's nose. Apparently having had enough at this point, the troll reached up and grabbed Harry by the ankle, pulling him from around its neck. Harry, now defenseless, was trying his best to avoid the troll's club.