Since the beginning | Deamus |

(first year) Ch. 7 Bats and Trolls

There was only one class that sparked my interest that year: flying. Since I've spent most of my life on a broom I figured that I would ace that class, too bad Harry had to go and ruin it.

When Malfoy took Neville's Remembrall (seriously, who does that?) Harry decided to go chasing him through the sky just to get it back. It was only a stupid ball! What's worse is that Harry got chosen by McGonagall to play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I didn't even get to fly.

On Halloween morning I woke up to the smell of pumpkin tarts and chocolate. No Halloween that I've ever lived through had more than dessert.

Classes seemed to drag on forever as I was waiting to have the feast of my lifetime. Professor Flitwick had decorated his classroom with pumpkins and charms that made apparitions of cats run across the desks. McGonagall seemed to have the most fun of all. When I entered her class there was only a cat sitting my a large pumpkin. I thought that I had gotten lucky, that McGonagall fell asleep in the teachers lounge or just forgot to come to class. But no one's that lucky. The cat soon transformed into McGonagall, who looked sternly at those who were goofing off.

When classes finally ended, the whole school seemed to run to the Great Hall.

The decorations that filled the hall were larger and more impressive than any of the ones in Flitwick's class. Thousands of live bags flew around the room, landing on pumpkins or diving for people's hair. The pumpkins floated alongside the candles, the crazy faces that were carved into them would constantly change. Food appeared on golden plates just like they did at the start of term feast, and I remembered the kitchen and how the tables seemed like exact replicas of the ones in the Great Hall.

I was shoveling food into my face and talking to Dean (an amazing skill of mine) when I was rudely interrupted. Professor Quirrel, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, had burst through the doors and was running up the the head of the room. Whispers followed him, along with some scowls from those who's ere in the middle of a conversation. He sprinted up to Dumbledore, his turban askew and his face filled with horror.

"Troll-" he gasped for breath, "in.. the dungeon." Quirrel collapsed to the ground, faint from either exhaustion or terror.

The room was silent as Quirrel's words sunk in. Then panic quickly seized the room. Everyone screamed in alarm and started to make a beeline for the doors, Neville cried out that he was too young to face monsters. People were getting pushed to the ground as it became every-person-for-themselves.

Several loud bangs had to be set off by the teachers. before the screaming stopped and everyone went still.

Dumbledore stood and roared, "Prefects and Heads, take your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy, the Gryffindor Prefect and Ron's older brother (who was not funny like Fred and George), took control of the House

"Follow me Gryffindor! Stay close! You'll have nothing to worry about if you listen to me and don't to anything stupid!"

Neville, Dean and I were practically glued at the hip as we raced out of there. I didn't know much about trolls, but I did know that they were very aggressive and liked killing people who got in their way. Not about to be killed off by a troll in my first year!

"Why is there a troll in the castle?" Neville whimpered.

"Maybe it came from the Forest." Dean seemed even more scared than Neville, if that was possible. He probably only knew about the creatures from his books, or maybe he just knew that the creatures from the Forest were likely to kill you. Whatever the reason, Dean looked close to a panic attack, couldn't really blame him.

"Well, that troll can't get too far from the dungeon. I don't think trolls can climb stairs."

"Come on! Hurry up the stairs, through the portrait!" Percy was waving everybody into the Common Room, barking orders at anyone who didn't go as fast as he wanted.

All of Gryffindor was packed into the one room. Three people were sitting in a chair at a time and even more people tried to sit on the tables.

"Professor McGonagall will come in soon to give farther instructions." Percy was still acting like he was the boss of everybody, prefects. "Until then, just stay here."

"The feast was interrupted for me just to sit in a crowded room? If I wanted that I would have gotten detention!" I complained.

"Would you rather be stuffing your face full of food while a troll is about to step on you, or be safe here." Dean, reasonable or not, had a point there.

"I guess . . . Up here where it's safe." I have to admit, not being stomped by a troll was a pretty good deal.

The room was buzzing with worry and excitement, a few people even wanted to go fight the troll. Percy tried to keep order but every time he raised his voice people would shout louder.

When McGonagall finally came in it was like she put a silence charm on everyone.

"I know you all must be worried," she began, "but the troll is being taken care of as we speak. In the meantime, you will continue the feast up here." With a wave of her wasn't, platters of food and drinks appeared before us.

"See," Dean said, "you do get to finish the feast."

Gryffindor tower was happier after the feast. People started to do the usual "we didn't die!" party; throwing food, laughing, charming someone's hair to turn green.

It seemed like everyone forgot about the troll, they just were happy for it to be Halloween.

Only until after they came back did the Tower realize that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were fine for the whole feast.

"You fought a troll?" I asked in disbelief later in the dormitory.

"I don't think it counts as fighting," Harry seemed uncomfortable with all of the attention that this gave him, "my wand got stuck in his nose and Ron hit him on the head with his own club."

"Still, it sounds cool to fight a troll!"

"Seamus, no is doesn't." Dean scowled at me. "They almost died! How is it cool to almost die?"

"Well when you put it like that. . ."

"You guys missed the whole feast," Neville added, "Fred and George made Percy grow horns!"

We continued talking about the feast and the troll well into the night, fighting the troll seeming more fun (sorry Dean) as the hours went by.