Harry looked at his sister. "You've had Salazar Slytherin in your room this whole time?" He asked her.
"Actually... I've had them all." She shrugged. But she didn't elaborate, that was a story for another day.
"No wonder she's done so well in school. She's been cheating this whole time!" Hermione yelled.
"Shut up Granger!" Draco yelled. "My wife didn't need the founders, she beat you with her intellect."
Hermione goes to say something but Ron stopped her. "Enough Hermione. You're not going to win." She huffed but stopped because she knew that it was true. "Let's get back to the movie." He said. Everyone turned their attention back to the screen where the movie had paused on Salazar Slytherin.
"So, what's the first order of business?" Draco asks.
"My people overheard Dumbledore's plan. He intends to use the philosopher stone he stole from his 'friend' Nicholas Flamel to have Harry act in a saviour capacity and intends destroy it while have Harry 'defeat' the person who went after it – Voldemort."
"Why did you do 'defeat' in air quotes?" Draco asks.
"Because it's not just a defeat. Is it?" Zoe says, understanding what Salazar was saying.
"He knew what would happen if I touched Quirrell." Harry whispered to himself.
"Dumbledore put a spell on the stone, once Harry touches it, and he touches someone else – in this case Voldemort's host – they will turn to dust." Salazar explains.
"He's making Potter a murderer." Draco whispers.
"Which is something we have to stop." Zoe says. "Now."
"What about the other founders?" Salazar asks.
"We have time. We will find them, but right now we have to stop an 11 year old from becoming a murderer." Salazar nods in understanding, Zoe looks at Draco and gestures to the door. "Let's go."
"Where?" He asks.
"Third floor. The place that Dumbledore's practically invited all the students to when he forbade them." She answers. The scene fades to black.
Sirius looked at Zoe and Draco. "You know, you don't really sound 11 years old."
"Just the way we are, mentally we are older than what our actual physical bodies are." Zoe shrugged.
***
The scene opens to Zoe and Draco outside the locked door on the Third Floor. Draco goes to open the door but Zoe grabs his arm before he turns the knob.
"What's wrong?" He whisper-asks. Zoe raises a finger to her lips then points to behind them, them could hear running.
"Hide." She whispers. Zoe pulls Draco close to her and towards the walls. "Invisique." She whispers. Both turn invisible from sight.
"Your magic really is incredible for such a young age." Narcissa complimented her future daughter-in-law.
"Thank you Mama N."
***
Forbidden Corridor – Continuous
Ron, Hermione and Harry come running down and look around.
"Does anybody feel like... we shouldn't be here?" Ron asks.
"We're not supposed to be here. This is the Third Floor. It's forbidden." Hermione answers.
"Why, though?" Harry asks, intrigued to know why this corridor was forbidden.
"Because Dumbledore said so. Let's go." Hermione says and she pushes them towards the door.
"Oh yeah, just follow Dumbledore's words like sheep." Severus scoffed.
Meow. They freeze. A cat sits watching them, eyes glittering in the dark. Then a shadow scales the wall. It's Filch and Mrs Norris. "Who goes there!" Filch yells. They turn, dash the opposite way. As they reach a door, Harry grips the knob, twists. It's locked. "Lead me to them, my sweet..." Filch says to Mrs Norris, who leads the way to the trio.
"I have always questioned their relationship. It never added up and they are way to close." Barty shuddered.
"That's it. We're done for." Ron whispers, panicking.
"Oh, move over." Hermione pushes them aside and aims her wand for the locked door. "Alohomora!" Hermione gives her wand a swish and... the door swings open. Harry and Ron stare incredulously. "Standard Book of Spells. Chapter Seven." She explains. As they run inside, Hermione presses her ear to the door.
"Chapter Seven?" Ron whispers to himself.
"Oh please. Our queen was much further than you."
"Shhh! Filch is... gone." Hermione says.
"He probably thinks this door is locked."
"It was locked." Ron and Hermione say to each other, neither notice Harry looking behind them.
"And for good reason..." Harry says, bringing their attention to him.
Hermione and Ron turn. Standing a feet away is a dog... only this one has three heads, three pairs of mad, rolling eyes, and three sets of hideous yellow fangs dripping with saliva.
"AHHHH!" The trio scream as the dog roars. They tumble back outside and Harry flings home the door just before the dog throws itself against it. they exchange a glance, dash off.
"AHHHH!" The Marauders screamed. The surrounding people jumped at the loud sound and when they stopped, they threw things at the group for scaring them.
***
After the trio run away, Zoe and Draco come out of hiding.
"Now we go in." Draco nods.
Zoe opens the door and are welcomed by the three-headed dog. Zoe eaves her head and a harp appears, playing music. She notices a trapdoor under his paw and removed it, she opens it to see blackness.
"You ready?" Draco asks.
"Yeah, let's do this." Zoe jumps in the trapdoor (followed by Draco) and lands in something soft and yarn-like, she pushes her hair out of her face and looks up. A tiny square of light – the trapdoor – glimmers far above. A vine snakes out Draco's back collar and twin creepers encircle Zoe's chest.
"It's snakes!" Sirius screamed.
"Shut up you idiot! It's Devil's Snare!" Regulus yelled at his brother.
"Don't move." Zoe warns him. "It's Devil's Snare! Once you relax you'll drop down." Draco nods. They both take a long, slow breathe in and are slowly enveloped beneath the surface.
They walk down a corridor and are met with a staircase. Just then... they detect a sound: a rustling, a clinking. The couple exchange a glance, begin to descend the staircase.
Zoe and Draco enter a brilliantly lit chamber where hundred of jewel bright birds flutter below a high arching ceiling. On the opposite side is a heavy wooden door and, floating in the centre of the chamber, a single broomstick.
They begin to cross to the door, gazing in wonder at the strangely beautiful creatures overhead.
"Pretty." Jean loudly whispered, making her parents laugh.
"Beautiful." Zoe whispers. She then takes a closer look at them. "They're keys." Zoe tests the doorknob, nods. "Locked. One of them fits that door." She takes a closer look at the keyhole. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one – probably silver, like the handle."
Draco looks at the broomstick in the centre if the room. Almost mesmerised, he slowly reaches out nonetheless. As his fingers touch the broomstick the keys explode in a frenzy, hissing like wasps, swarming in great, glittering clouds.
"Alright Darling. Time to show off your skills." Zoe hip bumps him towards the broom.
"Can't you just freeze them?" Draco asks.
Zoe shakes her head. "Can't, there's a spell on them prevent any interference, you'll have to out-fly them."
As Draco kicks into the air, a seething cluster of keys falls like hard rain, chattering at his arms and legs, slicing at his skin, Draco soars higher, fending off the keys with his free hand, until he spies the larger, silver one, fluttering only feet beyond his gasp.
"Daddy hurt!" Jean cried.
Draco pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "No baby, daddy's not hurt. Look..." He put her on her feet so she was standing on his legs. "Daddy's fine."
"Daddy not hurt?"
"Daddy's not hurt." He whispered and he put her back down in his lap and held her tightly.
Instantly he zooms straight to that one key, dodging the attacks, then snatched the silver key.
He whips downward in a wide, dizzying circle, trying to outrun the now furious keys. They shadow his every move, drawing closer and closer, humming viciously as they begin to chip at the broom into a reckless dive and, steering with one hand and flings the key to Zoe. She rushes to the door and opens it as Draco flies around.
As the broom begins to waffle, Draco gives one last burst of speed and soars through the open door. Together, they fling the door shut...just before the keys rain down like bullets. They are welcomed by complete darkness, they walk forward but stop when they see a dark figure move towards them.
"Could do with some light." Draco says. He pulls his wand out and aims for the top. "Lumos Maxima." A light shoots out of Draco's wand and lights up the enter room. "It's a chessboard."
"I hate this game." Zoe says.
"That's because you always lose." Draco laughs. He looks at the chessboard. "I see a problem." Zoe looks at him in confusion. "We need a third person."
Zoe groans. "Of course. I forgot that Dumbledore made sure that Ron and Hermione were used during the 'hero antics'." Zoe pulls her wand from her boot and holds it above her head and aims towards her self. "Duplici." She says and a second Zoe appears next to her. [Translation: Double]
"That's not a real spell!" Hermione yelled.
"It's my own spell Granger." Zoe rolled her eyes.
Hermione goes to say something but once again she is stopped by Ron. "Hermione!" He hissed.
"I'm in heaven." Draco sighs as he sees the double Zoe.
The Slytherins laughed.
"Shut up and tell us where to go." Zoe pushes him.
"My first Queen takes the Queenside Castle, I will take the empty Bishop and the my second Queen will that the Knight." Across the board, a white pawn moves forward two squares {E4}. Draco contemplates his own move. Draco points to one of his pawns. "D5." As Draco's black pawn obliges, white's pawn slides swiftly forth {to D5} and, with a thunderous collision, the black pawn explodes, rubble raining to the ground.
"Think... think..." Draco mutters to himself before deciding: "Castle to... C3"
The black castle advances. Instantly, the white queen sweeps forward and, with cruel indifference, shatters the rook. Zoe, only one square removed, stares with horror. Unnerved, she glances up at Draco, but his eyes see only the board. Zoe turns, taking a look herself... and blinks, she realises a mistake, a mistake that she usually makes.
"Draco..." She says as she points to the Queen. "She's made the same mistake I always make. If you go there, she has to take you, and the King is exposed!
Zoe controls her double to grip the reins and, without a word, drives her horse forward {NH3}. Instantly, the White Queen pounces, causing her double to disappear.
Draco steps forward {BC5}. The White Queen moves to block {QE3}, but it's futile. Draco, again, steps forward, places his hand on the cold stone of her gown and, topples her.
"Checkmate." He said softly.
As a veil of dust hovers, the White King removes his crown, lets it roll from his fingers, across the stone floor, where it comes to rest at Draco's feet.
"They won!" James cheered, happy that his daughter wasn't hurt.
"Let's go." Zoe says.
They make their way through a corridor that drops down like a tunnel. Up ahead, a chamber glimmers. They descends a staircase. As the chamber below comes into view, she sees the Mirror of Erised.
"Where's the stone?" Draco asks as he looks around.
Zoe doesn't answer him. Instead, she steps in front of the mirror.
"What are you doing?" Draco asks.
"My Prince, meet the mirror of Erised. Also known as the mirror of desire, the mirror what shows you want you most desire." Zoe answers. She stands in front of the mirror and sees herself. It doesn't show what she most desires, it shows only her, smiling, and puts her hand in her pocket and pulls out a blood-red stone. Her reflection winks, returns the stone to its pockets and it dropped heavily into his own: He's got on the Stone. Zoe, reaches into her own pocket, and pulls out the stone. "Got the stone." Draco and Zoe smiles at each other as the scene fades to black.
"That went so much easier than when we went." Harry said.
"Well, your had to be done as a heroic adventure, we went in secret so we didn't have to 'fight' anyone at the end." Zoe said.
***
Gryffindor Common Room – Night
The Pink Lady frowns as they spill through, stand gasping. She opens the passage and lets them through.
"What do they think they're doing keeping a thing like that locked up in school?" Ron asks.
"Don't call Fluffy a thing!" Scorpius yelled. After Hagrid had pass, he willed his creatures to go straight to his mother, so he had grown up with magical creatures, learning how to look after them, protect them. He even wanted to become a Magizoologist like his idol Newt Scamander.
"You don't use your eyes, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione asks.
"I wasn't looking at its feet. I was a bit preoccupied with its heads. Or maybe you didn't notice. There was three." Ron yells, gesturing to his own head.
"It was standing on a trapdoor, which means it's not there by accident. It's –" She says before she's cut off.
"Guarding something." Harry says.
"That's right." Hermione nods. "Now if you don't mind, I think I'll go to bed before either of you figures out another clever way to get us killed. Or worse... expelled." She says before retiring for the night.
"How is getting expelled worse than dying?" Sirius asked. "She needs to get her priorities fixed." He said, as if she wasn't next to him.
***
The scene changes to show Zoe sitting at her desk, writing a letter.
"Dear Mr Flamel..." Her voice was heard but her mouth did not move. "... It has come to my attention, that Albus Dumbledore has come into possession of the philosopher stone. Whether you voluntarily gave him the stone, I am unsure of, however, I am sure that you are not aware of his intention." Zoe is seen holding up the stone while her voiceover continues. "He intends to use to as a manipulative tool to control a young wizard, Harry Potter, he's created a test in order to test him in a dangerous manner and in the end he intends to have the stone destroyed, all for his gain. Zoe Ollivander." She folds the paper and summons her owl. "Hyde." She calls, in flies an ebony owl with emerald eyes, she ties the letter to his leg. "This letter is go straight to Nicholas Flamel, no one is to access except him." Hyde hoos and flies off.
***
Practice Field – Dusk
Harry stands with Oliver Wood on the empty practice pitch.
"Quidditch!!" The Marauders yelled.
"SHUT UP!" Everyone else had yelled back.
"Quidditch is easy enough to understand. Each team has seven players. Three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper and the Seeker – that's you. There are three kinds of balls. This one's called the Quaffle..." He holds up a red ball. "The Chasers handle the Quaffle and try to put it through one of three hoops. The Keeper – that's me – defends the hoops. With me so far?" He asks. Harry nods, points to a wood crate rocking violently.
"I think so. What's in there?" Harry asks, pointing to the shaking.
"Here. Take this." Wood ignores the question as he hands Harry a small club, kneels before the crate and unlashes a leather strap. Instantly a black ball rockets into the sky, then, without warning, plummets straight down at Harry's head. Startled, Harry jumps aside and – purely on instinct – clubs it back into the sky.
"That's my boy! Look at that hit!" James cheered. Harry looked at him in joy, was this what it was like to be cheered for by a loved one.
"Not bad, Potter. You'd make a fair Beater." Wood says before looking back to where the ball went. "Careful now, it's coming back." As the ball screams back to earth, Wood crates it.
"What was that?" Harry asks.
"Bludger. Nasty little buggers. But you're a Seeker. The only ball I want you to worry about is... this." Wood takes out a tiny ball about the size of a walnut. Bright gold, it has little fluttering wings.
"I like this ball." Harry smiles.
"You like it now. Just wait. It's wicked fast and damn near impossible to see." Wood says.
"What do I do with it?" Harry asks.
"Catch it. before the other team's Seeker. You catch this, the game is over. You catch this, Potter... we win."
***
Zoe is seen walking down the corridor to Charms when Hyde intercepts her. "Hyde." She greets him, she notices the letter and unties it. She reaches in her bag for owl treats and feeds Hyde. "Go straight to my dorm and rest." Hyde hoos and flies away. She opens the letter and reads in her head as she walks to her lesson.
The letter is read as a voiceover.
"Dear Miss Ollivander,
Thank you for your letter. I was not aware that Dumbledore had even taken my stone none the less his intent. The stone is meant to reside in my vault at Gringotts and clearly action needs to be taken as I was not informed that the stone had been removed.
As a reward, I will entrust the stone to you to protect.
Nicholas Flamel."
"You got to keep the stone." Remus gasped. "What did you do with it?"
"If I told you, then it wouldn't be protected." Zoe said.
***
Professor Flitwick's Class – Day
Professor Flitwick, a very tiny, gnome-like wizard, stands on a pile of books as he oversees the class. "Now don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising. Swish and flick. Swish and flick." He says as he makes the gesture. Harry, paired with Seamus, poses his wand over the feather before him and begins to swish and flick.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Harry says, the feather flutters, but never leaves the table.
"That's alright son. Loads of people don't get it on the first try."
"The only ones who did were Zoe and Hermione." Harry smiled at his father.
"And enunciate! Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found hiself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Ron yelled. Ron windmills his arms grandly. Nothing. Hermione frowns.
"Stop. Stop. Stop." Hermione grabbed his arm. "Honestly. You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Levi-ohhh-sa. Not Levi-o-saaah."
"You do it then, if you're so clever."
The camera changed to Zoe and Draco. "I wished we had something challenging." Zoe sighed.
"You know if you do the spell now then you can relax for the rest of the class, maybe help the other Slytherins who need it." Draco suggests.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Zoe swishes and flicks and the feather rises.
"Oh, well done! Everyone see here. Miss Ollivander's done it!" Professor Flitwick praises.
Hermione glares at the Slytherin and attempts it herself. "Wingardium Leviosa." Hermione swishes and flicks. Instantly the feather rises.
"Well done Miss Granger." Professor Flitwick said.
PFFFT! Across the room, smoke curls between Seamus and Harry. "I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor." Harry points out.
The hall laughed at the sight of the young boy. "He's always exploding something." Both Harry and Zoe said in unison. They looked at each other in shocked before looking back at the screen.
***
Courtyard – Later – Day
As Harry and Ron cross the courtyard, Ron mimics Hermione.
"It's Levi-ohhhhh-sa. Not Levi-o-saaaah. She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she hasn't got any friends." Just then, someone bumps into Harry. He turns, sees Hermione dash by, hugging her books, eyes glittering with tears.
"Ronald Weasley that is not how we talk about people." Arthur told his son. He knew he wouldn't raise his son like this. Something had gone wrong.
"I think she heard you." Harry whispers.
"Great job Weasel. A girl helps you and your pride couldn't take it." Zoe says from behind.
"Pathetic." Draco sneers before the couple walks away.
***
Great Hall – Night
Candlelit pumpkins flicker throughout the hall, while thousands of live bats flutter overheard.
"It's Halloween." Lily whispered as she realised that it was the anniversary of hers and James' death.
Harry sits quietly, studying an empty chair, then sees Professor McGonagall standing across the way with Hagrid. Both are looking at him. McGonagall says something to Hagrid who nods, then she steps away, approaches Harry. "How are you, Potter? All right?" She asks.
"Yes, Professor. Fine."
"I know... that is, we know... the members of the staff... that this is perhaps a difficult night for you. Halloween. Your parents..." Harry realizes what she is talking about and nods.
"I'm all right, Professor."
"Very well." She turns, starts to go.
"Professor... Thank you."
"You're welcome, Potter." As she goes, Harry sees Ron glumly pushing his food around, listening to Neville speak across the empty chair to Seamus.
"Parvati Patil said he wouldn't come out of the girls' bathroom. Said she's been in there all afternoon. Crying." Neville says.
Molly leant forward and smacked Ron over the head for how he talked about Hermione.
"Ow! Mum! I apologised and we made friends after!"
Just then, Professor Quirrell runs into the room, cries out: "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know..." He faints to the floor. There is a brief silence, then utter pandemonium breaks out. Students shriek. Bats screech.
"That's the defence teacher!" Remus yelled. "He fainted! He cannot be teaching our children."
POP! POP! POP! The hall goes still, all eyes on Dumbledore, standing at the front, purple smoke trailing from his wand. "Everyone will please not panic. Prefects lead your Houses back to the dormitories. Teachers, follow me to the dungeons."
"What about the Slytherin Dormitories? They are in the dungeons!" Lucius said, angrily. Dumbledore was putting his son and daughter-in-law in danger.
Zoe stands up on her seat. "Professor Dumbledore! The Slytherin Dormitories are in the dungeons. We know the entire school hates us but we didn't think you'd lead us into danger. Now would you?" Zoe asks.
Xavier looks at her proud. He knew that she would make an excellent Queen. He stands up. "Exactly. I will not allow my Snakes to be put in danger because you Dumbledore, so instead, we will be going to a non-disclosed location where I know we'll be safe." The Slytherin courts stands up and calmly evacuates the Slytherin students.
***
Marble Staircase – Moments Later – Night
As they follow Percy up the stairs, Ron still looks glum.
"How could a troll get in?" Harry asks.
"Not on its own. Trolls are really stupid. Probably Peeves' playing jokes..." Ron pauses when he sees Harry's face. "What?"
"Hermione. She doesn't know." Harry runs to find Hermione.
"Make sure the boy's a hero, mother says, we're getting paid, mother says." Ron huffs. "This better be worth it." He whispers before running after him.
Harry's fist tightens into a tight fist, he was about to get up when he feels another hand grab his. It was Albus – his son. "I know what you're thinking. It's not worth it. Let Aunt Zoe handle it." Albus told him.
The camera angle moves slightly to the side revealing Zoe. "Idiots." She whispers before following them.
***
Girl's Bathroom Corridor – Moments Later – Night
Harry and Ron slip away from the Gryffindors, in with the Hufflepuffs, then down a deserted hallway. As footsteps ring out, they duck behind a stone griffin, see Snape hurry past.
"That's the third floor he's going to. Teachers were supposed to go to the dungeons..." Harry pauses as a nasty smell goes past his nose. "What's that?"
"Smells like Fred's socks. Only... worse." Ron says. Much worse. Lumbering toward them is a troll with an enormous club. As it comes into a patch of moonlight, it blinks stupidly, peers into a doorway, then slouches slowly inside. Harry studies a suit of armour beside the door, thinks...
"Follow me." Harry edges forward, pulls the sword from the suit of armour, and runs it through, the door handle, trapping the troll.
"Yes!" Ron cheers as Harry grins, then hears a high, petrified scream.
"This wouldn't be the girl's bathroom, would it?" Harry asks, despite knowing what the answer was going to ask.
Cut to: Close-up – Hermione screaming
Girl's Bathroom – Night
A huge shadow falls over Hermione's face. The camera angle changes to show Hermione's point of view as the troll advances directly toward her. She dashes into a stall, bolts the door. Trembling, she peers upward watching as the troll's face appears over the top, looking in. Panicked, she drops to the floor and shimmies into the next stall, out of sight. Angered, the troll raises its club and – SMASH! – shatters the stall Hermione just vacated. As wood rains down in jagged, splintered pieces. Harry and Ron rush in, staring in horror as the troll raises the club high and shatters the next stall. Hermione, still crawling, covers her head and peers back. SMASH! The club comes thundering down yet again, this time just inches from her foot.
"Don't worry, Hermione! We're here!" Ron turns to Harry "She's dead." He whispers to Harry.
"I heard that!" Hermione yells.
"What do we do?"
Harry looks about frantically. "Confuse it!"
"Confuse it?" Ron asks himself before shrugging and yells: "Hey, pea brain!"
Harry and Ron grab anything they can and begin to hurl it at the troll, but they might as well be throwing marshmallows. As shards of wood bounce off its pint-sized head and great lumpy shoulders, the troll brings the club down once more and shatters the last stall. As Harry and Ron look on grimly, the troll jabs its club into the hash of wood before it, poking about for Hermione, when, at the last second, scrambles out and dashes under the sink. Grunting furiously, the troll turns, begins to advance on her. Harry, thinking fast, rushes forward and leaps upon the troll's rising club, rising himself right out of frame and then drops right onto the troll's slimy neck. The troll blinks dimly and, before it can react, Harry – purely on instinct – shoves his wand straight up the troll's nose. The troll roars in pain, he grabs Harry and waves him around. Upside down, Harry calls out: "Do something!"
"Harry!" Lily yelled.
"Mum I'm fine. I'm right here." Harry reassured his mother, who had forgotten that he was, in fact, sitting right there.
"What?" Ron yells looking around.
"Anything!" Harry yells, Ron watches helplessly.
BANG! The door slams open and in walks Zoe, wand in hand.
"Our queen!" The Slytherins cheered at Zoe walking on screen like the badass she is.
Without any hesitation she calls out: "Petrificus totalus!" The troll freezes. This she aims for the club.
"Wingardium leviosa." With that, the club quivers upon the floor begins to rise. With her free hand, she throws her arm out and repeats the spell: "Wingardium leviosa." this time aiming for Harry. Harry lifts off the troll (still frozen) and is gently placed on the ground. Zoe moves her wands, causing the club to move until... THUNK! It drops smack on the troll's head. She releases the spell causing the troll to wobble. Harry peers up. The troll wobbles one last time and starts to fall directly on top of Harry. Quickly, Zoe pulls Harry away just before the troll slams to the floor, inches away.
Cheers erupted from the hall (except for a select few).
All is quiet for a moment. Then Hermione steps forward.
"Is it... dead?" Hermione asks.
"I don't think so. Just knocked out." Harry says.
"No need to kill it, after all." Ron comments.
"Didn't need to kill it in the first place." Zoe speaks up, she places her wand back into her boot.
"Yes, well, that was big of you." Harry says to Ron as he extracts his wand from the troll's nose. "Ugh. Troll snot." He wipes it on the troll's trousers. A sudden volley of footsteps announces the arrival of Professors McGonagall, Snape and a still queasy Quirrell. Harry notices a spot of blood on Snape's leg, sees Snape shift his cloak to cover it.
"Explain yourselves! All of you." Professor McGonagall demands.
"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall" Hermione steps forward.
"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall gasps.
"I went looking for the troll. I've read about them and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come along... I'd be dead." Ron drops his wand, stunned by Hermione's lie.
"Why had she ignored Zoe? She actually saved us." Harry thinks to himself.
"It was because I'm a Slytherin." Zoe whispered in Harry's ear.
Professor Snape looks at Zoe, she points to her head, he nods. He closes his eyes and the flashbacks on the scene is shown.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your very serious lack of judgement. As for you gentlemen, I hope you realise just how lucky you are. Not many First Years could take on a full-grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale. I would you each ten points... for sheer dumb luck."
Professor Snape interjects. "Personally, I think they shouldn't receive any points they didn't defeat the troll, all they did was get themselves in danger and didn't even use the one spell they learnt today. Ollivander, on the other hand, successfully apprehended the troll and made sure that the chosen one was safe. But you didn't give her any points, you only gave the Gryffindors the points." Professor McGonagall is silent. "20 points to Slytherin for using the correct spell, doing the spell successfully, using a 3rd year spell and saving the lives for 3 students. Minus 15 from Gryffindor for lack of judgement and putting yourselves in danger, this behaviour should not be rewarded in anyway."
"Yes Snape!" Barty smacked Severus back.
"Touch me again and I will rip that arm off."
***
Seventh Floor Corridor – Moments Later – Night
Hermione walks silently beside Harry and Ron.
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that." Harry says to Ron.
"Mind you, we did save her from a full grown mountain troll." Ron says.
"Mind you, she might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her." Harry laughs. Ron glances at Hermione, then away.
"What are friends for?" Ron says.