Charms Classroom
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"𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃'𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 is levitation, or the ability to make objects fly," Professor Flitwick said during that day's Charms class. "Do you all have your feathers? Good. Now, don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, hm? The swish and flick." He demonstrated. "Everyone."
"The swish and flick," the class chorused, repeating the wand movement.
Dakota was feeling confident. She'd been studying extra hard outside of class time, and she was ready to prove all the pureblooded bigots in Slytherin wrong by being the first in their house to get it right.
"Good. And enunciate. Wingardium leviosa. Off you go, then."
Dakota picked up her wand. As she pictured herself making her feather levitate, she swished and flicked her wand. "Wingardium leviosa," she said.
In sync, the feathers of Dakota, Hermione, Lyra, and Aliyah all floated up, the Gryffindor girl's flying the highest into the air. Pansy's jaw dropped as she stared at Dakota in disbelief. The blonde smirked at her.
"Oh, well done!" Flitwick gasped in amazement. "See here, everyone. Miss Black, Miss Coleman, Miss Dursley, and Miss Granger have done it! Oh, splendid!"
There was an explosion. Dakota looked across the room and saw Seamus's face covered in ash. He had blown up his feather.
"I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor," Harry said.
When the class ended, Aliyah ran up to Dakota. She hugged her tightly and exclaimed, "I know you could do it! You were brilliant, Kody!"
"I finally decided to pick up a book and learn something," Dakota said as they walked out of the classroom with Lyra. "It really does make all the difference."
"'It's levi-OSA not levio-SAR,'" Ron mocked Hermione as he walked with Harry and the other Gryffindor boys. Dakota frowned when they laughed. "She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she hasn't got any friends."
Hermione hugged her books tightly to her chest and hurried away, crying. Dakota sent Ron a glare before rushing after her. As hungry as she was for dinner, something told her that checking on Hermione was more important.
"Yeah, that's right!" Draco yelled after her. "Run to your little Mudblood buddy, you show off!"
"Alright, you know what?" Aliyah pulled her wand out of her pocket. Just as she was getting ready to jinx the boy, Lyra pulled her arm down, shaking her head. She whispered to her not to stoop to his level before pulling her towards the Great Hall for dinner.
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Dakota found Hermione crying in a stall in the girl's bathroom. She knocked softly on the door. "Hermione, it's Dakota. Can you let me in?"
"Go away!" Hermione shouted, her voice breaking.
The blonde sighed and pulled out her wand. "Alohomora." The stall door unlocked. She pushed it open and stepped inside, closing it behind her.
Hermione was sitting on the floor with her legs hugged to her chest, her head resting on top of her knees. She looked up when the younger 1st year came in. She sniffed and wiped her face. "I hate boys," she mumbled.
"Yeah, they suck," Dakota agreed as she sat down next to her. She awkwardly patted Hermione's back. She'd never been good at comforting people. Maybe because she'd never received any comfort herself growing up. "Don't listen to Ronald. You're an amazing witch, Hermione."
"I was only trying to help," Hermione whispered. Another tear fell down her cheek, and Dakota gently wiped it away with the pad of her thumb. "He. . .He was never gonna get it if he wasn't saying it right. I thought he was different. E-Everyone here treats me like rubbish. . .I didn't expect someone from my own house to treat me like that too."
"I know what you mean." Dakota sighed. She leaned her head back against the wall of the stall. "Every time we try to prove ourselves to them, they just find another reason to bring us down."
"Ugh, I hate being a Muggle-born!" Hermione kicked the side of the stall in frustration. There was a low grunt behind it – a grunt that didn't belong to her.
The two girls exchanged a look. Dakota slowly pushed the door open, and they poked their heads out, their eyes widening in fear at what they saw. A large troll had come into the bathroom. Dakota slammed the door to the stall shut. She and Hermione both screamed as it used its club to smash through the stalls.
The bathroom door swung open, and Harry and Ron rushed in.
"Kody, Hermione, move!" Harry shouted.
The two girls crawled out from underneath the stall. The boys threw pieces of the broken wood at the troll to distract it, which only seemed to anger it more. It smashed the sink near where Hermione and Dakota were hiding.
"Help!" Hermione screamed.
Harry grabbed onto the troll's club, only to go flying up when it lifted it. He landed on top of its shoulders, and the troll looked around stupidly as it wondered where he went. Harry shoved his wand up its nose, and it shook its head wildly as it tried to get it out. It grabbed Harry by his leg and held him upside down.
"Harry!" Dakota shouted.
"Do something!" Harry yelled.
Ron looked around. He raised his arms in a shrug. "What?"
"Anything!"
Deciding she didn't want to leave their saving up to the boy that led Hermione to sobbing in the bathroom. Dakota pulled her wand out of her robe pocket. With shaky hands, she gave it a swish and a flick. "Wingardium leviosa!"
The troll's club flew out of its hand. When it looked up, Dakota lowered her wand and allowed it to fall onto its head. The troll dropped Harry before collapsing on the ground with a heavy thud.
"Is it. . .dead?" Hermione asked, slowly standing up and walking over to the troll.
"I don't think so," Harry said. "Just knocked out."
Dakota stood up and went over to them. Her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She scrunched her nose in disgust when Harry wiped his snot-covered wand on the inside of his robe.
Footsteps were heard. The professors had rushed in to see what was going on.
"Oh!" McGonagall gasped, placing her hand to her chest. "Oh, my goodness. Explain yourselves, both of you!" She pointed accusingly at Harry and Ron, who struggled to find an answer.
"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said, covering for the two boys.
"Mine, too," Dakota said. If Hermione was going to get in trouble, she was going to get in trouble, too. The look of disappointment on Snape's face made her heart sink, but she kept her composure.
"I went looking for the troll," Hermione lied. "I read about them and thought I could handle it. Dakota didn't want me to go alone in case something bad happened, which turned out to be a good thing because I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found us. . .we'd probably be dead."
"Be that as it may. . .it was an extremely foolish thing to do," McGonagall stated. "I would've expected more rational behaviour on your part, Miss Granger, and I am very disappointed in you both. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin for your serious lack of judgment. As for you two gentlemen," she turned to Harry and Ron, "I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first year students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. 5 points. . .will be awarded to each of you. . .for sheer dumb luck."
Professor Quirrell gave the four kids an anxious smile as McGonagall and Snape left the bathroom. "Perhaps you ought to go," he said. "M-Might wake up." He laughed nervously.
"Good for you to get us out of trouble like that," Harry said thankfully to Hermione and Dakota as they left.
"Mind you, we did save their lives," Ron gloated.
"Mind you, they might not have needed saving if you hadn't insulted Hermione," Harry quipped.
"What are friends for?" Ron sent Hermione and Dakota a soft smile, which the Gryffindor girl returned. Dakota, however, wasn't going to be so quick to forgive him. He had hurt Hermione's feelings and almost got them killed.
When she went back to her dormitory that night, word had already spread about how she and the others had conquered the troll in the bathroom. Several people congratulated her, and even Pansy gave her a small nod of approval.
It was starting to look like things were finally looking up for her in Slytherin House.