The two girls were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, textbooks open in front of them as Amisty waited for Harry to return.
She had just finished explaining what had happened earlier, the shock on Hermione's face was eminent. She just stared wordlessly, before a small laugh escaped her lips and she covered her mouth with her hand quickly.
"What?" Amisty asked, a slight smile appearing on her face also.
"It's just, you're so fierce with Draco, but when you're with us, or anyone else really, you're about as fierce as a bunny," Hermione laughed, her brown eyes flickering with amusement. A
misty laughed brightly, and soon the girls were laughing until their sides ached.
"I just feel, tense, I guess, whenever I'm around him. He gets under my skin, very easily," Amisty shrugged after they stopped laughing.
"So, what do you want to do now? We have the rest of the day off!" Hermione asked, looking at Amisty excitedly.
Amisty blinked, pondering, "You wanna practice spells?"
"Why not?" Hermione pulled out her charms book and the girls headed up to the dormitory, wands at the ready.
-=+=-
Amisty and Hermione were walking to the Great Hall, Amisty fighting the urge to run to see if Harry was there. When they reached the entrance, she gave up resisting, and threw herself at him.
"You're here!" She grinned, hugging him tightly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" he replied, laughing and hugging her back.
Amisty pushed her hair behind her ears slowly, and blinked, "Because Madame Hooch said tha-"
"Professor McGonagall invited me to be Gryffindor's Seeker!" Harry cut her off, grinning happily.
Amisty gaped at him, sitting down and dragging him down with her.
"H-how?" was all she managed to say.
Harry just shrugged and turned to the twins, who had just come into the Great Hall.
Not wanting to pry, Amisty switched her focus to Hermione.
That is until Amisty's ears caught the sound of three sets of footsteps. Hermione desperately tried to keep Amisty interested in the conversation, but it was too late, Amisty had already turned around.
A growl rumbled in her throat as she spotted Draco, her eyes illuminating with green fire.
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Draco sneered.
"You're a lot braver now that you've got your little friends with you" Harry replied.
Amisty grinned slightly, ignoring the menacing looks Crabbe and Goyle were giving her.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," Draco scowled, "Tonight, if you want. Wizards duel. Wands only- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has. I'm his second, who's yours?" Ron snarled, butting in before Amisty could even open her mouth.
Draco glanced and Crabbe and Goyle, not that it did much difference, they both probably had a brain the size of a peanut.
"Crabbe. Midnight alright? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked" Draco replied, turning his gaze onto Amisty.
She bit her tongue to keep from speaking, squeezing her hands together tightly.
"Stay calm Amisty, this isn't the streets. You could get in serious trouble here, there's no running," She thought to herself, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Draco sneered at her, swaggering off to the Slytherin table. Hermione walked over to Harry and Ron, who were having a conversation of their own.
"He didn't even speak to you and you look ready to stab something," Hermione commented, suddenly back to her side.
Amisty nodded, not trusting her voice to come out calmly, it would probably come out as a snarl or growl.
"Just ignore him, there's no way you're going to get anywhere if you keep quarreling with him," Hermione sighed, playing with her food carelessly.
-=+=-
Amisty stayed awake that whole night, waiting for Hermione to come back.
She had went anyway after tons of pleading from the other two not to follow them. It had been hours and she was still not there.
"I hope she's okay..." She thought to herself, pacing around the room worriedly.
Suddenly, the dormitory door opened slowly, revealing a very distraught and scared looking Hermione. Amisty raced toward her, concern evident on her face.
"What happened? Are they okay? Are you okay?" Amisty demanded, leading the brown-haired girl to her bed.
"Malfoy didn't show up, it was Filch. We ran and then we met this thing. A massive dog with three heads by the looks of it. The dog was guarding something, it was standing over a trapdoor..." Hermione replied quickly, her eyes wide.
"I think I know what it's hiding!" Amisty exclaimed, leaping to her feet.
"What?" Hermione gasped, a gasp which quickly turned into a stifled yawn.
"When we went to Gringotts to pick up some money for school supplies, well, Hagrid picked up a package. I didn't pay much attention to it until now..." Amisty replied, running over her memories again.
"Oh, well, let's talk about this tomorrow, I'm exhausted," Hermione yawned, crawling underneath the covers of her bed.
Amisty nodded, walking to her own bed and pulling the blanket up to her chin.
Sleep over took her quickly, and her vision slowly went dark.
-=+=-
Amisty watched as Harry tore open the letter carefully, a massive grin spreading across his face. He started talking excitedly to Ron, who had become Harry's best friend, and the boys left the Great Hall.
Harry smiled at Amisty as he passed, mouthing, "I'll tell you later,"
She shook her head laughingly, going back to her breakfast.
She had barely finished her eggs when Hermione poked her in the side and motioned for them to follow her.
Amisty cocked her head to the side questioningly, but followed her anyway, interested to see what Hermione wanted.
She led the girls through the winding passageways until they reached a staircase. Hermione walked up the stairs loudly, Amisty following more quietly.
She could hear some muffled talking up ahead, and Hermione announced their presence loudly when she reached the top of the staircase.
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules!?" Amisty took a deep breath before racing up next to Hermione.
She was glaring at Harry and Ron, who were holding a long package carefully.
"I thought you weren't talking to us?" Harry replied, glaring back.
"Yes, don't stop now! It's doing us so much good!" Ron added, giving her a shooing gesture. Hermione's jaw ticked, and she stomped back to the Great Hall.
She turned to follow her, before pausing and going back to face the two boys again.
"Was that necessary?" Amisty asked, taking a step forward.
"How can you stand her, Amisty? She's so bossy and a know-it-all," Harry replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Listen, I'm your friend, but I'm her's as well. She's not bossy she just wants what's best for her house. You two need to calm down, okay?" She met their gazes evenly, keeping her tone light.
A smile graced her lips as the two nodded guiltily.
"Thank you. And I want the full story on that broomstick tonight." She glanced at the package, and raced off to find Hermione.
Lessons flew by that day, and Amisty was struggling to finish her homework by the end of the day.
She was sitting in the common room alone, closing her DADA textbook as she waited impatiently for Harry to come down. Hermione had left an hour ago, too tired to bother with waiting for her to finish.
"You're still up?" His voice sounded from the boys dormitory staircase, which she turned to with a smile.
"You thought I would let you go without telling me?" She shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.
"I guess I should've expected it," He grinned, walking down the stairs to sit next to her.
She scooted to the side so he could have more room, dropping her head onto her hands.
"Well?" She asked when he hadn't started, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know what to start with," He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
She laughed, shaking her head, "How about this morning?"
"Professor McGonagall sent me my broomstick for Quidditch. That's what was in the package. You should've seen Draco's face when he saw it!" Harry grinned brightly, his green eyes glowing.
"Oh, he must've been furious!" Amisty exclaimed, happy laughter bubbling up in her chest.
"Believe me, he was. Even told Professor Flitwick that it was all thanks to him," He continued, earning a proper laugh from her.
"You're kidding! He's probably out for your blood!" She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a yawn and muffle her voice.
"Like he wasn't already," He countered, rolling his eyes. "And if you're tired go to sleep, you've been down here for hours."
"But I haven't talked to you for weeks," She protested.
"Then let's make this a daily thing. We can catch up without Hermione and Ron at each other's throats," He grinned, getting up. "Go to bed."
"Fine. I'm holding you to this, though," She smiled, rubbing her eyes and heading towards the girl's dormitories. "Goodnight, Harry!"
"Night, Amisty,"
-=+=-
When Amisty woke up she broke into a grin.
The smell of pumpkins wafted through the air, bringing images of bright orange pies into Amisty's head.
She was even more excited when Professor Flitwick told the class they would start learning how to make things fly around the room.
Amisty was paired with Lavender Brown, and Hermione, who wasn't happy at all about it, was paired with Ron.
She sent a, help me, look at her when she walked past. Which she returned with a small smile, she couldn't change Professor Flitwick's decision.
Amisty wove her wand in a quick motion, saying the incantation softly. The feather drifted up slightly, but dropped back down in an instant.
"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick cheered, "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Amisty smiled at Hermione, who looked very proud of herself indeed, her feather floating delicately above their heads.
Ron, on the other hand, had a very sour look on his face. By the end of class Amisty had been able to get the feather a few inches above the table, and she was pleased even though it wasn't as good as Hermione's.
Amisty and Hermione walked out of the class together, Hermione with a pleased look on her face.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her! She's a nightmare, honestly," She heard Ron's grumpy voice in front of her, but Ron was several paces ahead, how could she hear him?
Amisty stiffened slightly, shaking her head vigorously.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, sending a concerned look at Amisty.
"Nothing!" She replied, groaning internally as she heard the awful forced happiness in her voice.
Lying was never her strong suit.
"It definitely wasn't nothing," Hermione retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and stepping in front of her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," She grinned awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.
"Tell me what you heard, and what it came from," Hermione demanded, her glare wiping the smile off her face in an instant.
"I'm really sorry," She closed her eyes. "Ron said, It's no wonder no one can stand her! She's a nightmare, honestly,"
"Oh," Hermione whispered simply, before she bolted, tears streaming from her cheeks. She bumped into a surprised Harry as she passed.
Amisty stared at her retreating back, frozen, before racing after her.
"What the heck guys!" Amisty hissed as she ran past, glaring at Ron.
When she had finally reached where Hermione had disappeared, she was greeted with a crying girl.
"I want to be left alone," Hermione sobbed, her voice cracking.
"Ok..." Amisty mumbled in defeat, dragging her feet as she headed off to her next class.
By dinner she was walking alone to the Great Hall still.
Bats screeched above her head as she moved her dinner around her plate, having no appetite.
All she did was stare blankly at the glowing jack 'o lantern smiling in front of her.
She barely acknowledged the apologetic looks that Harry kept sending her and almost missed when Professor Quirrell raced into the room, out of breath and turban askew.
"Troll-in the dungeons-thought you ought to know" his voice boomed into her ears, making her jump suddenly.
"Prefects, lead your Houses back to their dormitories at once!" She heard Professor Dumbledore order.
"Oh no... Hermione!" Amisty exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Amisty, you better come with us. She is your friend after all," A familiar voice called from behind her.
She whirled around quickly to come face to face with Ron and Harry.
Nodding, she gestured for them to show the way. Harry led them past the group of Hufflepuffs who were going in the opposite direction of the Gryffindors. Then through a long, empty hallway and around a corner. Amisty stopped in her tracks, picking up the sound of feet.
"Someone's coming!" She whispered, whipping her head from side to side as she tried to locate wear the noise was coming from.
"Percy!" Ron hissed in panic.
Harry Amisty just in time to get her out of view. It wasn't Percy, instead Professor Snape rounded the corner then walked down the hallway and vanished.
"What's he doing? Why isn't he down with the other teachers in the dungeon!" Harry whispered, staring after him.
"Search me," Ron replied, while Amisty just shrugged.
The raven-haired girl strained her ears for any more footsteps and with a satisfied sigh she followed Harry as quietly as she could through the other hallway.
"He's headed for the third floor," Harry whispered, but they weren't paying any attention.
They all had their hands over their noses.
Amisty coughed quietly, her eyes watering.
As she turned her head, Amisty nearly screamed. A huge lump of grey flesh was moving towards the girls bathroom. She watched in horror as the troll slouched in slowly, its stench making her mind foggy. She hadn't noticed the boys moving to lock the door until it slammed shut.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Amisty whisper-yelled, staring at the boys in terror. "THAT'S THE GIRLS BATHROOM!"
Amisty gasped as a high pitched scream flooded her ears and Ron and Harry's eyes widened.
"HERMIONE!" They yelled in unison.
Amisty raced forward, twisted the key to unlock it and slammed open the door.
Hermione was huddled in the wall of the bathroom, her face as white as a ghost. Amisty whimpered as she saw the troll slowly trapping Hermione in.
The smell was overwhelming and she couldn't breathe, coughs wracking her throat. Her head spun, making her vision foggy.
"Confuse it!" She heard Harry yell desperately, but she couldn't seem to move. A loud clanging echoed in her skull.
Ron yelled, "Oy, pea-brain!"
That snapped her out of it, "Leave my friend alone you idiot!" Amisty screeched, picking up a chunk of a sink and chucking it at the troll.
It bellowed loudly, and Amisty gritted her teeth. More noise filled the room, echoing off the walls and hitting her ears in waves. Flinching, she scrambled over to Hermione.
"Get up, get up! We have to run!" She pleaded, watching Harry leave to save Ron from the corner of her eye. "Hermione, please!"
Her words fell on deaf ears, her friend was too shocked to move.
The whistling sound of wind reached Amisty's ears.
Panicked, she pulled on Hermione's arms, barely getting her out of the way of a chunk of metal.
It landed with a crash, shattering the floor right where they had been standing.
Amisty was stock-still, the shock of the encounter leaving her immobile.
That is until the troll roared. Falling to her knees, she clutched her hands to her ears, a high scream leaving her mouth.
It confused the troll, the scream doubling in volume as it radiated throughout the room. In the creatures disorientation, Harry was able to leap onto its back and... stick his wand in its nose.
The troll let out another roar and tears stung Amisty's eyes, but she got to her feet.
"Ron, do something!" She shrieked, pointing at Harry as he desperately clung to the thing's back and drawing her wand.
Ron drew his wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
They watched as the club sailed above the troll's head and fell, landing with a revolting crack. It stumbled slightly before crashing to the ground, the room shaking.
"Facere," She whispered quietly, tapping on a chunk of sink.
The metal transformed into a square of white cloth, which she quickly handed to Harry.
"Is it... dead?" Hermione spoke at last, her voice meek.
"I don't think so, I think it's just been knocked out." Harry replied, wiping off his wand with Amisty's cloth.
She held her hand to her head, trying to get the ringing in her ears to stop.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked, looking at her with concern.
"It's loud noises, they bother me," Amisty replied sheepishly, before looking up quickly, "Someone's coming!"
Soon enough, three Professors stormed into the room, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell.
"What on earth were you thinking of? You're lucky you weren't killed! Why aren't you in your dormitory?" Professor McGonagall's voice was filled with fury and Amisty wanted to sink into the ground.
By the silence that fell among the students, that's what they were feeling as well.
"Please, Professor McGonagall. They were looking for me," Hermione's voice echoed from the wall, and she came out from the shadows.
"Miss Granger!" The Professor was just as shocked as the rest of them, though for a different reason.
"I went looking for the troll because I, I thought I could deal with it on my own, you know, because I've read all about them,"
Amisty traded glances with the boys, the shock clear in her eyes.
Hermione was lying... to a teacher.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Amisty dragged me out of the way of debri, Harry stuck his wand up its nose, and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived," Hermione continued, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Well, in that case..." Professor McGonagall replied slowly, gazing at them with wide eyes, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione didn't reply, simply hanging her head in shame.
She could lie, very, very well.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses," The Professor sighed, watching as Hermione left the bathroom with her head low.
"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." She turned back to the rest of them, the barest hint of a smile on her face.
They rushed out of there in a jiffy, Amisty rubbing her ear slightly as she passed.
"Amisty," Professor McGonagall spoke, and she turned to face her, "Could you please visit Madame Pomfrey, I'm afraid that spell I've taught you doesn't seem to be working as well as I had hoped,"
Amisty nodded hesitantly, stifling a yawn as she left.
Having to run to catch up slightly, she reached her friends sides halfway up the staircase.
"Do either of you know where the healing wing is?" She asked, hoping not to derive too much interest.
"It's down two floors, why?" Ron replied, his gaze questioning.
"I just want to pay Madame Pomfrey a visit, that's all," She lied through her teeth, tugging on a strand of her hair.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, the concern blatant in his tone.
"Yup! Thanks, Ron," She smiled, racing off to the healing wing.