SOON ENOUGH, HALLOWEEN came rolling in. Harper had divided her time between Harry and Ron on one side and Hermione on the other. The latter still refusing to talk to the two boys.

During Charms, Professor Flitwick was teaching them how to levitate objects, so they were partnered up.

"Now, I will put you all in pairs," Professor Flitwick announced. Ron and Hermione were paired up together and Harper didn't know who hated it more.

Harry and Seamus were put up together and Harper partnered up with Dean. She gave him a broad smile as she sat next to him. Harry and Seamus sat on their right while Ron and Hermione sat on their left. Dean and Harper exchanged a glance, trying not to laugh at Hermione and Ron's faces.

Harper's hazel eyes darted back to her feather. "Swish and flick," she repeated Professor Flitwick's words. "Swish and flick."

She then looked at Dean. "You want to do it together?"

"Sure," he said, smiling.

They pointed their wands at their feathers and simultaneously said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feathers flew from their desk. They exchanged a smile and Professor Flitwick smiled at them.

"Good! Twenty points to Gryffindor!"

They leaded their feathers back to the desk and high-fived each other.

Harper looked at Hermione and Ron when she heard her scold at him.

"You are saying it wrong! It's Levi—o—sa, not leviosar."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever." Ron snarled. "Go on!"

Dean and Harper exchanged a glance, already knowing this wouldn't end well for Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes, pointed her wand at her feather and spoke the words.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Her feather steadily rose into the air.

"Well done!" Professor Flitwick cried. "Another ten points for Gryffindor!"

Hermione looked at Ron with an I-told-you-look and Ron looked away, angry and embarrassed.

BOOM!

Harper's head snapped up towards Harry and Seamus and she saw that Seamus' feather was burned and his face was covered in root.

"I think we're going to need another feather, Professor," Harry muttered loudly, still looking at the burned feather.

Dean and Harper exchanged a look and the both of them burst out in laughter.

· · ───── · ☆ · ───── · ·

AFTER CHARMS, Harry Ron and Harper left with Dean, Seamus and Neville. Ron was obviously still pissed at Hermione.

"It's Levi—o—sa! Not Leviosar!" he mocked and Harper narrowed her eyes—unsure of what to think of his behavior. "She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she's got no friends!"

Harper's mouth fell open. Yes, she knew she could be harsh at times but Ron crossed a line here. Someone bumped into him and Harper saw that it was Hermione. Her face was stained with tears as she dashed away from them.

Harper stormed over to Ron and hit him with her Charms book. "YOU!" Slam. "Idiot!" Slam. "I'm her friend!" Slam.

"Harp—"

Before he could even begin explaining himself, Harper turned around and ran after Hermione. "Hermione! Wait!"

Harper followed her all the way to the girl's bathroom in the dungeons and stopped abruptly when Hermione slammed the door close right in front of her. Soft sobs could be heard from the other side and Harper's heart ached.

"Come on, Hermione, let me in."

"Why would I?" she sobbed. "According to Ron, you are not my friend."

"Well," Harper began, mentally urging herself to be more friendly to Hermione in the future so she would never feel like this again, "we both know that's not true."

It stayed quiet on the other side of the door and for a second, Harper thought Hermione would open her door. However, when that didn't happen, she said, "Well, if you're not gonna open that door, I'm coming in!"

Harper tried to just open it at first and wasn't really surprised when she noticed it was locked. She then took the wooden box that was situated under the sink and carried it over towards the stall Hermione was currently in. Standing on it, Harper managed to place her foot on the handle of the door and tried to pull herself up. That kind of worked and she climbed over the door before half sliding, half falling down on the other side, right besides Hermione.

"You okay?" Harper asked, brushing a straw of red hair out of her eyes.

Hermione looked up at the height of the door and then at Harper, seeming to calculate how in Merlin's name she got over it.

"Don't ask," Harper said, grinning. "There's nothing I can't do."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide a smile.

"Is that a smile I see?" Harper questioned, prodding with her finger into Hermione's cheek.

Hermione laughed and swapped her hand away. "No."

"Liar."

They both were laughing now and Harper's stomach grumbled.

"You want to go for a bite?" the redhead asked. "I may or may not know about a secret passageway to the kitchens."

Hermione nodded and Harper unlocked the door before opening it. She glanced up and looked right into the eyes of mountain troll. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

Wow, they're really ugly, Harper thought.

Hermione grabbed her from behind and shut the door again.

"What's a troll doing here?" Harper thought aloud before the troll smashed their stall with his club.

They screamed and collapsed on the floor.

"Harper, Hermione, MOVE!"

Harper's head snapped up. "Harry?"

She grabbed Hermione and together they crumbled over the floor, towards the sinks. "

Help!" Hermione yelled.

Harper saw the troll's club coming towards them and pushed Hermione towards the sinks before missing the club by inches by jumping back towards the broken stalls.

"Oy, Pea-Brain!" Ron shouted, trying to distract it from Harper. She crawled towards Hermione and sat next to her under the sinks.

Harper saw Harry running towards the troll and taking a hold on the troll's club before it could strike at then again. As it took a swing, Harry was brought up and landed on the troll's head.

"Harry!" Harper yelled, grabbing a metal pipe and throwing it towards the troll. "Let my brother go!"

It started shaking his head, trying to get Harry to fall off but got instead Harry's wand in his nose.

"Ugh, that's disgusting," Harper said, a look of disgust on her face.

Suddenly, the troll grabbed Harry by his leg and held him upside down.

"Ron!" he bellowed, avoiding the club. "Do something!"

"What?" Ron asked, looking around.

"ANYTHING!" Harper shouted, crawling back, trying to avoid the troll's feet. Getting squeezed by a troll's foot wasn't on her bucketlist.

Ron pulled out his wand, a determined expression on his face.

"Swish and flick," Hermione instructed him, showing him the right movement.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron shouted, pointing his wand at the troll's club. The club fell out of his grip and hung above its head in the air, until it dropped and fell on the troll's head. The troll dropped Harry, who scrambled on his feet and ran towards Ron, before the troll collapsed.

Hermione and Harper stood up and walked to the two boys.

"I—is it dead?" Hermione asked, stammering.

"Just knocked out," Harry replied while taking his wand out of the troll's nose. The boogers of the troll hung on his wand and the four of them all made a face. "Yuck."

Harry wiped it off on his robes.

"Oh my goodness!" a voice behind them said.

Their heads turned around to face a shocked Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Quirell.

Harper's eyes went to Professor Snape and she saw a flash of worry in his eyes before it was gone. She frowned. Why was that?

Harper looked back at McGonagall and nearly flinched when she saw her face. She was furious.

"What on earth were you thinking of? Where you even thinking?" she asked with a cold voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dorm?"

Harper was about to come up with an excuse but couldn't really think of one that wouldn't them in trouble.

"Please, Professor McGonagall, they were looking for me," Hermione piped up.

"Miss Granger!"

Harper glanced at Hermione in surprise. What was she doing?

"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."

Harry, Ron and Harper exchanged a glance. Was Hermione telling a lie to a professor?

"If they hadn't found me," she continued, "I would have been dead by now. Harry stuck his wand in its nose, Ron knocked it out and Harper pushed me away so that I wouldn't get hit by the club. It nearly got her though."

Everyone looked at Harper and she could feel her cheeks burning up. "Well, it wasn't that close."

"Well—in that case . . ." Professor McGonagall trailed off, looking back at Hermione. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head in embarrassment.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," Professor McGonagall said. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing their feast in their Houses."

Harper watched as Hermione left and shuffled closer to Harry and Ron as they looked up to Professor McGonagall.

"Well," she began, "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, for cheer dumb luck. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

Harry, Ron and Harper nodded and hurried out of the bathroom. They stayed silent until they almost arrived at the Fat Lady. It was Ron who spoke up first.

"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," he grunted.

"We shouldn't have been fighting to a mountain troll in the first place," Harry pointed out.

"We shouldn't have been there wasn't for Harper and Hermione," Ron said.

"We wouldn't have been there if you hadn't been such a git," Harper argued back. "You should apologize to her. She took the blame for all of this, after al."

Ron grunted and muttered something.

"What was that?" Harper asked, grinning.

"I'll apologize," he repeated, louder this time.

Harper smiled and patted him on the back. "Good boy."

They climbed through the portrait and Harper immediately noticed how packed and noisy it was. Hermione stood close by the entrance, waiting for them. They stood still before her and there was an embarrassment pause. Harper elbowed Ron and nodded.

He grunted but looked at Hermione. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Hermione mumbled. "Thanks for saving Harper and me."

"Thanks for getting us out of trouble," Ron mumbled back.

Harry and Harper exchanged a look and tried not to laugh at their awkward encounter.

· · ───── · ☆ · ───── ·  ·

November 5th 2021
I hope you enjoy it & tell me what you think of it! :)