It swung again, Hermione throwing herself out of its path at the last minute. She landed heavily, a cut opening up on her forehead as a piece of broken porcelain smacked into her. Whimpering pathetically, Hermione crawled away. Reaching the corner, she turned and watched with wide eyes as the troll approached her, dragging its club nacingly. Reaching for her wand, which she suddenly seed to rember, she stuttered out a spell that Harry recognised as being a second year tripping jinx.
Harry watched as the spell bounced off the troll harmlessly and he recalled, how like giant skin, troll skin was notoriously resilient to spells. To bring one down you should focus on their eyes, unless you have a large enough magical core. Hermione, however, didn't seem to know this and kept sending an array of first year spells, which had no effect on the troll.
Harry watched as it grew closer to its target and finally brought down its club before he turned away. He didn't see the impact, but he hurt a sickening crunch which left him feeling distinctly sick.
The doors slamd open at that point as Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell appeared.
"Oh, dear god," McGonagall whispered, seeing the carnage.
Harry picked that mont to slip out, their distraction at the scene allowing him to pass unnoticed. Making his way as quickly as he could to the tower, Harry slipped off his cloak and removed the silencing charm when he reached the tower's guardian.
"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"
Thinking for a mont, Harry answered, "Footsteps."
"Correct."
Rushing up the stairs, Harry entered the common room, slipping into place with the other first years.
"Where have you been?" asked Padma ,who was closest to him.
"Sorry," Harry replied. "I got lost, the stairs changed," he explained.
"Well, as long as you're okay," she said, relieved he had returned unhard.
"I'm fine," Harry assured.
"Are you sure? You're looking a bit green," she comnted, looking at him with concern.
Harry, thinking of that sickening crunch, barely withheld his shudder. "Yeah," Harry said. "I just never really liked Halloween."
Padma developed a look of understanding before she nodded. "Of course, I'm sorry I didn't realise," she said.
After the commotion cald down, the Ravenclaws continued the feast in their common room, the house elves providing food and drinks for them. Harry, however, left, saying he wasn't feeling well, and, taking one look at his pale, drawn out face, the rest let him go to bed without much fuss.
Getting upstairs, Harry quickly stripped out of his clothes and entered the bathroom. He stood under the shower for a long ti, his skin eventually wrinkling. Although he was glad he had gotten his revenge, Harry felt off. He kept hearing the crunch, over and over again. Eventually exiting the water, unable to feel truly cleansed, he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to the mirrors, glad for the charms that kept them from becoming stead up. Looking at his reflection, Harry didn't see anything different from what he had seen just that morning, yet he felt like a stranger. Sighing, Harry looked away and, after a quick drying charm, dressed himself in his pajamas. Getting into bed, Harry set his customary wards and spells before he slipped into his mindscape.
~
Harry would always rember the days that followed that fateful Halloween. Hermione had not died in the troll accident, although she would probably wish she had. Harry, however, was selfishly relieved about this fact; she was instead going to be the next resident of the Janus Thickey ward at St. Mungo's. Apparently, in a fit to survive, her magic had reacted accidently, causing massive damage to her already broken body. If she ever recovered, it would be a miracle on the scale of rlin. Harry didn't care that it was selfish of him to be happy about her fate; he had finally co to terms with his actions when he thought about how her eyes had filled with greed and glee when talking about his death in his last life.
The teachers had deed the whole affair a tragic accident and offered counselling to the students if they needed it. Many were shocked, but not really overly affected by the event as Hermione had had no friends and, as a first year, had yet to make an impact on the student population as anything other than a rude muggleborn. Ron, however, was effected as he was now being ostracized by the majority of the school as it had co out that he was the reason she had been in the bathroom in the first place. Even though the students were not traumatised by the accident, that didn't an they would simply ignore the fact that Ron was to bla.
~
Another break in the repetitive dullness that was Harry's life ca when he received a note from Hagrid. Harry was shocked at this as he had yet to even talk to the half-giant in this life. Taking Neville with him, they had visited Hagrid together.
"'Ello, Harry," Hagrid greeted him when he knocked on the wooden door.
"Hello, Mr. Hagrid," Harry said in a neutral but friendly tone. He wanted to believe that the half giant was innocent to Dumbledore's sches, but he couldn't. It had been Hagrid who preached light propaganda to him in his first life, who had praised Dumbledore as the greatest wizard in the world. Harry also realised that it had been during his first tea visit with Hagrid in his first life that he had been set on the path to play boy hero. Realising that, with a barely covered growl, Harry added another na to his list of people he would have revenge against.
"Call Hagrid, none of that mister stuff with ," Hagrid said joyfully. Seeing Neville, he asked, "Now, who've you got here, then?"
Harry watched as Neville seed to stare at the half-giant with a mixture of awe and horror. "N-Neville. My na's Neville Longbottom."
"Good t'et you, Neville," Hagrid said, showing them inside his hut. Showing them to his table, he produced a large tea pot. "Now then, who's for a spot of tea?"
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