The next day had been quite calm so far, but it didn't end that way. The last class of the day was Charms with the Gryffindors. Harry, as always, got the spell right the first time, earning more points for Ravenclaw. Hermione Granger, he realised, did not like coming second place in classes. She seemed to always want to be the first one to get the spell right, so Harry found out that he had unintentionally started irking her. Not that he cared.
After class, Harry and Daphne went to one of the abandoned classrooms in the north wing of the castle. Daphne seemed to have brought a music crystal with her. The crystal started playing classical music after she tapped it with her finger.
"You need to come closer, Harry," she instructed softly. She could see him fidgeting as she approached him. "Is something wrong?"
Harry swallowed as he whispered, "I don't like anyone touching me. It makes me uncomfortable. It brings back bad memories."
He had briefly told her about his time at the Dursleys just the previous evening. Daphne had been quite shocked about the way Harry had lived with his Muggle relatives. Of course, he had only hinted about physical abuse, but from the manner in which he flinched when anyone got too close to him, Daphne realised that he had been downsizing the entire ordeal. Since he had kept his side of the bargain, she decided to be patient. She held up her hands in surrender, giving him some space. Harry took a few deep breaths as he approached her. Green eyes met blue as they stood in front of each other.
"You'll need to place your hands on my waist," she instructed.
When he didn't move, she took his hands and placed them there. She then wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You'll have to relax, Harry," she said softly. "You'll never be able to dance if you are this stiff. You need to feel the music. I'm not going to hurt you or trick you. Please, trust me."
Harry looked into her eyes for any sign of deceit and relaxed marginally. Daphne showed him a few basic steps as they swayed to the rhythm. After half an hour, she cast a spell on them which would make them dance. However, the spell jerked their body movements in various different dance moves so it couldn't be used at a ball. It was way too embarrassing, but Harry took it in his stride. Mentally, he was wondering how efficient it would be to cast this spell during a duel. It could be countered easily, but it would prove to be a great distraction as well.
After a few hours, they stopped, breathing heavily. Harry smiled slightly, his eyes displaying the gratitude he felt within.
"Thank you so much for helping me, Daphne," he said sincerely.
"What are friends for?" asked Daphne as she left him with a smile of her own.
...
The Samhain feast was quite delicious. Pumpkins and candles were floating all over the Great Hall. Harry was quietly eating while occasionally talking to his housemates when Professor Quirrell burst through the doors of the Hall.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know," he said and fainted on the spot.
There was silence for a few seconds before people started screaming. Harry wasn't sure why that was the case. Sure, trolls were dangerous, but why panic when they were all safe inside the Great Hall? The teachers could take care of the troll if it came anywhere near them. Dumbledore took control and ordered them back to their dormitories. Harry stood up and followed his housemates out of the Hall.
Just when they were ascending the stairs to the second floor on their way to Ravenclaw Tower, they heard a scream and a cry for help. Harry frowned as four Prefects immediately rushed towards the girl's bathroom from where the sound had originated. Like his more curious classmates, he couldn't help but follow them, wanting to see what was going on.
When they opened the door to the girl's bathroom, they encountered the troll trying to kill a student.
Just as the troll's club was about to pound Hermione Granger into mush, one of the Prefects pointed his wand at it and shouted, " REDUCTO !"
There was a flash of red light as the club was destroyed to bits. The troll looked at its attacker in anger, but the group of sixth and seventh years frantically shouted at each other to cast spells, their wands raised.
They acted.
" BOMBARDA MAXIMA !"
There was an almighty explosion as the troll was blasted away, destroying a good chunk of the wall and roof along with it. Granger seemed to be injured by the falling debris and was crying. One of the Prefects, Penelope Clearwater, levitated the debris away and helped her get up, just as the teachers arrived at the scene.
"In the name of Lady Morgana, what happened?" gasped Professor McGonagall.
Harry and the rest were quickly ushered back to the tower by Professor Flitwick as the teachers and Prefects handled the incident. Harry mentally frowned as he tried to understand the situation. From his experience in dealing with the wards around Potter Castle, he knew that Dumbledore should have known about the troll's presence. Did he knowingly let the troll roam around the castle or did someone actually block the headmaster's connection to the wards?
Both situations weren't desirable. He would have to think about this.
....
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