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Chapter Five:

History. Duels. Halloween.

Once you feel pain, you become accustomed to it.

Author Unknown.

...........................

Halloween was coming close and Harry was becoming increasingly agitated as the days flew by, Hermione being the only one he didn't snap at constantly when he was in the library, no words needing to be spoken between them, people stated calming down about his being 'the famous Boy-Who-Lived' and he was becoming slightly more relaxed into his schedule of pissing off Snape, playing pranks on Quirrel, pissing off Snape, training for Quidditch, pissing off Snape, classes, pissing off Snape, studies, pissing off Snape, school wide pranks and pissing off Snape "Harry?" Hermione questioned softly.

Harry looked up from his book with an irritated look on his face "can you tell me what's wrong?"

Harry shook his head and looked back down at the book he had, she looked at him closely "Harry, tell me what's wrong"

Harry pulled out a book from his bag and shoved it towards her before opening it and looking at the contents before pointing to 'Harry Potter: Child Hero and defeater of the Dark Lord, Pg 189-233' Harry then removed his hand and continued reading with a ferocity that Hermione never possessed.

Hermione gazed at Harry with curiosity and frowned before leafing through the pages to the beginning and read silently, Harry stood and placed the finished book back in it's shelf before vanishing into the shelves, she looked at the sentence written:

'Harry Potter, son of James Harold Potter and Lily Frances Potter ne Evans, born on the 31st of June, 1980. Not much is known about the first year of Harry Potter's life except for the fact that he was in hiding with his parents from You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord at the time. On Halloween night, the 31st of October, Harry Potter's house was attacked by You-Know-Who and...'

She looked up with a horrified look on her face but Harry was gone, she looked around the closer shelves and frowned when she saw him gazing intently at the Restricted Section, she walked up close and attempted to place her hand on his shoulder but he moved aside and went to another shelf without looking at her but remained close, Hermione smiled warmly as she understood, he didn't want anyone to speak to him but wanted her company, Harry smiled at her slightly and said "lets just say I am a little irked with Halloweens, something bad always happens with me on Halloween"

Hermione nodded in understanding and moved closer "Harry, what happened with the Dursley's?"

Harry frowned slightly while looking at the books and said simply "they got killed by my rage and anger for their years of abuse to other humans"

Hermione thought a few minutes and asked "did you kill them?"

Harry looked at her for a few seconds then turned back to the books "what would you say if I said yes?"

Harry questioned while running his finger along the spines of a few books, Hermione looked at him with raised eyebrows, then, noticing the seriousness in his voice, thought for a few minutes as Harry started pulling out books, he took them to the desk and she followed, as she sat down, she looked at him and said "well, I guess it would depend on the situation that brought it to focus"

Harry looked up and said "regular beatings, lashings, verbal and mental abuse, emotional emptiness and casual abuse and neglect of children within their own care"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, focussing on the scars on his upper body he knew he had at that age, Harry turned his back to her and lifted up his robe and shirt to show thin lines across his back that trailed down his pants line, Hermione gasped and said "I remember a little of what happened"

Harry said softly "a person in black robes attacked them and killed them then set fire to the house, I was outside when the person set fire to the house and sent up the Dark Mark, I escaped and made my way to Diagon Alley where I found out about the huge lump of money that I had and bought a permanent place of housing, from there, I started to learn about things, listened to conversations, helped Tom the barman with the bar now and then, I made friends and crafted an identity when I found that book you just read, nobody knew who I was, I kept my fringe down when I noticed a few people look at it and from then on, I always had shadowed hoods on my clothes to keep my face invisible, nobody has seen my face besides the Goblins for nearly seven years"

Harry looked at Hermione to see her looking at him with tears forming in her eyes, Harry Conjured a tissue with a wave of his wand and handed it to her, she thanked him and blew into the tissue, Harry waved his wand and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

Harry walked out with Hermione three hours later and Harry absently noticed Neville and Ron talking heatedly out in the courtyard, Harry sat down on a bench and manipulated his Vampire blood to listen in "...but Ron, it sounds like something valuable or even dangerous is hidden on the Third Floor corridor, you heard Snape threatening Quirrel, surely you want to go have a look"

"I don't know Neville, it seems kind of useless if you ask me, I mean, we don't even know if it is the Headmaster's discarded old robes"

Harry heard Neville growl slightly "if there is anything worth money down there, I will split it, forty sixty in your favour"

Harry looked at Ron and saw greed glimmering in his eyes "but Neville, I don't want to go risking my life for nothing"

Neville puffed up "doesn't matter, Dumbledore himself has been teaching me spells far above O.W.L. level"

Harry rolled his eyes at that arrogant confidence, Neville was probably average at best and would probably fail the tests "but Neville, couldn't we wait to find out what it was first?"

"If you won't come, I will go by myself and take it all"

Harry shook his head and tuned them out, he looked at Hermione who was looking at him with wide eyes and he mentally slapped himself "what is it Hermione?" he questioned while knowing full well what it was about.

"Harry, how... you're a Vampire!" she said in a soft tone.

Harry shrugged "it's nothing big, I am not even fully turned so I am no harm to anyone"

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes and whispered softly "when were you bitten?"

Harry shook his head softly in amusement and said "I wish to decline in answering that thank you"

Hermione scowled then looked at him with understanding "so that is why your skin is so pale and you sleep so rarely then?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and looked at the bench where Ron and Neville were talking heatedly "that is one of the reasons, that, and I never really slept before I became a Vampire"

Hermione looked at him oddly then asked "can I ask you a few questions?"

Harry shrugged and pricked his ears at a loud "but Ron, we can do it if we work together!"

Hermione tapped him on the shoulder and Harry looked at her "sorry about that" he mumbled softly, she blushed slightly and asked "does garlic really keep you away?"

Harry shook his head with a snort "we do keep away from it, but not for the reasons you think, the smell is really strong and irritates the nose" she frowned then nodded slowly, Harry looked at Neville and noticed him growing red in the face, Harry shook his head and muttered softly "what an imbecile"

Hermione punched him in the arm "you don't have to call me that Harry" she whined softly.

Harry shook his head and pointed at Neville "he wants to see what is on the Third Floor"

Hermione paled slightly "he can't, he could lose points, get killed, or worse, expelled!" Harry snorted and picked her up by the elbow and dragged he to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Once inside, Harry dragged her up to his room and hissed at Dean and Seamus "get out now" they flinched then ran out, Harry chuckled softly and said "I guess all those years down Knockturn Alley and the slums of London really did me well"

Harry drew his Holly wand and flicked it silently at the door causing it to glow white then he slashed his wand in a cross and a huge dark red cross appeared and formed into a heavy pair of crisscrossed steel bars attached to the wall so the door couldn't open inwards to the room, Harry smiled "now then, what did you want to ask me?"

Hermione stuttered for a few seconds and asked with astonishment "how can you do silent casting?"

Harry frowned and said "through years of practice Hermione, through years of practice"

Hermione accepted this and lay down on the bed "so, how's it feel to be, you know, dead?"

Harry looked at her with a bemused expression and Hermione looked panicked for a second before Harry answered "I am not dead Hermione, I am not fully turned, though I am still considered a Vampire, I do not require much blood from the living nor do I require much sleep due to the blood that courses through my veins which, thanks to the mind a Vampire holds, I can read far faster than a normal human and because of my only needing sleep every four hours, I have a lot of time on my hands so I am quite far ahead in both theory and practical work"

Hermione looked at him closely then pulled him down to lie on the bed and looked intently into his eyes "Harry, show me what you look like, as a Vampire I mean" Harry raised his eyebrow and, seeing her pleading look, closed his eyes and focussed for a second, he felt the bloodlust churn in his gut and forced it down before he felt the physical changes, his teeth lengthening, his eyes becoming prickly which indicated the change of colour and nerves, his bones become heavier with his muscles and his senses become sharper, he opened his crimson eyes which had small slits for the irises and he shifted slightly to get more comfortable as he had sunk into the bed.

Hermione looked at him for a few minutes and ran her eyes over his face, Harry frowned when she looked at his shoulders then back to his face, knowing what she wanted without using his peripheral Legimancy skills and pushed her to the side and he stood before removing his robes and his shirt to show his well toned and muscular body, he moved back onto the bed and Hermione straddled his waist with her hands on his abdomen, she ran her fingers up his stomach, feeling the muscles under the skin and Harry looked at her intently, his heart becoming faster and faster with every second, as she reached up to his shoulders, she leaned down and placed her head on his chest where his hear was and heart it beating quickly, she pulled back and smiled at him "I see nothing wrong with you, have you killed anyone without a good reason?"

Harry thought for a few seconds before shaking his head "have you turned anyone into a Vampire?"

Harry frowned slightly and raised his hand to brush some hair from her face behind her ear and said "no, even though I would need to basically kill someone, I cannot really turn them because I am not fully turned" Hermione laid her head back down on his chest and Harry flicked his wand as he changed back to his normal body.

The door opened a few minutes later to Ron and Neville, they stopped when they saw Hermione on his chest, asleep and holding onto him tightly, they walked over and Neville sneered "what is the know-it-all doing here Potter?"

Harry slid out from under her and she moaned softly before hugging a pillow to herself, Harry stood and looked at them and they stood gaping at his body, Harry turned around and bent down to grab his wand in which the two boys were openly staring, he stood back up straight and held his wand limply before placing it into his sheath, Ron stared at him and Neville attempted to sneer but it was stopped only by the fearful look in his eyes, Harry raised his hand and extended a finger "out" he hissed harshly, they scampered out and Harry smirked to himself "fools know nothing of Gryffindor bravery" he muttered in mirth, he looked back at Hermione and his heart jumped a beat when he saw her peaceful expression on her face, he bent down and kissed her forehead softly and whispered "I swear to you now, Voldemort shall never take another life if I have anything to do about it" Harry stood and walked out, not noticing Hermione sit up and look at him in confusion.

(Page Break)

Hermione shrieked as a bat flew past her head and clasped onto Harry tightly, Harry held her and brandished his wand with a muttered "Incendio" and the bat burst into flames, Fred and George came out and pouted, Harry glared at them and looked at Hermione who was shivering, he set her onto a bench nearby and turned to Fred and George before smirking evilly and waving it in a complicated manner and muttering under his breath, when he finished, he tapped them both on the heads with his wand and he smirked when he noticed their bodies glow silver for a second then fade.

Harry turned back to Hermione and sat beside her and she clasped on tightly, Harry rubbed the middle of her back and held her in his arms, he twins looked ashamed and promptly ran away at the sight of McGonagall who was looking pale and her lips were thinned, Harry looked up at her and she looked at Hermione "are you alright Miss Granger?" she nodded while still holding onto Harry, McGonagall looked at Harry with a small smile "you are a true friend Mr Potter, five points to Gryffindor, also, your duel with Mr Malfoy has been scheduled for noon today, I suggest you start getting ready for the duel" Harry nodded and looked down at Hermione, she looked up at him and whispered softly "I'll be fine, you go get ready" Harry nodded and stood up, and, with a stiff back, Harry strode to the castle with a stony look on his face.

Harry exited the Gryffindor Common room three hours later with his pitch black robe on and hood drawn over his head and the hem sweeping across the floor as he made his way down to the Great Hall, as he walked, he went over all the First, Second, Third and Fourth Year spells in his mind for Defence Against the Dark Arts that he had been seen reading in public, he passed by a few Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's who were encouraging him but Harry paid no attention to them, focussing his mind to the task at hand, as he passed through the Great Hall, Harry noticed that Draco was wearing heavy Duelling Robes and Malfoy Snr was walking into the Great Hall, Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion as he heard furious talking in the Great Hall and frowned slightly 'if there are reporters and a huge crowd there, I think I am going to have to be more covert, unless...' he mentally laughed and stood next to Malfoy who muttered "you are dead Potter"

Harry chuckled dryly and answered in a harsh tone "you wish piss pot" the doors were opened slightly to admit any stragglers and he saw students fill into the Great Hall, he mentally prepared the spells he decided to use and waited.

Fifteen minutes later, the doors opened fully and they both walked in, people gasped in surprise when they saw him as he looked like a Dementor, Harry paid attention to the arena and frowned when he saw Malfoy Snr's wand spark slightly and the floor glow for a few seconds, Harry frowned and looked at him and noticed him smirk at his son who smirked back smugly, Harry strode to his side of the large platform which was filled with the Gryffindor's who cheered loudly for his support, Harry bowed to them and sat in his seat, he looked at Malfoy Jnr who was being talked to by Malfoy Snr and Harry enhanced his hearing to listen in "...and use the tactics I taught you, use Shield Charms while you attack and that way, he will be focussed on breaking your shield while you attack him, if he manages to break free, use harmful spells"

"Yes father"

"And what is the family motto?" Malfoy Snr questioned.

"A Malfoy never bows down, never quits, never admits defeat to anyone" Malfoy Snr nodded and Harry closed his senses off, he looked around placidly and noted that people were taking pictures of him and he suddenly realised that nobody had gotten a photo of his face, Harry stood, removed his dark robe and stretched his muscles for a few seconds before moving over to a large bowl of water and untying his hair, he dunked his head in and shook his head before tying up his hair again, he moved back to the seat and saw Hermione wave at him and he waved back with a small smile gracing his lips, he pointed to Malfoy and smirked, the Gryffindor's laughed loudly as Malfoy Jnr paled drastically.

Harry walked onto the platform, his cloak drawn over his body and done up tightly but left open at the bottom to allow maximum movement, his hood up and covering his face as he drew his wand, Flitwick and Dumbledore came up to the platform and Dumbledore pointed his wand to his throat "welcome ladies and gentlemen" Dumbledore's voice boomed around the room "this is an official duel demanded by Harry Potter, as the accepter of the duel, Draco Malfoy has choice of conditions" Malfoy walked forwards and spoke to Dumbledore, Dumbledore frowned and nodded, Malfoy walked back with a smug look on his face.

Harry shook his head sadly "what a moron" he muttered loudly causing the Gryffindor's to roar in laughter.

Dumbledore frowned and boomed out "Draco Malfoy has named the conditions, the Dark Arts are legal, there will be seconds, no fatal injuries or spells are permitted and first one unable to fight, loses"

Harry smirked as Malfoy stated clearly "I choose Marcus Flint as my second" Flint stood and made his way forwards.

Harry raised an eyebrow and stated absently "I think I will fight this by myself thank you very much" the crowd in the Great Hall gasped loudly in shock but the Slytherin's were looking smug.

Dumbledore walked back down to his chair which was in the middle and opposite him was the Minister of Magic flanked by two official Duelling Judges, one stood and made his way to Dumbledore's side and sat down next to him, Harry shook his muscles which looked like a petrified shiver and Malfoy Jnr burst out laughing "look! He's so scared he is shivering in his robe, now we know why he covers himself up so much!" the Slytherin's roared in laughter.

Harry shook his head and watched as Flitwick jumped down and his squeaky voice boomed out "Duellers ready" Harry raised his hand as did Malfoy and Flint "bow to your opponent" Flitwick ordered and Harry gave a very mocking bow as Malfoy gave a traditional bow to show respect, Harry shook his head at the outraged look on Malfoy's face and sunk into a position he used from Muggle Martial Arts called the Praying Mantis, one arm was raised level with the shoulder while one was slightly tilted, both hands lip but the grip on his wand firm, Malfoy shifted into a standard Pureblood duelling position that Harry knew how to get past easily, Harry held his ground and waited, Flitwick brought his wand down and with a CRACK, Malfoy started off with a heavy shield while Harry was staying where he was, crouched and waited, Malfoy sent three consecutive spells forwards and Harry launched himself into the air and roared out "Stupefy! Locomotor Mortis! Incendio! Diffindo! Rictusempra! Bombarda! Reducto! Stupefy! Stupefy! Reducto! Incendio! Bombarda!" the spells came out in rapid succession and completely destroyed Malfoy's shield and set his robes on fire while the other spells were dodged, Harry landed on his feet and rolled forwards with the momentum and came to a stop one metre forwards and sent a Reducto and a Bombarding Curse at Malfoy who was hit in the shoulder and an audible crunching sound was heard, Harry aimed down at the feet and muttered "Fractus" his left leg broke in two places and Harry dove to the side before brandishing his wand, dodging Slashing Hexes, Bone Breaking Curses, Stunners, Severing Curses and Skin Shredding Hexes, he held his ground and weaved his wand while moving to the side of a spell as it came at him and frowned before roaring loudly "Protogeo Maximus" a huge green shield formed and he rested before removing his cloak to reveal his face as hard as stone, he tossed it to the side and watched as the shield was attacked, he took it down and dove to the side and with a silent casting, he sent three high powered Stunners in quick succession at Malfoy who dove to the side and landed on his shoulder with a heavy thump, Harry cast two Severing Curses and a Slashing Hex at Malfoy who was hit, his robe being cut in the shoulder and his leg having a huge gash straight through the calf muscle, Malfoy stood up with a weak growl and sent a charged Reductor at him before tagging in Marcus Flint, Harry dove to the side and stood up calmly with a bored look on his face.

Marcus Flint sent three Fireball Hexes and a conjured needle which was enlarged and banished at him, Harry dove from the large spike and sent up a quick gush of water which hit two fireball's while the other slammed into him, Marcus looked on in victory and smirked at the fire while everyone looked sad and shocked that Harry would be defeated that easily, Flint turned to Malfoy and was about to gloat with him when a roaring tornado was heard and he quickly turned around to see a huge pillar of fire which dominated the area, suddenly, like a demon possessed, Harry walked out of the fire, his clothes burnt and hanging off him with a furious glint in his eyes which glowed bright green, the flaming pillar vanished as Harry brandished his wand and he turned to Flint "that was a bad idea" Harry said in a deathly quiet tone that was heard throughout the Great Hall, Harry sent charged Reductors at Flint who had to continually dodge because the spells kept breaking his shields, everyone started to look panicked now because Harry was starting to speed up and his eyes were burning with an inner fire, his spells, while still within the Fourth Year curriculum, were becoming more dangerous and overpowered enough to crackle when they passed by and leave Harry's wand like a gunshot at every spell, pressing forwards, Harry started sending more violent spells that were bordering on Fifth Year spells and Flint was backing away, as Flint came to the edge, Harry simply waved his wand and said casually "Fillipendo" Flint was raised off the stage and slammed into the Great hall doors, Harry walked back to his position and held his wand over his heart to wait for Malfoy to get in.

Malfoy paled when he noticed that he was the only person left and Harry had taken out someone older than he was and with spells that he couldn't even perform at such rapid succession, he limped up and stood in his position, Harry raised his wand and prepared to take action when Draco tossed his wand to the floor and bowed down "I-I-I admit defeat" he muttered before limping off with as much dignity as he could muster.

Harry blinked then summoned the wand and looked at it before frowning as Malfoy turned, knowing what was bound to happen, Harry banished it at Malfoy and said in an icy tone "mock me or my friends again, and I will find out how to cast a Permanent Sticking Charm and attach your balls to one of the Hogwarts carriages" many males winced and collectively crossed their legs in sympathy, Harry then picked up his cloak, wrapped it around his shoulders and swept out of the Great Hall without a word.

(Page Break)

One week after the duel and Harry was praised by every house but Slytherin who were sulking at their loss, Harry also noted that Quirrel started to become more wary of him and never asked him to answer a question, though it was relieving to see that the Slytherin's didn't pester him, Ron and Neville had become colder towards him, Neville constantly sneering at him and Ron following like a lost puppy, he also absently noted that everywhere he went, he could see a large amount of jealousy in the eyes of the girls he passed when he was with Hermione and when he was without, they would flirt shamelessly with him, often times showing ridiculous amounts of cleavage, on one particular time, Hermione had to slap a Third Year girl from shamelessly rubbing against him in the Gryffindor Common Room, not that he didn't mind about the fact that it was Hermione doing the slapping, but he wanted to tell her off himself in the harshest manner possible, it was slightly disconcerting and troubling that Hermione was so far out of her shell, she turned into a real monster when she broke free of relying on her books a few months after he asked her to marry him.

That thought broke Harry from his musings as he looked at the Great Hall decorated in Halloween pumpkins and flying bats, he looked down the table warily and scowled when he noticed that Hermione was missing, Harry invaded both Neville and Ron's minds and found that they had both insulted her, he scanned a few girls quickly and sighed in relief when he noticed that Hermione was in the girls toilets, Harry shook his head and quietly vanished from the Great Hall, noticing that Snape was keeping a wary eye on him, he quickly made his way over to the twins and sat beside them, he looked at George and Fred before poking them in the ribs, they looked at him in confusion but he quickly wrapped his arms around both their shoulders and pulled them close "listen guys, I have a bad feeling about tonight, something is going to happen, I want you to make sure Neville and Ron don't get any ideas and decide to run around should anything happen"

They nodded slowly and Fred asked "why are you so edgy Harry?"

Harry sat between them and muttered "anniversary of my parents death, that, and something bad always happens to me on Halloween, last year my pet cobra got flattened by a Thestral who was on rampage" he lied about that for effect, truthfully, Harry had ended up turning a bat into a horse when he got drunk on St Patrick's Day in Ireland and it stepped on his foot.

The twins nodded and said "we promise, just make sure you take care as well" Harry nodded and stood up before going back to his position quickly.

Not five minutes later, Quirrel burst through the doors and was running down the middle of the isles, Harry checked that he had his wands and he quickly picked up a silver steak knife and pocketed it quickly for insurance "Troll, in the dungeons, just thought you ought to know" Quirrel fell backwards and Harry rolled his eyes 'you are supposed to fall forwards when you faint you idiot' he thought with amusement.

Harry walked quickly with Percy through the corridors and he stepped away, looking around and finding nobody, Harry changed into a Thestral and quickly ran forwards at a quick gallop to the bathroom, finding it open, he quickly changed back and looked inside, he quietly entered and concentrated for a second, he found her in the third stall and he knocked on it twice, he heard a few sniffles and the toilet flush, the door opened and Hermione looked at him with bloodshot eyes and splotchy cheeks, Harry pulled her into a hug and rested his head on hers "Hermione, what did I say about listening to idiots and morons?"

She stifled a small giggle and said "I was supposed to stick up my middle finger and tell them to piss off"

Harry nodded "now then, what caused you to be so upset?" he questioned even though he knew full well the situation

"Longbottom and Weasley called me a Mudblood Know-It-All"

Harry pulled her into the stall and sat on the toilet before pulling her close to him, she rested her head on his chest and asked "Harry, why are you so nice to me when you are so angry and cruel to everyone else?"

Harry hesitated for a moment and she looked up at him, Harry felt himself lose the will to stop her from knowing and said "Hermione, you..."

The door slammed open and he heard angry muttering "why are we here anyway Neville?" Ron asked heatedly

"Because, the Professors are searching the dungeons for the Troll, if it gets out and we find it first, we can gain more points for Gryffindor than that idiot Blood Traitor Potter and that Mudblood Granger ever got" Hermione made to speak but Harry silenced her by muffling her words by kissing her lips, Harry kept watch on the door and kept his senses alert as he kissed Hermione, ignoring her for the moment in hopes that Neville and Ron would get their asses out of the room so he could blast the crap out of the Troll and speak to Hermione properly, he absently noted that Ron and Neville were strangely calm about this and wondered about the training Neville underwent and why Ron was following Neville so blindly.

BOOM!

Harry was jolted to his senses and pulled away from Hermione where she was looking at him with pleading and fear, Harry stood and drew the steak knife along with his wand.

BOOM!

Harry opened the door and walked forwards, Neville and Ron looked at him with wide eyes and both the wand and the knife with fear.

BOOM!

Harry cracked his neck and looked at the door which was wide open, Harry looked at both Ron and Neville then back at Hermione with apprehension that he would have to play some very dirty tricks.

BOOM!

The Troll appeared in the doorway and bent down, it entered and Harry gazed at it "damnit, a blasted Mountain Troll larger than I have ever seen, if this is the one I think it is, then maybe..."

He was cut off as the club it was holding was swung down, Harry dove backwards and watched in mild discomfort as Ron was hit in the chest and sent flying into the wall, blood oozing from somewhere on his head down his forehead and into his eyes, the Mountain Troll swung again and Neville was caught on the leg which snapped sideways, Harry shook his head and ran at the Troll with Neville and Hermione looking on in horror, Harry jumped up onto it's back and jammed the knife into the skull, he held on as it spun around madly, trying to remove him, Harry dove off and landed on the floor, the Troll, who was still standing, raised it's club and Harry aimed his wand at the floor "Reducto Maximus" he roared and the floor exploded upwards sending the Troll back a few meters.

Harry grumbled slightly and waved his wand "Accio knife" he said calmly but with a hint of annoyance and the knife flew out leaving a large gash.

Harry shook his head and as the knife came at him, he banished it at the Troll's throat and it dug deeply into the skin, piercing the tough tissue and lodging itself up to the tip of the handle, Harry cracked his neck again and walked forward to the still Troll and pointed his wand at its chest where the heart was and said "Reducto"

A small silver light erupted from his wand and went straight through the chest and out the back, splattering blood onto the wall, Harry looked at the standing corpse and shook his head "how this thing got in, I will never know" he said with a glint of amusement as he knew how it got in.

Harry moved to Ron and checked him before he muttered "Locomotor Corpus" Ron lifted up on a stretcher and Harry looked at Neville before muttering "idiots, the lot of you" he shook his head and looked at Hermione who was bleeding on the forehead from a deep cut by the tile shards that flew everywhere when he stunned the Troll, Harry walked over and wiped his hand over her gash causing it to pump a little more blood out, Harry frowned "now, what was that Healing Charm again?" he muttered to himself, he pointed his wand at Hermione's gash and drew it along the length leaving a very thin and near unnoticeable scar that you would not know it was there unless you were searching for it, a small streak of eyebrow missing because of the scar.

The teachers burst in while Harry was looking at Neville's knee, which had been snapped, and McGonagall was pale "what happened here?"

Neville scowled "Potter lured me and Ron up here under the lie that we tackle the Troll to get points for Gryffindor and he attacked us as we entered, broke my knee and nearly killed Ron, hurt Granger and killed the Troll himself"


Harry chuckled mirthlessly and asked "want to confirm that under Veritaserum Longbottom?"

Neville paled and shook his head "why should I when it is the truth?"

McGonagall looked at Harry and asked "Mr Potter, care to explain your side of the story?"

Harry inclined his head "certainly, would you like the long version or the short and abbreviated version?"

McGonagall frowned "you can give me the short version now and write it out on a sheet of parchment when you are in the Gryffindor Common Room"

Harry nodded and said "this morning, Neville and Ron called Hermione a Mudblood Know-It-All and she ran here, at the Halloween feast, I asked Lavender where she was as I hadn't seen her all day, she tells me what happened, I get angry, Quirrel comes in, tells us about the Troll, realise Hermione doesn't know on the way there, come after her, find her crying, attempt to console her quickly so we can get out, Longbottom and Weasley come in, insult us without knowing we were here, we hear the footsteps of the Troll, I come out, Weasley is struck in the chest with the club, Neville's knee is broken by the Club, I attack the Troll with a steak knife from the Great Hall which I jammed in it's head and banished it into it's throat, send a Reductor Curse at it's chest to kill it and tend to their wounds"

Neville shook in fury and said icily "don't take credit for what I did Potter, I killed the Troll"

McGonagall looked at Snape who shook his head and said "Potter is telling the truth Minerva"

McGonagall gave a glare at Neville and said "fifty points from Gryffindor from both you and Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom, you will also be serving one months detention for endangering peoples lives and lying to a Professor"

Harry smiled down at Hermione who shook in fear at being expelled and he hugged her in his arms "Hermione, relax, listen, I dealt with the Troll and you are safe"

She nodded slowly and McGonagall smiled "for friendship to another student, even in the face of serious injury, fifty points to Gryffindor, for taking care of a full grown Mountain Troll by yourself and administering medical aid to the students Mr Potter, one hundred points to Gryffindor, now, head up to the Gryffindor Tower, I think it would be wise to relax from this ordeal" Harry nodded and led Hermione up to the Gryffindor Tower.

.......................................

Authors Note: Love it? Hate it? Got suggestions?

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