chapter 14: Rescue

"Nev, you tell the Prefects that Hermione's not here, I'll go and find her." Harry half-whispered while Ravenclaw House filed out of the Great Hall as they started their retreat back to their tower.

Neville nodded and Harry ducked into one of the side-corridors, waiting until the last Ravenclaw had passed before setting off at a pace that no normal human could have matched.

.

Hermione stepped back from the stone railing and inhaled deeply, enjoying the autumnal scents in the crisp air. Above her, the stars glittered and sparkled, their cold beauty helping her to re-center herself.

Her stomach grumbled slightly and she looked down at it.

"Hush, you. I'm almost done."

Her stomach grumbled again and she nodded.

"You could be right. Time to get some food."

Moving to the end of the walkway, she opened the door and stepped inside Hogwarts, moving up one flight of the Infinite Stairs in order to descend almost to the ground floor, then she stepped into the corridor and paused.

"Hands." She groaned, looking at the mossy stains on her palms. Looking round, she spotted that one of the doors was marked with the symbol for "Toilet, Female" and she entered, moving to the sinks where she turned on the tap before picking up a bar of soap.

.

"Is everyone here?" Flitwick asked as he scurried into the tower and the male seventh-year Prefect nodded.

"We've checked them all, sir. All Ravens are present and accounted for."

"Except for two!" Neville called out, despite the attempt of the fifth-year Prefect to silence him. "Hermione was taking a walk in the fresh air and Harry's gone to bring her here!"

"Shut up!" The Sixth-former hissed, then he froze as he realized that Filius was turning to look at him. The half-Goblin seemed to swell as he glared at the Prefects.

"All. Present. And. Accounted. For? Two are missing , one of them the Boy-who-lived and yet you say they're all here?" He growled, glaring at the six suddenly-cringing students. "Your status as Prefects is hereby suspended and once the Troll has been dealt with, I will be asking you certain questions to see if it should be revoked! Afterwards, I am calling a Prefect Meeting to induct any new ones into their positions and I will make damned certain that they and any of you who still carry the badge know what's expected of them!"

Neville scurried to Flitwick's side.

"Sir, until they agree not to try to seek revenge, I think I'd be safer watching you confront the troll."

Flitwick motioned to Neville to follow him out of the tower. As the door closed behind him, he spoke.

"You were very brave just then… almost Gryffindor-ish, in fact. You can wait in my office until I return."

"Thank you, sir."

.

Hermione finished drying her hands and opened the door. For a moment, her mind failed to comprehend the sight before her, then the giant shape moved and Hermione closed the door as quietly as she could in an attempt to avoid attracting the attention of the monster standing just outside.

Once the door was closed, Hermione backed away to the far end of the room , reaching out to open the final cubicle so that she could hide. Before she could do so, the Toilet door exploded as a club slammed through it and despite her best attempts to stay quiet, Hermione screamed.

.

"Shit!" Harry hissed as he skidded to a halt and reversed course. "She must have got past me! I'm coming!"

.

Hermione stared in horror as the troll shouldered its way through the door, sending bits of the surrounding masonry bouncing across the floor as its gaze fixed on her. The troll slowly stood up, standing over two foot taller than Hagrid before a predatorial grin appeared on its face. Hefting its club, it took a step forwards, then the club arced down, smashing the first sink. The club, un-slowed by the ceramic obstacle, then slammed into the first cubicle on the other side, shattering it and the troll made a noise somewhere between a growl and a chortle as Hermione reflexively tried to press herself further into the corner of the room.

"No!" She whimpered as the troll stalked closer, each step accompanied by another blow that shattered a sink or a cubicle. "Stay away!"

The troll paused only a couple of paces away from her, then with slow deliberation, it raised its club before the wall next to it exploded. The troll didn't even have time to react before it was sent through the other wall and into a deserted classroom, where it bounced off the far wall before slowly toppling like a felled sequoia while the fragments of its club bounced on the ground.

Hermione stared in shock at the huge hole in the wall, through which the crumpled form of the now-insensate troll that had been trying to attack her was still visible under the settling dust. Her rescuer, who had burst through the other wall in a shower of masonry, turned to smile at her.

"Are you alright? I got here as soon as I could."

Hermione nodded, then the events caught up with her and she fainted. Harry walked over to her and effortlessly picked her up bridal style.

"Oh well, let's get you to the infirmary." He smiled. "Good thing I heard your scream. Didn't know I could move that fast."

.

Minerva McGonogall halted in her tracks as she stared in shock at the sight before her. The troll was out cold on the ground, having been knocked through a wall, and its club was lying in two pieces (and scattered splinters) in the girls bathroom which had a missing door and a second hole in the wall.

From how it was lying, it looked like several of its ribs were broken.

A set of footsteps sounded, but Minerva didn't look at the newcomer since her attention was fully focused on the impossibility in front of her.

"How…?" Severus Snape started and Minerva shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know. Hagrid, perhaps?"

"The oaf would have dragged it to his hut for a cup of tea." Snape snorted. "No, this is… something new…"

"But what?" Minerva asked helplessly. "It looks like it was blasted through two walls, but this hole isn't big enough and the door's been destroyed. What happened?"

"I don't know." Severus admitted as he stepped through the hole, dodging a falling brick, and approached the troll. "Minerva, could you take care of that?"

Minerva quickly transfigured the edges of the holes to reinforce them and hold the other bricks in place, then she joined Severus in looking down at the troll.

"Perhaps you should send a message to the others, telling them that we've found the troll." Severus suggested after a long minute.

"…right."

.

"Hello?" Harry called as he used his back to push open the door to the Infirmary. "Anyone here?"

"Coming!" A voice called and a moment later, a middle-aged witch appeared. "Oh my, what happened?"

"Close encounter with a troll." Harry said, following the witch and lowering her onto the bed that the woman indicated. "I don't think she took any physical damage, but…"

"She's just fainted." The woman said, her wand seeming to dance as she cast several spells. "She'll wake up soon… Mr. Potter."

Harry blinked. "Sorry, have we met?"

"Oh yes, I'm the one who checked you over after your birth." The woman smiled. "I would have been the midwife, but the Death Eaters launched several attacks that day, preventing me from attending. I'm Poppy Pomfrey, Mediwitch."

"Well, you know who I am," Harry said with a wry smile, "And this is Hermione Granger."

Hermione's stomach rumbled and Harry bit down on a laugh.

"I think she's hungry."

"As a professional Mediwitch, I agree." Pomfrey said with a smile. "Tippy!"

A small House Elf wearing a spotless white pillowcase and white rope belt appeared. "Missy Poppy called?"

"Yes, could you get a full meal here…"

Harry coughed to get her attention. "Can you make that two? I'm a bit hungry from carrying her here."

"Two meals please, Tippy."

The Elf bowed and vanished as Hermione opened her eyes. For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling, then sat up with a yelp.

"Troll!"

"We got away from it." Harry stated before Hermione could work herself up or divulge the fact he was strong enough to power through a wall to take out a troll. "You're in the medical wing."

"Oh." Hermione paused as she took in her surroundings. "Oh…"

Before she could formulate any questions, Hermione was distracted by a tray full of food appearing on her lap.

"Eat up." Poppy commanded. "You shouldn't be missing meals at your age."

Under Poppy's stern gaze, Hermione picked up the knife and fork. Soon, she was staring in near-shock at the clean plate in front of her.

"Looks like you needed that." Harry chuckled from his chair as he slid his own now-empty tray onto the bedside table. "So, once we get confirmation that there aren't any other trolls, we can head back to the tower… right?"

"The troll has been taken care of." A new voice stated and both Harry and Hermione turned to see Filius standing in the doorway. "It has been sent to a reservation in Dartmoor. Miss Granger, I am glad to see you are well. Poppy?"

"I can't find anything wrong with her that a good night's sleep won't cure." Pomfrey replied, chivying Hermione off the bed.

"Excellent." Filius smiled. "Come on, let's get you back to the tower… and pick up young Mr Longbottom on the way."

"What happened to him?" Harry asked worriedly.

"He is fine." Filius said reassuringly, then he scowled. "However, he did bring to my attention a problem that I have been remiss in ignoring until now…"

.

.

Filius stood on his raised platform, glaring at the assembled fifth, sixth and seventh-year Ravenclaws, not trace of his normal good-nature on his face.

"I am very disappointed with you." He said in a flat tone, causing the four former Prefects to flinch and several others to wince. "Ravenclaw House is supposed to be the house of the intelligent, those who have wit and those who seek to ask questions in order to deepen their understanding of the great mysteries, not a house where the only allowable answers are found in books and anyone who dares go against the common belief is ostracized. I can only be grateful that it has only been this way for a couple of years, yet I find myself at fault for not noticing sooner."

The assembled students remained silent, barely breathing as Flitwick stood before them, anger radiating out of him as well as a sense of danger, reminding all of them that Flitwick had been the Champion Duelist in the European circuit for five consecutive years before he retired in order to devote his time to teaching.

"It is bad enough that I have had to deal with an attempted assault on one of our own, but to find out that no less than three of my Ravens subscribe to the foolishness of blood-bigotry? I am tempted to order a re-sorting for you, but from your actions I fear that you have no cunning, little bravery and no loyalty! As it is, you two are removed from the Quidditch team as of today and you will report back to the tower every evening after dinner and remain here until it is time for breakfast, the only exception being for your advanced astronomy classes. Is that understood?"

The trio who had been singled out nodded and Filius sighed.

"As it is, I shall be overseeing the Quidditch Trials tomorrow for the replacement players. Since the whole house kept quiet, all positions are open and I shall be allowing the first-years to try out."

Several of the students moved as if they were about to protest, but Filius glared them into silence.

"Perhaps you should reflect on what happened today, the next time you consider keeping quiet about victimization, bullying or ignoring those who need aid."