120Disclaimer: I don't make claim to any ownership over the Harry Potter franchise and any of the characters, settings, or plot recognized in this story as they belong to J.K Rowling.
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Harry Potter and the Art of Respawning
By PaladinKaladin
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Chapter Five:
A Neverending Halloween.
—
[You Died.]
[Death Count: 3]
[Respawning…]
Harry gasped uncontrollably as he felt his vision spin and stomach turn. The phantom pain across his head was still there, stinging sharply as he panted through the sensation. The stench was ever present in his nose, the blood—
The blood.
Charles, Ron, Hermione. Their dead bodies flashed through his mind, causing his legs to almost buckle in place. No…. He remembered the battered up bodies of all of them, the blood leaking from their soulless forms, before eventually the troll found him and…
Harry's eyes were wide, as he urgently looked around his surroundings to see where he had respawned.
What he needed right now was a bunch of time. Preferably somewhere before everything happened, preferably before Ron had insulted Hermione, so he could prevent this all from happening. The troll would still be there, but the professors would find it regardless, and Hermione would be safe, and Charles and Ron wouldn't chase after her with guilt.
Harry could theoretically just let it all happen and stay with the other Slytherins—he would survive. The thought made his gut twist. To condemn someone else to death like that, when he knew he could possibly save them…no, he wasn't that type of person. Charles wasn't the greatest brother, but he was his brother nonetheless.
Ron was an idiot, but he was also just a child, like the rest of them. And Hermione, she really didn't deserve to die like that.
I won't let them die again.
Now, he just needed to see where he has respawned—
"Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."
Harry's ears almost split as he felt the hall erupt into chaos once again. Professor Quirrelll lay on the floor, completely unconscious—just like last time.
Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Of all the places he could have respawned, it had to be now? Harry cursed his luck as he felt himself hyperventilating. He wanted to get there quicker than Hermione so he could warn her before the Troll even arrived, but now it looked like it was impossible to do so.
Dumbledore repeated his instructions like last time.
He looked over at the Slytherin Prefect, who was busy gathering up all the students after the Headmaster's orders. Marcus Flint and the other Prefect he didn't know the name of. Their faces were scrunched up in irritation and blatant frustration as they struggled to calm down the panicked juniors.
Harry wondered if he could just go near them and tell them about what was happening. Yeah, there was no way Flint would believe him. He tried to imagine it in every scenario possible. And in every one of them he ended up failing. Even if he somehow managed to convince Flint, it would probably be too late for saving the Gryffindors.
He had no other older Slytherin friends who would be willing to help him, but first, he didn't even have friends.
"Why do you look like the troll is next to us, Harry?" Blaise asked amusedly. "The teachers are already gone, you know? A mangy troll can't really do anything against them."
That was the problem.
The teachers were gone.
They seemed to trust Quirrell's words an awful lot if they left the Slytherin First-Years all by themselves, right? Sure. The troll was said to be in the dungeons, but it was actually closer than that.
Harry looked over at the hall which would lead me to the girl's toilet, before looking back at Blaise.
"Cover for me," Harry bluntly commanded.
Blaise hesitated. "W-what? Huh?"
"Just say I had to urgently go to the restroom," Harry said one last time, before dashing for the exit.
Blaise didn't budge. "Where the hell are you going?!"
Harry didn't have any time to waste. Charles was probably almost there by now, if not in the toilet already. And even worse, I wasn't sure exactly when Hermione died, and if Charles and Ron arrived after Hermione died, like me.
If she had died before my respawn, there was no saving her.
Think optimistic, Harry.
He still needed to save Charles and Ron, anyway. Without his interference, they would die. That was a given.
Harry ignored everyone looking his way as he snuck past the crowds into the hallway, before running at breakneck speed.
He didn't keep track of where he was going, and just ran whenever he saw the next correct turn.
C'mon c'mon…
He was here.
He stared at the entrance to the bathroom. An ominous silence awaited him. Wait, no, it wasn't silent. It was ominous though. Not because of the area, but because he knew what would come after them.
Harry quickly made his way through the stalls, before coming to the sight of…
"Harry!?" Charles questioned incredulously.
"Harry?" Ron repeated.
"H-Harry Potter?" Hermione asked, her eyes bloodshot.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. They were alive. He had no time to waste—the troll wasn't here yet.
"We need to get out of here quickly. The troll is coming this way," Harry instructed immediately. "Let's go!"
No one budged an inch. Alright, maybe that wasn't the best course of action he could have done.
Charles completely ignored his entire sentence. "What are you doing here?" He almost sounded accusing.
The Slytherin sneered. "Well, Charles, I had to go to the restroom—"
"It's the ladies toilet—"
Ron cut in. "Blimey mate, it's the ladies—"
"I KNOW!" Harry shouted. "Listen, all right? I was roaming around, and I saw the troll! I wanted to warn you guys before it came inside and killed you all!"
"Uhh…I think it's a bit too late for that," Ron said, pointing behind me. "RUN!"
Hsrry retreated forwards, away from the troll which was probably behind me. Sure enough, it was. While Ron did say to run, there was practically nowhere to go. The troll blocked the only exit, meaning we had to somehow get past the troll before survival. The creature roared loudly as it watched its prey before it.
Harry brought my wand up, aiming forward. So did the rest of them behind him.
Charles moved forward first, waving his wand at the angry-looking troll. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell sailed towards its target, and hit true. Too bad it did absolutely nothing. The troll grunted, but didn't seem to be affected in the slightest by the spell.
Harry swished his own wand. "Flipendo!"
The blue-light flew and hit, but just like before, did absolutely nothing.
The troll roared once more, an earth-shattering scream that violated my ears, before blindly running forward, trembling the very floor of the restroom underneath it with each step. It swung its club wildly as it walked, crushing the walls and doors into small fragments that littered the ground.
And it looked like it was targeting Harry.
"Go to the side and run!" Harry screamed at everyone around me. They could escape with the troll focused on me.
The troll bared its club before swinging wildly at me.
"PROTEGO SIMPLUS!" Harry shouted as loudly as possible, pumping as much magic into the spell as he could.
A bright, glowing blue shield formed around my wand, thicker than he had ever made it before. The room was lit by the brilliant blue as the club swung downwards, and finally hit.
The shield instantly broke through, the cracks spreading throughout the layer almost immediately, knocking Harry back to the wall like a ragdoll. He groaned in pain as he felt the pressure on his back. The troll walked forward snarling.
Harry could see the running figures of Hermione and Ron, the former looking back hesitantly before running forward again. He smiled bitterly.
So much for Gryffindors, eh?
Harry couldn't really blame them.
To his surprise, Charles was still there, chucking spells at the troll which had no effect.
The troll bared its club again.
Harry felt a strange sense of dejá vu.
The club hit him straight in the head, pulverizing his face and brain into a bloody pulp that stained the normally white tiles.
[You Died.]
[Death Count: 4]
[Respawning…]
"Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."
Harry felt his head spin.
He was back.
He gripped his wand tightly, before looking at his new surroundings once more. "Alright."
He had only a few ways to do this. Persuading someone more advanced in magic was out of the question, simply because no one would be willing to believe him in these circumstances. And if he was able to somehow persuade them, it would be too late to try and save the Gryffindors.
Each of the remaining methods had the same obstacle in the end.
The troll. He needed to somehow defeat the troll.
The paltry jinxes and curses he knew simply wouldn't do anything against the monster. He needed to defeat the troll with other means, meaning Transfiguration and Charms. He had to damage it physically. That was easier said than done. The only transfiguration and charms he knew were so far the needle transfiguration and the levitating charm along with some other useless spells which wouldn't be of use against a real troll.
He could also use some help.
He looked towards Blaise, who just seemed amused amidst all of the terror ongoing around him. "Blaise."
"Hmm?" The aristocratic boy hummed.
"I need your help in defeating a troll."
"Huh?" Blaise intoned, his eyes wide.
"Should I repeat myself?" Harry asked, his face serious and composed.
Blaise laughed nervously. "Hahaha…ha…wait, you're serious, aren't you?"
"Are you going to come or not?"
"Wait, why?!" Blaise practically yelled.
At this point, Harry didn't care if one of the other Prefects caught him. He had overestimated their ability to catch one Slytherin in the middle of all of this chaos, anyways. Doing it this way would also mean that Harry wouldn't be wasting any time trying to focus on not being caught. More time meant a higher chance of survival.
Harry began running, not looking back to see whether Blaise was following him or not. Based on the sound of footsteps from behind me, Harry could tell he was.
The second they reached the hallway, Harry began to explain.
"The troll isn't in the dungeons—it's near the girl's toilet on this floor," Harry stated, knowing how much of a lunatic he sounded like.
"What? How would you know that? Fine, even if you're right, why are we going TOWARDS it?" Blaise inquired manically.
"Because I know someone is in the girl's toilet right now. I have to go fast enough to warn her before the troll comes, which it probably will," Harry mentioned, making sure not to say that he knew the troll would come for certain, in which Blaise wouldn't follow him, and would be suspicious about how Harry knew that.
"Alright. So the troll won't be there for sure, right?" Blaise asked hopefully.
Harry didn't say a word.
"Who's the person that got you acting like a Gryffindor?" Blaise asked curiously.
Harry snorted. "Persons. It doesn't matter, we're here. Follow me inside, and don't ask too many questions. Get your wand ready."
Harry found that bringing Blaise with him actually made him come later due to the conversations and slower pace he had. Blaise wasn't too fast, and he didn't see the urgency in the situation like Harry did, so he didn't comprehend the need to run faster either.
"Hermione, Ron said it a million times. He's sorry for—" Charles stopped when he saw us. "Harry?!"
"Harry?" Ron repeated.
Hermione's turn came. "H-Harry Potter?"
Alright, this was freaky. Regardless of the extremely weird circumstance, Harry continued. "Hello. I know the question in your mind. What am I doing here? Before you interrupt, please listen since we don't have much time. The troll isn't in the dungeons, it's somewhere around here. And I saw you guys running towards this corridor, so I came to warn you before something bad happened, understand?"
"What he said," Blaise added a second later.
"I-I don't understand," Charles hesitated. "Is this some kind of prank?"
That was the last straw.
"Alright. That's it. I'm pissed off. It's impossible trying to convince you brats. EVERYONE. Charles, Ron, Hermione, Blaise, keep your wands up. A troll is about to come. Just so you know, spells don't actually work on it. So try your best!" Harry's eyes hardened as he stared at the entrance of the restroom, waiting for the monster to come.
"Is this a joke—"
DUM. DUM. DUM.
The sounds of footsteps sent shivers down Harry's back. "YOUR WANDS!" He yelled one more time. "Aim for its eyes!"
There was no way its eyes would have any protection, right? Too bad shooting it directly there would be a pretty hard shot to pull off. But it was still better than nothing.
"RUGHHHHHH!" The troll growled, turning its ugly head towards Harry.
"Flipendo!" Harry shouted, that spell being the only spell he actually knew which could technically harm the troll.
"Confringo!" Blaise cast, aiming.
Charles aimed his own wand. "Reducto Simplus!"
The three spells weren't exactly on the mark, but they did manage to hit the Troll's face. Blaise's spell, specifically, exploded on impact, making Harry squint his eyes in front of the small flare. The troll groaned, before turning its blackened face to the group.
We're screwed.
The troll clumsily moved forward, swinging its club to and fro.
There.
"Cover for me! Surround it in a circle and don't crowd into one corner!" Harry ordered, before looking at the fragments of stone beneath him.
Transfiguration was hard. That much he knew. But Harry had practiced his needle transfiguration so many times to the point of near perfection if not mastery already. He began to transfigure the fragments of earth into needles, one by one, making sure to make them as sharp and long as possible.
One.
Two.
Three.
"WE COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP HERE!" Ron yelled.
Blaise grunted. "I agree with the Gryffindor! Confringo!"
Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Ten was enough for what he was planning to do.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry intoned deeply.
Harry levitated the near foot-long needles into the air, keeping them into the air as He jogged into view of the troll. Harry could feel his magic straining away as the combination of keeping the transfiguration active and floating them at the same time put a toll on him. The troll bellowed angrily as it got confused about which target it should prey on. If there was one thing about trolls—they were really stupid. That was probably their own saving grace.
The second the troll looked Harry's way, he swished his wand.
The needles flew through the air with relentless speed, straight towards the troll's face.
One by one, needles pierced the troll's face; one through the eye, one through the nose, one through the head, and more. The troll screamed in pain, but I resisted the noise. Green blood leaked out of its head, before another enraged road erupted, making the troll leap towards me.
"Confringo!"
The side of the troll's face exploded, dazing it for half a second before it once again began its hate-driven quest to rip Harry's body open.
In front of the hatred-filled, monstrous troll which growled menacingly as it walked forwards, Harry could only laugh.
And he did.
"Haha…hahaha…HAHAHA!" Harry's chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh.
He dropped the rest of his needles.
He didn't need to kill the troll right here.
In fact, killing the troll right here would probably be the worst move ever. He had effectively shown all of the Gryffindors just how much of a crazy bastard he was. Blaise probably thought he was a psycho, and there were probably teachers heading here right now.
If Harry was seen like this…it wouldn't end well.
Not only that, but he didn't really expect to win this restart either. This was simply a test run, a way to find out whether victory was possible in the slightest. And it definitely was.
Victory was possible.
"IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU! RUN! CONFRINGO!"
And all victories came from the running of blood.
The curse Blaise cast hit the creature on the back but did nothing to prevent its next move.
The troll put its hand on Harry's neck, staring at him in the eyes. It was honestly scary just how small Harry was in his hands. Harry closed his eyes.
The troll's hands squeezed.
His neck exploded with a chilling snap and the eruption of blood from the troll's giant hand, separating his head from his body in an instant.
[You Died.]
[Death Count: 5]
[Respawning…]
Harry ignored the spinning in his head, training his eyes on Professor Quirrell the moment he entered the hall.
"Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."
He narrowed his eyes.
The more and more he saw that same occurrence, he began to think that it looked more and more coincidental. Shaking his head, he shrugged off his suspicions, instead focusing on a particular student.
Blaise.
He was a useful component to the almost-win he had the last restart, meaning Harry would definitely need him again. Though this time, he was going to use Blaise for a completely different reason. He looked around for any items to transfigure, immediately finding suitable forks and spoons on the dinner table. Harry looked to the side before bringing his wand onto the utensils, turning them into needles one by one. This way, he wouldn't have to waste time in transfiguring them in front of the troll and consequently be risking death.
Once he was done, he began to convince Blaise, who wasn't paying attention to Harry's shenanigans, instead looking at the disarray around him.
"Blaise. I need your help in defeating the troll."
It worked last time, didn't it? What would be the point in changing it now?
"Huh?" Blaise asked, his face reminiscent of last time.
Harry smirked.
—HP&TAOR—
"Why are we doing this again?" Blaise asked once more.
"For the last time, there are some people in danger. You won't need to actually fight the troll, so don't worry. And remember to stick to the plan in case that happens," Harry reminded his friend.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't let Charles get involved."
Harry nodded.
They were here.
Blaise eyed Harry warily. "Can I ask why you have your pockets filled with needles?"
Harry grinned evilly. "Let's just say the troll desperately needs some acupuncture."
"Acupuncture? What's that?" Blaise questioned curiously.
The Potter shrugged. "A muggle thing, don't worry about it."
They went inside, and immediately Charles noticed them.
Charles' eyes widened. "Harr—"
"Yes, it's me. Harry Potter, First-Year Slytherin, at your service. Listen carefully. There's going to be a troll that will waltz into here and try to kill all of us. I need you guys to run while I distract it," Harry listed off all the points in his head.
"Mate, your brother has gone mad," Ron commented to Charles, not really wanting to offend the Potter directly.
Charles nodded. "I can tell. Who's your friend?"
Blaise bowed. "Blaise Zabini, First-Year Slytherin, at your service."
Harry seethed. "You had to copy my entrance, didn't you? You couldn't think of anything else?"
"Hey, hey, you're the one who dragged me into this place, and get defensive when I steal your line?" Blaise asked, astounded.
"I spent two restarts coming up with that…" Harry mumbled under his breath.
Charles watched the both of them, flabbergasted at what he was seeing, almost like he couldn't believe his own eyes. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"
Instead of talking, Harry brought up his hand.
Every second, he brought a finger down.
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
DUM. DUM. DUM.
"Wands up!" Harry commanded instantly. "Run the moment you see an exit. Charles, I'm going to be distracting the troll, alright?"
Charles just looked too stunned to speak.
While Harry didn't blame him for his shock, this really wasn't the time.
"ALRIGHT?!" Harry snapped.
The younger Potter broke out of his stupor. "Yes, yes!"
"Make sure to get your friends out of here, by the way," Harry said, looking at the incoming troll, which stood idle at the entrance of the bathroom, snarling.
"IN A CIRCLE! AIM FOR ITS EYES!" Harry shouted as the troll began moving forward. "Flipendo!"
Harry knew the spell wouldn't do anything, but right now, he just needed to get the troll's attention. They circled the troll awkwardly as its huge frame blocked the only exit. Harry made sure to stay in the far end of the restroom, straight ahead of where the troll was.
The second it lunged towards him, Blaise would make sure everyone else ran away.
"Reducto Simplus!"
"Confringo!"
The spells did their function, which wasn't to hurt the troll, but instead to distract it, if not blind it for a short while. The troll closed its eyes when the small blast on its face occurred, before opening them again with an enraged expression on its face.
And those wretched eyes focused on the thing straight ahead of them.
Harry.
Noticing this, Harry began his plan. "GO TO THE SIDES AND RUN!"
The troll lunged forward, ignoring the others as they went past him. Hermione looked back regretfully as she hurried past along with Ron, just like the last-last restart. Harry smiled. This time, it won't end the same. Charles ignored his command entirely, instead preferring to throw spells at the troll's back.
Harry couldn't risk his death.
Nor him seeing what would happen next.
"Blaise!" He shouted, signaling for Blaise to start the next part of the plan. At the same time, he started to transfigure some extra needles in case he would need them.
"I got it," Blaise said, before leveling his wand at Charles. "Petrificus Totalus."
Charles' body went limp as he was struck unexpectedly from the side, his face a still image of his earlier surprise. Blaise carried his body away without looking backward, leaving Harry alone with the troll.
A one-on-one.
The troll growled.
Harry just smiled.
The Potter motioned it forward. "It's just you and me."
Not wasting another second, he threw all of the needles into the air. The needles flew upwards, and right when they reached their maximum height, Harry uttered a spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The needles floated midair, waiting for any instruction that they would gladfully obey. The troll began running forward at its top speed, which wouldn't be very fast if it weren't for its long legs.
Harry flicked his wand forward.
One by one, twenty, long needles erupted into motion. First, they went for the legs to disrupt the troll's movement. Two needles on each foot, two on each thigh, and one right above the area where the sun didn't shine—even Harry had mercy. The troll groaned in pain as the needles sank into its flesh, bringing out fresh, green blood.
Another two struck the stomach of the troll, and three hit the right hand, forcing the release of the club.
Harry could feel his magic leaving his body at an alarming rate. Holding the transfiguration of the needles since he was in the hall was difficult on his magic supply. He gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to stop here.
He swung his entire hand, motioning the last ten needles towards the head of the troll.
"UAGHHHH!" The troll wailed.
The needles impaled the troll's head one by one, four on its main face and the others on the top and back of his head. Its face was no longer recognizable, being covered by needles like a porcupine. The troll roared in pain, before swinging its arms widely in a last-ditch effort to try and kill Harry.
Too bad Harry was nowhere near the monster.
With a final wail, it fell back first.
The needles which were stuck in the back of its head were pushed forward with the unpleasant noise of blades on flesh. Covered with its own blood, utterly defeated, the troll remained still as its final moments in the world faded away.
Harry panted harshly as he fell to his own knees.
He grinned triumphantly as he lay on his back, staring at the green-stained ceiling. He did it. It only took three resets.
He heard footsteps from outside, immediately alerting Harry, who tried his best to stand up, but his muscles simply didn't allow it.
"Mr. Potter? W-what have you—w-what i-is this?" Professor Quirrell asked, his eyes filled with fear.
Harry's eyes narrowed. Of course, it had to be this teacher.
"I'm sorry, Professor, it's a long story," He responded, making his way to his feet, struggling to do so.
Professor Quirrell's eyes glinted. "I suppose it is. When I realized the troll would be here, I definitely didn't expect a student to be here before me. Nor did I expect this…" He motioned to the needles along the Troll's body.
He looked back at Harry. "What did you do?"
Harry smirked again. "Acupuncture."
To his surprise, Quirrell chuckled in amusement at his joke. "I wonder…did you use the needle transfiguration and, let me see, the Levitation charm?"
"Uh…yes," Harry responded.
Professor Quirrell raised an eyebrow. "Quite a…violent use of those two spells. And quite fitting for the defeat of a troll. I'm surprised you tried to conduct such a method during the first time you ever faced such a creature. You have a talent for assassination. Forty points to Slytherin for your actions."
Harry couldn't really say that he had faced the troll several times before, could he? The only reason he got so far was that he had previous experience.
"Thank you, Professor. May I ask one question?" Harry asked innocently.
"Of course."
Harry scrutinized the man in front of him. "Why is your stutter gone?"
Quirrell's eyes hardened. He smiled again—this time much, much colder.
"It comes and goes, Mr. Potter."
The sound of incoming footsteps alerted both of them.
Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Flitwick entered the bathroom hurriedly, wands up, and only stopped when they saw Harry and Quirrell together, next to the obviously dead troll which lay still covered with needles.
Professor McGonagall's eyes were wide as she opened her mouth to speak. "What happened?"
Harry simply looked at Quirrell.
Professor Quirrell just shrugged. "I killed the troll."
"How?" Flitwick asked, his mouth still agape. "Are those…needles?"
"You'd be right to assume that they are needles, Flitwick. I find that needles are, in fact, the fastest way to kill trolls," Quirrell responded. "In any case, normally, I would try to capture the troll, but seeing the state of the young Potter before me, I couldn't risk any injuries."
Snape's eyes targeted Harry's. "And what are you doing here?"
Harry mentally took a deep breath, calming himself down. "I was feeling sick, and didn't want to eat at the feast, so I wandered the corridors when I saw the troll. I-I…I ran to find somewhere to escape. But the m-monster…it followed me. I thought I was going to die—"
Professor McGonagall raised a hand. "Mr. Potter, you do not need to explain yourself. Considering the nature of this day…it would make sense you aren't feeling well at all. Regardless, I would refrain from skipping feasts from now on. Obviously, the school isn't as safe as we once thought."
"Yes, Professor," Harry responded obediently, nodding his head.
Wasn't today the day his mother, Lily Potter, had died? The thought hadn't even crossed Harry's mind, but he supposed he could go with it. Did the teacher expect him to feel sudden remorse for a mother he never had?
"And you, Quirinus. While Harry's life was at risk, this was simply an atrocious way to kill the troll," she said with disgust aimed at the creature. "Regardless of its intentions, there was surely another way to handle the situation in front of a sentient creature like this."
Quirrell just chuckled. "I am not a master of transfiguration like you, or the dark arts like Snape, or even charms and dueling like our humble Flitwick here. I simply teach the subject I learned. I did what I could in the situation with my limited abilities, and right now I'm only glad to see that this student has survived."
"I agree with Quirinus, Minerva," Flitwick said seriously. "What matters now is that young Harry is safe and that we don't have a fleet of Aurors along with his father interrogating us. I believe it has been a long day for Mr. Potter, and that it's time he finally goes to rest. Professor Snape?"
Snape nodded, before motioning Harry to follow with a nudge of his head.
Harry thanked the teachers, specifically Quirrell, before following Snape out of the restroom.
It was silent until Snape finally began to speak.
"The others are idiots for not realizing it, but I'm not so naive. Needles? Seemingly projected into the troll's body? It's the needle transfiguration and the levitation charm, the first few spells we learn in Hogwarts. Believe me, Professor Quirrell would have dealt with the troll in…a much different way. Although I'm surprised you didn't take credit for the kill, Mr. Potter," Snape muttered with a genuine look of surprise.
Harry just shrugged. There was no point in trying to hide it now. "And get caught by Professor McGonagall and have her tear me a new one? No thanks. I'd rather just leave the area as the innocent First-Year that made a mistake."
Snape nodded. "Good. Twenty points to Slytherin for neutralizing the troll. I believe you can make the rest of the way by yourself. Goodbye."
Harry just stood in shock, before accepting the fact that even Snape had a few good points to him. He made his way into the common room after reciting the password, where he saw Blaise pacing back and forth with a hand on his chin.
"Blaise," Harry called out.
Blaise's eyes swished towards the Potter. "Harry?"
He ran forward as if he was checking to see whether Harry was actually alive or not. "You're alive?"
"It almost sounds like you're disappointed, Blaise. Whatever, what happened to the others?" Harry asked.
"Ah, the Gryffindors, you mean. I managed to get all three of them back to the hall without making a ruckus. We were there for a few minutes, contemplating whether we should go back and check for what happened, you know, but then one of the prefects caught us. And your brother.. he just vanished."
"Vanished?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yeah, one moment he was there, and the other he was gone. It was almost like he had an invisibility cloak or something. Now, how the hell did you get out of there alive?"
A new voice entered the conversation. "Get out of where?"
Daphne asked the question with a sense of authority, almost like she expected the answer immediately.
"We went to kill the troll, and somehow managed to survive," Harry answered abruptly.
The blonde snorted. "As if—"
"If you'll excuse me, I'll be going," Harry said, interrupting the Greengrass.
Harry could see the flash of hurt go through her eyes before they hardened once more.
I really need to sleep.
He entered his dorm with a deep sigh of relief. Today was a long day.
The longest day he had ever experienced, huh?
Harry was pretty sure he had the record for most deaths in a day.
He saw something glinting on his table, and walked forwards to see what it was. From what he remembered, he didn't forget anything on his desk, and he normally kept books on the shelf regardless.
He got closer, before taking a good look.
What the hell?
A book.
Introduction to Occlumency and Legilimency.
—end—
Yo!
I hope you liked the chapter! Another cliffhanger–this is fun.
Who gave the book to Harry? What are your predictions?
The pace is going to quicken after this, I think. I don't want to spend too much time in the First Year, after all.
Onto the Question of The Day:
Question One: Which is your favorite Harry Potter book? Mine is probably Goblet of Fire or Half-Blood Prince.
Discord Server: / shDTSvPrnZ to talk about books, HP, memes, fics, and more.
Scheduling: Next week or the next two weeks.
Cya' next chapter.