“C’mon, Harry, it’s the Halloween Feast.  You can’t miss it!”

“I c’n try.”

“Harry!”

“Wha’?”

“Nevermind.”

“Alrigh’, alrigh’.  I’ll go if i‘ makes yer ‘appy.”

Niamh grinned and threw her arms about Harry’s neck.

“Thank you!”

Harry nervously patted her on the back then they set off for the Great Hall.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

They were almost there when Niamh suddenly said, “Ach!  I forgot something!  Be right back!”

Harry peered after her as she sprinted off down the hall, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“Oi, Harry!”

“‘Ey, Ron.”

Ron looked after Niamh’s retreating form and asked, “Where’s she going?”

“No clu’.”

“We’d better get inside.”

“Yeh.”

The two boys entered the Great Hall and went to their respected tables.  A few moments later……

“Troll!  Troll in the dungeons!”

Quirrell ran into the hall yelling, his purple turban slightly lopsided.  He then gasped, “Thought you’d want to know,” and collapsed in the middle of the hall.

Pandemonium ensued.  Harry watched calmly as students knocked each other down in order to get to the main doors.  He even saw Draco trying to get there and laughed inwardly.

“SILENCE!”

A hush fell on the hall and everyone turned to look at Dumbledore.

“Prefects, lead back to your house’s.  Professors, follow me.”

As the prefects began to lead the students away, Harry’s eyes flicked up to the Head Table.  He saw Snape slip out through a door opposite the one the other professors were leaving by.

Curious… he thought.

“Potter!”

Harry jumped as one of the Slytherin prefects yelled at him, then quickly ran to join the crowd.  As he did he suddenly remembered something and skidded to a halt.  Turning, he plowed through the crowd to Ron’s tall form, grabbing his arm as soon as he was close enough.

“What the…?  Harry?  What…?”

“Niamh!”

Ron’s eyes registered confusion.  “Huh?”

“Niamh!” hissed Harry.  “She doan know!”

Ron’s eyes widened and Harry quickly dragged him off down a corridor.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Where is she?”

“I doan know…  Shhh…”

“What?”

“Lis’en.”

“I don’t….”

Harry clamped a hand over Ron’s mouth and peered down the hallway.  He heard something moving in their direction.  A second later a foul stench hit his nose and he pulled Ron into an empty classroom just as the troll rounded the corner.  As it lumbered past them, Ron breathed, “The troll’s left the dungeons.”

“Ye think?”

Ron scowled at him and Harry pulled him out into the hall just as the troll vanished through a door.

“We can lock it in!” whispered Ron, spotting the key in the lock and springing forward.  Harry grabbed the back of his robes and jerked him back.

“Na!  Tha’s the girl’s ba’room!”

A shriek suddenly pierced the air and the two boys looked at each other.

“Niamh!”

Ron and Harry ran into the girl’s bathroom and saw Niamh cornered by it.  Harry drew his wand and yelled the first spell that came to mind.

“Evincio!”

Ropes shot out of Harry’s wand and bound themselves about the troll, which toppled backwards with a roar.  Harry jumped out of the way and yelled, “Niamh!”

“Harry!”

Turning to Ron, Harry hissed, “Ge’ ‘er ou’ o’ ‘ere.”

“What about…”

“GE’ ‘ER OU’ O’ ‘ERE, RON!” roared Harry as one of the ropes holding the troll snapped.

Ron leapt into action immediately, running around the troll and grabbing Niamh’s arm.  The girl was half frozen in fear and had to be dragged out of the bathroom.  As soon as Ron and Niamh were out Harry began to back towards the door.

He didn’t get that far.

The ropes holding the troll suddenly snapped and it got back on its feet, swinging its club at Harry with a roar.  Harry dived out of the way like a snake and hurled another spell at it.

“Sopor!”

The troll weaved dangerously as the spell hit it and Harry rolled out of the way just as it fell in the spot where he had been.  As he stood up, brushing himself off, McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape ran in.  McGonagall gave a gasp and threw her hands over her mouth as Quirrell whimpered and drew back from the troll.  Only Snape spotted Harry, who was still calmly brushing dust off his robes.

“Mr. Potter.”

Harry looked up at Snape’s voice.

“Sir?”

McGonagall noticed him now and practically screeched, “Explain yourself, Potter!”

Snape held up a warding hand.

“Let me handle him.”

McGonagall looked ready to protest but Snape fixed her with an icy glare.

“He is in my house, Minerva.  You may handle, Weasley.  Come, Potter.”

In a swirl of dark robes, Snape stalked out of the bathroom and Harry followed.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Harry!”

Niamh threw herself onto Harry as soon as he got to the door leading into the Slytherin dormitories.  She obviously had been waiting there.  And she didn’t notice Snape behind him until the Potions Master coughed.

“Professor!”

“Silence, O’Feir.  Potter, would you mind telling me what you were doing in the girl’s bathroom with the troll?”

“Niamh was trapped insi’e.  I ‘ad ter ‘elp ‘er.”

“I see,” said Snape slowly.  “Impressive spellwork, Potter.  Not many first year students can take out a fully grown mountain troll.”

Harry didn’t say anything.  He could tell there was something else coming.

“I, however, suggest you stay out of trouble.  The both of you.”  The black eyes flicked to Harry.  “Especially you, Potter.  Now get inside before I take points.”

Harry and Niamh nodded quickly and watched Snape as he stalked off towards his rooms.  Niamh then turned to the blank wall in front of them and said, “Salazar.”  The wall slid aside and the two entered the common room.

“Niamh!  Where were you!”

“Potter!”

“Where the hell were you two?”

“We heard Professor Snape…”

“What’s going…”

Bang!

Everyone in the room jumped as Harry slammed his fist down on a nearby table.  He growled, “We were i‘ the Grea’ ‘All.  Niamh tripped o’er ‘er robes.  Professor Snape jus’ now brought us back.  Tha’s i’!  Now, if ye’ll ‘cuse us.”  Harry gently grabbed Niamh’s arm and marched her over to the girl’s staircase, glaring coldly at anyone who tried to talk to them.

“Thanks, Harry,” breathed Niamh, “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

Harry smiled.  “No pro’lem, Ni.  Why doan ye ge’ some res’?  Ye look tired.”

“K.  Hey, your accent’s changing.”

“Eh?”

“It’s beginning to sound – well – different.  Like everyone else’s.”

“‘Eaven forbid.”

Niamh smiled at him and said, “Goodnight, Harry.”

“Nigh’, Ni.”

Niamh smiled again then vanished up the girl’s staircase.  Harry frightened her dormmates into hysterics by telling them that he’d turn them into trolls if they asked her one question about what happened earlier.  They scampered away from him in fear, causing him to smirk as he retreated to the boy’s dormitory.  Sitting on his bed, he stroked Hedwig’s feathers.  His owl often appeared in his dormitory.  How he didn’t know but he enjoyed it when she did.  When neither Niamh nor Ron were around he was lonely.  Smiling slightly, Harry changed and climbed into his bed, his long fingers curling in Hedwig’s soft feathers as she settled down on the bed beside him.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Draco watched Harry and his owl from a crack in the door.  As he stood and walked back into the common room he smirked.  He had the perfect plan on how to get Harry back for everything.

Walking over to the corner where he, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise Zabini had retreated to after being sent down from the Feast, Draco told them his plan.  Crabbe and Goyle laughed while Zabini gave a smirk that mirrored Draco’s own.  Eventually they had to abandon their table as Flint came in and ordered them to bed.

As Draco slid under his covers he looked over the other three beds at Harry’s.  He could see the top of the snowy owl’s head and its amber eyes, which were half closed in sleep.  Chuckling he softly said, “You’re going to regret making an enemy of me, Potter.  I will make sure of that.”

Still laughing, he closed his eyes, the image of what he planned to do dancing around inside his head in glee.