Return to the Slytherin Table

Even if you did go to check on Granger, you doubted that the muggleborn girl would want to talk to you. All things considered, you were likely one of her least favorite people in Hogwarts -- on par with Professor Snape, Pansy Parkinson, and Draco Malfoy. You liked to think that you weren’t nearly as bad as those three but there was no telling what Granger’s opinion of you was.

Professor McGonagall had clearly informed you that this was a Gryffindor matter. Your help was neither wanted nor needed.

You hadn’t been the one that caused Granger to spend the day crying in the bathroom. In fact, you had gone out of your way over the last week to keep the other Slytherin first years from bothering her. It wasn’t your fault that a jealous, insensitive, Gryffindor jerk had mouthed off about her. If anything, Ron Weasley should be the one to go and apologise.

At least her Head of House now knew where she was. Professor McGonagall was more suited to dealing with this problem. You had done your part by ensuring that she knew about it.

You and Millicent reclaimed your seats at the Slytherin table and were almost immediately beset upon by Daphne Greengrass. “So… what happened? Where’s Granger?”

“Why so interested?” you asked teasingly. “Concerned about Granger?”

“No!” Daphne adamantly denied. “And I’m not interested… I’m just… mildly curious.”

“It’s really none of your business,” you informed her. “And if you’re only… 'mildly curious'… I’m sure you can handle not knowing.”

“Fine! Don’t tell me!” Daphne snapped then she let out a huff as she went back to her meal.

You kept watching her as you casually picked up your goblet and sipped your pumpkin juice. Normally you didn’t actually care for pumpkin juice. But since it was Halloween and the Great Hall was decorated with flying bats and floating jack-o-lanterns, it seemed like an appropriate time to make an exception.

Daphne wasn’t so much eating her food as opposed to playing with it. It was obvious to anyone watching that there was clearly something else on her mind. Tracey shot you an annoyed glare and watched her best friend with concern as she got progressively more restless. At this point, Daphne wasn’t even pretending to eat. She was simply holding her fork and prodding at her food.

You watched as her pale blue eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. She threw her fork down and turned to Millicent. “Millicent! You went with him! Can you tell me what you heard?”

Millicent froze as you turned to look at her. She glanced from you then back to Daphne. “If you care so much about the Gryffindor gossip… maybe you should’ve gone to the lion’s den with us to find out yourself firsthand.”

“Urrggh!” Daphne let out an unladylike growl of frustration which told you just how much your plan to withhold information was bothering her. You sent Millicent a silent, highly appreciative look. Daphne had correctly noted that Millicent was in a position to ruin your game. But your distant cousin was more loyal to you than the other girl. That loyalty meant a lot to you. In Slytherin, there weren’t many people that you could genuinely trust. But Millicent was one of them.

You watched as Daphne drummed her fingers on the table. This girl clearly wasn’t used to people not telling her things. It made you wonder about her home life. Did her parents cater to her demands and tell her everything she wanted to hear when she wanted to hear it? You were clearly getting under her skin by not telling her what you’d found out.

Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore and exploded, “Damn it! Just tell me!”

“So you are interested?” you prodded.

“Yes,” Daphne nearly hissed. “Especially with you making such a big deal about it!”

Now how would a cunning Slytherin exploit this information?

“What’s it worth to you?” you asked with a teasing grin.

“Excuse me?” Greengrass growled dangerously.

“What’ll you give me in exchange for this oh-so-precious information?” you inquired.

Daphne faltered for a moment, “This isn’t fair! I did that flower research for you for free!”

You nodded your head and acknowledged her point. “For the record, you wouldn’t have even known about that mystery until I brought it to your attention. And I figured out most of it on my own anyway. But fine. In the interest of being even… I’ll tell you this Gryffindor gossip for free. But going forward, I want you to know that I’ll likely expect something in exchange for my information.”

The dark-haired girl huffed, “Like you have anything else I want to know.”

“Maybe not yet,” you said. “But Hogwarts is a big castle and it’s full of secrets. I’m sure I’ll uncover something eventually. For now… I’ll tell you…”

You were interrupted as Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Great Hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.

“TROLL!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!” He stopped in front of the Headmaster and the Head Table. “Thought you ought to know…” He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an immediate uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

“Prefects,” he rumbled, “lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately.”

“Is he INSANE!?” Draco screamed. His pale complexion had gone even paler out of fear. “The Slytherin dormitory is IN the dungeon!”

“I’m sure even Dumbledore isn’t barmy enough to send a quarter of the school to running to their ****,” Blaise remarked. He didn’t actually seem all that afraid. More like amused about the whole situation. “This certainly makes for a scary Halloween.”

You felt a familiar pair of hands grab your shoulders and the swell of an also familiar bust press into the back of your head as 'the Perfect Prefect' leaned against you from behind. Damian Perriss had come over and was standing on the other side of the table.

“Don’t worry, firsties,” Gemma called out. “Obviously, the Headmaster and the rest of the professors will be heading down to the dungeons first to look for the troll. We’ll simply have to follow behind them.”

What happened next happened fast. Malfoy immediately sprang up from this seat and was practically glued to Damian Perriss’ side. Crabbe and Goyle, who didn’t look all that unafraid themselves, rushed up behind Draco.

Gemma stepped away from you and allowed you to stand up. But you were caught off guard when Pansy Parkinson shot to her feet and immediately latched herself onto your arm.

“What’re you doing?” you asked. Parkinson wasn’t someone you would exactly call pleasant so having her holding onto your arm was rather unsettling.

“It’s called self-preservation,” Pansy replied as she squeezed your arm like a coiled snake. “Everyone knows you’re Prefect Farley’s favorite. The closer I am to you - the safer I’ll be.”

You saw Gemma smirking with amusement. It was worth noting that she didn’t actually deny Parkinson’s claim.

Theodore Nott had somehow managed to slip inside Draco’s protective wall made from Perriss, Crabbe, and Goyle. The fact that he had been sitting on your side of the table made the feat particularly impressive.

Millicent looked pale and nervous. “How could a troll get in? They’re supposed to be really stupid.”

“Let’s worry about that later,” you said. “Come on, Millie, I’ve got a free arm if you want it..." You held your hand that didn’t have Pansy Parkinson latched onto it out towards her.

Millicent didn’t need to be told twice. She sprang up and grabbed your hand. You bit back a grunt at just how tightly the larger girl ended up squeezing it. Much tighter than Parkinson.

Blaise got up and smirked at you. He still didn’t seem very concerned about the troll attack. “It’s the old adage. I don’t need to outrun the troll -- I just need to outrun you lot."

This left Daphne and Tracey as the only first years that were still seated.

Tracey had gone pale and seemed to have frozen. But, like Blaise, Daphne didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the troll. Instead, she looked furious.

And she was glaring straight at you.

“Greengrass, Davis, move it!” Gemma yelled.

Daphne sprang into motion at Gemma’s prompting. But she didn’t simply stand up. Instead, she climbed up onto the table and knocked over a few cups and dishes as she crawled over it. She was coming right at you. But because Pansy and Millicent were holding your arms you were left rooted in place and could do nothing to dodge as Daphne jumped onto your back. Your only consolation was the fact that the thirteen-year-old witch wasn't overly heavy.

“You’re not leaving my sight until you tell me what happened with Granger like you agreed!” Greengrass growled as her arms snaked around your neck then she called out for her friend. “Come on, Tracey!”

Tracey glanced at Draco, Vincent, Gregory, and Theodore all gathered around Prefect Perriss on her side of the table then looked at you, Pansy, Millicent, Blaise, and - most importantly - Daphne standing with Prefect Farley across from her. She eventually came to a decision and decided to follow after Daphne. She climbed up onto the Slytherin table and crawled across it then slid down and stood behind you.

“Ew…” Tracey complained, “I got pumpkin juice on my skirt…”

“That’s what you get for climbing across the table like an animal,” Gemma lightly chided her then she briefly shook her head at Daphne, who was still hanging off of your back and smirked at Pansy and Millicent who were holding your arm and hand respectively, “Wow, Marvolo, only thirteen and you’ve already got girls hanging off of you.”

You felt your face heat up at the ‘praise’ while two of the girls in question objected.

“I already said this was for self-preservation!”

“He’s intentionally withholding information from me!”

“...” Millicent said nothing but her hold on your hand somehow got even tighter.

“Can we go now?” you requested.

Gemma nodded, “Damian, I’ve got six you have four. That's all of them. Let’s go.”

It had only taken two minutes for you to get organized. You looked further along the table and saw that the two sixth year prefects had gathered the second years while the older students were all following the seventh year prefects out of the Great Hall.

You turned and glanced back at Professor Quirrell, who miraculously hadn’t been trampled in the chaos he had caused. Instead, he used that chaos and the fact that the professors had all gone looking for the troll to slip around the Head Table so he could escape through a door that was behind it and led who-knows-where.

“Where’s he going?” you heard Daphne whisper from on your back.

“You saw that?” you asked.

“I’m on your back, genius,” the dark-haired girl reminded you. “I see everything you see.”

You reached the door in time to see Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom go through with grave expressions on their faces. You were instantly reminded of Hermione. Maybe they were going to warn her about the troll? Weasley had been the one to upset her so the trio owed her that much. You also inadvertently ensured that Professor McGonagall knew where the muggleborn girl was. The Head of Gryffindor House obviously wouldn’t leave one of her first years crying alone in a bathroom while there was a rampaging troll in the castle.

Now knowing that there were other people seeing to that particular problem and also realising that with Pansy, Millicent, and Daphne hanging off you, literally in Daphne’s case, there was no way that you could sneak off undetected. So instead you followed Gemma Farley out of the Great Hall. Damian Perriss and the other first years joined you by the door and you all made your way to the door at the bottom of the Grand Staircase that served as your most direct route down to the dungeon.

Gemma glanced back before she started her descent down the stairs, “Parkinson, Bulstrode, make sure Marvolo doesn’t fall down the stairs with that extra weight on his back.”

“Hmph,” Daphne huffed, “This ‘extra weight’ has a name. And it’s his own fault I’m here.”

The fifth year girl drew her wand and waved it your direction, “Just don’t make my job of getting you firsties back to the dorms any harder.”

The doorway was thankfully wide enough to fit three first years through it. But Millicent adjusted her hold on you from her hand to your arm and made sure you got down the stairs safely in spite of Daphne hanging on your back. Pansy was no help as usual.

You found Professor Sinistra waiting for you with her wand drawn when you reached the bottom of the stairs. She regarded the two prefects and all of you first years between them. “Are all ten of the first years accounted for?”

“Yes ma’am,” Gemma replied.

The dark-skinned Astronomy professor nodded. “Proceed to the common room. Professor Vector is waiting by the door to ensure that you all get in safely.”

You continued to follow Gemma Farley along the dungeon until you reached the open entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Professor Vector, who you had not met but had seen sitting at the Head Table during meals, was standing outside also with her wand drawn while keeping her eyes trained down the dungeon for any sign of the troll.

“Everyone in,” Professor Vector ordered.

You all let out a collective sigh of relief once you reached the safety of the common room. Tracey immediately rushed off while pawing at her stained skirt while Pansy was quick to release your arm now that her life was no longer in danger. Millicent took a bit longer to step away from you.

Daphne finally dropped off of your back and you turned to regard the other first years. “Say what you will about Headmaster Dumbledore. But it looks like they had a plan in place to protect the students that live in the dungeon.”

Malfoy scoffed as he returned to his usual coloring, “Professor Sinistra and Vector probably came up with that plan themselves. Everyone knows that Dumbledore doesn’t care about Slytherins. The old goat can’t see beyond the tip of his crooked nose. It’s probably his fault that the troll got in.”

“Actually… it’s Professor Quirrell’s,” a seventh year prefect who was standing near the entrance chimed in. “Quirrell was using a troll as a demonstration for our seventh year N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He was storing it deep in the dungeon and was using it to demonstrate how magical creatures are resistant to spells. I hear that Professor Kettleburn asked Professor Quirrell to keep it around so he could use it for Care of Magical Creatures.”

“Well… Dumbledore’s the one who hired such a pathetic professor,” Malfoy insisted. “If he couldn’t control the creature that he brought in then he shouldn’t be teaching at this school. Hogwarts is supposed to be the greatest magical school in the world but with Dumbledore at the helm schools like Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will soon surpass us.”

You frowned as you thought about how Professor Quirrell wasn’t as pathetic as everyone seemed to believe. The stutter that disappeared during private conversations, the Stinging Hex he taught you after he learned that you would be dueling with Potter and Weasley, and finally the way he’d slipped off after plunging the school into chaos. That didn't seem like a professional way to deal with a monster that had gotten loose in a school full of children. You suspected that the troll was a distraction to keep the other professors occupied. But you couldn’t even begin to guess what the distraction was for.

Greengrass drew you out of your thoughts when she grabbed your arm. “You owe me a story, Gaunt. Stop dragging your feet.”

“Did you ever stop to think why I’m so **** to share this?” you countered. “Maybe it’s a personal matter that I don’t wish to discuss in front of Slytherins who would no doubt use the information to hurt her.”

“You agreed to tell me,” Daphne insisted. “You can’t back out now.”

“You’re right… I did,” you agreed. “And I won’t back out. Since you’re so interested, I’ll tell you, and you alone -- in private. Those are my conditions.”

“Fine,” Daphne snapped. She yanked your arm and dragged you through the common room.

You looked back for help but found none coming. Gemma seemed to be fairly amused by your plight. You reached the girls’ hallway then Daphne opened her door and dragged you into her room.

Time seemed to freeze as you stopped in your tracks and took in the sight that greeted you.

Tracey Davis was bent over going through the trunk at the foot of her bed. And she wasn’t wearing a skirt! Her outer robes were lying on the bed but other than that she was wearing the rest of her Hogwarts uniform. Even her high white socks and shoes. That made the sight of the blonde half-blood’s bare legs and white knickers even more jarring.

The thirteen-year-old girl didn’t have the curves that older girls like Gemma Farley boasted. Her legs were thin and she didn’t have much in the way of hips. Still... girl bum. A well rounded rear end filled out her simple white knickers in a way that made your jaw drop.

“Tracey!” Daphne gasped at the sight of her friend. “Why don’t you have a skirt on?”

“I got pumpkin juice on it when I followed you over the table,” Tracey told her. “I came ba…” Davis trailed off when she looked behind her and saw that Daphne wasn’t alone. And like when she heard about the troll, she froze. Her brown eyes bugged out as she stared back at you and you watched as her face rapidly gained color until it was beet red.

“Tracey!” Daphne shouted at her frozen friend to snap her out of her shock.

“EEEEKK!” the little blonde let out a shriek then vaulted over her trunk onto her bed and yanked her bare legs under her sheets. “WHAT’S HE DOING IN HERE!?”

“I brought him here so he’d finally tell me what’s going on with Granger,” Daphne answered. She turned and around and pushed your dropped jaw closed. “Get a good look, pervert?”

You blinked as you attempted to rid yourself of the mental image of Tracey’s upturned bum clad in her white knickers. It was a very difficult feat. Once your mental faculties returned, you defended yourself. “You’re the one who dragged me in here without knocking.”

“Well… now you owe Tracey too!” the flustered Daphne argued. “After the view you got, I’d say she’s earned the right to hear what you’ve got to say about Granger too.”

“I don’t even care about Granger!” Tracey objected from where she was still taking cover under her bed sheets. “I swear your love of mysteries will be the **** of me someday.”

“Look, it’s simple,” you said, “Granger’s been in the bathroom crying her eyes out all day because Weasley said something stupid about her this morning.”

“That’s it?” Daphne questioned. “Weasley says something stupid anytime he opens his mouth! That’s hardly news!”

“You’re the one who made a big deal about it,” you pointed out.

“Oh no!” Tracey gasped in alarm. “Does she know about the troll?”

“I thought you didn’t care about Granger?” you prodded.

“Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I want her to be killed by a troll!” Davis insisted.

“Well,” you replied, “then you’ll be relieved to know that I made it so Professor McGonagall was informed about her missing student when she came over. Weasley got told off and if we’re lucky she took points as a punishment. I’m sure she’ll see to Granger once the troll has been dealt with. And if she doesn’t, Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom were acting pretty shifty as they left the Great Hall. I bet they snuck off to warn her.” You turned to Daphne. “There. Now you know what I know. Satisfied?”

“For now,” Greengrass said but then her icy blue eyes nearly sparked as a sudden thought struck her. “Unless you’d be willing to tell us why Professor Quirrell would let that troll loose as a dangerous distraction?”

“Here we go again…” Tracey groaned with a weary shake of her head.

“Here’s some free advice,” you told Daphne. “Drop your investigation into Professor Quirrell. In fact, don’t start it. I know he acts like a fool… but he’s dangerous. And he’s not someone you want to anger.”

“...” Daphne stared at you. “You’re serious? You’re actually scared of Quirrell?”

“You don’t know what I know,” you warned her. “But if either of you know what’s good for you… you'll drop it. And that’s all I’m saying. I’ve already said too much.” You quickly turned and fled the room before Greengrass could ask you anything else.

A table filled with food, drinks, plates, and various cutlery had been brought in while you were gone in order for you to finish the Halloween feast in the safety of the Slytherin dorms. You spent the rest of the night avoiding Daphne and Tracey. For the latter, it was easy, the blonde half-blood still couldn’t meet your eye after the view you’d gotten in her room. And her shifty behavior would cause you to recall the mental photograph you'd taken of her cute knicker-clad bum. But the intense glint in Daphne’s eyes told you that your words of warning had the opposite effect and that you had set her on a new mystery.

You just hoped those meddling kids lived to see the end of it.

---

Marvolo Gaunt House Point Ledger

Current Total: +41

Points awarded by: SS, RH, QQ