Chapter 6: - Broomsticks and Trolls
Mouthboy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Harry, Ron and Kari all whispering to their friends about the nights adventure, indeed, while Harry hadn't asked about the Kari like ghost yet, he considered last night an adventure and he wanted to have another one. Hermione and Neville didn't care what was down the trap door, in fact Hermione was only just speaking to Kari again, after Ombre had apologised to the girl for dragging both Hermione and her hikari out of Gryffindor tower that night.
Yugi and Joey looked interested, though she felt Yugi's stare when the two boy's had said they'd seen a flash of golden light and a ghost almost exactly like Kari had appeared. 'That reminds me, I must tell Yugi that Hermione knows about Ombre and the other yamis.' However, since Hermione wasn't talking to the boys at the moment anyway it didn't seem to matter.
As the post owls flooded into the hall, everyone's attention was caught by a long thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was as amazed as his friends and was surprised when it was dropped right in front of him. Another owl dropped a letter on top. Harry opened the latter first and his face broke into a grin as he passed the note around. Yugi read it and realised why it was such an odd shape.
Do not open the package at the table!
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand,
But I don't want everyone knowing you've
Got a broomstick or they'll all want one.
Oliver Wood will meet you on the
Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your
First training session.
Professor McGonagall
They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first lesson, but found their path upstairs blocked by Malfoy and his goons. Malfoy seized Harry's package and felt it.
"That's a broomstick! You'll be in for it this time, first years aren't allowed them."
"It's not just any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home? A Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned, "Comet look flashy, but their not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"What would you know about it Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back, "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."
"Why you…" Ron lunged for Malfoy, but was grabbed by Joey. Kari scowled at Malfoy as Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys…" He said Kari raise her eyebrow, "And girl."
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor."
"Ah yes, that's right. Professor told me about the special circumstances, Potter, what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir, and it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." While Harry and Ron hid their laughter, Joey and Kari didn't do such a great job, laughing their heads off at Malfoy's rage and confusion. Yugi smiled as Harry spoke again, "Well, it's true," Harry was speaking through laughs, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Rememberall I wouldn't be on the team…"
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Hermione said as they turned around to see who was speaking, glaring at the package in Harry's hands.
"Oh come on Hermione, chill it." Kari said, tiredly, she hadn't woken up yet.
"I thought you weren't talking to us?" Harry said,
"Yes, don't stop now, its doing us so much good." Hermione stormed away and Ron backed away quickly from Kari's glare. She bolted off after Hermione and the others bolted up to their dorm and unwrapped the broomstick. "Wow!"
It was sleek and shiney, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat straight twigs, and nimbus Two Thousand was written in gold near the top. The group watched Harry go off to practise, then Yugi, Joey went out to meet Kari by the lake, slightly surprised to see Ryou there. "Guys," She said, looking around and making sure there was no-one around. "We have a problem."
"What is it?" Yugi asked, as Yami appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi, Ombre took her's next to Kari and Bakura appeared, looking slightly annoyed.
"You know my friend, Hermione?" Bakura smirked.
"Trust you to be friends with that know-it all."
"Well she knows about you." Ombre said, growling at the Tomb-robber, "She worked it out and confronted us last night."
"So what are we going to do about it?"
"It'll be no good erasing her memories; she'd just work it out again. She's not stupid." Ombre said, "She says she won't tell anyone else, but we have to be more careful. She's not the only one that suspects something."
"What do you mean?" Bakura snapped.
"What I said. Hermione isn't the only one who suspects something. Malfoy has been suspicious since we wiped his memory and Harry and Ron have noticed the change overs. It doesn't help that when you take over, baka Tomb-robber, you cause trouble all the time."
"Ah so it's all my fault you and the Pharaoh don't know how to sneak around and keep yourselves hidden." Bakura said, "and it's apparently my fault the hikaris are lame and act so much differently to us."
"What did you say?" Yami and Ombre growled as they turned and glared at the tomb-robber.
"You heard me." Kari grimaced as the three yamis ending up fighting and Ryou sighed.
"We should probably stop them."
"Not possible." Yugi sighed.
"Like trying to stop the tides." Kari said, reaching under her robes and grasping her Millennium Orb. 'Ombre!' Ombre stopped and looked over. 'Cut it out.' The spirit removed herself from the fighting and came over to her hikari.
"Sorry."
"You wanna try getting Yami to stop?" Kari asked Yugi who sighed and turned to the fighting yamis. 'Yami?' Yami stopped and Bakura glared at him.
"Yes Yugi?"
'Cut it out please.'
"But…"
'We don't really have time for you to kill the Tomb Robber, someone could see you guys at any moment.'
"OK." Yami turned towards Yugi and Bakura swung a punch at Yami, who hit the ground hard. Yami turned around and leapt on Bakura, Yugi sighed and grabbed his Millennium Puzzle, yanking Yami into his soul room. Ryou did the same for Bakura.
Kari sighed as they walked back up to the castle.
Maybe it was them, but as Halloween dawned, Yugi could swear he hadn't been in the castle three months. They woke to the smell of baking pumpkin floating through the corridors. Their lessons were getting more interesting, though Bakura was making way too much use of the spell he'd picked up from Hermione, Alohomora.
Yugi's smile grew when Professor Flitwick announced to the charms class that he thought they were ready to make things fly, something the entire class had been looking forward to, Kari smirked, she was half tempted to cheat but she was partnered with Hermione and knew she knew about the Orbs power to move objects, so she had to attempt to do it the hard way. She pulled out her silver wand and turned to their feather.
"Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practising!" Squeaked Professor Flitwick, "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important too."
It was very difficult. Harry and Joey swished and flicked but their feather would not move. Joey got so annoyed he prodded the feather with his wand and it caught alight. Harry had to put it out with his hat.
At the next table Kari wasn't having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She snapped, swishing and flicking her wand until her wrist was sore.
"You're saying it wrong," Yugi heard Hermione snap back, of all the awkward partners he could have gotten stuck with, why had he been partnered with Kaiba? "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"Then you do it!" Kari snarled. Joey sighed, he could have told Hermione it wasn't smart to annoy Kari today, she'd had a fight with Malfoy yesterday and had been in a bad mood ever since.
Hermione flicked her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose above their heads.
"Oh look everyone, Miss Granger's done it." Kari temper didn't improve over the course of the lesson until right at the end when she was actually able to get the feather to float without using her Millennium Orb.
"How do you put up with her?" Ron asked, as Kari cracked the first smile for two days. "It's garrrr not gar. She's a nightmare, honestly!"
Someone crashed into Harry as they ran past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see she was in tears. "I think she heard you." Yugi said, concerned about the girl.
"So?" Asked Ron, though he looked uncomfortable, "She must have notice she just annoyed the only friend she's got." Kari slapped him, leaving a very large red hand print on his face. Kari chased off after the girl and neither of them were seen for the rest of the day.
On the way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron heard Parvarti Patil telling her friend Lavander, that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom and not even her best friend could get her to open the door. Ron felt even more awkward at that but Hermione went from their minds as they walked into the Great Hall.
Yugi was concerned but let it go when he realised he couldn't do much. He and Harry were helping themselves to jacket potatoes as Professor Quirell came sprinting into the Great Hall. His turban askew and terror on his face. "Troll in the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon! Thought you'd like to know!" He slumped forward and hit the ground, he'd fainted.
There was uproar. It took Dumbledore roaring at the top of his voice and several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of his wand to bring silence. "Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories, teachers follow me to the dungeons."
Percy led Gryffindor house back to the dorm. As they jostled their way through a crowd, Yugi grabbed Joey's arm. "I've just had a thought, Kari and Hermione!"
"What about them?"
"They don't know about the troll!" Harry and Ron, who'd heard the conversation turned around, "We have to go warn them."
"Alright," Ron snapped, "But Percy better not see us." The four joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way and slipped down a deserted corridor and hurried towards the girls toilets. They had just turned the corner when they heard footsteps behind them, "Percy!" Hissed Ron, and pulled Harry behind a large stone Griffin. Yugi and Joey hid behind the one opposite. But it wasn't Percy, it was Snape. Joey emerged as Snape vanished from view. "He's heading to the third floor." Joey went to go on but Ron held up his hand.
"Can you smell something?" An absolutely vile stench assaulted their noses. Then they heard it, low grunting and the shuffling of gigantic feet. The troll emerged into moonlight, foul sight. The troll looked in one of the doors and slowly made up it's mind and entered the room.
Harry lept on the key to the door and locked it, and as the four ran back up the corridor they heard a yell and a high pitched scream. "Oh no." Yugi blanched, his face going as pale as the ghosts that lived in Hogwarts.
"It's the girl's toilets."
"Hermione!"
"Kari!" They gasped. They wheeled around with Yugi in the lead, and raced back to the toilet and unlocked the door, racing in and gasping at the sight.
A magenta eyed girl, Harry and Ron were pretty damn sure that wasn't Kari anymore, was stood in front of a petrified Hermione, a golden ball in her hand. A bright golden flash behind them caused the troll to roar and it swung it's club catching the magenta eyed girl and smashing her into a wall. The Orb rolled away and a golden flash left Kari lying on the ground. "Ombre!" Hermione screamed. Yugi…no, not Yugi anymore, ran forward as Hermione shrank back against the wall.
"Confuse it!" Harry yelled to Ron, as Yugi? distracted it. He looked puzzled as he tried something that caused his puzzle to flash golden and it didn't work. The troll stopped and went for Yugi? instead.
Joey grabbed the Orb that had rolled away and then drew his wand. It was obvious Shadow magic wasn't going to work here. It seemed to work best with complex minds, this troll seemed to have almost no brains to speak of at all. Plus the Pharaoh had just tried it and failed.
"Oi, pea – brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the room as Yami pulled Hermione out of harms way. Ron's yell caused it to turn and go for Ron, giving Yami time to get Hermione behind Harry and Joey. Yami drew his wand and wondered what to do. Ron had moved towards Kari and had caught the trolls attention again. It was getting aggravated with all the little bugs running around its feet and went after the nearest one, Joey.
Harry leapt onto the trolls back and managed to fix his arms around the trolls neck. The troll couldn't feel him hanging there, but Harry's wand had gone up it's nose and it most defiantly felt the long bit of wood up one of his nostrils.
Harry hung on for dear life as the troll nearly pulled him off more then once. Joey and Ron yelled the first spell they could think of. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew out of the troll's hands, rose high into the air and turned, falling and dropping onto the troll's head with a crack. The troll fell and Harry got to his feet, dusting himself off. Kari groaned and Joey rushed over and lifted her up, as she came around.
"Is it dead?" Hermione was the first to speak.
"No, just knocked out." Harry said as he retrieved his wand. "Ewww troll bogies."
A sudden slamming and footsteps made them look up. The six suddenly realised how much noise they must have been making. A moment later Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, followed closely by Professors Snape and Quirrell. Joey was suddenly made aware he was holding Kari bridal style and let her down as Snape checked the troll. Professor McGonagall was glaring at the students. Harry wished the not–Yugi, Ron and Joey would both put their wands down. "What were you thinking?" She said, with cold fury in her voice as Joey passed Kari the Millennium Orb. "You're all lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitories?"
A small voice spoke as Kari winced as she rotated her shoulder. "Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!" Hermione had gotten to her feet at last.
"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could handle it on my own – yoou know, because I've read all about them." Kari's dazed expression turned to one of surprise, Hermione, lie to a teacher? "Kari followed me, to try to stop me, and if the boys hadn't come, we'd probably be dead. It was about to finish me when they arrived."
"Well in that case, Miss Granger, you foolish girl," McGonagall said, staring at the six of them, no eight, the two spirits had appeared, Ombre looked worse for wear. "How could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head, Ombre walked over and placed her hands on her shoulders as a show of support for the girl. Harry was speechless, Hermione was the last one to go against the rules, but here she was, lying and saying she had to get them out of trouble. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your severe lack of judgement. As for you seven, I say you were all lucky, not many first years could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale, five points, to each of you. Now go back to your dormitories."
"That was good of you to get us out of trouble like that." Harry said to Hermione as they walked along to the Gryffindor Common room.
"It's what friends do, isn't it?" She asked, there was a question hidden in there, like a confirmation of friendship, Yugi smiled and nodded.
"However you two, I think you have some explaining to do." Harry said, turning to Kari and Yugi. "I knew there was something up with you two, Ryou Bakura too, right?" Yugi sighed, and Joey shook his head, he'd known someone other then would Hermione found out sometime.
"What do you want to know?"
Yugi and Joey looked interested, though she felt Yugi's stare when the two boy's had said they'd seen a flash of golden light and a ghost almost exactly like Kari had appeared. 'That reminds me, I must tell Yugi that Hermione knows about Ombre and the other yamis.' However, since Hermione wasn't talking to the boys at the moment anyway it didn't seem to matter.
As the post owls flooded into the hall, everyone's attention was caught by a long thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was as amazed as his friends and was surprised when it was dropped right in front of him. Another owl dropped a letter on top. Harry opened the latter first and his face broke into a grin as he passed the note around. Yugi read it and realised why it was such an odd shape.
Do not open the package at the table!
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand,
But I don't want everyone knowing you've
Got a broomstick or they'll all want one.
Oliver Wood will meet you on the
Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your
First training session.
Professor McGonagall
They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first lesson, but found their path upstairs blocked by Malfoy and his goons. Malfoy seized Harry's package and felt it.
"That's a broomstick! You'll be in for it this time, first years aren't allowed them."
"It's not just any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home? A Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned, "Comet look flashy, but their not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"What would you know about it Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back, "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."
"Why you…" Ron lunged for Malfoy, but was grabbed by Joey. Kari scowled at Malfoy as Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.
"Not arguing, I hope, boys…" He said Kari raise her eyebrow, "And girl."
"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor."
"Ah yes, that's right. Professor told me about the special circumstances, Potter, what model is it?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir, and it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." While Harry and Ron hid their laughter, Joey and Kari didn't do such a great job, laughing their heads off at Malfoy's rage and confusion. Yugi smiled as Harry spoke again, "Well, it's true," Harry was speaking through laughs, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Rememberall I wouldn't be on the team…"
"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Hermione said as they turned around to see who was speaking, glaring at the package in Harry's hands.
"Oh come on Hermione, chill it." Kari said, tiredly, she hadn't woken up yet.
"I thought you weren't talking to us?" Harry said,
"Yes, don't stop now, its doing us so much good." Hermione stormed away and Ron backed away quickly from Kari's glare. She bolted off after Hermione and the others bolted up to their dorm and unwrapped the broomstick. "Wow!"
It was sleek and shiney, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat straight twigs, and nimbus Two Thousand was written in gold near the top. The group watched Harry go off to practise, then Yugi, Joey went out to meet Kari by the lake, slightly surprised to see Ryou there. "Guys," She said, looking around and making sure there was no-one around. "We have a problem."
"What is it?" Yugi asked, as Yami appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi, Ombre took her's next to Kari and Bakura appeared, looking slightly annoyed.
"You know my friend, Hermione?" Bakura smirked.
"Trust you to be friends with that know-it all."
"Well she knows about you." Ombre said, growling at the Tomb-robber, "She worked it out and confronted us last night."
"So what are we going to do about it?"
"It'll be no good erasing her memories; she'd just work it out again. She's not stupid." Ombre said, "She says she won't tell anyone else, but we have to be more careful. She's not the only one that suspects something."
"What do you mean?" Bakura snapped.
"What I said. Hermione isn't the only one who suspects something. Malfoy has been suspicious since we wiped his memory and Harry and Ron have noticed the change overs. It doesn't help that when you take over, baka Tomb-robber, you cause trouble all the time."
"Ah so it's all my fault you and the Pharaoh don't know how to sneak around and keep yourselves hidden." Bakura said, "and it's apparently my fault the hikaris are lame and act so much differently to us."
"What did you say?" Yami and Ombre growled as they turned and glared at the tomb-robber.
"You heard me." Kari grimaced as the three yamis ending up fighting and Ryou sighed.
"We should probably stop them."
"Not possible." Yugi sighed.
"Like trying to stop the tides." Kari said, reaching under her robes and grasping her Millennium Orb. 'Ombre!' Ombre stopped and looked over. 'Cut it out.' The spirit removed herself from the fighting and came over to her hikari.
"Sorry."
"You wanna try getting Yami to stop?" Kari asked Yugi who sighed and turned to the fighting yamis. 'Yami?' Yami stopped and Bakura glared at him.
"Yes Yugi?"
'Cut it out please.'
"But…"
'We don't really have time for you to kill the Tomb Robber, someone could see you guys at any moment.'
"OK." Yami turned towards Yugi and Bakura swung a punch at Yami, who hit the ground hard. Yami turned around and leapt on Bakura, Yugi sighed and grabbed his Millennium Puzzle, yanking Yami into his soul room. Ryou did the same for Bakura.
Kari sighed as they walked back up to the castle.
Maybe it was them, but as Halloween dawned, Yugi could swear he hadn't been in the castle three months. They woke to the smell of baking pumpkin floating through the corridors. Their lessons were getting more interesting, though Bakura was making way too much use of the spell he'd picked up from Hermione, Alohomora.
Yugi's smile grew when Professor Flitwick announced to the charms class that he thought they were ready to make things fly, something the entire class had been looking forward to, Kari smirked, she was half tempted to cheat but she was partnered with Hermione and knew she knew about the Orbs power to move objects, so she had to attempt to do it the hard way. She pulled out her silver wand and turned to their feather.
"Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practising!" Squeaked Professor Flitwick, "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important too."
It was very difficult. Harry and Joey swished and flicked but their feather would not move. Joey got so annoyed he prodded the feather with his wand and it caught alight. Harry had to put it out with his hat.
At the next table Kari wasn't having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She snapped, swishing and flicking her wand until her wrist was sore.
"You're saying it wrong," Yugi heard Hermione snap back, of all the awkward partners he could have gotten stuck with, why had he been partnered with Kaiba? "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"Then you do it!" Kari snarled. Joey sighed, he could have told Hermione it wasn't smart to annoy Kari today, she'd had a fight with Malfoy yesterday and had been in a bad mood ever since.
Hermione flicked her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose above their heads.
"Oh look everyone, Miss Granger's done it." Kari temper didn't improve over the course of the lesson until right at the end when she was actually able to get the feather to float without using her Millennium Orb.
"How do you put up with her?" Ron asked, as Kari cracked the first smile for two days. "It's garrrr not gar. She's a nightmare, honestly!"
Someone crashed into Harry as they ran past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see she was in tears. "I think she heard you." Yugi said, concerned about the girl.
"So?" Asked Ron, though he looked uncomfortable, "She must have notice she just annoyed the only friend she's got." Kari slapped him, leaving a very large red hand print on his face. Kari chased off after the girl and neither of them were seen for the rest of the day.
On the way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron heard Parvarti Patil telling her friend Lavander, that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom and not even her best friend could get her to open the door. Ron felt even more awkward at that but Hermione went from their minds as they walked into the Great Hall.
Yugi was concerned but let it go when he realised he couldn't do much. He and Harry were helping themselves to jacket potatoes as Professor Quirell came sprinting into the Great Hall. His turban askew and terror on his face. "Troll in the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon! Thought you'd like to know!" He slumped forward and hit the ground, he'd fainted.
There was uproar. It took Dumbledore roaring at the top of his voice and several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of his wand to bring silence. "Prefects, lead your houses back to the dormitories, teachers follow me to the dungeons."
Percy led Gryffindor house back to the dorm. As they jostled their way through a crowd, Yugi grabbed Joey's arm. "I've just had a thought, Kari and Hermione!"
"What about them?"
"They don't know about the troll!" Harry and Ron, who'd heard the conversation turned around, "We have to go warn them."
"Alright," Ron snapped, "But Percy better not see us." The four joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way and slipped down a deserted corridor and hurried towards the girls toilets. They had just turned the corner when they heard footsteps behind them, "Percy!" Hissed Ron, and pulled Harry behind a large stone Griffin. Yugi and Joey hid behind the one opposite. But it wasn't Percy, it was Snape. Joey emerged as Snape vanished from view. "He's heading to the third floor." Joey went to go on but Ron held up his hand.
"Can you smell something?" An absolutely vile stench assaulted their noses. Then they heard it, low grunting and the shuffling of gigantic feet. The troll emerged into moonlight, foul sight. The troll looked in one of the doors and slowly made up it's mind and entered the room.
Harry lept on the key to the door and locked it, and as the four ran back up the corridor they heard a yell and a high pitched scream. "Oh no." Yugi blanched, his face going as pale as the ghosts that lived in Hogwarts.
"It's the girl's toilets."
"Hermione!"
"Kari!" They gasped. They wheeled around with Yugi in the lead, and raced back to the toilet and unlocked the door, racing in and gasping at the sight.
A magenta eyed girl, Harry and Ron were pretty damn sure that wasn't Kari anymore, was stood in front of a petrified Hermione, a golden ball in her hand. A bright golden flash behind them caused the troll to roar and it swung it's club catching the magenta eyed girl and smashing her into a wall. The Orb rolled away and a golden flash left Kari lying on the ground. "Ombre!" Hermione screamed. Yugi…no, not Yugi anymore, ran forward as Hermione shrank back against the wall.
"Confuse it!" Harry yelled to Ron, as Yugi? distracted it. He looked puzzled as he tried something that caused his puzzle to flash golden and it didn't work. The troll stopped and went for Yugi? instead.
Joey grabbed the Orb that had rolled away and then drew his wand. It was obvious Shadow magic wasn't going to work here. It seemed to work best with complex minds, this troll seemed to have almost no brains to speak of at all. Plus the Pharaoh had just tried it and failed.
"Oi, pea – brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the room as Yami pulled Hermione out of harms way. Ron's yell caused it to turn and go for Ron, giving Yami time to get Hermione behind Harry and Joey. Yami drew his wand and wondered what to do. Ron had moved towards Kari and had caught the trolls attention again. It was getting aggravated with all the little bugs running around its feet and went after the nearest one, Joey.
Harry leapt onto the trolls back and managed to fix his arms around the trolls neck. The troll couldn't feel him hanging there, but Harry's wand had gone up it's nose and it most defiantly felt the long bit of wood up one of his nostrils.
Harry hung on for dear life as the troll nearly pulled him off more then once. Joey and Ron yelled the first spell they could think of. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew out of the troll's hands, rose high into the air and turned, falling and dropping onto the troll's head with a crack. The troll fell and Harry got to his feet, dusting himself off. Kari groaned and Joey rushed over and lifted her up, as she came around.
"Is it dead?" Hermione was the first to speak.
"No, just knocked out." Harry said as he retrieved his wand. "Ewww troll bogies."
A sudden slamming and footsteps made them look up. The six suddenly realised how much noise they must have been making. A moment later Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, followed closely by Professors Snape and Quirrell. Joey was suddenly made aware he was holding Kari bridal style and let her down as Snape checked the troll. Professor McGonagall was glaring at the students. Harry wished the not–Yugi, Ron and Joey would both put their wands down. "What were you thinking?" She said, with cold fury in her voice as Joey passed Kari the Millennium Orb. "You're all lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitories?"
A small voice spoke as Kari winced as she rotated her shoulder. "Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!" Hermione had gotten to her feet at last.
"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could handle it on my own – yoou know, because I've read all about them." Kari's dazed expression turned to one of surprise, Hermione, lie to a teacher? "Kari followed me, to try to stop me, and if the boys hadn't come, we'd probably be dead. It was about to finish me when they arrived."
"Well in that case, Miss Granger, you foolish girl," McGonagall said, staring at the six of them, no eight, the two spirits had appeared, Ombre looked worse for wear. "How could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head, Ombre walked over and placed her hands on her shoulders as a show of support for the girl. Harry was speechless, Hermione was the last one to go against the rules, but here she was, lying and saying she had to get them out of trouble. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your severe lack of judgement. As for you seven, I say you were all lucky, not many first years could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale, five points, to each of you. Now go back to your dormitories."
"That was good of you to get us out of trouble like that." Harry said to Hermione as they walked along to the Gryffindor Common room.
"It's what friends do, isn't it?" She asked, there was a question hidden in there, like a confirmation of friendship, Yugi smiled and nodded.
"However you two, I think you have some explaining to do." Harry said, turning to Kari and Yugi. "I knew there was something up with you two, Ryou Bakura too, right?" Yugi sighed, and Joey shook his head, he'd known someone other then would Hermione found out sometime.
"What do you want to know?"