𝐈. 𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 | 𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐗 𝐇𝐏

ten

A  thousand  live  bats  fluttered  from  the  walls  and  ceiling  while  a  thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making  the  candles  in  the  pumpkins  stutter.  The  feast  appeared  suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Lilith was chatting happily from her seat between Oliver Wood and George Weasley, before someone came interrupting the feast.

Professor Quirrell  came  sprinting  into  the  hall,  his  turban  askew  and  terror  on  his  face.  Everyone  stared  as  he  reached  Professor  Dumbledore's  chair,  slumped  against  the  table,  and  gasped,  "Troll  —  in  the  dungeons — thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. There was an 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!"

Percy was in his element. "Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

Lilith was pulled up by Oliver and he placed his hand over her shoulder as George placed his on the other.

"Come on, sweets. We've got to get back to the dorms." Oliver said, pushing her gently towards the crowd who were panicking.

"How  could  a  troll  get  in?"  Lilith heard Harry  ask  as  they  climbed  the  stairs. "Don't  ask  me,  they're  supposed  to  be really stupid," said Ron.

"Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke." They  passed  different  groups  of  people  hurrying  in  different  directions.  As  they  jostled  their  way  through  a  crowd  of  confused  Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm. "I've just thought — Hermione."

"What about her?" "She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

As the duo went to run off to the other direction, they grabbed Lilith's arm on the way, causing the two boys who walked beside her to turn around, looking for the girl. But they were too late as Harry and Ron had pulled her to the corner, and out of sight.

"What?" Lilith asked them, surprised by their sudden actions.

"Hermione's in the girl's bathroom. She doesn't know!" Harry told her frantically, and Lilith grew alerted.

"How long has she been there?" She may dislike the girl, but that doesn't mean she would let her get killed.

"Ever since we finished our classed. Parvati said she's been crying, because-- er-" Harry glanced nervously at Ron.

"She overheard something I said." Ron cleared his throat, shifting bervously.

Lilith immediately raised her hands to smack him.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry and Lilith behind a large stone griffin. Peering  around  it,  however,  they  saw  not  Percy  but  Snape.  He  crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered.

"Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" "Search me."

Quietly  as  possible,  they  crept  along  the  next  corridor  after  Snape's fading footsteps. "He's  heading  for  the  third  floor,"  Harry  said,  but  Ron  held  up  his hand.