92 Just get away...

Hermione stifles a sob as she strides out of the Great Hall, unsure which direction she was headed but as long as it was away from them it was fine. Really, how could she be so stupid? To think she actually thought she was making friends here!?

Ever since Weasley accused her of being in love with Harry 'Dark Lord' Potter, the teasing had been incessant. Not only in her year, but every other year. Even other houses like Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had gotten in on it, making snide remarks in hallways and classrooms.

The worst was the Slytherin students who hated Harry more than anyone else for some reason. Calling her 'Mudblood' and 'Snakewhore' at every opportunity. Even while Professor watched, he didn't do anything, simply sneering at her.

The hay that broke the camel's back had been her questioning where Harry had been during the Halloween feast. That foul beast Weasley stuck a handful of half-chewed gum in her hair and purposely spilt pumpkin juice on her book. Magical gum that'd take an hour of painful cleaning, and a ruined book which she'd have to shamefully return to Madam Pince.

She sniffles while wiping moisture from her eyes while stomping down the hall, her state making her unable to smell the terrible odour that now filled the halls.

"H-Hermione!" Neville shouts and runs over, grabbing the sobbing girl's arm and turning her around.

"W-what!? Shouldn't you be 'joking around' with Ron!?" she says, snatching her hand back.

"Look, I know he went too far but I'll try fix it. I'll have him say sorry, and we'll ask Professor McGonagall to stop people making fun of you!"

Hermione snorts through her tears, "Do you really think that would do anything!? It will just make things worse!"

She knew that for a fact too, she'd been bullied in her old school and had confided in her teachers... The bullies simply took their punishments out on her after school, pelting her house with eggs or badgering her whenever she ventured outside...

"It will. If you tell them it bothers you they'll stop. They're just having fun-"

"Fun!?" she tugs her hair, showing the gum clump running through it, "Does this look like fun to you!!? Just leave me alone!" she shouts and starts stomping away again.

"W-wait! Hermione... Do you smell that...?" he stops her, sniffing at the air with a grimace.

She scowls, "You want to mock me too!? I should have expected it!"

"No! I really mean it! Something really bad sme-"

*Stomp!*

...

The duo glance down the hall as the reverberation washes through them, the hairs on their necks standing.

*Stomp!*

The footsteps got closer and closer, until they could finally see the cause... A hulking 12ft creature with grey skin and the ugliest face either had ever seen, the rag-like clothes almost acting as sponges for the almost skunk-like scent.

It spots them, locking eyes with the duo and gripping its large club tightly. It lets out a gurgling burb and begins its stride anew, steadily approaching them with a grisly grin.

"T-that's a mountain tr-!" Hermione stutters out but is interrupted.

"Who cares what it is! RUN!" Neville shouts, grabbing her hand and sprinting away at top speeds, their departure prompting the creature to start running too.

"S-SOMEONE HELP!" Neville screams, jabbing his wand behind him to cast some stunning curses, but all of them wash over the troll's skin uselessly, its magical resistance too great to pierce.

They run through many hallways to try and reach the Great Hall where the teachers could help, but as they round a corner they crash into something and fall onto their butts.

"I'm going to assume that was an accident." a voice drawls, and the duo are shocked to find themselves face-to-face with Harry Potter, his large snake coiled around his shoulders protectively... Wait, why were his robes singed?

Neville snaps out of his stupor when the stomping reaches his ears again, "H-Harry! There's a troll chasing us! We need to run!" he gets up and attempts to drag the Boy-Who-Lived along with Hermione.

Harry pulls back however, an unfamiliar look of interest on his face. "A troll? Interesting." a grin splits his lips.

"This is serious! We need to run or we'll be killed!" Neville exclaims, becoming more erratic as the footsteps draw nearer.

Harry steps past them, ignoring their fearful looks as he takes something from within his robe. The troll skids around the corner, crashing into the opposite wall as it charges them.

Hermione shrieks while Neville shoves her behind him defensively, wand ready should Harry fail in whatever ridiculous, suicidal scheme he was attempting.

Harry just steps forwards and throws something, a doll of some sort?

*Poof!*

"TRORG IS HERE BOSS! WHAT YOU NEED DO-OOFF!" the minotaur-like Incubus announces itself just as the troll smacks him into the wall with its club. The impact cracks the wall, but Trorg just brushes the dust off and growl, spreading his wings and raising his axe, "YOU DON'T HURT US, UGLY!"

"ME UGLY!? YOU UGLY!" the troll gurgles back, trying for another swipe that Trorg simply dodges.

"Trorg, take it alive." Harry orders as the baffled Neville and Hermione watch, and their incredulity only grows as the demon nods and slaps the troll across the hall with the flat of its axe, as if it weighed nothing.

It was honestly like watching two giant heavy-weights duke it out, if you added weapons of course. It doesn't take long for Trorg to deliver a haymaker to the troll's face, knocking many teeth out while sending it to dreamland. "I'S THE STRONGEST!"

"Nanthisk, help Trorg take it outside, we'll have Nieve and Kali transport it back home." he states before turning to his classmates, "Sorry about this." he points a finger and, "Stupefy." he chants, knocking both them out.

Kali soon arrives after receiving his call from their bond, landing on his shoulder, "I need you to remove their memories. I'd rather not be revealed so soon."

Kali tilts her head but doesn't argue, hiding her sly smirk from Harry, "Yes, Master."

She hops down next to them and enters their minds, erasing Neville's memory of what'd occurred, altering it so that he thinks he found Hermione but slipped and knocked himself immediately after.

Hermione gets a different treatment however... She doesn't remove her memories, instead, she alters them... Harry heroically protects her in a fierce magical duel that reduces the troll to dust. He tries to erase her memory to protect himself for 'some perfectly natural reason', but ends up failing somehow, perhaps not wishing to alter his close friend's mind?

"All done, Master. Shall we get to moving the beast? Preferably before anyone comes, you need to be in the hall for your alibi too."

He nods, "Let's hope I get there for dinner, I'm starving... Summing Nieve took a bit out of me." he admits.