Give It a Year

My Nights and weeks have been anything but relaxed; I’ve had papers after papers to write to keep up my grade as best as possible in the last 2 months. It’s been hard splitting who I talk too, Hermione or Harry and Ron, and it’s absolutely impossible to talk and try and get them to be civil, its mainly Ron and Hermione who are feuding and it doesn’t help when Ron makes fun of her, there not even friends so it’s beyond me how they hate each other so much. He even made her cry today, its Halloween for god’s sake have a little fun but nope, I have to comfort her instead of having Dinner, I am very hungry too.

“Hermione remember how I see people only pick on you because their Jealous, well that’s Ron he’s Jealous you can beat him at any subject, you’re very smart and he’s jealous that he’s grown up around this stuff and you haven’t and you get top marks.”
My stomach grumbled softly against her sobs, poor girl doesn’t hear the end of it, Snape calls her a know it all and Ron does the exact same. She slowly came out of the stall where she was hiding that hour I was comforting her, a brief smile swept on her face but faded into fear. I looked behind me and there it was. A big, smelly, old troll. I glanced at Hermione then back at the Troll. “Blimey.” I muttered which triggered it to do the exact opposite of its previous docile state. It smashed the walls, sinks, the whole lavatory was a mess and made it very hard for her and I to die.

“Oi pea-brain!” I hear, thank god it was Ron and Harry, the metal pipe Ron threw at the Troll didn’t even daze the troll long enough for us to run around it. Harry the bright fellow decided he’d jump on the back while it seemed to gain steadiness, it all happened so quickly I yelled at Ron telling him to cast a spell before Harry got hurt and then next thing it was on the ground, unconscious. I walked over to Harry and Ron, “Thank-you bless you all now please, will the three of you get along for god’s sake.”

“What on earth – why are the four of you not in your dormitories?” Professor McGonagall’s shrill voice questioned behind us along with Quirrell and Snape, we all went wide eyed and panicked. Hermione spoke up, “Please Professor, they were looking for me, I thought I could take on the troll myself because I’ve read all about them.” McGonagall tutted and shook her head although she was quite amazed, “10 points from Gryffindor for your foolishness, Harry, Ron and Valora, 5 points each for being the only first years that could take on a full grown troll. Now off to bed, the lot of you.”

And that was that for a while, Hermione became friends with them ever since thank god, I was beginning to tire over who to talk too, now they all get along with the occasional argue or so. Christmas was a breeze, Hermione and I left over the Christmas break while Harry and Ron stayed put at Hogwarts, I wanted to stay but it felt wrong not having Christmas with my Dad and brother. Even for them I knew it would feel strange having a Christmas with just 2, so I decided to go home and besides it was the longest time I’ve gone without seeing Dad and really spending time with Cedric even though I saw Cedric every day and wrote to Dad every week. But I couldn’t help but feel distant from the family when I returned home, there was less excitement, Cedric seemed to stray from me and so did Dad, I knew it had something to do with my sorting and being in Gryffindor. But I didn’t let that stop me from having fun over Christmas.

~

I was peering over Hermione’s shoulder as did Ron and Harry, apparently the whole school year so far Harry and Ron had been wanting to know who this Nicholas Flamel person was, I knew who he was, if I had known this at the start of the year I would’ve told them which made Ron very frustrated that they never bothered asking me.
Harry seemed obsessed about the Gringott’s break in and knew exactly what that person wanted from that vault now, the Philosophers stone. It was exactly the thing I’d rather him not worry about before a big game against Hufflepuff with Snape Refereeing.
In fact Hermione and Ron have been trying to get him to pull out of the match, which in my eyes isn’t a good tactic nor good sportsmanship, he’d let the team down if he pulled out and why should the entire house be punished for it. However Harry decided that to avoid being forever Humiliated by Malfoy and his little posse’ and the rest of the Slytherin’s that he would grow up and get over his insignificant fear of Snape.

I decided that today was a nice enough day to walk Nyx, 5 months old she was and she grew a lot, reaching almost to my hip. Despite her monstrous ongoing growth spurts Professor McGonagall allowed me to keep her inside the castle as long as she stayed in the Dormitory at all times while I was in class, but most of the time I let Hagrid take care of her while I was absent, he enjoyed her company as much as I did. I knew she’d grow bigger which whether I liked it or not will probably lead to having her outside. Its not like she’s ferocious either, Parvati Patil really likes her and so does Hermione, she was like our house Mascot, well kind of. She loved the twins for sure, and even Harry and Ron.

It was a brief walk but at least she could roam in the courtyard, some other students were most horrified but first years like me seemed to have gotten used to her. “What an ugly beast, it’s a wonder you haven’t been sent home for having that fowl thing around.”
I didn’t have to look to know who it was, Draco Malfoy. But what I did turn to see was if his little posse followed, and no for once he doesn’t.

“All talk aren’t you Malfoy, still crying yourself to sleep after Slytherin lost ey? Such a sore looser you make me embarrassed.” I say simply walking over to Nyx and petting her as she sniffs the ground. “Oh Diggory has a mouth on her, you don’t scare me.” He retorts, I rolled my eyes, “I don’t need too.” I smirked, all caught up in his cockiness he failed to notice the missing feline from my side. She growled and he jumped, “You see, you think us Diggory’s are jokes, too nice for our own good, there’s a reason why I was put in Gryffindor and unlike you Malfoy I’ll stand up to you with or without company because I’m not a coward.”

That was the last I heard from Malfoy for a few days, that was until the Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor Quidditch match, that fowl git showed his face with his little posse just to Taunt Neville and Ron. Much to my pleasure Gryffindor won and again much to my pleasure Malfoy brooded about the loss for the rest of the day. Serves him right I reckon.
The day for us Gryffindor’s was purely bliss, Neville even celebrated, I patted him on the back from standing up to Malfoy even if he stammered his way through and even tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle. It was fun for Hermione, Ron and I until Harry told us some dreadful news. Snape plans on taking the Philosopher’s stone.

However.
Weeks passed and not a single advance on taking the stone was made by Snape. Harry kept a close eye on him. Although If Harry was supposedly worried about the stone I have no idea what we’re doing at Hagrid’s silently arguing over a dragons egg he won off a stranger. I wonder if Hagrid actually thought that ‘ hey this lad might be a bad guy, he’s got a hood and everything so maybe, just maybe he’s bad.’ But then again Hagrid is as deadly as a puffskein so he couldn’t tell danger from a harmless drink or two.

And just as I suspected that was yet another thing Harry, Hermione and Ron began to worry about, I didn’t however, I had to worry about extra homework but no between the Stone and what was guarding it and Hagrids Dragon egg, the three were beginning to grow anxious. I followed suite however, I had just as much part in this as they did, but I began to grow anxious as the three were muttering about Hagrids letter for them to go watch the hatching in the middle of school and who happened to be right by and heard just about everything?
Draco Malfoy. But of course I was too engrossed about who would hear it that I didn’t even see him, it wasn’t until I saw his ghostly pale face witness the hatching himself, Hagrid saw too and then Harry.
“Well, we’re getting expelled aren’t we?” I questioned in despair as we walked back up to the school. Despite the agreement of dispatching ‘Norbert’ Hagrids ‘lovely’ baby dragon off at a rendezvous point for Ron’s Brothers friend to pick it up it didn’t ease me any less, Malfoy saw the Dragon and that was that.

Even thought that week passed, that wrenching gut feeling followed me until the night of the drop off, when it went so smoothly I then understood why I felt like I should’ve stayed in bed like I told myself but no, the close call with McGonagall almost catching us made me almost throw up and now Filtch caught us out of bed. It could have been worse circumstances it was just sheer dumb luck that Norbert and Charlie’s friends took off with him in time otherwise we would’ve gotten in even more trouble. And to top it off even more, Neville came in to warn us but because he was out of bed he got a detention with Hermione, Harry, Malfoy and I. His heart was in the right place though.