Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (novel)/Recap/C10 Halloween

After the events of the previous night, Harry fills in Ron about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and the two boys wonder what could be hidden under so much protection. Neville and Hermione are not interested in what the three-headed dog could be guarding, and the latter refuses to speak to Harry and Ron at all. The two boys don't mind, however, as they find her very annoying.

A week later, when the mail is delivered at usual at breakfast, Harry is surprised to get a long thin package. The accompanying letter reveals that the parcel is from Professor McGonagall and contains his new Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick. In addition, he is to meet Oliver Wood that evening for his first training session. Harry and Ron head upstairs to unwrap the broom in private, but run into Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in the entrance hall. Malfoy is not happy to find out Harry has a broomstick, and is even more upset when Professor Flitwick shows up and confirms that it is allowed. Harry takes the opportunity to further get back at Malfoy by adding, "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it."

A very disapproving Hermione overhears Ron and Harry as they're going upstairs, and angrily asks if they think that Harry being on the team and getting a broom is a reward for breaking the rules. When the boys remind her that she's not talking to them, she marches away.

Naturally, Harry has a hard time concentrating on his lessons that day, as his mind keeps straying to his new broom or the Quidditch field. After a quick dinner, he finally unwraps the Nimbus and he and Ron admire it before he heads off for his practice session. After Harry flies around the pitch for a few minutes, Oliver Wood arrives and proceeds to explain Quidditch. As it is too dark to release the Snitch, Harry practices by catching golf balls that Wood throws. He catches each one, to the delight of Wood, who says that the Quidditch Cup will have Gryffindor's name on it that year.

By the time Halloween arrives, Harry has settled in so well that Hogwarts feels more like home than the Dursleys' house. In Charms class, Professor Flitwick announces that they are ready to learn the Levitating Charm, Wingardium Leviosa and has them practice on a feather. Unfortunately, Ron and Hermione are partnered together, which does not turn out well. When Ron is unable to do the spell, Hermione corrects his pronounciation, to his annoyance, and then does the spell perfectly, which puts him a very bad mood by the end of class. As everyone is leaving, Ron comments that it's no wonder nobody can stand Hermione, as she's a nightmare. However, Hermione overhears him and rushes away, with Harry noticing that she is now in tears.

She doesn't show up for the next class, and as everyone is on the way to the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overhear that she is crying in the girls' bathroom and wish to be alone. However, the decorations in the Great Hall put all thoughts of Hermione out of their minds and they enjoy the feast.

Partway through, Professor Quirrell bursts in, proclaims that there is a troll in the dungeons, and then faints. Dumbledore immediately has the prefects lead all the students to their respective dormitories, while the teachers go to deal with the troll. On the way back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron discuss how the troll could have gotten in before remembering that Hermione doesn't know about it. The two set off to get her, and along the way, happen to see Snape heading towards the third floor. At this point, the troll also shows up, dragging a huge wooden club. It steps inside a room, and as there's a key in the lock of the door, the two boys decide to lock it in.

Unfortunately, the room is the girls' bathroom that Hermione is in, so the two rush in to rescue her. She is frozen with fear, and doesn't move as Ron and Harry try to distract the troll with parts of the sinks that it has knocked off. In an act of desperation, Harry jumps on the back of the troll, causing his wand to go straight up one of its nostrils. As the troll howls in pain and flails around, Ron pulls out his wand and shouts the first spell that he can think off, which is "Wingardium Leviosa". It works, causing the club fly out of the troll's hand and drop on its head, knocking it out.

Hermione recovers from her fright a minute later, while Harry gets to his feet and retrieves his wand. Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell show up then. Hermione takes the blame, claiming that she went looking for the troll and Ron and Harry rescued her. McGonagall scolds her and takes five points away from Gryffindor, and then awards Harry and Ron five points each. The three are sent back to their common room, as the students are finishing the feast in their respective houses. The troll incident leads to the trio becoming Fire-Forged Friends and the Three Amigos, since "there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."