September flew by in what seemed like a mere moment, and, before Katerina knew it, it was Halloween. The students at Hogwarts still had regular classes throughout the day, but they would be having a grand Halloween Feast. Chris and his friends had told Katie about the Halloween Feast. They said that it was nothing compared to the Christmas or End-of-the-Year feasts, but Katie was more than excited for the sweets and treats that she would be getting at the feast that Halloween.

One of the classes of the day was charms with Professor Flitwick. He was a very small wizard with a pointed nose and a squeaky voice. He had to stand on top of a pile of books just to see over his desk.

"Now, don't forget the nice wand movement we've been practicing. Swish and flick." Flitwick squeaked after explaining to the class that they would be learning a spell to make objects levitate. Katie somehow found herself sitting next to Draco Malfoy and it was honestly a nightmare. He said Wingardium Leviosa with such confidence and pride, only to scoff when the charm didn't work and the feather on his desk did not move.

A few seats in front of Katie, Ron was sitting beside a girl who Katie had not met, but she remembered from potions class that her name was Hermione.

"Wingardium Levisoa!" Ron exclaimed. Nothing happened so he began to angrily wave his wand around, clearly having no aim to his actions.

"Stop, stop, stop," Hermione said, placing her hand over Ron's wand, "You're going to take someone's eyes out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Levi-O-sa, not Levios-A."

"You do it then, if you're so clever! Go on!" Ron snapped and Katie forced back chuckles. Flashing Ron a snobby look, Hermione cleared her throat and held her wand out carefully.

"Wingardium Leviosa." she said with a swish and a flick of her wand. The white feather on Hermione's desk gently rose into the air and all eyes were averted to the bushy-haired Gryffindor, who had a smug look painted on her face.

Katie caught up with Harry and Ron after charms. She walked across the school with them to their next class, all the while Ron complained about Hermione Granger.

"It's Levi-O-sa, not Levios-A," Ron mocked her and Katie got a weird twisting feeling in her stomach, "She's a nightmare, honestly! It's no wonder he hasn't got any friends!

At that moment, a girl shoved Ron as she rushed past. The girl was Hermione. Ron's eyes widened as he looked at Harry and Katie in shock.

"I think she heard you." Harry said and Ron shrugged. Rolling her eyes, Katie shoved her books into Harry's hands.

"Take these. Give them back to me tomorrow. I'll see you tonight at the feast." she said as she walked away.

"Where are you going?" Harry called after Katie.

"To find Hermione!"

Katie knew exactly where she would find Hermione. She knew that if she was upset, the first place she would go to cry in private would be the bathroom. So Katie wasn't surprised to hear muffled sobs and sniffles coming from one of the stalls upon entering the first floor girl's bathroom.

"Hello?" Katie asked softly, not wanting to intrude. "Are you okay?"

"Go away." Hermione said through the door of a bathroom stall. Sighing, Katie placed her hands on the door.

"It's Hermione, isn't it? I'm Katerina Blair. I'm a friend of Harry and Ron's." Katie told Hermione. After a moment of silence, the lock clicked and Hermione pulled the door open. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her hair looked more bushy that usual. She sniffled weakly when she saw Katie.

"Have you come to tell me off for being a snobby brat?" Hermione sighed.

"No, I've come to apologise on Ron's behalf, and check if you're all right." Katie said, gingerly placing her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'm used to it." Hermione croaked and Katie's heart broke for the girl.

"It's not something you should be used to. You don't deserve that." Katie wrapped her arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her into an awkward sidewards hug.

"Thanks Katie." Hermione sniffled, smiling weakly.

"Don't mention it. Hey, I don't think we've really talked much, have we?"

Hermione shook her head no.

"Well, I definitely think that should change." Katie said sincerely. Hermione's eyes lit up and she flashed Katie a genuine smile of joy. The two girls went about exchanging friendly conversation until they were rudely interrupted by the door being smashed in.

Katerina and Hermione let out shrieks of horror as they stared wide-eyed at the sight that lay out in front of them. There, in the girl's bathroom, was a large, green, pungent and extremely revolting looking troll. It's gaze landed on the two first years and it swung its large bat at the pair of them without even giving it a second thought.

Hermione and Katie done the only thing that they could think of in the moment. They concealed themselves in a bathroom stall. This, however, proved to be little use when the troll seemingly effortlessly destroyed the stalls with a single swing of his bat. Planks of wood fell on top of the pair of girls, and they screamed out of pure terror.

As though someone had answered their unspoken prayer, the bathroom door swung open and two more people rushed into the room. Katie moved a piece of wood out of her face so she could see who had come to her rescue. She wasn't too sure if she was surprised or not when she saw her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, in the bathroom.

"KATIE, HERMIONE, MOVE!" Harry bellowed. Harry and Ron began throwing planks at the grim old mountain troll, but this did not affect him whatsoever. It was simply like a light breeze brushing against his arms.

"Hey, pee-brain!" Ron yelled, landing a rather impressively accurate shot on the toll's head. The few seconds of distraction gave Katie and Hermione time to escape. They clambered out from beneath the vast pile of broken wood. Hermione huddled underneath the sinks, but Katie made a bold move to swerve around the troll to get to Harry and Ron.

"Katie — oh God!" Harry exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her out of the way of a strike from the troll's bat.

The the sinks were almost immediately destroyed by the troll. His bat only missed Hermione by an inch, causing her to scream out.

"HELP!" she cried. In true Gryffindor fashion, Harry whipped out his wand and lunged at the troll.

"Harry, no!" Katie tried to stop him but she was too late. Harry leapt up onto the troll's back, but that seemed to be the end of the plan. The troll began to shake around. Katie couldn't tell if it was trying to get Harry off it's back or if it was trying to figure out where exactly Harry was.

Through all the frantic moving of the troll, Harry's wand ended up inside it's nose. Katie cringed in disgust and she almost threw up on the spot.

Reaching around, the troll grabbed Harry in his big, slimy hand. He held the boy upside down and swung his bat at him, missing repeatedly.

"Do something!" Harry cried.

Ron looked around and shrugged in confusion. "What?!"

"Anything?"

Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it at the troll before tensing up completely. He didn't know what to do.

"Swish and flick!" Hermione called out to him. Snapping back into his senses, the red haired boy waved is wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The troll's bat rose from his hand and he stared at it in perplexity. Suddenly, it came down and hit the troll hard on the head, a dazed expression falling over the it's face.

"Cool." Ron smirked.

The troll dropped Harry to the floor and the boy quickly scrambled away so the falling troll wouldn't land on him. Katie rushed forward and grabbed any part of Harry's body that she could reach, aiding him in getting out of the way. She pulled him to his feet and clung onto his arm for dear life.

The troll plummeted to the ground, making the entire bathroom tremble. The four first years gasped as this happened.

"Are you okay?" Katie asked Harry breathlessly. Harry took a few deep and heavy breaths before responding.

"Yeah," he shrugged and nodded, "You?"

"Yeah... thanks."

"Is it... dead?" Hermione quizzed, taking cautious steps towards the seemingly lifeless troll.

"I don't think so. Just knocked out." Harry said. He walked over to the troll to retrieve his wand from its nose. Katie shut her eyes, not wanting to see him do this. The sound was enough to turn her stomach.

"Ugh! Troll bogies." Ron grimaced. There was a rush of footsteps, before three horrified looking teachers, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell. McGonagall let out a string of inhuman sounds as her eyes darted between the troll and the four students.

"Explain yourself, both of you!" she shrieked. Katie stood rooted to the spot as Harry and Ron began to mumble out nonsense before Hermione cut across them.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall."

The room fell into a still silence as six purely shocked faces turned to face the Gryffindor girl.

"M-Miss Granger?"

"I went looking for the troll. I read about them and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong," she said, "If Harry and Ron hadn't have found me... I'd probably be dead."

Hermione's eyes remained glued to one spot on the ground. She didn't dare to look up and meet the eyes of any of her flabbergasted teachers.

"Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behavior on your part and I am very disappointed in you, Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgement." McGonagall scolded. Hermione stared down at her feet, a look of shame plastered on her face.

McGonagall took deep breathes and finally turned to face Katie. The girl tensed up under her teacher's gaze.

"And what are you doing in here, Miss Blair?" she snapped, causing Katie to flinch in fright. She blinked, wide eyed, at her teacher.

"I just had to pee."