Chapter Text
Harry knew that Star was oblivious to it, the way people gravitated to her, seemed to fall over each other to be closer. He was sure that if she did, she'd believe it to be over her name, not that she’d be completely wrong.
It was a little surprising she hadn't noticed, given how observant she was—it was one of the major traits they shared, though Harry knew they obtained it for different reasons.
She didn’t seem to realise how- just how popular she was, how easy it was for others to approach her on a good day, when her face was open and her eyes twinkled, the urge to have her attention on them when the corner of her lip curled just so.
Part of Harry was jealous of it, of how easy it was for her to talk with the other houses or the others in her year, even the older ones. How nothing seemed to phase her, and how fearless she was in face of authority or others trying to hurt her. But another part of him couldn’t be happier having her by his side, even if he had to learn to sharpen his tongue to keep up with her and the Slytherins.
Though he knew it had not been too long- it had been two months since they met on the train, he knew that they (Star, Ron, and Neville, who had finally started shedding his shyness at their insistence, Daph, Blaise and Theo) were friends that he’d keep for life.
Knew by the way that with less than a week Star had given him the chance to know what his parents looked like, by how she started calling him Harry James, how she knew he wouldn’t eat vegetables if she didn’t push them into his plate, how Ron would always loudly intervene whenever someone tried asking him things that made him uncomfortable, how Neville silently (and gladly) made him company when he’d go into his moods, how Daphne lost hours and hours on the library searching anything on his family, how Theo would constantly give him sweets and share his notes and how Blaise would defend him from Slytherins in that sly way none could match yet.
And he knew that there was very little he wouldn’t do for them, so when his best mate asked him and Ron to watch over Granger because she had a bad feeling (something that Ron and Blaise whispered about Seers and things he didn’t understand yet), Harry didn’t think twice of it.
Though neither of them understood why she’d bother when the girl was annoying and mean.
Harry had very little patience for Granger, less so than Ron, who had an ongoing bet with Blaise that he would explode on others before the Hols; Harry didn’t like how she kept antagonising Star, who always made sure to stop them from calling her names even after she was an annoying chit, nor how she always assumed things about them.
Sure, if you didn’t know Star she could come off as cold and dismissive, but as most Gryffindor learned, she was anything but. Star was warm and kind, she remembered people’s birthdays and their names, she made sure her pranks didn’t harm anyone, and she helped others without prompting if she noticed they were struggling; and yes, sometimes Star had a mean and vicious streak that blindsided them more than once, but- The point was that Harry couldn’t understand why they had to watch over Granger, of all people.
They’d understand if it was Neville, they all knew that Malfoy was only waiting for an opportunity to catch him alone, but Granger?!
But Star asked, she asked looking so worried that neither could deny, even if they would have rather spent the rest of their evening playing chess or talking.
So watch her, they did. And perhaps they had been too obvious about it, because the annoying girl had stomped over to them and demanded that they stop following her.
It had been Ron to babble about how they were just doing their jobs and how they’d much rather be doing anything but watching her nightmarish self be alone (Daphne would be proud of that quip, he knew), in doing so they had thoroughly lost her as she ran away angrily.
They lost a big part of the feast just by searching for the girl, with Ron and him bemoaning about never doing that again, and Star owed them for making them lose the festivities.
He was excited to see what she and Professor Flitwick had worked on with the bats; they had seen her helping him decorate that morning and Harry had wondered what else she had charmed it to do, he foolishly hoped one would swoop down and attack Malfoy, but aside from the very casual burns from her, Star didn’t seem to find him as much of an annoying git as he and Ron did.
Then Professor Quirrell had burst in, screaming about trolls loose in the dungeons and Harry felt an ice-cold fear grip his insides, because Star was supposed to be with the man, and she was unaccounted for.
Her and Granger.
He only had to share a panicked look with Ron, who had gone a sickly pale green, for both of them to decide what they had to do.
“Where’s Star?” They had shaken their heads at Neville’s squeak, the three of them sticking closer before Harry and Ron broke off from the first-years being herded away and neither had the time (or will) to stop Neville from following after them and sneaking between the Hufflepuff before they could truly part away from the students.
Hogwarts had never seemed so big and terrifying as it did with the three of them dashing through it; Harry thought he heard the paintings talking amongst themselves about warning a professor about them, and he idly noticed the absence of ghosts, from the ones who were perpetually engaged in a duel that ended with them killing one another, to the jolly one who liked to ask every girl that passed by if they wanted to dance with him, the only sounds echoing was their heavy breaths and heavy steps.
“Percy!” Ron hissed, clawing at Harry’s costume and keeping his arm out to stop Neville from continuing when they heard the hurried steps ahead of them; Neville was the one to push them into a little nook, the three of them squished together behind two armors.
Harry narrowed his eyes when they realised it was Snape and not Ron’s brother, exchanging looks and impatiently waiting for his steps to fade before continuing their search.
None spoke of what he was doing there instead of being with the teachers, but they were on their way to the dungeons, so maybe he was just catching up. They certainly didn’t have any more time when a mass of frizzy curls and bitter tears slammed into them.
“-Ah! What are you doing here?! Come to have a go at me as well? To tell me how much of a terrible person I am?!” Granger sniffed angrily, but Harry didn’t have the time (or will) to revel in her tears or the fact that Star had finally torn into her, the worry for his friend gnawing at his stomach.
“Nevermind that-! Where’s Star?”
Hermione scoffed, scowling and setting her jaw stubbornly, lifting her chin in that haughty manner that always made him grit his teeth for she reminded him too much of Aunt Petunia whenever she looked down on him.
“Of course you’d care for that- that horrible gir-”
“There’s a bloody Troll loose, woman!” Snapped Ron, red in the face in anger even as the witch blinked suspiciously while Neville nodded frantically. “Either tell us where Lily is or get the bloody hell out of the way!”
She must’ve seen something in their determined faces, or maybe it was the tears in Neville’s eyes, because Granger started looking sick, chin quivering before she whipped around so fast that her hair sharply slapped them in their faces, running back to wherever she came from, the three of them hurrying to catch up.
Harry felt his heart plummet to his stomach at the sounds filling in the closer they got; Star’s shrieks, the Troll’s roars and just, the sound of destruction- Of glass shattering, wood splintering, and rocks breaking… He was sure they’d haunt him for a while, as would the image of Star curled on the wall, steel grey eyes with pin-prick pupils, she was already hurt with a cut on her cheek and bloody hands; her golden hair ashy from the debris littered around her, costume stained as she cowered away from the Troll.
They had their wands in hand when Neville screamed they wouldn’t leave her, and he wheezed in pain after she slammed against them, pushing them down and covering them from the troll’s club.
Hermione was the one to levitate the club from the troll’s hand, dropping it on its head while Harry looked down at Star in distress when she didn’t move, breathing shallowly, her arm hanging oddly and her eyes staring blankly at the wall, cheek pressed on Neville’s leg as she had yet to move.
“Star! Star, get up!” He screamed, faintly noting that the troll had dropped down limply, the corridor shaking with the weight of the beast. Ron panicked, turning her around to face up and they paled even more at her scream of pain, tiny sobs leaving her lips while she wailed, hand reaching for her right shoulder and biting her lip to stop the cries, bitter tears running down the sides of her face.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” - “We need to find a professor! Where are the professors?! She needs help!” - “You’re ok! You’re ok!”
They were all speaking over each other, with Neville trying to comfort Star and Ron apologising, Hermione was shrieking about finding professors and Harry kneeled on her side, hands shaking and hovering over her, afraid of touching Lily and making it worse but needing to try something.
“What is going on here?!” Harry didn’t think he was as relieved to hear Snape’s voice as he was at that moment, head snapping up to see the teachers finally arriving.
Hermione was explaining it all rapidly while Professor Sprout hurried closer and kneeled by Star’s side, worry plain to see on her soft face when the witch asked quiet questions to his friend.
“No doubt the girl was seeking her moment of glory-” Professor Snape drawled, but he still had a pinch of worry in his lips before Harry scowled.
“She was having her detention! Lily wasn’t at the feast, she didn’t know!” Snape sneered angrily when Harry spoke, twitching at her name, but remained silent when Quirrell stepped forward, pale and seemingly looking like he’d faint again at the sight of the crying girl.
Harry wanted to snarl at him, it was his fault for leaving her alone! Why didn’t he come back for her?!
“O-Oh, d-d-dee-dear.” The Defence professor quivered while Professor Sprout tried coaxing what hurt from Star, whose eyes had been unfocused until they met Snape’s. They’d take the mickey out of her for passing out from looking at him later, he was sure, but at that moment all Harry could think of was what would happen with Star.
Would she be ok?
“We need Poppy, Minerva.” Professor Sprout spoke sharply, eyes roving the rest of them and patting Neville’s shoulder when she noticed he looked a tad too green. “Where is Miss McKinnon’s wand?”
Harry looked at Ron and Neville questioningly, but both boys shook their heads at the silent question.
“I-I h-h-a-hav-have it, p-p-p-professor.” The rage returned, and Harry bared his teeth when the man winced at the other adults looking at him sharply.
“And why do you have a student’s wand, Professor Quirrell?” McGonagall asked coldly as she pulled out her own wand, transfiguring a piece of debris into a makeshift stretcher; Professor Snape already levitating the unconscious little witch onto it while the other man shrunk at their combined glares.
“T-T-Th-the gir-r-rl is mo-mo-mo-most suf-f-f-icient at-t clea-ning sp-p-pells.” He replied lamely, all but whimpering when Snape stepped closer, looming over him while the man shrank into himself.
“And you left her alone, did you? Unsupervised to…?”
Harry was impatient with the interrogation when his friend was knocked out cold.
Luckily, it seemed like Professor Sprout agreed with his thought as she gently settled Star better on the stretcher before sending them a sharp look.
“Perhaps this interrogation can happen when we don’t have an injured student at hand?” Her voice was sharp, but it seemed to do the trick of having Professor Snape back off - even if he had done so with a sneer and a tightening around his eyes. “Good. Now, is anyone else injured?”
All of them shook their heads, looking at each other questioningly before Neville spoke up, looking at their Head of House in worry.
“Is- Is Lily going to be ok?”
Once more he was glad for Neville’s presence, because even though he was clearly wigged out like the rest of them, their friend was calm and brave enough to ask what Harry was too scared to find out.
Harry didn’t miss how the two women shared looks before Professor Sprout patted Neville’s shoulder kindly.
“Your friend will be just fine, dear.”
Hopefully.
Was left unsaid, but Harry decided not to focus on that in order to hurry after Star when they started walking briskly down the corridor, his passed-out friend hovering between Professor Sprout and McGonagall, while the potions professor kept back to deal with the Troll and the other man.
“What was he thinking-” Their head of house hissed, her accent thickened in a way Harry couldn’t help but link to Star’s and how much he wanted to hear from the girl. “Taking away a student’s wand!”
“And keeping her from the Feast?” Sprout added in a fit of quiet anger, hand still holding Lily’s unharmed one while the children trailed behind them, all sharing worried looks. “A first year?”
Harry couldn’t hear anything else they were hissing about, could barely care when Star’s head kept lolling from one side to the other whenever they took a corner. He’d never thought Hogwarts as huge as when the minutes stretched until they finally came face to face with the doors of the Hospital Wing.
Neville had run ahead, opening them loudly and crying out for Madame Pomfrey to hurry.
He would’ve laughed at the sight of an incensed Medi-witch over his disturbance if tears weren’t burning his eyes, terrified for his friend.
“What is the meaning of-” Her stern eyes snapped to the student floating between the two teachers, lips pressing together harshly. “What has happened?”
Harry watched between Granger and Ron as she floated his friend up to one of the beds, wand making patterns over her pale body while Professor Sprout opened her mouth to explain, only to blink as if remembering she didn’t exactly know before turning their way.
He tensed under their eyes, feeling Ron step closer defensively, ready to argue if needed when Granger opened her mouth.
“It was my fault!” She cried out, shaking hands going up to cover her mouth as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I went looking for her! W-We had a row and- and- and if we hadn’t she- she would’ve gotten to the f-feast-!”
The Professors exchanged looks while Harry awkwardly patted her back, not sure how to proceed as the girl carried on sobbing.
“Now, Miss Granger, Lily wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place, I doubt a few minutes would’ve been enough to have her away from the Troll,” Sprout said kindly, approaching them to offer the girl a tissue while McGonagall stood at the Hufflepuff’s back. “Why don’t one of you tell us what happened?”
Ron swallowed thickly, clearing his throat haltingly, “S-she had detention, Professor. B-but we thought she’d be free by the Feast since she started early- uhm- We went looking for her when she didn’t show up-”
“And why did you not warn a Professor?” Their Head of house interrupted, making Harry scowl fiercely, but a tiny voice that reminded him too much of Daphne kept him from opening his mouth to say what was on his mind. “Or, at least, one of the Prefects? Your brother is one, is he not?”
“Well, we didn’t think about it, you were out of the Hall so fast.” Ron replied darkly, face reddening in anger and eyes turning colder, almost a mimic of Blaise. “Don’t think we would’ve been able to, either way. Too many people on the way.” He clipped before returning his eyes to Sprout, whose lips were pursed in an effort to hide how the edges of her mouth were curling up.
“And then?”
“We went looking for her,” Harry carried on, eyes flicking back over their shoulder to see Neville holding Star’s hand while Pomfrey still ran her wand over her. “We found Hermione and she took us to Star. The Troll was destroying everything and she was trying to run away from it- We tried to get its attention from h-her,” He had to swallow back his tears, throat closing at the memory of his friend cowering under the window, “It was going to squash us, I think- She shoved us out and it- it got her on her back-”
“Granger levitated his club,” Ron said, sounding begrudgingly impressed. “He passed out when it hit his head.”
“T-The Troll got her on h-her back,” Granger added silently, twisting the end of her skirt- it took Harry a moment to realise all of their costumes had vanished upon walking through the doors.
And to think he was having the time of his life with Star the night before setting up the prank.
“Mister Longbottom!” All eyes turned to see Neville glaring stubbornly at Madame Pomfrey, hand still holding their friend’s and his chin sticking out challengingly. “You need to step back.”
“I’m not leaving her side.” His voice was wavering and his eyes were watery, but Neville went as far as sitting on the bed with a glare.
Hermione squeaked in shock at the move while Sprout chuckled quietly, amusedly watching the other witch put her hands on her hips with a fierce and stern glare.
“Mister Longbottom I need to change her out of her uniform, and you need to return to your dorm!” Pomfrey turned around, looking back at them with a frown. “All of you need to leave for your dorms.”
“My arm is broken.” Neville blurted out, face red when all of the attention returned to him.
Harry elbowed Ron when the ginger tried smothering a snort with a cough, face reddening in an effort not to laugh when Harry raised a leg, just as bold.
“My foot hurts.” For extra measure, the dark-haired boy leaned on his friend, who was starting to shake with the effort to remain silent- or maybe the shock of what they faced was finally dawning on him. “I don’t think I can walk all the way back.”
McGonagall huffed in sync with the Medi-witch, looking between the two boys as displeasure and disapproval lined her face, lips tugging down.
“Now, both of you stop this right now.” She commanded sharply, which only made Harry lean further on Ron. He saw Neville set his shoulders from the corner of his eye. “You heard Madame Pomfrey, up to your dorms-”
“But I’m hurt.” He insisted, looking at Sprout with eyes wide like Star’s whenever she claimed innocence to the twins after a prank she most definitely set off. “I swear.”
Sprout’s lips twitched, eyes twinkling with mischief as she hummed, nodding a little and looking between both boys. “Well, Minerva, with how they had to face a Troll by themselves, we couldn’t expect to send them straight to bed without at least checking they aren’t hurt, could we?”
The stern professor huffed again, shaking her head before staring them down hard.
“You two may stay, but if I hear from Madame Pomfrey you got in the way, a hundred points will be taken from Gryffindor.”
All of them blanched, Hermione let out a keening noise that told them she was close to passing out. “I’m very fine! I-I should go to the Common Room!”
Ron shared a look with him, nodding at Harry before setting him right.
“I’ll walk with you-”
“And twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor for such a dangerous act!” McGonagall clipped, peering at them from behind her glasses. “Five of each.”
Harry swallowed drily, choosing to ignore that for the moment as Hermione squeaked her way out with Ron and McGonagall trailing behind her, instead, preferring to rush to Star’s other side.
“Is she going to be okay?” He asked worriedly, noting that pajamas had been magicked onto his friend and that she was turned stomach down. “She’s not too hurt, is she?”
Pomfrey sighed, peering at the two boys with that look most teachers had whenever they saw them together, haunted and pained, before she snapped her wand again to change them into something else, as well.
“Her right shoulder and a few of her ribs are shattered,” they gasped in shock at that, Harry’s eyes burning with tears while Neville looked green on the face, like he was about to be sick. “Now, you insisted on being here, so you will listen to me very carefully,”
Harry could barely hear her talking, eyes focused on Star’s paling face, gently brushing her hair out of her face as Pomfrey said something about waking her up to give her some potion, and that she might be in pain or terrified when she woke up-
There was something about vanishing the bones because they were too destroyed, as well, but Harry was focused on holding her uninjured hand and trying to keep his eyes away from the terrible purple skin of her back.
Neville did throw up in a bin when her right side went limp and sank with the lack of bones, but Harry was too busy crouching so Star would see him first when she opened her eyes.
“Very good, well, you try and calm her down, Mister Potter.”
Her wand movement was gentler this time, twisting her hand as Star’s eyes fluttered open sluggishly, hazy grey and unfocused while Harry squeezed her hand.
“Star?” The call her his friend snapping her eyes his way, her pupil shrinking in fear and her breath picking up, making the boy squeeze her hand harder. “You’re fine, i-it’s the Hospital Wing, yeah?”
She made a noise of pain, a whine while her eyes filled with fat tears, bottom lip wobbling in response, “E-Everyone?”
“We’re all fine, you pushed us out of the way. See, Neville’s here, too.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, too big to be Neville’s, especially since the boy crouched on his side, smiling wobbly at their blonde friend.
When Harry looked back, it was to see Sprout smiling gently at Star, watching Neville whisper reassurances her way while Madame Pomfrey waved her wand this way and that.
“That was very brave of you, Miss McKinnon.” She praised kindly, squeezing Harry’s shoulder while Lily sniffed with a hesitant nod. “And you have some very loyal friends, you should be very proud of them.”
“I-I a-am.”
Harry sniffled, feeling his own lip wobble.
He was so scared.
“Good, thirty points for such a show of bravery from all of you.”
At least they got the points back.
It wasn’t long before Pomfrey had chased them out to their own beds, taking their place by her head to quietly explain what had happened and telling the girl what she had to do.
Sprout didn’t leave, taking Star’s hand and gently brushing her thumb over the back of it while Pomfrey helped her drink the foul-looking potion.
They nearly bolted back to her when Star gagged, nearly spitting the potion to the side of the bed, heaving dry and coughing in disgust.
“Just another cup, dear, and I’ll have some of the feast brought to you. There was pumpkin pie.” Sprout soothed, and for a moment, for a single moment, Harry wished he had gone to HufflePuff.
Of course, only if Ron, Star, and Neville followed him.
“I h-hate pumpkin.” She gagged, taking a deep breath before allowing Pomfrey to tilt the goblet into her mouth. They all waited with bated breaths, watching her swallow back her disgust before hanging her tongue out and breathing fast. “That was bowfin.”
Harry laughed in relief, not having a minimal understanding of what she just said with her thick accent, but noticing how more clear-eyed she looked, smiling tiredly at the Professor still holding her hand and at the Mediwitch already offering other potions, this time, none that had her seizing in revulsion.
“So, any chance I could get some nut bread?”