It was shortly before Halloween that Nott was finally able to enact his plans when Draco approached him in the common room late one night.
"I got you your troll," Draco told him, sounding rather annoyed, "it had better be worth it, my father had to pay a steep price for it, some Romanian wizard tried to make a bid for it as well from the seller he found, ended up having to pay way more than it was worth."
"It's worth it," reassured Nott, "the troll is vital to my plans."
Draco simply didn't understand the finesse that was required of good plans such as the one he would be implementing.
Only a true tactitian such as himself could fully understand its brilliance, Nott thought.
"You going to tell me just what you plan to do with it yet?" asked Draco.
"Just be sure and have whoever is holding it for you to let it into the school when I tell you to," Nott informed him, "I'm assuming that getting it into school won't be a challenge for you?"
"Getting it into the school should be easy," Draco answered, "controlling it afterwards not so much, especially not without anyone getting caught."
"That won't be a problem," Nott reassured him, "just get it into the school for me, that's all I ask, I can handle the rest."
"Are you sure you wouldn't be willing to tell me what your plan is?" Draco practically begged one last time.
Nott was tempted to continue to not saying anything, after all he had certainly been enjoying watching Draco squirm to know, but finally he decided if he was that desperate, he could probably make some money off him.
"How about you pay me 10 galleons to learn my plan?" Nott offered.
"Make it 5 and you have a deal," Draco suggested.
"Done," Nott replied as that was still a high price for the information, "okay here's the plan..."
Unbeknownst to the two boys an invisible someone or something was listening into their conversation.
An hour later, Carloman the invisible man had already informed Dumbledore of the plan.
As Dumbledore thought over the plan, he realized that it was a good plan, for an 11 year old that is.
In an 11 year old's mind, the plan seemed foolproof, but Dumbledore knew better, it had way too many problems for it to have a good chance of succeeding.
Fortunately for Nott, he was going to help him with most of it, minus the part about Harry losing the duel, as he wanted Harry to duel him just as much so he could get him to win that marriage contract with Su Li and thus the opportunity to get another supporter on the Wizengamot.
The revised plan would indeed be foolproof.
The original plan as it was, however, was that Nott would get Harry mad enough to want to duel him, threaten his friends, etc, then get him in trouble with Snape, and get him detention during the Halloween Feast just before the scheduled duel, and make sure he was alone then let a troll into the school near where Harry was.
Nott then figured that the troll should take him out or at least injure him enough that he wouldn't be in any condition to fight and have to forfeit.
Again, the brilliant plan of an 11 year old.
It truly was pathetic how stupid children were these days.
If it were him, he would have secretly put troll pheromones on Harry so the troll would go after him instead. Or avoided the bother of having to obtain a troll in the first place by having him have an "accident" some other way. Trolls were great if you wanted to create a distraction, and cause maximum damage. Not to go after a single target usually.
This would require him to build upon Nott's plan and improve upon it. First of all, he decided that Harry would have to have more incentive to want to fight Nott unless he was ridiculously arrogant enough to think he could actually win.
The first time he'd never have accepted the duel with Malfoy and gambled his marriage contract with Susan Bones unless he had imperioused Susan into coercing the situation.
Pansy Parkinson would be even less likely to want him to duel and risk being forced to be with Nott, or likely back to Malfoy eventually. He'd just have to be there and imperious her too, and have her give a valid and at least somewhat believable reason for her to want Harry to duel.
He also decided that while tempting to get Harry out of fighting the troll just in case something happened, he decided this particular event would have to happen. He'd make sure Harry did have to face the troll so Nott wouldn't be suspicious, but he'd make sure Harry didn't get a chance to come to any harm before he swooped in and saved him at the last second.
This would provide several benefits: first he would get the lasting gratitude from Harry for saving his life, which would cause him to look up to him. Second he would have other students question their desire to want to fight Harry in the future, as the story would soon spread that Harry had faced a troll then fought in a duel immediately afterwards and won. Thirdly, and most important of all, he would have grounds to administer to Harry certain potions to "alleviate any harm or emotional trauma" that might have been caused by the troll. In reality, said potions would cause spells that he was hit with to become much weaker and should stop whatever a first year, like Nott could perform on him. He would also give him potions that would cause him to move a bit faster, and have his spells be stronger. With all of those potions in his system it would be almost impossible for him to lose.
At least getting him detention during the Halloween feast wouldn't be a problem, the planned teacher to carry it out, Professor Snape would have given Harry detention for simply existing if he could get away with it.
He was no fool as to what was going on with him, he used to get complaints about Professor Snape daily when he had first started teaching from students and other teachers, but eventually they learned that he was never going to do anything about it and stopped pestering him. They still weren't happy about it, but he didn't care, Professor Snape was far too valuable an asset for him. In addition to his having been a spy during the war with Voldemort, he was unscrupulous enough and good enough a potions' master to make the many various illegal potions that he needed made without questioning the ethics involved.
For example the potions he planned to use on Harry, illegal and extremely difficult to make. It was all for the greater good of course so he felt no guilt in their use.
He knew of no one else who could have replaced Snape, which meant he was indispensable. If some of the students and faculty wanted to continue complaining about how he should fire him, let them. He could deal with a few complaints.
However, much Professor Snape's role in Nott's plan seemed assured, he reasoned even that could use a little bolstering.
Perhaps open up an old wound for him and remind him about how great of a couple James Potter and Lily Potter, formerly Evans were. That should make him even more mad at Harry than usual. If Nott failed to get Harry in detention during the Halloween feast he'd just have to get him in detention another way, but he wasn't too concerned on this front.
He still had a lot to do, but still plenty of time to do them in.
DUELDUELDUELDUEL
Halloween
Nott had plans to make as he left the Slytherin Common room for Potions Class, and although he was confident that he would easily defeat Harry Potter, that did not mean that he shouldn't take every precaution necessary.
That was why Malfoy had lost, being so overly confident in what he considered lackluster skills and in Harry Potter's inexperience.
Any number of things could have gone wrong, such as Potter being just as strong as he had been rumored to be. Malfoy was an idiot but unfortunately a rich and powerful idiot and he was obligated to win the duel for him and win back his precious strumpet Parkinson.
He however would make no such mistakes, first of all he was confident enough in his own dueling skills that as long as Potter hadn't miraculously become a world class duelist in only a few months he would be fine.
To make sure however was where the troll came in, Potter would be so injured and tired fighting the troll (if not dead) that he would be easy to defeat, if he was even able to fight at all.
He arrived in his potions class a minute after the bell, but of course Professor Snape chose to ignore his tardiness, despite the fact that he was currently already taking points from Neville Longbottom who appeared to also be tardy.
"If you are ever late again for my class Mr. Longbottom I'll give you detention," Professor Snape told the now quivering boy, "I don't care if it's even by half a second!"
Professor Snape was a vindictive, nasty and cruel human being, someone that Nott sought to emulate.
The class soon got started on their potions, with him diligently working on it. Of course Potions wasn't something he really enjoyed or was good at, but he could have been as bad at it as Longbottom and Snape would still have given him a decent grade.
He normally would have been content to sit working on his potion silently but in order for his plans for Potter to work he would need to cause a bit of a commotion.
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small wet start firecracker and threw it into Longbottom's cauldron, instantly causing the cauldron's contents to explode.
Had the potion done as it was supposed to it would have merely caused the loss of a few unwanted warts. Unfortunately in Longbottom's case, who had happened to be peering into his cauldron at the time, it had nearly the opposite effect, causing huge boils to manifest all over his face, neck, and arms, all of which having been exposed to it.
"Idiot boy!" Professor Snape raged as he went over to assess the damage.
"I didn't do it this time Professor," Longbottom blubbered, looking like he was about to cry both from the pain of the hot potion stinging his skin and his obvious fear of Professor Snape, "someone threw something into my cauldron."
"What are you blubbering about Longbottom?" Professor Snape queried but nevertheless peered down into his cauldron.
When his eyes no doubt alighted on the firecracker, he quickly put on a glove and lifted the remains of it out of the cauldron and held it up so the whole class could see.
"Somebody figured they could have a little fun at Longbottom's expense did they?" Professor Snape asked, "figured that I wouldn't figure it out since Longbottom could so easily have blown up his own cauldron did they?"
Now was his chance.
"It was Potter, I saw him," Nott declared, pointing a finger at him for good measure.
Potter was no doubt surprised, and since he had been clear across the room, unless he was a very good shot or had incredible luck nobody could possibly have believed such a thing. Any other teacher would have had good reason to dispute if not reject entirely Nott's claim, but Professor Snape was no other teacher.
"Good work Nott," Professor Snape praised him, "take 5 points for Slytherin for doing the right thing and turning in the culprit. Potter, that will be 5 points from Gryffindor for intentionally trying to harm another student and use of a firecracker. That will also be a detention tonight."
"I didn't do it though Professor," Potter declared.
"Another 5 points for lying," Professor Snape sneered, barely able to hide the enjoyment he was obviously getting from being able to torment Potter again.
Nott had to stifle a chuckle at that.
"Um Professor," Nott said, "I believe Potter might better serve his detention with Filch tonight. He was needing someone to clean all of the bathrooms in the dungeons."
Latrine duty, what could be a worse punishment, Nott figured.
Snape smiled his nasty smile and then turned to Potter and told him, "very well then, you can serve your detention with Filch, I'm sure that he will be grateful for your help."
This elicited a groan from Potter, he no doubt also knew what he would be doing.
"Perhaps he should also start a bit earlier than usual, such as during the Halloween feast," Nott suggested, "that way everyone will be at the feast and he won't inconvenience anyone by cleaning the bathrooms when they want to use it."
"Good idea Nott," Professor Snape replied, realizing himself that this would mean him missing the feast and all of the festivities.
Potter looked like he might protest again but instead was at least smart enough to shut his mouth this time. Instead he sent an angry glare in his direction.
Nott gave a huge grin in return. It was fun to torment Potter he was realizing.
When class was finally over and they had all left class, involving Potter having to wipe up the contents of Longbottom's splattered potion, he lingered back in the corridor with his nemesis to enact stage two of his plan.
"A shame that you'll have to miss the feast," Nott taunted, "but I suppose I was only really doing you a favor, so you would have an excuse not to have to celebrate the anniversary of your parent's deaths."
This was low he realized, lower even than he would normally go but it was necessary for him to get the right reaction out of him.
He did indeed look hurt at this taunt, but unfortunately he was still in control enough of his emotions for him not to really try anything. This did not however apply to his mudblood housemate Hermione.
"How could you say such a thing?" She demanded angrily.
"I was merely looking out for Potter here," Nott defended, "he would only be doing what the boy-who-lived is supposed to do, be a hero and save the day. In this instance it just means we'll have clean bathrooms."
He pretended to laugh at this as he watched for the reaction of Potter.
"I know it was you who threw that firework into Neville's cauldron," Potter finally declared, "even if I have no proof, and don't you dare ever say anything about my parents again."
Nott pretended to be shocked and scared then countered with, "what are you going to do about it Potter? I can say whatever I want about anyone, including your little mudblood slave, hope she's actually good for something when she gets older because she isn't much now, just some bossy, hideous little walking dictionary freak."
Those were some good insults, Nott thought, mentally congratulating himself.
Granger looked like she was about to cry, and he could already see tears welling up much to his delight.
He knew now was his chance, she might even now be at the breaking point.
"I'll tell you what Granger," he informed her, "I'll sell you a beauty potion if you agree to be my slave and "service me" like you'll end up servicing Potter later."
At his intimation of Potter's eventual use for the girl, Potter finally had had enough and shoved him, not a big shove but enough that he now had grounds to go just where he wanted.
"Oh you want to fight is it?" Nott asked, "well then let's see if you really have the courage for it? Challenge me to a duel and if you win I'll never say a single bad thing against you or anyone of your friends for that matter."
"And if you win?" Parkinson wanted to know.
She at least seemed suspicious of him, and rightfully so as it just so happened.
"Then I think my fair reward would be oh I don't know how about you," Nott said, attempting to place a hand around her shoulder which was instantly rejected.
"Harry," Granger said, who was now really crying, "you don't need to do this, I'll be okay."
Potter looked back at the girl, looking like he desperately wanted to do something for her, but as he then looked back at Parkinson also realizing that he could never gamble her away again, especially after just having won her from Malfoy.
He had been hoping that Potter would challenge him to the duel and not the other way around, but it was not critical to his plan, only make it easier.
"Hey what are all of you students doing crowding in the corridor again?" Dumbledore asked, appearing unexpectedly, "another duel I wonder?"
"No Professor," Potter said back, "I don't wish to duel anyone at this time, even if the person might deserve it."
To Nott's surprise, however, it was Parkinson who actually jumped in to encourage him to duel."
"Harry, its okay," she told him gently, "you need to do this for me."
"Why would you take such a risk?" he asked her incredulously, "do you really think I would be so stupid to gamble one of you away like that again?"
"I'm grateful to you for that," Pansy admitted, "but I can't live with myself by allowing myself more safety but leave someone else in the same position I was."
"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded.
"Su Li," Pansy admitted, "she's the one betrothed to Nott, "if you don't duel him and win her in said duel, you would just be consigning her to the same fate that I was in."
Pansy believed in equality and love and happiness and all of that garbage but even Nott would never have thought that she would care enough about someone else she really didn't even know and risk ending up with himself or Malfoy again.
"Do it Harry," she demanded, "you can win, I know you can."
He still seemed pretty skeptical about all this, but Potter, the foolhardy idiot that he was accepted.
"All right Nott," Harry told him, "I challenge you to a duel."
As shocked as he was that Potter had actually challenged him he quickly let that surprise go.
Of course it had worked, his plan was foolproof, after all he was the one to come up with it.
"Then I accept your duel," Nott said, "what are your terms?"
"I want you to stop insulting Hermione," Harry replied, "and if I win, you have to give me your marriage contract with Su Li."
"Agreed, and in return you have to give me yours with Pansy Parkinson if you lose, and since you were the one to challenge me to the duel, I get to choose the time and I pick right after the Halloween feast," Nott informed him.
"That would be acceptable to me," Potter answered.
"Then its settled," Dumbledore announced, "then if you both would please hold out your wands, and repeat after me, "I state your name, do hereby accept this wizard's duel, and swear upon my magic that if I am defeated that I will give the agreed upon property that is my own to my victor, so mote it be."
Both Nott and Potter did so, causing a spark to jump, signifying the binding obligation to the duel.
Nott left with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle then, grinning smugly as Draco patted him on the back. His plan was working perfectly.
DUELDUELDU
Meanwhile Harry was still in a daze as people crowded around him to offer their support. Had he really just entered into another duel? What had he been thinking?
At least this time he would be a lot more prepared.
He knew a great deal more magical spells and had way more experience dueling with his practicing with Flitwick every other night, along with what he also assigned him for homework. He hoped that the duel would actually be as easy as everyone was claiming it would be for him.
"You'll totally crush him," Dean suggested.
"Absolutely," agreed Seamus.
"I think so too," Ron insisted, "but I also can't see why you would agree to duel that twerp just to defend Granger. It's not like she's worth it to anyone."
He looked over at Hermione, who was still crying, but when she heard stupid Ron open up his big fat mouth against her, she made a run for it to a destination unknown. He tried to stop her, but people were still pressed too tightly around him for him to be able to do so. Likewise when he tried to call out to her, she apparently failed to hear him.
DUELDUELDUELD
The rest of the day, he was quite busy. First he had tried to find Hermione and see if there was anything he could say to make her feel better, but she wasn't in any of her other classes that day, and she wasn't in her dormitory when he asked Parvati to look for her there. He might have searched further, but admittedly he was rather busy otherwise.
He also had to deal with the many people who kept trying to wish him luck, or in a few cases give him things that would help him win, such as Seamus's lucky shamrock, or a paste made from dragon bones that a 5th year Gryffindor boy claimed if he ate it would protect him from harm. He rejected both of these proffered items, especially the dragon bones as he wasn't sure they were entirely safe for human consumption.
The worst was Pansy, who immediately after her sudden desire to have him duel Nott, had done an about face and seemed entirely distressed and wondering just why she had done so in the first place. At least she did not blame him, just made him promise to win the duel for her.
Susan of course realized that simply going around claiming that he would trounce Nott, simply wishing him luck, or going all to pieces over it would not really help the situation, offered to help him practice. The only time they got, however, was during lunch, and since he really needed to eat if he was going to be skipping the feast for detention and then fight Nott immediately afterwards, their time was limited.
His best chance to really practice however and prepare was during Charms. Since he had already proven he could cast Wingardium Leviosa, Professor Flitwick had let him go use his dueling room to practice in.
While he was still mad at Ron for being a jerk to Hermione, and he was getting irritated with Seamus, Dean, and Neville and their constant "you can't possibly lose drivel" and the fact that Hermione wasn't around, he'd finally managed to get Parvati to practice on.
Unfortunately it became quite obvious that Parvati wasn't much of a duelist, and he quickly and routinely defeated her. He suspected Nott would have to be a much better duelist if he had wanted him to challenge him to a duel. Professor Flitwick popped in for 10 minutes however and gave him plenty of last minute worthwhile advice.
Finally he made his way down to the dungeons, where he had been told that Filch would be waiting for him.
"There are 6 bathrooms on this floor that need cleaning," Filch informed him, "some hooligan or miscreant thought they would have some fun at my expense and put some kind of magic resistant gunk on the floor so I would have to clean it up by hand. Well the joke is on them because you're going to have to clean it up instead."
Filch grinned nastily at him, and handed him a mop, a broom, a scaper, and a few other tools.
"Better get to work," he said, "I hear you got a duel to fight, hope you don't make too much of a mess when you die, otherwise I'll have to get another student serving detention to clean what's left of you up for me."
Grateful for the confidence that Filch had given him, he went inside the first bathroom. As he had expected, simply mopping it up proved to be impossible and so he was forced to use the scraper to get it up, chunk by chunk. The only upside to such backbreaking work was that at least he had plenty of experience cleaning the old fashioned way.
He had just made it inside his 4th bathroom when he heard a sob from inside one of the stalls.
"Hello is their anyone in there?" he asked tentatively.
Since it was actually a girl's bathroom he was a little worried he might hear a screech or a yell for him to get out.
"Harry is that you?" Hermione's voice asked as she opened up the door.
"I've been looking all over for you," he told her.
"Why bother?" Hermione pointed out, her face obviously tear stained, "its not like I'm worth it anyway."
"Come on, you can't listen to Nott or Ron, they are just jerks," Harry said.
"No its true," Hermione answered, "I'm just some brainy bookworm who doesn't know how to be friends with anyone."
"I could be your friend you know Hermione," Harry said, "and not like in the way that Nott was suggesting either."
"You don't need to do that for me Harry," Hermione replied, "you already have many much better friends than me, and far more beautiful girls to be around, you're even going to be married to two of them. You were just stupid to agree to fight Nott for me and risk that."
"I had my other reasons as well," Harry admitted, not willing to admit to Hermione that it probably was a little stupid, "but I still believe that you're worth defending."
"Do you really mean that?" Hermione sniffled.
"I do," Harry responded.
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly there was a loud crash from behind them, as the door was busted down, and a huge, monstrous something stood in front of the broken down doorway.
"Is that a troll?" Hermione asked in bewilderment and fear.
The troll was still looking around at the damage it had caused, when Harry decided that his promise of defending Hermione was certainly going to have to be put to the test now because he pointed his wand at it.
"Rictusempra," he shouted.
It hit the troll point blank but didn't appear to really do anything to his complete frustration.
"Trolls have really thick skin," Hermione informed him, "its magic resistant."
That would complicate things, he figured, but he could at least distract it until hopefully somebody realized that a troll had somehow managed to get loose inside the school and get a teacher to stop it somehow.
He used wingardium leviosa to pick up the broken door and hit the troll with it, but this only caused the troll to get more mad as it winced in pain.
It swung its club in his direction, missing horribly but shattered one of the toilets nonetheless.
Just as he was beginning to despair, however, someone came to his rescue, and it certainly wasn't who he had expected to come save him.
DUELDUELDUELD
Dumbledore was currently standing just outside the bathroom behind the troll wearing the invisibility cloak James Potter had once lent him, just about to swoop in and save the day when suddenly a young first year girl that looked chinese with long knee length black hair and sporting a ravenclaw uniform came up behind the troll and stabbed one of its legs with a long dagger forcing the troll down onto one knee and caused it to howl in pain, before thrusting another dagger into the other leg, causing it to collapse onto both knees, now desperately trying to swing at his assailant.
The girl was quite good at avoiding the troll's club, but the bathroom simply wasn't big enough to have an effective amount of ground to keep between it and her. She took the time to toss one of her daggers to Harry, and the other she used to bravely stab at the troll's hand with after one of its swings.
While his hand was injured, the troll continued to fight with his other hand, doing what all trolls do when injured: want to fight even more.
It was Harry then who made the next and ultimately final move, he levitated the dagger the girl had given him and thrust it directly into one of the troll's exposed eyes.
The troll gave one last scream of pain then collapsed onto the ground, dead.
Dumbledore quietly stared in shock at Harry and the girl having managed to take care of the troll on their own.
This certainly was not how things were supposed to go, he was supposed to save the day.
Still as he thought about it at least Potter was unharmed and the troll taken care of.
He removed his invisibility cloak and stuffed it inside his undetectable expansion charmed pocket then came out from his hiding place.
"Just what happened here?" he demanded, feigning that he had just arrived and knew nothing.
"Somehow a troll got loose in the school," Harry explained to him.
"Don't worry we took care of it for you," the chinese girl with the long hair said as if she had merely killed a bug.
"You were the one who did all the work," Harry told her.
"Well you finished him off for me though," the girl answered, now looking impressed at him.
"Just who are you then, and why did you go after the troll? Don't you know that it could have been dangerous," Dumbledore scolded her, still upset that she had managed to get to the troll before he did.
Both Harry and Hermione were looking at the girl with admiration and gratitude in their eyes, the same gratitude that he had been counting on to receive.
"Well I couldn't let my future betrothed get hurt could I?" the girl replied, "I'm Su Li."