The Unlucky Troll

The dumbfounded troll was met with three spells. One was a dazzling flame from the front, which made the troll take a few steps back. Another was a hissing little black snake that crawled around at its feet, attracting its attention.

Taking advantage of the troll's lowered head, Ron launched his final attack—

The Levitation Charm caused a section of broken water pipe on the ground to float up, wobbling and drifting to a high position before turning around and landing on the troll's head.

"Thump!"

The water pipe collided with the giant's head, producing a dull thud.

The troll roared in pain—but it didn't faint. Clearly, the Hogwarts pipes and faucets were too light to penetrate the troll's tough hide.

As the giant roared, it began aimlessly swinging the wooden stick it was holding, smashing the surrounding toilet partitions and floor tiles, sending them flying everywhere.

The young wizards could only retreat and squeeze into the farthest corner to avoid being affected.

"We need to move it further away from the door; we can't run out from this distance!" Ron shouted through the gap.

"We have to confuse it!" Harry said as well.

"Are you crazy? It's already confused enough. If it keeps going like this, we'll all be smashed into mincemeat along with the women's restroom."

"..."

Ron and Harry tried to communicate amidst the storm of broken wood and stones, but it was clearly not working.

The giant's dizziness quickly subsided. Its beetle-like eyes first revealed resentment, then it stomped on the small black snake that was wriggling on the ground.

Hermione's Burning Curse only stung the troll's eyes for a short while, failing to have any further effect. Even the spear she transformed from the water pipe a second time was easily torn apart by the troll.

This is not only because the troll is very large and beyond the range of her spell, but also because the troll is able to be ranked as an XXXX-level creature precisely because it has special skin that makes it immune to some magic.

The three were quickly cornered, while the troll walked towards them step by step.

...Just as the professor said, wizards without rich experience should never attempt to face XXXX-level creatures.

This was the only thing Hermione was thinking about in her blank mind.

However, just as she watched the giant approach and couldn't think of any magic to deal with it, she suddenly heard a strange singing voice.

The song had no lyrics, but it possessed a strong sense of illusion, ethereal beauty, and mystery, as if a thick fog had suddenly enveloped the area.

Hermione felt the conch shell on her chest begin to heat up.

The singing grew louder and louder, and the golden light brightened, drawing the attention of both Harry and Ron—but at the same time, Harry also noticed that the troll's small eyes had widened slightly, and a faint golden light seemed to appear within them.

If the troll hadn't started to slow down, Harry might have thought he was seeing things.

This is an opportunity!

The thought flashed through Harry's mind, and he immediately raised his wand at the troll. In that instant, all the magic he had ever learned flashed through his mind…

There are only five in total, and he hasn't learned one of the Transfiguration spells yet.

So, with a determined look on his face, he whispered something to the giant in a desperate move:

"Imperio!"

No light flashed from the wand he was pointing at the troll, but the troll and Harry both stopped at the same time.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to sense even a trace of the troll's soul—if that pitifully small sphere could be considered a soul. He tried to touch it, then strained to convey his thoughts to it.

"Knock yourself out...knock yourself out! Knock yourself out!"

He was practically screaming inside his head.

At one point, Harry suddenly felt his hand loosen, as if something had flowed out of his hand. Then, he heard a heavy "thud!"

It was a deafening explosion. When he opened his eyes again, he only saw the giant sway in place for a moment, then fall face down on the floor with a loud bang that shook the entire room.

The troll appears to have a large bump on its head.

The singing and Ron's desperate chanting of the Levitation Charm both stopped abruptly, leaving the two remaining people staring blankly at the troll.

"What happened?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Didn't you see? Good heavens, that troll knocked itself out!" Ron's expression froze for a few seconds, then he was overjoyed. "Did he get so confused about his own head from ours from all the smashing, or did your spell work? Harry? What spell did you cast?"

"Didn't you hear the incantation I chanted?"

"I heard a little bit, something like 'im', but Hermione's singing was too loud, I didn't notice you."

After Ron finished speaking, Harry sighed in disappointment, while Hermione quietly clenched the conch shell, took it off, and stuffed it back into her pocket.

Before the three of them could finish communicating what had just happened, a series of hurried footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall was the first to rush into the ravaged women's restroom, followed by Snape, Quirrell, and Victor.

Quirrell glanced at the troll, then let out a weak sob, sat on a toilet, and clutched his chest tightly.

Professor Snape immediately began eyeing the troll with ill intent, while Professor Victor strolled in slowly, standing with his arms crossed next to Quirrell.

Professor McGonagall looked at the three students with pale lips.

"Tell me, what kind of trick are you playing?"

The three young wizards all flinched.

"Consider yourselves lucky you didn't get killed by it. But why didn't you stay in your dorms?" Professor McGonagall glared at them angrily. "I clearly remember you were supposed to leave with Percy, weren't you?"

Before he could finish speaking, Snape gave the group a sinister look and said sarcastically, "Yes. Tell me, Mr. Potter, has our savior become so confident that he thinks he can defeat a troll?"

"I don't."

Harry looked down at the ground.

"Please don't, Professor... they're looking for me."

At that moment, Hermione suddenly emerged from the corner, but her steps were somewhat unsteady.

Victor suddenly said, "Is it because you got lost? But I remember telling Percy that the professors would be responsible for finding you safely, and the two of them could just go straight back to their dorms."

"That's not how it is, Professor," Hermione said, her face still pale, and she lowered her head guiltily. "Harry and Ron just happened to hear what was going on as they were passing by, so they came to help me."

"Ha used the black snake to distract the troll, then Ron used the Levitate Charm to knock it out, and finally the troll knocked itself unconscious... If they hadn't come, I might have been swallowed whole by the troll."

Professor McGonagall gave her a stern look for a moment, then sighed: "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you possibly think you could handle a mountain-sized monster all by yourself?"

Hermione lowered her head. Harry and Ron tried to act as if they knew the story well, but they couldn't hide their surprise—Hermione? Lying for them?

It's like Snape started handing out candy at the beginning of Halloween, it's unbelievable.

Oh, the difference is that the latter did not happen.

But then Snape said in a drawn-out, sticky voice, "Really? To me, this troll looks like it's been cursed with dark magic..."

He pried open the troll's tightly closed little eyes, forcing himself to look closely at the troll's pupils, which were beginning to dilate, and then said:

"He might not survive."

Quirrell let out a loud sob and nearly fainted.

At the same time, Harry, Hermione, and the other two took a shallow breath, looking somewhat uneasy—not because of the dark magic, but because of the phrase, "They won't survive."

They began to feel a little guilty—even for a giant that had nearly crushed them.

But Snape just glanced at them disdainfully and said nothing more.

The four professors stood there, each with a different expression, exchanged glances, and then fell silent. Finally, Professor McGonagall stepped forward, waved her hand, and said:

"Miss Granger, your behavior will deduct five points from Gryffindor. I am very disappointed in you. But if you are not hurt at all, you can go back to the common room now; the banquet is still going on there."

Hermione lowered her head and walked out.

Professor McGonagall then turned to Harry and Ron.

"While few first-year students can take on an adult troll, I don't want others to think I'm rewarding your unorthodox behavior. The two of you will only earn five points for Gryffindor alone."

"I will inform Professor Dumbledore of this. You may leave together now."

Harry and Ron readily agreed, and, feeling like they'd been granted a reprieve, chased after Hermione outside. The relationship between the three seemed to improve instantly—after all, it's hard not to develop feelings for someone after going through something together, and knocking out a twelve-foot-tall troll was one such event.

But Harry noticed that Hermione was walking strangely, as if her legs were starting to give way.

Just before leaving, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you alright?"

Hermione simply clutched the conch shell tightly and replied hastily in that strange voice, "It's nothing."