Chapter 43 - Admiration and Confusion

Hermione stepped forward. "It was my fault, Professor. I went into the bathroom alone, and the troll followed me. But Felix, Ron, and Harry came to save me."

The teachers looked at each other, clearly impressed. "Well done," Quirrell said, with a hint of admiration in his voice.

Snape merely snorted, but even he seemed to acknowledge the students' bravery. McGonagall smiled, looking proud. "You all showed great courage tonight," she said. "But let's get you all back to your common rooms before anything else happens."

As four students were with McGonagall, she thanked Felix for his quick thinking and bravery in taking on the troll, saying, "Mr. Hermian, your actions were nothing short of heroic. Twenty points to Ravenclaw for your valiant efforts."

Felix nodded, feeling proud and a bit overwhelmed by the recognition.

However, when McGonagall then turned her attention to Ron, Harry, and Hermione, her tone was stern. "As for the rest of you, I cannot condone your reckless behavior. Twenty points will be deducted from Gryffindor for your dangerous and foolish actions. You could have been seriously injured or worse."

Ron and Harry looked chastened, but Hermione this time said nothing. In her mind, she knew that her behavior put Ron and Harry in danger, even Felix.

Felix couldn't help feeling a bit guilty for causing points to be deducted from Gryffindor.

"It is what it is; in the end, they risked themselves and needed to be punished for it."

After Felix made sure that the professors had arrived to take care of the troll corpse, he decided to head back to his room. He felt a sense of relief wash over him as he walked through the quiet corridors. He knew that he had done the right thing by following Harry and Ron to save Hermione.

"In the end, I was looking for a living target to test some of my magic, and I found it. It was a good deal for me."

As he walked into his room, he made his way to his bed. As he lay down, he couldn't help but think about what had just happened. He had faced a troll, and he had won. It was a surreal feeling, and he wasn't quite sure how to process it.

"It was fun and exciting. It seems like in the future I am going to have more fun as time goes on."

Meanwhile, Ron, Hermione, and Harry had made their way back to their common room.

They still had time before they needed to go to their dorms.

They were still in shock about what had just happened. "I can't believe that Felix followed us," Hermione said. "If he hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened to me?"

Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's a pretty impressive guy," he said. "I don't think I would have been able to take on a troll by myself."

Harry smiled. "I'm just glad that we were able to save Hermione," he said. "Felix was a big help, but it was a team effort."

They sat in silence, trying to process what had just happened. In the end, for eleven-year-old children, these things were hard to process and understand.