73. Water Prison Technique, You Are All My Wings

"Troll! In the dungeons!"

"I thought you ought to know." Quirrell, after speaking this alarming news, collapsed to the floor unconscious.

Wayne reacted by rolling his eyes, jumping on a chair, and yelling for everyone to run away from the troll. In the process, he accidentally stepped on Quirrell's head, causing him pain.

Quirrell, pretending to be dazed and with Voldemort speaking through him, shouted in frustration. Dumbledore, trying to restore order, fired off fireworks from his wand. He then instructed the prefects to lead the students back to their dormitories. Wayne and others realized that Quirrell had been repeatedly stepped on and called for help.

However, Quirrell insisted that he was fine and urged everyone to leave the dangerous area.

As they were leaving, some students wondered how the giant monster had entered the school undetected.

Wayne and Hermione questioned this as well. Hermione informed Wayne that Ron was still in the bathroom and unaware of the troll situation. She, Harry, and Wayne hurriedly made their way towards the bathroom to rescue Ron.

As they walked, Hermione remorsefully explained the entire situation. If she hadn't provoked Ronald to embarrass himself, he wouldn't have spent the entire afternoon hiding, too afraid to interact with anyone or even put himself in danger.

"It's not entirely your fault," Wayne reassured Hermione. He couldn't believe that this mischievous kid dared to spread gossip about him.

Suddenly, Wayne grabbed both Hermione and Harry and quickly hid behind a nearby statue. They could hear hurried footsteps approaching. It was Snape. He walked through the corridor, passed several onlookers, and rushed up the stairs.

"What is he up to?" Harry whispered. "He's headed towards the fourth floor. Where are the other professors?"

"Let's not dwell on it. Professors can do whatever they want. Let's go find Ronald," Wayne urged, and the three of them resumed their journey.

As they turned a corner, Wayne immediately wrinkled his nose and his eyes began to water.

The stench was unbearable. It was worse than the smelliest potion, and he could even see a green mist hovering in the air.

He quickly turned off his sense of smell and felt some relief. Wayne had finally realized the limitations of his heightened senses. One giant monster had nearly knocked him out. If there were a dozen more, he would have fled without hesitation.

Hermione and Harry also covered their noses, while a low grunting sound and heavy footsteps grew closer. A twelve-foot-tall behemoth emerged from around the corner and walked into the bathroom, followed by the screams of boys.

"That's Ronald!" Harry's expression changed, and he immediately recognized his friend's voice. He ran towards the bathroom.

Wayne raised his hand, causing Harry to float in the air, his short legs flailing.

"You and Hermione stay here, and don't cause any trouble!" Wayne shouted, striding towards the bathroom.

The door had been smashed, revealing the scene inside. Ronald was cowering in the corner, his wand broken into two pieces and discarded on the floor.

Step by step, the giant monster advanced, wielding a massive wooden club. Wayne lifted his palm slightly, causing the wooden root in the troll's hand to float up and strike it on the head.

Crack!"Ho-ho!" The club shattered, and the giant spun around to look behind it.

Wayne was speechless.

Wasn't this creature supposed to faint when struck with a club? Why didn't that happen? Phew! Two faucets burst open, and a torrent of water gushed out. Under Wayne's control, the water transformed into a massive wave, submerging the giant monster and suspending it in mid-air.

Hermione and Harry were also present at this moment. They were so shocked by the sight of the giant monster trapped in the water prison, yet unable to free itself, that they couldn't find their voices.

"Ronald!" Wayne called out.

Wayne managed to control the water prison with one hand, while quickly casting a spell to soak his head with the other hand. He silently cursed himself for being foolish and only just remembered to use a spell to neutralize the smell.

Upon hearing Wayne's reminder, Ronald snapped out of his daze and stumbled over to Harry's side.

The clear water washed away the filth from the troll's body, turning it murky and accentuating the foul smell of the bathroom.

Except for Wayne, the three of them held their noses tightly, looking at the bubbles on Wayne's head with envy, secretly vowing to learn that spell in the future.

After a couple of minutes, the giant's struggles began to weaken, until it eventually stopped moving altogether.

"Did it drown?" Harry whispered.

"Let's stay in the water a little longer, but be careful," Hermione advised cautiously.

Wayne agreed and kept the giant monster trapped in the water prison. The monster's tough skin and thick flesh made it more resistant to attacks compared to the Acromantula and the Centaur. That's why Wayne chose the water prison as a means of torturing the monster to death. Additionally, he wanted the troll to be killed cleanly, as he found it too dirty.

Feeling proud of his decision, Wayne's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps in the corridor. Hermione and the three of them turned around to see Professor McGonagall rushing into the toilet, followed closely by Snape and Quirrell.

"Oh my God!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, "What on earth are you doing?!"Inside the water prison, the giant monster peacefully slept while the three little wizards looked at Wayne, unsure of how to explain the situation.

Snape's face was gloomy and he limped. When he saw the water prison, his eyes narrowed.

As Wayne smiled and greeted Professor McGonagall, Snape casually glanced at him.

Quirrell also entered the toilet. He took one look at the troll and let out a weak sob. Sitting on a toilet, he tightly clutched his clothes to wipe away his tears.

"Professor Quirrell," Wayne reminded, "If you need to use the toilet, this might not be the most convenient place."Quirrell hesitated, and then he cried even louder.

"You can stop, Lawrence," Snape said solemnly. "Do you plan on drowning this giant monster?"Hearing Snape's words, Wayne dispelled the magic, causing the giant monster to thud to the ground.

"I need an explanation! What do you think you're doing?!" Professor McGonagall demanded, her anger evident. Harry had never seen her so furious.

Unexplainably, Hermione's angry face flashed through Harry's mind.

"I think it's obvious..." Snape sneered, "Genius Lawrence wanted to prove his strength, so he recruited his little girlfriend and two followers to cause mischief with the troll."Hermione couldn't help but feel pleased with Snape's comment.

Harry and Ron were furious. Who were these followers? They were just Wayne's friends! Wayne didn't take it seriously but still smiled. "Professor Snape, you have such a way with words, but unfortunately, it's wasted on you."Snape's face twisted in disgust.

"Professor McGonagall," Hermione lowered her head, her voice low, "This is all my fault because..."

"No!" Ron interrupted, "They all came to find me. I was running around and accidentally came across the troll. Thankfully, Wayne and the others saved me."Naturally, Professor McGonagall wasn't quick to believe such an excuse. She sensed that there were hidden details they weren't revealing.

However, when she saw Ron's determined eyes, McGonagall considered, "Mr. Weasley, I will deduct five points from Gryffindor for your recklessness."Snape let out a dissatisfied snort, saying, "Professor McGonagall, here..."Halfway through his words, he noticed Wayne quietly raise a finger, prompting Snape to quickly make a three sign.

Wayne then held out another finger.

Snape adjusted his tone and stated, "Most of them are students from your college, so I won't comment."McGonagall looked at him in surprise. Just moments ago, she had believed that Snape thought the punishment was not harsh enough. However, since Snape voiced no objection, the punishment stopped there.McGonagall didn't want to pour salt on the few points left in his academy.

"As for you, Mr. Lawrence, for your bravery and kindness, Hufflepuff adds twenty points."

"Okay, let's rest soon, shall we? The students are still over there planning the Halloween dinner."Wayne exchanged a look with Snape and led Harry and the others out of the toilet.

Before leaving, Ronald, feeling distressed, picked up the broken wand in two pieces, intending to return and mend it with magic tape. Hermione continued to tightly hold onto Wayne's hand, leaving the boy feeling helpless as he followed them to the Gryffindor Tower.

Halfway there, Hermione suddenly said, "Sorry, Ronald, I was too impulsive this afternoon. I apologize to you."

"You were the one who helped me correct my mistake just now. Thank you."After saying that, she bowed formally to Ronald, leaving him feeling perplexed.

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have said those harsh words. The spells you taught were all correct. I cared too much about appearances."

"And by the way, Wayne probably likes you more than Ravenclaw's Cho Chang."Hermione blushed, and Wayne slapped Ronald on the head in annoyance.

"Shut up! Why are you always gossiping about me?"Having just witnessed Wayne suffocate the troll, Ronald felt ashamed and looked down.

"I was wrong, Wayne."

"Now that this matter is resolved, it will be forgotten from now on, and no one should mention it again."Wayne swiftly settled the matter, and no one had any objections.

Glancing at the wand in Ronald's hand, Wayne asked, "What do you plan to do with the wand?"

Ronald smiled bitterly. "I'll just keep using it. If I tell my mother, she'll send me a Howler."Hermione was about to speak but was interrupted by Wayne.

"In that case, I'll lend you the money now, and you don't have to repay me. However, you'll have to take care of my astronomy and history of magic assignments this semester. Consider the money as payment. What do you think?"Ronald nodded eagerly and agreed. He knew that a wand cost seven galleons, and the homework for two subjects wasn't overwhelming. He could finish it in the time it took to play a few games of wizard chess, and he had already earned a lot of money.

"Thank you, Wayne," Ronald said gratefully."You're welcome," Wayne replied. The four of them continued walking towards the tower.

Arriving in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, Ronald and Harry entered first. Hermione seemed to have something to say to Wayne and was left alone. She lowered her head and played with her fingers, speaking nervously.

"Don't worry about what Ronald said about Cho just now... you... don't worry, he is just talking nonsense."Wayne smiled and ruffled her hair. "I know, I'm only in first grade and I haven't thought about those messy things at all."

"But is there no problem between you and Cho? You two haven't spoken for a long time."

"Of course not." Hermione defended herself awkwardly, "I've just been really busy lately."

"The day after tomorrow, I made plans with Cho to go to the library together."

"I'll take you there," Wayne offered.

He didn't care whether Hermione had actually made plans with Cho beforehand, or if she was trying to make it up to her later. As long as they didn't drift apart and cause unnecessary complications, he was content.

"Thank you for today," Hermione said, hugging Wayne.

The scent of the shower gel mixed with milk filled his senses, but their interaction was too short-lived. Before he could fully savor it, Hermione spoke the password and hurriedly entered the Gryffindor common room.

Wayne narrowed his eyes and whispered to himself, "Ah... sweet-smelling and soft loli."

In the principal's office, Snape limped and took a seat in front of Dumbledore.

"It's currently quiet on the fourth floor, and Quirrell hasn't passed through," Snape reported.

"Thank you for your hard work, Severus. Is your leg injury okay? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" Dumbledore asked with concern.

"You don't have to worry about it, I can handle it myself," Snape replied, taking out a small crystal bottle with a distressed expression.

Carefully, he dripped two drops onto the bloody wound, immediately standing up to avoid using too much.

A miracle occurred. As soon as the droplets touched the wound, it rapidly healed and disappeared within seconds.

Dumbledore observed this scene curiously. "Are these tears from a Fox? The effect is indeed much stronger than a Fawke's."

"This is just the most basic application," Snape said, his expression complicated. "You have no idea what these tears represent."Dumbledore leaned in, intrigued. "What is it?"

"It's hope."Snape tightened his grip on the bottle and solemnly put it away.

"You should know what happened in the bathroom, right?" Dumbledore nodded and replied, "Not long after Minerva left, Mr. Lawrence used a very beautiful water prison." Snape deliberately added, "Wandless casting."

Dumbledore chuckled and Snape asked, "Are you scared?" Dumbledore chuckled again and responded, "Don't test me again, Severus. I have the utmost confidence in Mr. Lawrence from beginning to end. There's something you don't know. Maybe I can help you dispel those doubts." Snape raised his eyebrow, "Mr. Lawrence regards the forbidden book area as his second bedroom, but he has little interest in books about black magic." Dumbledore then stated, "He's not going to be the next Dark Lord."

"Since you think so highly of him, then Proph-" Dumbledore's smile gradually disappeared and he fell into silence. After a long time, he said, "This is Harry's destiny, and no one can replace him." Dumbledore added, "And I can only provide some help as much as possible."