30

Chapter 30: Professors

Ron clutched his face, exclaiming, "You took down a troll?!"

Harry surveyed the group, noticing Ron's incredulity had gone unnoticed, so he clarified, "No, Hermione knocked the troll out." After a pause, he added instinctively, "Used the Levitation Charm."

The discord in the Charms classroom had started when Hermione attempted to instruct Ron on the Levitation Charm, but her instructional tone only fueled Ron's discontent.

"—Hermione?" Ron was genuinely astonished, muttering, "How is that possible? It's... it's a troll!"

Hermione snorted, gripping her wand tightly, a mixture of exhilaration and terror in her eyes as she stared at the motionless troll on the floor, as though something primal within her had awakened.

Padma peeked out from behind Wade and whispered, "Is the troll dead?"

"No," Wade replied, observing the troll's slightly rising chest. "Just knocked unconscious."

"Oh—thank goodness," Padma sighed in relief, patting her chest.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached—Professor McGonagall dashed forward first, her face pale; followed closely by Professor Snape, his black robes billowing behind him; then Professor Flitwick, his diminutive figure running as fast as he could but falling behind the others; finally, Professor Quirrell, who, upon encountering the troll's calloused feet, clutched his chest and whimpered as though on the brink of fainting.

Snape shot a swift glance at Harry, who stood blankly to the side, then bent down to inspect the troll. Professor Flitwick interjected sharply in his distinctive, thin voice, "Oh, Merlin! Are you all alright, children?"

"We're fine, Professor," Michael exclaimed enthusiastically. "Although we nearly gagged from the troll's stench."

Professor Flitwick patted his arm jovially and commended loudly, "Excellent work! First years—defeating a troll! Not many can boast such a feat! How did you manage to bring down this colossal creature?"

"Haha, it was a team effort," Michael attempted to suppress his grin, speaking as modestly and seriously as possible. "Potter rushed out to distract it—"

Snape shot Harry a menacing look, causing him to lower his head, wishing Michael hadn't mentioned him, though Ron gazed at him enviously.

"We used a swarm of birds to confuse it, and then Wade used a spell—"

Michael paused, forgetting the specific spell and turning to Wade.

"Glissare Plana," Wade supplied.

"Yes—Glissare Plana caused the troll to slip," Michael continued, "Finally, Hermione knocked it out with a Levitation Charm."

Professor Flitwick clapped enthusiastically and praised, "Superb teamwork! Remarkable use of a simple spell. I shall award each of you five points!"

"Filius!"

Professor McGonagall's sharp call cut through the jubilation, making Professor Flitwick, who had been exuberantly applauding, shrink back, close his mouth, and retreat.

The stern witch in green robes swept her cold gaze over everyone, and each student, including Wade, instinctively averted their eyes.

"Trolls are extremely dangerous creatures. Many fully-grown wizards have lost their lives to trolls! If you encounter one, you must flee immediately and seek a professor's aid! Consider yourselves fortunate not to have been killed this time—Miss Granger!"

Hermione shuddered.

Professor McGonagall fixed her gaze on the girl's brown curls and inquired, "I recall you requested to be excused this afternoon due to not feeling well. Why are you here?"

"I..." Hermione had rarely lied to a teacher. Under direct questioning, her thoughts scattered, and she stammered, "I thought—I read about trolls in books and thought—"

Wade gently pressed her shoulders, guiding her aside—this foolish notion that she could take on the troll alone? It was so nonsensical that not even the troll would believe it.

If they didn't believe it, what if they blamed them for the troll's intrusion into the castle? Wade recalled how Harry had been misunderstood by his classmates numerous times in the original books.

"She felt better by evening and didn't want to miss dinner, so we were on our way to the Great Hall," Wade explained calmly. "When we passed by here, Hermione and Padma went to the bathroom. Michael and I waited, and when we left, we encountered the troll. We should have fled immediately, but it caught us off guard, and we were too scared to react. Thankfully, Harry Potter diverted the troll's attention and alerted us."

Several professors glanced at Harry again, his face flushing. He felt undeserving of such praise.

Michael looked thoughtfully at Wade, realizing something, and added, "Yes, he threw a bucket at the troll's head and yelled for us to run—he was really brave."

"Bucket?" Professor Snape interjected sharply.

Harry stared at the ground, sensing Professor Snape's penetrating gaze—he suspected the Ravenclaws had praised him excessively to deflect attention from him.

"And what about you, Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall turned to Ron. "Why did you not return to your dormitory?"

Ron had just been thinking that if he had accompanied Harry, he might have become a hero who saved everyone and, most importantly, earned Hermione's admiration in a new light. Suddenly addressed by Professor McGonagall, he was speechless, forgetting what he should say.

Professor McGonagall's eyes grew increasingly piercing.

Harry summoned the courage to speak up for his friend and said, "Ron stayed behind to alert us about the troll—"

"Yes, we all heard!" Professor Snape interjected derisively. "Yelling in the corridor as if trying to attract the troll—shouldn't it be in your textbooks that trolls have sensitive hearing? Oh—I suppose Mr. Weasley's textbook remains untouched? Just like our 'savior'—Mr. Harry Potter—using a bucket to catch the troll's attention—ha, a bucket?! I hope you haven't forgotten you're a wizard!"

The Gryffindor duo flushed with embarrassment and indignation.

Michael silently gave Wade a mental thumbs-up—if not for promoting Harry Potter, they might have been the ones facing ridicule now. He didn't realize Snape's fixation on Harry was enduring and unwavering. Even in a crowd, Snape only saw Harry Potter.

With Snape's remarks, Professor McGonagall's ire seemed to abate. After a moment's reflection, she declared, "Given the circumstances, I won't deduct any additional points from you. I will inform Professor Dumbledore of this incident. Now, return promptly to your common rooms—the students are enjoying their Halloween feast!"

As they hurried away, out of earshot of the professors, laughter suddenly erupted, spreading among them.