Chapter 19: The Troll

The Halloween feast was about to begin. Apart from the professors sitting at the staff table, the young witches and wizards below were whispering amongst themselves. After completing the creation of the Storage Ring and practicing new tactics, Eisen had come to the Great Hall to help with the decorations.

"Professor Eisen, have you been facing any difficulties in your classes recently?" Dumbledore looked towards Eisen.

Eisen was taken aback when Dumbledore's voice reached him not long after he had taken his seat.

"Oh, no, of course not. The Astronomy class is relatively simple, and the students have been performing quite well. Especially Hermione Granger, you know, she's an exceptionally talented young witch," Eisen replied, stumbling a bit at first before giving a standard answer while also praising the young witch.

Indeed, for Eisen, the Astronomy class was simple, and he hadn't encountered any difficulties. Even the homework he assigned to the young witches and wizards, he didn't pay much attention to.

After all, how wizards could land on the moon was not a simple question. Many of the young witches and wizards had not completed this assignment, though Hermione had submitted a related thesis. However, her conclusion ultimately stated that wizards could not land on the moon.

"Hermione Granger?" Dumbledore also displayed an expression of admiration.

"Yes, Astronomy does not require the use of magic, but Hermione's performance is still impressive enough!" Eisen could only praise Hermione's ability to learn since the Astronomy class did not involve magic.

However, Hermione was not present here now, was she? As he spoke, Eisen glanced around. He saw Harry and Ron gorging themselves, and other young witches and wizards like Neville and Mosi were also present, but he could not find Hermione anywhere.

Could it be that she was secretly crying in the bathroom? This thought suddenly crossed Eisen's mind. Yes, he had been busy with his own affairs and had forgotten about the rift between the trio.

Before Dumbledore could continue questioning, the doors of the Great Hall were suddenly thrown open, and Professor Quirrell rushed in. He hurried to Dumbledore's side, leaning crookedly against the table, and then shouted out of breath, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." 

Afterward, Quirrell's head lolled to the side, and he fainted, collapsing to the ground.

The young witches and wizards sitting below were initially silent, but then, as if a switch had been flipped, they all began screaming in panic. As the young witches and wizards stood up and ran around in a frenzy, the scene descended into chaos.

"Silence!" Dumbledore, seeing the situation, couldn't bother conversing with Eisen any further. He stood up, cast a spell to amplify his voice, and shouted loudly.

Once Dumbledore's voice fell, the young witches and wizards were instantly calmed. The scene quieted down again, and the young witches and wizards stood motionless, not daring to move.

"Please do not panic! Now - prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories! Teachers, follow me to the dungeons." Since there was an incident, the Halloween feast would have to end here.

Under Dumbledore's arrangements, the students from each House proceeded in an orderly fashion towards their dormitories, led by their prefects.

"How could a troll enter Hogwarts?"

"I don't know; trolls are supposed to be exceptionally dull-witted. Perhaps Peeves let it in for a bit of fun."

"Or maybe it was meant as a Halloween treat!"

Along the way, the young witches and wizards whispered to each other. However, Eisen noticed Snape quietly slipping away. He knew that Snape was going to check the locked room on the right-hand side of the fourth-floor corridor, investigating whether Quirrell's actions were a ruse to lure others away, but he didn't expect Snape to get bitten by the three-headed dog.

Of course, since Eisen was aware of the plot's trajectory, he didn't follow Dumbledore and the others to the dungeons either. Instead, he took advantage of the crowd and made his way towards the second-floor girls' bathroom.

Indeed, Quirrell had told everyone that he had seen the troll in the dungeons, but what he didn't expect was that in such a short time, the troll had already made its way to the second-floor girls' bathroom.

Even before approaching the girls' bathroom, Eisen could hear the cries and screams coming from inside. Those were Hermione's screams and Harry's shouts.

"Run, Hermione!" Harry's voice was filled with urgency.

Without hesitation, Eisen's wand suddenly appeared from his ring, and he grasped it in his palm, then swiftly headed towards the wide-open door of the girls' bathroom.

Upon entering, Eisen saw Hermione crouched under the sinks in the corner, seemingly hiding from the troll's pursuit, while Harry had his arms wrapped around the troll's neck and had inserted his wand into its nostril.

In this critical situation, Eisen didn't have time to consider anything else, fearing that the plot might not unfold as it did in the original book, leading to unexpected casualties. So, he immediately aimed his wand at the wooden boards the troll had smashed on the floor.

Next, to the astonished eyes of Hermione and Ron, the broken boards rapidly transformed into steel chains that coiled around the troll's body, binding even its flailing arms tightly.

"Get down quickly, Harry!" Seeing the three of them gaping in shock, Eisen felt a sense of pride. However, when he noticed Harry still clinging to the troll's neck, his expression darkened, and he urgently called out to him.

After Harry ran over to Ron, Eisen waved his wand again, and the club in the troll's hand levitated, transforming into an iron rod that struck the creature's forehead with tremendous force. Instantly, the troll was knocked unconscious.

Before Eisen could speak, footsteps could be heard from outside. Eisen turned to see, as expected, Professor McGonagall rushing in, followed by Snape, who had returned at some point, and Quirrell, who had also regained consciousness.

"You - oh, Professor Eisen, what is going on here?" McGonagall was about to reprimand Harry and the others but noticed Eisen standing there as well, so she suppressed her anger and addressed Eisen instead.

"Well, I was walking down the corridor when I suddenly heard heavy footsteps, so I followed the sound. As I approached the girls' bathroom, I heard cries for help from inside.

"Then, when I rushed in, I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione struggling to fend off the troll. In the dire situation, I knocked the troll unconscious." Eisen briefly explained why he had come and what had transpired.

McGonagall and Snape then crouched down to inspect the troll, and their eyes lingered on the steel chains binding its body.

"Well, Professor Eisen, excellent Transfiguration," McGonagall stood up, nodded, and seemed to accept this explanation. She also praised Eisen's Transfiguration skills.

Snape also stood up, though he didn't say anything but glared at Harry.

"However, why weren't you in your dormitories?" McGonagall turned to the three young witches and wizards, her tone still carrying a hint of anger.

"For this reason, fifteen points will be taken from Gryffindor. Now, get back to Gryffindor Tower, quickly?" Without giving the young witches and wizards a chance to explain, McGonagall continued.

Harry and Ron walked out with innocent expressions, while Hermione pursed her lips, as if wanting to offer an explanation, but ultimately remained silent.

Eisen shrugged, having no objections to McGonagall's handling of the situation. With his intervention, the three young witches and wizards had lost their chance to defend themselves. Not only that, but Gryffindor had lost points, and Harry and Ron's chance to be awarded points for bravely defeating the troll had also been missed.

"Well, I'll take my leave now!" After the young witches and wizards left, Eisen felt there was nothing more for him to do. As for how to dispose of the unconscious troll, he left that to McGonagall and the others.

On the other hand, in the crowded Gryffindor common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eating and drinking heartily. Although Ron had missed the chance to be a hero and rescue the damsel in distress, in the end, it was Harry and Ron's actions that had delayed the troll, allowing Eisen to save them.

Therefore, after this shared experience, the relationship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione had eased considerably.

"Thanks," Hermione said after a bite, then hurried off with her plate.

With their mouths full of food, the two boys exchanged a glance and shrugged, not saying anything more. The joyous laughter of the young witches and wizards around them let them know that the troll incident had come to a close.

(End of Chapter)