Chapter 13: Halloween

In early October, Snape created a potion. 

With Mr. Filch's help, various data about the potion were collected by William and Snape, serving as a basis for Snape to improve the concoction. 

On Halloween day, Snape gave William the third improved version of the potion. 

Eager to test its effects, William decided to skip the afternoon Herbology Class and Flying Lesson after finishing his first Transformation class. 

It's worth mentioning that William has never attended a Flying Lesson since the beginning of the school year — after all, they were not examinable. 

However, Harry managed to excel in his Flying Lessons later on, impressing Professor McGonagall, who then recommended him to Wood.

Two corridors away from the Slytherin common room, there was a secluded room where William often practiced potion-making. 

Today, it was used as a temporary laboratory to observe Filch's condition.

"Argus, the effects of the previous two trials were quite good. 

This is the third time, and the potion's efficacy can only get better,

" William said, taking out the bottle Snape gave him that morning and opening it in front of Filch, "

Go ahead, you know what to do."

The accumulated magical energy inside Filch was like a huge boulder completely blocking a tunnel entrance. 

The first potion Snape made was like black powder, not very effective. 

The second was like TNT, definitely more effective, but it caused Filch's pores to bleed after he drank it. 

If Snape hadn't been there at the time, William wouldn't have known how to handle it. 

However, the second experiment marked a breakthrough: Filch was able to use a small amount of magic. 

This gave Snape and William another idea for solving the problem: overly potent potions could harm the body, so they needed to use a gentler formula.

William was optimistic about this new potion. 

He believed that even if its effects were not as strong as the second one, and progress was slower, it was safer.

Without hesitation, Filch drank it. 

The accident during the second experiment had affected his body, but it allowed him to use a trace of magic. 

In Filch's eyes, as long as he could use magic, as long as he could shed his Squib status and become a wizard, he was willing to pay any price.

"You're really decisive — aren't you afraid of another accident?" 

William joked, now quite familiar with Filch after several experiments.

"You're not a Squib, you can't understand my feelings," 

Filch replied, sitting properly in his chair, understanding the various rules after several experiments.

Raising an eyebrow, William didn't respond. Indeed, he wasn't a Squib. But did that mean he couldn't empathize with Filch's current feelings? 

William didn't agree with that.

For the next while, neither of them spoke. 

William wrote and drew in his notebook, while Filch sat with his eyes closed, focusing on sensing the changes in his body. 

This had become the norm, as this was their third time, and everyone knew what to do.

When William and Filch were ready to leave the room, satisfied with the outcome, the Great Hall's dinner was almost over. 

They hadn't eaten yet and were heading to the Great Hall.

"Wait, Argus, do you smell something?"

 William suddenly stopped Filch, 

"This smell... it's a bit like a Troll."

Turning to Filch, William asked urgently, 

"There weren't any special events planned for Halloween tonight, were there?" 

As soon as he said it, William wanted to kick himself. 

He had been so busy lately that he forgot about the possibility of Trolls on Halloween.

"Filch, it seems something really has happened. 

Go quickly to the Great Hall and find a professor. 

Tell them there's a Troll in the castle, the exact number is unclear."

Waving his hand, William quickly said, 

"Don't worry about me, it's just a Troll. I'm more concerned about younger students being discovered; that would be bad. Hurry up."

 After saying this, he cast a Bubble-Head Charm on both Filch and himself — the smell was really unbearable.

William didn't wait for Filch, instead, he ran towards the girls' bathroom. 

As expected, a smaller Troll, attracted by the crying inside, was bending down to enter.

With a flick of his left hand, William pointed his Magic Wand at the Troll: "Avis!" A flock of birds flew out from the tip of the wand, heading straight for the Troll. 

Distracted by the birds, the Troll stepped back from the bathroom door.

Perhaps annoyed by the birds, the Troll swung its club wildly, but to no effect, and roared in anger. 

Hermione, who was inside the bathroom, heard the noise outside. 

Wiping her tears, she walked out to see what was happening.

"Ah!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" A young girl's voice is very shrill, especially when screaming. 

Not only the Troll, but even William, who was mentally prepared, was startled by the scream.

"My goodness — that could be used as a spell!" 

William couldn't help but comment.

"Hermione! Get back inside!" 

William saw the Troll being drawn by Hermione's scream. 

It had been slowly lured away from the door by the birds, but now it started moving towards the bathroom again.

Unfortunately, Hermione seemed completely petrified, staring at the approaching Troll without reacting.

Seeing the Troll raising its club, William quickly used Protego, pushing the stunned girl inside. 

He didn't dare to stop for a moment and ran towards the door. 

His Protego was a bit hasty, and he wasn't sure how far Hermione was pushed away. 

If it wasn't far enough... William didn't dare to think further.

When William entered the bathroom, he was slightly relieved. 

Hermione was trembling in a corner, forgetting to scream as she watched the Troll approach.

William used a Stupefy, hitting the Troll on the back of its head.

 The Troll stopped and turned to see what hit it. 

"Hermione, hide in a stall," 

William shouted. 

Hermione finally reacted and quickly hid in a stall.

"At least its attention is on me now," 

William thought, pointing his wand at the Troll's forehead. 

"Now, just lie down quietly." 

The Troll had been too close to Hermione, and William feared it might fall on her.

"Fiendfyre flicker!"

The top half of the Troll's face and part of the back of its head were instantly burned clean. 

After standing still for about two seconds, the Troll finally fell heavily to the bathroom floor. 

Hermione, having recovered from the shock, crawled out from under the stall to William's side. 

She witnessed the entire scene of William defeating the Troll. 

Though still shaken, at least she was conscious now.

Shaking his Magic Wand, William used a Scourgify on Hermione, who had gotten dirty crawling on the floor.

After cleaning Hermione, William prepared to lead her out: 

"Although this is a girls' bathroom, I still have to ask, why are you here? 

Did you leave the Halloween feast early?" 

He already had an idea about this part of the story, but he pretended to be surprised.

Before Hermione could speak, a rush of footsteps sounded from the corridor outside. 

William recognized it was only two people, suggesting they weren't professors. 

When Harry and Ron appeared at the door and saw the chaos in the girls' bathroom, the Troll lying on the floor, and William and Hermione standing unharmed, they opened their mouths to ask what had happened. 

Then, more footsteps echoed in the corridor — this time, they sounded like many people.

Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell appeared at the door after the two boys. 

Professor McGonagall's face was ashen as she surveyed the wrecked bathroom. 

Professor Snape went straight to the Troll's body without pausing, while Quirrell slumped against the door frame, occasionally twitching.

"This guy, he's quite the actor," 

William thought, acknowledging Mr. Quirrell's performance.

"What on earth are you all doing here! 

Do you have any idea what you've done!" 

Professor McGonagall erupted after a moment's brewing anger.

"Professor... it was me. 

I read about Trolls in books and thought I knew how to handle them," 

Hermione explained with her head down. 

"I came to find the Troll, naively thinking I could deal with it, but I was wrong. 

If it weren't for..."

Hermione was interrupted by William before she could finish. 

The naivety of children, thinking their fabricated lies could deceive adults, unaware that these childish lies are often easily seen through.

"Enough, Hermione. Who do you think you're fooling with this nonsense?" 

William put away his Magic Wand, seeing no need to hold it with the professors there. 

"A good lie should be well-crafted, not something made up on the spot. Just tell the truth."

"Mr. Whistler, did you kill this Troll?" 

Snape, uninterested in their conversation, posed his question with a tone of certainty.

William nodded, 

"Yes, I did. Subduing a Troll is much more troublesome than killing it. 

And considering Miss Granger's situation, I thought it was the safest action."

"You know what I'm asking," 

Snape said, his face expressionless.

"Alright, alright, it was a weakened Fiendfyre," 

William shrugged, not expecting to fool anyone.

 The professors were astute and could easily see the issue.

Hearing Fiendfyre, Professor McGonagall also stopped fussing over Hermione's matter and came over, scolding, 

"Mr. Whistler, I thought you were a responsible, ambitious student. How could you use such dangerous magic as Fiendfyre!"

Snape tilted his head slightly, waiting for William's explanation.

"I said, it wasn't Fiendfyre. It was a simplified, weakened spell with a very short duration and minimal range of damage. 

It wouldn't cause significant property damage. 

Professor Snape, you saw it yourself, the spell's effect was only about the size of a fist. 

Besides, my magical level, while not bad, isn't strong enough to cast Fiendfyre at eleven years old. 

Even if I managed to cast it, I definitely couldn't extinguish it." 

William looked aggrieved, 

"Professors, you know that against an opponent like an adult Troll, regular damaging spells are ineffective. 

To control the situation to the greatest extent, I had no choice but to kill it."

"Very well, 20 points to Slytherin. Now then..." 

Snape slowly turned his gaze to Harry's face, 

"Can either of you tell me why you are here?"

"We were worried about Hermione. She didn't show up at the feast, so we had to..."

"So, without informing a professor, you came to find the Troll?" 

Snape's face showed a mocking smile,

 "Perhaps the famous savior thought he could handle an adult Troll? 

For your recklessness, and Miss Granger's mistake, Gryffindor loses 30 points." 

Snape then turned to Professor McGonagall, 

"You have no objections, do you, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall wanted to say something, but she didn't. 

Gryffindor students were prone to causing trouble, something she thought she understood. 

Hermione might have had other reasons, but for Harry and Ron to act so thoughtlessly, she felt like giving them a good kick.

But what needs to be said must be said.

"These two children rushed to save their classmate, which is understandable.

 For their bravery and responsibility, I think they should be awarded 10 points. 

What do you think, Severus?" 

Snape glanced at Professor McGonagall, said nothing, and limped away.

William watched Snape, thinking he must have been bitten by a dog. 

It's probably best not to visit him tonight, considering Snape must be quite frustrated now, bitten by a dog and unable to make it public or ask for compensation.

 If William went to Snape tonight, he probably wouldn't receive a warm welcome.

"You'd better hurry back to your respective common rooms now and avoid causing more trouble," 

Professor McGonagall glared at them.

"You, you don't need, don't need to bother about me, I, I'll handle this," 

Quirrell stammered as he stood up from the ground.

William glanced at Quirrell as he walked past him, 

"What a pity."

"Come on, Hermione, it's Thursday. 

Neville and Draco are probably waiting for us at the usual place,

" William said, leading Hermione away and ignoring the two from Gryffindor. 

"Can you tell me what happened? 

Why were you here during the feast?"

After hearing Hermione's story, William said coldly,

 "So, you put yourself in danger because of a jealous idiot? 

Remember what I told you about dark magic? 

Jealousy is one of the most common emotions used in real dark magic. 

You need to be careful, Hermione."