Chapter 15: The Three-Headed Dog and the Troll
"Oh, step aside!" Hermione said briskly. Snatching Neville's wand, she tapped the lock and muttered, "Alohomora!"
With a click, the lock opened. The door swung wide, and they all rushed inside, slamming it shut behind them. Harry leaned against the cold door, gasping for breath. What a day—it had been nothing short of disastrous. First, he lost a duel to Malfoy, then nearly got caught by Filch, and now more trouble loomed.
"I think we'll be safe now—Neville, move!" Harry's words were interrupted as Neville tugged on his sleeve.
"What is it?"
Turning around, Harry saw it—clear as day. For a moment, he was certain he'd stumbled into a nightmare. After everything that had happened, this was simply too much.
They weren't in an ordinary room, as he'd thought. They were in a corridor. It was the forbidden one on the fourth floor. And now, they understood why it was off-limits.
They were face-to-face with a massive three-headed dog. The beast was enormous, filling the space from floor to ceiling. Its three heads bore pairs of ferocious, glinting eyes and twitching noses that quivered as they sniffed in their direction. Drool, thick and sticky, hung in strands from its yellow fangs.
The creature stood motionless, all six eyes fixed on them. The only reason they weren't dead yet, Harry realized, was that their sudden arrival had momentarily startled it. But it was quickly recovering, its thunderous growls making its intent clear.
Unlike the others' terror-stricken expressions, Augustus was observing the three-headed dog with keen interest. "A Cerberus," he mused quietly. "A lesser subspecies. A demon's watchdog from the infernal depths. Curious to encounter one here, in Hogwarts of all places."
Harry's hand instinctively reached for the doorknob, but Augustus casually cast a Confundus Charm at the Cerberus. While he wasn't sure what the creature was guarding, he had no intention of delving deeper into the mystery.
None of the others noticed Augustus's spell, but when the dog suddenly tilted its heads in confusion, they quickly caught on. Harry wasted no time. He opened the door, and everyone darted out before the beast could regain its bearings.
Back in the corridor, they scattered in different directions. Filch, likely searching for them elsewhere, was nowhere to be seen. For each of them, the night's thrilling and harrowing events would linger vividly in memory.
Halloween arrived, and the Great Hall was decorated in dazzling colors. A thousand bats fluttered around the walls and ceiling, while another thousand hovered like low-hanging clouds above the tables, making the candle flames in the pumpkins flicker. Delicious food appeared on golden plates just as it had at the start-of-term feast.
Augustus, calmly enjoying his meal, prepared to celebrate his first Halloween at Hogwarts. Malfoy, now used to the messy eating habits of Crabbe and Goyle, absentmindedly ate his mashed potatoes while observing the flickering pumpkin flames around the hall.
Suddenly, Professor Quirrell burst into the hall. His large turban was askew, and his face was filled with terror. All eyes turned toward him as he stumbled to Dumbledore's chair, leaned on the table for support, and gasped, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."
With that, he collapsed to the floor in a faint.
The hall erupted into chaos. Dumbledore raised his wand and sent several sharp firework-like bursts into the air. Once everyone quieted down, he instructed the prefects to lead the students back to their dormitories.
As Augustus prepared to guide the first years back to their common room, Harry and Ron ran up to him, out of breath. "Hermione! She's on the third floor—she doesn't know about the troll! She could be in danger!" Harry exclaimed.
"Who cares about that Mudblood?" Malfoy sneered gleefully.
"Shut up, Draco." Augustus frowned. Turning to Harry, he said, "I'll come with you. Hermione is indeed too close to the troll's location in the dungeons. Lillian, I'm leaving the first years to you."
After quickly assigning the group to a blue-haired girl, Augustus followed Harry and Ron toward the third floor. The three of them mingled with the Hufflepuff crowd and sneaked away down an empty side corridor.
The stench hit them first—a mix of unwashed socks and an abandoned public toilet. Harry wrinkled his nose, the foul odor crawling into his senses. Then came the sound—a deep, guttural grumbling and the dragging of heavy feet on the floor.
Ron spotted it first. Down a passage to their left, a massive figure lumbered toward them. They ducked into the shadows, watching as it came into view, illuminated by moonlight.
The sight was horrifying.
The troll stood twelve feet tall, with dull, gray skin like rough stone. Its massive, lumbering body looked like a heap of mud and rocks topped with a tiny, cocoa-bean-sized head. Its thick, stumpy legs ended in flat, calloused feet, and it reeked of rot. In one long arm, it clutched an enormous wooden club, which dragged noisily behind it as it walked.
The troll scratched its head, looked around, then peered into a nearby doorway. It wiggled its long ears, made a decision, and slowly squeezed itself into the room.
Harry rushed forward, grabbed the key hanging by the door, and slammed it shut, locking the troll inside.
"Got it!" Harry exclaimed triumphantly, flashing a grin at Augustus.
But just as they turned to leave, a terrified scream echoed from inside the room.
"Oh no," Ron said, his face white as Nearly Headless Nick.
"That's the girls' bathroom!" Harry choked out, panic-stricken.
"Less talking, more action!" Augustus barked. With a flick of his wand, the door blasted open, and the three rushed in. Hermione was huddled against the far wall, on the verge of fainting. The troll was bearing down on her, smashing sinks off the walls as it advanced.
Harry and Ron froze in fear, looking to Augustus for guidance. Calm and composed, Augustus raised his wand.
A green orb of light formed at its tip, shooting straight at the troll. Acid splattered across its skin, corroding parts of its body. The troll howled in agony, turning its hateful gaze toward Augustus. It lifted its club and charged.
The bathroom trembled with the troll's every step. Gusts from its massive frame made Harry and Ron squint against the force. What they saw next left them utterly dumbfounded.
Dozens of blazing red beams appeared around Augustus, striking the troll at blinding speed. The creature's body was pierced through and through, its massive frame hoisted into the air. In the red glow, it disintegrated, leaving behind a heap of unrecognizable flesh and rubble.
The bathroom was left in ruins. Debris littered the floor, and half the room was destroyed. Harry and Ron stood slack-jawed. Even Hermione had stopped sobbing. For a moment, the room was eerily silent.
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