Chapter -86 Slytherin's secret.

Chapter -86.

As head of Slytherin, Snape was the first to show up after receiving the news.

By then, Dudley had already organized the younger Slytherins to manage the situation, handing a bottle of potion to a rather unfortunate fifth-year prefect. Luckily, this prefect acted quickly and cast the Shield Charm on himself right away; otherwise, things could have turned out much worse than a few broken bones.

For some odd reason, the Slytherin first-years were surprisingly compliant that day, following Dudley's directions without question. They seemed utterly terrified.

Naturally, Snape took care of the troll's body, already cleaned of its slime. Later, Malfoy gathered information indicating that, in addition to Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had also faced attacks that night, while Hufflepuff was spared due to its closeness to the dining hall.

In total, four trolls were captured: one dead and three injured.

Had Hogwarts poked the troll's nest? Dudley wasn't sure, but it certainly made him rethink his opinion on Hogwarts' safety.

As a result of the troll incident, Hogwarts stepped up security overnight, installing portraits in every corridor that would alert the headmaster immediately in case of emergencies.

That night, there were no discussions. The following day, the first-year Slytherin students gathered at Pansy's behest.

"The great Mr. Dursley revealed himself as a dark wizard to save me," Pansy declared proudly, pointing to herself. "Didn't you see? Mr. Dursley was the first to ask if I was okay."

"He even personally gave me a bottle of potion!" she exclaimed, referring to Dudley giving her a concentrated potion since she had been the nearest to the troll and the most frightened.

"You know, he really enjoys the red tea I make." While sharing this, Pansy tossed her hair with a slightly flushed face, trying to highlight her charm. Unfortunately, despite her attractive features, her hairstyle was rather unfortunate, effectively diminishing her appeal.

Even though Pansy was well-respected among the first-year Slytherins, a few of the other girls weren't exactly thrilled.

"Everyone, remember, we can't tell any professors about this," Pansy instructed, her tone turning serious.

"What about the headmaster?" someone asked.

Pansy responded firmly, "No! Not even the headmaster!"

The details of how Dudley defeated the troll were glossed over. Snape hadn't pried into it, either due to ignorance or another reason, so he didn't know that the troll had fallen victim to Dudley's potent dark magic, "Flying Sand and Stone."

"My father warned me that Hogwarts forbids studying dark magic, and if they find out, Mr. Dursley will surely be expelled," Pansy asserted, casting a sharp look at her classmates.

"Anyone who dares to speak out, anyone who wants Mr. Dursley expelled from Hogwarts will face my family's wrath!" she declared.

"My Malfoy family will stand by that!" someone else added.

"So will my Greengrass family!" chimed another.

"And me!" yet another voice joined in.

One by one, the first-year students expressed their loyalty. Once looked down upon, Dudley was now suddenly a subject of admiration among them, even if he was completely unaware.

Currently, he was quietly studying in the library with Hermione. Hermione was focused on her second-year spellbook, while Dudley reviewed the old notes he'd taken from Snape, full of valuable potion enhancement techniques.

Behind them, Harry, Ron, and Neville each had a pile of three books they were 'digesting.' Dudley had organized their subjects based on their strengths and interests over the past few days. Harry was reading about Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neville was engrossed in herbology texts, and Ron was flipping through a book on divination.

Although practical experience is crucial for mastering magic, it's essential to first grasp the underlying principles. Weekends were for relaxation, mornings focused on studies, Dudley had lessons with Snape at noon, while the others enjoyed some free time. Evenings were set aside for practical lessons. This was the schedule Dudley had devised for them.

Time passed slowly yet fulfillingly. The day after Halloween, Gryffindor noticed their house point hourglass had plummeted from second place to last. It wasn't a huge issue, as they typically regained points by Monday, but this drop was quite notable.

After a week, Gryffindor realized that their hourglass not only hadn't improved but had dropped again. If it kept decreasing, they might hit zero. They soon understood that Hermione, their go-to girl for answers, hadn't raised her hand since the incident. The flow of points had abruptly stopped, all thanks to Dudley's advice to Hermione.

"Gryffindor doesn't need that many points," Hermione had said, her focus shifting away from house pride to the company of their small group, especially with Dudley beside her. The Gryffindor students were apathetic; since their top answerer wasn't participating, they still had the Quidditch match to look forward to. If they could secure first place, they could regain their second position and then challenge Slytherin for the top spot.

In the chilly air of November, the much-anticipated Quidditch match began, featuring Gryffindor squaring off against Slytherin. To everyone's surprise, Malfoy had qualified as Slytherin's Seeker, having easily passed the requirement that all Slytherins switch to new brooms. It's true what they say—money can make things happen. He skillfully maneuvered the game, catching the Golden Snitch before Gryffindor's Seeker.

Amidst Lee Jordan's commentary filled with critiques, Slytherin celebrated on the podium, causing their house points to climb again. There were two main issues: firstly, the brooms were mismatched, leading to unfair competition; and secondly, Lee was clearly biased. Dudley made a note of these points in his little notebook.

As long as he could settle down to study, time flew. Before he knew it, December was upon them. The first semester was almost ending, yet he had heard no updates from Dumbledore about forming the group.

On Saturday afternoon, Snape limped into the Potions classroom. "Professor, you're hurt," Dudley immediately observed, noticing something was off with Snape. He sniffed the air a few times and remarked, "I can smell white peony, licorice, and fish mint."

"If I'm not mistaken, you've been bitten by something." Gently lifting Snape's trouser leg, he uncovered a large bite mark. "Looks like it's from a canine creature."

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