The Red-Haired Weasley

To suit the Halloween atmosphere, the decorations in the Castle had been enchanted. The lights along the way and the candelabras had all gone out.

The entire first floor was still shrouded in dark clouds, flickering with lightning and slightly exaggerated thunder, like a cheap theater stage.

There was a narrow passage off the side of the corridor, with the restroom at its end.

A burst of light footsteps sounded as Loren and the other two ran side by side into the passage and arrived outside the restroom.

Ron's faint sobbing came from inside.

Loren relaxed slightly. They had made it in time; the Troll had not arrived yet.

Hermione looked guilty. "Go get Ron out. We need to head back as soon as possible."

Harry pushed open the wooden restroom door. Its old hinges creaked. Feeling pressed for time himself, Harry exchanged a few quick words and pulled Ron outside.

Ron's nose was red, and he did not quite dare look at Loren or Hermione. He felt somewhat guilty. It was all his fault; his friends had come looking for him because of him.

The group nodded without saying much and headed outside.

"Roar!!!"

A howl made the four of them stop in their tracks.

Why were they so unlucky?

Ron felt as though something had gripped his throat, making it difficult to breathe.

Thump! Thump! Thump! The Troll's footsteps sounded outside. Just from the noise, they could imagine what an enormous monster it was.

Hermione unconsciously leaned against Loren and clutched his sleeve tightly.

"The Troll is in the corridor!" Harry's face went pale with fright.

"Get back into the restroom and hide. Wait for the Troll to pass through the corridor and go somewhere else." Loren groaned inwardly, planning to stall until the professors arrived.

Having someone to rely on amid the panic settled the others a little. The four retreated into the restroom, locked the door, huddled together, and held their breath without daring to speak.

Thump~

Thump.

Thump!

The Troll's heavy footsteps grew clearer and clearer. It had entered the passage from the corridor.

Cold sweat began to bead on Ron's forehead. Loren could feel that Hermione, pressed close against him, was trembling as well.

The Troll was almost at the door!

"Hide in the Compartment." Loren gave the order in a low voice.

The four crept into the innermost Compartment and stared through a crack at the restroom door.

Crash!

The wooden door was kicked into splinters as though it were a toy, and a flat, rough, callused foot appeared in the doorway.

Amid a wave of nauseating stench, Loren and the others saw a real Troll for the first time.

Its skin was dull and gray like granite. The Troll had an enormous body topped by a bald little head like a coconut, with long arms hanging at its sides.

Young wizards looked like toys before it.

The pressure from its massive body made them feel as though their hearts had been seized. If it touches us, we'll die. They all thought the same thing.

The Troll's eyes were webbed with blood-red veins, making it look terrifying. It seemed to have a target as it approached the row of Compartments, swinging its club sideways.

"Duck, run!"

Loren shouted, kicking open the Compartment door in an instant and pulling the others outside.

An entire row of Compartments was smashed into fragments, wooden pieces scattering everywhere.

The group pressed themselves against the wall, facing the Troll from five or six meters away.

"Roar!!!" The Troll stared straight at Harry and opened its mouth in a bellow.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Loren quickly tried to target the club in the Troll's hand, but the Levitation Charm had no effect at all. The club remained firmly gripped in its hand.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Sectumsempra!"

Harry and Hermione struck quickly as well, but the light from their spells hit the Troll's thick skin to no effect.

The Troll slowly approached them, and helplessness enveloped the group, making them despair.

"Colloportus!" Loren tried his most powerful spell, but it still did nothing.

Remembering Flamel's teachings in Dueling Club, Loren changed his strategy.

"Fire Charm!" He poured every ounce of strength in his body into the spell.

Crimson flames surged and rolled across the surrounding floor. The waves of fire at their edges licked the Troll's skin, scorching it and forcing it back, stopping its advance.

All four of them could feel the heat blast against their faces. Loren showed a weak smile; he had never been as tired from casting spells for an entire afternoon as he was from this one spell.

"Nicely do—" Before they could celebrate,

the flames rapidly shrank and vanished.

The floors and corridors of Hogwarts had special defensive measures, so spells could not exert their full power.

"Oh no!" The unfinished praise turned into a despairing cry.

Loren was a little drained. His eyes had lost focus, and his lips kept twitching.

What else can I do? What else can I do?

Flamel's teachings flashed through his mind again and again, but he discovered in despair that none of the techniques would work.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Fire Charm!"

Hermione's clear voice rang out. Loren's approach had inspired her. She used the Levitation Charm and Fire Charm in succession, lifting the broken Wooden Planks around them and setting them ablaze. They circled the Troll, keeping it from approaching.

Fireballs floated in the air, and the heat created swirling currents of wind. The young Witch's hair flew wildly, her robes fluttered, and fiery red light reflected off her pale face, making her shine brilliantly.

The flames forced the Troll back again and again. This time, they were truly driving it away. The Troll was extremely clumsy; once it retreated into the corridor, Loren and the others could escape in the other direction.

The boys gazed in admiration at Hermione's heroic figure as she wielded her wand one-handed.

"Long live Granger!" Ron could not help shouting. He relaxed, his hand clenched into a fist and trembling unconsciously.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, he thought.

Loren and Harry finally caught their breath.

The two of them joined in as well, using Levitation Charms and fire to force the Troll outside.

Flames circled the Troll, occasionally striking at it. The Troll retreated, then retreated again, growing increasingly impatient. As it backed out of the restroom, it let out a howl.

"Roar!"

The Troll swung its club at the fiery cluster flying through the air. With a bang, sparks scattered everywhere.

Their hearts skipped a beat. Hermione and Loren manipulated their Levitation Charms, making the fireballs circle more nimbly, dodge the club, and force the Troll back.

Clusters of fire rose and circled through the air, and the situation seemed to be steadily improving. Pieces of wood all around them flew up and ignited, until less and less kindling remained on the ground.

Hermione quickly spotted the problem, her voice urgent. "No, there won't be enough wood if this keeps up!"

They were still in the middle of the passage. The wooden pieces were consumed as they burned in the air, and they were consumed when the Troll struck them. There were not enough left to last until they reached the corridor. They were still trapped in this passage.

Despair once again enveloped the four of them. Sweat covered their faces and backs; they did not know whether it was from the flames or fear.

No one spoke. Hermione pressed her lips tightly together as she waved her wand. All they could do now was pray that the professors arrived soon.

As fewer and fewer fireballs remained aloft, the final Wooden Planks rose into the air. A few scattered flames separated the Troll from Loren and the others.

The Troll's retreat gradually slowed.

"Roar!!!"

Even without much of a brain, the Troll sensed that there were fewer fireballs. It wildly swung its huge club to disperse them and walked toward the group.

Ron trembled with fear, so frightened he could barely stand. If he had not already gone to the restroom, he felt like he would have wet himself.

Snot ran from Ron's red nose. Why? I'm a burden, I'm useless, I'm the least promising one in my family. I'm already like this, so why did I still have to face something like this?

He could not do anything, yet he had to watch his friends die with him.

He was so afraid, so afraid of watching his friends die before his eyes.

Harry was The Chosen One. How could he die because of me?

"Run!"

Ron screamed himself hoarse, tears and snot streaming down his face.

He charged at the Troll, wanting to draw its attention so his friends could escape.

"Come on, you bastard!"

The stench around the Troll had been roasted by the flames into another strange, slightly charred smell.

But Ron noticed none of it. The red-haired Weasley kicked and punched at the Troll's feet like a madman, trying to hurt it even a little.

His fists and feet struck the Troll's thick hide as if hammering stone, accomplishing nothing.

The Troll soon lifted a foot and kicked Ron away, sending him crashing into the wall before he fell to the ground.

He curled into a ball, clutching his stomach without moving. He gasped, unable to cry out from the pain, as bright red blood flowed from his mouth.

Even risking his life, he still could not do anything. He was useless...