Hogwarts Was About to Become the Laughingstock of the Magical World

What appeared before Ron and Hermione was a troll lying on the floor, clutching its body.

Ron now understood why the troll had been howling as if venting its frustration—it was in pain.

Above the troll, a huge club hovered in the air.

"Hi." Harry noticed his two friends pushing open the door.

At the same time, he casually flicked his wand with a tiny motion, and the club came crashing heavily down onto the troll's head.

The troll only had time to grunt before it passed out.

"Bloody Hell..." Ron stared in amazement. "Harry, you... you defeated a troll!"

"Oh." Harry tucked his wand back into his pocket and deflected the question with one of his own. "What are you two doing here?"

"Professor Quirrell said there was a troll in the Dungeon Classroom. Ron remembered that you'd gone to the Bathroom and hadn't come back yet, so he was worried about your safety and dragged me along to warn you that you were in danger." Hermione rattled it all off in one breath, then lowered her head to look at the troll. "Now it seems the danger wasn't the troll."

Harry felt somewhat touched. He truly had not expected that, even knowing there was a troll, his two friends would still risk their lives to warn him.

What could he say? They really were Gryffindors.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "Ron, Hermione..."

Before he could finish, a violent pounding on the door and loud footsteps suddenly rang out. All three people in the room turned toward the entrance.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall rushed into the room, with Snape close behind her and Quirrell bringing up the rear.

Quirrell took one look at the unconscious troll, let out a weak sob, then sat down on a toilet and clutched his chest tightly.

Harry turned his head away, a barely noticeable look of disgust appearing on his face.

How weak. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was actually this sort of person?

At this rate, Hogwarts was going to become the laughingstock of the Magical World!

"What in the world have you been playing at?" Professor McGonagall said, cold fury in her voice.

Her stern gaze swept over the trio before finally settling on the troll sprawled on the floor, sleeping like the dead. "You were lucky it didn't kill you—but why weren't you staying quietly in your Dormitory?"

"Sorry, Professor." Harry stepped forward. "They were looking for me. My stomach hurt after class, so I went to the Bathroom. I didn't expect the troll to break in. They knew I was in the Bathroom, so they came to warn me that I was in danger."

Professor McGonagall's stern expression softened.

If that was the case, then Harry could not be blamed.

Daring to step forward and take responsibility...

I think this child is like Lily, Professor McGonagall thought happily.

"With Ron and Hermione's help, we defeated the troll together," Harry added at last.

He decided not to stand out too much. A first-year new student taking down a troll alone would be far too shocking if word got out.

Hearing Harry's words, Hermione quietly pinched Ron, then put on an expression that said that was exactly how it had happened.

Ron nodded along with Hermione, as though he had been the one to defeat the troll.

"A fine Transfiguration Spell." Professor McGonagall noticed the Shackles around the troll's feet and nodded approvingly at Harry before turning to Ron and Hermione.

"Breaking school rules and leaving the group without permission, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger. Gryffindor will lose five points because of the two of you," Professor McGonagall said sternly.

Hermione lowered her head. She had not expected Professor McGonagall to be so merciless.

Ron pouted unwillingly as well. Merlin's beard, couldn't our Head of House be as biased as Slytherin's Head of House?

But then Professor McGonagall added, "For being willing to risk yourselves for a friend, Gryffindor gains ten points."

Hearing Professor McGonagall's reward, the two of them raised their heads in delight and saw her give Ron and Hermione a slight smile.

Finally, Professor McGonagall concluded, "All right, I must still say that you were lucky. Not many first-year students can face an adult troll and emerge victorious. You have each earned Gryffindor five points—I will inform Professor Dumbledore of this. You may go."

"Go on, go on." Professor Quirrell rose from the toilet and stammered, "I... I'll handle the Bathroom. Don't... don't worry."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sleeping troll snorted.

Professor Quirrell jumped in fright, instinctively springing into the air.

Harry did not look at Professor Quirrell. He noticed that ever since entering the room, Professor Snape had been staring at him.

He did not think much of it. After all, he held no hostility toward Snape, and he assumed Snape felt the same way.

He was Father and Mother's good friend, after all, he thought.

As they walked back, not until they reached the second floor did Harry turn around and say to his two friends, "Thank you for today."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, both smiling.

"Why thank us?" Ron gave Harry a broad grin. "Isn't that what friends are supposed to do?"

Harry froze.

He had always regarded Hermione as a classmate he got along with fairly well.

As for Ron, he had always looked after him more because Ron was the descendant of an old friend.

Yet today, these two friends had risked themselves to warn him. How could he not be moved?

"Yes, we're friends." Harry nodded firmly, opened his arms to hug Hermione, then hugged Ron as well.

He accepted these two as his friends.

Perhaps I need a new beginning too, he thought. Besides old friends, I should have some new friends as well.

"So, Harry," Hermione suddenly asked, "why did you tell Professor McGonagall that the three of us defeated the troll together?"

"Oh, I just didn't want to stand out too much." Harry looked a little troubled. "You know, they always call me The Savior. If word got out that I defeated a troll by myself too, I'm afraid people would crowd around me again like they did at School Opening, staring at me like I was a monkey in a zoo."

"So that was it." Hermione nodded in understanding and accepted Harry's explanation.

"By the way, Buddy." Ron draped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "How exactly did you defeat that troll? That was really cool."

"I just used a combination of a few spells," Harry told Ron. "When I had nothing to do, I read some books about Dueling Techniques, and I ended up using what I learned today. As you saw, the results were pretty good—do you two want to learn together?"

He thought of that useless Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Even in this era, Dark Wizards had not disappeared. Harry did not believe he could learn any real Defense Against the Dark Arts in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

If that was the case, he might as well restart the Dueling Club!

Then... I'll start with these two friends, he thought.