A Bit of a Troll Bully

Chapter 35: This Is Kind of Bullying the Troll

Brook raised a hand to his forehead, his face full of helplessness.

What was all this nonsense?

Whether it was the ring or the Space Gate, he could easily escape anytime.

It was one thing for Harry and Ron not to understand his abilities, but Hermione was usually sharper than this.

He waved his hand casually, and a glowing door appeared out of thin air.

He stepped through and instantly appeared right beside Hermione.

This sudden turn of events left everyone present completely stunned.

The Troll froze, its walnut-sized brain unable to comprehend why Brook had vanished and then reappeared somewhere else in an instant.

Harry and Ron were also dumbfounded—they'd been trying to create an opening for Brook to escape, but it seemed he didn't need their help at all.

Hermione: ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄

She was completely flustered by her concern, only focused on helping Brook, forgetting that the Space Gate itself was a powerful escape skill.

But she was also the quickest to react, grabbing Brook's hand.

"Open a Space Gate—let's get out of here now."

Brook shook his head. "Hermione, since we're here, let me show you what I can do, so you won't keep worrying about my safety."

A single Troll—he had countless ways to kill it.

Earlier, he'd thought about hiding in the ring simply because he was lazy.

This was a good chance to put Hermione's mind at ease and give certain others something to worry about.

The Troll still hadn't figured out what was going on, but it decided to stop thinking and just smash this confusing little person to death.

So it raised its club and swung it fiercely toward Brook's position.

Hermione screamed in terror, "Ah! Danger. Danger. Danger."

"Don't be afraid. I have plenty of methods. The Space Gate can be used to escape, but it can also be used to fight."

Brook spoke calmly, raising his hand without any hurry.

A Space Gate appeared directly beneath where the club was about to fall.

At the same time, another Space Gate appeared beside the Troll.

Something incredible happened: the whistling club passed straight through both Space Gates and slammed into the Troll itself with tremendous force.

The Troll's massive body was sent flying by the impact, crashing heavily into the wall with a dull thud.

The Troll was completely dazed, slumping stupidly against the wall.

Meanwhile, Hermione, Harry, and Ron, who had been watching from the side, were all left with their jaws hanging open.

"See? If I'd placed the Space Gate at the Troll's head, it would have exploded like a firework by now."

Brook waved his wand, and one of the Troll's feet was sliced off with a perfectly smooth cut.

The Troll howled in agony.

"The Cutting Charm—if I wanted, I could chop this Troll into pieces."

Next, Brook lightly brushed his ring.

Two modern weapons appeared on the ground.

Ron didn't react much, just looked curious.

But Hermione and Harry's jaws nearly hit the floor.

"This is a Degtyaryov machine gun—I prefer to call it 'Dapanji.' One magazine burst, and this Troll would be riddled like a sieve. And this is an RPG-7 rocket launcher—it can destroy a tank. One shot, and the Troll would be airborne." Brook introduced.

"No, don't you dare!" Hermione quickly stopped him. "Hogwarts would be blown to bits too."

"To blow up Hogwarts, I'd need missiles. And I have plenty of those too. Not just one Hogwarts—even a hundred, I could level them easily. But for a small fry like this, I don't need any of that."

Brook continued with a smile, "I'm just trying to tell you—I'm really strong. You don't need to worry about me."

Just then, the Troll struggled to get up from the ground, apparently unwilling to give up, and tried to attack them again.

Brook waved his hand casually, and a Space Gate instantly appeared beneath the Troll's feet.

The Troll had no time to react and fell straight through.

When it was halfway down, Brook canceled the Space Gate.

Now half the Troll's body was stuck in the ground. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't get out, only letting out furious roars.

Brook reached through the Space Gate and slapped the Troll across the face, stunning it.

"Stop yelling. You're teaching material now."

He turned to look at Hermione. "Actually, if you just calm down, you could beat it too."

"Me?" Hermione was astonished. "Can I?"

"Why not?" Brook began his lesson. "There are plenty of pebbles on the ground. Use the Transfiguration Curse to turn them into steel balls. The Troll will slip if it steps on them. Then use the Levitation Charm to control those steel balls and attack its head. That way, you can easily defeat it."

Hermione: (ㅍ_ㅍ)✧

It actually seems possible!

She was tempted.

"So, want to give it a try?"

Hermione nodded vigorously.

She was eager to give it a shot.

But before Brook could release the Troll for Hermione to show her skills, a sudden rush of footsteps came from behind them.

Professor McGonagall led the way, with Snape and Quirrell close behind.

They stared at the chaotic scene before them, especially the Troll still trapped in the floor, struggling and roaring, their faces etched with disbelief.

Quirrell, pale with terror, clutched his chest, his legs giving way as he slumped to the side.

Professor McGonagall's chest heaved violently, her voice trembling with anger.

"Can someone explain to me what in Merlin's name happened here?"

Snape swept his scrutinizing gaze over the four of them, lingering especially on Brook.

He had a strong hunch that only Brook could have pulled this off.

Hermione was about to speak, but Brook cut in with a complaint, "Professor, Hogwarts' security is seriously lacking."

"Wh... what?"

Professor McGonagall: [・_・?]

She forgot her anger entirely, completely thrown off by Brook's remark.

Snape's usually expressionless face twisted into an amused smirk.

With a flick of his wand, he knocked the roaring Troll unconscious.

Then he crossed his arms and stood aside, looking like he was enjoying the show.

"I step out of the classroom and get attacked by a Troll—my heart's still pounding like crazy."

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "Why were you here?"

She caught the implication in Brook's words: he hadn't been at the feast, so he hadn't received the warning.

The blame for this Troll attack did fall on the professors' shoulders.

Brook shrugged and explained patiently.

"Ever since term started, whenever we have free time, Hermione and I practice magic in that empty classroom. The two portraits there can vouch for us."

Professor McGonagall fixed her gaze on Brook, waiting for him to continue.

"After class today, I came here as usual to practice the Bubblehead Charm." Brook pointed to the bubble floating over his head.

Hearing this, Professor McGonagall understood completely.

"It's not perfect yet, but for a first-year wizard, it's impressive enough. Filius would probably award you points for this if he were here."

"Thank you for the compliment. I got so absorbed in practice that I completely forgot about the feast. That's why they came to warn me about the Troll—they were worried I might be in danger." Brook finished explaining.