Stirring the Pot

Chapter 44: Stirring Up Trouble

At the Gryffindor table, several people watched in surprise as Charles devoured his food like a whirlwind.

Ron asked him in surprise, "You like pumpkin?"

Charles shook his head, ate half a pumpkin pie, drank a bowl of pumpkin soup, and then picked up a steak to eat.

Although talking with Mr. Scamander meant he could skip his second morning class and his afternoon class, he had forgotten to eat lunch when the conversation got going, leaving him starving.

At this moment, Charles decided that he would write a book titled Fantastic Beasts' Calories if he ever had the chance.

After eating for a while, he looked around and found that Hermione wasn't there as expected. He asked Ron, "Where's Hermione?"

Ron stammered, unable to give a clear answer.

Just then, Pettigrew said to Charles, "Hermione seems to have encountered something sad. She was crying very hard in the girls' restroom."

Charles frowned, startling Ron so much that he dropped his soup spoon.

Ron had already realized that what he had said today seemed a bit excessive and was now worried Charles would deal with him over it.

Charles frowned not because of Ron, but because of a bad premonition in his heart, feeling that something was about to happen.

Not long after, Quirrell appeared, and the troll was released. The Great Hall immediately descended into chaos.

Dumbledore quickly calmed the students down and ordered the prefects to lead the students away.

Charles saw Harry and Ron leaving midway. Just as he was about to follow, he noticed Quirrell, who had just passed out, sneakily heading in another direction.

His mind raced, and he quickly made a decision. He tugged on Seamus's sleeve beside him and pointed at Harry and Ron, who were mixed in with the Hufflepuff students.

Seamus understood his meaning and also left the group, following them.

Charles quietly followed Quirrell. Midway, he cast the Disillusionment Charm and Silencing Charm on himself, silently following him into a secret passage hidden behind a mural.

The secret passage was narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass. Quirrell took out his wand, conjured light, and felt his way forward.

Charles thought for a moment, then took a potion from his Bag of Holding and drank it without hesitation. He changed his clothes and then switched to the old man's 406mm wand.

On the other side, Harry, Ron, and Seamus had worked together to trap the troll and Hermione in the girls' restroom.

"That's strange," Seamus said. "Where did Charles go?"

Harry and Ron didn't have time to reply when a miserable and terrified scream echoed from the girls' restroom.

"Hermione!"

The three of them realized what foolish thing they had done.

The door to the girls' restroom was immediately opened, and if Charles were here now, he would be greatly surprised.

The troll was nearly 4 meters tall, its skin as rough as hard rock. Its massive body was very stout, with a disproportionately small head thrust forward. Its legs were as thick as tree stumps, and its arms were long and thick, holding a wooden club larger than Hermione.

More seriously, the troll was wearing a suit of armor. This armor was very old, but it fit basically.

At this moment, Hermione was cowering in a corner, her legs too weak to stand, sitting on the ground. She watched in terror and helplessness as the troll walked step by step towards her.

Harry immediately raised his wand and flicked it: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The Levitation Charm hit the troll, lifting its feet more than a meter off the ground.

The troll struggled like a drowning person, its club flailing wildly. Finally, it subconsciously threw it, heading straight for Hermione.

"Hermione, Accio!"

At the critical moment, Ron waved his wand, pointing at Hermione and casting the Accio Charm.

"Boom!"

The club grazed Hermione's head and smashed into the wall. Immediately, gravel flew everywhere, and the entire castle seemed to shake, leaving a huge crater.

Hermione flew rapidly along the ground towards the door, finally colliding with Ron. The two rolled to the opposite side of the corridor.

The troll was too heavy, and Harry's Levitation Charm didn't last long. Ron and Hermione landed before they could get up.

The troll picked up its club, turned around, and looked in the direction its prey had flown. Seeing new prey there, it walked over.

"Seamus!" Harry shouted.

At this point, no one thought the door could hold this monster, and the only one who could defeat it was Seamus, who was rumored to have once burned a dragon.

Seamus swallowed, drew his wand, and said with some lack of confidence, "L-look at me!"

He recalled the blue flames he had cast by the long grass and took a deep breath to steady his nerves before casting the spell.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Seamus's wand was like a jet engine, and blue flames erupted with a roar, engulfing the troll in an instant.

The commotion had attracted the attention of others, and Professor McGonagall and Snape quickly arrived.

They saw that the wall of the girls' restroom directly facing the door was pitch black, leaving a silhouette of the troll. The troll was cooked to a crisp, but its armor was intact.

Not long after, Dumbledore also arrived, studying the troll's armor with a grave expression.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort suddenly turned and cast a spell, the green light illuminating the secret passage.

Although there was no figure and no sound, he could still feel someone following him.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The opposite side replied with the same spell, and the two spells collided, making the green light in the secret passage even more blinding.

Voldemort was currently relying on drinking unicorn blood to restore his energy. After a moment, he retracted the spell, and the other side did not press their advantage.

"May I ask you to reveal yourself?"

Voldemort asked politely.

A small ball of light appeared in the secret passage, and a middle-aged man over 1.9 meters tall emerged.

"Voldemort?" the middle-aged man sneered, "You're just a piece of scalp now?"

Voldemort couldn't gauge the other person's identity, and his own strength had not yet recovered, so he continued to maintain his politeness.

He took off his headscarf, revealing his true face, and said to the uninvited guest, "Since you know it's me, may I know who you are?"

"Cut off one head and two grow back," the middle-aged man said. "You can call me Steve Rogers."

Voldemort looked at the other person in confusion. He thought for a long time but couldn't recall ever hearing that slogan, so he asked, "May I ask what brings you to Hogwarts?"

Steve replied, "Perhaps our goals are the same."

Voldemort's gaze sharpened, and he probed, "The Church of Necessary Evil?"

He recalled the organization Charles mentioned that was searching for 103,000 magical books. If wizards were behind that organization, it would make sense for them to use Muggles to gather clues, as some magical items were sold to Muggles, and there might be clues within them.

Steve replied dismissively, "Laura Stuart is not qualified to lead us."

Voldemort's heart sank slightly. Another name he had never heard.

He probed again, "Since our goals are the same, how about we cooperate?"

"Cooperate?" Steve chuckled. "You have never been on our cooperation list, not from beginning to end."

"For 1400 years, our members have spread to every corner of the world, and our shadow can be seen in every historical change."

"As for you, you haven't even crossed the English Channel. You have no ambition. Compared to Blue Dream, Umbrella, and Iron Rose, you are just a child. You are not qualified to cooperate with us."

Voldemort appeared calm, but he was internally going mad. What the heck are those organizations you're talking about?

"Mr. Rogers," he asked, "can you tell me the name of your organization?"

Charles estimated that the effect of the Polyjuice Potion was about to wear off, so he merely gave a contemptuous smile and then vanished from his spot.

Voldemort's expression became unprecedentedly grave. At Hogwarts, only the Headmaster and House-elves could use Apparition. This person could use the Killing Curse, so he was definitely not Dumbledore, and even less likely to be a House-elf. This meant that this person, or the organization behind him, had broken through Hogwarts' defense system.

At this moment, Charles was in a cave in the Forbidden Forest, rubbing his head. Although the Portkey, which utilized House-elf magic, could bypass Hogwarts' defense system, the feeling was like being spun dry in a washing machine – extremely uncomfortable.

He waited for the Polyjuice Potion's effects to completely fade, changed back into his original clothes, and rode a broomstick back to the castle.

Now he could confirm one thing: Voldemort was indeed looking for something. This item or clue was in some secret passage.

Voldemort thought he would have a harvest today, but the door on the wall of the secret passage only led to an empty room. He was happy for nothing.

Charles didn't know what Voldemort was looking for, but he decided to stir up trouble anyway, making him spend his limited energy on useless things.

When Charles returned to the common room, he found a banquet being held, with a triumphant Seamus as the guest of honor.