The chaos in the Great Hall was like a pond struck by a boulder, its ripples instantly spreading into a peak of panic. Dumbledore's commands were like a beacon, guiding the disorderly crowd. Percy Weasley's hoarse shouts seemed weak amid the screaming and shoving. "Gryffindor! This way! Don't push! Keep moving!"
Lynn gripped Hermione's wrist tightly, feeling the faint tremor of her slender bones against his palm. His tall frame moved like an agile barrier, precisely carving out a relatively safe path through the packed, chaotic crowd and keeping her firmly shielded between himself and the cold stone wall. His steps were steady; every sidestep and every block carried an almost instinctive protective stance. Hermione stayed close behind him, her initial panic replaced by a strange sense of security. She could clearly feel the tense strength of his arm muscles and his unquestionable determination to protect her. Through their clothes, the Star Stone and Moon White Stone resonated clearly amid their gasping flight, conveying each other's heartbeats and the sense of connection after surviving disaster.
"This way! Quickly!" Percy waved from a corner ahead. Most of the Gryffindor students were streaming toward the main staircase leading to the tower.
Just then, Hermione abruptly stopped! Her face turned deathly pale, her wide eyes filled with terror as she stared at Lynn. "Wait! Parvati! Lavender! They... they're in the Girls' Lavatory! After Astronomy, they said they wanted to fix their hair... on the first floor! The abandoned one!"
Fear seized her like an icy tide. The Troll was in the underground classrooms, and the first floor... was far too close! She suddenly tore free of Lynn's grip, turned, and ran in the opposite direction. "I have to find them!"
"Hermione!" Lynn's voice was firm and decisive. His arm barred her again like an iron hoop, with even greater force than before, carrying unquestionable resolve. "You can't go! It's too dangerous!" His deep eyes locked onto hers, filled with unprecedented sternness and concern.
"But they..." Hermione was so frantic that she was nearly crying. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her voice trembled with a sob.
"I'll go!" Lynn's voice was low and powerful, carrying a decision that left no room for argument. "You follow the prefect back to the Common Room! Now!" His gaze swept toward Percy. "Weasley! Take her away!"
Percy was somewhat stunned by this sudden turn of events, but he immediately reacted and tried to grab Hermione's arm. "Granger! Move! Leave it to the professors!"
"No! Lynn! You can't go alone!" Hermione struggled, tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she clutched Lynn's sleeve. "It's too dangerous! I'll go with you!"
Seeing the determined tears in Hermione's eyes and her desperate concern, Lynn felt something strike the softest part of his heart. He understood that forcing her away now would only make her suffer and blame herself more. Time was running out!
"...Stay close to me!" Lynn hesitated no longer. He clasped Hermione's hand tightly, no longer merely holding her wrist but interlacing their fingers! That firm, warm touch instantly conveyed strength and resolve. "Don't leave my side for even one step! Understand?"
"Yes!" Hermione nodded hard, wiped away her tears, and her eyes became exceptionally resolute. She gripped his hand in return, as though entrusting him with all her faith.
The two moved against the evacuating crowd like fish swimming upstream, quickly turning into the corridor leading to the abandoned lavatory on the first floor. Percy's anxious shouts faded behind them.
The closer they got, the murkier the air became. The nauseating stench—a mixture of rotting mud, decayed flesh, and swamp vapors—grew increasingly intense, almost suffocating. Torchlight flickered along the corridor walls, throwing twisted shadows across the stone. In the distance came heavy footsteps, like boulders rolling, accompanied by the teeth-grinding scrape of something heavy being dragged and a low, muddled "Grrr... urr..." rumbling from a beast's throat. Every heavy step made the flagstones beneath their feet tremble faintly.
Fear seized Hermione's heart again. Her grip on Lynn's hand tightened unconsciously, her knuckles turning white. Lynn could clearly feel her trembling, and he squeezed back. The Star Stone's power seemed to pass through their joined hands as a steadying current of warmth. The Moon White Stone against Hermione's chest responded with a faint heat.
They rounded the final corner, and a horrifying sight came into view!
In the relatively wide corridor outside the abandoned lavatory, a colossal creature occupied nearly the entire space! It stood almost twelve feet tall! Its skin was filthy grayish-brown, like weathered granite, covered in folds and wart-like protrusions. Its enormous head resembled an irregular granite boulder, set with a pair of dull, cloudy little yellow-brown eyes radiating malice. It was swinging a huge wooden club smeared with unknown filth—something that looked like the trunk of an entire sapling—clumsily and savagely smashing it against the tightly shut lavatory door!
BANG! CRASH!
With every blow, the heavy wooden door groaned under the strain. Splinters flew, and spiderweb cracks already spread across its surface! The terrified screams of girls could faintly be heard from inside!
"Parvati! Lavender!" Hermione cried out.
The Troll seemed further enraged by the screams behind the door. It let out an ear-splitting, furious roar. "Aooo—urr!!!" Foul saliva dripped from its crooked mouth. It raised its huge club high, preparing to deliver the final blow to the tottering door!
"Hermione! To the right!" Lynn barked. He suddenly released Hermione's hand and shoved her toward an alcove on the right side of the corridor, where discarded armor and miscellaneous junk had been piled. "Hide! Don't come out!" His voice carried an unquestionable command.
At the same time, Lynn shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow! He did not charge at the Troll. Instead, he sprinted directly toward a heavy Brass Torch Bracket fixed to the wall on the left side of the corridor!
At the very instant the Troll's club, carrying a destructive howl of wind, was about to smash into the wooden door!
Reducto!
Lynn's incantation was clear and cold! A concentrated, dazzling deep-blue beam erupted from the tip of his Star-patterned Fir Wood wand! The beam was not aimed at the Troll's massive body, but precisely struck the point where the torch bracket connected to the stone wall!
BOOM! CRACK!
A violent explosion rang out alongside the shriek of tearing metal! The heavy Brass Torch Bracket shattered into pieces! One thick brass support, its broken end razor-sharp, was driven by the blast like a siege crossbow bolt, spinning through the air with a howl!
SPLAT!
A scalp-prickling dull impact sounded!
The heavy brass pipe, carrying tremendous momentum, struck with flawless precision against the Troll's right wrist—the hand holding the club!
"Aooo—!!!" The Troll released an earthshaking scream of agony! The sound was even more horrifying than its previous roar, filled with pure, unbearable pain! Its huge right hand instantly lost all strength, and the heavy club crashed to the floor with a clang, making the ground shudder. Clutching its bloody, visibly twisted wrist in pain, its enormous body staggered backward and slammed into the stone wall with a dull thud. Its cloudy little eyes, filled with pain and fury, fixed themselves on Lynn at the other end of the corridor!
An opening!
Hermione's heart nearly leaped into her throat! She saw the Troll stagger back from its injury, while the screams behind the door turned into frightened sobbing. Without the slightest hesitation, survival instinct and concern for her friends overwhelmed all fear! She rushed from her hiding alcove, her Moonlight Grapevine Wand aimed directly at the Troll's eyes, now even cloudier with agony and rage!
Stupefy!
A not particularly powerful beam from a Stunning Spell, haloed in milky white light, shot toward the Troll! But the Troll was thick-skinned and highly resistant to magic. The beam merely made it shake its enormous head, enraging it further!
"Roar!!!" The Troll was completely enraged! Abandoning the door, its huge left hand swept toward Hermione like a giant fan, carrying a foul gust of wind! Its speed far exceeded what its clumsy appearance suggested!
"Hermione!" Lynn's eyes nearly split with fury! He was still some distance from her! In his desperation, he fiercely pointed his wand at the smooth flagstone floor beneath Hermione's feet. "Lubricus!"
A faint blue flash flickered! The flagstones beneath Hermione instantly became as slippery as if covered in a thick layer of butter!
"Ah!" Hermione cried out. Her feet slipped, and she fell backward uncontrollably! This awkward fall narrowly saved her from the Troll's huge hand, which could have crushed her bones!
The Troll's massive fingers swept past the tips of her hair, stirring up a nauseatingly foul gust!
Lynn seized that fleeting chance and lunged to Hermione's side like a cheetah. He yanked her from the floor and shielded her behind him. Having missed, the Troll grew even more enraged. It abandoned its injured right hand, braced itself with its enormous left hand, then lowered its incredibly hard granite head and charged at them like an out-of-control battering ram, carrying the force to crush everything in its path!
That immense shadow and savage pressure instantly engulfed them! Hermione could even smell the Troll's overpowering stench!
There was nowhere to run!
At that instant between life and death, Lynn's eyes turned as cold as winter stars! He held Hermione firmly behind him, angling his star-patterned wand upward at an extremely tricky angle. He did not aim at the Troll's head, but at the relatively vulnerable point where its neck connected to its shoulder, exposed as it lowered its head to charge! Magic surged wildly through his body, and the Star Stone erupted with an unprecedented burning heat!
Petrificus Totalus!
An unprecedentedly thick, concentrated beam, glittering with dazzling deep-blue starlight, shot forth like a magical cannonball. With a shriek that tore through the air, it struck with perfect precision against the wrinkled grayish-brown side of the Troll's neck!
HUM!
A muffled burst of energy thundered! The deep-blue starlight spread and seeped across the Troll's neck like living vines!
The Troll's savage charge was seized as if by an invisible giant hand! Its bloodshot yellow-brown eyes flew wide open, filled with unbelievable rigidity! Its massive body remained in its charging posture, yet it was as though someone had pressed pause, every movement freezing in an instant! Then, driven by enormous momentum, its body, rigid as a stone statue, crashed forward!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous crash shook the ground! The Troll's heavy body slammed onto the flagstones less than a foot from Lynn and Hermione's toes like a collapsing mountain. Broken stone scattered, and dust billowed! Its enormous head crashed down only inches from Hermione's shoes, its dull, cloudy eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, never moving again.
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