After the professors unanimously decided to stop recommending additional reading to Lin Yue, she eventually did as Madam Pince had expected and devoted some of that energy to other areas of study.
While she was busy studying like mad, Hogwarts' students finally welcomed Halloween.
She got up at her usual time and sat at her desk to read, all the while breathing in the ever-present scent of pumpkin in the air.
The thought that it was Halloween crossed her mind, then she continued reading, undistracted.
The arrival of the holiday made the young wizards even more excited in class. Specifically, they found it harder to sit still.
Professor McGonagall had to put on a stern face just to keep their excitement in check.
In the midst of it all, her gaze passed once more over Lin Yue, who remained unruffled and completely unaffected by the festive atmosphere. Professor McGonagall couldn't help being touched again by the girl's dedication to her studies.
After her Transfiguration class that morning, Lin Yue slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the Transfiguration Classroom, heading straight for the Great Hall.
She sat precisely where she usually did, then casually picked up food with her knife and fork without even looking and put it in her mouth.
As she ate quickly, the conversation of two Gryffindor Little Lions passing nearby reached her ears.
"Yeah, Granger was crying because Weasley made her mad. She's crying in the Girls' Lavatory on the first floor, and she won't let anyone comfort her."
"Merlin... Granger is a bit... unusual, sure, but making her cry is... kind of unchivalrous."
As Lin Yue listened to the two Little Lions talking, her hand—never pausing as she ate—stuttered slightly. Then it resumed its rapid pace, as if it had finished loading.
Hermione had been made to cry. That was the only conclusion her emotionless mind reached.
She didn't even feel that perhaps she ought to go comfort her.
After lunch, Lin Yue slung her bag over her shoulder and headed straight for her Magical History classroom. There, she earnestly began reading a book she had borrowed from the Library.
That afternoon, as she listened to Professor Binns's flat, emotionless voice from the front of the classroom, so monotonous it could put anyone to sleep, Lin Yue rapidly took notes.
Compared with the other students, she didn't think there was anything wrong with Professor Binns's lectures, and they didn't make her sleepy.
Of course, that might have been because she spoke the same way herself and it didn't make her sleepy.
If Lin Yue had felt nothing when she heard at lunchtime that Hermione was crying in the Girls' Lavatory on the first floor, then hearing it again at the Halloween feast that evening made her feel her heart give a thrum.
It was as if it were telling her she ought to do something. But what should she do?
Lin Yue couldn't figure it out. She could solve very, very difficult math problems, but she really didn't know what her heart wanted her to do right now.
Since Hermione was crying, perhaps... Lin Yue could let her wipe her tears, or wash her face?
Her hand kept moving as she ate, while her mind kept turning the thought over.
She finished dinner in three and a half minutes and was about to get up and leave through the Great Hall's entrance when, with a loud crash, the doors flew open.
Professor Quirrell, his head wrapped in a large turban, came stumbling in and shouted toward Headmaster Dumbledore at the Teachers' Table.
"There's a troll! In the Dungeon Classroom. I thought you ought to know..." Then he collapsed on the floor.
The Great Hall fell silent for two seconds. Then nearly every young wizard jumped to their feet, screaming in terror as if the troll with its enormous club were right in front of them, about to pound them into mincemeat.
Lin Yue gazed calmly at the frightened young wizards, then stood up without a hint of reaction and gathered her bag.
She had just put it over her shoulder when a deep, authoritative, soothing old voice rang out.
"Silence!"
The Great Hall fell completely quiet. Headmaster Dumbledore's voice reminded the young wizards that they were in the Great Hall, surrounded by plenty of professors, with Headmaster Dumbledore there too.
It didn't matter if there was one troll or a whole pack of them. They would all be safe.
Headmaster Dumbledore swept his gaze over the four houses and quickly gave his instructions.
"Prefects, take your housemates back to your Common Rooms. Professors, come with me."
With her bag on her back, Lin Yue joined the rest of Ravenclaw beside their prefect, ready to follow Headmaster Dumbledore's instructions and return to the Common Room.
But before she could stop, a thought suddenly appeared in her mind and threw her off stride.
Hermione was still in the Girls' Lavatory on the first floor. She didn't know about the troll. She might run into it.
Those three facts appeared clearly in Lin Yue's mind. Her steps, about to come to a halt, quickened again as she swiftly turned aside.
Her heart was still as calm as a well's water. Her decision to go find Hermione was for the same reason she had saved Neville before.
She was simply following her instinct to help others when she was able to.
The difference was that helping Hermione this time meant disobeying Headmaster Dumbledore's just-issued order for everyone to return to their Common Rooms.
Lin Yue strode out of the Great Hall, her right hand brushing her left arm, which was still bruised.
Because Professor Snape had never given her a perfect score on her Potions class work, she basically had to punish herself after every class.
More importantly, after Penelope, the girls' prefect, had caught her punishing herself last time, Penelope really did check her face every day to make sure she hadn't done it again.
That meant she could only punish her arms instead, which was why the bruises there never completely faded.
She gripped a small patch of skin tightly and twisted it quickly. Another bruise appeared on her left arm.
But now she could go to the Girls' Lavatory on the first floor without feeling guilty. She had already punished herself, so she could break the rules.
Bang!
She quickly pushed the door open and stepped into the Girls' Lavatory. Following the sound of a few sniffles, she walked to the door of a stall and knocked.
"Who is it?" Hermione's muffled voice came from inside. She had been crying for so long that her voice sounded a little soft.
"Lin Yue," Lin Yue replied without emotion.
The stall door soon opened, and Hermione came out and hugged Lin Yue, lips pressed together.
The feeling that she truly had no friends began to slowly fade.
"Weasley... said I was a nightmare, and that nobody would want to be friends with me..."
Lin Yue stood there blankly without hugging Hermione back, then spoke mechanically.
"You're a person, not a nightmare."
"Pfft..." Hermione gave a small laugh. "Are you trying to cheer me up?"
Lin Yue answered flatly, "No. I'm stating a fact."
Hermione held Lin Yue and laughed softly for a little while. Then she remembered something, let go, and looked at her questioningly.
"By the way, why did you come here?"
Lin Yue watched Hermione wipe the tears from her face and spoke in her level voice. "Professor Quirrell shouted that there was a troll at the feast. You didn't know, so I came to find you."
Hermione's hand stopped abruptly as she wiped her face. She stared at Lin Yue with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"A troll? In Hogwarts?!"
"Mm." Lin Yue nodded calmly.
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She came over, took Lin Yue by the left hand, and headed for the door.
"We have to hurry. Let's get back to the Common Room, or find a professor."
Lin Yue followed her toward the door. But the heavy footsteps she heard and the stench wafting under her nose told her they probably wouldn't make it back to the Common Room or find a professor in time.
Those two things together were enough for her to reach one conclusion: the troll was here.
"Too late." After saying this calmly, Lin Yue yanked Hermione behind her. Then they saw the troll slowly enter the Girls' Lavatory, and the door slammed shut behind it.
Hermione covered her face in terror and despair. She hadn't been through much yet, and now she was so panicked she couldn't think of anything to do.
There was only one thought in her mind: It's over... I dragged Lin Yue into this. The only person who was willing to be my friend, and I dragged her into this.
If Lin Yue hadn't come to find me, she wouldn't be here. If she weren't here, she wouldn't have run into the troll. If she hadn't run into the troll, she wouldn't die...
"I'm not dead yet, and neither are you." Lin Yue stood in front of Hermione, staring expressionlessly at the troll.
Had she accidentally said her thoughts out loud? Hermione came back to herself and looked at Lin Yue. She was just about to pull her aside and run when she saw the troll had already raised its enormous club.
Before the troll could do anything else, and before Hermione could tug her aside, Lin Yue raised her wand first.
The spell left her lips, and the ceiling above the troll instantly warped under the Transfiguration Charm, bulging downward to enclose its club and keep it from moving.
The not-very-bright troll looked up in confusion. At the same time, the Girls' Lavatory door opened, and Harry and Ron appeared in the doorway.
"Hey, big dummy!"
"Look at me, you fool!"
As soon as they opened the door, the two shouted to draw the troll's attention, gesturing for Lin Yue and Hermione to hurry over.
The troll had lost its club and was now furious. It turned and headed for Harry and Ron. Lin Yue calmly swung her wand, pointing it at the outer wall of the Girls' Lavatory.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The other three, confused, turned to look at Lin Yue, unable to understand why she was casting the Levitation Charm at a wall.
Crack, crack... crack. The sound of breaking echoed again and again. Soon, the other three understood what Lin Yue was doing.
The entire outer wall of the Girls' Lavatory came crashing down as Lin Yue pulled it free with the Levitation Charm. She moved it between herself and the troll.
Drawn by the loud crash, the troll turned around again, only to find an out-of-place wall in front of it. Where were the two little prey that had been behind it?
Its small brain futilely tried to work it out. It was also the last thinking it would ever do.
"Merlin..." Hermione gasped in amazement as Lin Yue gave a slight wave of her wand. The wall she controlled hurtled toward the troll.
Harry and Ron reacted at once, covering their heads and throwing themselves down on the outer side of the Girls' Lavatory.
The next moment, bang! A crash even louder than the one that had brought down the wall rang through the entire first floor, making the professors and Headmaster Dumbledore, who were hurrying this way, frown at once.
As the dust settled, Lin Yue gazed calmly ahead. The wall she had controlled with the Levitation Charm had broken into bricks, scattered across the troll's body.
The troll lay on the ground. Blood poured from its body and head; it was clearly a corpse.
The impact had been so powerful that the wall behind the troll had also crumbled.
Lin Yue looked at the troll, now lifeless, and slowly lowered her raised right hand.
Her expression remained as calm as still water, as though she were under no pressure at all—if you ignored her heavy panting and the sweat covering her head.
The walls of Hogwarts were protected by magic. They could resist magic, and they could withstand physical impact too.
When she had used the Levitation Charm to pull down the wall, she had felt the tremendous resistance. And then she had increased her magical output to strengthen the charm, destroying another wall as she crushed the troll.
Buried in dust, Harry and Ron waited until everything around them had settled before slowly sitting up and cautiously looking around.
Dust and broken bricks were everywhere. The area now looked like a ruin, and inside the exposed Girls' Lavatory, where the wall had been torn away, lay a troll corpse covered in bricks.
The two boys slowly turned to look at Lin Yue, their eyes full of fear. They felt as if they had lost the ability to speak and couldn't get a single word out.
They couldn't help feeling a little afraid of Lin Yue, but they also admired her.
Hermione swallowed as she looked at the back in front of her. But there was no fear in her eyes, only admiration and awe.
She had only ever felt that way before when looking at professors.
"Merlin above..." Speak of the professors, and they arrived. The professors came running over and froze at the sight.
Professor McGonagall even lifted a hand to cover her mouth and gasped.
Professor Flitwick stared at the scene with his mouth hanging open. Professor Sprout looked on in astonishment. Even Professor Snape was at a loss for words.
Only Headmaster Dumbledore, after surveying the scene, fixed his gaze on Lin Yue, who stood in front of Hermione.
Professor Quirrell did the same. His fingers twitched slightly, and what looked like a flicker of darkness passed through his eyes.
Professor McGonagall was the first to recover. She turned to Harry and Ron, who were still slumped on the floor, staring at Lin Yue.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, could you explain what happened here?"
Before you continue