If It Weren't for That Upperclassman, Hermione and I Would Already Be Dead!

Linley said nothing more. He glanced in the direction he had come from, as though he sensed something, then waved his wand and cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself.

He was not particularly affected by such a nauseating scene. Last Halloween, he had already seen Cassirachi with his head blown apart. Seeing something like this again naturally gave him a certain immunity.

After casting the Disillusionment Charm, Linley immediately left the scene.

Just a few breaths after Linley left, a series of loud footsteps came from the distance.

"Irina, Hermione, we're back! Are you all right?!"

When they heard almost no movement from this side, Harry and Ron panicked. The two of them practically flew over in an instant.

When they saw the Troll's exploded head, they froze where they stood before joining Irina in vomiting uncontrollably.

Very soon, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Quirrell, who trailed behind them, rushed over. Upon seeing the Troll's exploded head, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape both frowned noticeably before shock appeared on their faces.

Quirrell, on the other hand, rolled his eyes back and fainted again.

Professor McGonagall walked over and looked at Irina in disbelief. "Miss Lowell, did you do all this?"

Irina barely raised her head. Her once-pretty face was now covered in dust. She shook her head. "No, Professor. An upperclassman came here and saved me."

Hearing this, Professor McGonagall frowned. She looked at the Troll's skin, charred black by flames, its body pierced through by some unknown spell, and the vines on the ground created through Transfiguration. She understood that Irina was telling the truth.

Such powerful magic and Transfiguration skills were naturally beyond what Irina and the others could have accomplished.

However...

Professor McGonagall studied the somewhat familiar vines in thought.

With such formidable Transfiguration ability, the other party should have been a member of her Transfiguration Club.

"Irina, can you tell me what that upperclassman looked like? He saved you and rid Hogwarts of the Troll. We should all thank him," Professor McGonagall said after some thought.

Irina hesitated before answering, "I only remember that there were many metal blocks floating around him. He wore Slytherin robes, had black hair, and the ends were tinged dark red..."

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, right. He was handsome—very handsome!"

Irina said this.

Across both her lives, she had seen plenty of handsome boys, but the black-haired boy who had saved her was one of the rare few who could truly amaze her.

Of course, the hero-saving-the-damsel effect played a part, but his looks alone were already worthy of praise.

"Are you certain that student was from Slytherin House?"

At that moment, Professor Snape slowly walked over and asked in a low voice.

As the Head of Slytherin House, he did not even know there was such a powerful student in his House. If this was true, then it was a failure on his part.

Professor McGonagall, standing to the side, was also deep in thought. Slytherin, black hair, exceptionally skilled at Transfiguration—there were not many students who met those conditions. The only one she knew well was Linley Rory, but he was only a second-year student. How could he possibly possess magical power strong enough to overwhelm a Troll?!

After all, an ordinary second-year wizard would probably find it difficult even to cast a Disarming Charm.

Professor McGonagall shook her head, putting that mysterious Slytherin student out of her mind. The immediate priority was dealing with the Troll.

Just then, Professor McGonagall seemed to remember something. Her eyes filled with fury, and her lips turned pale.

"So what exactly were you playing at?! You're lucky it didn't kill you! Why weren't you staying properly in your dormitories?"

Professor McGonagall angrily questioned the three of them.

Irina glanced at the unconscious Hermione. First, she carefully picked her up and gave half a bottle each of the two-person healing potion Linley had given her to Hermione and herself. Only then did she look at Professor McGonagall and explain, "Professor, Hermione and I had been in the girls' bathroom the whole time. We didn't know what had happened in the Great Hall. By the time the Troll appeared, we realized it was already too late."

Ron stepped forward and admitted his mistake. "Professor, this was all because of me. After class this afternoon, I said bad things about Hermione, and she overheard me. That made her break down and cry in the girls' bathroom."

Harry did not want his best friend to be punished alone, so he also stepped forward to share the blame. "Professor, I was at fault too. I should have stopped Ron. Hermione is our friend, after all."

Professor McGonagall looked at the children before her, and the anger in her heart eased slightly. She said sternly, "Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, because of your mistake, Gryffindor will lose 30 points!"

Harry and Ron immediately lowered their heads miserably, but neither said anything. After all, they had brought this upon themselves.

But Professor McGonagall soon continued, her tone becoming gentler. "However, instead of facing the Troll alone, you sought help from a professor. That earns Gryffindor 5 points. In addition, Miss Lowell, you and Hermione bravely held back the Troll and prevented it from leaving the underground corridor and harming other students. You each earn Gryffindor 10 points!"

In the end, Irina and Hermione each earned ten points for Gryffindor, while Harry and Ron earned five points between them, for a total of 25 House points.

However, because of Harry and Ron's mistake, Gryffindor had lost 30 points. So even after gaining 25 points, Gryffindor's score still dropped by 5 points.

At that moment, Professor Snape's deep voice sounded. "Although we cannot confirm that student's identity, for defeating the Troll and saving his fellow students, Slytherin will receive 30 points!"

Professor McGonagall had no objection to this.

"I will inform Professor Dumbledore about this matter. You may leave now," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Irina and the others.

Irina hurriedly carried Hermione away from the nauseating corridor and climbed two flights of stairs, with Harry and Ron following closely behind.

"Irina, why did you tell Professor McGonagall that a Slytherin defeated the Troll? If you had said you did it, those 30 House points would have gone to Gryffindor, not our mortal enemy, Slytherin."

Ron suddenly complained. He had a very poor impression of Slytherin.

Hearing this, Irina stopped walking.

She shot Ron a cold look and said, "If it weren't for that upperclassman, Hermione and I would already be dead!"