Harry and Ron followed Percy toward Gryffindor Tower. The corridors were full of panicked students.
"There's a troll! There really is a troll!"
"My God, is this school even safe?"
"Hurry up! Don't fall behind!"
The students' chatter rose and fell around them, but Harry grew more and more uneasy.
Suddenly, he grabbed Ron by the sleeve.
"Wait!"
Ron stumbled as Harry yanked him back. "What is it, Harry?"
"Hermione!" Harry's face went pale.
"Hermione's still in the bathroom!"
Ron froze, then remembered what had happened that afternoon.
He'd said that nobody could stand Hermione, that she was a nightmare.
Hermione had burst into tears and run off, missing the feast entirely.
"Her roommate said she was in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," Harry said, stamping his foot anxiously.
"There's a troll now, and she has no idea!"
Ron gritted his teeth. He was terrified, but he still nodded.
"Come on, let's find her!"
Taking advantage of the confusion, the two of them slipped out of the line and ran toward the first floor.
Meanwhile, Charlie had eaten his fill and patted his stomach contentedly.
"About time to head back to the dormitory."
As for Snape's warning? They weren't close. Not close at all.
[His Majesty disregards the rules. Tyrant Points +1]
Charlie hummed as he headed out. When he reached the first-floor corridor, a foul stench hit him.
"Holy crap!" He covered his nose.
"Did the Weasley brothers blow up the bathroom?"
It was no wonder Charlie thought so. Whenever something inexplicable happened at Hogwarts, even if the Weasleys weren't behind it, they were bound to know what was going on.
The smell was even more sickening than Quirrell's garlic breath, so Charlie quickly cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself.
A thin film instantly covered his head, keeping the stench out.
"Whew, much better."
Just then, a scream came from the girls' bathroom.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
It was followed by heavy footsteps and a roar, like a beast bellowing.
Charlie's heart lurched. Something had happened.
He hurried to the bathroom and shoved open the door. His heart skipped a beat.
A troll nearly three meters tall was swinging a thick wooden club, attacking wildly.
Its skin was grayish green, and its muscles were as solid as rock, but its head was tiny and its eyes vacant.
Hermione was huddled in a corner, her face deathly pale, tears in her eyes as she dodged frantically.
"A troll!"
After spending several months in the Wizarding World, Charlie was no longer a complete novice. He could recognize creatures like trolls.
Without a second thought, Charlie rushed inside.
When they'd encountered the Three-headed dog, Hermione, Harry, and the others had come back to save him.
He couldn't just stand by and watch Hermione get smashed to a pulp by a troll.
The troll raised its club, ready to bring it down on Hermione. Charlie reacted in a flash and flicked his Wand.
The massive club instantly turned into a fluffy lump of cotton, drifting softly past Hermione.
The troll froze, holding the cotton and staring at it in confusion. Its pitifully small brain couldn't make sense of what had happened.
"Hermione, come here!" Charlie shouted.
When Hermione saw Charlie, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes, and she hurried toward him.
Only then did the troll notice Charlie had barged in. It immediately dropped the cotton and charged at him with a roar.
Every step shook the floor, and the tiles in the bathroom shattered beneath its feet.
Charlie didn't panic. He swung his Wand again.
Blazing flames surged from the tip, instantly engulfing the troll.
Orange-red fire rolled through the bathroom, lighting up every corner.
Charlie had been drawing cards like crazy lately. Flaming Bear and Stupefy had both reached level three, unlocking Nonverbal Spellcasting.
But trolls had extremely high resistance to magic. The flames only blocked its vision and caused no real harm.
It spun in place, roaring furiously and flailing its arms as it tried to put out the flames.
Charlie's eyes narrowed.
If magic wouldn't hurt it, he'd use physical force.
He pointed his Wand at the toilets in the bathroom.
All six toilets instantly transformed into thick Iron Chains, which clattered around the troll's feet.
Still spinning in place, the troll lost its balance and crashed to the floor.
Boom!
The troll smashed the bathroom tiles to pieces.
It struggled on the ground, straining the chains with its enormous strength until they creaked and even began to warp.
Charlie's expression darkened. This thing was incredibly strong.
"Stupefy!"
A beam of red light shot from the tip of his Wand and struck the troll squarely in the head.
The troll shook its head, its eyes growing even more dazed, but it showed no sign of losing consciousness.
"Tough hide on this one."
Charlie swung his Wand again and again, hitting the troll with one Stupefy after another.
Just then, the bathroom door flew open, and Harry and Ron rushed in, flustered.
"Hermione! Are you all right—"
They stopped mid-sentence, frozen by the sight before them.
The troll was bound tightly in Iron Chains, while Charlie was firing off spell after spell.
"Merlin's bloody bollocks!" Ron cried.
"Charlie, you took down the troll all by yourself?"
Harry stared at the scene, eyes wide with disbelief.
Was Charlie really a first-year, just like him?
It was about as shocking as seeing Snape dance for him in a skirt.
Charlie paid them no attention. He kept casting spells to stop the troll from getting back up.
"Don't just stand there! Help!" Hermione shouted.
Harry and Ron immediately raised their Wands, but the two hopeless students clearly didn't know any offensive spells.
They just stood there with their Wands raised, frozen in place.
Hermione did much better.
"Stupefy!"
A beam of red light shot toward the troll, but it was clearly much weaker than Charlie's and barely had any effect.
At last, Charlie's final Stupefy blasted into the troll, and it lost consciousness completely. Its huge body went limp on the floor.
Charlie let out a breath of relief.
"That was close. The troll nearly touched the hem of my clothes."
Just then, an unwelcome voice cut in.
"Heh."
"Looks like Mr. White is just as arrogant as his Savior friend."
"Always thinking he can save the world."
Charlie turned around.
Several professors were standing in the doorway, their expressions varied.
At the front were Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, with Professor Flitwick and Snape behind them.
Dumbledore was examining the troll on the floor.
Professor McGonagall looked stern and furious, while Snape regarded Charlie and the others with scorn.
Snape had just made that remark.
"Don't be so severe, Severus. Mr. White defeated a troll with his superb spellwork."
Professor Flitwick had seen Charlie fighting the troll as soon as he entered, and he'd been using Nonverbal Spellcasting, too.
As Charlie's Charms teacher, he naturally felt proud.
"Perfect nonverbal spellcasting! Mr. White, Hufflepuff gets—"
He didn't get to finish. Professor McGonagall glared at him.
Professor Flitwick immediately swallowed the rest of his words.
That was close. He'd nearly poured fuel on Professor McGonagall's anger.
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together and looked sternly at the four students.
"You four, can you explain why you're here?"
Her voice was calm, but anyone could hear the anger in it.
"The professors clearly ordered all students to return to their dormitories. Why didn't you listen?"
"What if the troll had hit and injured you?"
Charlie shrugged.
"Professor, I'd just finished Professor Snape's detention. I didn't go to the Great Hall, so I didn't know what was happening."
Professor McGonagall glanced back at Snape.
Snape pretended not to notice and turned his gaze to Harry.
"And what about our Mr. Savior?"
Snape's voice was full of malice.
"What are you doing here?"
Harry stammered, unsure how to explain.
Just as Harry was at a loss, Hermione suddenly spoke up.
"It was my fault, Professor."
Her voice trembled a little, but she spoke clearly.
"I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed in the bathroom."
"Ron and Harry were worried about me. They came to rescue me."
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