Harry and Ron followed Percy toward the Gryffindor tower, the corridors filled with panicked students.
"A troll, a real troll!"
"Merlin's beard, is this school even safe?"
"Move it, don't fall behind!"
The chatter of students rose and fell, but the further Harry walked, the more uneasy he grew.
Suddenly, he grabbed Ron's sleeve.
"Wait!"
Ron stumbled from the tug. "What is it, Harry?"
"Hermione!" Harry's face went pale.
"Hermione's still in the bathroom!"
Ron froze for a second, then remembered what had happened that afternoon.
He'd said everyone was fed up with Hermione, called her a nightmare.
She'd run off crying, and hadn't even shown up for the feast.
"Her roommate said she's in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," Harry said, stamping his foot in panic.
"There's a troll loose, and she has no idea!"
Ron gritted his teeth. Fear clawed at his insides, but he nodded anyway.
"Let's go find her!"
The two slipped out of the line in the chaos and dashed toward the first floor.
On the other side, Charlie had eaten his fill and patted his belly with satisfaction.
"About time to head back to the dorm."
As for Snape's warning? Not familiar. Really not familiar.
[Your Majesty disregards the rules, Tyrant Points +1]
Charlie hummed a tune as he walked out. The moment he reached the first-floor corridor, a foul stench slammed into him.
"Holy crap!" He pinched his nose.
"Did the Weasley brothers blow up the bathroom?"
It wasn't an unfair guess. At Hogwarts, when something unreasonable happened, even if the Weasleys weren't responsible, they'd definitely know what was going on.
The smell was even more eye-watering than Quirrell's garlic. Charlie quickly cast a Bubble-Head Charm.
A thin film instantly covered his head, sealing out the stench.
"Ah, much better."
Just then, a scream erupted from the girls' bathroom.
"AAAAH!"
It was followed by heavy footsteps and roars, like a beast bellowing.
Charlie's heart lurched. Something was wrong.
He rushed to the bathroom and pushed open the door. His breath caught.
A troll, a good three meters tall, was swinging a thick wooden club in a frenzy.
Its skin was a dull grey-green, muscles bulging like rock, but its head was tiny, its eyes vacant.
And Hermione was huddled in a corner, face white as a sheet, tears streaming as she scrambled to dodge.
"A troll!"
After months in the magical world, Charlie was no longer a complete novice. He could recognize creatures like trolls.
Without a second thought, he charged in.
Back when they'd faced the three-headed dog, Hermione and the others had come back to save him.
There was no way he'd stand by and watch her get smashed to pulp now.
The troll raised its club to bring it down on Hermione. Charlie's wand flicked with sharp precision.
The massive wooden club instantly turned into a fluffy wad of cotton, drifting softly past Hermione's face.
The troll froze, staring at the cotton in confusion. Its pitiful brain couldn't process what had happened.
"Hermione, come here!" Charlie shouted.
Hermione's eyes lit up with hope at the sight of him, and she scrambled over.
The troll finally noticed Charlie barging in. It dropped the cotton with a snarl and charged.
Every step shook the ground, the bathroom tiles shattering under its weight.
Charlie was not flustered in the slightest. His wand swept again.
Blazing flames erupted from the wand tip, instantly engulfing the troll's entire body.
The orange-red fire roiled through the toilet, illuminating every corner.
During this time, Charlie had been frantically pulling cards; Flaming Bear and Stupefy had long since been upgraded to Level Three, unlocking silent casting.
But the troll's magical resistance was extremely high. The flames only blocked its vision, dealing no real damage.
It spun in place, roaring in fury, swinging its arms to beat out the fire on its body.
Charlie's eyes sharpened.
If magic damage wouldn't work, then physical damage it was.
His wand pointed at the toilets in the room.
Six toilets instantly transformed, morphing into thick Iron Chains that clattered and coiled around the troll's legs.
The troll, still spinning in place, lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
Boom!
The toilet tiles shattered under the troll's weight.
The troll struggled on the floor, the Iron Chains groaning under its immense strength, even beginning to warp.
Charlie's face darkened. This thing was too strong.
"Stupefy!"
A red light shot from the wand tip, striking the troll's head with precision.
The troll shook its head, its gaze growing more dazed, but it showed no sign of losing consciousness.
"Thick-skinned and tough."
Charlie waved his wand repeatedly, one Stupefy after another hitting the troll.
Just then, the toilet door swung open, and Harry and Ron rushed in frantically.
"Hermione! Are you okay..."
Mid-sentence, the two froze at the sight before them.
The troll was tightly bound in Iron Chains, and Charlie was unleashing spells like crazy.
"Merlin's saggy kneecaps," Ron exclaimed.
"Charlie, you took down a troll all by yourself?"
Harry's eyes went wide, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Was this guy still a First Year like him?
The shock hit him harder than seeing Snape in a skirt dancing for him.
Charlie ignored them, continuing to fire spells nonstop to keep the troll from getting up.
"Don't just stand there, help!"
Hermione shouted from the side.
Harry and Ron immediately raised their wands, but these two slackers clearly didn't know any offensive spells.
They stood there, wands up, frozen.
Hermione fared much better.
"Stupefy!"
A red light shot toward the troll, but its power was clearly much weaker than Charlie's, barely having any effect.
Finally, under Charlie's last Stupefy blast, the troll completely lost consciousness, its massive body slumping limply to the floor.
Charlie let out a breath.
"Close call, close call. Almost let that troll touch my robes."
Just then, a discordant voice rang out.
"Heh heh."
"It seems Mr. White is just as arrogant as his Savior friend."
"Always thinking they can save the world."
Charlie turned to look.
Several professors stood at the doorway, their expressions varied.
At the front were Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, followed by Professor Flitwick and Snape.
Dumbledore was examining the troll on the floor.
Professor McGonagall wore a stern, angry face, while Snape looked at Charlie and the others with mockery.
Those words had come from Snape.
"Don't be so stern, Severus. Mr. White defeated a troll with his superb spellcasting."
Professor Flitwick walked in and saw Charlie fighting a troll, using a Silencing Charm at that.
As Charlie's Charms Class teacher, he naturally felt a sense of pride.
"Perfect non-verbal casting! Mr. White, Hufflepuff gains..."
Before he could finish, Professor McGonagall shot him a fierce glare.
Professor Flitwick immediately swallowed his words.
Close call, close call—he nearly poured oil on Professor McGonagall's fire.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, staring 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 explicitly ordered all students back to their dormitories. Why didn't you obey?"
"What if you'd been hit and injured by the troll?"
Charlie shrugged.
"Professor, I just finished serving detention with Professor Snape. I didn't go to the Great Hall, so I had no idea what was happening."
Professor McGonagall glanced back at Snape.
Snape pretended not to notice, shifting his gaze to Harry.
"And what about our Savior?"
Snape's tone dripped with malice:
"What reason do you have for being here?"
Harry stammered, at a loss for how to explain.
Just as Harry was floundering, Hermione suddenly spoke up.
"It's my fault, Professor."
Her voice trembled slightly but was clear.
"I wasn't feeling well and stayed in the bathroom."
"Ron and Harry were worried about me and came to rescue me."
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