Thanks to the Troll's Assist

Harley silently circled behind Hermione, her slender, fair hand resting gently on Hermione's head:

"My dear Miss Granger, if you have something on your mind, I wonder if I might be qualified to listen?"

As she spoke, Harley's palm gently stroked Hermione's hair.

Unfortunately, this bushy, brown mane of Hermione's had as much personality as its owner and refused to lie flat.

However, Harley loved such unruly hair; it felt exceptionally good to ruffle.

Moreover, if Harley could manage to straighten it out through sheer effort, it would be a great sense of achievement. Harley had straightened out plenty of messy hair in her time!

Hermione didn't seem to notice the hand on her head, remaining tightly curled up with her arms around her legs, unwilling to look up.

At the same time, the girl's muffled voice sounded: "It's nothing, I'm just a nightmare, everyone hates me..."

"Who said that?" Harley switched to a tone of slight surprise, "How could my adorable Hermione possibly be a nightmare?"

"But... but Ron said so..." Hermione's voice remained dull.

"He also said that there are always so many people around you, while I am always alone, just because I am so annoying..."

"How could that be?" One of Harley's hands traced circles on Hermione's neck, bringing waves of warmth.

Her cherry-red lips kept blowing air toward Hermione's ear, while her other hand gently kneaded Hermione's earlobe.

"How could my Hermione ever be alone? Isn't your dearest best friend, Miss Harley Potter, always by your side?"

"But..." Hermione subconsciously raised her head, but before she could finish, Harley stopped her.

"There are no 'buts', Miss Granger."

Harley had circled around to the front at some point, cupping Hermione's face in her hands and placing her thumbs at the corners of Hermione's mouth, forcing her into a smile.

"You must remember, I will never let you be alone. I am your best friend and confidante forever, and I will always be by your side."

"...Really?" After a long while, Hermione asked timidly.

"Really," Harley said with a smile.

Hermione remained silent, then suddenly lunged forward, hugging Harley tightly.

Harley fell back against the stall door, and the door, which had been only slightly ajar, slammed shut with a loud bang.

Hermione's eyes seemed to well up with tears again: "Thank you for comforting me..."

Before the words had even faded, a deafening crash suddenly erupted at the entrance of the girls' lavatory, and the wooden door flew off its hinges, slamming heavily into the stall partitions.

"Danger!" Harley subconsciously pulled Hermione tightly into her arms, her left hand flicking out to throw something.

At the same time, a layer of solid Frost manifested around them, blocking the falling partition.

Dust swirled in the air, but Harley had already used the eagle-like vision granted to her by the Assassin pathway to see exactly what it was.

It was a hulking monster twelve feet tall. Its skin was dull and lusterless, resembling gray granite.

On a massive, clumsy body that looked like a pile of giant boulders, sat a small, cocoa-bean-sized head.

Harley immediately recognized it as a troll.

The troll waved its thick arms, struggling to clear the dust from the room.

Clearly, this mysteriously appearing troll had been attracted by the loud bang of the stall door slamming shut.

At this moment, Hermione also saw the troll outside the door and let out a shrill, terrified scream.

The troll immediately locked onto the positions of Hermione and Harley via the scream and charged over excitedly with heavy strides.

Hermione clearly realized in an instant that her scream had exposed their location. Her body went limp, and she collapsed into Harley's arms.

Harley held Hermione, looking at the clumsy troll before her, a smile playing on her lips.

For a brainless idiot like this, Harley could have toyed with it to death ten thousand times back when she was at Sequence Nine.

However, for now, Harley was actually grateful for the divine assist this troll had provided.

"As a thank you, I shall grant you a painless death!" The smile on Harley's lips grew sweeter, yet it was chilling to behold.

At this point, Hermione also snapped back to reality, saying bitterly: "Harley, I'm sorry, it was my willfulness that harmed us.

You run away, I'll scream and shout to attract the troll's attention. I'm so glad to have you as a friend..."

Before she could finish, Harley covered Hermione's small mouth.

"How could I abandon my best friend? I said, I won't let you be alone."

Harley's playful yet gentle voice rang out.

"Don't be afraid, Hermione. Watch me, I will take care of it myself."

As she spoke, Harley snapped her fingers, and a Frost chair formed. Harley placed Hermione onto it before turning to face the troll.

The troll was currently struggling to pull its feet free.

Just as it locked onto the position of those two little specks, thick Frost had suddenly frozen around its thick, short legs.

The troll's low intelligence prevented it from thinking too much, let alone discovering the small, shining mirror beside it.

So, even now, the troll was still roaring while struggling against its own feet.

Black Flame began to rise around Harley's body.

The Black Flame flowed through her beautiful hair and coiled affectionately around Harley's shoulders, nuzzling her cheek as if it possessed its own life and consciousness.

For some reason, Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable, and it wasn't because of the Frost chair she was sitting on.

Harley quietly snapped her fingers, and the mirror beside the troll's feet suddenly dimmed, the Frost vanishing along with it.

The troll didn't stop to wonder why it could suddenly move; it simply let out another roar and charged toward Harley in long strides.

The washroom was not large, and in just a few steps, the troll reached Harley.

However, it could not advance any further, for it was now surrounded by an inexplicable black mist, and the Black Flame began to scorch its flesh.

The troll's magic resistance was very high, but Harley had nimbly infused the curse into the earlier Frost.

As the troll struggled, it had unconsciously swallowed several shards of Frost, carrying the curse into its body and opening a small breach in its defenses.

Moreover, this troll did not seem to be in particularly good condition to begin with, so Harley had broken through its defenses with ease.

And so, before the troll could even show off its skills with the club, its heart was directly incinerated by the cursed Black Flame.

"Boom!" The troll crashed to the floor.

Harley quietly reached out, and the small mirror that had been beside the troll's position suddenly vanished, flying back into her hand.

Then, Harley turned around abruptly, tilting her head slightly with a smile as she looked at Hermione: "See? It's over. That was easy."

Hermione was left dumbfounded by the rapid battle, which had lasted less than a minute, before she let out a joyful shriek.

Her legs inexplicably regained their strength, and she stood up to embrace Harley.

Harley soothed Hermione as if she were comforting a child, her hand stroking her back repeatedly while a doting smile hung on her face.

I originally wanted to write it more boldly, but I was afraid of censorship.