A Certain Scientific Harry Potter 34

When she woke up again, she found herself in a strange room, her entire body bound so tightly she couldn't move.

Hermione could sense that the person who had ambushed her was right behind her, but ever since she had been abducted, the other party hadn't said a single word, only occasionally letting out a soft cry mixed with pain and anxiety.

"Who exactly are you? Why did you bring me here, and what do you want?!" Hermione, whose back and waist had been aching all afternoon, struggled violently, her questioning never ceasing for a moment, her voice growing increasingly shrill!

"Stop asking! Please... don't ask anymore! I... I really don't know!"

Suddenly, the kidnapper who had remained silent all this time spoke up.

His voice was thin and high-pitched, clearly trembling with fear. He seemed to feel quite aggrieved, his tone filled with a panicked, tearful quality.

"Damn it! I don't know what I should do with you! My young master said to take revenge, but... I can't do it! Oh, no! I'm so wretched... I've spoken of my master's affairs again, I deserve the harshest punishment!!"

A series of dull thuds came from behind Hermione, as if someone were repeatedly slamming their head against the floor, followed by a string of incoherent self-reproach and bursts of painful wailing.

Was the kidnapper who had imprisoned her actually self-harming?

Suddenly, a thought struck Hermione.

"Hey, you must be a House-elf, right? Were you sent by your master to deal with Harry and me?"

Having calmed down, it was easy for Hermione to guess the other party's identity.

She knew that Harry and Filch had narrowed down the food thief to an outsider House-elf.

Furthermore, to guard against secret retaliation from pure-blood families, Harry had even arranged for her to stay temporarily with Professor McGonagall.

Connecting these two things, combined with the obvious self-destructive tendencies of the creature behind her, Hermione could not only guess the House-elf's identity but also deduce its purpose for sneaking into Hogwarts with high accuracy!

"Oh, no! She is just too smart, I... I can't do anything about her at all!" The kidnapper behind her pounded the floor in agony; the intellectual crushing from the young honor student was clearly causing it unbearable pain.

Suddenly, a noisy and chaotic vibration drifted in from the crack of the door not far behind Hermione...

"What's happening outside?" Hearing the faint, clamorous sounds, the captured Hermione frowned in confusion.

Immediately after, Hermione noticed that the sobbing gasps behind her had stopped, followed by the sound of a door opening twice with a slight interval.

"It's a Troll..." The mysterious kidnapper seemed to have gone out to scout the situation, and it whispered breathlessly behind Hermione, "A Troll has broken into Hogwarts, and the students are being evacuated..."

"What did you say? A Troll?!" Hermione was shocked, "How could a monster like a Troll... Oh no! Hey, you should be able to use Apparition, take me to the Troll immediately!!"

Hermione had read many books and knew that House-elf magic was unique; they could move freely within Hogwarts!

"I can, but... taking you to the Troll, isn't that very dangerous?"

The kidnapper's tone was conflicted. It was a kind-hearted House-elf by nature—otherwise, it wouldn't have dragged its feet all afternoon without completing the task its master had given it—and it was even less willing to agree to Hermione's dangerous request now.

"I beg you, please take me there!!" Hermione's voice cracked with urgency, "Harry must be right there with the Troll, he's in danger now... please, take me to find him immediately!!!"

Hermione felt as if her heart were about to fly out of her chest with worry!

She knew Harry's temperament too well; during the time she had been missing, Harry would have been searching without a moment's rest, and now... the most likely thing he would do was go and fight the Troll to the death!

Because the Troll was also a massive threat to her, and Harry would absolutely block any potential danger for her!

"This... will Harry Potter be there? The Troll... my young master's order was to take revenge on Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, so, pushing them toward the Troll should count as a form of revenge, right..."

The conflicted House-elf finally found a loophole in its master's orders. It pressed its hand on Hermione's shoulder from behind and, with a flash, vanished from the secret room with her.

"Harry, you must not be hurt!" Throughout the journey, Hermione kept whispering in worry.

"Hermione, you must not be hurt!"

At this moment, Harry was in the second-floor girls' bathroom, repeatedly checking every stall.

"Phew... thank goodness, she's not here."

Harry knew this was purely a form of self-consolation, but it was the only way he could force himself to stay focused.

Because... the Troll was coming!

The tremors behind him grew closer, and a foul stench assaulted his nostrils. Harry, standing ready in the girls' bathroom... how did this feel so awkward?

"Roar!"

A dull roar rolled in. When the ugly, hulking beast appeared at the entrance of the girls' bathroom, Harry's gaze instantly turned razor-sharp!

This Troll was nearly four meters tall, its skin piled up like granite, clearly possessing superior defensive capabilities. Although its height was terrifying, its legs were short, and combined with those flat, oversized feet, it would be difficult to knock it off balance.

As for its greatest threat, it was undoubtedly the heavy, thick wooden club in its hand!

The Troll had just destroyed several stalls with a casual wave, leaving the entire girls' bathroom in shambles. With that club and its long arms, its attack range was truly terrifying!

In a single glance, Harry dissected the Troll's body with the precision of a surgeon and immediately determined his battle strategy!

Eliminate the threat first, then exploit the weakness!

"Roar!"

The moment their eyes met, the Troll let out a horrific roar, raised its club high, and charged toward Harry with heavy, thundering steps!

At the same time, Harry transformed his Obscurus into several sharp spikes, viciously stabbing toward the Troll's arm joints; he intended to disable the creature's arms immediately!

"Ugh... damn it! Why now of all times can't I muster any strength!" Just as Harry's Obscurus was tearing into the Troll with vigor, he suddenly felt his mind go blank, and he nearly collapsed!

By the time Harry regained his senses and tried to maneuver the Obscurus to attack the Troll's head, the latter had already swatted the Obscurus away with a palm the size of a winnowing fan!

"Damn it... it's all that cursed mirror's fault!"

Looking at the Troll, whose arm joints had only suffered minor abrasions, Harry couldn't help but curse the mirror in his heart for ruining his momentum.

If not for the Mirror of Erised draining his mental state so severely, he would have been at full Obscurus capacity, slicing and dicing the Troll by now; his offensive wouldn't have been this pathetic!

Unfortunately, the amount of Obscurus power he could currently wield was extremely limited, so he could only pin his hopes on a critical hit to a weak point.

The Troll's attacks were wide and sweeping; the moment it committed to an all-out strike was his best chance to blow its head apart!

"Roar!" The Troll let out another earth-shaking bellow, suddenly hoisting its thick wooden club with both hands and smashing it down heavily toward Harry's position!!

Now!

Harry's pupils constricted, and the muscles throughout his body tightened instantly!

Victory or defeat would be decided in this very instant...

"Wingardium Leviosa!!"

In a flash of lightning, just as Harry was about to risk it all, he suddenly heard a crisp incantation. Then, he saw the Troll, which had been swinging its empty hands down with force, bizarrely fall flat on its face right in front of him!

And the wooden club that should have been in the Troll's grip was currently hovering near the ceiling of the girls' bathroom!

"Is that... Hermione?!"

Harry looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared behind the Troll in shock and uncertainty, standing frozen in place!

"Harry, get out of there quickly!" The girl, holding her wand, used the Levitation Charm to pull the thick wooden club toward her. Her face was filled with joy, but it also carried boundless fury!

It was great, but at the same time, it was also very bad!

When that mysterious House-elf brought her here and she truly saw Harry fighting the Troll, the resentment Hermione felt toward Harry had completely dissipated.

Because she really hadn't misjudged Harry's character!

However, when Hermione saw the Troll about to launch an attack on Harry, the anger in her heart was uncontrollably ignited!

"You brute... Harry is my younger brother, and I will absolutely not let you hurt him!!"

"Watch out!!"

Just as Hermione finished speaking, the Troll's large, disgusting palm suddenly reached back, viciously pinching toward Hermione's body!

But Harry's reaction was a step ahead. Before the Troll could move, he had already darted out like an arrow from a bow, grabbing Hermione and rolling across the floor, narrowly dodging the Troll's slap!

"Hey, see? Even the Troll doesn't want to hear you emphasize our sibling relationship~"

Shielding Hermione firmly and taking the Holly Wand in the process, Harry felt his heart settle instantly!

Chapter 64: Misunderstandings Will Eventually Be Resolved (7/10)

"Harry..."

Once again being shielded behind someone, looking at Harry's familiar back and listening to his usual teasing, the top student had no mood to bicker at all.

And the imposing, awe-inspiring demeanor she had just displayed had already vanished without a trace.

He is safe and sound, that's good~

"Hermione... let's save the talk for after I finish this thing off."

Harry locked onto the Troll's head with the tip of his wand. He could roughly sense the girl's feelings behind him, but now was not the time to be distracted.

"Mm~" Hermione responded softly. Knowing the situation was urgent, she simply wrapped her arms gently around Harry's waist and leaned quietly against his back.

"Hermione... you're safe and sound, that's good~"

"Hm?" Hermione's heart trembled at these words, but Harry in front of her had already waved his wand to launch an attack on the Troll!

"Vera Verto!" With a swift flick of his wand, the form of the wooden club before Harry changed instantly!

Any knowledge should be extended based on a foundation of proficiency, and magic was certainly no exception. Since Harry could use a Transfiguration spell to turn a matchstick into a needle, the Troll's club was, to him, nothing more than an oversized matchstick.

Under the Troll's bewildered gaze, the thick wooden club in front of Harry had transformed into a cold, gleaming sharp sword!

"Roar!!"

"Waddiwasi!!"

The Troll, unable to comprehend the development of the situation, opened its bloody maw at the two of them, and Harry seized this opportunity to command the sword to fly out suddenly!

Puff!!

The sharp blade pierced through the Troll's mouth, boring all the way through its neck and trailing a spray of blood behind it!

One-hit kill!!

"Ugh..." The Troll's throat emitted a wheezing rattle. Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, shaking Harry and Hermione so hard they stumbled.

"Is it... dead?" After standing stunned for a long while, Hermione asked blankly.

"Probably..."

Harry answered somewhat absent-mindedly, as he had yet to recover from the sheer brilliance of that sword strike just now.

It wasn't that he was bragging, but it had truly been that cool!

No wonder people said that every adolescent boy in the Middle Kingdom harbored a xianxia dream of wielding a sword to slay demons.

Flying on a sword like an immortal, taking a head from a thousand paces away—the feeling was simply exhilarating!

"Harry..."

"Hermione!"

With the dust finally settled, the boy and the girl locked eyes; at this very moment, nothing was more important than a reassuring embrace.

They held each other tightly, an embrace that was completely untainted—at least for now—by any ulterior motives, containing only the purest of emotions and the joy of confirming that their most important person was safe and sound.

"I'm sorry..."

A moment later, the two of them, still locked in their embrace, looked up and spoke at the same time, only to freeze in awkward silence after realizing they had spoken in unison.

"Harry, it's all my fault..." Hermione fidgeted, twisting the hem of her clothes. "I shouldn't have impulsively lost my temper with you. I should have stayed calm and listened to you explain everything properly..."

Seeing how weak Harry looked when they first reunited, Hermione could only imagine what a terrifying and harrowing afternoon he must have endured.

Reflecting on her own behavior now, Hermione truly felt that she had been completely in the wrong back then.