Thanks a Lot, You Guys

Setting aside the enthusiastic and loving mutual assistance between colleagues, Dumbledore really couldn't bear Hagrid's pitiful gaze any longer and took the initiative to cast a spell that sent the irritable three-headed dog into a deep sleep.

When it came down to it, this incident wasn't the three-headed dog's fault, so there was no need to keep it hanging there.

Following Dumbledore's signal, McGonagall lowered the three-headed dog.

"Thank you, thank you..." Hagrid wiped away his tears, stepped forward, and tore off the iron chains.

During this process, Dumbledore suddenly noticed a few scraps of cloth snagged on the teeth of the dog's middle head.

"What is that?" Dumbledore asked.

Prompted by him, Hagrid noticed it too, took the scraps down, and turned them over in his hands. "Clothes from a Troll?"

"Trolls don't wear clothes."

"Oh, sorry, Professor Snape," Hagrid said, handing the fragments to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore raised his hand and gave a light flick.

"Reparo!"

There were clearly more than just these few scraps. Under the influence of the spell, other pieces flew in from various places and attached themselves to the largest fragment.

Before long, a pointed hat appeared before everyone.

"Is this a hat from a school robe?" McGonagall was stunned at first, as if she had thought of something, but then she immediately shook her head. "That's impossible. We arrived as soon as we heard the commotion. If a student had left, I definitely would have seen them."

After saying this, she looked at Professor Flitwick, who had just arrived.

Professor Flitwick understood immediately and said, "There was no one upstairs either. I've been keeping a close watch."

"What about Mr. Ollivander?" Dumbledore suddenly asked. "I heard he didn't attend the Halloween Feast."

"Silvan Ollivander?" Professor Flitwick was startled for a moment, then nodded after a brief thought. "He was there. He even helped maintain order. I remember it quite clearly."

"Where?"

"On the second floor, near the library," Professor Flitwick said.

"Aha, it seems Potter lied," Snape said coldly. "Just like his father, arrogant and full of lies..."

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted him.

Snape didn't look very happy, but he shut his mouth.

"Should we check the students' hats?" McGonagall asked, changing the subject in time.

"No need," Dumbledore shook his head. "It was probably brought in by the Troll inadvertently. It's not important."

In fact, this type of plain, pointed hat was, in a sense, standard for school robes and was far too common at Hogwarts. Besides, whoever lost the hat wouldn't just sit idly by, so checking it was meaningless.

"I really should go to the Hospital Wing," Snape stepped forward. "I will brew a special potion for Professor Quirrell. Perhaps we can get the correct answer from him."

Among everyone present, only Snape remained true to his original intent; he just wanted to mess with Quirrell.

As for whether he would mix something else into the special potion he mentioned... if asked, he would say no.

However, Dumbledore did not agree.

After staying at the scene for a while longer and confirming there were no other missed clues, everyone left one after another, leaving only Hagrid behind to care for the injured three-headed dog, Fluffy.

On the way back, Snape said again, "Dumbledore, I still think it's inappropriate. Leaving that three-headed dog in the castle is far too dangerous."

"You saw it yourself. Even with only two heads left, it could kill an adult Troll in minutes. What if it gets hungry one day and breaks into the castle regardless of the consequences..."

"Rest assured, the three-headed dog won't break through that door," Dumbledore said. "And the House-elves in the kitchen will take good care of it."

"But..."

"I assure you, it will be fine."

Snape wanted to say more, but he had to shut his mouth, turning instead to say, "I'm going to keep an eye on Quirrell. It must be him causing trouble this time."

"I'll leave that to you."

The two parted ways at the staircase.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor Common Room on the Eighth Floor.

"When did you get back!" Harry, who had just returned, was stunned to see Silvan sitting in an armchair.

"I came back with everyone else," Silvan said. "I was about to ask where you went. Everyone said they didn't see you."

"We went looking for you to tell you the news about the Troll in the school," Harry said.

"You?" Silvan looked at him, then at Ron and Hermione beside him.

"Since when did you two get along so well?"

"Who's getting along with her!" Ron immediately distanced himself. "If she hadn't taken the initiative to plead for Harry, we wouldn't be with her."

"I just stated the facts!" Hermione glared at him. "Do you think I want to be with you?"

Silvan looked at them in surprise.

Later, he learned the truth from Harry.

Before the Halloween Feast, Hermione had gone to see McGonagall, providing a full account of what happened during Flying Class. She tried to prove that Malfoy was the one who violated school rules and that Harry had been dragged into it while trying to protect a classmate's property.

Perhaps it was the truth, or perhaps she added some harmless embellishments, but regardless, after Hermione left McGonagall's office, Harry's detention was canceled.

Then, at the Halloween Feast, Quirrell rushed in to tell everyone about the Troll, and the three of them decided to find Silvan, who was still outside, so they acted together.

To be fair, Silvan was actually quite touched.

Although he couldn't rule out the "Gryffindor spirit" at work, they really did step up when there was trouble. More importantly, they were willing to risk facing a Troll rather than reveal their whereabouts to the professors. These were friends worth having.

Silvan felt a bit gratified.

"Don't worry," Harry patted his chest. "McGonagall only took points from us, not you."

Wait...

The smile on Silvan's face stiffened. "She didn't take my points... does that mean McGonagall knows I wasn't at the feast?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded as if it were obvious. "But we already explained that you hadn't made it to the feast yet and didn't know about the Troll, not that you left halfway through."

"Well, thanks a lot, you guys," Silvan said expressionlessly.

Great, he'd felt gratified too soon.

Silvan felt helpless; he really didn't know how to describe his current mood.

Ten minutes ago, using the map given to him by Fred and George, Silvan had successfully slipped into a secret passage before Snape and McGonagall arrived, taken a shortcut to the second floor, and managed to catch Professor Flitwick's attention while blending into the crowd of students.

Everything had gone smoothly. He had thought he could stay out of it this time, but who would have expected...

Silvan sighed.

Fine, whatever.

Even if the professors knew, what could they do? He had indirectly helped them resolve the threat of the Troll; they couldn't possibly take points from him for that.

As for the injured three-headed dog, that was the Troll's doing. What did that have to do with Silvan!