The Troll Attacks

The young wizards from both houses stared in terror at Professor McGonagall as she hurried over.

If any professor could strike fear into students, it was Professor McGonagall.

Unlike Snape, Professor McGonagall was scrupulously fair. As head of Gryffindor, she punished even her own students without mercy when they broke the rules.

She never held back on deducting points.

Professor McGonagall rarely smiled, either. The young wizards never dared act up in front of her.

Hermione Granger was so flustered she didn't know what to do. Nothing frightened her more than hearing Professor McGonagall say she'd failed every subject, but breaking school rules was almost as terrifying.

Everyone there except Eli feared the worst. Punishment was inevitable.

"What are you all doing here? If I remember correctly, you should be in Flying Class!"

"Professor, Neville got hurt, so Madam Hooch took him to the Hospital Wing. We're practicing here."

Eli didn't panic in the slightest. He knew exactly why Professor McGonagall had come.

She glanced suspiciously at the students on both sides. They did all seem fine, with no injuries.

"I expect you to behave yourselves until Madam Hooch returns!"

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry. "Mr Potter, come with me."

Harry looked at Eli and the others in surprise. He couldn't figure out what was going on. Why had she suddenly called for him?

"Go on, Harry. If Professor McGonagall wanted to punish you, she wouldn't need to take you somewhere else."

Eli patted Harry, signaling for him not to worry.

Still uncertain, Harry followed Professor McGonagall away.

Eli knew they would soon hear that Harry had become the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's Seeker.

He would be the youngest Seeker. Their father, James Potter, had been a Seeker too—and an excellent one at that.

James Potter's award was on display in the Hogwarts Trophy Room.

Their first Flying Class had ended on a sour note. What happened today had caught them all off guard.

Draco Malfoy still looked upset.

Eli made no effort to go over and make nice. His patience only went so far.

After Draco Malfoy had provoked him, Eli had still made a point of being friendly for the sake of being roommates.

But Draco Malfoy kept putting on airs like a young master. Eli Hall wasn't his lackey!

Today had been a lesson for him: before overwhelming strength, everything else meant nothing.

"Eli!"

Ron Weasley and Harry ran over, their faces alight with excitement.

Eli swallowed the cake in his mouth, but it got stuck halfway down. He choked, his eyes rolling back.

"Oh, Eli! What's wrong?"

Harry and Ron Weasley hurriedly handed Eli a glass of water and patted his back.

It took Eli a while to recover. He glared at the two idiots who had nearly startled him to death.

"What is it?"

"Guess what..."

"Nope. I'm not guessing. Tell me or don't."

Ron Weasley stopped drawing it out and spoke quietly to Eli.

The Slytherins nearby were baffled. What were two Gryffindors doing at their table?

They leaned over to listen, too.

Smack!

"If you're going to eavesdrop, could you be a little less obvious? You're practically lying on top of me!"

Eli slapped the student beside him. The guy hadn't even tried to hide it.

The Slytherins caught listening hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended nothing had happened.

The one Eli had slapped turned bright red but said nothing.

Word of Eli's fearsome reputation had already spread.

Picking a fight with him would be asking for trouble!

Eli shot the guy a look, then motioned for Ron Weasley to continue.

"Harry's become Gryffindor's Seeker!"

Ron Weasley rubbed his hands together expectantly. He wanted to see Eli's shocked reaction.

Harry felt much the same, though he looked a little shy. He didn't quite understand what it meant, and all the praise was embarrassing.

Eli gave Ron Weasley an odd look.

"That's it?"

"Huh?"

Ron Weasley froze. Where was the excitement? The surprise?

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Eli dragged the two stunned boys out with him.

"Eli, are we there yet?"

Eli led them to the Trophy Room and pointed at one of the plaques.

"Wow! Harry, you never told us your dad was a Seeker too!"

Ron Weasley sounded amazed.

Harry stared at the still-gleaming plaque, as though he could see his father there, young and full of life.

"I didn't know."

His voice was distant, tinged with sadness.

Eli watched Harry quietly as grief took hold of him. He had lived so long with the deaths of his family. You must have had such a hard time.

Eli patted his shoulder, and Harry felt a rush of warmth.

"Well? I bet you're confident you can be a Seeker now. I'm not exactly happy about it, but I still hope you win!"

Eli's teasing made them both laugh. Harry grinned. "In that case, I'll have to win! Hahaha!"

Halloween arrived, and the school put on a lavish feast.

But on that happy day, a rather unpleasant disturbance arose.

"There's a Troll! A Troll in the dungeons!"

The doors to the Great Hall burst open, and a man wearing a large turban ran in. It was Quirrell, the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I thought you ought to know..."

No sooner had he spoken than he collapsed for no apparent reason.

Boom!

As if on cue, thunder cracked overhead.

The Great Hall erupted in deafening screams.

Eli had to cover his ears. Otherwise, the noise might have damaged them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco Malfoy looking ready to leap onto the table. Eli yanked him back into his seat.

"Shut up! Stop screaming!"

Draco Malfoy had been the loudest of them all.

"Silence!"

The Great Hall fell quiet at the booming command. It was Dumbledore.

"Prefects, take your students back to your common rooms in an orderly fashion. Teachers, come with me."

Dumbledore's presence reassured the young wizards somewhat. The Prefects finally stepped forward and led their houses back toward the common rooms.

Eli kept his eyes on Harry and Ron Weasley.

Sure enough, the two of them ran toward the dungeons.

Eli followed at once.

He knew this part well. After Ron Weasley's cutting remark, Hermione Granger had gone to cry alone in the bathroom.

Somehow, the Troll had wandered over there.

Worried about Hermione Granger, Harry and Ron Weasley had come looking for her, only to find the Troll tearing up the girls' bathroom.

Sure enough, Hermione Granger's scream rang out from the bathroom ahead.

"Eli!"

"Stay here! I'll save Hermione Granger!"

Ignoring them, Eli rushed into the girls' bathroom.

The Troll was smashing everything in sight with its club. Hermione Granger cowered beneath the sinks.

"Diffindo!"

The spell struck the Troll's back. A spell that powerful would have killed an adult Acromantula in one hit.

But against the Troll, it seemed to lose almost all its force.

"Roar!"

Stung in the back, the Troll turned in fury and brought its club down on the little creature holding a stick.

Trolls were stupid creatures. Their tiny heads looked like chocolate beans perched atop their enormous bodies.

But they were highly resistant to magic, which was why Eli's spell had done so little damage.

The Troll's fury shifted entirely to Eli, at least giving Hermione Granger a moment to breathe as she trembled in the corner.

"Eli?"

Hermione Granger was still crying when she suddenly caught sight of him.

"Don't make a sound! Reducto!"

Eli warned Hermione Granger not to draw the Troll's attention back to her. Then he cast another spell to keep it focused squarely on him.

Boom!

The huge club smashed a crater into the floor.

Eli looked at the ruined tiles and drew a sharp breath.

Fortunately, the Troll wasn't very nimble. With some slippery footwork, he could still dodge it.

Eli dodged frantically while firing off spells.

Despite its resistance to magic, Eli's relentless attacks finally drew blood.

The wounded Troll grew even angrier, putting Eli in greater danger.

Thud.

A stone flew from somewhere and struck the Troll on the head.

For a moment, the Troll seemed baffled.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

Eli nearly spat blood when he saw the two idiots throwing things at the Troll with all their might.

They were only making this harder!

The Troll didn't care. Seeing the little creatures daring to pelt it, it raised its club and swung at the group.

The cramped bathroom had already made it hard enough for Eli to dodge on his own.

Now there were two more people to protect, leaving almost nowhere to go!

Eli shoved Harry and Ron Weasley away with magic, then used the recoil to dart behind the Troll.

Boom!

The club slammed into the spot where the three of them had just stood.

Harry and Ron Weasley went pale.

Without Eli, they would have been flattened!

"Reducto!"

Another spell drew the Troll's attention back to Eli—but Hermione Granger was behind him!

"Damn it!"

Eli grabbed Hermione Granger and threw himself aside as the club crashed down. Driven into a corner, they narrowly escaped one blow after another.

"Eli!"

Seeing Eli and Hermione Granger in danger, Harry sprinted forward. He used the Troll's club to launch himself up and cling to its head.

The Troll thrashed in panic. Harry even jammed his Wand into its nostril.

It was a thoroughly disgusting sight.

The Troll grabbed Harry, who had nothing else to defend himself with, and dangled him upside down. Then it raised its club to strike.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

In desperation, Ron Weasley finally managed the Levitation Charm, stopping the Troll's raised club in midair.

Thud.

The club fell onto the Troll's head. It seemed dazed, its steps unsteady.

It's finally over.

Not quite!

The Troll shook its head hard and snapped back to its senses.

Eli's eyes widened. That wasn't right. In the original story, the Troll passed out here. How was it still standing?

Perhaps his presence had changed something, but the Troll hadn't fainted at all!

Harry was in danger!

The Troll looked at the little creature dangling from its hand. An almost human sneer crossed its face.

The Troll raised Harry high, ready to smash him to death!

No one could stop it.

Harry was as good as dead. Eli's eyes widened in horror. He could already see Harry's skull bursting open!

Ron Weasley stood frozen, his face drained of color.

Tears filled Hermione Granger's wide eyes. Death was about to strike.

Killing intent surged through Eli, blood vessels spreading across his eyes.

"Ultimate Death!"

A deathly gray beam struck the Troll, and it was as though all life had been cut from the world.

No—the Troll's life had been cut short!

Boom!

The Troll's corpse slammed heavily into the ground, utterly lifeless.