How Could First-Years Possibly Beat a Troll?

"My goodness!"

Professor McGonagall's lips trembled as she looked at the troll lying on the floor, its fate uncertain, then at Su Er, Hermione, and Harry.

Oh, and almost forgotten was Ron, who was still lying on the floor with broken ribs, unable to get up.

"What on earth were you playing at?" Professor McGonagall's voice was icy and full of anger. "You're lucky that troll didn't club you to death."

Harry's lips moved, but no words came out. Snape glided past him, gave him a cold look, then bent down to examine the troll.

Su Er and Hermione obediently bowed their heads.

The small room was quiet and cold, with only the lingering stench assaulting their noses.

"It's not dead," Snape said. Then he glanced at Ron and sneered. "Mr. Weasley is remarkably lucky. Only a few broken bones."

Professor McGonagall took several deep breaths, keeping herself calm.

"Can someone tell me what you were doing here instead of in your dormitories? Miss Granger? Mr. Bones? Or perhaps Mr. Potter?"

Ron: Don't I count?

"Clearly, four young wizards heard there was a troll in the underground classrooms and came down to challenge it, hoping to make themselves more famous. Isn't that right?" Snape's sinister gaze remained fixed on Harry, icy words spilling from his perfectly warm mouth.

Harry found himself almost unable to speak under that stare.

"Is that true, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall fixed her eyes on Harry, making him feel even more as though he were standing on pins and needles.

Yet, with courage that came from somewhere he couldn't explain, he raised his head to look at Professor McGonagall.

"No, that's not what happened," he said, doing his best to steady his racing heart. "Hermione and Su Er came to save us. If it hadn't been for them, Ron and I would definitely have been clubbed to death by the troll."

Su Er listened with a strange expression. According to the plot, Hermione should have been the one saying this. Why did something suddenly feel off, as though events had veered off course?

And, sweeping his surroundings with a quick sidelong glance, Su Er wondered why Voldemort-Quirinus Quirrell wasn't here.

"Is that true, Mr. Bones?" McGonagall looked at Su Er and Hermione, considered her words, then asked, "Mr. Bones?"

Su Er quickly snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Su Er came to find me. We ran into the troll in the underground classrooms, then managed to get away from it..." Hermione composed herself before speaking. "We were about to leave, but the troll was chasing Harry and Ron... They'd come down to find me too... I..."

Hermione swallowed, glanced quickly at Harry and Ron, and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I heard there was a troll down here, so I-I thought I could handle it."

Oh... the plot's back on track... Su Er remained silent.

"Lies!" Snape jumped in again. "Clearly, Mr. Potter thought he could handle a troll and sneaked down here..."

"Severus!" Professor McGonagall gave him a displeased look, and Snape fell silent.

Then she looked at Harry and spoke.

"Mr. Potter, I think you had better leave now and take Mr. Weasley to the Hospital Wing. He doesn't look at all well. And if you're unhurt, you had best return to Gryffindor Tower as soon as possible. The Halloween Feast is being held in each house's common room."

"Furthermore, Gryffindor will lose twenty points because of you."

His face deathly pale, Harry helped the equally pale Ron to his feet. After sneaking a glance at Su Er, the two limped away with their heads hanging.

Once their footsteps had faded into the distance, Professor McGonagall turned to Su Er and Hermione.

"Well, facing an adult troll on your own was reckless." She first delivered this reprimand with a stern expression. "But I'm very glad you were brave enough to face danger for your friends. Very few first-years could put up a fight against an adult troll."

"Clever Transfiguration." A faint smile appeared at the corners of Professor McGonagall's mouth.

"You have earned twenty points for each of your houses."

"I will report this to Headmaster Dumbledore. You may go."

Su Er and Hermione obediently left the room and ran into a pale, flustered Professor Quirrell at a turn in the stairs.

But Professor Quirrell didn't stop. With a clear destination in mind, he brushed past them.

Neither spoke as they went straight up the stairs. Only when they reached the entrance to the Great Hall on the first floor did they begin gulping down air.

"I have to learn the Bubble-Head Charm." Those were Hermione's first words after they came out.

Su Er nodded in wholehearted agreement. "That's exactly what I think."

They exchanged a smile, agreed to meet the next day, then parted ways to return to their respective common rooms.

After you went through something together with someone, your relationship couldn't help but move a step forward.

That was true not only of people who were already close, but also of those who barely knew each other.

At least, when Su Er arrived at the Great Hall the next day, Hermione was sitting with Harry and Ron, chatting enthusiastically.

"Hi, Su Er." Harry was the first to notice his arrival and waved.

Hermione blushed when she saw Su Er. Only after returning to her dormitory yesterday had she realized just how long she'd stayed in his arms!

"Good morning." Su Er nodded. "Weasley, are you all right?"

Ron patted his flat chest to show that he had made a full recovery.

"Not bad. It's a miracle I didn't die. Madam Pomfrey's medicine worked really well. It just tasted absolutely awful," Ron grumbled. "You can just call me Ron."

"All right, Ron." Su Er smiled.

Just then, Justin was waving to him from the Hufflepuff table.

"I'll leave you to it, then. See you this afternoon, Hermione." Su Er winked at Hermione. He had noticed long ago that she was stealing sidelong glances at him.

Hermione blushed and ignored him.

"Why weren't you at the feast yesterday?" Justin asked curiously. "We were scared out of our wits. Professor Quirrell suddenly burst in, said there was a troll in the underground classrooms, then fainted right here."

Morn asked quietly from beside him,

"Did you go and deal with the troll? We're all curious. There are twenty extra points in Hufflepuff's hourglass, but we asked loads of people and none of them knew why."

The little badgers all looked curiously at Su Er, but he had no intention of showing off.

"Yesterday..." Su Er thought back. "I did see the troll."

The little badgers immediately burst into an uproar, then all began asking at once whether the troll was just as Professor Quirrell had described in his Dark Magic Defence Against the Arts class.

"Ah... yes, yes, it was just like Professor Quirrell said. Stupid and smelly. As for the points, I only gave the professors a tiny, tiny bit of help."

Su Er pinched his thumb and forefinger together to demonstrate.

"Fight a troll? What do you mean, fight a troll?"

"How could first-year wizards possibly beat a troll?"

"That was a fully grown troll!"