At the news of the Troll that Quirrell brought, the hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar. Nervous, frightened young wizards were everywhere.
"Ah, a Troll! That's terrifying!"
"How could Hogwarts have a monster like that? Mum, help me..."
"What do we do? Right, find somewhere to hide."
Just because Harry and Ron had managed to defeat a Troll in the original story didn't mean Trolls were easy to deal with. That had been entirely thanks to their plot armor.
In a real confrontation, even three to five ordinary adult wizards might not be able to deal with a Troll in a short time.
Of course, elite Aurors and freakishly powerful professors didn't count. The big bat, for instance, would only need three to five casts of Sectumsempra.
Shawn had prepared well in advance. He gave Theodore a meaningful look, and Theodore immediately stood, took the White Jade Wand in a reverse grip, and strode outside.
His task tonight was to lead the Troll around and keep the professors who came after it from finding it for at least half an hour.
It was a daunting task.
Shawn was also glad Dumbledore had slipped away. That made Theodore's task considerably easier.
Alice had already begun assigning people to their tasks, and the "outer circle" members had mingled with the crowd, ready to organize the students.
For a moment, the hall was a noisy, chaotic mess.
Professor McGonagall rose from behind the High Table and called out.
"Everyone, quiet!"
When that had no effect, she had to cast Sonorus on herself.
"Everyone, quiet!!!!"
The young wizards looked blankly at Professor McGonagall, who was about to say something.
But Shawn stepped up to the High Table first and spoke clearly.
"Professor, there's no time to waste. Go catch