The genius Harry Potter truly lived up to his reputation!

"Nonverbal Spellcasting." Snape looked at Harry, his voice still low. "Potter, who taught you?"

"I read about the method in a book, Professor," Harry answered earnestly, holding his wand. "Then I practised it many times."

That was not really a lie.

He had practised Lumos since the start of term, and he truly could no longer remember how many times he had used it.

It was just that the thing that had finally helped him cross that threshold was clearly not suitable for an introduction.

Snape's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. He was about to ask more when Professor McGonagall spoke.

"Severus, this can wait."

She glanced at Harry's torn sleeve, then turned to the girl sitting by the wall.

"Filius has been informed. Let's take the children to the Hospital Wing first."

Snape withdrew his gaze and turned toward the troll on the floor.

Harry put away his wand and helped Ron lift the girl to her feet.

The smell of ointment in the Hospital Wing was a little sharper than Harry had imagined.

Madam Pomfrey cut open his damaged sleeve, examined the wound, then spread pale green ointment over it.

Harry's fingers immediately tightened. The stinging he had ignored before finally made its presence felt.

"Hiss!"

He could not help drawing in a sharp breath, his shoulders flinching slightly with it.

Earlier, he had been busy fighting the troll, his adrenaline surging, and it really had not felt all that painful.

Now that he had calmed down, waves of stinging pain came from the wound.

"The wound is very shallow," Madam Pomfrey said. "But that doesn't mean you can pretend you haven't been hurt the whole way here."

"And please keep still, Mr. Potter."

Harry very wisely did not argue.

Beside him, meanwhile-

Malfoy sat perfectly upright in her chair, her hands folded over her knees.

Yet those grey-green eyes remained fixed on Harry's injured left arm.

When Madam Pomfrey wiped over the wound again and Harry could not help frowning, the girl's fingers tightened around the edge of her robes.

She instinctively leaned forward a little, her lips parting slightly as though she wanted to say something.

But she forcibly swallowed the words before they left her mouth.

Hmph!

Who told that idiot Potter to insist on playing the hero?

Now you know it hurts, don't you?

Serves you right!

Yet when Harry drew in another quiet, sharp breath, she still could not help looking at the medicated cotton in Madam Pomfrey's hand.

Those movements...

Couldn't she be just a little gentler?

In the end, however, she did not say it aloud.

Only when Madam Pomfrey began bandaging the wound did Malfoy finally loosen her clenched fingers in secret.

She lowered her head and began straightening the sleeve that had been scratched by wood splinters, feigning indifference.

Yet only a few seconds later-

The girl's gaze drifted furtively back to Harry's left arm, beyond her control.

Only when she saw that he had finally stopped frowning did her shoulders relax a little.

Ron was rubbing his shoulder, and Hermione had a slight graze on her palm.

The Hufflepuff girl had been seated beside a bed. The debris around her feet had been cleared away, and she had finally stopped trembling incessantly.

When Professor Flitwick entered, they had just finished being examined.

"Percy found me." The little professor walked quickly. "The Slytherin Prefect also said there were students who hadn't returned."

"Minerva, did you find them in the exhibition hall?"

Professor McGonagall nodded. "The troll was there too."

Professor Flitwick's steps paused, and his gaze swept over them.

Harry noticed the two professors exchange a glance.

Then Professor McGonagall told them to explain what had happened, starting from when they left the Great Hall.

Hermione spoke first, explaining the mistake in the lens registration and why they had been delayed.

Her voice was still a little unsteady when she reached the troll's appearance, but she did not leave out how Malfoy had pulled her away from its first swing.

"We'd already opened the side door." She looked at the girl. "Then we heard him calling for help."

The girl hurriedly nodded. "My robes were trapped, and I couldn't pull them free no matter what I did. Miss Malfoy came back to help me."

Malfoy straightened her back a little.

"He nearly pulled the whole cabinet down." The girl raised her chin, striving to keep her tone calm. "I could hardly stand by and watch him bury himself beneath it."

Harry glanced at her, then turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, by the time we arrived, they'd already rescued him and blocked the troll with a materials rack and a bench."

"If they hadn't bought us time, we might not have made it."

Malfoy suddenly turned her head.

Potter sounded very earnest. He went on to describe Ron pushing the door, the two of them taking another route, and how everyone had worked together at the end.

"Granger and Ron lifted the gauze curtain, and Malfoy secured both ends."

"My job was to use the light to draw the troll to one side and make it step on the wooden shaft."

"And that first attack," Hermione said at once. "If you hadn't arrived in time, Malfoy would have been in danger."

Ron hurriedly nodded too.

"Professor, Harry's Lumos was really..." He stopped halfway through.

Even now, he still did not know how to describe it.

Professor Flitwick looked at Harry, his eyes visibly brightening.

"I saw that light on my way here. Severus also told me you didn't speak the incantation. Is that right?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good, very good." Professor Flitwick came a little closer, his gaze dropping to the wand Harry had put away at his side. "Nonverbal Spellcasting is normally something students only begin practising in their later years."

"What's even more remarkable is that you also knew to control it."

Harry sat a little straighter. "It just drains me very quickly when I keep it too bright."

"Of course. You used your magic to light up the entire space, but all you really needed to illuminate were the troll's little eyes." The professor raised a hand in a gesture. "Direction, distance, and excess magic are all worth adjusting carefully."

Harry nodded earnestly.

Professor McGonagall waited until they had finished before speaking again.

"You informed a Prefect before leaving the Great Hall. That was the right thing to do."

Ron hurriedly sat up straight.

"However, I hope you remember that when you discover a troll, your first priority should be to find a way to evacuate and seek a professor's help as soon as possible." She looked over them, her tone still stern. "Being able to sit here today does not mean you will be as fortunate next time."

All four nodded together, and Professor McGonagall's expression finally softened a little.

"Mr. Potter, you found the missing students in time and used your spell to give everyone an opportunity to escape."

"Thirty points to Gryffindor."

Ron's eyes immediately widened a little.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, you worked together in the face of danger to help a trapped fellow student."

"Ten points each to Gryffindor."

Ron whipped his head toward Hermione. Me too?

The corners of Hermione's mouth had already lifted. Seeing his expression, she gave a small nod.

Only then did Ron look back at his wand. Even the hand holding it seemed to have gained a little confidence.

"Miss Malfoy."

The girl immediately raised her head.

Professor McGonagall looked at her, her stern expression softening somewhat.

"You had an opportunity to leave safely, yet chose to return to rescue someone, and then repeatedly helped your companions hold back the troll."

She paused, a hint of appreciation appearing in her eyes.

"Slytherin has always been known for shrewdness and judging the circumstances, rather than stepping forward regardless of danger."

"Today, however, you showed me a different side."

Professor McGonagall gave a rare smile.

"It seems Slytherin has gained a rather brave little snake this year."

Malfoy froze slightly. She had thought this head of Gryffindor would criticise her recklessness.

Instead... she was actually praising her?

"Courage deserves recognition, especially the courage to protect others even in the face of danger."

Professor McGonagall solemnly announced, "Thirty points to Slytherin!"

The girl's grey-green eyes instantly lit up.

Thirty points?!

She pressed her lips together, trying to maintain the reserve expected of the Malfoy family's young lady.

Yet her slightly raised chin still betrayed her mood.

Hmph, hmph!

Did you hear that, Potter?

I'm a brave snake!

Harry happened to look her way and nodded with a smile.

Malfoy paused slightly, then turned her gaze back to Professor McGonagall, trying not to look quite so pleased.

Madam Pomfrey put away the ointment and finally allowed them to leave.

Harry would have to return tomorrow to have his wound checked, however.

Harry had only just stood when Professor Flitwick stopped him.

"Mr. Potter, I'd like to see how you usually practise. Besides Lumos, what spells have you been studying?"

"The Disarming Charm, Professor. And some basic spells."

"Good. Bring your practice notes to my office this weekend in the afternoon." The professor smiled. "If you're willing, we can set aside an hour each week for individual lessons from now on."

Harry immediately stopped moving.

Extra tuition? From Professor Flitwick himself?

"Of course I'm willing, Professor!" he answered quickly, his voice livelier than before. "I'll be there on time."

Beside him, Ron raised the hand he had just lowered and rubbed his shoulder again.

He looked at Harry, unable for a moment to understand how this fellow could be so delighted over an extra chance to attend a lesson.

Hermione, however, already wore an envious expression.

Professor Flitwick was clearly very pleased; even his beard shifted with his smile.

"The genius Harry Potter," he repeated softly. "It seems that assessment truly lives up to its reputation."

Harry smiled with feigned modesty.

At those words, Harry immediately gave a humble smile.

"You flatter me, Professor."

"I'm just a little more diligent than the other students. Besides, none of this would have been possible without all our professors' careful teaching."

At this point, he added with great sincerity:

"Your Charms lessons in particular, Professor Flitwick, have taught me so much that isn't in the books."

"Without your guidance, I don't think I could have mastered these spells so quickly."

Professor Flitwick beamed as he listened.

"Oh, Potter!"

"You really are a good child who knows how to be grateful!"

Chuckling, he patted Harry's shoulder, clearly very pleased by those words.

Malfoy, standing nearby, could not help curling her lip.

There he went again!

That fellow! A two-faced wretch who only knew how to please professors!

When they left the Hospital Wing, Professor McGonagall personally led them toward their Houses.

The Slytherin Prefect was already waiting at the stairs, where Malfoy parted ways with them.

The girl walked a few steps, then glanced back.

She pressed her lips together, but finally turned around and followed the Prefect.

When they returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, Neville immediately came over to meet them.

As soon as Ron sat down, he began talking about the door he had been unable to push open no matter what he tried. Hermione sat beside him, adding a sentence now and then.

Harry leaned against the back of his chair and finally had time to reconsider a question.

Quirrell had said the troll was in the dungeons, but Hermione and the others had encountered it in the corridor outside the exhibition hall.

A troll could move around, of course. That alone did not prove anything.

But he had originally thought that as long as he changed what happened to Hermione in the bathroom, he could easily avoid danger tonight.

Instead, he had dragged Malfoy into it too.

To be honest, he had already begun to feel a little uneasy.

Although he was a transmigrator and knew the broad course of the original story, his memories of the specific events had long since grown hazy.

What was more, this world had already undergone quite a few changes.

He had known full well that there would be danger, but only when the moment actually came did he realize that the power at his command was still far too little.

Had it not been for his good luck and everyone's cooperation, the outcome probably would not have been so good.

Harry lowered his head and glanced at his wand.

Just as I thought.

Relying on foreknowledge of the plot was never going to work in the long run.

Only strength was truly my own.

I have to grow stronger as soon as possible!

Strong enough that even if the plot spirals completely out of control, even if those dangers arrive ahead of time, I'll have enough power to face them.

Harry tightened his grip on his wand.