Soon, heavy, clumsy footsteps echoed from the depths of the corridor, along with Professor Quirrell's deliberately feigned panicked shouts.
He led the Troll to the abandoned washroom on the third floor. After confirming that the Troll had entered, he hurriedly turned around and ran back to the Great Hall to report the news.
In the washroom, Moaning Myrtle was floating in mid-air, lost in thought, when she saw the stinking, Troll wielding a wooden stick burst in, and she screamed in terror:
"Aaaaah--What are you! Don't come any closer! This is my territory!"
The Troll, annoyed by the noise, swung his thick wooden club wildly at her, but Moaning Myrtle was a spirit, and the club passed right through her, unable to harm her in the slightest.
The Troll roared in anger, but could only lash out at the air.
Once he was sure Quirrell's footsteps had completely faded into the distance, Draco growled, "Now!"
He gripped Hermione's hand tightly, and the two tiptoed quietly into Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.
Upon seeing them, Moaning Myrtle immediately felt as if she had found a savior and floated to their side, weeping:
"You're here! This ugly monster barged in and caused trouble! He scared me to death!"
Her voice immediately attracted the Troll's attention.
The massive body slowly turned around, its murky little eyes fixed on Draco and Hermione, letting out a threatening growl.
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively shrank back.
"Don't be afraid, take out your wand," Draco whispered, his voice reassuringly steady. "We agreed, the real battle begins."
The Troll roared and charged straight at them, brandishing its wooden club.
Draco advanced instead of retreating, flicking his wrist and shouting sharply:
" Levitation Charm."
The Troll's thick wooden club instantly flew into the air, hovering uncontrollably in mid-air.
Taking advantage of the Troll's dazed state, Draco shouted again:
" Expelliarmus."
The wooden stick fell to the ground with a "thud" some distance away.
Hermione, use your magic!
Despite her fear, Hermione gripped her wand tightly and bravely pointed it at the Troll:
" Impediment Jinx."
A faint but clear incantation struck the Troll, causing it to pause in its movements. Enraged, it turned and charged at Hermione.
"Careful!"
Draco immediately stepped forward, his wand pointed directly at the Troll's knee:
" Trip Jinx."
The Troll's legs buckled, and he nearly fell over. He then angrily turned back and lunged at Draco.
Hermione immediately added another question:
" Lumos."
A bright light suddenly pierced the Troll's eyes, causing it to flail Troll in pain and completely lose its composure.
The two played with astonishing chemistry, one attacking and the other drawing the opponent's attention, the other defending and the other disrupting their play, just like during Quidditch training.
Draco was responsible for pulling, restraining, and interfering with the monster up close, Hermione was responsible for remote control and disrupting its vision, deliberately not stunning it all at once, like kiting Troll and exploiting the troll's low intelligence.
The Troll, despite its immense strength, was completely outmaneuvered by two first-year students. They couldn't hit it or catch it, and the giant roared in frustration.
Moaning Myrtle, who was hiding to the side, burst into laughter and clapped her hands while floating in mid-air.
"Hahaha! That's so stupid! I'm dying of laughter! You guys are amazing!"
Draco glanced at the bewildered Troll and whispered to Hermione:
"That's enough, stop playing around, give it the final blow."
"Yes!" Hermione nodded emphatically.
The two exchanged a glance, simultaneously raised their wands, and shouted in unison, with precise and forceful voices:
Stupefy.
The two spells struck the Troll simultaneously.
Its massive body swayed twice, its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed heavily to the ground with a thud, completely unconscious.
The washroom was finally quiet again.
Moaning Myrtle cheered, Draco slowly lowered his wand, immediately turning to look at Hermione, his eyes filled with relief.
"Are you alright? Were you scared?"
Before Hermione could reply, Moaning Myrtle floated over and excitedly circled around the two of them:
"That's amazing! You two are incredible! You took down such a Troll so easily! I've never seen such amazing first-years!"
Hermione's chest heaved slightly, her face still flushed from the battle, and she whispered excitedly:
" Draco, we did it! We really defeated a Troll all by ourselves!"
Draco put away his wand, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.
"This is just the beginning; there should be many more opportunities for real-world practice in the future. How about Miss Granger takes command then?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she gave him a light glare. "Don't talk nonsense, this was all your plan."
She quickly realized their predicament and lowered her voice, "What do we do now? The professors will be here soon!"
"What else can we do but run away?" Draco said decisively.
Moaning Myrtle immediately became unhappy and floated down in front of the two of them, calling out pitifully:
"Are you going to throw me with this ugly, dizzy Troll? That's outrageous!"
"It's already passed out, it can't hurt you," Draco explained calmly. "The professors will be here in a little while, just act as usual."
He gave a special instruction, his tone serious, " Moaning Myrtle, no matter who asks later, you absolutely must not reveal that it was the two of us who dealt with the Troll."
This matter must be kept secret.
It's terrifying that a first-grader could single-handedly stun Troll.
Once exposed, it would not only attract excessive attention from Dumbledore, but also alert Quirrell and make him more prepared.
Keeping a low profile and concealing your activities is the safest and most advantageous choice for strategic planning.
Moaning Myrtle's eyes darted around, and she deliberately dragged out her words: "Keeping it a secret is fine... but I'll have to get something in return."
Draco raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you want?"
Moaning Myrtle's eyes immediately lit up:
"Next time you come here, chat with me for half an hour! Don't find me annoying, and don't run away halfway through! You also have to tell me about the interesting things that happen at school! I'm so bored here all by myself!"
Draco nodded without hesitation. "No problem, I promise you."
"It's a deal!" Moaning Myrtle floated up happily.
Draco said nothing more, gently took Hermione's hand, and the two tiptoed quickly out of the back door of the bathroom, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
They had barely left for half a minute when a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.
Just as Draco and Hermione disappeared from the shadows, hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.
Professor McGonagall was the first to rush into the restroom.
When she saw the Troll lying motionless and unconscious on the ground, she stopped abruptly, and a clear look of shock crossed her previously tense face.
She strode forward and quickly checked the Troll's condition. After confirming that it had only been stunned by a spell, her brows furrowed even more.
Subduing a Troll so cleanly, precisely, and without leaving any repercussions could not have been done in a state of panic.
Snape followed closely behind.
He didn't look at the Troll; his gaze immediately fell on the surroundings of the washroom, his eyes beneath the black robe cold and sharp.
He could tell at a glance that the Troll had been Stupefy by two precise, simultaneous knockdowns; the technique was far more skillful than that of a student.
With a casual glance across the scene, Snape almost immediately came to the conclusion that Quirrell had orchestrated the whole thing.
So he didn't say anything, but only glanced at Quirrell almost imperceptibly.
Professor Quirrell was the last to stumble in, his headscarf askew.
When he saw the Troll that had already fainted, he froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, completely dumbfounded.
Why did the Troll faint?
Who did it?
His face went blank with terror for a moment, even more astonished than Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at Moaning Myrtle was floating in the corner:
" Moaning Myrtle, what just happened here? Who stunned the Troll?"
Moaning Myrtle started making up lies:
"I... I don't know... it just tripped and passed out, really! I didn't see anything!"
Her words were incoherent, and her eyes darted around; it was clear she was lying.
Professor McGonagall figured it out instantly.
Her doubts deepened.
Moaning Myrtle never intentionally protects anyone, but today she is clearly covering for someone.
She lowered her voice. " Moaning Myrtle, this matter concerns the safety of Hogwarts, and I hope you will tell the truth."
Moaning Myrtle immediately covered her ears and began to sob, "I don't know! I don't know! Don't ask me!"
Professor McGonagall sighed softly.
She certainly wanted to press her for answers, but Moaning Myrtle was a ghost, and there was no way to truly force her to talk.
She could only suppress her doubts and focus her gaze on the Troll again, her eyes filled with complex emotions.