Storming into the girls' bathroom, I witnessed a massive mountain troll, a torn-up dead tree fashioned into a crude club in hand, staring down at Hermione and the strange Hufflepuff girl I had met once before. The troll licked his lips, showcasing his hunger for human flesh.
"What is that!?" Val hissed, sticking his head out from my collar.
"Mountain troll. I don't know why one is here," I muttered, my mind racing for a solution to stop the creature from devouring the girls.
I glanced down at my dish of assorted sweets and frowned. 'These were supposed to be for Abarrane, but…'
"HEY!!!" I screamed, drawing the troll's attention—and both girls' as well. I pulled out my wand and focused on the plate of sweets.
"Wingardium Leviosa," I muttered, still needing to chant my spells for full effectiveness.
Slices of cake and pie floated into the air, waving tauntingly in front of the troll.
Trolls, while strong and resilient—able to ignore half-hearted spells or recover quickly from a knockback charm—were also incredibly stupid. They weren't even smart enough to have a real language, mostly relying on grunts and gestures to communicate. 'So, if a piece of food that smells really good floats right in front of its face…'
The troll lunged for the sweets, grabbing clumsily at the floating food. I tugged the treats away just beyond its reach, luring it a few steps away from the two girls, still frozen on the floor in shock. To keep it entertained, I allowed the troll to snatch one of the pastries, hoping to satisfy it momentarily.
"Get a teacher," I whispered urgently, glancing at both girls, trying to keep my voice low enough not to distract the troll. I hoped it had already forgotten us, too focused on the floating confections.
Just as the girls scrambled to their feet, the bathroom doors slammed open.
"Hermione!" Weasley and Potter shouted in unison, bursting into the room.
The troll turned, its eyes lighting up with twisted delight at the sight of more 'food.'
"Bloody hell are you doing, Peterson!?" Weasley barked, slapping my arm and breaking my concentration.
"No!" I yelled, scrambling to regain control of the spell, but only managed to catch one sweet before the rest fell to the floor.
"Ron! No! He was keeping the troll busy!" Hermione shrieked, rushing over to her friends, pulling the Hufflepuff girl along with her.
But it was too late. The troll had lost interest in the pastries. It snarled, club raised, ready to attack.
'No choice now…' I grimaced and switched tactics, shouting a spell I had learned with Quirrell.
"Avis!"
A flock of ravens erupted from my wand, their harsh caws filling the bathroom. The birds swarmed the troll's face, pecking at its eyes and ears.
"Run!" I shouted, taking off with the others while the troll flailed wildly, trying to swat the birds away.
We sprinted through the halls, rounding a corner—where we nearly crashed into Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty.
McGonagall was the first to scold us. "What are you all doing here? You're supposed to be in your houses!"
Everyone stammered over each other, voices overlapping in a chaotic attempt to explain. I rolled my eyes and turned to Dumbledore, who was already looking at me expectantly, waiting for my explanation.
"I'm keeping a troll occupied in the girls' bathroom. However—"
Before I could finish, a monstrous bellow echoed down the hall. The troll barreled toward us, roaring in fury.
Dumbledore calmly raised his hand, and with a mere wave, the troll collapsed into a heap on the floor. Its massive chest rose and fell slowly, its breathing steady. Asleep.
"Well… would anyone like to explain this now?" McGonagall asked, pointing at us all with a sharp glare.
We exchanged guilty glances, none of us willing to speak first.
"Well…" she sighed, clearly exasperated. "I suppose I'll just have to deduct house points. Five points from each of you. Now off you go." She waved us away as the rest of the faculty gathered around the slumbering troll.
We dispersed, the trio heading toward Gryffindor Tower, leaving only the Hufflepuff girl and me walking the empty halls. For a while, we walked in silence, the only sounds were our footsteps echoing against the stone floor and the faint patter of rain against the windows.
After several minutes, the girl mumbled something so softly I almost didn't hear her.
"Thank you…"
I sighed, feeling a pang of disappointment over the sweets I'd lost for Abarrane, but let it go at her heartfelt gratitude.
"Don't mention it."
Silence settled over us again. Only the occasional creak of the ancient floorboards or the wind rattling the windows disturbed the stillness.
Then, her hesitant voice broke through.
"How… how d-do you do it…?" she asked nervously.
I glanced at her, confused by her vague question.
"Do what?"
She fell silent, seemingly searching for the right words.
"B-be… popular?"
I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"By not being a shivering leaf?" I retorted, my voice edged with sarcasm, concealing the truth—I wished to be unknown.
But then she asked something that caught me completely off guard.
"Y-you're really comfortable… in your own skin…?"
I turned to meet her gaze, startled by the intensity in her silver eyes. They gleamed faintly in the dim corridor, unwavering, as if searching for something.
"Why shouldn't I be?" I asked with a frown.
To my surprise, my answer seemed to shock her. Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief, and she took a small step back.
She stared at me, searching my expression for any trace of what she was used to seeing—disgust, fear, judgment. The feelings she had come to expect from everyone. But she found none.
In that moment, something shifted in her expression—something vulnerable and uncertain.
Without another word, she stumbled over her parting words.
"I-Um… I- Good bye!"
Before I could respond, she turned and hurried off, rushing around the corner toward her house, leaving me standing alone, baffled by the strange interaction.
I lingered for a moment, staring after her, trying to puzzle out what had just happened. Eventually, I shook the thought away and made my way back to the Slytherin common room.
"Pureblood," I muttered to the wall, and the passage opened.
Inside, I was greeted by Pansy, who rushed over in obvious relief.
"There you are!" she exclaimed, scanning me for any sign of injury.
Draco glanced over from the leather couch, smirking.
"Told you he'd be fine. I bet he could've taken on that stupid troll by himself anyway."
I shrugged, unwilling to explain the whole story—I didn't want them knowing I had stuck my neck out for 'lower classes.'
"What annoys me is that I lost house points for being unaware of the situation," I grumbled, flopping onto the couch.
Pansy's eyes narrowed.
"One of the teachers deducted house points!? How much!?" Draco snapped, his expression darkening.
"Five points. Not much, but it still bothers me that we're being punished for their lack of security."
Pansy nodded with a scowl.
"It's probably just a ploy to lower our points and give the other houses a chance at the cup."
Draco crossed his legs and arms with a huff.
"Bunch of morons…" he muttered. Pansy nodded again, lips pursed.
I smirked faintly.
"At least Gryffindor lost fifteen points—three people out after curfew. I wasn't the only one targeted."
Draco froze, staring at me as if trying to detect a lie. When he saw none, he burst into laughter, his mood instantly lifting.
"Well, at least we have that!" he cheered, his laughter echoing through the common room.