"Dude, we need to get back. Why are you just standing there?"
Theo grabbed Rock's wrist, frowning hard.
"You guys go first. I'll catch up," Rock said, patting both Theo and Adam on the shoulder. "Hermione might not have heard the warning."
"Are you crazy? The professors told us to go back." Theo's brows tightened even more, his voice rising slightly.
"Rock, trolls are rated XXXX by the Ministry," Adam added urgently. "You can't take on a troll alone. You'll just get yourself killed."
"No—you're both thinking about the wrong thing."
Rock's eyes swept over their faces. "I don't need to fight the troll. I just need to make sure Hermione hears the warning and leaves. That's all."
Theo opened his mouth to argue, but Rock lifted his hand to stop him.
"I can't just ignore the fact that one of our classmates might be in danger."
Theo rolled his eyes. "I was going to say—tell us what you're planning. We'll run interference for you."
"Right. A proper Ravenclaw needs a reasonable explanation to justify doing the right thing."
Rock suddenly realized that barging off without a cover story was a bad idea. If he didn't want points deducted, he needed something believable.
"I left my notebook in the library and need to grab it."
Theo nodded instantly, understanding. Turning around, he blocked Penelope's line of sight, pulling Adam with him.
"Impressive. Didn't think you'd actually come up with a textbook-level Ravenclaw excuse," Theo muttered under his breath.
A moment later, he purposely raised his voice:
"Has anyone seen Rock? He said he went to grab his notebook!"
Rock lifted his wand and tapped the side of his head.
"Disillusionment."
Adam's jaw dropped, and Theo quickly tugged his sleeve to keep him from staring.
Taking advantage of Theo distracting Penelope, Rock snatched a small pepper shaker off a nearby table, then slipped out of the Great Hall like a fish darting into water.
Hidden by the Disillusionment Charm, he weaved past the crowds and sprinted toward the girls' bathroom on the first floor.
Before he even reached it, he heard heavy crashes and Hermione's terrified scream.
Rock reached the entrance and peered inside. Harry was on the troll's back; Ron stood frozen nearby; Hermione was curled in the corner, shaking.
He sighed. Too slow.
But…
Ron hadn't used the Levitation Charm yet.
Rock's gaze moved to the troll's club—still in its hand, swinging wildly. Harry clung to its scalp, ducking and dodging like a natural Seeker as the club swiped past him.
Rock scanned the room for something useful.
Broken stones from the smashed wall—good.
A mirror on the side wall—also good.
Newt had once told him trolls were easily distracted. An idea clicked.
Rock raised his wand, levitating several small stones, then hurled them into the mirror.
CRASH!
The troll froze, turning its head toward the sound.
In that split-second, a peppery burst of magic-infused powder shot straight up its nose and exploded.
CLANG—
The troll's club hit the floor.
A moment of total stillness.
Harry suddenly floated upward and tumbled off the troll, landing next to Ron.
The troll blinked its small, cloudy eyes—confused—then its body reacted before its brain did.
"A—A—ACHOO!"
The sneeze shook the whole bathroom.
Rock felt a chill shoot down his spine. He dove behind a pillar.
SPLAT.
He grimaced. Where he'd stood just seconds ago, a gooey, foul-smelling blob of troll snot splattered across the floor.
"ROOOAR—ACHOO!! Cough!"
The troll staggered in blind panic, rubbing its tiny eyes and snout furiously. The pepper powder had hit full force, irritating every inch of its face.
It thrashed wildly—
—then stepped on a stray mop, slipping hard.
The massive body toppled forward and crashed full-speed into the wall.
BOOM.
Chunks of stone rained down. One large, jagged block smashed straight into the troll's head.
CRASH—
Dust filled the room.
The troll collapsed beneath the rubble, unmoving.
Behind the pillar, Rock lowered his wand and sighed when he saw the shell-shocked trio standing frozen.
A small pebble floated lightly toward Hermione's ankle and tapped it.
"Ah!"
Hermione snapped out of her daze, grabbed Harry and Ron, and dragged them out of the bathroom.
As they ran out, she caught a glimpse—just for a second—of a small figure disappearing around the corner.
"Merlin's beard!"
Footsteps thundered down the hallway, and Professor McGonagall burst into view, several teachers behind her.
She spotted the toppled troll inside the destroyed bathroom and stiffened. Behind her glasses, her eyes gleamed with shock and anger.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger—what on earth were you thinking?!"
Her voice trembled from trying too hard to stay calm.
Snape stepped forward, covering his nose with obvious disgust. He swept the area with sharp eyes. While brushing aside dust with his sleeve, his nose twitched.
He froze.
He crouched and examined a puddle of sticky mucus—finding exactly what he was looking for.
A strange, unreadable expression passed over his face.
He turned to look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Oh, M-M-Merlin's… b-beard!" Quirrell stammered beside them, looking more terrified than the kids. "Y-you actually f-fought a t-troll!"
McGonagall and Snape both frowned—McGonagall in shock, Snape in irritation.
"Explain," McGonagall demanded.
Harry and Ron glanced at each other, ready to speak—
—but Hermione suddenly stepped forward.
"Please don't blame them, Professor. Harry and Ron were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!" McGonagall sounded genuinely stunned. Hermione was, in her mind, the model student.
Hermione hurried through a stripped-down version of events:
She went to check out the troll; Harry and Ron came to save her; the troll knocked itself out by accident.
McGonagall clearly doubted this, scanning the room again.
But aside from rubble, water spraying from broken pipes, and a lingering awful smell…
there was nothing else.
No traces of magic.
No pepper smell—the water vapor had already drowned it out.
In other words…
it did look like what Hermione described.
A coincidence.
"Heh… The troll very conveniently… took care of itself," Snape muttered, his eyes slicing over the trio before sweeping out of the room.
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