Sure enough, a few minutes later, the small paper box suddenly whooshed as it burst into flames on its own, dissolving into a wisp of gray smoke that vanished into the air. The spot where it had been was now completely filled by a Troll that had appeared out of nowhere…
"Grrr… snrrrk…"
The creature, gray-skinned from head to toe, enormous in body but absurdly small-headed, and reeking of a foul stench, slowly hauled itself up from the ground. It let out a series of muttering snores, scratching its head as it looked around in confusion, seemingly wondering why it had woken up beneath an unfamiliar ceiling.
Then, suddenly, it sniffed the air and turned its head toward the girls' bathroom.
Food. It smelled food!
Letting out an excited growl, the Troll lumbered forward on unsteady steps, club in hand, heading straight for the bathroom door to get itself a little extra meal—utterly unaware of just how far its earlier roar, enhanced by Sonorus, had carried through the castle…
Now's the moment.
Avada raised his wand, aiming it at the back of the Troll's head, and softly spoke a spell.
"Imperio."
Don't misunderstand—Avada Kendavia was a law-abiding, upstanding wizard. There was no way he would ever use an Unforgivable Curse. He simply happened to miss his distant relative, Imperio, and softly called out his name. That was all.
As the eldest of the three Unforgivable Curses, and having already grasped a rudimentary version of the Imperius Curse last year, Avada had studied mental magic extensively. After two months of personal instruction from Voldemort himself, he had long since mastered the curse—though not yet to the point of casting it nonverbally. Still, after this practical use and close observation of the spell's magical structure, his understanding of the Imperius Curse was bound to improve dramatically.
The moment the incantation left his lips, Avada felt as though an invisible thread extended from his wand, plunging into the Troll's walnut-sized brain. He could transmit his thoughts freely to it—and no matter what he commanded, the Troll would obediently comply…
Growl a couple more times, he tested.
"Grrr—rrr!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the Troll's mouth, magnified by Sonorus, rolling through the castle like peals of thunder.
Why isn't Hermione running yet? That's two roars already!
Hearing the chaos and screams erupting from the Great Hall, Avada frowned inwardly.
Don't tell me she froze in fear…
Fine, roar a couple more times. Maybe do it in Morse code—get her to run already…
He was just about to make the Troll roar again when he noticed that the Sonorus enchantment had already faded from it.
…Right. Of course Voldemort wouldn't leave behind something that obvious.
Alright then. Move slowly toward the bathroom. Heavy steps. Linger at the door for a bit…
The Troll obediently stomped its feet outside the bathroom, each step sending out dull, booming thuds—but the door remained stubbornly shut.
Run already!
Avada nearly ground his teeth. If things dragged on until the professors arrived, he risked being exposed. He did have contingency plans, but the uncertainty was too great. Better not to use them unless absolutely necessary…
Wait—don't tell me she's gambling on the Troll not finding her?
Should I smash the door and force her out? No, that's a bit immoral… and dangerous too…
Then I'll just have the Troll head toward the Great Hall, run into the professors halfway, and hand them the problem on a platter. As for why the Troll acted this way—let Voldemort rack his brain over it!
Avada frowned, about to issue the command to turn around, when two urgent shouts rang out:
"Hermione!"
"Hermione, where are you?"
Avada turned his head and saw Harry and Ron sprinting toward the bathroom, wands in hand, shouting her name as they ran.
"..."
Since someone had so thoughtfully delivered themselves, it would feel a bit impolite for the Troll to do nothing at all.
So Avada commanded the Troll to whirl around and unleash a furious roar at Harry and Ron, brandishing its club menacingly. The message was simple and clear:
I'm scary. Run.
The effect was immediate.
Harry and Ron froze in their tracks, faces drained of color as they stared up at the towering, ferocious Troll.
Then, trembling, they raised their wands.
"Hermione, where are you?" Harry shouted desperately. "If you're in the bathroom, the Troll is facing us right now! Run, quickly!"
"..."
Very brave. Typical Gryffindor.
At this point, Avada desperately wanted the Troll to bonk itself unconscious and free him from this entire mess so he could retreat peacefully to the Hufflepuff Common Room.
But no—he had to keep up the act.
"ROOOAR!"
The Troll flailed its arms and lumbered slowly toward Harry and Ron, frightening them into backing away again and again, gradually drawing them farther from the bathroom door…
Click.
The girls' bathroom door suddenly opened on its own. A bushy-haired head poked out, shouting urgently, "Get inside! Hurry! The Troll doesn't seem able to enter the bathroom!"
"Hermione!"
Harry and Ron were overjoyed. They sprinted past the "slow-moving" Troll at the fastest speed of their lives, slipped into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind them.
Avada: ...
I'm sorry. This is my fault. I put too many restrictions on the Troll and gave you the wrong idea.
Decisively, Avada ordered the Troll to smash open the bathroom door with its club.
Finding food and not chasing it went against a Troll's instincts—and this would also teach those three little troublemakers a very important lesson:
TROLLS. CAN. ENTER. BATHROOMS.
Listening to the screams echoing from inside, Avada felt a hint of satisfaction mixed in with his guilt.
From there on, it was a stress-free performance.
Avada controlled the Troll as it wildly smashed left and right inside the bathroom, hammering everything in sight—but never once coming close to actually hitting any of the three. It was the very definition of a master of outlining the human body. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione noticed nothing amiss, desperately hurling bricks, pipes, and whatever else they could find at the Troll, with no intention of fleeing whatsoever…
Oh right. The Troll's blocking the door. They can't escape.
So Avada tried to have the Troll step aside to let them run. But to Harry and the others, who had no idea what was really happening, it looked like the enraged Troll was charging menacingly toward Ron, who was backed into a corner.
"No!"
Harry shouted in desperation. He leapt forward, wrapping his arms around the Troll's neck from behind and jamming his wand straight up into one of its nostrils—creating a bizarre tableau reminiscent of a certain zombie and its oversized companion.
NO!
This time it was Avada's turn to howl internally.
A sudden wave of intense pain surged through the Troll's mind, nearly causing the Imperius Curse to collapse. Only by forcefully pouring in more mental power did Avada barely manage to reassert control.
These three are absolutely my natural enemies…
In the end, after witnessing Ron land a beautifully executed Levitation Charm that sent the Troll's club crashing into its own forehead, Avada released the Imperius Curse and slipped away silently before the professors arrived.
That was one of the Imperius Curse's greatest advantages: once lifted, it left almost no trace. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Death Eaters escaping conviction by claiming they'd been "under the Imperius Curse."
After that, Avada calmly went up to the second floor to use the bathroom, then returned to the entrance of the Great Hall. After pondering briefly at the sight of the now-empty hall, he finally turned and headed back to the Hufflepuff Common Room.
A full performance deserved a full ending.
"What happened?" he asked as soon as he pushed open the door. "Why is everyone back already? I just went to brew an Invigoration Draught and use the bathroom. When I came back, the Great Hall was completely empty!"
"Merlin above—you have no idea. There was a Troll just now…"
(End of Chapter)