Chapter 36: Troll

Harry couldn't quite remember how he had returned to the dormitory. All he recalled was that Ron and Hermione seemed to have had a brief argument afterward.

He sat hugging his knees in front of the dormitory window, staring blankly outside.

The moonlight poured like water through the window, casting Harry’s elongated shadow across the room.

"Harry?" Ron noticed his friend’s odd behavior. Ever since they returned to the dormitory, Harry had been unresponsive, only giving a distracted "Hmm" whenever called. It worried him deeply.

Harry finally snapped out of his trance and glanced at Ron, offering an apologetic smile.

"Want to play a game of Wizard’s Chess, mate?" Ron held the chessboard in his arms. "I know you’re upset, but Hermione didn’t mean it that way. She’s just curious about that person with the same name as yours—that’s why she’s been reading those books. She didn’t mean to bring up You-Know-Who. Who could’ve known that incident would be right next to it..."

"I know, Ron," Harry nodded, though his thoughts were still in a mess.

"How about we visit Hagrid after class tomorrow?" Ron suggested with concern.

"Maybe in a few days," Harry replied. "Tomorrow’s Halloween Eve, and there’s a banquet in the Great Hall in the evening."

"Yeah, I heard the limited-edition pumpkin pies are really good," Ron said enthusiastically. "If you like them, I can give you my share."

Harry felt a sudden pang of nostalgia.

It was here, in this very room, that Gareth once comforted him when he felt homesick.

And now, upon hearing news of his old friend again, he learned that Gareth was gone forever.

A century might pass in the blink of an eye for Harry, but for his old friends, it was a lifetime.

"Thank you, Ron," Harry forced a smile. "It’s getting late. We should get some sleep. We’ve got Charms class tomorrow morning."

"Alright." Ron nodded firmly, though his knitted brows still betrayed his worry for Harry.

The next morning, the first-year Gryffindors could be seen cheerfully seated at their table for breakfast.

Halloween fell on a Friday this year, which meant they had double Potions with Professor Snape that morning.

But a holiday on Friday also meant something wonderful—no Potions class with Snape!

Can you imagine? No Snape Potions class! For Gryffindors, this was a cause for celebration!

The downside, though, was that their afternoon Flying class was also canceled due to the holiday.

For many young wizards, it was one of the few chances they had to touch a broomstick.

Adding to the excitement, Professor Flitwick announced that after weeks of practice, it was time to learn how to make objects fly.

"Now, remember the swish and flick movement we’ve been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, standing atop his usual pile of books. "A swish and a flick! And enunciate the incantation clearly—don’t forget the cautionary tale of Baruffio, who mispronounced 'f' as 's' and ended up with a buffalo on his chest!"

Harry always thought the wand movement was just a way to help wizards focus on casting the right spell. In truth, when it came to wandless magic, you didn’t need any hand gestures. What you willed in your mind was what you cast.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry waved his wand, effortlessly levitating the desk in front of him.

"Excellent! Simply excellent, Mr. Potter!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, leaping joyously on his books.

However, he misstepped and began to tumble backward.

"Leviosa!" Harry quickly aimed his wand at the falling professor and cast a Levitation Charm.

Though Wingardium Leviosa and Leviosa appeared similar, the two were quite different. The latter simply caused an object to float, while the former allowed control over the direction of the object’s movement.

In midair, Professor Flitwick paddled his arms as if swimming and beamed at Harry. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Brilliant spellwork, Harry! You must’ve read ahead in your textbook, haven’t you?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied, guiding Flitwick gently back to the ground with his spell.

By the end of the lesson, only Hermione had successfully levitated her feather—and Ron, who managed it halfway.

Under Hermione’s guidance, Ron managed to lift his feather, but Seamus distracted him by accidentally causing his own feather to explode, sending Ron’s feather plummeting back to the desk.

"You should study Exploding Charms more," Hermione remarked to Seamus as they walked back to the Great Hall. "It seems to be your area of expertise."

"Are you mocking me, Granger?" Seamus asked indignantly, feeling insulted.

"Whoa, whoa, mate," Ron quickly intervened, patting Seamus on the arm. "Let’s not go there."

"Sorry, Seamus," Hermione apologized quickly. "I didn’t mean it that way."

Since Hermione had apologized, Seamus decided to let it go.

After Herbology in the afternoon, the much-anticipated Halloween banquet began.

Thousands of bewitched bats flitted around the walls and ceilings, while dense clusters of bats swooped over the dining tables like low-hanging black clouds. When they passed the massive pumpkins, the candle flames inside flickered wildly.

"Where’s Harry?" Ron suddenly noticed his friend was missing.

"He said he was going to the restroom," Seamus replied.

Ron felt a pang of concern. Was Harry still upset? Should he go check on him?

He definitely needs some company right now, Ron thought.

But then his plate was suddenly filled with a dazzling array of delicacies, and his attention was momentarily diverted.

I’ll eat a drumstick first, then go find him, he decided.

Just then, the doors to the Great Hall burst open. Professor Quirrell stumbled in, his turban askew and his face a mask of terror.

Students turned their attention to him, curious about what could possibly alarm the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor so much.

"Troll! Troll in the dungeon!" Quirrell shouted as he staggered toward Dumbledore. "Thought you ought to know..."

With that, he collapsed onto the floor.

For a moment, the hall was deathly silent. Then, someone screamed, and chaos erupted.

A troll?!

Dumbledore raised his wand to his throat and amplified his voice. "Silence!"

The authority in his voice quickly subdued the panicked students.

"Prefects!" he commanded, his tone firm yet calm. "Lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

"Let’s go, follow me," Percy began organizing the Gryffindors into orderly lines. "There’s no need to be afraid of the troll. The professors will handle it."

Hermione was about to follow Percy when Ron tugged on her sleeve.

"Ron? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Harry!" Ron whispered urgently. "Harry’s still in the first-floor restroom! We need to warn him—he’s in danger!"