The professors searched the castle all night, opening every door, checking each secret passage, and nearly turning Hogwarts upside down. Yet by daybreak, they still couldn't find any trace of the troll.
Quirrell quickly became the target of everyone's criticism.
Facing the professors' questioning looks, he cowered in the corner, sobbing, "I-I m-might have... s-s-seen w-wrong. Y-You know... the d-dungeon c-classroom is v-very d-dark... it c-could have b-been armor... or a s-s-statue or s-something..."
"There are no such things in the dungeon classroom!" Snape said coldly, his face grim, "And I think any normal person wouldn't mistake armor for a troll."
"B-But... b-but, I d-don't... d-don't..." Quirrell stammered, his voice trembling with each syllable.
He truly didn't know what had happened. That troll was released by his own hands — how could it suddenly disappear?
A troll over ten feet tall had vanished into thin air without making any noise... Had Hogwarts become that dangerous?
"Perhaps you've had too much on your mind lately and might be experiencing hallucinations." Snape said with a sinister tone, "I suggest you take some potion. How about tomorrow? I'll bring it to you personally, and guarantee it will make you energetic."
"N-No... S-Severus... n-no n-need..." Quirrell shook his head repeatedly, "I h-have p-potions... n-no n-need to... t-trouble... y-you..."
He dared not drink any potion from Snape — who knew if it contained Veritaserum or something similar?
"It's no trouble, just an invigorating potion." Snape insisted, clearly not intending to let him off so easily, as if he simply enjoyed helping others.
"R-Really... n-no need..." Looking at Snape's grim face, Quirrell broke into a cold sweat, afraid he might be forced to take the potion.
Fortunately, at that moment, Professor Flitwick asked, "Minerva, what should we do now?"
Quirrell, feeling like he'd been granted amnesty, immediately retreated to the back of the crowd.
Professor McGonagall cast a displeased glance at him, then said, "Notify the prefects, have the students come to the Great Hall. This farce needs to end."
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Before long, students arrived at the Great Hall, led by the prefects.
The professors were already waiting there, except for Snape. He had been bitten by Fluffy last night and had barely managed to patrol the castle all night with just a bit of essence of dittany. By now, he had returned to his office.
In the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall stood at the front, announcing that the troll was no longer in the castle. The crisis was over.
The young wizards immediately burst into cheers.
"I told you so... there was no troll at all." Ron said excitedly at the Gryffindor table, "Seriously, I deal with hoaxes like this at least twice a week, and you still didn't believe me!"
But everyone was busy celebrating, and no one paid attention to his words.
Only Harry patted his shoulder, smiling, "I owe you an apology, friend."
Although Hermione heard this too, she didn't tell the two boys the truth. Instead, she stood on tiptoe, trying to look toward the Hufflepuff area.
There, Kyle was applauding just like everyone else, showing no signs of anything unusual.
'Is this person really the youngest recipient of the Award for Special Services to the School?' Hermione once again fell into self-doubt.
Kyle naturally didn't know what she was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't care — as long as she could keep the secret.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
In the days that followed, Kyle spent part of each day inside the trunk, working to tame the troll.
Despite being stupid and dull creatures with no magical abilities, trolls possessed impressive fighting capabilities. Their thick skin and raw strength made them excellent frontline combatants.
Their lack of intelligence actually presented an advantage — with few thoughts of their own, trolls were easier to command.
Kyle found the taming process relatively straightforward. Whenever the troll displayed aggression during his visits, he would discipline it firmly.
His approach was balanced — just enough force to cause pain, followed by food rewards before departing.
This classic carrot-and-stick method worked quickly. Soon the troll became docile, greeting Kyle with nothing but a silly grin when it saw him.
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Word spread quickly, and within days, everyone at Hogwarts knew that Professor Quirrell had simply mistaken a shadow for a troll due to his cowardice, causing the entire Halloween feast disruption.
This incident transformed the already unpopular professor into the school's laughingstock. Students couldn't believe someone so timid had dared to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Fred and George seized the opportunity by starting a betting pool on when Professor Quirrell would leave Hogwarts and what his ultimate fate would be.
Though intended as a mere prank, the betting pool attracted surprising participation. Students willingly spent their Knuts and Sickles for a bit of entertainment. Within days, the twins had collected nearly a dozen Galleons.
This unexpected success soon emboldened the twins. During a meal, they excitedly approached Kyle.
"This is much faster than selling merchandise!" Fred patted his jingling money pouch, "It's almost like picking up money off the ground."
Kyle looked up and asked, "How many people are participating now?"
"One hundred and twenty-nine people." George blurted out, "From all four houses."
"That many..." Cedric said incredulously.
He had expected twenty or thirty participants at most.
"Professor Quirrell is trending now." Fred said, "Any topic related to him instantly attracts attention."
"What about you all? Want to join in?" Fred asked, shaking his money pouch.
Cedric and Kanna shook their heads simultaneously; they weren't interested in such things.
But Kyle thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"Sounds quite interesting." He said, "What are your rules?"
"Very simple..." Seeing his interest, Fred's smile widened, "Two choices: when Professor Quirrell will leave Hogwarts, and what his final outcome will be. If you guess correctly, we'll return double your money."
"How about it, isn't that generous?"
Kyle nodded.
"So, which one do you want to guess?"
"I'll guess both." Kyle took out a handful of Galleons and slammed them on the table, "Here are twenty Galleons in total. Do you dare to accept?"
✭✭✭
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