"Wingardium Leviosa," Adrian whispered, levitating several rock cakes from the floor so they floated at the troll's eye level. No point in having them too small to notice and getting trampled underfoot.
Adrian held his breath, worried the creature might be smarter than the books suggested and recognize an obvious trap.
Fortunately, the troll proved even more dim-witted than expected. It showed absolutely no survival instincts whatsoever, simply grabbing the floating food and shoving it into its mouth without question. The creature even dropped its club to free both hands for eating, looking for all the world like a starving glutton.
Adrian couldn't help wondering if Quirrell had been starving the poor thing to save money on the food budget.
After a few moments of mental commentary, Adrian's initial nervousness began to ease. His left hand drifted to the emergency Experience Card in his pocket, it seemed he wouldn't need his backup plan after all.
However, several minutes passed and the troll showed no signs of falling unconscious. Instead, it sniffed the air curiously, apparently hoping for more food.
Adrian stared in disbelief. He'd used enough sleeping draught to knock out several adult wizards, but the troll hadn't even yawned.
This wasn't scientific at all... well, magical at all!
Had his potion-making been that sloppy? Adrian glanced at his Level 3 Potionmaking skill with newfound uncertainty.
"AHHHHH!"
A terrified scream shattered Adrian's contemplation and ruined his carefully laid plans.
Peering from his hiding spot, Adrian spotted Hermione at the corridor's entrance. The troll immediately scooped up its club and lumber toward her with obvious excitement.
Adrian understood instantly, Hermione must have been drawn by the club's earlier scraping sounds.
He cursed silently. He should have set his trap further from the bathroom, though admittedly, he couldn't have guaranteed the troll would take a different route.
Hermione stood frozen as the massive creature approached, her mind screaming at her to run while her legs refused to cooperate. She'd originally been crying in the bathroom when floor vibrations and strange noises had drawn her out to investigate.
She'd never imagined encountering a mountain troll in Hogwarts' corridors.
Just as Hermione thought she might die there, a familiar voice rang out:
"Mortificus!"
Bright purple light struck the troll's massive frame, an impossible target to miss. The creature immediately stopped its advance, standing motionless as the fear curse took hold. Adrian emerged from his hiding place simultaneously.
"Adrian!" Hermione rushed toward him like a drowning person grasping a lifeline, tears still fresh on her cheeks as she threw her arms around him.
"Shh," Adrian whispered, gently but firmly extricating himself from her grip while keeping his wand trained on the troll. His attention never wavered from the creature.
Hermione blushed but quickly noticed something was wrong under Adrian's tense focus. She'd assumed he'd subdued the troll completely, but clearly the situation was more complex.
"What's happening to it?" she whispered.
Adrian didn't answer, signaling for silence while maintaining his spell. This was the first time he'd encountered such a reaction to the Curse.
To maximize the troll's terror, Adrian had conjured an illusion of Fluffy, the three-headed dog from their previous encounter, placing it in Hermione's position within the creature's mind.
The troll, caught in the curse's grip, was deeply confused. How had the strangely-dressed little human suddenly transformed into a massive three-headed dog? The image seemed familiar, though this version appeared considerably fatter than the one in its dim memories. Had it been sneaking extra meals?
Now what? Hermione's eyes asked silently.
Adrian considered his options. Time was running short, professors would arrive soon to investigate the disturbance.
If he missed this opportunity, his next chance to fight a troll would require venturing beneath Fluffy's trapdoor, which seemed significantly more dangerous.
Adrian gestured for Hermione to use the Levitation Charm on the troll's club, then smash it against the creature's head, exactly how Harry and Ron had defeated their troll in the original story. Even if unsuccessful, they'd at least disarm it.
Hermione looked doubtful about this insane plan, but trust won out over caution.
Unfortunately, the troll swung its club faster than Hermione could cast her spell.
The brainless creature, after failing to comprehend the illusion, chose violence as its solution. The massive club, thicker than an adult's torso, whistled through the air with lethal force.
At the critical moment, Adrian activated his final contingency. His grade points plummeted to single digits as an Experience Card engaged, accelerating his thinking speed a hundredfold.
The club's trajectory and the troll's possible follow-up moves flashed through his enhanced mind. He grabbed Hermione and rolled them both across the floor in an undignified but effective dodge.
Behind them, stone exploded as the club pulverized the corner where they'd been standing, filling the air with dust and debris.
The impact broke Adrian's Mortificus Curse. Even the dim-witted troll now understood it had been tricked. It raised its club for another strike, but after two steps, the creature staggered drunkenly into the wall as the sleeping draught finally began taking effect.
Adrian scrambled to his feet, pulling Hermione back more than ten meters from the temporarily incapacitated troll. But the creature's resistance to the potion was impressive, it shook its head clear within moments.
Though confused about why it had felt dizzy, the troll had no doubt about its targets. Two small humans stood before it, and that was enemy enough. It charged forward with renewed fury.
Ten meters wasn't far for a creature that size, mere seconds to cross. But for Adrian's purposes, it would have to be enough.