Chapter 29: Giant monsters appear, I didn't expect you to have this habit
Night fell, and all the students gradually arrived at the Great Hall for the Halloween Eve feast.
Tonight, the school had specially transformed the ceiling to feature Halloween, allowing everyone to look up and see low-hanging dark clouds slowly drifting in a deep purple glow, with silver lightning occasionally flashing across the sky.
The candles originally hanging in the Great Hall were also encased in pumpkins, their flames constantly flickering, adding a festive touch to the Great Hall.
Of course, this wasn't the main point; the main point was that tonight's dinner was as lavish as the one at the start of the Class.
Everyone was savoring the delicious food, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
At this moment, Aaron noticed that Hermione was not at the Gryffindor long table and couldn't help but frown.
"Aaron, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Draco asked.
"Nothing!" Aaron responded, then walked over to Harry and whispered, "Why isn't Hermione here?"
"I don't know, she didn't come to Class this afternoon!"
"I know!" Neville, sitting nearby, raised his hand and said, "Barty said she's in the toilet and won't come out. He said Hermione has been hiding in there crying all afternoon."
Aaron was stunned and looked disapprovingly at Ron, who was happily gorging himself. "Is it that hard for you to apologize? Even if you don't apologize, can't you at least comfort her?"
Ron shrugged helplessly, indicating that he also hadn't expected Hermione to be so fragile.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Professor Quirrell ran in, shouting in a panic as he ran, "Troll, in the basement. There's a Troll in the basement."
His two sentences caught everyone's attention. Students and teachers alike stared at him, not reacting.
"Understood?" Professor Quirrell's voice dropped, and then he slumped, fainting.
The students looked at the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts Class lying on the ground, and their hearts were instantly filled with panic, causing them to cry out involuntarily, even the upper Class students were no exception.
That was a Troll, a magical creature that even Advanced Magicians might not be able to handle.
Having such a Troll roaming uncontrolled in the school meant their lives could be threatened at any moment. It was false to say they weren't scared.
"Silence!" Dumbledore stood up from the main seat, and the students who were about to run out stopped in their tracks.
It must be said that the most powerful White Magician of this century still commanded great authority; two words were enough to calm everyone down.
"Please don't panic, everyone. Don't panic.
Now, Prefects, lead the students of your respective Houses back to your dormitories.
Teachers, come with me to the basement."
As soon as he finished speaking, order was instantly restored, and the Prefects of each House stood up, organizing students to line up and leave in an orderly fashion.
The teachers' expressions turned serious as they followed Dumbledore towards the basement.
Snape, however, rolled his eyes and quickly headed for a side door when no one was looking.
But as he was about to reach it, a white figure blocked his way.
"Get out of the way!" Snape glared at Abey and walked quickly forward.
"Professor Snape, where are you going?"
Snape turned to see Aaron, a hint of urgency mixed with his helplessness. "This has nothing to do with you. Go back to your dormitory; that's where you should be right now."
"No... at this moment, it should have something to do with me," Aaron said seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Snape's face darkened. "I'm warning you for the last time, don't block the way."
"I'm not blocking the way." Aaron unhurriedly picked up Abey and said in a deep voice, "Do you remember what you promised me? To help me unconditionally once before the end of this semester."
Snape paused, then after a moment of hesitation, said, "Does it have to be now? I really have an urgent matter."
Aaron nodded affirmatively, then said, "I don't know how important your matter is, but Principal Dumbledore isn't worried, so why should you care? But my matter is truly urgent."
These words seemed to awaken Snape, and some of the anxiousness on his face faded.
That's right! That item is incredibly important, and Dumbledore knows its value better than anyone.
If something really happened, that old man would definitely be more anxious than him, but his current calmness clearly showed he had enough confidence to ensure that nothing would go wrong with that item, at least not right now.
"Alright, Mr. Gaius.
What do you want me to help you with?"
Aaron let out a sigh of relief and chuckled awkwardly, "I wonder, Professor, if you'd be interested in taking a trip to the girls' toilet with me?"
"Hm?" A peculiar smile appeared on Snape's perpetually icy face, his mouth twitching. "I might have misheard. What was the place you just mentioned? The girls' toilet?
I really didn't expect you to have such a strange Hobbies... Is it really appropriate for me to know this? Or rather, is it appropriate for you to waste this opportunity?
You should know how important a Potion Master's favor is. Honestly, as long as the materials are sufficient, I could even help you brew a bottle of Felix Felicis.
And your family should not lack these materials."
Upon hearing this, Aaron became even more embarrassed. "Don't misunderstand, our family isn't without Felix Felicis. No, I'm not a pervert.
It's like this: Hermione Granger doesn't know about the Troll running loose. She should be in the toilet right now.
Sometimes, it's better to be safe than sorry.
With my current ability, I don't have enough confidence to defeat a Troll, but you definitely can.
So, I can only ask for your help."
Snape looked deeply at Aaron, not knowing what he was thinking, and finally let out a long sigh. "Let's go!"
Aaron nodded and then led the way.
Meanwhile, Harry, who was following Prefect Percy to the dormitory, suddenly remembered Hermione's situation. He quickly convinced his good friend Ron, and they blended into the crowd, successfully avoiding Percy's gaze.
Then, the two quickened their pace and rushed towards a side corridor, intending to find and inform Hermione about the Troll.
And so, two groups of people, with the same goal, headed towards the girls' toilet one after another.
Aaron and Snape were closer and arrived first, and were very lucky to discover a behemoth standing three or four meters tall.
The Troll looked foolish and silly, with bubbles coming from its nose. Its grayish-green body was covered in two tattered pieces of clothing that were exceptionally offensive to the eyes.
It clutched a thick wooden club in its hand and was slowly dragging it forward, approaching.
An indescribable stench emanated from its body; even from over ten meters away, both of them could smell it.
If one had to describe it, it was the smell of decades-old dirty socks, decades-old sour clothes, and decades-old swill all mixed together.
In short, it was unusually nauseating; even Abey buried his nose under his clothes.
With his abnormally keen sense of smell, he felt greatly harmed.
"Ugh~ It can't be such a coincidence, can it!" Aaron said with a wry smile. Why did this Troll have to go to the girls' toilet of all places?
"It proves that it is such a coincidence," Snape said with a grim face. He was now somewhat relieved that he had followed Aaron; otherwise, Hogwarts might have had a murder case on its hands.
"Professor, it's finally your time to shine.
Go on! Snape Severus, let me witness the strength of the Slytherin Dean."
Snape:... "When you say it like that, I always feel strange."
"What time is it now? Don't worry about that.
In short, Professor, if you delay a few more seconds, the Troll will enter the girls' toilet.
If we want to save someone then, we'll have to change the battlefield.
Of course, if nothing unexpected happens, I definitely won't enter the girls' toilet to hinder your heroic battle."
Snape snorted, then glared at Aaron, drew his wand, "Stupefy!"
A pale white light shot from the tip of his wand, striking the Troll's head.
One spell made the already unintelligent Troll see stars, but after stumbling around a few times, it didn't fall to the ground. Its steps just became unsteady, and it walked with a wobble.
This blow also attracted the Troll's attention, and in a rage, it turned and walked towards Snape and Aaron.
"Professor!" Aaron drew his black wand, saying with some disappointment, "I can do that level of magic.
Can you really do it or not? If not, I'll distract it first, and you can seize the opportunity to rescue her."
"Shut up," Snape said in a low voice. "Although this fellow has some magic resistance, it's only at the level of an Advanced Magician.
Plus, it has almost no intelligence; you could deal with it if you're careful, let alone me!
However, it is school property, so unless absolutely necessary, it's better to capture it alive."
At this moment, the Troll also reached them and, without a word, swung the wooden club in its hand down towards them.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Snape and Aaron simultaneously waved their wands, and two beams of light, one white and one blue, repelled the Troll.
"Stupefy!"
Just as it was about to get up, two more spells hit its small head.
This time, the Troll's magic resistance finally gave out. Its eyeballs rolled twice, and it fell straight to the ground.