Chapter 60: Killing the Troll
"Hagrid!" When Ethan arrived, Hagrid was loading pumpkins half as tall as a person onto a cart, preparing to haul them up to the castle.
"Oh, you're here. Look at these pumpkins, they turned out so well!" Hagrid was in high spirits, slicing through the pumpkin vines and hoisting the gourds onto the cart with both hands.
"I'll help you." He cast the Wingardium Leviosa charm, levitating the pumpkins off the ground and into the cart.
"That Levitation Charm's really something." Hagrid gave him a thumbs-up as he worked.
No longer needing to haul them by hand, Hagrid could focus on cutting the pumpkin vines.
Soon the cart was full, and Hagrid pulled it toward the castle.
Ethan followed behind him, five large pumpkins floating along beside him.
Entering the Great Hall, they were spotted by Professor Flitwick, who was decorating the hall.
The diminutive professor applauded. "Beautiful application of the Levitation Charm! Mr. Jones, five points to Slytherin!"
In the Slytherin hourglass in the entrance hall, emeralds trickled down, bolstering the house's bid for the House Cup.
"Thank you, Professor. I wonder if I might help you decorate the Great Hall?" Ethan seized the opportunity to volunteer.
"Hmm, well, yes." Professor Flitwick considered for a moment and agreed to his request.
Though Ethan lacked the authority to do many things on his own, the professor figured this excellent student could probably manage simple spells like the Levitation Charm.
Under the professor's guidance, Ethan used spells like Wingardium Leviosa and Engorgio to enlarge or shrink decorations, float them into position, and then the professor secured them with his authority.
After the combined efforts of Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall, all the decorations were finally completed before the banquet began.
Ethan learned a great deal about the practical applications of charms and Transfiguration in the process.
Students had already begun filing in.
Seeing the colorful Halloween decorations, the older students took it all in stride and started debating which year's decorations were better than last year's.
The new students seemed very excited. Besides the opening feast, this was their first holiday at Hogwarts. The decorations in the Great Hall were nothing like they'd seen at the start of term.
Bats, dark clouds, and jack-o'-lanterns made it feel nothing like the Halloween they usually celebrated.
The feast was about to start, but Ethan still hadn't seen Hermione. That seemed odd.
"Where's Hermione?" He headed back to the Gryffindor table.
Hermione's roommate Lavender glanced toward Ron's seat.
"Someone called Hermione 'Miss Know-It-All' in Herbology," she said. "After class, she ran off to the bathroom crying. We tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't stop."
"Damn it!" Ethan was furious. He thanked her hastily and sprinted toward the third-floor bathroom.
"Lavender, didn't you tell him she's in the dungeon bathroom?" Parvati whispered.
Lavender looked smug. "I did it on purpose. Think about it. If she finds out he checked every bathroom one by one, imagine how touched she'll be."
"You're right," Parvati whispered. "Think about it. If she finds out he checked every bathroom one by one, imagine how touched she'll be."
"Hermione! Hermione! Come out, please don't cry!"
Silence.
He listened carefully. No sobbing. Nothing.
"Damn it! Not here. Where did that troll come from again? The first floor?"
Ethan couldn't remember exactly. He hurried downstairs.
He'd just reached the second floor when he heard crying. His face lit up.
Hermione! Hermione!" he shouted.
Soon, a crying ghost floated out.
"Waaah, Hermione's not here! This is Myrtle's bathroom! Nobody cares about Myrtle! Waaah!"
"Sorry, I still have to find someone. I have to go." His heart sank.
"Waaah, you bad person! Bad person!" The crying behind him grew louder.
Ethan burned with anxiety. He sprinted to the first-floor bathroom, took two deep breaths, and listened carefully for any movement inside.
"She's not here. Is she in the dungeons?" He buried his face in his hands, then ran toward the dungeons.
On the other side, as Ethan ran down from the third floor, Quirrell began his performance.
Pretending to be terrified, Quirrell shouted something and collapsed on the floor.
"Troll in the dungeons?! Oh my God!" Lavender and Patil exclaimed. They prayed that Ethan had already found Hermione and that the troll hadn't discovered her.
Harry and Ron heard the cry too. When Dumbledore asked the Prefects to lead them back to the dormitories, Harry suddenly came to his senses and grabbed Ron.
"Ron, this is important. Hermione's in the dungeons too. She doesn't know about the troll yet. We have to find her."
"Didn't her friend already go?" Ron asked, reluctant.
"Ron, you made Hermione cry. That's why she might be facing the troll. Ethan going to find her isn't an excuse for us to stay." Harry looked at him seriously.
Ron felt guilty and nodded. "Okay, let's go quietly. Don't let Percy see us."
After ducking out of sight as Snape hurried past them, a strong stench hit them and they saw a massive figure lumbering toward them.
The troll stood twelve feet tall, its gray body like granite, huge and bloated, but with a tiny head. It dragged a thick wooden club along the ground as it walked.
The two waited until the troll entered a room, then locked it inside. Just as they were celebrating their success, they heard Hermione scream.
Meanwhile, Ethan had just reached the dungeons from the first floor.
"Hermione!" he heard the piercing cry and roared, charging toward the source of the sound.
The troll's sudden appearance made Hermione forget every spell she'd learned. Like any ordinary girl, she curled into a ball, watching helplessly as the creature approached.
Realizing their mistake, Harry and Ron wheeled around and rushed into the bathroom, shouting and banging to draw the troll's attention.
They heard Ethan shout and warned him, "Careful, the troll's in here!"
Ethan was already burning with rage. He strode to the door of the girls' bathroom.
Seeing Harry on the ground, his chest tightened, but when he saw Hermione still unharmed, his anger eased slightly.
"Get out of the way!" he shoved Ron aside.
"Confringo!" Fueled by rage, the spell gained tremendous power.
The orange fireball, already the size of a wagon wheel, swelled to half the height of a person and rushed toward the troll, which had frozen at the sight of him, its eyes wide with terror.
Boom! The troll's body exploded, limbs scattering and reeking of burnt flesh and fur.
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