The troll appeared, but Leonard didn't panic in the slightest.
Even if using plants wasn't convenient at Hogwarts, he could easily deal with such a slow and clumsy creature using magic alone.
Besides, he never planned to fight the thing head-on.
Hearing the unmasked footsteps closing in behind him, Leonard pretended not to notice. He quietly crouched down, moving as though he were trying not to startle the troll.
He liked a certain saying: the best strategy attacks the mind, the second best attacks the plan, and the lowest attacks with force.
He didn't always manage to live up to that, but whenever he could, he liked to try.
Like now—using his own body language to feed Malfoy false information.
He wanted Malfoy to think he was terrified, to make him believe Leonard was no match for the troll. If Malfoy harbored any malicious intent, he'd probably try to maneuver things so Leonard and the troll crossed paths.
His current behavior—slowing down, crouching low, inching forward carefully—was all part of that plan.
It made him look like he was sneaking up to avoid being seen, while at the same time implying something else: that he couldn't use the Disillusionment Charm.
With all that in place, Leonard could already guess what Malfoy would do next—make some noise to draw the troll's attention and get it to attack him.
Of course, there was a small chance Malfoy meant no harm. But if that were true, he wouldn't have been silently tailing him all this time—he would've spoken up long ago.
So Leonard was certain: Malfoy was up to no good. He wanted to use the troll to get rid of him.
Funny enough, Leonard had the same idea.
At the corner of the corridor, he covered his nose and leaned out slightly to check the troll's position.
The creature was lumbering down the hallway, a massive club swinging in its hand, heading straight in his direction.
Leonard quickly assessed his position relative to where Malfoy and the others were hiding, frowning a little.
They were being cautious, staying quite a distance away. Given the troll's speed, even if Leonard used the Disillusionment Charm to dodge at the last second, the troll probably wouldn't notice the group far behind him. With its poor eyesight and limited intelligence, that was very likely.
Which meant Leonard couldn't afford to just wait here for it to come to him.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He could see the troll clearly, but Malfoy and his friends couldn't—they were too far away to make out anything, only able to cause faint noises from behind him.
At this moment, all Leonard had to do was...
He suddenly stood up and moved along the wall, turning sharply.
The motion caught both the troll's and Malfoy's attention at once.
The troll lowered its head, trying to see what had suddenly darted out—but Leonard had already cast the Disillusionment Charm as he turned the corner. The troll saw nothing.
However, now its attention had been drawn, and it started lumbering toward the bend in the corridor.
Behind it, Malfoy panicked. Thinking the troll was still farther away, he didn't stop to think—he rushed forward, dragging Crabbe and Goyle with him.
This was his chance. His instincts screamed that if he didn't take it now, he'd never get another opportunity to make Leonard pay. He'd never surpass him, let alone get revenge.
Leonard, now moving silently behind the troll, heard hurried footsteps closing in—and then, the sound of Malfoy chanting a spell.
Afraid Leonard might slip past the troll after turning the corner, Malfoy cast the spell without even checking the troll's exact position, hoping to alert it.
He succeeded. Even before the spell was complete, the sound of his chanting had already caught the troll's attention. The noise of their running footsteps helped it pinpoint exactly where the three of them were.
"Stupefy!" Malfoy shouted, casting the most powerful spell he knew in an attempt to draw the troll's attention.
A flash of white light burst from his wand, striking the corridor wall with a dull explosion.
Moments later, the troll roared in fury.
It worked—he'd gotten its attention!
Excitement surged through Malfoy. He quickened his pace, eager to watch Leonard panic and flee under the troll's attack, only to end up smashed like a fly.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle reached the corner of the corridor, a cruel grin twisting Malfoy's face.
He was too caught up in the thrill to notice the thick, nauseating stench of troll filling the air.
But as soon as he turned the corner, his grin froze. There was no sight of the troll chasing Leonard—only the towering Mountain Troll standing right in front of him, its massive club raised high.
"ROAR!"
The troll bellowed and brought the club crashing down without hesitation.
The sound was like a bursting water skin—followed by a splatter of crimson that painted the floor.
Troll, triple kill.
Leonard watched silently, his expression calm and detached.
Then he saw the troll bend down slowly, scooping up a lump of bloody flesh tangled with scraps of a Slytherin uniform.
It dropped its club, rolled the mangled remains into a ball, and shoved it into its mouth, chewing noisily.
The crunch of bones, sharp and sickening, didn't cause the slightest change in Leonard's face.
Covering his nose, he stepped closer to the troll and glanced at the mess on the floor. After confirming that the mangled remains came from three people, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Not bad at all."
The troll turned its head curiously, scanning the corridor. Seeing no one around, it relaxed and sat down, contentedly enjoying its meal.
Leonard looked around once more, making sure there was nothing that could trace back to him, then quietly slipped away.
It was easy to imagine the chaos that would soon sweep through Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy, losing their only son, would surely go mad.
But their son had died to a troll—an accident. Who could they possibly blame?
Probably only Quirinus Quirrell, the man who brought the troll into Hogwarts and failed to keep it restrained.
"Looks like Quirrell's in for a rough time. Might even end up in Azkaban. I wonder what Voldemort will think of that?" Leonard muttered with a crooked, unapologetic smile as he started up the stairs.
Next, he had to deal with Snape. But Snape wasn't like Malfoy—he wouldn't be so easy to handle. Leonard would need to stay hidden, make sure no one could connect him to Malfoy's death.
"Just... a simple bit of payback," Leonard whispered.