The Hogwarts dinner party was as lively as ever, with laughter and the clinking of cutlery mingling together, and the air filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the sweet scent of butterbeer.
Harry was vividly describing today's Quidditch practice, his tone filled with excitement and pride.
Ron munched on a chicken leg while cracking jokes, making everyone laugh. He was such an optimist.
As Moen watched their lively scene, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss. Beneath the calm surface, there often lies an undercurrent.
Just then, the banquet hall doors were violently pushed open with a loud "bang," like a bomb, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Professor Quirrell stumbled in, as if he had encountered something terrible.
His face was ashen, his forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and his lips trembled slightly with fear.
"Troll...troll! The underground classroom! There's a troll!" Professor Quirrell's voice trembled, as if he had used up all his strength. After saying this, his body went limp and he fell to the ground, his consciousness gradually fading away.
The entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone froze on the spot, their smiles instantly freezing.
"It really came!" Moen muttered to himself, a strange feeling instantly washing over him.
His gaze swept quickly across the room, only to find that Hermione was not at the Gryffindor table.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions stable and not let anxiety take over.
"Harry, where's Hermione?" Moen asked Harry in a low voice, his tone calm but tinged with anxiety.
Harry scratched his head, looked around, and didn't see Hermione. He said uncertainly, "Shouldn't she be in her dorm studying? She's been like that lately, always going back to study very early."
His voice carried a hint of doubt. He felt that Hermione had probably gone to the library or returned to her dorm, since she had always been a model student who loved to study.
Ron stammered, "Well...we had a little argument, about Quidditch and studying..." His eyes darted around, as if he felt guilty.
Moen immediately realized that things were far more complicated than they seemed.
"And then, Hermione got angry and ran away?" Moen's eyes turned cold, and his tone became more serious. His lips tightened slightly, forming a cold, hard line. He began to feel a pang of guilt. Why had he stood by and watched things veer towards the original plot?
Ron said somewhat awkwardly, "Maybe...yes." His eyes darted around, and his tone was hesitant, like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded by his parents.
He could sense that the atmosphere around Moen had changed, and it seemed to have become dangerous.
Moen didn't ask any more questions; he knew that finding Hermione was the most important thing right now.
"Now, prefects of all houses, please lead your students back to their respective dormitories immediately," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet in a steady, powerful voice.
His voice was soothing and calming, and his every move exuded confidence in his control.
However, a hint of worry still lingered between his brows, as if he were concerned about something.
Before Dumbledore's voice could even finish, Moen had already rushed out of the banquet hall. His movements were as fast as lightning, like a black flash, and he disappeared from the banquet hall in an instant.
He had to be fast, he absolutely had to be fast; he could vaguely sense an ominous aura.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and immediately realized that something was wrong.
Without a second thought, they followed Moen out of the banquet hall.
Although they didn't quite understand what had happened, they instinctively felt that Hermione was likely in some kind of danger.
They also felt uneasy, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Moen ran quickly through the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts, the air thick with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The cold stone floor made him clearly feel the tremors coming from underground—the heavy, chaotic footsteps of trolls.
He pushed his speed to the limit, his figure flashing through the corridor like a streak of lightning.
His eyes darted around, scanning his surroundings, trying to find Hermione as quickly as possible.
He remembered that Hermione had originally hidden in the women's restroom.
When Moen arrived at the bathroom door, he indeed heard suppressed sobs and intermittent whimpers coming from inside. These were the sounds he had become most familiar with in the past few days; the small, weak crying was none other than Hermione's.
He immediately pushed open the bathroom door.
What came into view was Hermione's heartbreaking figure. She was huddled alone in a corner, tears soaking her clothes, and her swollen eyes revealing the grievances in her heart.
She hugged her knees tightly with both hands, her head buried between them, looking exceptionally small and helpless. Moen's heart was filled with heartache and deep self-blame.
"Hermione." Moen had just called out to Hermione when he heard her say in a tearful voice, "Don't come any closer! I don't want to talk to you right now, you don't understand me." Hermione's sobs were full of grievance and sadness, she was clearly still angry, but in her heart, she was filled with loneliness and helplessness. Moen felt a pang of guilt; he hadn't shown enough concern.
Before he could respond, a deafening sound rang out from outside the bathroom, and the ground seemed to tremble. He was now certain that the troll had arrived!
"Damn it!" Moen cursed, immediately pointing his wand at Hermione.
A glint of light flashed at the tip of his wand, and he knew he had to act immediately.
"Invisible and formless, coming and going without a trace," he murmured.
As the spell was uttered, Hermione's figure quickly became transparent, as if merging with the air, and finally disappeared completely.
Out of the corner of his eye, Moen noticed that Hermione seemed a little dazed, but she obediently stood up and prepared to leave, clearly aware of the tense situation.
"I'll send you away. Now, stay hidden!" Moen also used an invisibility spell to conceal himself so that the troll wouldn't notice him later. "I'll lure the troll away. Remember, don't come back here." He said quickly, his tone serious and firm.
"Okay…" Hermione's voice sounded very suppressed.
Just as Hermione turned to walk toward the back door, the troll violently smashed open the bathroom door, shattering it into pieces that scattered everywhere, kicking up dust and water with a loud bang.
Moen quickly jumped to the side, using his good balance to avoid the impact. He knew that every second counted and he had to be fast.
Outside the door, the giant was shaking its enormous body and roaring angrily.
Its eyes were lifeless, and it let out an angry growl.
It held up its enormous wooden club, wanting to smash everything in front of it to pieces.
When it looked around, it found that the little boy who had been standing there was gone, leaving only a wooden stick floating in mid-air, which puzzled it greatly.
"Roar!" The giant roared, shaking its huge head as it looked around and began searching for its wooden club.
Moen used a levitation spell to control the giant's wooden club, which swayed slowly in front of it.
He emerged from invisibility, knowing he had to distract the troll and completely rescue Hermione before he could do anything else.
"Idiot, is this what you're looking for?" Moen's figure appeared at the bathroom entrance, mocking the troll in a cold tone.
The troll noticed the sudden appearance of Moen and also saw the wooden stick floating in front of him.
It roared and turned to charge at Moen, swinging its huge fists as if to tear the little guy in front of it to shreds. The force it exerted seemed to affect even the air, creating a whooshing sound.
Moen clearly sensed Hermione's presence leaving, and after confirming her safety, a smile appeared on his face. Now, it was time to begin the "performance"!