Harry and Ron followed Percy towards the Gryffindor Tower, the corridors filled with panicked students.
"A Troll, there really is a Troll!"
"Oh my god, is this school even safe anymore?"
"Hurry up, don't fall behind!"
The students' discussions rose and fell, but Harry grew more and more uneasy as he walked.
Suddenly, he grabbed Ron's sleeve.
"Wait!"
Ron stumbled, pulled by the arm: "What is it, Harry?"
"Hermione!" Harry's face was pale.
"Hermione is still in the bathroom!"
Ron froze for a moment, then remembered what had happened that afternoon.
He had said everyone couldn't stand Hermione, saying she was a nightmare.
Hermione had cried and run off then, not even attending the feast.
"Her roommate said she was in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," Harry stomped his foot in urgency.
"There's a Troll now, and she has no idea!"
Ron gritted his teeth. Although he was scared to death, he still nodded.
"Come on, let's go find her!"
The two snuck out of the group amidst the chaos and ran towards the first floor...
On the other side, Charlie, full and satisfied, patted his stomach.
"It's about time to head back to the dormitory."
As for Snape's warning? Unfamiliar, truly unfamiliar.
["Your Majesty ignores the rules, tyrant points + 1"]
Charlie hummed a little tune as he walked out. As soon as he reached the first-floor corridor, a foul stench assailed him.
"Holy crap!" He covered his nose.
"Did the Weasley Brothers blow up the bathroom?"
It wasn't surprising that Charlie thought this way; whenever something unreasonable happened at Hogwarts, even if the Weasley Brothers didn't do it, they usually knew what was going on.
The smell was even more pungent than Quirrell's garlic breath. Charlie quickly cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself.
A thin membrane instantly covered his head, blocking out the foul odor.
"Phew, that's much better."
Just then, a scream came from the girls' bathroom.
"Ah ah ah ah!"
This was followed by heavy footsteps and roars, sounding like a beast bellowing.
Charlie's heart skipped a beat; something had happened.
He quickly rushed to the bathroom, pushed open the door, and was startled.
A Troll, nearly three meters tall, was swinging a thick wooden club, attacking wildly.
Its body was grey-green, its muscles as solid as rock, but its head was small, and its eyes were dull.
And Hermione was curled up in a corner, her face pale, tears streaming down as she desperately tried to dodge.
"A Troll!"
After a few months in the magical world, Charlie was no longer a magic novice; he could recognize creatures like Trolls.
Charlie rushed in without thinking.
When they encountered Cerberus before, Hermione, Harry, and the others had come back to save him.
Now, he certainly couldn't just watch Hermione be smashed into a pulp by the Troll.
The Troll raised its club, about to strike Hermione. Charlie, quick as lightning, waved his wand.
The thick wooden club instantly turned into a fluffy ball of cotton, floating softly past Hermione's face.
The Troll froze, looking at the cotton in confusion. Its pathetic intelligence couldn't comprehend what had happened.
"Hermione, come here!" Charlie shouted.
Hermione saw Charlie, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, and she quickly ran towards him.
The Troll then noticed Charlie, who had intruded. It immediately dropped the cotton in its hand and roared as it charged.
Each step made the ground shake, and the tiles in the bathroom were crushed under its feet.
Charlie remained calm, waving his wand again.
Blazing fire spewed from the tip of his wand, instantly engulfing the Troll's entire body.
Orange-red flames rolled through the bathroom, illuminating every corner.
During this time, Charlie had been frantically drawing cards, and Incendio and Stupefy had long since leveled up to three, unlocking silent casting.
However, the Troll's magical resistance was extremely high; the flames only obscured its vision and did not cause substantial damage.
It spun in place, roaring in anger, waving its arms to try and extinguish the flames on its body.
Charlie's eyes narrowed.
If magical damage didn't work, then physical damage it was.
He pointed his wand at the toilets in the bathroom.
Six toilets instantly transformed into thick iron chains, clanking as they wrapped around the Troll's feet.
The Troll, spinning in place, immediately lost its balance and fell to the ground.
Boom!
The bathroom tiles were shattered by the Troll's impact.
The Troll struggled on the ground, the chains groaning under its immense strength, even beginning to deform.
Charlie's expression darkened; this fellow was too strong.
"Stupefy!"
A red light shot from the tip of his wand, accurately hitting the Troll's head.
The Troll shook its head, its eyes even more confused, but it showed no signs of losing consciousness.
"This one's tough-skinned."
Charlie continuously waved his wand, one Stupefy after another hitting the Troll.
Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Harry and Ron rushed in frantically.
"Hermione! You're alright..."
Mid-sentence, the two saw the scene before them and froze.
The Troll was tightly bound by chains, and Charlie was frantically casting Spells.
"By Merlin's big beard!" Ron exclaimed.
"Charlie, you subdued the Troll by yourself?"
Harry's eyes widened too, looking at the scene in disbelief.
Was he still a first-year like himself?
The shock was no less than seeing Snape in a skirt dancing for him.
Charlie ignored the two; he continuously cast Spells, preventing the Troll from getting up.
"Don't just stand there, help!"
Hermione shouted from the side.
Harry and Ron immediately raised their wands, but these two poor students clearly didn't know any offensive Spells.
They stood frozen, wands raised.
Hermione's performance was much better.
"Stupefy!"
A red light shot towards the Troll, but its power was clearly much weaker than Charlie's, having almost no effect.
Finally, under Charlie's last Stupefy, the Troll completely lost consciousness, its huge body collapsing to the ground.
Charlie let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close, almost let the Troll touch my clothes."
Just then, a discordant voice was heard.
"Heh heh."
"It seems Mr. White is as arrogant as his savior friend."
"Always thinking he can save the world."
Charlie turned his head to look.
Several Professors stood at the doorway, their expressions varied.
Leading them were Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, followed by Professor Flitwick and Snape.
Dumbledore was observing the Troll on the ground.
Professor McGonagall had a stern, angry expression, while Snape looked at Charlie and the others with mockery.
Those words had just been spoken by Snape.
"Don't be so serious, Severus, Mr. White defeated a Troll with his superb Spellcasting."
Professor Flitwick had seen Charlie fighting the Troll as soon as he entered, and he was even using silent Spells.
As Charlie's Charms Class teacher, he naturally felt proud.
"Perfect silent casting! Mr. White, Hufflepuff gains..."
Before he could finish, Professor McGonagall glared at him fiercely.
Professor Flitwick immediately swallowed his words.
That was close, he almost added fuel to Professor McGonagall's fire.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, looking sternly at the four students.
"You four, can you explain why you are here?"
Her voice was calm, but anyone could hear the anger in it.
"The Professors clearly ordered all students to return to their dormitories, why did you not obey?"
"What if you had been hit by the Troll and injured?"
Charlie shrugged.
"Professor, I just finished Professor Snape's detention, so I didn't go to the Great Hall and didn't know what was happening."
Professor McGonagall looked back at Snape.
Snape pretended not to see her, turning his gaze to Harry.
"And what about our Mr. Savior?"
Snape's tone was full of malice:
"Why are you here?"
Harry stammered, unsure how to explain.
Just as Harry was at a loss, Hermione suddenly spoke up.
"It's my fault, Professor."
Her voice was a little shaky, but clear.
"I wasn't feeling well and stayed in the bathroom."
"Ron and Harry were worried about my safety and came to rescue me."