After the incident with Ron, Thomas tried to focus on his classes for the rest of the day. The Ravenclaws had Transfiguration, where they learned how to turn a matchstick into a needle, and potions where they learned how to brew the Forgetfulness Potion. The first class went well, with Thomas not bothering at all to act as if this was the first time he tried to turn a matchstick into a needle, earning his house five points. Then came the potion class that they were sharing with Hufflepuffs, the class that Thomas was excited about, to his good friend James, horror. Meanwhile, Adam and Michael could only smile at their friends' completely different reactions to their next class.
Thomas and his roommates entered the Potions classroom and found a cauldron already set up at each desk. Once Snape, was sure that all of the students were at their tables, he began the lesson by explaining the ingredients and the steps required to create the Forgetfulness Potion. Thomas paid close attention to every detail Snape was giving, determined to brew a perfect potion. He carefully measured the ingredients, following the instructions to the letter. Meanwhile, James was struggling with the potion and kept muttering under his breath, while Adam and Michael were working together, trying to perfect their potion as well.
As each of the students worked on their potions, the scent of the ingredients filled the air. The potion had to be brewed with precision, and Thomas made sure to follow every step closely. He had always been good at following instructions courtesy of being threatened by Mars many times in the past two years, and this class was no exception. While it was true that Snape was a strict teacher, Thomas found himself appreciating his attention to detail. Every mistake, no matter how small, was immediately pointed out and corrected. This made the class challenging, but Thomas enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came with successfully brewing a potion.
While Snape was walking around the classroom to inspect each of the students' work, Thomas managed to finish his potion. Noticing that one of his students stopped, Snape made his way toward Thomas' desk, peered into the cauldron, and sniffed the potion, before a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Mr. Grayson, I must say, I am impressed," Snape said, his voice laced with a hint of surprise.
Thomas felt his chest swell with pride. After all, it wasn't often that someone received praise from Snape, who was notoriously difficult to impress. He could see the jealousy in the eyes of some of his classmates who had received detention earlier, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction that for once he managed to impress the man that was teaching one of his favorite classes.
"You've certainly followed the instructions with great care, and your potion is a fine example of precision. You show promise in the world of potions, Mr. Grayson," Snape said, his tone surprisingly gentle. "But don't let overconfidence cloud your judgment, a single mistake can ruin even the most carefully prepared potion," Snape warned, his expression returning to his usual stoicism.
Thomas felt like he was on top of the world, though he did notice how his friends rolled their eyes when they saw him being praised. They all knew that Thomas was a bit of a perfectionist with a love for potions, but they couldn't help feeling a little annoyed seeing that smug on his face, especially James who was one of the students that got detention for being dumb enough to fail making such a simple potion.
As Snape continued to inspect the other students' potions, Thomas couldn't help but notice that most of the Hufflepuffs were struggling, while the Ravenclaws were doing much better. He knew that his house had a reputation for being the most studious, but he was still surprised by how well they were doing compared to the other houses.
When the class finally ended, Snape reminded the students to clean up their stations and leave the classroom in an orderly fashion like proper humans and not like some blind idiots. Like always, Thomas carefully put away his ingredients and cauldron, before joining his friends who were already waiting for him.
Once they left the dungeon classroom, the boys made their way to the Great Hall for the evening feast. As they entered the hall, they were greeted by the sight of dozens of pumpkins, candles, and ghostly decorations making them excited for their first Halloween feast. The tables were piled high with delicious-looking food, and the boys eagerly sat down to enjoy the feast and all of the delicious food that was begging to be eaten.
"So, Thomas, I see you've impressed Snape with your potion-making skills. What's next? You gonna be the next greatest wizard of all time?" James joked, poking fun at his friend.
Thomas just smiled and shook his head, trying not to let the teasing get to him. He knew James was just joking around, but he didn't want to seem too full of himself.
Adam and Michael were more focused on the feast, eagerly loading up their plates with food and joking around with each other between bites.
"You know, James, maybe we should start calling Thomas 'the potion prince'," Michael chimed in, grinning.
Adam snorted with laughter, nearly choking on his food. "Yeah, and you can be the king of failed potions," he said, still chuckling.
James just rolled his eyes, still teasing Thomas. "Just be careful not to let all this success go to your head, Thomas. You don't want to make a mistake and end up like poor old Neville Longbottom, do you?" he said, trying to hold back a grin.
Thomas just shrugged, taking a bite of food to avoid responding. He didn't want to let James get the best of him, but he also didn't want to seem too overconfident. He was just happy to have succeeded in the class and enjoy the Halloween feast with his friends. As he took a bite of his roasted chicken, he noticed Harry sitting across the Great Hall, looking worried. While his friend was stuffing his face with all kinds of food, similar to how his friends were doing. However when he glanced over the Gryffindor table, he notice that someone was missing and without a second thought, Thomas got up from the Ravenclaw table and made his way over to Harry, but not before telling his friends that he was going over to the Gryffindors.
Thomas turned to his friends and said, "Hey guys, I think I'll go over and talk to Harry for a bit. He seems a bit troubled, and I want to see if everything is alright. Besides, I don't see Hermione anywhere."
James, Adam, and Michael looked up from their plates and exchanged a glance. James grinned mischievously and said, "Ooh, Thomas is going to check up on his friend. Maybe they'll have a heart-to-heart and become even closer."
Adam rolled his eyes and retorted, "Oh, shut up, James. Don't make me start telling everyone about that Hufflepuff girl you are talking to between our classes."
Michael chimed in, "Yeah, I'm sure Hermione would appreciate it if we checked up on her too. She's been through a lot lately. "
"Fine, fine, sorry Tommy boy, thought on a serious note, if something did happen signal us, especially if related to what happened earlier today." James apologize before smiling evilly at a certain red-haired boy who was eating like there was no tomorrow.
Thomas smile at his friends, "Thanks, guys. I'll see you in a bit," before making his way over to the Gryffindor table to talk to Harry.
"Hey, Harry, is everything okay?" he asked.
Harry looked up at Thomas surprised to see him, before he look down and let out a sigh. "No, not really," he said. "Ron tried to apologize to Hermione after our shared class, but he somehow ended up insulting her again. The last time I saw her she was crying. She even missed our last class and Hermione has never missed one."
Thomas felt a twinge of anger toward Ron, but he knew that it wouldn't do any good to bother making the younger Wesley face the consequences, especially with all of the teachers in the great hall watching over the students.
"I'm sorry for you. By the way, do you have any idea where Hermione could be?"
Harry gave Thomas a small smile before he shook his head. "Thanks, Thomas. Ron can be an idiot sometimes. As for where Hermione could be…I don't know, maybe the girl's restroom? "
Thomas nodded in agreement. "That makes sense," he said. "After we get Hermione to calm down, maybe you could talk to her and let her know that you're there for her from now onwards. I'm sure that would mean a lot to her, especially since other than me and my group she doesn't have any other friends, especially in her house."
Harry looked thoughtful. "Yeah, you're right. I'll go do that," he said.
Just as Thomas was about to get back to his table, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance to the Great Hall. Everyone turned to look as Professor Quirrell burst in, looking pale and frightened.
"Troll!" he shouted. "In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know."
The Great Hall erupted in chaos as students began to panic and scream. James, Adam, and Michael looked at each other, unsure of what to do. When they were about to follow the Ravenclaw prefect, they saw Thomas running towards them, pushing his way through the crowd of students.
"Guys! We have to find Hermione," Thomas said urgently. "Harry told me that she was crying and that she missed a class. We think that she's hiding inside of the girls' bathroom which is right by the dungeons. She could be in danger."
James, Adam, and Michael hesitated for a moment, but they knew Thomas was right. Besides, she was their friend.
As they rushed out of the Great Hall, Thomas could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't imagine what kind of danger Hermione might be in, but he knew they had to find her quickly before the troll does.
Ducking down, the four of them joined the Hufflepuffs going towards their house before, they slipped down a deserted side corridor and hurried off towards the girls' toilets. The boys had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. All of them froze before Thomas found the courage to glance back only to see Harry and Ron making their way towards the girl's bathroom.
When the Gryffindor duo reached them, Ron was about to ask them what they were doing when James and Michael dragged the duo away just as someone else walk by.
"That's Percy!" whispered Ron, trying to peak around the corner.
Since he was the closes one to the corner, Adam peer around it, however, he didn't see Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared almost as fast as he appeared.
"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"
Thomas shook his head. "I don't know, I don't care, but we don't have time to worry about Snape right now. We have to find Hermione."
Without wasting any more time, the group hurried toward the girls' bathroom. As they approached, they could hear a low growling sound coming from inside.
"Oh no," James whispered. "The bloody troll is already here."
Thomas didn't hesitate. He pushed open the door and rushed inside, the others close behind him. What they saw made their hearts skip a beat. The troll was towering over Hermione, who was lying motionless on the ground.
For a moment, they all froze. The troll was massive and looked very dangerous. But then Thomas remembered something his mother had once told him: when in danger, focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
Quickly, Thomas pulled out the magical dagger that Latia had given him and tried to think of a distraction. He knew that as a first-year student, he didn't have all that many spells he could use, but he remembered the ones he had learned before coming to Hogwarts. With a quick flick of his wand, he cast a stunning spell at the troll, which hit it in the shoulder.
For a second the troll froze looking confused at his shoulder before he roared in anger and turned to face Thomas, giving the others a chance to grab Hermione and run towards the door. Thomas knew he had to keep the troll's attention on him if they were going to get away safely. He cast a quick Shield Charm to protect himself from the troll's club and ran around the room, dodging its attacks as best he could, while occasionally firing some small fireballs, a derivation of another curse, which was weakened by Thomas and Latia who manage to create a curse that even a first year could use, towards the troll.
Meanwhile, James, Adam, and Michael had joined Harry and Ron in carrying Hermione out of the bathroom. They had just reached the door when they heard a loud crash as the troll smashed through one of the stalls. They knew they had to help Thomas and keep the troll distracted long enough for him to come up with a plan until the teachers get here.
James, who was more interested in pranks than Defense Against the Dark Arts, suddenly remembered the levitation spell they had learned in their Charm class. He quickly pointed his wand at a nearby stall door and cast the spell, sending the door flying toward the troll in an attempt to distract it and give Thomas a chance to escape.
As James sent the door flying towards the troll, Adam and Michael quickly followed suit with their own spells. Adam, who had always been fascinated by the Lumos charm, cast a blinding light toward the troll's face while Michael cast a second Lumos spell from a different direction, causing the troll to stagger backward and roar in frustration. At the same time, Harry tried to levitate some of the broken wood towards the troll's face, hoping to distract it, while Ron threw some of the broken things right at the troll.
The distraction gave Thomas enough time to regroup and come up with a plan. He remembered the magical dagger that Latia had given him and decided to use it to distract the troll even further. As the troll was still disoriented from the light spells, Thomas charged forward with the dagger in hand, dodging the troll's swinging arms and darting around its legs.
The troll turned to face him, but he was too quick. Using the troll's own stupid and his lack of vision against him, Thomas thrust the dagger into the troll's face, causing it to roar in anger and swing its arms wildly. Meanwhile, James, Adam, and Michael were firing spells at the troll from a safe distance, trying to keep it distracted and confused.
With the troll now completely focused on Thomas, James had an idea. He quickly grabbed a nearby toilet that was destroyed and, with a flick of his wand, transfigured it into a large rock. He levitated the rock over the troll's head and dropped it, causing the troll to stumble and fall to the ground with a loud crash.
After James successfully knocked the troll out, the boys gathered around it, panting and sweating.
"Good job, James! That was some quick thinking," Thomas said, patting James on the back.
"Yeah, I didn't know you had it in you," Michael added, grinning.
James shrugged modestly. "I've always been interested in Charm, you guys didn't believe me when I told you that I'm a genius, besides that spell, came in handy."
Adam walked over to the troll and poked it with his foot. "Is it dead?"
"No, just knocked out," Harry said, looking relieved.
"What do we do now?" Ron asked, looking around at the mess they had made in the bathroom.
"We need to get Hermione to the hospital wing," Thomas said firmly. "She could be hurt."
The boys all nodded in agreement and set to work on finding a way to transport Hermione without drawing attention to themselves. As they lifted her up and started to make their way out of the bathroom, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
The boys froze, staring at the door in horror. The footsteps grew louder and louder until the door burst open and in walked Professor McGonagall, followed by Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell.
"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" McGonagall demanded, her eyes sweeping over the scene in front of her.
The boys stood there, Hermione slung over their shoulders, and the troll bleeding on the floor. For a moment, nobody said anything.
"We were just trying to help," Thomas finally spoke up. "Hermione was in here crying and we thought she might be in danger, so we came to check on her. That's when we saw the troll and we had to defend ourselves."
Snape sneered at them. "Defend yourselves? Against a troll? Don't be ridiculous. You could have been killed."
"But we weren't," James retorted, a hint of defiance in his voice.
McGonagall looked at them sternly. "Regardless of your intentions, you should not have put yourselves in such danger. And now, you will all have to face the consequences of your actions."
The boys braced themselves for punishment, but to their surprise, McGonagall's expression softened.
"However," she continued, "I cannot deny that your actions did save Miss Granger's life. You showed bravery and quick thinking in the face of danger, and for that, I commend you."
The boys all breathed a sigh of relief as McGonagall turned to Quirrell. "Professor, please escort the boys and Miss Granger to the hospital wing. We'll sort out the details of what happened here later."
As they made their way out of the bathroom, Hermione stirred and groaned. "What happened?" she asked weakly.
"We'll explain everything later," Thomas reassured her. "For now, let's just focus on getting you some help."
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