When Professor McGonagall rushed into the restroom, what greeted her was a comical scene—a massive, wriggling mummy-like figure.
It was tightly wrapped in layer after layer of white linen, unable to move, only squirming on the ground like an insect.
Next to it, Hermione, still teary-eyed, was attempting, under Alaric's guidance, to transform toilet paper into linen. Then, using levitation and floating charms, she tried to tie a bow on the "mummy."
This scene was bizarre. Even Professor McGonagall, who was knowledgeable and experienced, had to scrutinize for a while before understanding what had happened—two young wizards had actually defeated a fully-grown troll!
Following them, Professors Snape and Quirrell also entered, panting.
The two professors stared at the bound troll, equally astonished and speechless.
"What kind of farce are you playing?" Professor McGonagall said, her voice filled with icy anger. "You're lucky this time that it didn't kill you. Why didn't you stay quietly in your dormitories?"
"That's what I want to ask," Alaric retorted in an equally angry tone.
"Before I arrived, Hermione was almost killed by this troll. If I had been a minute later, I can't even imagine what would have happened. Why was a troll left wandering in the corridors? Where is the priority of students' safety in this school?"
He wasn't pretending but genuinely upset. Part of it was due to self-blame, as he felt he should have protected Hermione better, knowing that this scenario was coming. He almost let a tragedy occur.
Due to the butterfly effect, this time Hermione didn't have the assistance of Harry and Ron. If he had been a minute later, she might have faced a true tragedy—a tragedy caused by the butterfly effect he set in motion.
If it had been someone like Harry or another stranger facing an unexpected event due to the butterfly effect, he would only feel a bit sad for a minute, and that would be the end of it.
After all, it was impossible for time travelers not to cause butterfly effects, and he didn't need to bear responsibility for it.
However, this time, it wasn't a stranger but someone he cared about—Hermione.
He vowed to be extra careful in the future. Additionally, he decided to conduct duel training with Hermione and Cho Chang, and if necessary, even Penelope.
The three girls currently had no idea what kind of arduous training awaited them.
On the other hand, he was also angry at Hogwarts' lack of defense—over the eight years of the Harry Potter series, unexpected events occurred every year at Hogwarts.
As a viewer, he found these surprises interesting; they enriched the story's appeal. However, now that he was a student at Hogwarts with people he cared about, these constant unforeseen events made him feel a looming crisis.
He couldn't wait to increase his own strength so that he could protect others. At the same time, he hoped Hogwarts would take more precautions—though that wasn't likely.
Hearing Alaric's questioning, Professor McGonagall's attitude unexpectedly softened. She apologized to Alaric and then calmly inquired about what had happened.
In response, Alaric remained silent out of stubbornness, while Hermione described everything that had occurred.
Afterward, she began to plead with Professor McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall, everything happened because I went to find the troll. Because I—I thought I could handle it alone. You know, I've read about them in books, and I'm familiar with them. If it weren't for Alaric arriving in time, I might have died."
"Please don't be angry with him for what he just said. Alaric didn't mean to argue with you. He was just too worried about me, and his emotions got the better of him. Can you forgive him?"
"Oh—if that's the case..." Professor McGonagall looked at them and pondered, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl. How could you think you could handle a mountain-like troll alone?"
Hermione lowered her head. She was the least likely person to break school rules. Now, to get Alaric out of trouble, she lied about breaking the rules.
What a good little girl she used to be. Proud, respectful to her teachers, and now, for the first time, she learned to lie, evade, and plead.
"Miss Granger, due to this incident, Ravenclaw will lose five points," Professor McGonagall said, "I'm very disappointed in you. If you haven't been injured, you'd better hurry back to Ravenclaw Tower. The students are enjoying the Halloween feast in their respective common rooms."
Professor McGonagall turned to Alaric.
"Well, you're still lucky. Not many first-year students can engage in a confrontation with a fully-grown troll. You've won ten points for Ravenclaw. I'll inform Professor Dumbledore of this incident."
Alaric led Hermione out of the room, walking towards the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.
As they passed the first corner, in a place where the professors couldn't see, Hermione suddenly threw herself into Alaric's arms, tightly hugging him and unwilling to let go.
The troll's fatal blow had scared her. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't realized it. Now that she had recovered, the perilous scene replayed in her mind repeatedly, making her unable to forget. So, she sought a sense of security in Alaric.
Alaric affectionately kissed her forehead and then half-hugged her, guiding her all the way to the vicinity of the Ravenclaw common room.
When they heard footsteps and voices from others, Hermione finally reacted. Blushing profusely, she left his embrace and hurriedly ran back to the common room.
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