Of course, this line of thought was but a fleeting notion in Evan's mind. If he pushed his luck, Snape could indeed dock a hefty sum of house points from Gryffindor.
Evan didn't particularly care about the points for himself, but he wouldn't let his actions cause the whole of Gryffindor to suffer.
So, for the next few days in Potions class, aside from some minor mischief and gathering ingredients needed for brewing a sleeping potion, Evan kept a low profile.
His preparations continued right up until Halloween eve, and glancing at the system panel, Evan was quite satisfied with his accomplishments.
[Evan * Halse
Occupation: Wizard
Spellcasting: Fear Spell Level 2 (265/400), Levitation Spell Level 2 (97/400), Transfiguration Spell Level 2 (382/400), Splitting Spell Level 2 (84/400), Petrification Spell Level 2 (191/400), Shrinking Spell Level 1 (74/200)... (others omitted)
Theoretical Knowledge: Magical Item Crafting Level 0 (435/500), Potion-making Level 3 (1/800), Basic Spell Principles Level 2 (218/400)
Magical Items: Wand (Hornbeam wood, unicorn hair, eleven and three-quarters inches)
Magical Power: Medium
Compatibility: 72.5%
...
Academic Points: 107]
After nearly half a term's effort, aside from the newly learned Shrinking Spell, Evan had upgraded all his known spells to Level 2. Both power and stability had significantly improved from Level 1.
His potion-making knowledge was the first to reach Level 3. The only constant was his magical item crafting skill; Evan had yet to make any headway. He had saved enough academic points for an experience card, just in case.
To welcome the upcoming Halloween, Hogwarts' Great Hall was adorned with pumpkin lanterns, each glowing with a gentle blue light thanks to a spell cast by Dumbledore himself.
Peeves had sneakily hidden in one of the lanterns, jumping out to startle unsuspecting students as they passed, then cackling with glee as he darted into another lantern amid their curses.
But it must be said that Peeves added the necessary touch of terror to Halloween.
At least Harry and Ron were quite taken with the festive atmosphere he provided, instinctively steering clear of the softly glowing pumpkin lanterns.
"Evan, what are you doing making all these thorny spikes?"
In the Great Hall, at the Gryffindor table, Harry watched Evan turn some wood and twigs into half-moon-shaped spikes with curiosity.
These iron thorns were hideous, with sharp, long tips that glinted ominously, sending a shiver down Harry's spine.
"Of course, it's to add some fun to Halloween," Evan said with a smile.
"Fun?" Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both sensing an ominous undertone.
"Just kidding, it's only spell practice," Evan waved dismissively, continuing his explanation.
But his hands didn't stop working. He cast a Shrinking Spell on the newly transfigured spikes, reducing them dramatically in size before tossing them into a bag.
The bag clinked with the sound of metal on metal as Evan stowed it away.
"By the way, where's Hermione?" Evan looked around but didn't spot the know-it-all Miss.
"Um... well..." Ron's face flushed slightly, stammering without producing many words.
Finally, unable to bear it, Harry spilled the beans about Ron badmouthing Hermione earlier, only to be overheard by her.
"I didn't say anything wrong, she is like that!" Ron protested, his face reddening.
Evan frowned, surprised such a thing could happen even with him around. After a moment's thought, he stood, wand in hand, and headed toward the exit of the Great Hall.
"Evan, the feast hasn't started yet, where are you going?" Harry asked.
"To find Hermione, of course..." Evan called back, leaving only his retreating figure for Harry and Ron.
Leaving the bustling Great Hall, Evan took a secret passage to the abandoned girls' lavatory, planning to persuade Hermione to leave and not interfere with his upcoming troll confrontation.
But halfway there, after deep consideration, Evan changed his plan. He wasn't sure how long it would take to convince Hermione to leave, nor did he know exactly when the troll would be set loose. If he and Hermione were cornered by the troll in the lavatory, they wouldn't stand a chance, not even enough time to run!
Instead, he decided it would be better to deal with the troll a bit further from the lavatory.
Thanks to previous scouting, Evan quickly found a suitable corridor and tossed some rock cakes, given to him by Hagrid, into its center.
The rock cakes had been soaked in a potent sleeping potion, enough to knock out several adult wizards.
Why rock cakes? Evan figured since the troll wasn't picky and would eat anything, and since the cakes were easy to carry, it was a good way to utilize waste. Besides, who wanted them sitting around attracting bugs?
Since Hagrid, the half-giant, was fond of them, perhaps the troll would have the same taste.
After thorough preparations, Evan hid in a shadowy nook in the corridor. He had no intention of facing the troll head-on with his wand if he could avoid it...
Life was precious, and sometimes it was smarter to be cautious.
Less than a minute after Evan was ready, a slight vibration rippled across the floor, and a foul stench wafted through the air. His expression turned grave, his nerves taut; the troll had arrived!
The next moment, a towering behemoth, twelve feet tall, lumbered into view from the other end of the corridor.
Evan's eyes first met a foot as large as a shield, the troll's corpulent waist resembling a massive, decaying tree trunk slathered with an ugly layer of green paint. Its tiny head, barely larger than Evan's, seemed almost comical atop such a bulky frame.
Most importantly, the troll clutched a huge club that scraped the floor with a shrill, grinding noise.
Evan swallowed hard, now understanding why Dumbledore had chosen a troll as one of the guardians of the Philosopher's Stone. Its sheer size alone demanded caution from any adult wizard.
For a young wizard still in school, it was nothing short of a nightmare!
Evan was grateful he hadn't chosen to confront the troll directly. One blow from that massive club, and he might have needed more than a wand to save him...
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