On Halloween, the school was also decorated, and pumpkins were visible everywhere.
From breakfast, pumpkin pastries were served, continuing through lunch, and the scent of pumpkin lingered even in the afternoon.
The festive atmosphere brought joy to every student, and even the professors wore more smiles than usual.
The ghosts, except for Peeves, seemed to have gone off to celebrate their own holiday.
The Great Hall was the most lively, decorated in the most extravagant manner.
On the walls and ceiling, around a thousand bats were swirling in the air, while others flitted up and down. Their wings made the candlelight flicker, and some bats swarmed onto the tables, resembling a vast, dark cloud from a distance.
The preparations in the hall were abundant. In the blink of an eye, golden platters were filled with sumptuous dishes.
As long as no food was wasted, everyone could help themselves.
Many first-year students marveled at the decorations, and upon seeing the food on the tables, they immediately sat down to eat.
When Zhao Lun arrived, not many students were present yet, and he didn't spot any familiar faces. He sat down to sample various dishes.
By the time he had eaten his fill, more and more students had entered, making the hall even more lively.
Zhao Lun spotted Lavender coming in.
"Hey! Ellen, do you know what happened to Hermione? She's been crying in the girls' restroom."
"Really? It might be from what happened this afternoon."
The two briefly exchanged a few words before parting ways.
Since leaving the classroom, Hermione had not been seen, and she was probably hiding to wipe away her tears. As the events unfolded, she would soon encounter a foul-smelling troll.
Zhao Lun, recalling his memory, made his way toward the place Lavender had mentioned.
On the way, he ran into Harry and Ron. They were so distracted by the decorations in the hall that they had forgotten about Hermione.
Many students were heading to the Great Hall, but Zhao Lun was heading in the opposite direction.
He pulled up the map on his holographic device and took a less crowded route, quickly arriving at the girls' restroom.
It was quiet, and no one was inside.
Zhao Lun stepped forward, his keen sense of smell detecting a foul odor. He immediately followed the scent.
Inside, the smell was even stronger, and he heard crying, heavy footsteps, and a low growl emanating from a creature's throat.
Zhao Lun quickened his pace and, within moments, saw a massive, stinking troll about 3.6 meters tall. It was holding a wooden club, attempting to break into a restroom through a window too small for it to fit through.
Bang! Crash! The glass shattered!
"Ah!!"
A scream rang out.
Upon hearing the scream, Zhao Lun's speed increased.
Hermione, terrified, was hiding in a corner, desperately backing away, but there was a wall behind her, and she had nowhere to run. As the troll drew closer, she felt a chill, overwhelmed by despair.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
A warm voice cut through the cold, bringing comfort to her heart. She looked up to see a golden-red light wrap around the wooden club, forcefully hurling it toward the troll.
Bang! The troll let out a muffled roar before crashing to the ground.
Hermione froze, her mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
"Let's go! Why are you still standing there?"
Before she could fully process the situation, the voice's owner pulled her away.
Hermione, recognizing the voice as familiar, followed without resistance, running until they reached a secluded area.
"Ellen?!"
She finally realized that it was Zhao Lun who had been dragging her along.
"Hey, Hermione, are you okay?"
Zhao Lun gave her a once-over. Other than her clothes being slightly disheveled and her face streaked with tears, she seemed fine.
"Thank you, I'm fine."
Hermione expressed her gratitude.
"It's good that you're okay. But don't do anything reckless like that again. If something's wrong, just talk about it. Don't put yourself in danger. By the way, we should head back. It'll be bad if we're discovered."
As they were talking, Zhao Lun suddenly had a thought and rushed back.
"Grumble..."
Hermione, embarrassed, rubbed her growling stomach.
"You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's head back to the hall. There's still plenty of food."
Zhao Lun, unfazed by her embarrassment, led her back.
Seeing that Zhao Lun didn't make fun of her, Hermione felt less self-conscious and followed him without hesitation.
"Did you kill it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask about the troll.
"It's not that simple. It's just unconscious."
"Shh! Someone's coming. Be careful."
Zhao Lun pulled her to a stop, hiding as footsteps approached. From the silhouette, it seemed to be Filch. They both let out a quiet breath when they were safe.
The Great Hall was nearly filled with students. Zhao Lun and Hermione returned to their original seats and resumed eating.
Perhaps due to her hunger, Hermione ate with such enthusiasm that it drew the attention of those around her.
"The troll... went to the basement classrooms... I had to come and tell you..."
Not long after, Professor Lockhart arrived, putting on a performance that ended with him fainting.
"Didn't the troll get subdued?" Hermione asked, confused.
Zhao Lun, through his interaction with the troll, seemed to have unlocked a new level of magic proficiency.
Ideas and inspirations were flowing rapidly in his mind, and he immediately recorded them, storing them as important secrets.
After November, the weather turned cold.
The mornings often saw frost covering the plants outside.
During this time, the most talked-about matters were two things: the rumors of Potter and Malfoy being in love and the upcoming Quidditch match.
The rumor about Malfoy being in love with Potter had spread throughout Hogwarts.
Students who heard the news were incredulous, struggling to believe it, but soon went to confirm with those in the know.
It was said that Malfoy's two loyal henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, were the ones who had confirmed it.
Students, following the proper method, received confirmation from them in exchange for food as a reward.
Malfoy had indeed often spoken of Potter and seemed to have unusual feelings for him. This love had caused jealousy and animosity from Malfoy's girlfriend, Pansy.
The confirmation shocked many students.
Potter had been feeling uncomfortable lately, as more and more people were giving him strange looks. Fortunately, Ron had found out the reason.
Students were saying that he and Malfoy were in love! Ridiculous! Who started this rumor? It was Crabbe and Goyle, those two troublemakers! It must be one of Malfoy's schemes! That guy is always up to tricks!
"Potter! You better stay away from Draco!"
A Slytherin girl stopped him and issued a warning.
Not this again! Potter was getting tired of having to explain himself, but the girl refused to believe him and insisted on tarnishing his reputation. Merlin, someone help me!
The love rumor between Potter and Malfoy had fueled the students' gossip and kept the excitement around the Quidditch season going strong.
At the Gryffindor training ground, Zhao Lun was dragged there by the Weasley twins.
Watching them train, Zhao Lun felt an urge to join in and try it for himself.
"Hey, Potter! Don't let the rumors get to you. We all believe in you!"
"Yeah, this must be a trick by Slytherin to win the Quidditch match! You can't let them succeed!"
The others were trying to cheer up the distracted Potter.
Feeling awkward, Zhao Lun decided not to join in and quickly left.
If he couldn't try here, he'd find another place to practice.
He left the training ground and went to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There, he took out his flying broom from the Wizarding World and flew around the outskirts, recording what he saw with his holographic device. He planned to analyze it later and maybe explore further when he had more time.
The Quidditch season was approaching, and the excitement surrounding it finally overshadowed the rumors, much to Harry's relief.
Harry had become particularly obsessed with Quidditch, dedicating nearly all his free time to practice. Of course, he was secretly being groomed as a secret weapon. Besides a few close friends, no one knew about his intense training. His focus on Quidditch had left him with little time for homework, causing him much stress and frustration when he had to catch up on assignments.
After the troll incident, Hermione no longer felt so nervous about Potter breaking school rules, and many students had become more accepting of her.
In private, when students asked to copy her homework, they'd trigger her lecturing tendencies, causing many to shy away from her.
Potter, who had initially intended to ask Hermione for help, found that she would always lecture him, so he began borrowing assignments from Zhao Lun instead.
Zhao Lun wasn't the type to lecture; he always had the assignments ready when Potter needed them. Potter felt that Zhao Lun was a decent person.
For this reason, Hermione had also lectured Zhao Lun, advising him not to encourage cheating.
Zhao Lun understood her well and let her speak her mind. Ron, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. Since he didn't participate in Quidditch, he had to put in more effort, or else he wouldn't need to rely on copying.
Ron privately believed that Hermione's actions were a form of revenge for their previous incident, which Harry fully agreed with. He then took out his copied homework and handed it to Ron for him to copy.
After class, Zhao Lun also took the time to learn more about Quidditch. He enjoyed playing it in the virtual world,
but in reality, it seemed like an obstacle he had to overcome.
It was a new challenge.
Would he be ready for it?
For now, he was unsure, but he was ready to keep improving.