"Troll! T- Ther- There's a tr-troll in the d-dungeon!" Professor Quirrell burst through the large wooden doors of the great hall. Panting and running down the center pathway before collapsing halfway down it. His screams interrupting the previously serene banquet that each and every student was fully immersed in.
A few seconds were all that was needed for that calm disposition to crumble and for cries and frantic shouting to run rampant throughout the grand hall. My dormmates were somewhat calm in comparison, especially Michael. He had a clear head in these moments, really they were worried about nothing. We were sat in the grand hall of Hogwarts surrounded by some of the most accomplished witches and wizards that acted as its staff. I doubted that a single troll should be enough to cause this much hysteria.
"Silence!" Dumbledore arose from the center of the staff table. His voice was quiet yet resounding all the same. "Heads of house and prefects, take your students back to their common rooms. Avoid the dungeons on your route."
"And the troll, Headmaster?" Deputy headmistress McGonagall asked the senior wizard.
"We shall take care of that after the students are safe. See to it that the students arrive." In response the Japanese teachers grabbed their respective houses and filed into lines.
"Ravenclaw house! Form up into a line, no pushing or rushing. Follow me." Professor Chabashira, who acted as the liaison officer for our house was leading the group. Professor Flitwick, which was our actual head of the house, was currently exchanging words with Dumbledore. Taking a moment to wave his wand and mutter a few words under his breath. A nearby suit of armor begun moving and lifted the half-goblin onto its shoulders, approaching us students.
Convenient, it's a wonder Professor Flitwick doesn't just use that all the time. It would make moving around the castle a breeze.
The respective houses sidled into the corridor, each of the common rooms were in different locations… Come to think of it, weren't the Slytherin headquarters in the dungeons?
A quick glance over the trailing students. Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor. Each going their own route… My eyes rest on the Gryffindor line for a few moments.
Harry and Ron were inching away from their group, though the prefects and other students didn't seem to show any acknowledgement of such a thing. Sakayanagi simply looked over at me with a glint of recognition in her eyes. It seemed she would be no help in this instance. I suppose even moving over towards the dungeons would take a long time for her… Still, why were those two even endangering themselves at this time? They didn't seem the type to do so unknowingly, or search for trouble themselves… Peering through the Gryffindor groups quickly… Hermione was an outcast, even in moments like this she would avoid groups of people, yet she was nowhere to be seen on the edges of their group. Hermione wasn't there at the table either… So that's what it was. She was also shockingly absent from Dumbledore's class earlier today. I didn't attend any of the other classes on account of Dumbledore's request to watch Sakayanagi… He must've known that she had some sort of history with me. Truly a meddlesome old man.
When the others had looked away and Flitwick had put some distance between us, I made the same escape. Hermione was my study buddy for the time being and a good one at that. Who knows what that old man might set in motion if she gets injured or worse…
I doubted that this situation was something that Dumbledore would have any difficulty with… In the worst-case scenario, he'll have to do something to fix it. If the students got injured or any fatalities occurred on his watch there were no convenient excuses that could save him. The parents and any of his political rivals would jump on it like starving hounds.
Still… It made me slightly wary knowing that he's taking his time to solve this issue. Did he require prep time to defeat a troll? Were they such dangerous creatures? Typical fantasy and the little teaching we had experienced depicted them as unintelligible brutes. They had force but were slow in both motor and mental faculties, if that was all we could survive at the very least. Or run if we used our heads a bit. The only issue was if the troll got to Hermione before they met her.
They continued to run down the halls, towards the lower levels. Supposedly there was an abandoned girl's restroom on this level. I assumed the distance from almost every other facility and class was the reason for its lack of use.
"Hermione!" They both shouted, sprinting through the destroyed entrance. Wood was splintered and lay wrecked in a heap on the floor, tiles cracked and crushed into a fine powder on the interior. Was this without even trying? That was a brutal kind of strength that couldn't be matched by humans. The door, or what was left of it caved inwards like a concave lens and lay against the opposing wall as if an explosion had erupted just behind it.
"AHHHHH! HELP!" A shrill scream sounded from the back of the lavatory, towards the cubicles, she must've been hiding in them, obscuring herself from sight of the ominous giant looming threateningly in the center of the room.
It was probably close to 12ft tall, wearing shabby shreds of cloth that would be more sufficiently labeled as rags than anything resembling clothing. Its skin was a particular shade of green-grey and some of its physical traits were reminiscent yet different to humans. It's two feet each had two large toes rather than the usual five and the creature's large grey hands held four fingers close enough to human digits. Each of its overgrown nails were scraggly and malformed, sharp and brutish. In one hand it held a large and crude oaken club. More akin to a fully grown tree than any sort of weapon.
What did they even plan to do? I could only imagine…
We've all learnt the same or similar materials this first week, what we had been taught wasn't enough to combat a threat like this. The closest thing we had was the levitation charm, but even that wasn't enough for this…
"W-What should we do?" Ron asked uncertainly towards his raven-haired friend.
"I don't know but we've got to do something!" Harry ran toward the troll's exposed back as he swung his club vertically into a cubicle, crushing it to dust in a smattering second. The tiled ground of the bathroom formed a crater around the impact. That club had to weigh close to a ton… Fortunately, I didn't see any blood, so it was safe to say she hadn't been injured yet. Taking a blow from that thing… You might as well be turned into a fine paste…
"ARE YOU MENTAL?!" Ron shouted. Harry ran and kicked the troll aiming for the crease at the back of its knee. Even if you aimed for those areas, most people wouldn't have the requisite force to make any difference.
The lack of damage was evident from the troll's posture, but he did turn slightly changing his target…
Where is Dumbledore? This would get hairy fast if I let things drag out much longer. He wasn't waiting for me to do that was he? It was hard to know. Did he have that much faith that these two would manage to defeat the threat or hold it off long enough?… No, that's impossible. I also didn't believe that Dumbledore was completely unaware of what was happening in this school at all times. I didn't have the evidence to prove that at this junction, but I had my misgivings…
Letting the 'boy who lived' die or be seriously injured here was in no way a positive outcome for anyone… So, the question remained; where is he?
The troll took a few clumsy steps towards Harry, his face forming into a crude grin whilst snot bubbled from his clogged nose. The troll's shoulder was thrown back quickly. That's bad. I jumped out from behind the shattered wall.
"Duck!" I shouted towards Harry before the club stretched out and demolished a large portion of the wall, tiles spraying and debris crumbling towards the ground.
Crash!
…He had decent reflexes. Perhaps the adrenaline? Either way, it was better than the alternative. That being a boy-who-lived shaped pancake on the floor of the girls' bathroom.
"Taka! What are you doing here?!"
"That can wait for later. Focus on him." My eyes were never leaving the troll, the immediate threat in the room. A simple swing of its club, punch or kick would destroy the fragile human body.
"You say that but what are we supposed to do?!"
"The spell!" Hermione said from the back wall, still sitting on the floor. It seemed like her legs gave out on account of that close call. We had only really learnt one functional spell so far; the rest had been theoretical aspects needed to consolidate the foundations of new students.
"But it didn't work!" Ron said in a bit of self-deprecating tone. In class there were very few students who had managed to actually cast the levitation charm. Hermione, Sakayanagi and a few others being the sole exceptions. Of course I was in the camp that lacked the ability.
"It's just an incantation, then swish and flick! If I can do it, so can you!" She shouted desperately. Perhaps it was the looming threat of death that made her so honest. Tears were bubbling in her eyes, the destroyed toilets spewing water around the bathroom that had already drenched her robes by this time. I'm sure that smell would be ingrained in her mind for a long time.
"Fine… Fine, C'mon! Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron twirled his wand with a measure of elegance, a gesture quite unbefitting his usual countenance. His spell connected and the club in the troll's hand was actively resisting the strength of gravity, the troll looked confused, it had yet to part with the troll's hand, his grip strong on the object.
Surprise morphed into confusion and then determination. The redhead's face was quickly mimicking the colour of his hair.
"Harry. You need to do the same." That was the only option, I had yet to manage even the most basic fundamentals of magic incantation at this time.
"Right. Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry copied the form and incantation Ron had used just a moment ago. At least they both managed during a crisis…
Harry's voice became strained, and his face was taking on a pained expression, his struggle evident just as Ron's had been after using the spell.
"I don't know if I can hold much longer!" The troll was actively struggling to hold the club as it rose further into the air. It continually struggled against the mysterious force, as if playing tug of war with the air itself. For some reason, it seemed to be quite attached to the weapon in its hands… Did it view it specially or something? The troll should've just thrown it aside and attacked us with its hands, we would be powerless to stop it… I suppose that's the downfall of stupid creatures. Still, we couldn't risk staying like this, who knows when the teachers will arrive or even notice our departure.
I didn't really want to get involved… But I guess I'll do my part.
"Hold it in the air, I'll let you know when to let go." I walked towards the row of sinks beside the destroyed wall. The plumbing was exposed, courtesy of the destruction a troll could enact. I gripped a single pipe ripping the implement from the wall, water gushed out the destroyed apparatus wetting my robes. I'd have to change after this…
Sprinting towards the troll, I gripped the pipe tightly and drove it into the side of the large creature's knee.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!!" A sickening roar burst from the troll's lungs whilst a sludgy black liquid oozed from the source of its pain. It was black like tar or oil and seeped towards the floor much slower than blood. Its eyes were bloodshot and despite the injury, it cringed and thrashed attempting to release the club from the junior wizards' spells.
Not enough, huh?
"Ayanokouji!" Hermione screamed. A single hand rushed towards me, a backhand. The useless swatting of a child. Only, this overgrown child had a hand that eclipses the total volume, and I'd wager mass, of my body.
Death… That's the outcome from being hit by that. I'd be thrown through the wall and tiles, the impact of his hand alone would crack several ribs, possibly causing further internal injuries. Crashing through the wall, shrapnel carving through my skin and vitals, impaled on the broken plumbing. I'd be mounted like a trophy on the wall.
That doesn't appeal to me.
The only way was up.
Taking a quick backstep, my legs sprang into action vaulting over the outstretched hand and twirled in the air, one rotation, two… Spinning as much as I can to add even more force. I'm going to make you let go.
As the ground was closing in on me, I spun once more revolving and kicking out with my left leg, directly into the outstretched pipe lodged in the troll's knee. Impacting and sending the pipe even further into the leg, the sound of metal screeching and brittle bones cracking under the pressure filled the bathroom. A pop could be heard as the pipe breached the other side of its thick leg. The black substance pouring down the exposed pipe in its knee and pooling under the troll's feet.
Upon meeting the ground, I rolled towards the wall and bounced to my feet, prepared for the troll to attack again.
"AAAAAAAAGGGGHHH WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!" It thrashed, the troll grabbed its knee with both hands, blubbering and whining like a child throwing a tantrum. The tar flooding into a puddle under the troll, it slipped onto its back whilst flailing. Meanwhile the club is weightlessly floating in the air a distance above.
"Now." I signaled to both Harry and Ron.
They both gasped a harsh breath as the club fell down to the ground harshly driving into the stout belly of the creature, air rushing out of its mouth upon impact. Good that it wasn't the head… It would've been a sight unsuitable for children.
It groaned sadly, almost as if begging for pity. Slowly its hands matted the ground, slickly slipping on the tar it found itself embedded in. Tears falling from its eyes and snot bubbling comically from the troll's nose.
I can't risk you getting back up.
Creatures learned, even the dumbest ones. If you stopped clinging to that club you would be much, much more dangerous. And the teachers are still nowhere to be seen…
"Can you move, Hermione?" I asked after a moment, despite the troll's wails.
"I-I-I don't think so…" Her legs were quivering and the tears in her eyes were flowing a bit more freely again.
Ideally, I would just take her from here and leave the troll… I could carry her, but it could use that opportunity… Ahhh, I really wish Dumbledore, or another teacher would just appear.
Whatever. It's no use thinking about such things.
I walked once again towards the half-destroyed walls. Gripping one of the sinks. Pulling harder and harder, the sink was giving. Porcelain slowly giving from the wall as the entire white object was held in my single hand.
Crash!
A mirror fell from above the sink and shattered into tiny pieces. I took a few threatening steps to the troll, which looked pleadingly into my eyes. Its hands flailing as it tried to crawl away on the floor, however the slick tar on its hands and back gave no purchase.
"AWWWAAAAGHHHH BAAAAGGHHHH!"
I stopped at its head. Looking into its eyes.
You can't understand human speech. But you understand what I mean, don't you?
It appeared to be sweating a strange green sluggish substance, similar to the mucus which had been constantly dribbling from its nose and eyes for the past few minutes.
So long as it didn't try anything, it's fine. But I didn't want to take any chances. Their understanding was limited. These creatures seemed to respond to strength, by at least showing this much it should be appropriately wary.
I dropped the sink right next to its head, the porcelain shattering over the floor spreading to all different reaches of the bathroom. The troll flinched, looking away from my direction. The snot bubble it sported rapidly gained and lost volume as it hyperventilated.
In the face of unavoidable death, much as Hermione did, they would fall limp. Their legs stop working and they hope for mercy. The troll was no different as it lay still as a board. Hoping that the threat will harmlessly pass by.
I suppose it's about time to get moving.
"Hermione. Do you need help?" I offered a single hand to the girl still trembling on the ground. We were both covered in the rank water of the bathroom. I wasn't completely opposed to carrying her, I needed to get changed either way…
"I-I. N-No, I-I'm fine!" She slowly scooted backwards as I approached, hitting the wall as fear was laced in her eyes. What's so scary? The troll has already been defeated, there's no reason to be scared anymore is there?
I took one more step towards her, attempting to lift her and escape from the bathroom at the very least.
"D-Don't come any closer!" Hermione screamed, her eyes shut, and neck shrunk in as her head rested looking towards the floor, not sparing me a single glance.
I could only tilt my head in confusion. What's wrong? Was she afraid that she smelled bad because of the toilet water? That wouldn't bother me too much, I was already covered in the same… Or perhaps she had an accident? We were still only young, and this was a life-or-death experience, it could be excused. Although it would be a little embarrassing… Strangely enough it doesn't seem like either of those two options.
"What is going on here? You four students, explain yourselves immediately!" The carefully enunciated speech of Professor McGonagall came from the entrance of the bathroom. Or what was left of it at least.
About time…
"W-well you see professor-" Harry and Ron stammered as they tried to explain the current situation. I imagine we must paint quite the scene. Four children stood in the girls' bathroom after what looked like a small explosive had gone off. A single troll lay on the ground blubbering like a newborn babe covered in its own blood(?).
Hermione brushed the tears from her eyes and quickly ran towards the teachers, not as much in response to the teacher's questions as it was to escape from this end of the bathroom. Am I being avoided?
"It's my fault professors. I had heard a troll was in this area, I wanted to prove myself by beating it… I wouldn't have survived if they didn't arrive." She looked towards the two boys with a nod. She attempted to meet my eyes and do the same, but quickly looked away…
I have a feeling that our study sessions are going to get awkward again.
"Are you saying you four have bested a fully grown troll? Four first year students against a troll. And this… this much damage." She approached the quivering figure of the troll.
"Professor McGonagall, that's dangerous!" One of the other teachers said from the doorway.
"…To put this much fear in a troll, what exactly did you students even do to this creature…" She examined the pipe exposed in either side of its knee and the amount of blood currently filling the room.
"It isn't even holding its club…" Another of the teachers gasped.
"Kiyotaka, was this your doing?" Dumbledore asked after a moment. I wasn't even aware when he arrived… the other teachers looked surprised to see him, I can't imagine he was here with them. It was as if he appeared from nowhere.
"Not alone. I'm yet to perform any magic, Professor Dumbledore." Where were you?
"I see. Smart, I suppose Ravenclaw fits you, son." He regarded the damage done to the troll once before ambling away to the club that had fell a few metres away.
"Curious creatures trolls are. Not known for their intelligence but they are insatiably curious, much like children. And prone to getting themselves in trouble just like children. Is Filius the only one to have taught a usable spell thus far?" He turned to the congregation of teachers at the mouth of the bathroom.
"Of course, headmaster. Starting with any less than those basics is vital to the growth of a wizard. You wouldn't have us teach combat-oriented spells yet, would you?"
"Right you are. I suppose it goes to show how simple spells can be used in conjunction to defeat even great threats like this… Here's a culture lesson for you four. It's often missing in textbooks. Wizards who have encountered trolls in the wild oft realise the almost dependent nature of trolls on their clubs. They almost treat it as a surrogate for a parent at times. Aiming for it is a surefire way to get its attention… and ire." Dumbledore cast a searching look into each of our eyes.
"…"
"Koji! Are you alright?!" The familiar voice of a roommate could be heard. Anthony, Terry and Michael were all stood by the teachers now, along with a suit of armour that rushed along after them still housing the tiny Professor Flitwick on its shoulders.
I nodded once to the group. It wasn't the time for that. I could see a small glint in the headmaster's eyes.
"10 points to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley each for courage befitting your house. 20 points deducted from Hermione Granger for recklessness that could've resulted in a fatality." What was even the point? They cancelled each other out, you might as well not award any… "Now you… what to do with you?" His gaze landed on me for a moment.
"What is it headmaster?"
"Well, it wouldn't be very appropriate for me to assign points to Kiyotaka." Still using that favouritism excuse?
"On what account?"
"Our relation." Puzzlement entered the eyes of most professors, McGonagall paused for a moment, but didn't show any recognition on her face. Continuing a moment after.
"…Then I suppose I will take charge." McGonagall took one more look at the blubbering troll on the floor, her eyes sweeping to the destroyed knee. "20 points for a plan well executed and understanding of the situation. Escape should be the first priority when facing a threat you don't understand or can't compete with, as well as having the courage and strength to act upon it. Does that suffice, headmaster?" I suppose my intentions were obvious to the two experienced wizards, some of the other teachers were exasperated on first sight. I suppose those thoughts left their mind when they found reason for the brutality.
"Ah, and five points collectively for the boys over there. It's beyond correct to find a teacher in this situation, well done. For good insight." Dumbledore gestured to my housemates for a moment. I assume they noticed my disappearance at the last moment, or they would've arrived much sooner.
"It's a marvel that no one has been injured." The troll moaned once again, almost in reply.
No one important has been injured.
Professor McGonagall continued. "This was incredibly reckless and must not happen again! You four, think of your fortune upon surviving this incident. In the future notify a professor immediately. I don't want a repeat of this. Do I make myself clear?!" She admonished the four of us.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall."
"Indeed… House leaders see to it that these students find their way back to the common rooms." House leaders… Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout. The only one missing was Snape… Come to think of it why wasn't he one of the first to arrive? The Slytherin common rooms were the closest to this area… Something's going on here, yet Dumbledore looks unbothered. Though, I suppose he always looks that way. He was the same when we first met.
"Ah, but not you Kiyotaka. I have something to discuss with you in my office. I believe I have something of yours that you wanted back?" I was hoping I could go through Professor McGonagall or even the caretaker Filch to retrieve it. I should've expected something like this.
Without even visibly contemplating it, Dumbledore lazily flipped his wand and uttered a small few words under his breath. The troll twisted and shrank eventually morphing into a suitcase. At times the suitcase would spasm and twitch without any indication, Dumbledore leisurely grabbed the handle and begun to drag it along as he walked to the bathroom exit.
If that was possibly why not something even smaller? What happened to the weight of the object, did it completely disappear? Or was that the reason for the wheels, so that transportation was easier?
"Oh, blast. Nearly forgot." He turned once more and shrank the club, retrieving it. Or rather the club came towards him quickly as he opened the suitcase just an inch. The twitching quickly stopped.
There was still so much of magic that I didn't understand.
How it interacted with the physical world as I knew it. Did it bypass physical laws fully? Or were there other explanations? Unfortunately, the nature of the relationship between muggles and wizards was so tense that these things weren't fully explored. That left it up to me… Not being able to cast anything was quickly becoming bothersome.
Before we had left the corridor. A single butterfly flew by, the fluttering of its wings was in no way rushed.
Is this her way of telling me she was watching? Or am I just being paranoid?
What a hassle.
I followed after the headmaster, leaving the destroyed remains of the bathroom behind.
---
Word count: 4353
So yeah, troll encounter here. I think this probably takes place a bit later in the school year. Probably around Halloween time if the film is anything to go by. I think it makes more sense for practical magic to be taught earlier than that, so I brought it forward a bit.
I also dislike how Harry almost never uses magic in a practical way in the early films, so he uses the same spell.
I thought giving the spells some properties and indication of struggle when casting is better as well. I mean if we don't then basically any witch or wizard could cast the strongest spells so long as they know the words and gesture. Also if they didn't struggle to lift the club then they could theoretically levitate anything they wanted to, well within reason anyway.
From now on I'll be trying to give the students some actual strengths and weaknesses in magic. It always seemed strange to me that any witch or wizard is basically an all-rounder. In that way Hermione might as well be the greatest magical practitioner considering she knows application of literally any subject, it makes everyone else obsolete.
You should've seen this in the previous chapter with Hiyori, who has an affinity for transfiguration so strong she's already compared to famous wizards.
Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know any of your thoughts in the comments below.
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