Thomas and his friends carefully carried Hermione out of the bathroom and down the hall, Quirrell trailing behind them, even after McGonagall instructed him to lead the boys and Hermione to Madam Pomfrey, the strange professor hadn't said anything to them. As they made their way down the corridors, they were met with curious stares from their fellow students, but the group kept their heads down and kept moving forward., and soon, the weight of what had just happened started to sink in.

"Are we in trouble?" Harry whispered to Thomas.

"I'm not sure," Thomas replied. "But we did break a lot of school rules, so I wouldn't be surprised if we were."

James, who had been quiet since they left the bathroom, finally spoke up. "I don't regret what we did," he said firmly.

"We had to do something to save Hermione. It was the right thing to do." His roommates nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but what if we get expelled?" Ron asked nervously. "I don't want to leave Hogwarts."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Wesley. We're not going to get expelled. McGonagall even commended us for our bravery."

"But we still broke school rules," Harry pointed out. "What if they take points from our houses? We're already behind in the House Cup."

Thomas sighed. "Why does that matter, Harry? Neither our house nor yours would get anything if they win the first place anyways. Besides, we'll just have to face whatever consequences come our way. But at least Hermione is okay. That's what matters most."

Suddenly, Hermione groaned again, and all six boys turned their attention back to her.

"How are you feeling?" Thomas asked her gently.

"Better, I think," she replied weakly. "What happened? Are we at the hospital wing?"

"Yes. I'll explain everything," Thomas promised her. "But first, you need to rest and recover."

As they entered the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey rushed over to them, her face etched with concern. "What in the name of Merlin happened?" she exclaimed.

"It's a long story, ma'am," Thomas said. "But long story short, Hermione was attacked by a troll, and we had to fight it off to save her."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened in shock, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, let's get her onto a bed and start her treatment," she said briskly, ushering the boys over to a nearby bed.

"And you boys can wait over there until I finish with Miss Granger. I take it Professor McGonagall is coming here right?"

The boys nodded as they took seats in the waiting area before they fell into a tense silence, the weight of what they had just experienced hanging over them. They were shaken but proud of what they had done to save Hermione, even if it meant breaking school rules. But they couldn't help but wonder what kind of consequences they would face for their actions.

After what felt like an eternity, Madam Pomfrey finally emerged from the treatment area. "Miss Granger will be fine, though she will have to spend the rest of the night here."

The boys let out a collective sigh of relief, and Thomas stood up to approach Madam Pomfrey. "Can we see her?" he asked. Madam Pomfrey gave him a stern look.

"Only for a few minutes, and then it's off to bed with all of you. You need rest just as much as she does."

Thomas nodded, and the boys followed Madam Pomfrey into the treatment area. Hermione was lying in a bed, looking weak but awake. She smiled weakly at them as they approached her, and they all gathered around her bed.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "You saved my life."

"It was nothing," James said, shrugging. "We couldn't just leave you in there with that troll."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "I know. But you guys risked a lot to save me. I won't forget that."

The boys smiled back at her, and for a moment, everything felt right in the world. But their moment of peace was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. McGonagall walked in, followed by Snape. The boys tensed up at the sight of the stern-faced professors.

"How is she?" McGonagall asked, her eyes fixed on Hermione. Madam Pomfrey nodded. "She'll be fine. She's just a bit weak from the shock."

McGonagall then turned to the boys. "I understand you were the ones who found Miss Granger and took down the troll?"

The boys nodded, their eyes downcast. "Well, I must say I'm impressed," McGonagall said, her tone softening. "You acted bravely and showed quick thinking in the face of danger."

The boys looked at each other in surprise. They had expected punishment, not praise. "But that doesn't excuse the fact that you broke several school rules," Snape cut in, his voice laced with disapproval.

"We know," Thomas said, standing up to face the professors. "And we're willing to face whatever punishment you think is necessary."

McGonagall regarded them for a moment before speaking. "Normally, Mr. Grayson, I would be inclined to give you detention or some other form of punishment. But considering the circumstances, and the fact that you saved a fellow student's life, I think I can make an exception this time."

The boys breathed a collective sigh of relief, and McGonagall gave them a stern look. "But don't think this means you can go around breaking school rules whenever you please. This was a one-time exception, and I expect you all to abide by school rules in the future."

After that, McGonagall and Snape instructed the boys to return to their common room and await further instructions. As the group got up to leave, McGonagall called out to Thomas.

"Mr. Grayson, we would like to speak with you for a moment, if you don't mind."

Thomas felt his heart drop as he turned to face the two professors. He knew that they must have had questions about the dagger he had used to defend himself against the troll.

The other boys gave him sympathetic looks before heading out of the hospital wing, leaving Thomas alone with McGonagall and Snape.

Thomas's mind raced as he tried to come up with a plausible explanation for why he had a strange and potentially dangerous object in his possession. He cursed himself for being so foolish as to leave the dagger inside the troll's face, knowing that it would only further incriminate him.

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He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves as he faced the professors. "Yes, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

McGonagall looked at him sternly. "Thomas, we need to talk to you about the dagger you used. It is highly unusual for a student to have such a weapon, and we need to know where you obtained it."

Thomas shifted nervously in his seat. "I, uh, I got it from a friend years before I came to Hogwarts. It was a tool for practicing magic before I got my wand, and because of that I always kept it close to me just in case I somehow lose my wand."

Snape's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "And this friend of yours, who is she? What is her name?"

Seeing that there was no way he could lie his way out, Thomas cleared his throat and faced the professors, ready to tell them the truth even if that meant expulsion from Hogwarts.

"As I said before, that dagger was a gift from a friend," he said firmly. "Her name is Latia, and she's a devil from the Astaroth branch family."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "A devil? What business do you have with such creatures, Mr. Grayson?"

Thomas took a deep breath, knowing that he had to choose his words carefully. "Well, sir, I met Latia shortly after I found out that I was a wizard. She helped me get started with magic before I got my wand. And she's been a good friend ever since."

McGonagall looked skeptical. "Devils are dangerous creatures, Mr. Grayson. They should not be trusted, especially when you are a wizard or a witch. There are many cases of wizards or witches being fooled by those creatures and enslaved."

"I understand that Professor," Thomas replied. "But Latia is different. She's not like the other devils. She's kind and caring, and she's never done anything to harm me or anyone else."

Snape still seemed unconvinced. "But that doesn't answer one of our questions, Mr. Grayson, why did you feel the need to use that dagger in the first place? More so ever after you got your wand before coming here. Not to mention that it is against the ministry's rules to use any kind of magic outside of Hogwarts."

"I don't want to sound like I'm mocking you two since I truly respect you, but let's be honest professors, how could I have stabbed the troll in the face without using something sharp?"

McGonagall shook her head. "Mr. Grayson, you know that it's not acceptable to bring such objects into Hogwarts. You will have to surrender the dagger to us until you either get back home in the winter or in the summer."

Thomas nodded, feeling ashamed. He had never thought about the consequences of bringing the dagger to Hogwarts, and now he had put his friends and himself in danger because of it. It had been a gift from Latia, and it had helped him in his first steps into the magical world. But he knew that he had to give it up, for the safety of himself and those around him. Snape and McGonagall exchanged a look before the latter spoke.

"Now, Mr. Grayson, it's late and you have had a trying experience. We'll let you go back to your common room now, but make no mistake. This matter is not over. We will need to have a serious talk about your actions tonight and keep this conversation to yourself. We'd rather not have any more students bring such objects to our institute."

Thomas nodded again, feeling the weight of his mistake settle heavily on his shoulders, as well as the pain of disappointing the teachers he truly respected. He said his goodbyes and left the medical wing, making his way through the castle toward the Ravenclaw common room. The halls were quiet and empty, and the only sounds were the soft echo of his footsteps on the stone floors. The longer he walked, the more Thomas couldn't help but feel like he was walking through a haunted house.

As he approached the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower, he was greeted by the bronze eagle knocker. "What is the answer to the riddle?" it asked in a clear, musical voice. Thomas took a deep breath, his mind racing as he tried to remember the answer. He had been so preoccupied with Hermione and the troll that he had forgotten to review the riddle.

"I...I don't know," he admitted, feeling embarrassed. The eagle knocker seemed to look at him disapprovingly before it spoke again. "Very well, young one, you may enter. But be sure to remember the answer next time." The door opened with a loud creak, revealing the dimly lit common room.

The second he walked inside the common room, James, Adam, and Michael were waiting for him, and as soon as Thomas stepped into the common room, they bombarded him with questions.

"What did McGonagall and Snape want?" James asked worried that his friend might have gotten himself detention.

"They didn't give you detention, no?" Michael said, his voice still a little shaky from the earlier event.

"Yeah, what did they say?" Adam added, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Thomas hesitated, not wanting to get his friends in trouble by sharing the details of the conversation. But he knew they wouldn't let it go until he told them something.

"They just wanted to make sure I was okay and that Hermione was going to be alright," he said, leaving out the part about the dagger and Latia's identity.

"That's it?" Michael asked skeptically. "They didn't say anything else?" Thomas shook his head. "No, that's all they said. They just wanted to make sure we were okay and that we didn't tell anyone about what happened." "But what about the troll?" James pressed. "Did they say anything about that?"

Again, Thomas hesitated. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he also didn't want to get them in trouble.

"They just said we were lucky to have gotten away without any injuries," he finally said, hoping it would satisfy their curiosity. The boys looked at each other skeptically but didn't push the issue any further.

"Well, we're just glad you're okay," Adam said, patting Thomas on the back.

Thomas felt a pang of guilt as his friends expressed their concern for him. He knew he had put them in danger by bringing them with him down to the dungeons, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth about the dagger just yet.

"Thanks, guys," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm just glad we all made it out okay."

They talked for a while longer, reliving the events of the night and discussing what they could have done differently. Thomas tried to act normal, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach. He knew he would have to come clean about the dagger and more importantly about his friendship with both Irina and Latia to his friends eventually, but he wasn't sure how to do it without getting them right in the middle of a Cold War between all of the factions. After a while, the conversation died down, and Thomas headed off to bed, while his roommates told him that they would stay awake for a little longer.

Just as Thomas was about to enter their room, Adam looked at his back before he let out a sigh.

"Tom, what are you hiding from us?"

Thomas froze in his tracks, surprised by Adam's sudden statement. He turned to face his friends, wondering how they could have possibly known about his conversation with Snape and McGonagall.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked, trying to hide the unease in his voice.

Adam gave him a pointed look. "Don't play dumb, Tom. We heard them talking to you before they dismissed us from the medical ward. What did they want to know?"

Thomas hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should reveal what had transpired in the hospital wing. But he knew that his friends deserved to know the truth, even if it meant exposing his mistake.

"They were asking about the dagger," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "They wanted to know where I got it from and why I felt the need to use it against the troll."

James raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The dagger? What about the dagger?"

Thomas took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the situation bear down on him once again. "It's a long story," he said. "But I was given a dagger by a dear friend of mine before I even got my wand. I used it to practice magic before I came here, but now that I used it on the school grounds, they want me to give it up."

Adam shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you even bring something like that to Hogwarts? You know that it's against the rules."

Thomas shrugged. "I didn't think about the consequences, not when the last two years with her training and learning almost every day. I just wanted to be prepared for anything. You never know what someone could do to harm you, after all, you three saw what happened in the Defense Against Dark Arts class as well as in the bathroom today."

Michael leaned forward, his eyes narrowed in concern. "But Thomas, you know that bringing something like that to Hogwarts is dangerous. What if someone else had found it?"

Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. I messed up, okay? I didn't think it through. And now they want me to give it up, for the safety of everyone else."

James leaned back against the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. "So what are you going to do?" Thomas shrugged again.

"I guess I'll have to give it up. I don't want to get in any more trouble than I already am."

Adam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you should probably just do what they say. And try to be more careful in the future."

Thomas nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. He was glad that his friends understood, and that they weren't judging him too harshly for his mistake. "Thanks, guys," he said, grateful for their support. "I really appreciate it."

James grinned. "Hey, what are friends for?"

Michael chuckled, clapping Thomas on the back. "Yeah, just don't make a habit of bringing dangerous weapons to Hogwarts, okay?"

Thomas laughed, feeling the tension in the room dissipate. It was good to be back with his friends and to know that they had his back, even when he messed up. "Got it," he said, grinning. "No more dangerous weapons."