"Screech"
"Screech"
"Screech"
The piercing sound was getting closer.
It was almost at his ears.
Hoare spun around abruptly. It was a troll!
The troll looked extremely agitated, filled with rage. Upon seeing Hoare, it dragged its club and charged straight at him.
The screeching sound came from the club being dragged across the ground.
Seeing the troll approach, Hoare quickly ducked and dodged behind a nearby pillar.
Unable to find Hoare, the troll lifted its club and smashed it against the ground, as if venting its anger.
Hoare hid behind the pillar, holding his wand, waiting for the right moment...
"Henry?"
Hoare hadn't expected that behind the pillar he was hiding was the girls' bathroom he had been looking for.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the trio, were all there.
They hadn't seen the troll behind them, their view blocked by the pillar.
Harry looked puzzled at Henry, who was tense and holding his wand.
Ron suddenly realized and shouted, "Harry! He's trying to kill you!"
"Idiot Ron!" Hoare couldn't help but curse.
Ron's voice caught the troll's attention, and only then did the trio see the towering figure behind the pillar.
"Merlin..."
"Merlin's beard..."
"My goodness..."
The trio exclaimed in unison.
Hoare, speechless, shouted, "Run!"
The three finally reacted, quickly turning and running into the girls' bathroom.
Hoare spun around, pointed his wand at the troll, and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" Then he turned and rushed into the girls' bathroom.
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One of the troll's hands stiffened and dropped limply.
Realizing one of its hands couldn't move, the troll became even more furious, roaring as it charged forward.
"What do we do, what do we do, what do we do! It's a troll!" Ron was terrified, spinning in circles.
"Where are the professors!? With such a loud noise, where have the professors gone?" Hermione anxiously bit her fingers.
"Henry, what are you doing?" Harry noticed Hoare rummaging through his robe pockets.
Dumbledore had promised to take him to Diagon Alley to buy a wand on Halloween.
Hoare had thought a second-hand wand would suffice at school for the time being, not expecting the current situation.
His second-hand wand was very unstable, and the magic it produced was significantly weakened.
Hoare had estimated that the troll should have been at least half-petrified by now.
Since that wasn't the case, it wasn't wise to continue using the wand.
"Looking for something." Hoare rummaged through his robe, remembering he had put something in his pocket.
That batch of potions was requested by Hagrid from Potions class, meant to blow up boulders.
Finally! He found it!
He pulled out a bag and showed it to the trio.
"We'll use this! It's incredibly destructive, the troll won't stand a chance."
Hoare spoke confidently, opening the bag and distributing its contents to the trio, carefully instructing, "Aim at the troll before throwing, and don't hurt your teammates."
Ron felt the item looked familiar. "What is this?" he asked, shaking the glass bottle in his hand, the potion inside slightly murky.
The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. The scratch on the cap looked like the one from when he and Harry had been fooling around and accidentally dropped it.
Hoare looked at the puzzled trio, flashing a bright smile. "The entire first year's failed Potions assignments."
There were 17 bottles of potions in the bag.
Each person got three or four bottles.
The trio, now looking at the glass bottles in their hands, felt a surge of tension, wanting to throw them out as soon as possible.
Images of Potions class and various cauldron explosions flashed through their minds, the scenes brutally vivid.
The trio shuddered in unison, the effect comparable to mentioning "You-Know-Who."
Hoare chuckled inwardly, knowing that the school used failed potions from all grades for various explosions.
Plentiful, eco-friendly, and sufficient.
The four of them, holding the potions, hid in four corners.
As soon as the troll entered, they would attack together.
Once hidden, they listened to the troll's roars and the screeching of the club dragging across the floor, their heartbeats growing louder until all they could hear was their own heartbeats.
"Thud"
The troll entered.
With one swing, it smashed the door blocking its way into splinters, leaving a mess before stopping.
The four held their breath, watching the troll step by step move to their designated spot.
Three, two, one.
"Throw!!!"
With Hoare's shout, the others charged out together!
"Smash"
"Smash"
"Smash"
"Smash"
The sound of glass shattering echoed, each bottle of potion exploding into a burst.
The troll staggered from the blasts, its skin partially melted by the potions!
But it still wasn't enough.
The troll grew even angrier, swinging its club wildly, smashing the marble floor into pieces.
The four could only take the remaining potions and find a corner to hide.
This won't do, dealing with it bit by bit will take too long, it's best to finish it off in one go.
Hoare raised his hand, gathering all the remaining potions.
"Levitation Charm," he whispered, and the glass bottles floated gently above the troll's head.
At that moment, Hoare raised his wand and aimed, "Reducto."
A crisp explosion followed by the troll's wail.
The troll's eyes were injured by the potions, and as it tried to cover its eyes with its only usable hand, it forgot it was holding a club, resulting in a blow to its own forehead.
After wobbling three times, the troll sat down heavily.
It seemed exhausted, panting heavily, unable to stand.
"Is it safe now?" Ron peeked out to look.
Hoare stopped the others from going out.
Something was wrong with the troll.
The potions they used could flatten an entire mountain, yet the troll was only injured.
Hoare recalled how the potions fell, noticing they seemed to explode just before hitting the troll.
This is...
Hoare's expression turned serious as he hid in the corner, carefully checking for any other hiding spots.
"What's wrong?" Hermione sensed something amiss and asked softly.
"Someone's here," Hoare replied.
The trio exchanged glances, quietly peeking out to help Hoare search.
"How could there be someone?" Ron muttered, but his eyes obediently searched.
Then, Ron's eyes widened, gently tugging Hoare's robe, pointing to a corner.
It was the outermost stall.
Under the door, a pair of legs in black boots was visible.
Who could it be?
Countless possibilities flashed through Hoare's mind, finally settling on one person.
Quirinus Quirrell, who had just fainted in the Great Hall.
Hoare raised his wand, ready to strike first.
"Stupefy"
"Boom!"
Hoare's spell and a loud explosion sounded simultaneously.
In an instant, the ground shook.
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