Chapter 22: Terror in the Bathroom

Jane Yu quickly found an empty girls' bathroom in the castle.

Standing before the mirror, she scooped up some powder, mixed it with water into a paste, and applied it to her face.

The effect was remarkable.

She examined herself carefully in the mirror, lifting her bangs to apply the mask to her forehead as well.

After about 15 minutes, she washed off her homemade mask and was amazed to find her skin as fair and smooth as a baby's, full of collagen, with a healthy pink glow like a fresh, juicy peach.

"This powder is absolutely incredible!" she thought to herself.

"I could totally endorse this!"

Wait, if she could turn this into skincare products for sale, she could make a fortune in Galleons!

Before she could pursue that thought further, she suddenly heard a sob.

Following the sound, she saw a girl's head slowly emerging from one of the stalls.

The girl had thick, bushy brown hair and brown eyes, though at the moment those eyes were filled with tears and swollen like walnuts. She was covering her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs.

It was Hermione Granger, one of Harry's main crew!

Why couldn't she escape running into the protagonist group even in a bathroom?

Jane felt utterly defeated.

Was fate conspiring against her!

...

Hermione had been hiding in the bathroom stall all afternoon.

She'd overheard Ron disparaging her after class, calling her a nightmare, and it had hurt her deeply, driving her to hide here and cry.

At first, she'd been sobbing loudly, but then she heard movement by the door.

She couldn't let anyone see her in such a state!

With this thought, she quickly crouched down and closed the stall door.

But to her surprise, the girl who entered the bathroom didn't leave!

The stall was cramped, and her feet were getting numb from crouching. Finally, unable to bear the discomfort any longer, she slowly stood up.

Her eyes met Jane's directly.

They stared at each other awkwardly.

After a moment's silence, Hermione, being naturally outgoing, broke the tension.

"Um... good evening... your skin looks really nice and fair..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. What kind of thing was that to say!

No wonder Weasley called her arrogant and self-important. Even to her own ears, it sounded awful, like something a creep would say!

But to her surprise, Jane seemed delighted, as if the comment had struck exactly the right chord.

"Would you like to try some face mask?" the girl in black and green robes asked.

"Um... yes... thank you..." Hermione heard herself reply numbly.

She watched as Jane scooped out a large portion of powder, mixed it into paste, and began applying it to her face.

"Merlin's beard!" Hermione exclaimed fifteen minutes later, touching her silky-smooth cheeks in amazement. "I dare say my skin wasn't this good even when I was born!"

Under the effects of the Bubotuber pus powder, her swollen eyes and dark circles had vanished, leaving no trace of her crying spell.

By now, she was completely captivated by this magical whitening treatment, all her earlier distress forgotten.

Feeling she should return the kindness, she nervously offered Jane some perfume she'd brought from the Muggle world.

"This is for you... it's Chanel..."

She felt uncertain, wondering if Jane would accept such a gift, being a Slytherin... they usually didn't care for Muggle things.

But to her surprise, Jane accepted it graciously.

"Chanel No. 5, nice."

Hermione was surprised that Jane knew about Muggle perfumes, and they began chatting pleasantly.

Suddenly, Jane wrinkled her nose as a foul stench invaded her nostrils.

Hermione clearly smelled it too, causing both girls to fall silent.

Jane found the odor oddly familiar, like unwashed socks... or an old lady's foot bindings...

Then she heard low grunting and the heavy dragging of feet.

She knew what it was immediately, being quite familiar with this twelve-foot-tall monster. Its skin was dull granite gray, its tiny head housing a brain the size of a walnut. It was bottom-heavy, with short legs thick as tree trunks and feet wider than their circumference thumping against the floor.

It was the same troll she'd encountered under the trapdoor on the fourth floor!

It was pushing its head through the bathroom doorway, its pea-sized eyes fixed steadily on Jane.

Seeming to recognize her, the troll lowered its head and slowly squeezed into the room.

Hermione let out a high-pitched, terrified scream, pulling Jane with her against the far wall, face pale and teeth chattering.

The troll advanced toward them, smashing sinks, mirrors, and pipes along the way.

It stopped a few steps away from them, apparently trying to determine what small creature had made that sound. Then it raised its club, attempting to squash what it perceived as an insect.

In the face of mortal danger, Hermione suddenly threw herself over Jane protectively.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to come.

She felt a gentle pat on her hand, and the air filled with the scent of Chanel No. 5.

When she dared to peek through barely-opened eyes, she found the troll had dropped its club and was now holding her bottle of Chanel No. 5, sniffing it eagerly like a parched man with water.

"Run," Jane urged, supporting Hermione as they carefully stepped over broken pipes and ceramic sink fragments, slipping quickly out the door and locking it firmly behind them.

Hermione was trembling so violently that Jane had to half-carry her to keep her standing.

"Hermione—come here—run!" Two voices suddenly echoed through the corridor.

Jane looked up to see Harry and Ron running toward them, wands raised high, panting heavily.

"There's a troll—are you alright?" Ron asked as he reached them, looking Hermione up and down.

"Yu Jane?" He finally noticed the black-haired, black-eyed girl standing nearby, who was giving him such a cold look that he stepped back with a shiver, his voice unsteady.

The fear from their encounter with the three-headed dog was still fresh in his mind, and Jane's presence had suddenly awakened that terror!

Jane had no desire to speak either, as the golden trio was now standing brazenly before her!

Hermione shot Ron a fierce glare: "Would you prefer if I wasn't?"

This immediately ignited Ron's anger: "Talk about ingratitude! We shouldn't have come looking for you, should've left you to face the troll alone!"

Just then, loud footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor, and moments later, Professor McGonagall appeared before them, followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear on unsteady feet.

Jane noticed that Draco had come along with Snape.

"What on earth are you all playing at?" McGonagall asked furiously. "Where's the troll?"

She and Professor Snape were both puzzled by the troll's silence.

Jane pointed at the bathroom door.

McGonagall immediately cast an unlocking charm. As the door opened, a blend of Neroli and ylang-ylang fragrance wafted out, accompanied by a horrible stench that made everyone sneeze.

The scene behind the door left McGonagall dumbfounded: amid the ruins, the troll was holding a tiny perfume bottle, frantically spraying itself!

Professor Snape remained perfectly composed, quickly recalling the sweet-smelling troll he'd encountered in the restricted area on the first day of school. He had wondered what kind of potion could calm a troll, and now he finally understood.

"Merlin's beard!" McGonagall exclaimed. Though the troll appeared calm, she and Snape still cast several Stunning Spells at it for good measure.

Seeing the troll unconscious, she turned around, her voice icy with anger: "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why weren't you in your dormitories?"

Snape also threw a piercing look at Jane: "Perhaps Miss Yu believed she could take on a troll single-handedly."

"Brilliant perfume, quite the revolutionary discovery, isn't it?" 

He directed his sarcasm at Jane, speaking in a sing-song tone:

"Miss Yu must have felt she hadn't attracted enough attention and needed to make a spectacular show at the Halloween feast to shock the entire school."

"Perhaps I should expel you and send you to Scandinavia to keep company with the trolls, since you're so fond of them."

What a blessing from heaven!

Jane could barely contain her laughter.

All she'd done was apply a face mask, and she'd encountered a troll!

And been caught red-handed by the professors!

This must be her lucky day!

First beauty treatment, then expulsion from school.

She felt like singing "Today Is a Good Day" for Professor Snape!

But at that moment, Snape's words were interrupted by a small voice from the shadows.

"Please don't, Professor—she was looking for me."

Hermione, pale-faced and wearing an expression of noble sacrifice, spoke up:

"I went looking for the troll. I thought I could handle it alone—I've read about them and thought I understood them."

Jane was dumbfounded.

Backstabber!

Betrayal!

Ingratitude!

Bridge-burner!

Countless accusations flew through her mind as she stared at Hermione, eyes wide with disbelief.

But Hermione, interpreting Jane's expression as one of deep emotion, became even more determined:

"Please expel me and let Jane stay... she did nothing wrong, she only tried to save me..."

Jane nearly fainted!

Professor Snape looked at Hermione suspiciously, then noticed Harry and Ron nearby. His pent-up anger finally found an outlet:

"Very well, perhaps Potter and Weasley can explain their presence here?"

Hermione quickly jumped in before they could speak:

"They came looking for me after Jane—but Jane had already subdued the troll with perfume."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, speechless. They never expected Hermione would lie about deliberately breaking school rules just to keep them out of trouble!

Professor McGonagall studied them thoughtfully before speaking: "If that's the case... Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this."

Then she turned to Jane: "Miss Yu, while I know you're capable, I hope next time you'll seek help from professors first."

Her stern face finally broke into a smile: "Twenty points to Slytherin for your courage."

Snape let out a cold snort.

He continued glaring at Harry and Ron, his words dripping with sarcasm:

"I suggest that Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley learn to contain their ignorance and recklessness."

"Had Miss Yu not been here today, your heads might no longer be attached to your necks."

Professor McGonagall frowned but nodded in agreement, scolding them: "Why can't you learn from Mr. Malfoy? When a student is missing, you should report to a professor first, not recklessly rush into danger."

Harry and Ron noticed Draco Malfoy, standing behind Snape, flash a smug smile.

"Five points to Slytherin!" McGonagall announced.

Draco's smile grew even more arrogant.

"As for you three," McGonagall looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "you'll all serve detention. Running around near a troll against professors' orders was extremely dangerous. I'm ashamed of you."

The three looked utterly dejected.