Tangled Shadows and Troll Trouble

Zephyr jolted awake, the sharp edges of two pilfered books, Ancient Lineages and Forgotten Wizards and Occlumency: A Beginner's Shield, digging into his cheek through the pillow, on his way out yesterday, he accidentally found the Occlumency book, and he grabbed it along with Ancient Lineages book.

In Gryffindor Tower, lay shrouded in pre-dawn gloom, Ron's snores a low rumble, but sleep had slipped away hours ago.

Morgana le Fay, 87% chance she was his ancestor, the idea gnawed at his thoughts, her chaotic legacy is a weight that he couldn't shake. Moreover, Quirrell's whispered "he may sense us" echoed relentlessly, and his wand, currently resting on his chest, pulsed faintly and murmuring "Riddle" then suddenly "Chaos" He rubbed his eyes, muttering,

"Great, now it's bilingual. What's next, cryptic haikus?"

He shifted, pulling the books free. Ancient Lineages felt heavier, its black leather warm and unsettling. He'd swapped Curses for Dummies into its spot on the Restricted Section shelf last night, a hasty cover, but it would hold unless Dumbledore turned into a book-sniffing bloodhound.

"He's got bigger problems than a missing book," Zephyr reasoned, sliding both volumes under his mattress, it is safer than the pillow and less likely to jab him awake.

"If it comes to it, I'll transfigure it into a sock and call it laundry." Still, the thought of those piercing blue eyes unraveling his trick sent a shiver through him. Stealth was his shield for now.

Rising, he grabbed Occlumency: A Beginner's Shield, its faded cover catching the dawn's gray light.

"Time to fortify the mind," he said, flipping it open as he moved toward the dormitory door. The text was extremely dry like 'Clear your mind… erect a barrier…', but a scribbled note in the margin halted him: "Emotion fuels the shield; will shapes it. Master both, or it crumbles."

His brows lifted. "Not just blank-slate stuff, there is a trick to this." He tucked it under his arm, a faint smirk tugging his lips. "Let's see how fast I can master it."

He paused at the threshold, wand in hand, and tested it. Eyes closed, he pictured a steel wall, cold and unyielding. It wavered, then a dancing pineapple in a tutu burst through, cackling. "Oh, come on," he hissed

He drew on last night's tension: Quirrell's fear, Morgana's shadow and his own resolve. The wall snapped up, solid as granite, a hum of power buzzing in his skull. He pushed further, shaping it into a dome, seamless and impenetrable. The wall held with no cracks, no pineapples. In ten seconds, he be able to transform his unprotected mind into a fortress.

"Unreal," he breathed, eyes snapping open. The dorm was unchanged, but his mind felt like a locked vault. "That is not normal speed to learn this."

His wand pulsed in approval, and a spark of pride flared. "Guess I'm a natural at shielding my transmigrator brain. Dumbledore is not getting in today." He'd grasped the basics faster than most could dream. At this moment, emotion and will are his domain, though it was still rough and needing refinement under pressure.

Morgana, Voldemort and Dumbledore, there are too many eyes, and his talent only drew more. He wouldn't tell Harry or Ron yet, maybe he would never need to tell them even though he considers them as his friend, there are too many things that he prefers to keep it to himself. Not only that, telling Harry or Ron would be disaster recipes since Voldemort's presence was too near, Dumbledore's scrutiny too sharp. "Well, Solo Leveling it is," he murmured, stepping into the common room as dawn crept higher.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a riot of noise and warmth, the long tables packed with chattering students. Zephyr slid onto the bench beside Harry, Ron across from him elbow-deep in sausages, and Hermione a few seats down, buried in a book thicker than her head. The air carried bacon and cinnamon, a cozy balm against the unease in his chest.

"Morning, mate," Harry said, pushing toast toward Zephyr with a grin. "You look like you wrestled a troll last night."

Zephyr smirked, grabbing a slice and internally said "If only you knew you're up against one tonight, Chosen One, I might do you a favor since I need to test something."

He kept it internal, saying instead, "My brain was just plotting its own adventure. How'd you sleep?"

Harry shrugged, green eyes bright. "Better than Ron—he was snoring like a dragon with a cold."

"Oi!" Ron protested through a mouthful, spraying crumbs. "I'm a symphony, you heathens. Pure musical genius!"

Zephyr chuckled, the sound easing his tension. "A symphony? More like a Quidditch match where snores score all the goals."

Hermione slammed her book shut, glaring at Ron. "Maybe if you put that energy into studying instead of gorging, you wouldn't have insulted me yesterday!"

Ron blinked, sausage dangling. "What're you on about now?"

"You called me a know-it-all in Charms!" she snapped, voice rising. "Said I was a nightmare and no wonder I've got no friends, I heard every word, Ronald Weasley!"

Ron's ears reddened. "Well, you were showing off with that levitation nonsense! 'Swish and flick,' like I'm some thickheaded troll—"

"You are thickheaded if you think that's showing off!" Hermione shot back, eyes flashing. "I was helping, but you'd rather stuff your face than learn anything!"

Harry winced, glancing at Zephyr. "Should we step in?"

"Nah" Zephyr said "They will solve it out by themselves". He knows fore sure that after troll incidents, the trio friendship will be more solid.

The bickering flared and Ron grumbling about "bossy nightmares," Hermione snapping about "lazy oafs" until Zephyr caught Dumbledore's twinkling gaze from the staff table. Quirrell fidgeted, avoiding eye contact.

[System Alert: Proximity to hostile entity detected.]

"Quirrell or Voldemort?" he whispered. "Guess we'll see."

The day blurred through classes, Zephyr's mind torn between Morgana and the troll he knew was coming. Dusk fell, and Hogwarts bloomed into Halloween splendor. The Great Hall's enchanted ceiling blazed with a twilight sky, streaked with fiery orange and deep violet, stars twinkling like captive fireflies. Levitating pumpkins glowed with carved grins, their golden light dancing across ancient stone walls etched with centuries of secrets. Garlands of autumn leaves with combination of crimson, amber, and gold twined around towering pillars, rustling as if alive with whispered tales, while silvery wisps of ghost light drifted overhead, trailing shimmering veils that caught the warm glow of a thousand floating candles. The air thrummed with magic, rich with spiced cider, roasted chestnuts, and a faint undercurrent of old stone, a beauty so vivid that it stole his breath, yet tinged with an eerie stillness, as if the castle braced for chaos.

"Hogwarts knows how to throw a party for sure" Zephyr murmured, awed. It was a scene from a fantasy epic, serene yet charged, beauty on the brink of breaking.

The feast roared with life turkey, pies, treacle tarts, students laughing, silverware clinking. Neville fumbled a tart, blushing as Seamus teased, "Careful, Longbottom, don't feed the ghosts!" The hall buzzed

Until, Quirrell burst in, turban askew, stammering, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know!" He collapsed in a faint, and the pandemonium broke loose.

Screams bounced off the walls, pumpkins wobbling as students leapt up, chairs scraping. Neville froze, tart falling, while Seamus shouted, "We're doomed!" The ceiling flickered, twilight hues stuttering, shadows twisting jaggedly.

Dumbledore's voice boomed, "Silence! Prefects, lead your houses to the dormitories immediately!"

Students surged, plates clattering, a pumpkin splattering treacle across the Hufflepuff table.

Harry grabbed Ron, "Where's Hermione?"

Ron stammered, "I saw her go to bathroom, maybe still mad! "but Zephyr's mind was set. Troll's here, script on track.

Hermione's in danger, Harry and Ron will blunder in but I've got a plan. His wand pulsed urgently. I need to test Morgana's power limits that currently flow in my vain also with this wand. Troll will be the perfect target.

Also, If Voldemort's watching through Quirrell, bringing Harry along is too noticeable, I'll take this alone, keep him off the radar.

He slipped into the crowd's shadow, Shadow Step carrying him silently to the hall's edge, unnoticed by Harry or Ron as they were swept toward the Gryffindor exit, he moved into the corridors, purpose locked.

The castle darkened, Halloween's glow fading into damp stone and flickering torches, their flames casting jagged shadows across walls slick with age. The air thickened with mildew and a sour, creeping stench rotting meat, wet earth, a predator's breath.

Shadow Sense flared, then a rancid, lumbering presence closing in, its weight trembling the floor. The girls' bathroom loomed, Hermione's sobs cutting through, then a roar erupted, shaking the stones, dust sifting like ash.

The troll smashed through the doorway, a twelve-foot titan of gray, wart-ridden flesh, its gnarled muscles rippling under a hide thick as armor. Its club look like a stripped oak that swung wild, shattering the frame into splinters. The stench hit like a curse, the dank tiles amplifying it as water pooled from a busted pipe, murky and swirling with debris.

Hermione screamed, scrambling back as the club descended, smashing sinks into porcelain shrapnel. She tripped, falling against a stall, her sobs choked with terror. Zephyr stepped into the fray, wand igniting with a dark pulse that warped the air. At eleven, his power shouldn't match this beast, yet it did, a storm in a boy's frame, his shadow stretching menacingly across the ruin. "Hang on, Hermione," he called, voice firm and steady. "I'm here."

The troll roared, club swinging in a brutal arc, and Zephyr moved—Shadow Step—dissolving into darkness, reappearing beside Hermione in an instant. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close as the club smashed where she'd been, tiles exploding. "Stay near me," he said, eyes locked on the troll, his tone resolute. She nodded, trembling but pressing against his side, her breath ragged.

Zephyr faced the beast alone, wand steady, Occlumency's steel dome locking out fear. Emotion fueled it, will shape it. "Let's see what I'm made of," he said, voice low, intense. "Shadow Bind!" Tendrils of shadow erupted, thick and serpentine, coiling around the troll's legs with a hiss. They tightened then frayed under its chaotic bulk, snapping apart with a crack that echoed off the walls. "Tougher than it looks," he muttered, diving as the club cratered the floor, water and dust spraying.

The troll charged, its roar shaking the ceiling, and Zephyr met it head-on. "Shadow Surge!" A vortex of shadow spiraled forth raw, untamed, its edges flickering with chaotic energy that bent the light. It struck the troll's chest with a booming crash, staggering it back, cracking the wall as water gushed from ruptured pipes. The beast roared, undeterred, its strength a wall against his might. Hermione gasped, clinging tighter, her voice a whisper. "Zephyr—it's too strong!"

"Not for me" he said, determination hardening his gaze. His power surged, a torrent at eleven first years didn't wield this, but he wasn't ordinary. He dodged another swing, the club shattering tiles into shrapnel, water splashing violently. "Shadow Surge!" Another lance of darkness pierced its arm, forcing the club to drop with a bone-shaking thud and a howl that rattled the stones.

The troll lunged, fist swinging, relentless. Zephyr's breath hitched, his spells straining against its bulk. Then it snapped, his wand flared, runes blazing white-hot, a voice whispering, ancient and cold: "Unleash me." his blood surged, a dark tide in his veins, chaotic and alive, syncing with the wand's will. Shadows bled from him, coiling like living flame black, endless, beyond his known limits. Then deep down in his heart, he knows what to do.

"Chaos Rend!" The words tore free, his wand slashing down. A torrent of shadow erupted, a storm of pure chaos, Morgana's fury unleashed, shrieking as it shredded the air. It struck, a maelstrom of darkness clawing into the troll's chest, lifting it off the ground with a force that shook the walls. Hermione braced against him, her gasp lost in the roar, the troll thrashed, its hide rippling, then crashed through the floor into the dungeon below, a crater of splintered stone and twisted pipes marking its fall. Water poured after it, a cascading roar, and silence fell, broken by dripping faucets and her shaky breaths.

Zephyr staggered, wand trembling, its glow dimming as the shadows receded. "Holy...crap" he panted, staring at the ruin with flooded tiles, shattered walls, a gaping hole.

Hermione exhaled shakily, still pressed close, her voice trembling with awe. "Zephyr… you saved me. I've never seen anything like that, what was it?" Her wide eyes met his, a mix of fear, gratitude, and something softer flickering within them, seem like a trust, perhaps, or the start of something deeper.

He steadied his breath, meeting her gaze. "I couldn't let it hurt you," he said, voice low but firm. "Hermione, this has to stay between us, it is our secret. No one need to know the full extent of what I did here"

She swallowed, her hand still on his arm, then nodded slowly, her resolve strengthening. "I won't tell a soul. You risked your life for me, I'll keep it safe, I promise." Her fingers lingered, a subtle warmth in her touch, her eyes holding a moment longer than necessary, then a quiet bond forming, rooted in gratitude and admiration.

Footsteps splashed, Harry and Ron burst in, wands drawn, faces flushed from running. Harry's eyes widened at the wreckage, his voice urgent. "Hermione! Zephyr! What happened? Are you both alright?"

Ron gaped, taking in the flooded floor and gaping hole. "Bloody hell, what's all this? Did the troll do that? How'd you even manage with that thing?"

Zephyr glanced at Hermione, who gave a faint nod, then turned to them, his tone calm but measured. "We're fine. I heard Hermione screaming and got here just as the troll broke in. It was attacking her, so I hit it with a stunning spell, it stumbled and fell through the floor. The damage was already done by then."

Harry frowned, peering into the crater, his voice tinged with doubt. "A stunning spell? That hole's enormous, did it really just fall like that? It looks like the whole room got blasted apart."

Ron scratched his head, bewildered. "Yeah, mate, that's no normal stun. We heard crashing all the way from the corridor, it sounded like a proper fight. Did you do something else to it?"

Hermione stepped closer to Zephyr, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "He's telling the truth, it was absolute chaos when I got here. The troll was smashing everything to bits, and Zephyr stunned it just in time. The floor must've been weakened already, and it collapsed under its weight, that's all there is to it."

Harry's brow furrowed, still skeptical. "But the noise, it wasn't just a fall. It sounded like something massive hit it hard."

Zephyr kept his expression neutral. "It was thrashing around a lot, those things are heavy and clumsy. I caught it off balance with the spell, and the floor gave way. That's what you heard."

Ron nodded slowly, though uncertainty lingered in his eyes. "Blimey, you've got some luck then. Good thing you're both okay, that troll could've flattened you."

Before they could press further, heavier footsteps splashed, McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell arrived. The scene froze them, water lapping at their shoes, dust settling like ash, the troll gone, a hole in its wake. McGonagall's face paled, her voice sharp with alarm. "What in Merlin's name happened here?" Snape's eyes narrowed, his limp stark as he surveyed the ruin, suspicion coiling in his gaze. Quirrell stammered, "T-t-troll—h-how—?" his voice breaking, fear or something else flickering in his eyes.

Zephyr stepped forward, Occlumency up, shaky but firm then his voice steady and composed. "I was passing by when I heard Hermione screaming. The troll had broken in and was attacking her, for some reason, I managed to hit it with a stunning spell. It stumbled and fell through the floor, probably because it had already weakened the structure smashing everything. It was a close call, but we got lucky with the timing."

Hermione, still near his side, nodded, her tone soft but convincing. "That's exactly what happened. I was trapped here, and Zephyr arrived just in time. He stunned it, and the floor collapsed under its weight, I don't know how it held up that long to begin with."

McGonagall's eyes widened, then softened with a mix of relief and disbelief. "You're both unharmed, that's what matters. But a troll, defeated by a first year with a stunning spell?"

Snape's lip curled, his voice a cold hiss. "A fortunate stumble, indeed, but the story seems so convenient." Then McGonagall waved him off, exasperated. "Enough questions for now, all of you, back to your dormitory immediately! We'll investigate this further."

🥳*More stones please, fellow wizard*🥳