Chapter 41: Dialogue

"This... how is this possible?!"

Penelope Clearwater stood frozen, her mind struggling to process what she had just witnessed.

The Ravenclaw students around her mirrored her shock—wide-eyed, mouths agape—staring at the aftermath of Lin Mei's devastating punch.

No one had ever seen such raw power and unparalleled skill in action. The idea that a single student could send a massive troll flying was beyond anything they had imagined.

Then, the silence broke.

"We're saved!"

A cheer erupted among the Ravenclaw students, their fear and despair vanishing in an instant, replaced by awe and exhilaration. Lin Mei's heroism had ignited a fire of hope in their hearts.

Meanwhile, Lin Mei let out a small hiss of discomfort and muttered under her breath, "Damn… I haven't used that move in ages. I didn't expect to hurt myself in the process."

Despite the dragon blood flowing through her veins, Lin Mei was still young. Her bones—though stronger than an ordinary person's—weren't yet fully capable of withstanding such a massive impact.

The toll on her body was evident.

Her internal organs had taken a slight shock, though the pain was already subsiding. But the real problem was her right arm—her knuckles ached, and her shoulder was completely dislocated.

Before she could do anything about it, Penelope stepped forward, having overheard Lin Mei's muttering.

As a Ravenclaw, she immediately knew what to do.

"Senior Lin Mei, let me help!"

"Episkey!"

A sharp, crisp crack echoed through the corridor.

Lin Mei inhaled sharply, the sudden pain catching her off guard.

"Ow—! A little warning next time?!" she groaned, giving Penelope a slightly resentful look.

But the relief was instant—her shoulder was back in place.

Meanwhile, many Ravenclaw students were still stuck outside, unable to answer the riddle on their bronze eagle knocker. Their nervousness had completely paralyzed their thinking.

Lin Mei sighed. She had no time to waste.

The situation at the basement was still unknown, but Lin Mei knew that all the other trolls—scattered throughout Hogwarts—had already been dealt with.

Harry's side was under control, thanks to Lin's warning.

That left just one last troll—the one that Peeves had lured away.

Now, it had somehow ended up on the eighth floor.

"I really didn't expect Peeves to be so useful for once," Lin Mei muttered with a wry smile. The mischievous ghost had actually helped… even if it was by accident.

She turned her gaze toward the blurry outline of the eighth floor, thinking through her next move.

Then, without hesitation, she raced toward the stairs.

The eighth floor was even gloomier than Lin Mei had expected.

The dim light cast twisted shadows along the empty corridor, creating an eerie, almost haunted atmosphere.

Few people ever came up here.

As Lin Mei advanced, she could hear Peeves' taunting laughter echoing through the hallway, mixed with the heavy, clumsy footsteps of the troll.

Finally, at the end of the dark corridor, she found them.

Peeves was riding on the troll's shoulders, waving a dirty old rag like it was a set of reins.

"Giddy up, you great big lump! Faster! Round and round we go!" he cackled, making the troll stomp in circles like a clumsy, oversized horse.

Portraits on the walls muttered their disapproval, some huffing indignantly at the absurd sight.

Lin Mei had seen enough.

"Peeves! That's enough!"

Her voice rang out, commanding and firm, echoing through the empty corridor.

Peeves jerked in surprise, nearly toppling off the troll's shoulders.

"Oh, Lin Mei!" he grinned mischievously, floating into the air. "I was only helping! See? Keeping the big oaf busy and out of trouble!"

His words dripped with mock innocence, but Lin Mei caught the mischief glinting in his eyes.

She didn't bother arguing.

Instead, she turned her full attention to the troll.

The massive creature was still unsteady, its dull eyes locked onto Lin Mei as it let out a low, guttural growl.

But as soon as it sensed her overwhelming aura, it instinctively stepped back, a flicker of fear appearing in its slow-witted mind.

Lin Mei's eyes were like steel.

"This ends now."

With a flick of her wrist, she raised her wand.

A dazzling arc of light shot from the tip, striking the troll dead center on its forehead.

"ROOOOAAARRR—!"

The troll let out a deafening howl, its body trembling violently.

Then—

BANG!

It collapsed, the sheer weight of its massive frame shaking the corridor as it hit the ground.

Silence fell.

Peeves floated above the scene, blinking in surprise.

Then, with a cheeky grin, he stuck out his tongue, blew a loud raspberry, and disappeared with a whoosh—off to cause more trouble elsewhere.

Lin Mei exhaled slowly, surveying the now silent corridor.

But this battle had been different.

Peeves had unknowingly given Lin Mei an opportunity.

By luring the troll up here, he had given her a chance to experiment—to test whether she could compress her Dragon Slayer Magic into her wand and fire it like a spell.

The results?

She had succeeded—and failed at the same time.

Success—because the magic had compressed and fired properly.

Failure—because it still wasn't stable enough.

She would have to refine it.

But for now—

The fight was over.

What failed wasn't the Dragon Slayer Magic itself, but rather the way it was released.

Instead of unleashing a true Dragon Slayer spell, what Lin Mei had fired was merely a compressed mass of raw magical energy—powerful, but not what she intended.

The troll hadn't been obliterated, just knocked unconscious from the sheer impact.

Lin Mei sighed.

"Looks like combining two completely different magic systems isn't as easy as I thought," she muttered, frustration creeping into her voice.

The knowledge she had now simply wasn't enough to successfully merge them.

Before she could dwell on it further, the monster stirred, groaning as it started to wake up.

Lin Mei didn't hesitate.

With a swift, brutal kick, she sent the creature crashing back down—completely knocking it out this time.

"You seem a little impatient, Lin Mei."

A calm, knowing voice broke through the silence.

Lin Mei turned—only to find Dumbledore standing beside her.

She hadn't even noticed when he arrived.

Catching her breath, she straightened up and met his gaze.

"I suppose I am," she admitted. "But Professor, you let that man summon all these monsters inside Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic won't just sit back and ignore this, will they?"

She paused, then added with a frown, "And aren't you worried that Voldemort might change tactics? Instead of going after the Philosopher's Stone, what if he sets his sights on Harry—the so-called 'Child of Prophecy'?"

As she spoke, Lin Mei lazily flicked her wand, casting a Hovering Charm to lift the unconscious troll and guide it toward the stairs.

Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"It seems you've pieced together quite a lot already."

Lin Mei snorted.

"It's hard not to. Voldemort's name might be taboo to most wizards, but all I had to do was ask around. Even first-years know the basics. And let's be honest—Slytherin isn't exactly subtle about its obsession with the past."

She smirked. "You just have to find the right fool to brag about it."

Dumbledore laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Slytherin does have its… particular qualities," he mused. "But not all of them are bad, are they?"

Then, his tone grew more serious.

"As for Harry, Lily's protection still shields him. I have no immediate concerns for his safety."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"And the Ministry? Minister Fudge may be a bit excitable, but he's still manageable."

Lin Mei raised an eyebrow.

"Slytherin has someone who's that…" she trailed off, choosing not to reveal what she already knew about Dumbledore and Snape's secret dealings.

Instead, she changed the subject.

"Since you're here, that must mean Voldemort ran away again, right?"

Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes studied her for a moment.

Then, with a faint smile, he replied leisurely—

"And what makes you so sure he wasn't defeated?"

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