Chapter 17: Wingardium… Leviosa

At this point in time, the only one who could be hiding on the second floor crying was the protagonist—Hermione.

Having been so focused on crafting the [Clockwork Halloween Iron Golem], Regulus Black nearly forgot about this part of the plot.

He arrived at the door of the girls' bathroom. As a gentleman, he had no business being in there—even if no one was inside. But since there was someone, and that someone was a little girl, entering would be completely inappropriate.

"Invisibilis!" Regulus Black cast a spell to make himself disappear, then quietly pushed open the girls' bathroom door.

He walked to the stall from which the crying had come and gently knocked a few times.

"Who is it? Go away!"

Hermione had stopped crying. She really didn't want anyone to see her like this. Though most people already knew she was hiding in the bathroom crying, everyone had silently agreed to leave her alone. Whether it was rejection or indifference didn't matter—Hermione herself felt that she needed time alone, not someone to comfort her.

"Are you done yet? You can't keep hogging the bathroom forever."

A teasing smile appeared on Regulus Black's face. Normal words of comfort might not work on a little girl like Hermione—especially someone as calm and rational as her. She would probably sort herself out eventually, but by then, his presence would no longer matter.

"You're a boy. Why are you in the girls' bathroom?"

"Because all the toilets in the boys' bathroom are clogged."

"There are plenty of empty stalls nearby."

"They're all clogged too."

Hermione was on the verge of screaming. She had never met anyone so shameless. And now this man was standing in the girls' bathroom, talking through the stall door as if he intended to come in. Hermione felt completely unsafe. Someone help me!

"Aren't you planning to come out?"

"No! I still need a long time. Why don't you go find another bathroom on a different floor?"

"That would take too long. I'm afraid I won't make it in time."

Hermione was speechless. Clearly, the person outside was planning to stick around no matter what.

"Alright then! Looks like you're not coming out anytime soon. I'll just stand here and chat with you. I don't mind standing still."

"But I mind. If you're standing outside, I might take even longer."

"Then chatting is perfect. Trust me—when you're relaxed, time passes faster."

Silence. Hermione just wanted to leave this place immediately. Maybe it had been a mistake to cry for so long in the first place.

Going back to the Great Hall to enjoy the Halloween feast, chatting with her classmates—even seeing that annoying Ron—would be a thousand times better than being trapped in a bathroom stall by some weirdo.

Miss Hermione decided to go mute, not uttering another word.

"Well, since you don't want to talk, then let me do the talking!"

"I know about you. In Professor Flitwick's Charms class, you did great. You were the first to successfully cast the Levitation Charm. Because of that, a classmate who doesn't do so well started seeing you as an enemy. That's totally normal! The only people who never face hostility are the ones who are useless. Your grades are the best in all of Gryffindor. It's a pity you weren't sorted into Ravenclaw—that's the house that values knowledge most."

Regulus Black could no longer hear Hermione crying, so clearly the little girl was listening intently.

"But have you ever wondered why the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor? Gryffindor is known for courage, while Ravenclaw is known for wisdom. You're a hardworking, ambitious student. The reason you ended up in Gryffindor is because you have the courage to face difficulties. In simple terms, you're a hard-working genius—different from the innate geniuses in Ravenclaw. Of course, there's no superiority between the two."

"So, when you face hostility, isolation, and misunderstanding from others, the best way to counter it is with your actions—with your strength and your achievements. And I believe that as a Gryffindor student, you have enough courage to do just that. So please, don't cry anymore!"

Just then, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall, delivering a warning to Dumbledore—a troll had entered the school dungeons. This news sent the students into a panic, like children being chased by the big bad wolf in a story. Terror spread quickly, and many tried to flee the hall.

Under Dumbledore's calm command, the prefects of each house guided their younger students back to their dormitories.

The professors, meanwhile, left the hall with their own goals and intentions.

Harry Potter and Ron, upon learning that Hermione was alone on the second floor, broke away from the group to go warn her about the troll.

Trolls: Magical creatures with strong resistance to spells. As a humanoid magical species, many parts of their bodies are used as raw materials in potion-making.

Even a single troll specimen could be repurposed by Regulus Black to produce the dark sand required for skillcrafting.

There was no way he was letting a living, walking potion vault go to waste.

The faint stench was already drifting in with the sound of footsteps. The troll, with its large ears but poor eyesight, had followed the voices coming from the bathroom. Originally, it would've been attracted by Hermione's crying, but now it was Regulus Black's voice that had caught its attention.

Out in the corridor, Harry Potter and Ron had also arrived, just in time to see the troll enter the girls' bathroom on the second floor.

"Ron, what do we do? It went into the girls' bathroom!"

"I don't know. Let's go check it out first."

These two foolhardy little lions didn't even consider running to inform a professor—they recklessly charged in themselves, oblivious to the danger.

"If you don't come out soon, you're going to miss the Halloween feast!"

Regulus Black glanced back and could see the troll that had just entered, a cold smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. Perfect timing.

Hermione, having tidied her clothes and wiped away her tears, finally opened the door and stepped out—only to find no one around. All she saw was a troll standing at the entrance, staring at her with dull eyes, licking its lips with an expression like it had just found the main course of a Halloween banquet.

To this brutish troll, the fresh, tender little girl in front of it was nothing more than a delicious dish.

No need for sweet talk, no need for dating, no need for confessions—just one swing of its club and she'd be his. What a wonderful era this was.

With the most primitive notion of romance, the troll launched its fiercest courtship toward the little girl.

"Ahhh!" Hermione let out a high-pitched scream, preparing to dash back into the bathroom stall to escape the troll's sight.

But before she could react, she was swept up into someone's arms and pulled into the farthest corner of the bathroom.

Regulus Black whispered gently into her ear, "Don't be afraid. Remember the Levitation Charm you just learned."

With him present, there was no way he would let Hermione end up as disheveled and terrified as she did in the original story. That would be a stain on his reputation as a gentleman with a soft spot for little girls.

"Take out your wand. Focus on the troll's club."

Regulus Black set the little girl down and encouraged her on what to do.

Although Hermione still couldn't see Regulus, who had used Invisibilis, she believed him from the bottom of her heart.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Seizing the moment, Hermione aimed precisely at the troll's raised club. With a single Levitation Charm, the dumbfounded troll was disarmed.

"Hermione! We're here!"

The two little lions burst in, only to see Hermione disarming the troll with her wand. Both of them stood frozen, wide-eyed.

An invisible hand helped Hermione control the floating club. As the troll looked up, it came crashing down, landing squarely on its face.

As a species with tiny brains but magically resistant bodies, trolls had a major flaw: their physical defense in the head was practically zero.

While trolls were dangerous to children, to adult wizards, they were the kind of creature that could be wiped out with a single Avian Swarm spell.

Regulus Black gave Hermione a gentle push forward but showed no intention of revealing himself.

Hermione didn't know who had helped her, but since the person chose not to appear, it was clear they had their reasons.

So, Hermione was ready to take on everything herself.

When Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell burst in, they were greeted by the sight of the fallen troll and three students.

"Professor! It was all because of me. I was too curious about the troll's appearance. And I'm the one who brought it down."

With confidence, Hermione took full responsibility for everything.

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