The Fool in Hogwarts

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

This time, they had walked straight into Snape’s hands. No amount of pleading would save them, and anything less than a severe punishment would make the trip he had taken feel wasted.

Bang!

The sound of walls and sinks being smashed suddenly came from inside the girls’ bathroom, followed by Hermione’s scream.

Harry and Ron turned pale, only then realising what a foolish thing they had done.

They had been so focused on locking the troll inside that they had completely forgotten Hermione was still in there.

"Professor, saving her comes first," Vade reminded him.

Snape immediately stepped forwards, shouldered the still-stunned Harry and Ron aside, opened the bathroom door, and rushed inside.

Hermione was crouched in a corner, trembling. The troll was slowly closing in on her, its sluggish mind completely unaware that several people had appeared behind it.

Snape waved his wand, sending out a flash of orange-red light.

The troll staggered for some reason. Everything before its eyes rotated one hundred and eighty degrees anticlockwise, and the wooden club fell from its hand.

It was suspended upside down in mid-air, flailing its limbs in confusion as though trying to escape the uncomfortable position.

Snape followed with another spell, sending the troll crashing hard into the wall.

With a tremendous bang, cracks spread across the wall. The troll shook its head dazedly, then lost consciousness.

Clap, clap, clap!

Vade applauded sincerely. "That was brilliant."

"Even adult wizards might struggle against a troll, yet he dealt with it using only two spells."

"Why aren’t you two applauding? Do you think Professor Snape doesn’t deserve it?"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, then reluctantly began to clap.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached. The commotion had been so loud that the people downstairs had heard the violent crash and the troll’s roars.

McGonagall and Quirrell rushed inside, both visibly startled by the scene before them.

"Good heavens. Someone explain exactly what happened here."

Harry and Ron stammered guiltily, unsure what to say.

"This is what happened," Hermione said. "It was all my fault, Professor McGonagall."

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall looked deeply distressed, unable to believe that Gryffindor’s most dependable student had caused such serious trouble.

"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could deal with it.

"I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn’t found Professor Snape in time, I might already be dead."

No, please stop talking.

That wasn’t what happened. We didn’t do that. We...

Harry and Ron lowered their heads like children caught misbehaving and stared at the floor, as though searching for a crack wide enough to crawl into.

"Ahem." A cold smile appeared on Snape’s face. "Miss Granger, that was a very impressive account, but the situation as I understand it seems rather different."

"First, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley did not bring me here.

"Mr Moria informed me that you had not attended the feast in the Great Hall and therefore did not know that a troll was roaming the castle."

"Daphne told me," Vade said. "I divined that Hermione might be in danger, so I went to find Professor Snape."

"D-divination?" Quirrell looked at him curiously. "Mr Moria can do that?"

"Vade does possess a talent for divination," McGonagall said. "I was the professor who introduced him to the wizarding world. He even used divination to select his wand at Ollivanders."

Quirrell nodded as though he only partly understood, while an unusual gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Second," Snape continued, "when Mr Moria and I arrived, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley were locking the bathroom door. I cannot say what they intended." His expression was openly mocking. "However, I am quite certain they saw the troll enter the bathroom."

Hermione’s red, tearful eyes widened. She stared at Harry and Ron in shock. "How could you?"

"We came here because we wanted to warn you that a troll was loose," Harry said quietly. "Neville told us you were here and that you’d been crying all afternoon."

"When we reached the corner, we saw the troll," Ron added cautiously.

"It went into this room, and then we noticed the lock on the door, so we thought we could trap it inside.

"But after locking the door, we remembered that this was the girls’ bathroom. Then we remembered you were inside."

"Before we could open the door again, Professor Snape and Moria arrived."

The two boys explained the situation between them, and some of the anger faded from Hermione’s face.

She did not think they would lie to her, and neither of them would ever have the nerve to kill someone to keep them quiet.

It had been a misunderstanding. A terrifying and infuriating misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding nonetheless.

"Professor McGonagall, I believe the situation is now quite clear," Snape said calmly. "I will leave their punishment to you, as Head of Gryffindor."

McGonagall stared at the three of them in bitter disappointment. She could not find any excuse to favour Gryffindor even if she wanted to.

"Miss Granger, you lied to your professors to keep them out of trouble.

"You foolish girl. This is the first time you have truly disappointed me. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"I’m sorry, Professor." Hermione lowered her head in shame.

"Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, neither of you showed any sense. Five points from Gryffindor for each of you."

"Mr Moria, you remained calm and sensible, and brought Professor Snape here to resolve a serious danger.

"For your outstanding conduct, twenty points to Slytherin," McGonagall said with mixed feelings. Had she known, she would have discussed the matter with the Sorting Hat beforehand. Gryffindor clearly suited him better than Slytherin.

"Unless any of you have further business here, return to your respective Houses.

"The Halloween feast has not yet ended. Food will be sent to your common rooms."

"Goodbye, Professor."

Vade waved without hesitation.

It was a girls’ bathroom containing a foul-smelling troll. He could not leave quickly enough.

"Wait." Hermione hurriedly called after him, then hesitated. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome. I simply didn’t want anyone getting hurt."

"And thank you for saving me, Professor Snape," Hermione said somewhat awkwardly. She had not held a particularly favourable opinion of the Potions professor, but there was no denying that he had saved her life.

"Miss Granger, the next time you lie, make certain you understand the situation first."

Hermione lowered her head almost imperceptibly, then turned and glared fiercely at Harry and Ron.

The two boys guiltily avoided her gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

At the same time, they silently resolved not to provoke her again until her anger had passed.

After the four students left, McGonagall looked at the troll lying on the floor.

"Professor Snape, Professor Quirrell, we need to deal with this troll."

"O-of course," Quirrell said in a strained, trembling voice. "It won’t escape again. It certainly won’t."

"My apologies, Professor McGonagall.

"I have something else to attend to, so I must excuse myself." Snape suddenly remembered the object hidden on the fourth floor. He would not feel at ease unless he went to check...

(To be continued.)