A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall stared at the fallen troll on the bathroom floor, her lips pale and trembling.

"I want to know… what on earth happened here?!" Her voice was sharp with icy anger.

Her frustration was clearly directed at Hermione, Harry, and Ron—she knew William's capabilities well enough to trust that he could handle a troll without trouble.

"You're lucky it didn't kill you! Why weren't you in your dormitories?" she demanded loudly.

At that moment, a low voice came from behind William.

"Please don't be too harsh, Professor McGonagall—they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione, having recovered somewhat after eating the chocolate William had given her, spoke in a soft voice:

"I came looking for the troll because… I thought I could handle it myself. I read about trolls in books and thought I knew enough about them to face one."

"If they hadn't come for me, I would be dead by now."

William paused, considering her words for a couple of seconds.

Though he didn't know why Hermione had been in the bathroom, the situation was becoming clear. Harry and Ron had locked the troll inside, likely unaware that Hermione was there. 

Similarly, Hermione probably didn't realize the door was locked. She likely thought they had come to rescue her, which explained her fabricated story.

If Hermione had known the truth, her version might have been more like: "Professor, I was in the bathroom when Harry and Ron locked the troll in with me!"

Had she said that, Harry and Ron would probably be sent to live with Hagrid after having their wands snapped.

As it stood, her lie was a cover for their honest mistake, and Harry and Ron were doing their best to act like they were in on the story from the beginning.

"Oh, I see…" Professor McGonagall muttered, scrutinizing the trio before turning her attention to William. "William, is that what really happened?"

Harry and Ron tensed up, silently praying he wouldn't mention anything about spying on the girls' bathroom.

Hermione discreetly pinched William's arm from behind, prompting him to answer, "It's mostly accurate, Professor. I don't know all the details, but when I arrived, I saw Harry and Ron fighting Lumpy."

"Lumpy?"

"Oh, It's the name I gave the dead troll," William said, motioning toward the now-dead troll.

Professor McGonagall's expression froze. Did he think he was Hagrid, handing out cute names to magical creatures?

"I noticed they were struggling against Lumpy, and the situation was dangerous, so I used magic to deal with the troll," William continued. 

Then, raising an eyebrow, he asked, "By the way, Professor, how did the troll get into the school?"

This clearly wasn't a festive Halloween surprise. Dumbledore wasn't one to orchestrate such events—Hagrid, maybe, but not Dumbledore.

"That… Headmaster Dumbledore is investigating the matter," McGonagall said with a sigh. She seemed resigned to the fact that Halloween at Hogwarts always came with drama.

"Wait a moment," Snape interjected suddenly, his voice cutting through the room. "I noticed that Mr. Stark didn't attend the Halloween feast tonight."

"Actually, I must correct you, Professor Snape," William replied with a calm smile. "I didn't skip the feast—I was just a little late."

"Yet, as I understand it, you also skipped your History of Magic class this afternoon," Snape said smugly.

William rolled his eyes. It seemed Snape had taken an unusual interest in his daily schedule.

"Do not misunderstand," Snape said, narrowing his eyes. "The students of Slytherin are observant. While they were attentively listening to the lecture, they noticed your absence and, out of concern, reported it to me.

"So, Mr. Stark, you've been missing for an entire afternoon and evening…"

"Professor, surely you don't think I let the troll into the school?" William asked innocently.

"Of course not," Snape replied, a sly smile spreading across his sallow face. "But I do think you're not being entirely truthful. Perhaps you've been engaging in some activities against the school rules

"I'm aware that many third-years and below sneak off to Hogsmeade…"

William sighed internally. He had snuck off to Hogsmeade before, but not today.

"Skipping class and breaking rules—I propose we revoke certain privileges. For instance…" Snape's tone grew sharper, "his permission to use the dragon. At least until he tells us the full story."

It was clear Snape was seizing the moment for petty revenge.

"To be honest, Severus," McGonagall said after a moment of hesitation, "If Professor Binns didn't deduct points, I don't think we should interfere with his classroom discipline.

"Of course, if William skips your class, you're welcome to deduct points.

"As for other infractions, they're merely speculative…"

Snape scowled. Binns couldn't even tell one student from another—who would he deduct points from?

If Snape had any real evidence, he'd have gone straight to Dumbledore rather than wasting time here.

Frustrated, Snape fell silent, though he sniffed the air suspiciously. 

There was an unusual scent on William, but the overwhelming stench of troll blood in the bathroom made it impossible to identify.

McGonagall turned back to Hermione.

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl. What made you think you could face a troll alone?"

"For this, Gryffindor will lose five points. I'm very disappointed in you."

Hermione lowered her head, staring at her shoes.

"If you're unharmed, go back to the Gryffindor tower immediately. The students are still enjoying the Halloween feast in their common rooms."

Hermione hurried off.

McGonagall then turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, you're lucky indeed. Rescuing a classmate showed great courage. You've each earned Gryffindor five points. I'll inform Professor Dumbledore of your actions. You may go."

Finally, she turned to William.

"As for you, William—you defeated the troll and protected your fellow students. Ravenclaw will gain fifteen points."

Snape snorted in annoyance. As Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall outranked him. 

If their roles were reversed, he'd have awarded William one point, deducted fifteen for skipping class, and assigned him detention to investigate his suspicious behavior.

As for Hermione? Maybe a week of scrubbing the girls' bathrooms.

Harry and Ron? Expulsion.

As William turned to leave, Professor Quirrell was still sobbing in the corner. From the way he clutched his chest, one might think he was the evening's biggest victim.

Even Hermione isn't crying anymore, come on.

Outside the bathroom, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the corridor.

When William approached, he pulled out a large bar of chocolate and handed each of them a piece.

"That spell back there was amazing!" Harry said after taking a mouthful.

"Yeah! My brother Charlie said you were incredible, but that was a troll!" Ron exclaimed, looking at William like a little fanboy.

Ron had clearly moved past their earlier spat, and William didn't bring it up either. After all, who would hold a grudge over something so trivial?

As they ate, Harry and Ron quickly recounted the night's events at William's prompting.

"What do you think? How could the troll have gotten into the school?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure," William replied, though his thoughts lingered on Quirrell.

He had been the first to discover the troll, yet despite supposedly fainting in the Great Hall, he somehow ended up near the restricted area on the fourth floor.

Strange.

William had never paid much attention to Quirrell before. Now, however, the man seemed suspicious—especially with his trembling demeanor and nauseating dependence on Snape for comfort.

Was Quirrell really just a bumbling fool?

Or was he a master pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger?

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[tl/n: Ah, the classic!]