thick of it

The Great Hall had been transformed into a spookily enchanting space, filled with floating pumpkins, fluttering bats, and an eerie orange glow from enchanted candles. Students laughed and chatted as they enjoyed the Halloween feast.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry speared a roasted potato with his fork, glancing around. "Ron," he said quietly, leaning in. "Hermione's not here."

Ron looked up, his mouth half-full of treacle tart. "Huh? Maybe she's still mad about earlier."

Neville, sitting beside Harry, chimed in hesitantly. "I heard from Parvati that she's been crying in the girl's bathroom all afternoon. She locked herself in and hasn't come out."

Harry and Ron exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of guilt settling heavily on their shoulders.

Before they could say anything more, the doors to the Great Hall flew open, and Professor Quirrell stumbled in, his turban askew. "Troll—in the dungeon!" he shouted, his voice high-pitched and panicked. "Thought you ought to know!" Then, with a dramatic flair, he collapsed in a faint.

The Hall erupted into chaos. Students screamed and scrambled, unsure where to go or what to do.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's voice boomed, cutting through the chaos. The room fell quiet as all eyes turned to the headmaster. "Everyone will please remain calm. Prefects, lead your houses to their dormitories immediately. Teachers, follow me to the dungeon."

The students shuffled out in nervous groups. Harry and Ron followed the Gryffindor line, but Ron muttered under his breath, "Trolls are stupid. They couldn't have gotten in on their own. Bet someone's playing a joke."

Harry stopped abruptly, grabbing Ron's arm.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Hermione," Harry said urgently. "She doesn't know about the troll!"

Without another word, Harry took off, pulling Ron along with him. They dodged past the prefects and dashed down the corridors toward the girl's bathroom.

The bathroom door creaked open just as a low, guttural growl rumbled from inside. Harry and Ron froze. The enormous troll lumbered through the bathroom, its grotesque gray skin glistening under the dim lighting. Its club, a massive piece of wood, swung carelessly, smashing a sink into pieces.

Inside, Hermione, her face streaked with tears, peeked out from one of the stalls. Seeing the troll, she gasped and ducked back inside.

The troll roared, swinging its club wildly and shattering the stall where Hermione had been hiding seconds earlier. She scrambled to the next stall, crawling on the floor to escape the swinging weapon.

Harry and Ron got inside see the destruction and try to distract the Troll .

"Oi! Over here!" Harry shouted, grabbing a piece of broken wood and throwing it at the troll.

The troll turned toward him, its small, dull eyes narrowing. It swung its club, narrowly missing Harry as he ducked.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, grabbing another piece of debris and throwing it. "Hermione, get out of there!"

Hermione, now under the sink, looked up with wide, terrified eyes. The troll's club crashed into the counter above her, sending splinters everywhere.

Harry seized the moment, jumping onto the troll's back and grabbing its club. The troll roared in confusion, trying to reach for him. Harry shoved his wand into the troll's nostril, making it roar louder.

"Help! Bloody help me!" Harry shouted, clinging on for dear life.

At that moment, Jason burst into the bathroom, skidding to a stop. "What in Merlin's name are you lot doing?"

"Fighting a troll!" Harry yelled, struggling to hold on as the troll thrashed.

Jason sighed. "Mate, you're about to get yourself killed!"

Ron fumbled for his wand. "What do we do?"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione shouted from under the sink.

Ron's eyes lit up. "Right! Wingardium Leviosa!" He waved his wand, and the troll's club floated out of its hand, hovering in the air.

The troll looked up, confused, as the club came crashing down onto its own head. It stumbled, releasing Harry, who rolled to safety.

The troll growled, shaking off the blow and preparing to attack again.

"Now what?" Ron asked, panic creeping into his voice.

Jason stepped forward, his wand raised. "I'll handle this."

He pointed his wand at the ground beneath the troll. "Spongify!"

The floor beneath the troll softened, causing it to lose its footing and fall heavily onto its Head.

Jason wasn't done. "Accio club!" The club flew toward them but smacked the troll squarely between its legs on the way on its pumpkin balls.

The troll let out a guttural roar of pain, clutching its groin.

Harry and Ron winced in unison. "Ouch."

The troll staggered to its feet, huffing and puffing in fury. Its nostrils flared as it prepared to charge.

Jason, looking slightly panicked, muttered, "Alright, Plan C." He aimed his wand at the troll. "Flatulento!" and jason inner commond ,

summon "shinchan fart " .

The wand suddenly let out a loud, obnoxious fart . The stench was overwhelming, making even the students gag, but the troll inhaled deeply, only to collapse moments later, clawing at its thrash and troll thrash around . It smashed its head against the wall and fainted.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Jason, their mouths agape.

Ron was the first to speak. "Merlin's beard. That was... awesome."

Harry let out a shaky laugh. "Oh my God."

Hermione, still catching her breath, managed to say, "You knew all those spells?"

Jason smirked, tucking his wand away. "I study."

Moments later, Professor McGonagall arrived with Snape and a disheveled Quirrell in tow. Her stern gaze swept the room. "Explain yourselves. All of you."

Ron and Harry stammered, but Hermione stepped forward.

"It's my fault, Professor," she said quickly. "I thought I could take on the troll myself, but I was wrong. If they hadn't come to find me, I'd probably be dead."

McGonagall frowned. "That was an extremely foolish thing to do, Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your lack of judgment. But…" She glanced at the boys. "For sheer, dumb luck and bravery, five points each to boys. Not many first-years take on a troll and live to tell the tale."

As the professors left, the group huddled together.

"Good of you to get us out of trouble like that," Harry said to Hermione.

"Mind you," Ron added, "we did save your life."

Jason smirked. "Mind you, she might not have needed saving if you hadn't insulted her."

Ron looked sheepish. "Alright, alright. What are friends for?"

Hermione, smiling faintly, turned to Jason. "Jason, you used so many first-year spells in there. How?"

Jason shrugged. "Practice."

Ron nudged Harry. "Told you. Ravenclaw."

Hermione hesitated before asking, "Would you help us in the future? When we need to learn something?"

Jason grinned. "That's what friends are for."