Chapter -19
Hermione was in an exceptionally good mood, not because she had defeated the troll, but because she saw Ron's dumbfounded expression.
Since the two boys had not helped her, Hermione felt she didn't owe them anything, but she still believed in being polite.
"Good night! Boys, a lot of exciting things have happened tonight, and I need to rest well. I believe you do too."
In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione politely said goodbye to the two of them. She left without providing any explanation to her curious classmates, leaving the two 'main characters' surrounded by their peers.
Just as Ron said, he was an annoying presence with no social skills, so let those who were well-liked by their classmates stay behind! Although the teachers hadn't said anything about discussing tonight's events, Hermione still felt it was best to keep this secret for now; what others chose to do was their business.
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry Potter and Ron were surrounded by classmates, all waiting for the two to recount what had happened that day—something not every Gryffindor had the courage to face.
After all, it was a troll! Even older students might not have encountered such a magical creature; how dangerous was it?
"We didn't do anything; Hermione dealt with the troll all by herself."
"Yes! When we arrived, Hermione had just knocked the troll down."
"The troll was 4 meters tall, and it smelled worse than dung."
"Then the professors came; as for how they handled the troll, I'm sure the professors will take care of it!"
The two boys were surrounded by enthusiastic classmates, dizzy from various questions.
However, the two boys, as the central figures, still enjoyed the atmosphere, though they felt a bit regretful that they hadn't actually defeated the troll themselves. Since Hermione could do it, there was no reason they couldn't!
Gryffindor students viewed the Halloween troll incident as proof that Harry Potter was indeed someone who had defeated the Dark Lord; to him, the troll was nothing.
You say it was Hermione who defeated the troll! Of course, her role is undeniable, but Harry Potter was involved too—who could clarify what the situation was like at that moment? Harry Potter also waved his wand and gave that brainless troll a good lesson; Ron saw it with his own eyes, and no one could deny that, not even Hermione.
Hermione lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling with a silly smile. Who was that person trying to steal the bathroom from her today?
At first, she thought she had encountered a pervert! She had wondered why there would be a pervert in such an ancient wizarding school like Hogwarts. Now that she calmed down, she realized the person must have come to comfort her after hearing her cries.
As for the troll's arrival afterward, that person helped her, not only defeating the troll—which was essentially saving her—but also did so without revealing themselves, putting all the credit on her. However, the benefits mostly belonged to her.
She didn't know who had helped her so much. Given the personnel situation at Hogwarts, if it wasn't a ghost, then it had to be an invisible person, and this person sounded very young.
Hermione felt her face getting a bit warm, quickly patting her cheeks to calm her feelings. If she didn't sleep soon, she wouldn't have the energy for class tomorrow.
With a sweet smile, Hermione fell into a deep sleep.
When Hermione woke up the next day, the entire school's opinion had changed drastically, spreading like a plague to other houses.
At that time, Hermione was just a burden, being chased around by the troll wielding its massive club, only able to scream and cry in fear.
Meanwhile, the brave knight Ron and the legendary savior Harry Potter faced the towering troll in a battle of 300 rounds to save the helpless girl, embodying love and justice, and dealt a heavy blow to the troll.
Harry Potter nearly got captured by the troll, while Ron accurately used the levitation charm to snatch the troll's club away.
In short, the whole thing is that Ron saved the endangered Harry Potter, and everything Harry Potter and Ron did was to rescue Hermione, who was trapped and crying in the girls' bathroom. For the sake of their vulnerable female classmate, the two boys were fearless.
After hearing all this, the first thing Hermione did was to come up behind Ron, pull out a thick book from her bag, and hold it above her head, ready to smash this shameless person who was spouting nonsense.
"Ah-ha! This book is for upperclassmen and is not suitable for your first-year studies."
Regulus happened to be passing by and casually took the book Hermione was holding, flipping through it to find it was "Standard Spells, Level 3" by Miranda Goshawk. There are four volumes in total, which means Hermione was reading a third-year book.
Regulus Black flipped through a few pages, noticing that Hermione had marked phrases, indicating that the little girl had already understood the book and even made simple notes.
"Maybe you should go to Ravenclaw; you would seem very different in Gryffindor."
Hermione deeply agreed with this statement, as she had already been isolated and rejected in Gryffindor; she just didn't know if Hogwarts accepted students to switch houses.
Suddenly, Hermione looked up directly at Regulus; his voice was the same as that person from last night.
"Is there something on my face?" Although Regulus had a rough idea of the little girl's thoughts, he had no intention of admitting it.
"Sorry! Professor Black."
Hermione's face turned red, and she immediately lowered her gaze; staring at the other person like that was indeed very rude.
"To correct you, I'm just a teaching assistant, not a professor, so you can call me Mr. Black."
"Thank you for your guidance; I will consider it."
"Don't get your hopes up too high, because switching houses has never happened before, at least not that I know of, but I can ask."
Regulus Black's conversation with Hermione was naturally overheard by the students around them; his intention was not really to help her, and such a conversation would only make the little girl's situation more isolated.
Naturally, if a house switch were possible, it wouldn't be a bad thing; it would benefit both Hermione and himself.
Hermione was blushing and talking to her savior, completely unaware of the atmosphere around her.
The two were talking without regard to anyone else, but the surrounding students were already gossiping about Hermione wanting to switch houses.
Regulus glanced at the surroundings, realizing that it didn't seem very good to be putting the little girl in a difficult position!
Forget it! Whatever! Being able to dig a pit for Dumbledore is still worth it. Without Hermione, the brains of the trio, it would be harder to establish their group, and his plans would be easier to execute.
Let's not say that plans can't keep up with changes; that's because the plans aren't thorough enough. Regulus Black was repeatedly contemplating as he walked toward the professor's seat.
The fermentation of public opinion would take some time; through Peeves' loose lips, another version of the Gryffindor savior had been elevated, and it was just a matter of how this incident would develop.
Regulus Black's role was just to get things started; the story still needed everyone to contribute.
Speaking of Peeves, the most peculiar ghost at Hogwarts, its nature lies between a ghost and a poltergeist, with the ability to interact with moving objects far exceeding that of other ghosts, but in Regulus Black's eyes, it was nothing.
The necromancer's summoning skill, "Dominate Soul," can enhance the magical resistance attributes of puppets or simply dominate a certain soul.
One night when Regulus Black was on patrol, Peeves tried to play a prank on the new teaching assistant but ended up getting caught on the spot; now Peeves had become Regulus Black's personal spy.
The latest version of the troll incident was spread by Peeves across the four houses, during which it mocked the two boys for their boasting abilities.