𝑨𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒕 - ʜᴊᴘ x ᴏᴄ [𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆&𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆]

𝟏𝟔

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ᴜɢʟʏ ᴛʀᴏʟʟ

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was a horrible sight. Not just because it was a troll—but because it was this troll.

Gray, lumpy, with skin like weathered granite and legs thick as tree trunks, it lumbered forward in a way that made the whole corridor tremble. And, unsurprisingly, it was ugly.

The troll paused outside a doorway, its long ears twitching as it debated whatever limited thoughts occupied its tiny brain. Then, in one slow, slouching movement, it heaved itself inside.

Harry's voice was barely a whisper. "The key's in the lock. We could lock it in."

"Brilliant," Ron muttered.

Cassie nodded, and somehow, between them, Harry managed to twist the key. The lock clicked shut.

"Yes!" The boys cheered, grinning at each other.

"No," Cassie said flatly.

Then she heard it.

A scream.

Harry's face went pale. "It's the girls' toilet."

Cassie shot him a deadpan look. "Well. No shit, Sherlock." She wrenched the door open.

Inside, Hermione Granger was backed against the farthest wall, frozen in terror. The troll loomed over her, knocking sinks off the walls with every sluggish move.

"Confuse it!" Harry told Ron, as if that was some grand battle strategy.

They scrambled to do just that, throwing whatever they could, shouting to get its attention. Cassie wasn't sure it was working—mostly, it seemed to enrage the troll further.

And then Potter, in what had to be the single dumbest move she had ever witnessed, jumped onto the troll's back.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Cassie muttered under her breath.

The troll roared, thrashing violently. Harry clung on for dear life as it tried to shake him off—or worse, rip him off. The club in its hand swung wildly.

Cassie pulled out her wand. Alright. Enough of this mess.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried.

The troll froze mid-swing, its limbs locking up as if it had turned to stone. At the same time, Ron managed to levitate its club straight out of its grasp. They exchanged grins.

"Is it... dead?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"No," Cassie said. "It's petrified."

Hermione frowned. "But that spell—that wasn't in our first-year textbooks."

Cassie smirked. "Not everything worth knowing is in a school book, Granger. I actually read beyond our syllabus. My grandfather taught me loads of spells before I even set foot here."

Ron and Harry were busy marveling at Harry's wand, which was now covered in troll bogies. Cassie wrinkled her nose in disgust.

And that's when the footsteps came.

Three sets of them. Fast. Angry.

The door slammed open, revealing Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, and worst of all—Professor Snape.

McGonagall looked murderous. Snape? He simply bent over the troll, his expression unreadable.

"What on earth were you thinking?" McGonagall demanded. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why weren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape's gaze flickered to Cassie, his disappointment unmistakable. "Miss Black. I expected far better from you."

For the first time, Cassie actually felt a little guilty.

And then—of all people—Hermione Granger stepped forward.

"Please, Professors," she blurted, "they were looking for me."

McGonagall turned, startled. "Miss Granger?"

"I... I went looking for the troll because I thought I could handle it," Hermione lied smoothly. "I've read all about them."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. Well, well, well.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead," Hermione continued. "Harry distracted it, Ron knocked it out with its own club, and Cassiopeia petrified it. They didn't have time to run for help."

McGonagall pressed her lips together, clearly debating her response. "Miss Black," she said at last, "first-years don't learn Petrificus Totalus."

Cassie shrugged. "I do."

"A-absolutely b-brilliant girl," Quirrell stammered.

Snape turned sharply, eyes narrowing at the stuttering professor. Quirrell immediately looked anywhere but at him.

When Snape turned back to Cassie, his expression had shifted—no longer just disappointment, but... pride. The rare kind. The kind he only ever showed to his best students.

McGonagall sighed. "In that case... Miss Granger, you foolish girl. How could you possibly think tackling a mountain troll alone was a good idea?"

Hermione hung her head, looking genuinely ashamed.

Cassie actually felt... impressed. That had been a Gryffindor move, taking the blame like that. Maybe Granger wasn't the absolute worst. Maybe.

"Five points from Gryffindor," McGonagall decided. "You're dismissed, Miss Granger. The rest of your house is finishing their feast in the Tower."

Hermione wasted no time hurrying out.

"As for you two," McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron, "five points each—for sheer dumb luck."

Cassie scoffed. Typical Gryffindor bias.

Then McGonagall looked at her. "And you, Miss Black—you earn Slytherin ten points for your quick thinking. That spell quite literally saved four lives."

Cassie grinned. Snape's expression was still one of quiet pride, but now? Now, there was also a hint of smugness.

"Professor Dumbledore will be informed. You may go."

Cassie made her way back to the Slytherin common room, and the second she stepped inside, she was tackled.

"DRACO. LET. GO. I. CAN'T. BREATHE."

Draco finally released her, but only to smack the back of her head. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" he demanded. "I WAS WORRIED SICK. ROSIER TOO."

"Calm down, Mother Malfoy." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Where is she?"

Draco dragged her over to the couches, where a teary-eyed Katherine and a very worried Daphne were sitting. The moment they spotted her, they tackled her too.

"I thought the troll got you," Katherine sniffled.

Cassie sighed, untangling herself. "Well... it kind of did. I'll explain."

And she did. She told them everything—well, almost everything.

And by the end of it?

She wasn't sure what was more shocking: the fact that she had somehow survived fighting a troll... or the fact that she was starting to think Hermione Granger might not be completely insufferable.

Maybe.