The Unknown: A Harry Potter Story

Chapter 13: A Dangerous Encounter

The troll stood twelve feet tall with gray skin that looked like dull granite. Its massive body looked like a large boulder with a small head perched on top. The troll stood on two short legs that were as thick as tree trunks and with flat, horny feet. In one of its hands, it held a large wooden club that it dragged behind itself as it walked.

Jason and Silas both stood there in terror for a moment, until Jason realized through the shock that the troll was standing facing the other direction and had not noticed them yet. Fear coarse through Jason's veins, making his limbs feel like they were made of stone, but he knew they could not stay there. It took all of his efforts, but Jason managed to grab on to Silas' arm and start to quietly pull the other boy back down the corridor away from the troll. Silas was not faring any better than Jason and pulling him along was like trying to move a bag of bricks. Even as he allowed himself to be pulled away, Silas was stiff as a board and continued to watch the troll.

They hadn't made it thirty paces away when Silas suddenly pulled on the arm of Jason's robes causing him to look back. The troll must have noticed the light that their wands gave off, and was in the process of turning around to look for its source.

"Nox!" both boys whispered as they extinguished the light on their wands, but it was already too late. The troll had noticed them and in the dark, they could hear its thundering footfalls as it approached the two boys.

"Run!" Silas shouted as the two boys took off sprinting down the corridor. Not a moment after they had started to run a loud crash rang out, as the troll swung its club and hit the spot where they had been standing. The troll then let out a deafening roar. The stink of its breath hit them in the back like a wall, and the strength of the roar put out the torches throughout the corridor they were in.

As they ran through the darkened dungeons, the two boys could hear the trolls pace increasing, as the thunderous footfalls landed closer and closer together. In the dark, they could not see where they were, but the troll sounded like it was right on top of them and Jason knew that if they didn't get away from it soon they would be crushed. With only a vague idea where they were, Jason grabbed the back of Silas' robes and jumped to the left out of the troll's path.

Jason's gamble paid off and they slid through the entryway to another corridor with the troll passing them. A few seconds later they could hear the loud thud as the troll rammed full force into the wall at the end of the corridor they had just left.

"We have to get out of here before it gets back up," Jason said as he helped Silas off the floor. Once they were both on their feet the two boys once again took off running down the corridor.

They felt like they were in circles as they took turn after turn trying to put as much space between themselves and the troll as possible. The rest of the lights in the dungeon seemed to have gone out at some point, but they were too afraid that by igniting their wands again they would lead the troll right to them.

After a while of running, Silas grabbed Jason's arm once again and pulled him to the side. "We should try to find a room to hide in," Silas advised. "If we keep running in circles we might run into it again."

Jason nodded his agreement and the two of them felt along the walls until they felt a door. Once inside the room, both boys fell to the floor gasping for breath.

"How could a troll get into the castle?" Silas whispered, breaking the silence that had settled around them.

"I don't know," Jason whispered back. "And honestly I don't care. I just want to find a way out of here."

"I'm not sure where exactly we are, but if we can find out I should be able to get us to the Slytherin common room, but you're not allowed in there so that probably isn't a good idea."