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"Hey, is it dead already?"
Harry finished vomiting and turned around, staring at the motionless troll lying on the ground with a blank expression.
"Is it pretending to be dead? I heard these monsters are very cunning!"
"Maybe other monsters are like that, but not trolls," Dylan replied flatly.
It was Dylan's first time seriously using dark magic. The sensation of channeling magic power was intoxicating.
Even though his current magical reserves were limited, preventing him from fully unleashing the true power of dark magic, he had still managed to take down the giant creature with ease using just three spells.
"By Voldemort, dark magic is really useful."
Dylan stepped forward and began opening the compartment doors one by one.
In the third compartment, he finally found Hermione, unconscious.
"Enervate!"
Pink starlight particles shot from the tip of Dylan's wand, enveloping Hermione, who was slumped against the door.
A moment later, her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her mind cleared, and she saw Dylan standing in the doorway, with two familiar heads peeking in from either side.
"Am I… in heaven?" she mumbled groggily.
"Don't worry, Miss Granger. Given the reputation Ron has created for you, you might end up in hell instead," Dylan said.
Hermione: (._.)...
"Hey! Dylan, you… how can you say that?!"
The head on the left shot up, glaring at Dylan.
The head on the right, wearing black-framed glasses, also looked up.
"There's nothing wrong with what Dylan said. Aren't you going to apologize, Ron?" Harry asked.
Ron's cheeks flushed red, and he glanced at Hermione, who was still slightly dazed.
Hermione finally regained full awareness, pushing herself up to stand. "Why are you here? Hide quickly! I just ran into a troll!"
Harry immediately reassured her, "Don't worry, Dylan already dealt with it."
"What?" Hermione was stunned.
Ron, whose face had been red as a monkey's backside, finally relaxed. He stammered, whispering, "I… I'm sorry about what happened this morning."
Hermione froze again.
After her terrifying encounter with the troll, Ron's apology suddenly felt insignificant.
"Wait here. I'll go find a professor," Dylan said, seeing that Hermione was fine aside from the shock.
He comforted her briefly, then instructed Harry and Ron to take care of her before heading out of the underground classroom.
Because he had taken down the troll so quickly, no one outside had even realized a battle had taken place.
Dylan climbed two floors but didn't encounter any professors.
"Are they all on the fourth floor?" he mused.
A troll had managed to get into the school, and the professors were likely gathered to protect the Philosopher's Stone.
Sure enough, as he turned a corner on the fourth floor, a sharp voice rang out.
"Who's there?"
Dylan stepped forward. "Wait, Professor! Don't attack."
Professor Snape, dressed in black robes, narrowed his eyes at Dylan. His face darkened, and his thick black eyebrows furrowed together like two entangled snakes.
His cold, piercing gaze locked onto Dylan.
"You're not in the dormitory at this hour. What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I was hoping to avoid this conversation…" Dylan sighed but, noticing Snape's growing impatience, quickly adjusted his response.
"I'll make it brief, Professor.
"Hermione went missing earlier. When Harry heard about the troll, he convinced Ron and me to look for her.
"We ran into you on the way but were too focused on searching for Hermione to stop and greet you.
"Then we found Hermione in the dungeon bathroom—right as the troll was attacking her.
"I killed it by setting it on fire. Now I'm looking for a professor to report the incident.
"But I couldn't find anyone on the way, so I assumed you'd be here."
Dylan spoke clearly, gauging Snape's reaction.
The professor's sharp, hawk-like eyes widened slightly in shock, a rare expression for him.
"What did you say?"
Dylan hesitated. "Should I… repeat myself?"
Snape pressed his thin lips into a tight line, scrutinizing Dylan as if assessing the truth.
"You're saying… you killed the troll?"
"Yes." Dylan nodded, then, seeing Snape's expression, suddenly smiled innocently.
"Well, Professor, since I was the one who discovered and defeated it, may I keep the materials from its body?"
Snape's pupils contracted violently.
A first-year student not only claimed to have killed a troll but was now asking for its corpse as materials?
"How did you kill it?" Snape demanded.
"Professor, I just told you—I burned it to death with a blazing flame," Dylan answered honestly.
"Of course, it could have been torn apart, but since it was burned, I couldn't tell."
Snape frowned, eyeing Dylan with cold scrutiny.
Dylan's gaze flickered past Snape.
"Professor, are you guarding the Philosopher's Stone?"
"!!!"
Snape's dark, deep-set eyes widened again in shock.
"You…" He opened his mouth, but for a moment, words failed him.
A few strands of greasy black hair fell over his forehead, his usually rigid facial expression momentarily losing its sternness, revealing a rare flicker of disbelief.
"How do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?"
Dylan blinked. "Harry figured it out. He was with Hagrid at Gringotts when they moved it.
"He also mentioned running into a three-headed dog last time Peeves chased him through the castle."
Snape's eyes narrowed sharply. "Harry? A three-headed dog?"
A vein twitched in his forehead.
"That reckless, foolish, insufferable Potter!"
Snape suddenly spun on his heel and marched away, his heavy steps echoing through the corridor. His black robes billowed behind him with each sharp movement.
"Follow me. We're going to the dungeon classroom."
(End of Chapter)
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