Professor McGonagall’s office was filled with such a cold, oppressive atmosphere that even Dumbledore and Snape seemed to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Would one of you care to explain why, after every student was explicitly ordered to return to their dormitory, the five of you somehow ended up on the first floor of the castle?” Professor McGonagall asked, her sharp gaze sweeping over them one by one.
Wonderful.
All five of them were Gryffindors.
The realization made Professor McGonagall’s chest tighten, and her expression grew even more severe.
“Please don’t blame them, Professor McGonagall…
They were looking for me.” Ron gathered his courage and stepped forward, taking the responsibility on himself.
“I…
I thought I could deal with the troll by myself…” “Is that so?” Professor McGonagall asked sternly.
“Y-Yes.” Ron shrank slightly beneath her stare.
“If Leo hadn’t arrived in time to save me, I might’ve died down there.” “Heh.
Apparently Gryffindor’s recklessness and arrogance are contagious.” Snape had been standing in the shadows until now.
A mocking curl appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked pointedly at the students.
“The little follower of our great savior apparently decided that standing beside a famous person meant he was qualified to challenge a fully grown troll.
If another troll hadn’t happened to be nearby tonight, you might very well have ended the evening as troll droppings.” “That will do, Severus,” Professor McGonagall cut in before turning back to Ron.
“Mr.
Weasley, how could you possibly imagine that a first-year student could deal with a troll the size of a mountain on his own?
That degree of recklessness and conceit is completely unacceptable behavior for a Hogwarts student.
For this, Gryffindor will lose ten points.
From each of you!” Snape gave a dissatisfied little snort, apparently feeling that the punishment was still far too lenient.
“If none of you are injured, then the four of you should return to Gryffindor Tower at once.
The students are already having their Halloween feast in their common rooms,” Professor McGonagall said.
Leo quietly moved both hands behind his back.
“Professor McGonagall, we’ll be going, then.” “There is one more matter.” Snape’s low, hoarse voice stopped them.
“What happened to the hole in the bathroom ceiling?” “The…
troll broke it,” Harry answered quickly.
“Oh, did it?” Snape looked at him with open contempt.
“Then perhaps you would also care to explain why a stone griffin from the second floor ended up downstairs.
Did the troll climb upstairs midway through its rampage, collect the statue, and bring it back down with it?
If you insist on lying, Potter, you might at least learn to do it competently.
Ten points from Gryffindor for lying to a professor.” “Come on, let’s go.” Leo rolled his eyes.
“You’re simply walking away?” Snape snapped.
“Have you forgotten how to say goodbye?
Five points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a professor!” “Oh, my dearest Professor.” Leo turned back and addressed Snape in a sickeningly sweet voice, as though he had swallowed an entire cauldron of Amortentia.
“I sincerely hope you have a delightful evening.
Until next time.” Their house hourglass was already empty anyway.
What else was Snape going to do to him?
Snape immediately looked as though he had swallowed a mouthful of troll mucus.
“…Mr.
William, you have not eaten dinner yet, have you?” Dumbledore hurriedly interjected.
“Perhaps you should go back first.” He genuinely feared Leo might decide to say goodbye to him in the same tone.
“Sure.
I’m starving anyway.” Leo turned and left, with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville quickly slipping out behind him, leaving Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Snape to continue discussing the troll.
..
The Gryffindor common room was packed with people and filled with noise.
Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up from the Great Hall.
Roast beef hissed on silver platters, its surface gleaming with hot fat.
A whole roasted turkey sat nearby beneath crisp, golden skin glazed to a honey-like shine, while towering piles of Yorkshire pudding filled the room with the rich smell of butter.
Leo held a turkey leg in one hand while spearing steak from a platter with the other, devouring everything in front of him at a frightening pace.
He had spent so long waiting in the bathroom that he was genuinely starving now, so he could not be bothered with table manners.
Not that his table manners were particularly good under normal circumstances.
“Merlin’s skirt…
How much has he eaten already?” “He’s eaten more than our entire dormitory put together…
He’s an animal.” The other Gryffindors stared in astonishment as Leo tore through plate after plate of food and began whispering among themselves.
“Leo, what exactly did you lot get up to earlier?” Fred and George dropped into the seats on either side of him and enthusiastically began piling fresh food onto his plate.
“You didn’t actually go and kill that troll, did you?” Fred asked curiously, glancing at Leo’s hands.
“Yeah.” Leo answered through a mouthful of food, grease shining around his lips.
“You really did?!” George exclaimed in disbelief.
“Is that strange?” Leo promptly choked on a piece of beef and had to gulp down a glass of pumpkin juice to wash it down.
“When you put it that way…” Fred nodded thoughtfully.
“Actually, no.
Not really.” Then he leaned closer.
“So what was the troll like?” “Pretty much exactly how the books describe them.” Leo thought for a moment.
“Tall, huge, ugly, and it smelled awful.
Wasn’t very strong, though.” “Wooo!” Fred and George could no longer contain themselves and burst into cheers.
“I saw the whole thing!” Ron announced to the crowd.
Since Leo himself clearly had no intention of keeping the incident secret, Ron saw no reason not to tell everyone.
“Leo stood right in front of us and just kept punching it until the whole troll was basically turned into paste…” He immediately launched into an increasingly animated retelling, drawing gasps and exclamations from the surrounding Gryffindors every few sentences.
That night, every Gryffindor student became completely absorbed in the story of Leo defeating the troll.
No one cared in the slightest that their house hourglass was now completely empty.
Not even Hermione.
..
“You’re going wandering around the castle tonight?
Are you serious?” After the feast finally ended, Hermione stared at Leo in disbelief just as she had been preparing to return to the dormitory and sleep.
“Yeah.” Leo nodded.
“I ate too much, so I’m going for a walk in the Forbidden Forest to help digest it.” Hermione looked past him at Harry and Ron.
“…And you two are planning to go with him?” “Well, all our points are already gone,” Ron said.
“Getting caught out after curfew can’t really make things any worse.” “Fair enough.” After nearly being killed by a troll, Hermione no longer seemed quite as horrified by the idea of breaking school rules.
..
The Forbidden Forest.
“Have you ever noticed that sneaking around at night is kind of like the old witch hunts?” Hermione said as the four of them made their way between the trees.
“As long as we avoid being seen by ordinary people, we’re fine.
That’s probably why the castle’s caretaker is a Squib with a cat that happens to have very good instincts.
If the professors actually used magic to track students, none of us would ever have a chance to sneak out.” “That makes sense,” Harry agreed.
“Who’s there?” A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Hagrid emerged from the darkness carrying an enormous crossbow.
The moment he recognized Harry and the others, he hurriedly lowered it.
“Oh, it’s you lot.
What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest this late?” “We just came out for some fresh air,” Leo answered.
“If yeh want fresh air, the Forbidden Forest at this hour really isn’t the best place for it.
It’s not safe in here at night—” “…Are you sure you’re the one who should be saying that?” Leo raised an eyebrow.
“I heard that when you were a student—” “Hey!
Hey!
That’s enough!” Hagrid hurriedly cut him off, looking deeply embarrassed.