The moment news spread that a troll had entered Hogwarts, the Great Hall descended into chaos.
Dumbledore had to fire several ear-piercing bursts of sparks from his wand into the air before everyone finally quieted down.
"Prefects," the Hogwarts Headmaster said in a deep voice, "lead your house students back to their dormitories immediately!"
On the Ravenclaw side, the female prefect Penelope Clearwater stood up at once and loudly announced, "Ravenclaw students, follow me."
Steve quickly grabbed a pumpkin pie and obediently joined the line.
Just as the group was about to move, he suddenly remembered Lewis, who had gone to the bathroom.
Looking around and not seeing him return, he immediately rushed to the prefect. "This is bad! Miss Clearwater, Lewis went to the bathroom earlier—he definitely didn't hear the warning about the troll!"
Penelope's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and she quickly sent someone to find a professor.
Meanwhile, Lewis had already entered the underground classrooms.
As soon as he turned a corner from the corridor, a foul stench hit his nose.
It was a nauseating mix of dirty socks and an uncleaned public restroom.
Then came a low grunting sound, accompanied by the heavy dragging of massive feet across the ground.
Looking up, Lewis saw a gigantic figure slowly approaching.
The troll stood twelve feet tall, its dull, granite-gray skin giving it a lifeless appearance. Its massive, clumsy body resembled a heap of boulders, topped with a small, cocoa-bean-shaped head.
Its short legs were as thick as tree trunks, ending in flat, calloused feet. A revolting stench emanated from its body, and in its hand it dragged a huge wooden club along the floor with its long arms.
At that moment, the troll had stopped by a door and was peering inside.
Lewis immediately spotted the sign on the door—Girls' Bathroom.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Hermione was inside.
Without hesitation, Lewis strode forward and slipped into the bathroom ahead of the troll.
The troll didn't notice the invisible young wizard, only snorting in confusion as Lewis passed in front of it.
Inside, Lewis immediately saw Miss Granger curled up in the corner.
It wasn't fair to blame her for being like this. She wasn't yet the future witch who would stand against Death Eaters alongside two "useless men." Right now, she was just an eleven-year-old girl.
Lewis stepped forward, covered her mouth, and whispered into her ear, "It's me."
Hermione, who had been trembling with fear, relaxed slightly.
In a shaky voice, she whispered, "I-is it really you, Lewis? You came to save me."
"It's me," Lewis reassured her, taking her hand. "How are you? Can you stand?"
"I… I can… my legs are just a bit weak." Gripping his arm, Hermione struggled to her feet.
"Then can you cast a spell?" Lewis asked. "You learned Invisibility last week. Now's the time to use it—give it a try."
Hermione nodded, pulling out her wand with trembling hands and pointing it at herself.
"Invisibility."
Magic surged through her body.
Under Lewis's gaze, the girl instantly became completely transparent.
But before she could feel relieved, the effect began to fade.
First her feet, then her body…
In less than a second, Hermione reappeared.
"I'm sorry," the young witch said, her voice tinged with tears. "I'm too nervous—I can't maintain the spell."
"You still need more practice," Lewis sighed, raising his wand toward her. "Train more when we get back."
"Invisibility."
Hermione turned invisible again, this time without issue.
Meanwhile, Lewis himself reappeared.
The 2nd-circle Invisibility had a flaw—during its duration, the user couldn't actively cast spells or make any intense movements, or the effect would be canceled. This drawback wouldn't be resolved until the 4th-circle Greater Invisibility.
The repeated spellcasting in the girls' bathroom finally alerted the troll to the presence inside.
It lowered its head and tried to force its way in.
Seeing the situation turn urgent, Hermione panicked. "You gave the invisibility to me—what about you?!"
"Don't worry," Lewis said calmly. "I have magic to protect myself. The troll can't hurt me. Hide to the side, and when I start fighting it, run out when you get the chance."
Lewis only wanted her out of the way.
But in Hermione's mind, it became something else entirely—Lewis was sacrificing himself, drawing the troll's attention so she could escape.
Even his calm, confident tone sounded heroic and tragic to her.
"No… I won't leave you here alone." Her voice trembled as she pulled out her wand again.
"…What are you doing? Don't waste my spell," Lewis said helplessly. "Your magic can't hurt it."
As he spoke, he demonstrated.
"Expelliarmus!"
A red light shot from the tip of his wand, striking the troll's shoulder directly.
Nothing happened.
The troll blinked stupidly, turning its ugly nose toward Lewis.
Ordinary wizard spells simply couldn't harm it.
Originally, Lewis had intended to demonstrate this to Hermione.
But the young witch had already misunderstood from the start—and now she misunderstood even more.
Even if it couldn't be hurt, he was still willing to stay behind and draw attention… was he really this noble?
Don't worry—I won't let your sacrifice go to waste!
"I… I understand! I'll go find the professors as quickly as possible! Y-you must hold on!" Hermione said before tremblingly hiding in one of the stalls.
Only then did the troll finally realize that the tiny figure in front of it had attacked.
It raised its club high, let out a roar, and advanced toward Lewis.
"Frost Armor."
Lewis didn't attack immediately. Instead, he first layered himself with protection.
This was the standard approach of an arcane mage—secure defense first, then control, and finally eliminate the enemy.
At once, an invisible armor enveloped Lewis.
From inside the stall, Hermione felt waves of chill in the air.
"He's using another one of his self-created spells again," she thought. "He always has so many of them."
The troll felt it even more strongly than she did.
The closer it got to Lewis, the more the cold slowed its movements.
This was the slowing effect that came with Frost Armor.
Naturally, Lewis wouldn't waste the opportunity. He raised his wand again and pointed it rapidly at the troll.
One pale blue ray after another shot from the tip of his wand.
It was the 0th-circle spell Frost Ray.
Though not very powerful, it was a cantrip that required almost no preparation—perfect for emergencies.
Every ray struck the same spot—the troll's club-wielding shoulder.
Frost quickly spread across its right shoulder.
Under the continuous barrage, the frost thickened until it completely froze solid.
The troll charged forward recklessly, twisting its waist, shrugging its shoulders, and swinging its arm—its entire body working together as it attempted to smash Lewis into pulp with one blow.
But what it expected didn't happen.
The dumb troll froze in confusion for several seconds before realizing that it had only managed the first part of its movement.
The rest simply didn't follow.
Because its shoulder had been completely frozen.
In Lewis and Hermione's eyes, the troll had merely run up to them and awkwardly bent forward.
Its club-wielding arm was still raised stiffly at shoulder height.
The ridiculous sight nearly made Hermione laugh out loud.
But Lewis remained calm. Seizing the moment, he had already prepared his next spell.
"Ice Arrow—Blade Variant."
While casting Ice Arrow, Lewis reshaped the spell with additional focus.
The originally sharp ice arrow transformed into a razor-edged ice blade, shooting toward the troll's frozen shoulder.
The troll had strong magic resistance, but little resistance to cold.
And under the effect of Frost Ray, its rough yet flexible skin had become brittle.
The ice blade struck.
Its arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, as if cut by a sharp blade.
Yet under the freezing effect, it didn't even feel pain.
"Wow, Lewis, you're amazing!" Hermione praised.
Lewis was satisfied as well. This was exactly the outcome he had envisioned.
With its arm and weapon gone, the troll's combat strength was immediately reduced by more than half.
A few more minor spells would be enough to subdue it. Today's spell experiment would be a complete success.
Just as Hermione grew excited and Lewis prepared to press the advantage—
The troll picked up its severed arm and pressed it against its shoulder.
Then something unbelievable happened.
The moment the flesh made contact, it began to grow wildly. Twisting strands of muscle wriggled and expanded, forming a grotesque and horrifying sight.
In less than two seconds, the troll's severed arm had fully reattached, completely restored.
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