After Lewis and the others returned to their common room to enjoy the remainder of the festivities, the professors were still discussing the incident.
The troll had "accidentally" escaped from Professor Quirrell's laboratory.
Even though a first-year student had already dealt with it, Dumbledore clearly could not allow Quirrell to continue keeping such a creature in Hogwarts—not even as a teaching specimen.
Inside the Headmaster's office, Snape stood with a dark expression, speaking to Dumbledore.
"I don't understand why you allowed him to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!" Snape said bitterly.
The position he had coveted for years was now occupied by someone like Quirrell. His frustration was obvious.
Compared to watching Lily marry James Potter with his own eyes—
This was perhaps about one percent of that pain.
Dumbledore remained calm. "I have my reasons, Severus."
Facing that composed old face, Snape's anger burned, yet he felt helpless.
In truth, he harbored resentment toward Dumbledore.
The only reason he had betrayed Voldemort and sided with the white wizard in the first place had been Lily.
And yet, even under Dumbledore's protection, Lily had still been killed.
Even if it had been an unforeseen accident, Snape couldn't help but hold a grudge.
If not for Lily's son, Harry Potter, he would have had no desire to obey this old man at all.
Seeing that Dumbledore had no intention of explaining himself, Snape pressed further.
"I checked the fourth-floor corridor earlier. The door had been opened, and the three-headed dog attacked an intruder. Also, I examined the troll's corpse. The burn marks on it were unusual—some of the wounds could not have been caused by a simple Flame Charm. You should keep an eye on that Ravenclaw first-year."
Dumbledore merely nodded. "I understand, Severus. You should have a little more trust in young wizards."
Realizing his words were falling on deaf ears, Snape turned and left.
Just as he was about to exit the office, Dumbledore added softly, "Please keep an eye on Professor Quirrell."
"You already suspect him, yet you still let him teach in the castle?!" Snape snapped, even more furious.
"Severus, I have my reasons," Dumbledore replied gently.
"To hell with your reasons!" Snape roared, slamming the door behind him.
For a period of time afterward, Lewis became something of a celebrity at Hogwarts.
Almost everyone who saw him would ask how he had defeated the troll.
Even his roommate Steve came to him. "Hey, Lewis, I heard you fought a troll that night! They say you blew the bathroom to pieces, with severed limbs everywhere—is that true?"
Lewis was stunned after hearing this.
Seriously? Are you describing Hogwarts… or Stalingrad?
When he asked Hermione about it, he found out what had happened.
That night, after returning to the common room, Ron had been so excited that he spent hours telling the story to the Gryffindors.
And he made it sound spectacular.
To attract more attention, Ron had added a bit of "exaggeration."
Then one person told another, and another, until the story turned into what it was now.
Ron truly lived up to his reputation as a loudmouth who loved attention.
Even a week later, Lewis could still see him bragging about it during breakfast in the Great Hall.
As November arrived, the weather turned extremely cold.
The mountains surrounding the school were gray and snow-covered, and the lake looked as cold and hard as tempered steel.
Every morning, frost coated the ground. Students noticed that Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds, Rubeus Hagrid, was bundled in thick furs as he defrosted broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch.
The Quidditch season was about to begin.
During this time, Ravenclaw's captain, Roger Davies, seemed to be running on adrenaline. Whenever he had time, he dragged Lewis and the others into training.
What had once been three training sessions a week became five.
But the professors at Hogwarts weren't about to relax academic demands just because of the exciting Quidditch season.
As a result, Lewis became even busier than most.
He couldn't skip Quidditch training, and after finishing his assigned coursework, he still had to go to the library to read extensively. On top of that, he needed to find opportunities to visit the Room of Requirement to locate valuable items to repair—his first holiday at Hogwarts was approaching.
"Harry Potter has become Gryffindor's main Seeker. He's playing today!"
On Saturday morning, Roger Davies rushed into the Ravenclaw common room, panting as he announced the news.
Although Ravenclaw would be facing Hufflepuff the next day, their biggest rivals for the Quidditch Cup had always been Slytherin and Gryffindor.
That was why Roger paid close attention to those teams.
"He's only a first-year, and he's already a starter?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be a reserve?"
"What's the big deal? Don't we have a first-year starter too?"
"Is it because of his fame?"
"Of course not!"
Lewis stepped in to explain.
"You all know the trophy room on the fourth floor, right? The crystal display cases are filled with trophies, shields, medals, and statues. Every Quidditch Cup is placed there. Last time I passed by, I noticed a name on one of the trophies—James Potter."
"James Potter?" Cirila looked surprised. "Another Potter… so what's his relationship with Harry?"
"They're father and son," Lewis said confidently. "Which means Harry's father was a Seeker who helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup."
His words caused a stir.
It wasn't unusual for Quidditch talent to run in families. There were many such lineages in the wizarding world.
Seeing the discussion getting out of hand, Cirila cleared her throat and said loudly, "It's just one Potter. Are you all scared? No matter who the opponent is, victory belongs to Ravenclaw!"
Her eyes were firm, filled with determination.
"That's right. Tomorrow against Hufflepuff, victory will be ours," Lewis added.
Thinking of Lewis and Cirila as their ace duo, the Ravenclaws finally relaxed a little about Harry.
But after watching the match that afternoon, the "Harry Threat" theory surged again.
As the first match of the season, Slytherin played extremely dirty.
They barely resembled a Quidditch team—more like they were playing rugby.
Throughout the match, they committed constant fouls, making things miserable for Gryffindor, who trailed behind the entire time.
In the end, it was Harry Potter who turned the tide.
Braving the danger of a malfunctioning broom, he caught the Golden Snitch first and ended the match in one decisive move.
Afterward, there was even a small incident where Snape was suspected of sabotaging him.
But regardless, everyone had now witnessed Harry Potter's abilities.
Now, Ravenclaw could only hope that their own new player was just as capable.
The next morning, the weather was bright but cold.
The Great Hall was filled with the tempting smell of grilled sausages, and everyone was looking forward to an exciting Quidditch match.
As an orphan with no family backing, Lewis would naturally need to recruit and win over talented people.
Even if he didn't trust outsiders and chose another path, he would still need allies.
If you don't like romance or character dynamics, you can just think of Hermione as a future subordinate.
If you want to read 60 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to: Patreon.com/RedString