Chapter 15: Wan Shengjie Horror

Since discovering the three-headed dog on the third floor, Harry's life began to become calm. After being frightened by the three-headed dog, Luo En seemed to have lost interest in that secret for a period of time. After finishing the story of Pavel Korchagin, he seemed somewhat unsatisfied, and read the book over and over again.

Harry actually hadn't finished the book Teacher Yuri left him, because it was a story from a foreign land after all, and Harry still had a pile of mysteries unsolved; he wasn't that curious about other people's growth.

On the contrary, Luo En felt that Harry Potter had jumped him out of his originally dull and boring life. Compared to becoming a prefect, finding a job, and living a plain life, he longed more to explore secrets, defeat evil, and save the world with Harry Potter. He felt that Harry was like his Zhukhrai; it was Harry who made him realize for the first time that there was a great cause waiting for him ahead.

Of course, Harry himself didn't think so. He hoped more to get rid of Voldemort's shadow, then study hard, become a prefect, find a job, and live a plain life. The place Harry went to most often was the library; one reason was that he liked to do his homework in a quiet place, and the other was that he liked being with Zhang Qiu.

There were a few times when Harry arrived at the library and found Hermione sitting alone, but even if Zhang Qiu wasn't there, he would sit in his usual seat and wouldn't run over to sit with Hermione. He felt Hermione was a boring bookworm, unlike Zhang Qiu who had many mysterious stories.

Until one time, Harry and Luo En were chatting while playing chess, and Luo En said that Neville wasn't in the dormitory every night; he must be studying hard in the library. Luo En also envied them both, saying he felt sleepy as soon as he saw a textbook.

Only then did Harry realize it was a bit strange, because he hadn't seen Neville much in the library during this time. The two gossiped for a long time but couldn't guess the reason.

It wasn't until the afternoon of Wan Shengjie that Harry and Luo En finished their Charms class and were laughing and preparing to head to the grounds to continue enjoying the good weather in flying class, when they found Neville, Hermione, and another little witch talking in the corridor.

Harry had some impression of this girl because she was Hannah Abbott, one of the first students to be sorted during the Sorting Ceremony. He could even recall very clearly that she was in Hufflepuff.

"You're not saying it right," they could hear Hermione's thin voice. "You have to lengthen the second syllable, and the ending should be flat, don't go down too much."

"If you're so great, then you do it!" Hannah said unhappily.

Hermione demonstrated the Levitation Charm she had just learned beautifully, and Hannah shouted angrily: "That's it, that's it, you came specifically to show off how great you are!"

After saying that, she lowered her head and ran away. Neville said something to Hermione in a low voice, then chased after her.

Coincidentally, Hannah was running toward Harry's side. When she passed by, Harry noticed that her eyes were red.

Neville chased up and comforted her in a low voice: "Don't be sad, she didn't mean it either."

"But she..." Hannah sobbed and said something, which Harry didn't hear clearly.

"Just because of this, she doesn't have many friends in class; she's already pitiful enough," Neville said in a low voice.

"Did you hear that, Neville said she doesn't have many friends?" Luo En asked curiously. "I always thought at least Neville was her friend."

"Just like Neville said, it's probably just sympathy," Harry said casually. "Both are good students, Zhang Qiu beats her by too much."

"Sympathy..." a low female voice came from behind. Harry panicked to find Hermione standing blankly behind the two, tears swirling in her eyes.

"Sorry, I..." Before Harry could explain, she covered her face and ran away. Harry wanted to chase, but the flying lesson was about to start, and he didn't want to be late.

By the time the flying lesson really started, Harry noticed that Hermione hadn't come to class.

Until the Wan Shengjie feast in the evening, the two of them hadn't seen Hermione. Harry was a bit worried and told Neville about this.

Neville said with some guilt: "I know she's crying in the girls' bathroom, but it's not convenient for me to find her; I'm afraid Hannah will misunderstand."

"So what exactly is going on? Between the three of you?" Harry asked.

"I don't know either; I've just been doing homework with Hannah more often recently," Neville said. "Hermione wasn't very happy; she said 'I was the one who came first,' I don't quite understand."

"Well, I've seen her alone in the library several times," Harry said. "Were you with Hannah at that time?"

"That's right, we found an abandoned classroom, quieter than the library, and it almost became our secret base," Neville said with a faint smile on his face when he mentioned this.

Alright, Harry thought, this wasn't strange; he also liked to find abandoned rooms in Downton with Eve when he was a child, and then secretly turn them into a secret base for the two of them.

When food began to appear on the long table one after another, Harry put Hermione's matter aside. Perhaps she would come back when she had cried enough, or perhaps she would miss the entire feast; in that case, it would be best to leave some food for her.

Just as the children were eating heartily, Quirrell rushed in hurriedly. He ran to Deng Buliduo's table and said breathlessly: "Troll... in the dungeon... I thought you knew."

After saying that, he fainted to the ground all at once, and his originally crooked turban fell off directly, revealing his bare back of the head. I don't know who shouted "Baldy" in the crowd, and several students laughed out loud.

"Quiet!" Deng Buliduo said. "The feast is suspended, prefects take your respective students back to the common room!"

Harry thought of Hermione. He hurriedly wrapped a few potato pancakes in oil paper, and then followed the team toward the common room.

"Hey, Harry." A few steps out of the Great Hall, he found Neville poking him. "Can you help find Hermione? I'm a bit worried, but I can't get away."

"Can't get away?" Harry was confused.

"If I go, Hannah will be unhappy. It's embarrassing to talk about this, so please help out." This was the first time Harry had heard Neville talk like this.

"Don't worry, it's just a troll; Deng Buliduo will solve it soon," Luo En said dismissively.

"Must handle it, this really must be handled," Zhang Qiu suddenly appeared in front of them. Harry noticed that she had just peeled a piece of yellow paper off her forehead.

"Invisibility Talisman, stick it on your forehead and you can be invisible for fifteen minutes," she stuffed two pieces of paper into Luo En's hands. "Hermione is in danger, only you can save her."

"Alright, then you help take her dinner," Harry wanted to stuff the oil paper package to Neville, but he didn't take it, so he stuffed it back into his robe. Then he began to stick the yellow paper with square characters on his head.

Luo En did the same. Harry was surprised to find that the color on his body began to change rapidly, and finally became completely transparent, looking as if he were invisible.

In the invisible state, the three pulled each other's robe hems and quietly came to the dungeon. They found that the troll was just wandering at the door of the girls' bathroom, which gave Harry a fright.

"What to do?" Luo En asked eagerly.

"Calm down, Luo En." Harry's brain turned rapidly; his gun was in the trunk, and none of the three knew any powerful spells.

"Right, Spark Charm," Harry threw a large patch of red light spots behind him, and they flew straight toward the end of the corridor. If the professors could see, that would be for the best.

"Why not try the Levitation Charm? Divination says you defeated the troll with the Levitation Charm," Zhang Qiu said.

"Levitate what? The troll?" Luo En tried to cast a Levitation Charm on the troll, but it seemed completely unaffected, just stomping its feet on the spot.

"Forget about divination, use whatever you have," Harry threw a spark at the troll, successfully attracting its attention.

Zhang Qiu was still trying in vain to make the troll float, while Luo En picked up a metal pipe and waved it in his hand. Compared to the pitiful spells, he believed more in the power of steel.

Seeing that the troll's hatred had turned to Harry, Zhang Qiu finally couldn't help but stop being obsessed with divination. As the only second-year student present, she knew quite a few spells more effective than sparks.

"Nine Heavens Profound Brake, transform into Divine Thunder; Brilliant Heavenly Might, lead it with the sword!"

After a series of extremely fast-spoken Chinese, Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that Zhang Qiu's wand shot out a bolt of lightning, and the silver-white electric light made the troll twitch all over.

After this lightning spell ended, the troll didn't fall down, but was instead enraged. It roared angrily and then rushed over, waving its club.

"At least Hermione is safe, run!" Seeing that the trump card spell hadn't worked, Zhang Qiu shouted and then ran away, and the troll chased after her, swaying with every step.

Luo En remembered Pavel Korchagin charging on the Muggle battlefield and suddenly had courage. So, taking advantage of the troll's attention being on Zhang Qiu, he jumped up and pounced on the troll's back, waving the metal pipe and smashing it toward its face.

The troll began to jump around wildly, and the metal pipe flew out and broke Harry's head. Luo En lost his handy weapon and could only hold its neck tightly for a while, fearing being thrown off. Harry covered the hit spot on his head with his left hand and shot Spark Charms at the troll with his right hand. He felt that if he could shoot into the troll's eyes, it might have some effect.

Zhang Qiu turned back and continued to chant in Chinese. No matter what spell it was, it was very long. Harry worried that before she finished chanting, Luo En might be smashed by the troll's club first.

Just as the troll raised its club high again, the three were surprised to find the club fly up, and then turn around and smash it on the troll's face. It rolled its eyes, staggered a few steps, and finally fell heavily to the ground.

Hermione stood at the door of the girls' bathroom, her wand, with which she had just finished casting the Levitation Charm, held tightly in her hand. ===== CHAPTER 16 =====