Chapter 25: Battling the Troll and the Failed Fear Spell
"Wingardium Leviosa~"
Watching the Troll slowly approach, Ivan softly recited the Levitation Charm, causing several Rock Cakes on the ground to slowly rise, ensuring the Troll could see them and not step on them due to its small head.
However, Ivan was still somewhat uneasy, fearing that the Troll might not be as stupid as described in books and could see through the trap.
Fortunately, Ivan soon realized that the Troll was even dumber than he had imagined, lacking even the basic caution of other creatures. It didn't care where the food came from and simply picked it up and ate it.
To make it easier to grab the food, the Troll even dropped the Club it was holding, looking every bit the glutton. This made Ivan wonder if Quirrell had secretly reduced the Troll's rations and pocketed the saved Galleons.
After a bout of mental complaining, Ivan's tense expression relaxed. He lightly touched the pocket in his Wizard robe, realizing that his carefully prepared escape plan wouldn't be needed.
However, to Ivan's surprise, a few minutes later, the Troll, having finished the Rock Cakes, showed no signs of collapsing. Instead, it sniffed the air, seemingly looking for more food.
Ivan was stunned. He had used enough of the potion to knock out several adult Wizards, yet the Troll showed no reaction at all.
This is not scientific—no, this is not magical!
Could it be that the potion he brewed was weaker than expected?
Ivan glanced at his Potions skill, now at level three, feeling somewhat uncertain.
"Ah~"
As Ivan hesitated about whether to take direct action, a high-pitched voice shattered the already dire situation.
Hiding in the Secret Passage, Ivan saw Hermione suddenly appear at the corner of the corridor. The Troll immediately picked up the Club from the ground and excitedly charged toward Hermione.
In the instant Ivan saw the Troll's movement, he understood that Hermione must have been drawn by the sound of the Club hitting the ground.
Ivan cursed inwardly, wishing he had set the trap further away.
Of course, Ivan was just venting. If he had set it further away, he couldn't be sure the Troll would pass by there.
On the other side, Hermione, faced with the terrifying pressure of the approaching Troll, panicked. Her brain kept sending signals to run, but her legs were so weak she could barely stand.
As Ivan had guessed, Hermione, who had been crying in the bathroom, was drawn by the vibrations from the ground and the loud sound of the Club hitting the floor.
However, Hermione never imagined she would encounter such a terrifying creature in the corridors of Hogwarts.
Just as Hermione thought she was about to meet her end, a voice rang out at the right moment.
"Fear be upon you!"
A bright purple light shot from the other side, and the Troll's massive size made it almost impossible for the spell to miss. The moment the Fear Spell hit, the Troll stopped its charge, standing still and dazed. At the same time, Ivan, who had been hiding in the Secret Passage, emerged.
"Ivan!" Hermione clung to Ivan like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, her eyes still wet with unshed tears.
"Shh", Ivan did not relax his guard. He freed his left hand from Hermione's grip and continued to increase the power of the Fear Spell with his right hand, which still held his Wand.
Hermione's face turned red, but under Ivan's reminder, she quickly noticed something was off with the Troll. She had initially thought Ivan had subdued the Troll with a single spell, but now it seemed more complicated than that.
"What's wrong with it?" Hermione whispered.
Ivan did not answer, only gesturing for Hermione to stay quiet. His gaze never left the Troll. This was the first time he had seen such a reaction after using the Fear Spell.
To instill enough fear in the Troll, Ivan had this time used the Fear Spell to recreate the three-headed dog Fluffy he had encountered before, enlarging it and placing it where Hermione stood.
The Troll, now under the influence of the Fear Spell, was thoroughly confused. The small, oddly dressed figure in front of it had inexplicably turned into a massive three-headed dog. The image was vaguely familiar, but it seemed much fatter than in its memory. Had it been secretly eating more lately?
What should we do now? Hermione didn't speak but signaled with her eyes.
Ivan pondered for a moment, unwilling to give up this opportunity. Time was limited, and a professor could arrive at any moment.
If they missed this chance, the next time they wanted to defeat the Troll, they would have to go under the trapdoor guarded by the three-headed dog Fluffy.
With this in mind, Ivan used gestures to indicate to Hermione to use the Levitation Charm to take the Troll's Club and then hit it on the head with it.
Yes, it was the same method Harry and Ron used to defeat the Troll in the original story. Even if it didn't work, it would at least disarm the Troll.
Hermione was skeptical of Ivan's imaginative plan but prepared to follow it out of trust.
However, the Troll's Club swung faster than Hermione could cast the spell!
The Troll, already not very intelligent, decided to attack in frustration after multiple failed attempts to communicate. The strange strength and the Club, thicker than an adult's waist, made Ivan feel a long-forgotten sense of death's threat.
At the last moment, Ivan used his final trump card. The remaining Academic Points in his System Panel dropped to single digits, and in the next instant, his thought speed increased a hundredfold.
The landing point of the Club and the Troll's possible subsequent actions flashed through Ivan's mind. He then turned and dashed, rolling on the ground with Hermione in a clumsy manner.
Behind them, a huge sound echoed as the solid wall corner was smashed by the Troll, sending debris and dust scattering everywhere.
The Fear Spell Ivan had used was also dispelled. Even if the Troll was stupid, it now realized it had been tricked. It raised its Club to chase them but, after a few steps, felt a sudden dizziness and stumbled, crashing into the wall. The Strong Sleeping Potion it had ingested was finally taking effect.
Taking advantage of the Troll's momentary confusion, Ivan quickly got up and pulled Hermione back, creating a distance of several meters between them and the Troll. The Troll, now regaining its senses, clearly had a high resistance to the sleeping potion.
Although the Troll didn't understand why it had suddenly become disoriented, it knew that smashing these two small figures on the ground was the right thing to do. It immediately charged at them, rage burning in its eyes.
For the Troll, a distance of several meters was not far at all, and it could cover it in a few seconds. For Ivan, this was more than enough!
(End of Chapter)
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