Chapter 29: The Giant Beast
Chapter 29: The Giant Beast
In the girls' bathroom, Hermione was immersed in her sadness when she heard two gentle knocks on the stall door.
"Hermione, is that you?"
"Who are you?" Hermione choked out. "Are you here to laugh at me, too?"
"It's Padma Patil," Padma replied softly. "The Halloween feast must have started already, Hermione. Ved and Michael are both outside waiting for you—they're worried about you."
"You all go ahead to the feast, don't worry about me! Let me be alone for a while," Hermione said stubbornly, wiping away the endless stream of tears that had begun to flow again, not just from the lingering sadness, but now also from the comfort of her friends' concern.
With her hand on the stall door, Padma gently said, "Hermione, I know what Wesley said was horrible. But I don't understand why you're letting the unfair comments of a foolish boy upset you while ignoring your true friends. Everyone knows you're the smartest witch in our year; can't you tell what truly matters?"
Hermione's sobs ceased, and she remained silent for a long moment.
"Let me tell you a secret," Padma continued. "Those who speak ill of you behind your back are often driven by their own insecurities and jealousy. You're smarter, better, and stronger than them, and they try to hurt you with their words. If you let them break you and push your friends away, they win. The best way to deal with them is to ignore their hurtful remarks and shine even brighter, paying no mind to the shadows lurking in the corners. And if that's not satisfying enough, give them a good punch in the face! After all, you're a Gryffindor lion, aren't you?"
"Squeak—"
A moment later, the stall door opened.
Hermione emerged with red-rimmed eyes, her voice still shaky. "I'm not the smartest witch—Padma, you're the truly smart one."
Padma smiled and gave her a warm hug.
...
Ved and Michael had been waiting in the corridor for a long time and were relieved to finally see the two girls emerge from the bathroom. They had overheard Padma's comforting words to Hermione, but none of them mentioned it.
Michael opened his arms and joked, "Do you need a big hug, Hermione?"
The brown-haired girl wiped her eyes and hugged Michael with a force that could have cracked his ribs. She released him as he stood stunned, then turned and hugged Ved tightly as well.
"Thank you—I'm sorry," Hermione whispered.
Ved ruffled her hair affectionately without saying a word.
"No need to apologize," Michael said, rubbing his stomach. "But I can't wait to dig into the Halloween feast. I hope they haven't finished all the desserts yet!"
Padma curiously asked, "Where is the Hogwarts kitchen? I've never seen it."
Michael's eyes lit up. "The kitchen is very well-hidden. If it weren't for Theo and the others—"
Ved suddenly stopped in his tracks, raising his hand to halt the others while quickly drawing his wand with the other.
"What is it?" Michael asked, lowering his voice.
"Didn't you hear that?" Ved whispered.
Michael remained silent as they all saw it—a massive, greenish-gray hand clutching the wall at the corner, accompanied by labored breathing from an unseen source.
Their faces paled instantly, and Padma whimpered, "Merlin—what monster—"
A hulking creature turned the corner.
It stood at least twelve feet tall, its head nearly touching the ceiling, and it weighed at least two tons. Its skin was repulsive, like that of a giant toad. Its body was enormous, with a bulging belly and a short neck supporting a bald head with sparse hair.
The creature's body also emitted a putrid stench, and its long arms nearly reached its knees as it held a tree-like club in its hand.
"Impossible...how could there be a giant beast inside the castle?" Padma turned pale and her legs turned to jelly, leaning on Hermione for support.
The giant beast lowered its head and spotted them, its small eyes gleaming with cruel excitement. It took a heavy step towards them, brandishing the club in its hand.
Hermione's hand shook as she pointed her wand at the beast, unsure of what spell to cast.
Michael shouted out spells one after another, "Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus!"
He hadn't mastered this spell yet, and it had no effect on the beast, like droplets of rain on rhinoceros hide. Ved raised his wand, frantically searching through all the spells he knew.
He had a wide array of spells at his disposal, but the beast's high magic resistance and robust physique made it difficult for even an adult wizard's spells to have any impact. This was a creature that, despite its lack of intelligence and magic, was still classified as a XXXX-level danger, on par with Thunderbirds and Sphinxes.
Although Ved had felt that the danger levels in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' were questionable when he first read it, he still felt a suffocating sense of oppression facing this beast that towered over the house.
"Bang!"
A bucket suddenly smashed into the beast's head, and Harry appeared out of nowhere, shouting at them, "What are you staring at? Run!"
Michael snapped out of his daze and pulled the two girls with him as he turned to flee. Ved, however, took a step forward and pointed his wand, "Avifors!"
A flock of chirping birds flew out from the tip of his wand and swarmed the beast's face. The simple-minded giant was immediately distracted, and it let out a rumble from its throat, swatting clumsily at the birds with its palm-sized hands.
Michael and the others joined in, shouting, "Avifors!"
But their spells were ineffective, producing only a spark from their wands that momentarily caught the beast's attention.
The dozen or so birds that Ved had summoned surrounded the giant beast, which roared angrily and smashed the surrounding decorations to pieces with its club. However, it was helpless against the agile little birds. As time passed, the number of birds began to dwindle.
"This spell will only hold it off for ten seconds at most!" Michael shouted.
Ved waved his wand vigorously, "Lubricus!"
The floor beneath the beast's feet suddenly became extremely slippery, causing it to lose its balance and crash heavily to the ground. The entire floor seemed to shake with the impact, and the club flew out of its hand.
Hermione, looking like she might pass out at any moment, mustered her courage and pointed her wand, shouting, "Leviosa!"
The club rose high into the air and fell with a loud clang onto the beast's head. It shook its head, struggling and roaring as it tried to get up. Hermione gritted her teeth and struck again, a second, third, and fourth time...
Finally, the giant beast happily passed out.
Hermione stopped, breathless, and turned to see everyone staring at her with a mix of shock and awe.
"What?" The girl blushed slightly and pretended to be nonchalant as she looked at Padma and said, "Well, you were right...giving it a good punch does feel satisfying."
Padma was left speechless, her mouth agape—Did I teach her that?
She felt a little uncomfortable meeting Ved and Michael's eyes.
"Harry—there's a giant beast! There's a giant beast inside the castle—run back to the dormitory! Giant—"
Ron came running, shouting at the top of his lungs, and then his voice abruptly cut off as he took in the scene before him, his eyes widening in shock. "What happened?" he asked, stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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