Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

#159 - Okay, you're safe.

With a "Bang!", the hard wooden club, made of some unknown material, forcefully shattered the centuries-old stone wall at the entrance of the bathroom, creating an opening just large enough for the troll's massive body to pass through.

“I remember the books clearly stating that trolls are slow-witted and not very intelligent creatures…”

Curled up in the corner, Ron's voice trembled with a hint of tears as he watched the shocking scene unfold before him.

He clutched his wand in one hand, while the other instinctively gripped Draco's sleeve tightly, as if it could bring him a sliver of security.

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“Calm down, a troll is ultimately just a troll!”

This time, Draco didn't push Ron away with his usual disgusted expression. Instead, he took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and patiently reassured him.

Because he understood that no wizard his age could face such a monster without fear… Let alone them, mere eleven-year-olds; even a Hogwarts graduate wouldn't show much more courage than Ron—at least, he hadn't wet his pants yet.

Seeing the troll grab the shattered wall with its rough, oversized hands, struggling to crouch down and stick its head inside, Draco didn't hesitate. He turned his head and looked at Harry.

“Harry… just like I said at the beginning, you're okay with this, right?”

"…"

Listening to Draco's words, Harry instinctively clenched his fist. His palm was already soaked with sweat, making the wand feel particularly slippery.

However, he didn't hesitate. His gaze, fixed on the troll, gradually hardened.

“No problem!” Without excessive promises, just three simple words, but they were enough for Draco to sense his resolve and courage.

“Ron…”

Based on Draco's understanding of Harry, he knew that once Harry agreed to something, he rarely failed. He then looked back at Ron, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.

"… … …"

Ron didn't speak, only pouted, sniffing, looking like he was about to cry.

After mentally preparing himself, Ron released the sleeve he had been clutching and gripped his wand firmly with both hands.

Slowly raising his head, he glanced at the troll, which had already squeezed half its body inside, now twisting its neck, staring fiercely at the three of them, and letting out a ferocious roar.

However, this time, the fear on his face had disappeared, replaced by a determined gaze, a sense of resolve he had never possessed before. Then, he slowly opened his mouth and continued,

“Draco, if I die at the hands of this thing… please tell your uncle, Mr. Charlie Black, that I want my coffin to be filled with candy besides me… except for licorice wands, I really can't stand the taste.”

Hearing Ron's words, Draco was stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding.

But by the time he finally realized what the other was saying, Ron had already stood up and walked fearlessly towards the troll.

The roaring troll was also somewhat taken aback, gradually stopping its noise as it watched Ron walk towards it. Its expression showed a hint of confusion, as if it didn't understand what he was going to do.

Ron stopped a meter away from the troll. Then he crouched down and picked up the mop he had just dropped on the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly raised the mop in his hand… He spoke again,

“Although I don't know what you're going to do… but Draco, you better not be lying to me, because if possible, I'd rather eat all that candy while I'm still alive!!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the next second, under the gaze of the two boys and the monster, Ron used perhaps the greatest strength of his life to viciously shove the mop into the troll's still-open mouth, performing a brutal, deep-throat impalement.

Harry's eyes widened in horror, and Draco also gasped.

The previously confused troll, after being forcibly subjected to a "nucleic acid test," regained its initial rage and ferocity… No, perhaps it was even angrier than before.

“ROAR!!!!!!!”

The enormous sound almost deafened Ron. The action he had just completed completely exhausted all his courage. Seeing the troll truly enraged, the determination on his face could no longer hold. He screamed, released his grip on the mop handle, and scurried towards Harry and Draco.

“Wasn't I supposed to distract him?!” Draco shouted in disbelief at Ron, who was running back.

“Yeah, didn't I get his attention?”

Ron glanced back and saw the troll staring at him with eyes that looked like it wanted to devour him alive. The expression on his face paled slightly with fright.

“You're enraging him!!!”

Fortunately, although there were some twists and turns in the process, the final result still barely achieved their desired goal.

The thoroughly enraged troll finally squeezed in through the entrance, raising the wooden club in its hand. Without a word, it madly charged towards Ron, ready to repay him in kind. Ron was immediately sent into a frenzy.

His legs began to move uncontrollably, taking advantage of the agility afforded by the narrow environment. He cried out while using the bathroom partitions, sinks, and other obstacles to circle around the troll, buying time for Harry and Draco's next actions.

Draco naturally dared not delay any further. He raised his hands, holding his wand high, recalling the knowledge Professor McGonagall had taught in class, as well as Charlie's initial teachings at the manor.

“Magic doesn't rely on the wand… nor does it depend on spells… it is a product of solidified magic under the control of your mind, your will—the only thing you need is your brain!”

Charlie's words echoed in Draco's ears. He took a deep breath, and as his mind focused, magic began to be directed by an invisible force, mobilizing through his body towards the wand in his hand.

The next second, the tip of the wand glowed with a red light.

At the same time, Harry also raised his wand. After taking a deep breath, he followed Draco's example and pointed it at the troll.

“Serpensortia!!”

“Transfiguration!!”

Still the Serpensortia spell, but this time, his casting target was not the tip of his own wand, but… the wooden club in the troll's hand.

Magic erupted! Two streams of light converged and mixed in mid-air, eventually transforming into an even thicker force, flying towards their designated target!

The next moment, just as the troll was about to swing the wooden club again, angrily smashing it towards Ron, who was crawling frantically on the ground, thinking he was doomed, with a "Bang!", the wooden club disappeared, turning into a huge, pitch-black python, winding around the troll's thick arm.

“Hiss!”

The pitch-black snake that had just appeared didn't pause. The moment it was summoned, it obeyed Draco's command, twisting its body with extreme speed. Before the troll could react, it had climbed up his arm to his upper body, then tightly constricted his neck and head.

Having completed this action, Draco had completely exhausted all his energy and nearly stumbled to the ground.

Fortunately, Harry supported him, allowing him to regain his footing.

"How is it going?!"

Seeing that the troll's vision was obstructed, and it began desperately trying to pull off the snake wrapped around its head, not bothering with him, Ron quickly returned to Draco's side, extending his hand to support him.

"It won't last long... While he can't see us, let's quickly slip out of the entrance!!"

Ignoring the weakness in his body, he waved his hand and, with unsteady steps, led the two of them out of the bathroom and sprinted towards the Great Hall.

"Someone, come quickly!! There's a troll here!!"

"Help!!"

While running, Harry and Ron shouted loudly, attempting to attract the attention of a professor.

Unfortunately, even if the two young wizards' magic was strong, they couldn't maintain a complex Transfiguration spell for too long. Soon, in less than a minute.

The massive black form twisted back into a wooden club amidst a cloud of smoke, falling to the ground with a "clang."

Shaking his dizzy head, the troll picked up the club and resumed quickly searching for the three.

Seeing that the three had already fled, he became enraged, stomping heavily on the floor. He then squeezed back out of the bathroom entrance, which he had barely managed to squeeze into, and chased after them in the direction they had run.

"Roar!!"

Hearing another angry roar from behind, Draco, who was being supported by the two and barely managing to run, felt his heart sink. He knew that the Transfiguration spell had lost its effect... And now, the distance between them and the Great Hall wasn't exactly short. It wouldn't be long before the three of them were caught again. At that point, without the obstruction of the bathroom environment, they would face certain death!

"Hide!"

He immediately changed his original plan, saying to Harry and Ron.

"Find an empty room to hide in!!"

Hearing Draco's words, Harry and Ron stopped simultaneously, looked around, and ultimately chose a door with a slight crack, squeezing inside.

With a "bang!" the door was closed, and the three of them collapsed to the ground, as if they had no strength left.

"Will... will he find us?"

Harry turned his head, looking at Ron and Draco, asking anxiously.

"Isn't that a troll?!"

Ron's voice sounded like he was about to cry, the muscles in his cheeks trembling slightly.

"Huff..." Draco's head drooped, and he put his wand back into his pocket, saying wearily.

"Let's just leave it to fate..."

After saying this, he seemed to remember something, angrily hitting the ground with his hand.

"There's actually a troll in Hogwarts... I must tell my father about this!"

"Troll? What little cupcake..."

Just as the three of them were feeling complicated, suddenly, a voice abruptly interrupted their conversation.

Immediately following, a soft "click" was heard, and a bedside lamp turned on, illuminating the entire dark room.

A small elf wearing a nightcap and pajamas, with sleepy eyes, was barely propping up half of his body with his arm on a comfortable large bed, staring blankly at the three intruders.

A moment of silence fell, the four of them staring at each other for a long time, before finally reacting.

"This... does someone live here?"

Harry swallowed, looking around at the layout of the room, looking at the desk, bed, coat rack, and the stacked cardboard boxes, asking cautiously.

"Only me..."

Dab reached out, rubbed his eyes, jumped off the bed, put on his slippers, and walked up to the three, continuing to ask.

"So... who are you, and why are you intruding into my room?"

"We're... sorry, we're hiding from a troll," Harry said politely to the unusual elf in front of him.

"You just said a troll?"

"Yes..."

The three looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then answered in unison.

"How could there be a troll in Hogwarts?"

Dab frowned, the two large ears under the nightcap flapping a couple of times, continuing to question.

"How would we know!? If we knew, we wouldn't have been chased so miserably!"

Ron glared at the elf in front of him with annoyance, saying impolitely.

"That's true." But Dab wasn't angry, just thoughtfully nodded, then lazily waved his hand at the three.

"Forget it... you guys move aside, I'm going out."

"Are you crazy?!"

"Troll! There's a troll!!!"

"Can't you understand what I just said, you little fellow?"

"Do you know how we got out?! I'm telling you..."

...

Dab's words undoubtedly ignited the three's tense nerves. All of them jumped up at once, gesticulating wildly as they described everything they had encountered.

"Alright, relax." Dab squinted, watching the three's movements like they were monkeys for a while, then casually pushed them aside, opened the door, and walked straight out of the room, then slammed the door shut.

"Roar!!!!!"

The next second, as if having found a target, the troll's roar reached the three's ears again, causing them to shiver involuntarily.

"That house-elf is finished!"

"Oh my god... he must want to feed the troll to save our lives!"

"We should go out and save him!! We can't let him die at the troll's hands!"

"The problem is, can we go out? I don't believe you and Draco can turn his club into a snake again."

Just as the three of them began to argue with each other.

A loud crash accompanied by something falling outside the door. Harry felt the wall shake instantly!

"What was that? Was that little guy smashed into minced meat?!"

"Damn it!"

"What should we do?! Should we still go out...?"

"The troll will definitely find us!"