[Note: Read up to Chapter - 123 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Actually… it's a bit difficult to say," Aris muttered, rubbing his forehead with a faint look of embarrassment as he faced Harry and Ron's hopeful stares.
"No way to figure out the truth, then?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely disappointed.
Ron tore off a bite of his toast and grumbled, "What I don't get is—why didn't the person just come forward?"
"I mean, c'mon—taking down a troll single-handedly? That's mental! If it were me, I'd be telling the entire school!"
"Maybe they don't want the attention," Hermione said, casting a very pointed glance at Aris, the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement.
"But now everyone thinks we did it," Harry added, spreading his hands helplessly. "Wouldn't that person be a bit… I dunno, annoyed?"
"I honestly thought they'd show up and say something by now."
Hermione's lips curled upward as she chuckled. "Yes, that would make sense… It's strange, really."
Watching her playful grin, Aris could only sigh inwardly.
'So much for staying in the shadows...'
He gave a quiet cough, drawing Harry and Ron's attention back to him.
"Well… even if it seems odd, we can still piece a few clues together."
That got their attention. Harry and Ron leaned in, eyes bright with curiosity. Even Hermione looked intrigued—though she clearly just wanted to see what sort of nonsense Aris would come up with next.
"Right, first off," Aris began, clearing his throat, "whoever it was must've had serious magical power, yeah? That kind of force isn't something your average student can manage."
"Yeah, no doubt," Harry agreed, and Ron nodded along eagerly.
"Second," Aris continued smoothly, "they probably don't care much for public praise. Or maybe they've already got enough recognition that this sort of thing doesn't matter anymore."
"So… they're already a famous wizard?" Harry guessed, following Aris's logic.
A Famous Wizard? Hermione couldn't help but glance at Aris again.
Clearly, he didn't fit that description at all.
"And it's got to be someone in Hogwarts—a professor or a student," Ron added helpfully.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well done, Sherlock. No need to point out the obvious…"
Aris coughed again, masking a smirk.
"Right then, let's carry on with the 'analysis'…"
"If we assume the first two points are true—strong magical power and no desire for fame—then it's probably not a student. Like Ron said earlier, if a student had done this, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops."
At that, Ron scratched the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish.
Aris shot him a reassuring glance, then continued, "So that leaves only one possibility… it must've been a professor."
He leaned in slightly. "After all, if everyone suddenly thinks you two defeated a troll, only a professor would quietly let it go without kicking up a fuss over a little misunderstanding, yeah?"
Harry and Ron both nodded enthusiastically.
"And let's be honest—only a professor would have enough magical strength to take out a troll that quickly."
Another round of nodding.
"Now, if we think back to that night, Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell were all there at the scene. If they had done it, there'd be no reason to hide it, right?"
Harry's brow furrowed, and Ron scratched his chin in thought.
"So then…" Aris said with a slight smile, "who else could it be? Which professors weren't accounted for?"
At this, Hermione squinted at Aris, suspicious.
What's he playing at now? she thought.
Was he seriously trying to pin the whole thing on one of the professors?
That made no sense.
If a professor had defeated the troll, why in Merlin's name would they let two first-years take the blame—or the glory—for it?
It didn't add up. Anyone with half a brain could see something wasn't quite right with that theory.
At that moment, Harry muttered thoughtfully, "A professor with powerful magic, a good reputation, and no interest in glory…"
"Could it be Professor Flitwick?" Ron suggested.
"No chance," Harry shook his head. "Flitwick's awful at keeping things quiet. If it had been him, he'd have already turned it into a lesson—with diagrams and dramatic reenactments."
Ron rubbed his temples, as though thinking had physically drained him. "Then who else?"
"Well, the heads of house are probably the most respected and powerful professors in the school," Harry mused. "What about Professor Sprout—she's head of Hufflepuff, isn't she?"
"Her area's Herbology," Aris pointed out helpfully. "Not really ideal for dealing with trolls in a hurry."
"Oh, right—yeah," Ron suddenly perked up. "I remember now! Hannah Abbott told me that when Dumbledore ordered everyone back to their common rooms, Professor Sprout was with the Hufflepuffs."
"Yeah—and I think she was worried about the troll trampling her greenhouse, so she legged it off to check on the herb shed."
"Well, that rules her out, then," Harry sighed, frowning again. "So who else is left?"
Hermione, meanwhile, had gone completely quiet—her eyes wide with disbelief.
She'd never realised Aris could be so smooth at spinning such an utterly ridiculous, yet somehow convincing, tale.
Watching Harry and Ron get swept along so easily by his nonsense, she was speechless.
They've been completely led off course… and they don't even know it.
"Oh—Dumbledore!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.
"Ron, didn't you mention Dumbledore earlier?"
"Where did he go after he left the Great Hall?"
"No clue," Ron replied, shaking his head.
Harry turned to Aris and Hermione for confirmation—both of them shook their heads as well.
"Powerful, famous… and completely unpredictable…"
Harry muttered to himself, then looked up at Aris with a glint in his eye. "Could it be… that it was Professor Dumbledore who defeated the troll last night?"
"That makes a lot of sense!" Ron nodded eagerly.
"There's hardly a thing that goes on in this castle without Dumbledore knowing about it," Aris added, fanning the flames with a perfectly innocent tone.
Hermione, "…"
By this point, Harry and Ron's brains had practically locked into a rhythm. The idea that the troll had been defeated by a student was long gone from their minds. In their heads, it could only have been a Hogwarts professor.
So when Dumbledore's name came up, everything Aris had subtly hinted at before suddenly clicked into place.
Dumbledore's mysterious comings and goings… his unmatched power… his habit of stepping in quietly when things went wrong…
If it had been to protect students, who's to say he hadn't appeared in the basement out of nowhere and flattened the troll?
Surely, there was no harm in letting the great Professor Dumbledore take the credit—right?
"Then it all fits!" Harry said, eyes wide as he drew in a deep breath.
"No wonder no one's come out to clear things up. No one's given us detention, either. Even the professors are letting it slide. To Dumbledore, this whole thing probably wasn't worth making a fuss over…"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became. Ron, naturally, nodded along with every word.
Hermione just stared at the two of them, a mixture of exasperation and disbelief written across her face.
Then she turned to Aris—who, unsurprisingly, was wearing a smug little smile.
That smile… that smug, irritating smile… it's just begging to be punched.
And yet, a promise was a promise.
Hermione had sworn to Aris that she wouldn't reveal the truth—and no matter how ridiculous things got, she intended to keep her word.
So for now… she said nothing.
Not a single word.
She could only watch as Harry and Ron—those two lovable idiots—marched confidently further down the completely wrong path…
"Since you lot have it all figured out," Aris said, brushing the crumbs from his robe, "I'll be off."
Job done. Time to make himself scarce.
He had no illusions this would blow over quietly. The professors were bound to investigate the troll incident, even if it hadn't been a big focus in the original books.
And with someone like Dumbledore around? No chance he hadn't picked up on something odd.
McGonagall taught them. She wasn't half as gullible as people liked to believe.
"Thanks, Aris," Harry said sincerely. "I feel loads better now that it's all cleared up."
"Don't thank me," Aris replied with a grin. "You worked it out yourselves, didn't you?"
After all, he'd never technically said Dumbledore defeated the troll. That had been Ron's guess. Everything else had just… followed naturally.
If anyone asked, it had nothing to do with him, right?
Hearing their exchange, Hermione rolled her eyes—again.
Only today had she discovered just how infuriating Aris could be.
Cunning. Deceptive. Smug. Very punchable.
The image she'd had of him—the quiet, mysterious Ravenclaw—had completely shattered.
Now he was clever, sneaky, and just a little too proud of himself.
As the ever-principled and headstrong witch that she was, Hermione made a silent vow:
She would ignore this insufferable boy for the next three days straight. No exceptions.
As Aris had predicted, though, the professors weren't about to let the troll incident slide.
In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore sat in quiet thought while Professors McGonagall and Snape stood before him, discussing the matter.
"Trolls are thick, yes," McGonagall said grimly. "But they don't just wander into castles. Someone had to have lured it into the dungeons."
"At the time, all the professors were celebrating Halloween in the Great Hall with the students," McGonagall said seriously. "Someone could've taken advantage of the distraction and slipped into the castle to do it."
"You think an outsider broke in?" Dumbledore asked, his tone thoughtful.
"Obviously, I don't believe any of our professors would do such a thing," she replied. "Besides, everyone had an alibi… didn't they?"
"No," came a quiet voice.
Snape, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"Professor Quirrell entered the Great Hall after the troll appeared. Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?"
"You suspect Quirrell?" McGonagall frowned, surprised.
Before Snape could respond further, Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," he said calmly, though his gaze lingered on Snape with quiet warning. "You realise, Severus, that's quite a serious accusation."
Snape met Dumbledore's eyes, then wisely said no more.
Dumbledore let the moment pass, then gently steered the conversation in a new direction.
"Very well. What did we find at the scene?"
"Any clues as to what spell was used to take the troll down?"
"You're all aware," he added, "that trolls are highly resistant to magic. Even a sixth or seventh year would struggle to bring one down quickly. And yet two first-years supposedly did it…"
He paused.
"What are your thoughts?"
"I looked into it thoroughly," Snape replied. "The troll had heavy impact injuries to the head. I also found distinct scuff marks on its own club. My guess? The brute was knocked out by its own weapon."
"To pull that off, all it would've taken was a basic Levitation Charm, with a bit of precise magical control."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "A very clever tactic."
He smiled faintly. "So, you're saying even a first-year could have done it?"
Snape's lips thinned, clearly not thrilled to admit it. But he gave a stiff nod.
"Yes, Headmaster."
"When we arrived, only Potter and Weasley were there," McGonagall added. "So naturally, we assumed they'd managed to defeat the troll—by sheer luck."
"Quite the stroke of fortune," Dumbledore said with a soft chuckle, nodding as though genuinely pleased with the boys' supposed performance.
But then, his tone shifted.
"Although… after you left, I visited the scene myself. And I found something rather interesting—strange, mysterious… and frankly, remarkable."
McGonagall and Snape both turned to him, startled.
"What do you mean?" McGonagall asked, frowning slightly.
Snape narrowed his eyes. Dumbledore's choice of words had clearly unsettled them both.
"There was a form of magic used there," Dumbledore said slowly, "incredibly powerful—yet unfamiliar. It didn't match any known spell currently documented."
His expression darkened, brows furrowed in quiet thought.
"I used an Apparition Tracking Spell to reconstruct the magical signatures at the scene, but the results were… baffling. Something—some force—had completely erased all magical traces."
He looked at them both meaningfully.
"Everything had been wiped away. Not just spell residue, but the magical signatures of those who had been there."
"That level of concealment… it's not something a typical Hogwarts student could pull off."
The moment he finished speaking, the air in the headmaster's office turned heavy.
McGonagall looked at him sharply. "Are you saying someone really broke into the castle?"
"If that's true," she added, her voice quieter now, "and none of us noticed… then only you would have even the slightest chance of discovering who it was."
"So far, I've not seen any signs of an outside intrusion," Dumbledore said, giving a slight shake of his head.
"Then what is going on?" Snape muttered, even his usually impassive face now creased with a frown.
At that moment, the revolving staircase in the headmaster's office began to turn.
A few seconds later, a large, familiar figure stepped through the doorway.
"Oh—Hagrid!" Dumbledore said, glancing toward the door. "I'd asked him to check the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest, see if he could find any useful clues. Judging by the look of him, it seems he's found something. Haven't you, Hagrid?"
"Just like you thought, Professor," Hagrid replied, his deep voice echoing slightly.
He still had leaves clinging to his coat, clear signs that he'd only just come out of the forest.
"I spotted some tracks near the forest edge," he said. "The troll definitely came from that direction—but it didn't just wander in on its own. It was guided. You can see it plain as day from the way the trail moves."
He paused, his expression turning grim.
"And there's more. Remember those reports we got about someone lurking in the Forbidden Forest? I reckon they weren't just rumours."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I found a clearing with loads of burn marks. Something—or someone—used fire magic there."
"But the odd thing is, the burn patterns were clean—too clean. Controlled. Like the flames only struck where intended. That's not something wild magic does."
He looked at Dumbledore, serious now.
"Sir… I think you ought to come take a look for yourself."
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 123 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]