A troll. A creature of immense size and negligible intelligence, appearing out of nowhere in the dungeons of Hogwarts. The probability of it wandering in by accident was zero. Someone had let it in.
And since the news was delivered by a conveniently fainting Professor Quirrell, Dudley knew exactly what was happening. It was a classic diversion. Create chaos in one location to provide an opening in another.
"SILENCE!"
A voice, magically amplified, boomed through the Great Hall, cutting through the rising panic. Professor Dumbledore stood at the staff table, his wand pointed at his own throat. The chaos subsided almost instantly under the weight of his authority.
"Prefects," his voice commanded, calm and absolute, "lead your houses back to the dormitories. Immediately."
Percy Weasley puffed out his chest and sprang into action. "Follow me, first-years! Stay close! There's no need to fear any troll so long as you listen to my instructions. Alright now, stay in a line! Make way, I'm a prefect! First-years coming through!"
He began to herd the Gryffindor first-years out of the hall like a self-important sheepdog.
"How did a troll get in?" Harry asked, his voice a shocked whisper as they were swept along with the crowd.
"No idea," Ron replied. "Trolls are thick as planks. Maybe Peeves let it in for a laugh? Seems like his idea of a good Halloween joke."
"Dudley, what do you think?" Harry asked, turning to his cousin.
But Dudley wasn't listening. His gaze was fixed on Professor Quirrell, who was now being helped to his feet by several older students. Though he still looked shaken, he was waving off their concerns, indicating he was fine. As soon as they turned away, Quirrell straightened up and, with a furtive glance around, scurried out of the Great Hall.
"Dudley?" Harry called again.
"I have to go," Dudley said, his voice low and firm. "You two head back to the common room."
Quirrell was making his move. Whether the spirit possessing him was Voldemort or not, he could not be allowed to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone. Dudley didn't intend to confront him directly—that would be foolish. But if he could gather some undeniable proof of Quirrell's treachery, he could take it straight to Dumbledore.
"What?" Harry exclaimed. "What are you going to do? We're coming with you."
"It's too dangerous," Dudley said as the flow of students carried them out into the entrance hall. His eyes scanned the corridors, tracking Quirrell's path. Then, something else caught his attention. A small, yellowed piece of parchment had been tacked to the wall near the Great Hall entrance.
NO RUNNING IN THE CORRIDORS.
Harry and Ron noticed it too. "What's that? A new school rule?"
"Can't be," Ron scoffed. "Probably another one of Filch's daft ideas. Who's going to follow that? Look at everyone!"
He was right. In the ensuing panic, students were sprinting down every corridor, yet no one was being punished. Filch was nowhere to be seen.
Dudley stared at the notice, a frown deepening on his face. Something about it felt wrong, out of place. His intuition prickled. Then, his eyes widened as a sudden, sickening realization hit him.
"Hermione."
"What about her?" Ron asked.
"She doesn't know about the troll," Dudley said, his voice sharp with urgency. "And the girls' lavatory she's in… it's in the dungeons."
The color drained from Harry and Ron's faces. Ron bit his lip, his earlier bravado vanishing, replaced by a raw, genuine fear. If anything happened to Hermione because of the things he'd said… he would never forgive himself.
"You two, go," Dudley commanded, his mind making a split-second decision. "Find Hermione. Get her back to the common room. Now." The troll was a problem, but Hogwarts had a dozen powerful wizards to deal with it. Quirrell was the more pressing threat. The Stone could not fall into his hands.
"Alright," Harry said, nodding immediately. "You be careful."
Without another word, Harry and Ron broke away from the crowd, sprinting in the direction of the dungeons.
Dudley turned and headed in the opposite direction, taking the stairs two at a time towards the upper floors.
Something is still not right, he thought, the unsettling feeling from the notice refusing to fade. There's something I've missed.
From behind a stone statue, Draco Malfoy watched Dudley disappear up the staircase. A venomous, triumphant sneer twisted his face.
"Finally caught you," he hissed to himself.
He had been waiting for an opportunity like this for weeks. After being so thoroughly humiliated, he hadn't dared to confront Dudley directly again, not without a teacher nearby. But he had not forgotten. He couldn't let that beating go unanswered. The fact that he'd been blamed for starting the fight and Dudley had escaped expulsion had festered like a poison.
Today, when he saw the trio whispering conspiratorially before splitting up, he knew they were up to something. All he needed was to catch Dudley breaking a serious rule. Getting that thorn in his side expelled would be the sweetest revenge.
"Hmph. Mudblood-lover. Go back to your Muggles and scrub their toilets," Malfoy muttered viciously.
"What do we do now, Draco?" Crabbe asked, his knuckles dragging slightly on the stone floor.
"We can't beat him," Goyle added, stating the obvious. Even with three of them, they knew they were no match for Dudley.
"You idiots!" Malfoy snapped. "We're not going to fight him. We're going to follow him, catch him red-handed, and let the teachers expel him!"
"Can… can we do that?" Crabbe asked uncertainly.
"Stop thinking and just listen to me," Malfoy commanded, shooting them a look of disdain. "Come on!"
He peeked around the statue. "He went upstairs." Seeing Dudley disappear around the corner, Malfoy and his goons gave chase.
"He's probably just going back to the dormitory," Goyle whined, clearly reluctant to risk another encounter.
"Impossible," Malfoy sneered. "This isn't the way to the Gryffindor tower. Wait… upstairs… the fourth floor!" A thrill of wicked excitement shot through him. "I know where he's going. He's going to the forbidden corridor!"
This was better than he could have hoped. He was almost certain Dudley was about to break one of the school's most serious rules.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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