Desperate, rattling gasps echoed through the corridor—weak and liquid, as if something had lodged permanently in the creature's throat.
The troll was embedded deep in the stone wall like a grotesque sculpture, its bloated belly split wide as a cavern. Entrails and yellowed fat spilled forth in nauseating tangles, revealing glimpses of splintered bone beneath the carnage.
Rivers of blood and filth cascaded down ancient stones, painting abstract horrors across the corridor walls.
The stench intensified beyond human endurance—like a cesspit left to ferment for decades, thick enough to choke on.
"Scourgify!"
Hermione raised her wand with decisive authority.
As the putrid air cleared, she finally suppressed the violent rebellion in her stomach. Harry, Ron, and Neville had already surrendered to the walls, retching helplessly.
The Slytherins retreated several measured steps, maintaining their dignity even in revulsion.
"I simply cannot wait any longer..."
"Come here, chocolate drop. Let daddy have a taste."
Heavy footfalls accompanied Venom's approach as he licked his lips with predatory anticipation. His obsidian arms writhed and reshaped themselves into gleaming blades, piercing the troll's chest with surgical precision before hoisting the creature aloft.
The troll's roars carried pure, animalistic terror—the sound of prey recognizing its apex predator.
Organ fragments tumbled through the gaping wound, splattering against stone in sticky crimson bursts. Massive arms flailed weakly against Venom's blade-limbs, desperate to escape this nightmare made flesh.
All utterly futile.
Corman Avery, positioned at the Slytherin group's rear, began trembling uncontrollably. That night in their common room—the roaring, rampaging horror—surged through his memory like a recurring nightmare.
Venom's jaw unhinged with mechanical precision, revealing rows of serrated fangs that belonged in industrial machinery rather than any living mouth. The troll's head—eyes wide with terminal despair—disappeared into that churning maw.
Harry and Ron pressed against the wall, faces draining of all color as terror crystallized in their expressions.
"It's... it's... it's going to—"
The organic meat grinder SNAPPED shut.
Wet, rhythmic crunching filled the corridor like breaking branches in a storm.
After brief, futile struggling, the troll's massive form went completely limp—a mountain of flesh reduced to Venom's midnight snack.
The air thrummed with indescribable shock and relief. Time seemed suspended in this moment of absolute predation.
"Sweet Merlin... this is really—"
Marcus Flint's face turned the color of pond scum, but before he could finish, his stomach launched a full revolt.
"Urgh..."
Wall-leaning casualty count: +1
"I can't... I can't take—"
As the troll's shoulder vanished in a spray of crimson, Blaise Zabini clamped both hands over his mouth and bolted for the corner.
"Bleugh..."
Wall-leaning casualty count: +2
His retreat triggered a mass exodus. Seven or eight Slytherins who'd reached their breaking point joined the growing chorus of retching.
Wall-leaning casualty count: steadily climbing
Gemma Farley stood with arms crossed, pale forehead showing prominent veins as she fought some internal battle. Though her exterior remained glacially composed, Hermione detected the hairline cracks in her facade.
A malicious smile curved Hermione's lips.
"Senior Farley."
"I heard you absolutely adore tofu pudding..."
"Ugh!"
Before the words fully registered, Gemma Farley's serene mask shattered completely. The noble Slytherin covered her mouth, shot Hermione a look of pure venom, then fled toward the girls' washroom with whatever dignity remained.
"Ha... urp..."
Hermione's triumphant expression froze instantly.
Watching Venom savor the troll's spine like a gourmet delicacy, she pressed both hands to her mouth and followed Gemma's hasty retreat.
Unlike the others, Ramos Tiamaat's eyes gleamed with scholarly fascination and barely contained excitement.
He sensed intuitively that Venom's consumption of craniums served purposes beyond mere appetite. Father maintained exacting culinary standards—to endure such revolting behavior suggested far greater benefits awaited discovery.
"Oh, you stubborn bastard~~"
"Sure you won't try just a nibble?"
"The flavor profile is absolutely divine—reminds me of that fermented tofu you mentioned..."
After reducing the spine to calcium powder, Venom extracted the troll's heart—a organ the size of a dinner plate—and tossed it down his gullet like a party snack.
"Don't make me throttle you..."
Tiger's expression had grown darker than Venom's hide.
"Hey, brother, it's called sharing..." Venom persisted with wounded innocence.
"This specimen's hide has fantastic tensile strength—absolutely premium texture. The adipose tissue carries some funk, but develops complexity with repeated exposure. Regrettably, the cranial capacity proved insufficient for proper satisfaction..."
"Oh... wait..."
"Well, well, well. What have we here?"
"This creature's genetic encoding... fascinating... oh... I comprehend now..."
"No wonder such delectable organisms haven't achieved extinction." Venom's voice carried genuine scientific wonder.
"What exactly did you discover?"
Tiger inquired with resigned curiosity.
He grudgingly admitted that whenever he tried ignoring Venom, the symbiote invariably discovered something genuinely intriguing.
"An opportunity to obliterate that white-whiskered fossil's posterior."
Venom cackled with gleeful malice.
"Naturally. Biological nemeses always manifest in proximity..."
Just as their conversation reached this ominous conclusion, Dumbledore materialized with his professorial entourage, robes billowing like storm clouds.
Surveying the corridor's devastation and the troll's bisected remains, Professor McGonagall gasped audibly.
"Merlin's beard! What in blazes transpired here? Why are you students present?"
"Er... Professor... well..." Neville stammered helplessly, words failing him entirely.
"Potter." Professor Snape's voice cut through the chaos like a blade through silk. "Apparently your Savior credentials no longer provide sufficient Gryffindor bragging rights?"
His obsidian gaze bypassed every Slytherin present, focusing with laser intensity on Harry's increasingly crimson face.
"No, I was merely—"
Harry flushed scarlet while Ron frantically gestured toward Marcus and the others, desperately trying to redirect Snape's attention.
As for Venom at the corridor's terminus—only Dumbledore, wearing his characteristic expression of weary amusement, dared acknowledge the symbiote's presence.
"Greetings, Headmaster!"
"Care for a sample?"
Venom brandished the troll's severed thigh like a grotesque banner, radiating enthusiasm that fooled absolutely no one. Even Neville could detect the predatory malice lurking beneath.
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes paused momentarily, clearly sensing something significant. He stopped his approach and declined with diplomatic grace.
"Most generous of you, Mr. Venom, but I confess a preference for confectionery..."
"Oh, don't be so provincial." Venom launched into motivational rhetoric, attempting to lure the headmaster closer. "Life demands experimentation with novel experiences."
Dumbledore sighed with profound weariness. "Though certainly not including troll cuisine..."
With that declaration, he abandoned Venom's culinary evangelism entirely. A subtle nod to Professor McGonagall, and the headmaster departed with obvious haste.
He could sense Venom's barely restrained bloodlust radiating like heat from a forge. Tonight had provided sufficient excitement—Dumbledore lacked energy for additional games.
"Mr. Weasley."
Snape's voice dripped with silken menace.
"Should your cervical vertebrae require medical attention, I could arrange consultation with Mr. Shelby."
Ron's entire body went rigid at the sinister suggestion, his head shaking with increasing velocity.
Before Professor McGonagall could intercede, Snape cast his cold attention across the Slytherin contingent.
"Slytherin—one point deducted per student."
"Now. Return to your dormitory and cease endangering Mr. Weasley's neck."
"As you command."
Fifth-year Raven Bork led the group in perfect synchronized bows before departing with unhurried dignity.
You didn't even ask what happened!
Harry stared in absolute bewilderment, his faith in adult fairness crumbling like ancient parchment.
Fortunately, Hermione and Gemma Farley emerged from the washroom at that moment, providing Professor McGonagall with a comprehensive incident report.
"Concerned that Harry might encounter the troll?"
McGonagall watched Venom finish his grotesque meal with a satisfied belch that echoed through the corridor like distant thunder. Her silence spoke volumes.
In truth, she worried far more about Harry encountering Venom.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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