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Wednesday, October 30th, 1991 - Late Evening
11:47 PM - Seventh Floor Corridor
The castle was quiet, students asleep after the feast, dreaming peacefully with bellies full of roasted chicken. They had no idea what was coming.
Neither, technically, did Darius—not the exact details, not the precise timing. But he knew enough to prepare.
The Room of Requirement appeared after three passes, manifesting as the familiar workshop-laboratory hybrid. Darius stepped inside, the door vanishing behind him.
On the central table, two objects waited where he'd left them three days ago.
The memory came back to him unbidden—October 27th, staring at surveillance footage for the dozenth time, watching Quirrell's lips form the words "...troll... distraction... while you..."
A troll. Mountain troll, most likely twelve feet tall, massively strong, incredibly stupid, and violently aggressive. Exactly the kind of threat that would create maximum chaos while being theoretically containable by Hogwarts professors.
"I need to be able to stop it," he'd told Nano that night. "Or at least slow it down, confuse it, give people time to evacuate."
[Standard stunning spells insufficient for troll physiology. Mountain troll hide resistant to most magic. Require sustained barrage from multiple casters or extremely powerful single-caster spell work beyond current capability level.]
"So direct magical assault is out. What about indirect methods?"
[Trolls possess extremely poor eyesight, rely heavily on sense of smell. Highly susceptible to sensory disruption. Historical records indicate loud noises and bright lights can disorient them significantly.]
"Like a flashbang," he'd murmured. "But magical. Something that could work against a creature with natural magic resistance."
The research had taken hours. Trolls were covered extensively in Defense texts—their resistances, their weaknesses, their behavior patterns. Cross-referencing with Charms theory, he'd identified potential approaches.
Standard light spells wouldn't be bright enough. Standard noise charms wouldn't be loud enough. He needed something that would override a troll's senses completely, even for just a few seconds.
The solution came from combining three different spell principles. Lumos Maxima would provide the blinding light component, while Sonorus would handle sound amplification, and the Protean Charm would enable delayed activation. But the execution was complex. He couldn't just cast three spells—he needed them integrated into a single deliverable package that could be activated remotely or on impact.
The base was simple: a modified Dungbomb casing, hollowed out and reinforced. Inside, he inscribed runes for light and sound amplification, connected through a modified Protean array that would trigger simultaneously when the casing broke.
[Fabrication time estimate: 6.4 hours for prototype. Recommend splitting work across three sessions to avoid suspicious exhaustion.]
The first night—October 27th—he'd created the casing. Careful transfiguration transformed the Dungbomb shell into something more robust, capable of surviving impact without premature detonation. The rune work was microscopic, requiring nano-assisted precision. Laguz represented sound waves like water, while Sowilo captured the essence of sunlight for the flash. Kenaz amplified the illumination like a torch, and Thurisaz added the crucial element of disruption. Each rune was barely visible even under magnification, but perfectly formed.
The second night—October 28th—he'd worked on the trigger mechanism. A modified Protean Charm that would activate when the casing experienced sudden deceleration—impact—or when Darius mentally commanded it through a paired trigger stone he could carry.
The spell work was delicate. Too sensitive, and it would detonate in his pocket. Too insensitive, and it might not work when needed.
[Testing protocol established. Initial test at 40% power in Room of Requirement. Gradual escalation to full power after confirming containment mechanisms functional.]
The first test had been... Interesting.
The light had been blinding even at 40% power a brilliant white flash that left afterimages dancing in Darius's vision for ten minutes. The sound had been a thunderous CRACK that made his ears ring despite magical protection.
[Partner's sensory systems temporarily disrupted. Effect duration: 8.7 minutes full recovery. Extrapolating to troll physiology: estimated 30-90 seconds complete disorientation, 3-5 minutes reduced function.]
"Perfect," Darius had said once his hearing returned. "Now I need something for the psychological component."
[Query: Psychological component?]
"Trolls are stupid but not mindless. If I can make them see things that aren't there, create threats their brain will interpret as dangerous—"
[Illusion magic. Subject proposes development of illusory threat generation device.]
The concept was sound, but the execution proved more complex than the flashbang. Illusions required sustained magic, specific targets, constant maintenance. He couldn't just throw a grenade and have convincing illusions appear.
Unless he approached it differently.
[Analysis of Partner's concept suggests simplified approach: Rather than generating complex illusions, create stimuli that troll's brain will misinterpret. Combination of light patterns, shadow manipulation, and sound frequencies that exploit troll sensory processing limitations.]
Not true illusions—sensory confusion. Making the troll think it saw threats through manipulation of what little vision it had, creating sounds that mimicked dangerous creatures, generating scents that signaled predators.
The third night—October 29th—had been dedicated to this device. The casing was similar to the flashbang, but the internal rune work was completely different. Ansuz represented communication and signals, perfect for transmitting false information. Hagalaz brought disruption and chaos to sow confusion. Perthro embodied mystery and the unknown, creating uncertainty. Naudhiz represented constraint and need, triggering the fear response in its target.
The spell work was even more delicate than the flashbang. He needed it to generate randomized patterns rather than simple fixed effects, to avoid the troll's brain adapting too quickly.
[Testing results: Effect duration 45-120 seconds depending on subject intelligence and resistance to mental influence. Against troll-level intelligence: estimated 90+ seconds significant confusion, possible outright terror depending on generated stimuli.]
"Two devices," Darius had said, examining his creations. "Two tools that might give people time to escape, time to evacuate, time to—"
[Time to survive what Partner cannot prevent alone.]
Exactly.
Now, on Halloween night, Darius picked up both devices carefully. They looked innocuous—small spherical casings about the size of golf balls, one marked with a barely visible "F" for flashbang, the other with "C" for confusion.
[Devices verified operational. Trigger stone linked. Manual detonation or impact activation available. Recommend Partner carry both devices and trigger stone at all times during Halloween event.]
Darius slipped them into specially prepared pockets—reinforced, padded, isolated to prevent accidental detonation. The trigger stone went into his inner robe pocket where he could reach it instantly.
Three weeks of preparation. Surveillance network deployed, devices fabricated, contingency plans developed, every capability he possessed refined and ready.
And still, standing in the Room of Requirement at midnight on Halloween, Darius felt underprepared.
[Statistical analysis suggests Partner's preparation level exceeds 98th percentile for age group and circumstance. Feeling of inadequacy likely result of realistic threat assessment rather than actual unpreparedness.]
You're saying I'm prepared but smart enough to know it might not matter?
[Precisely. Unknown variables remain numerous. However, Partner has maximized advantage within available constraints. Additional preparation unlikely to improve outcomes at this juncture.]
Darius took a breath, checking his mental inventory one final time. His surveillance network was operational, monitoring all key locations. His enhanced capabilities—physical, magical, combat—were all at peak efficiency. His magical reserves sat at 94%, rested and ready. The tactical devices, flashbang and confusion grenades, were secured in their padded pockets. His wandless magic was proficient enough for emergency situations. His Occlumency provided master-level protection against mental intrusion. His knowledge gave him complete awareness of enemy plans and capabilities. And Nano's partnership offered analytical support and enhanced processing he couldn't achieve alone.
And against all that: A Dark Lord with decades of experience, a possessed professor with advanced magical knowledge, a twelve-foot troll with enormous strength and magic resistance, and whatever other chaos Quirrell had planned that the surveillance hadn't captured.
"Even odds," Darius muttered.
[Optimistic assessment. Actual probability of zero casualties: 34%. Probability of Partner survival: 87%. Probability of mission success: Variable depending on definition of success.]
Thanks. Really feeling confident now.
[You are welcome. Partner should note that 87% survival probability is quite good given circumstance. Historical comparable situations show average survival probability of 23%.]
Despite everything, Darius smiled. Nano's attempt at reassurance through statistics was somehow both unhelpful and oddly comforting.
"Right then." He moved toward the door, devices secured, mind clear, ready for whatever the night would bring. "Let's go save some lives."
[Acknowledged. Partnership status: Operational. All systems optimal. Initiating maximum alertness protocol.]
The Room of Requirement's door opened, revealing the empty seventh-floor corridor beyond. Somewhere in the castle, Quirrell was preparing his final moves. Somewhere in the dungeons, a troll would soon appear. Somewhere in Gryffindor Tower, Hermione Granger would soon face death.
And somewhere between all those points, Darius D. Kael would try to change the story.
Halloween had begun.