"Sean Green?!"
Professor McGonagall caught sight of a figure she never expected to see here, and for a moment, she could hardly catch her breath. She glared at Sean, her entire body trembling with fury.
"Ravenclaw loses fifty points! For your reckless behavior!"
Professor McGonagall was clearly livid.
Harry and Ron stood there, dumbfounded. How had Sean's appearance suddenly shifted all the professors' wrath onto him?
Professor Flitwick, standing just outside the door, was equally stunned. He paused, wondering if Ravenclaw was about to lose all its points.
"Sean Green," Flitwick said, stepping inside and clearing his throat twice, snapping McGonagall out of her rage for a moment. Snape, however, still fixed Sean with an icy glare.
"Can someone explain what happened here? Children? Miss Granger, I believe you were excused from classes this afternoon."
His kind tone eased the tension for the frightened young witches and wizards.
"It was me. I came to find…" Hermione began, still a bit dazed. But she couldn't just stand by and watch Sean lose a whopping one hundred and fifty points!
After all, he'd worked so hard to earn those points in the first place.
"It was us, Professor," Justin cut in quickly. "We met up with Hermione to head to the Great Hall for dinner when we ran into the troll. Together, we managed to take it down."
Justin jumped in, knowing Sean might struggle to explain himself under the professors' fiery scrutiny. With their anger so intense, it was hard for anyone to get a word in.
He wasn't sure if Hogwarts would reward or punish them for defeating a troll, but given the current mood, it didn't look promising. They needed to share the blame.
"Oh, so you're saying you all risked your lives to defeat a troll?" Flitwick asked, blinking and gesturing for Justin to continue.
"Yes, Professor. Neville and I distracted it, Harry and Ron drew its attention, and Sean used a Levitation Charm to finish it off."
Eyeing the massive club and the troll's flattened head, Justin pieced together what had happened and quickly spun a story about their teamwork.
The others stared, stunned.
Harry was the first to recover. "That's right, Professor."
"Yeah," Ron added.
Lose House points? They weren't afraid. Losing access to Sean's notes, though? That would be a disaster.
Ron grinned to himself, thinking: Sean's a stand-up guy. Helping him out now might just get me the latest version of his notes!
The thought was thrilling.
"Oh—how brave!" Flitwick exclaimed, glancing at the other professors.
McGonagall's anger had subsided, replaced by a worried look as she scanned the group, especially Sean. Snape, meanwhile, shot Sean a deathly glare that screamed, You're in trouble later.
"First, Mr. Green," Flitwick continued, "for your exceptional spellwork, I'm awarding you one hundred and fifty points!"
Flitwick could tell at a glance which spells Sean had used, and he was thrilled to see his star student combine them so effectively in a real fight. The Levitation Charm, the Repelling Charm aimed at the club—it was brilliant! Sean had clearly accounted for the troll's high magic resistance, fragile head, and clumsy bulk.
What impressive battle instincts!
McGonagall and Snape looked displeased but didn't argue.
Flitwick gave Sean a quick wink, as if to say, Don't worry, we'll make up for it later.
"And for the rest of you," Flitwick continued, "I'm awarding twenty points each! For not abandoning your friend, for your clever teamwork, and for bravely defeating the troll!"
The group buzzed with excitement at his words.
"Now, off to enjoy your dinner, children!" Flitwick said with a smile, ushering them out before McGonagall or Snape could say anything.
Once the professors were gone, the group erupted into chatter.
"Merlin's beard, Sean! I still can't believe you took down a troll by yourself! That must've been epic!" Justin said, grinning.
"I heard a huge thud! Was that the troll hitting the ground?" Harry asked, finally voicing the question that had been nagging at him.
As he spoke, he realized something—Sean, Justin, Hermione, and Neville were practically inseparable, but he and Ron weren't really part of their tight-knit group. Sean had just been helping them out for some reason.
"I think so," Justin replied quickly. "Sean, what spells did you use to bring it down?"
"Transfiguration, Levitation Charm, Repelling Charm…" Sean started.
"Oh, and thanks."
"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you," Hermione said, her voice steadier now. "Thank you, Sean, especially you. And Justin, Neville, Harry, and Ron."
Harry felt a strange sense of distance melt away the moment Sean said thanks.
He was already content with how things had turned out, but then Ron blurted out, "Can I see the latest version of your spell notes?"
Justin burst out laughing. "Latest version? The spell notes are a joint effort between Sean and Hermione. I bet the part you're talking about is something Hermione just added."
Ron's face turned red, but before he could say anything, a sky-blue notebook was pressed into his hands. He looked up to see Hermione smiling.
"Take it," she said. "I only contributed a little. Sean's way ahead of me with his spellwork."
---
October ended, and November arrived right on schedule.
The weather had turned so chilly that gloves were a must, probably because the Quidditch season was approaching, and the Houses were buzzing with competitive energy.
After the troll incident, the trio in Hagrid's hut—Hermione, Justin, and Neville—had developed an unshakable trust in Sean. Even Harry and Ron felt it. After every class, Ron would boast about how Sean had single-handedly taken down the troll.
The divide between Harry, Hermione, and the others faded quickly. Justin was thrilled—especially since, with Harry and Ron around, the gossip about Hermione had stopped.
After all, Ron and Harry had just earned points and were brimming with confidence, unafraid of getting into a scuffle and losing a few. Ron, especially, was the type to chuck his rat, Scabbers, at someone in a fit of temper.
As for Sean, he wasn't doing so great.
Since that day, he hadn't seen McGonagall or Snape. Today, he had to attend Transfiguration and brew potions in class.
He'd already tried to clear things up with them, but both professors seemed to be holed up in the Headmaster's office. He hadn't been able to track them down.
And on the afternoon after Halloween, in the Headmaster's office, several figures stood waiting.