Chapter 123: The Rift
"Sean Green?!"
Professor McGonagall stared at the one figure she never expected to see in this mess. She felt the air leave her lungs. Her gaze fixed on Sean, and she began to tremble with a mixture of fury and terror.
"Fifty points from Ravenclaw! For this... this foolishness!" she finally roared, her voice cracking.
Harry and Ron stared, dumbfounded. Why did Sean showing up suddenly make the professors even angrier? Professor Flitwick, who had just arrived at the door, also paused, looking utterly bewildered. Is Ravenclaw about to lose all its points?
"Sean Green," Flitwick said, entering the bathroom. He coughed pointedly, which seemed to snap McGonagagall back to her senses, though Snape's expression remained murderous.
"Can anyone explain what happened here?" Flitwick asked, his tone kind, trying to calm the terrified students. "Miss Granger, I recall you were excused from the feast?"
"It was me! I came looking for..." Hermione started, her mind still reeling. She couldn't let Sean lose 150 points for saving her! He had worked so hard to earn them.
"It was us, Professor," Justin cut in smoothly, stepping forward. He knew Sean was probably too stunned to speak, and the professors were too furious to listen to the source of their anger. He had no idea if they'd be punished or rewarded for fighting a troll, but judging by the current atmosphere, it wasn't looking good. They had to share the burden.
"You're saying... you all took on a troll?" Flitwick asked, blinking, motioning for him to continue.
"Yes, Professor," Justin said, his mind racing as he pieced together the scene – the massive club, the troll's flattened head. "Neville and I created a diversion, Harry and Ron distracted it, and Sean… Sean knocked it out with a Levitation Charm."
The others stared at him, momentarily speechless. Harry was the first to catch on. "That's right, Professor."
"Yeah," Ron added, nodding vigorously. Losing house points? he thought. Who cares. Losing access to Green's Notes? That would be a catastrophe. His mind was already leaping ahead. If I help him out here, maybe he'll give me the updated version of the notes?
"Oh, truly heroic!" Flitwick exclaimed, glancing at his two stone-faced colleagues. McGonagall's anger had faded, replaced by deep concern as she checked the students for injuries, her gaze lingering on Sean. Snape merely shot Sean a death glare that clearly communicated, You and I will be having words later.
"First," Flitwick continued cheerfully, "for Mr. Green! For his outstanding and creative application of advanced magic... one hundred and fifty points to Ravenclaw!" He, at least, could recognize the combination of spells at play: the Levitation Charm, the Knockback Jinx against the club... a brilliant strategy exploiting the troll's high magic resistance but low intelligence!
McGonagall and Snape said nothing, though their expressions didn't improve. Flitwick gave Sean a tiny wink, as if to say, Don't worry, we'll earn back the rest later.
"And for the rest of you," he beamed, "twenty points each! For your courage, your teamwork, and your loyalty to a friend in need! Now, off you go, children. Go enjoy what's left of the feast!"
He shooed them out before the other two professors could object.
"Merlin, Sean! I still can't believe you took down a troll by yourself!" Justin said excitedly as they walked away. "It must have been incredible!"
"I heard a massive crash," Harry said, finally asking the question that had been burning in his mind. "Was that the troll falling?"
As he asked, he suddenly became aware of a subtle distance. The four of them – Sean, Justin, Hermione, and Neville – seemed to form a tight, comfortable unit. He and Ron felt... separate. They were just... the ones Sean had helped.
"I think so," Justin replied, then turned to Sean. "What charms did you use?"
"Transfiguration, Levitation Charm, Knockback Jinx," Sean listed quietly. "And… thank you. All of you."
"We should be thanking you..." Hermione mumbled, her voice finally returning to its normal strength. "Thank you, Sean. And Justin, Neville… and Harry and Ron."
The vague sense of separation Harry had felt seemed to dissolve at Sean's words. He was about to smile, satisfied, when Ron blurted out, "So… can I see the latest version of the Green's Charms Notes?"
Justin burst out laughing. "Latest version? What are you talking about? The Charms notes are a joint project between Sean and Hermione. The bit you're probably missing is Hermione's new section..."
Ron flushed, but Hermione, with only a small sigh, handed him her own blue notebook. "Here. And I only did a small part. Sean is way ahead of me."
October ended, and November arrived, cold and sharp. The Quidditch season was approaching, and the inter-house rivalry was palpable. After the troll incident, Sean's friends regarded him with a new, almost reverent level of trust. Ron, in particular, had become his most vocal hype-man, regaling the Gryffindor common room with increasingly embellished tales of Sean's victory. The rift between Ron, Harry, and Hermione vanished, replaced by a new camaraderie. Justin was pleased; with Harry and Ron on her side, no one dared bother Hermione. Ron, flush with house points and newfound academic success, was spoiling for a fight, and everyone knew he wouldn't hesitate to hurl Scabbers at the first sign of trouble.
As for Sean, he was... uneasy.
He hadn't seen Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape since that night. Today, he had both Transfiguration practice and a Potions brewing session scheduled. He had tried to find them, but both, it seemed, were sequestered in the Headmaster's office.
And indeed, on the afternoon after Hallowe'en, several figures stood gathered in Dumbledore's circular office.
(End of Chapter)
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