Looking at the robe Kael handed over, Snape's face was as dark as a pot's bottom.
What does he mean by taking it back to carefully identify it—does he really look like someone who enjoys smelling stink?
Snape gave Kael a cold look, neither accepting nor speaking.
"I think Professor Snape is just too worried."
In the end, it was Professor McGonagall who mediated, saying, "It's good you didn't encounter the troll, you should go back now, the students are enjoying the Halloween feast in their common rooms."
"Okay, Professor McGonagall."
Snape glared hatefully at Kael's departing back, then abruptly turned his head to find Quirrell shrinking at the back.
"Quirrell, where exactly is the troll you mentioned!"
"It's, it's in... the underground classroom." Quirrell leaned against the wall, clutching his chest, "Really, it's fifteen feet... that high..."
"But Dumbledore already checked, there's nothing in the underground classroom!"
Snape said impatiently, "I suppose you find it amusing, making everyone abandon the Halloween feast to search foolishly for a troll that doesn't even exist!"
"I... didn't... Severus... I didn't."
Quirrell slid down to the floor along the wall, sobbing, "I don't know... where it went..."
"Perhaps it ran off somewhere else."
Professor Flitwick pondered for a moment and said, "For the students' safety, let's search more thoroughly, I'll check the third floor."
"Then I'll take the fourth floor."
"The fifth floor is mine."
...
Soon, the professors decided on which floors to search, and they left one after another.
"If I find you're lying or pulling some trick... you should understand what I mean."
Snape gave Quirrell a chilly look, "I'll come find you again!"
With that, he limped away.
Quirrell said nothing, still sitting on the ground sobbing, seemingly scared out of his wits.
In fact, Quirrell was now in a state of extreme confusion, not paying attention to what Snape had said at all.
Where was his troll... such a big troll.
Gone in the blink of an eye?
Quirrell even started wondering if he had actually let the troll out.
...
After leaving, Kael didn't go anywhere else, heading straight back to the Hufflepuff common room.
As soon as he entered, a large crowd surrounded him.
"Thank Merlin, we were just about to find you."
Cedric said, "Brown said you were in the common room, but when we came back, you were gone."
"Why didn't you attend the feast today?"
"Luckily you're okay."
"You don't know, there's a troll in the underground classroom, my God, the books say they're over ten feet tall."
Everyone was talking at once, all concerned about Kael's safety.
"Thanks, don't worry, I'm fine."
Kael smiled, "I ran into the professors on the way, and then they returned."
"Professors?" Mikel asked curiously, "Did they find the troll?"
"Probably not yet."
Kael shook his head, "But I think the news is false, how could there be a troll at Hogwarts."
"But Professor Quirrell saw it."
"I guess he was mistaken." Kael dismissed it, "After all, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professors at Hogwarts have always been unreliable..."
Mikel seemed to want to say something more, but Kael interrupted him.
"Can we talk later? I'm starving now."
Having not even taken a sip of water while watching Quirrell, Kael was indeed hungry now.
"Alright..." Mikel scratched his head awkwardly.
The little tables in the Hufflepuff common room were now covered with various kinds of food.
Although there weren't as many as in the auditorium, if anything was needed, they could tell the house-elves, who would deliver it immediately.
It was somewhat like a magical version of a buffet.
Kael went to the table, picked up a piece of pumpkin pie and took a bite, then grabbed a large piece of steak, finishing it in a few bites.
Cedric and Conna sat on either side of him, having been too worried about Kael's safety to eat much earlier, they now felt a bit hungry too.
Cedric thought for a moment and ordered an apple pie for himself.
Conna, like Kael, ordered steak, but she had three servings.
After the meal, no one felt like sleeping.
The fainted Professor Quirrell and the troll were interesting topics, and the young wizards chatted about it in the common room over after-dinner sweets, not retiring until quite late.
Late at night...
Kael sneaked out of the dormitory as usual, but instead of going to the library, he headed to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor.
It had been a long time since he visited here.
Kael first checked the growth of the plants, ensuring everything was normal. Then he took out his box from the Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag and opened it to jump inside.
The interior of the box had completely changed by now.
The small room below the entrance now had a wooden bed, a desk, and a large wooden bookcase.
These were all made by him, so they appeared somewhat simplistic, even quite abstract.
But Kael didn't mind, here, appearance and comfort weren't important, as long as they were usable.
The bed and desk were empty, but the bookcase... it was filled to the brim with booklets bound with parchment.
Only the last row was still empty.
"Didn't realize there were so many already when I was here last time?"
Kael sighed.
Looks like he needs to find books about the Undetectable Extension Charm next time he goes to the library.
Although he could solve the problem by directly placing a Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag here, it would be somewhat inconvenient.
After leaving the room, Kael quickly found the troll sleeping soundly on the ground.
The troll still showed no signs of waking up.
Kael placed several large buckets of oatmeal and meat, brought from the kitchen, nearby, then took out his wand to direct some lake water around the troll.
This wasn't to restrain the troll.
Mountain trolls don't move much, usually staying where food is plentiful; the supplies Kael brought would keep it calm for a long time.
Kael's main concern was the Chomping Cabbage.
He had previously moved some mature Chomping Cabbage here; to prevent those creatures from coming over to sample the troll, the best strategy was to separate them with water.
Chomping Cabbage never approaches rivers or lakes on its own; that's common knowledge.