Snape then looked at Draco: "Mr. Malfoy, copy the school rules fifty times."
Draco's face instantly fell.
That wasn't all; Snape continued with his judgment: "And I will tell your father about what happened today."
Draco felt like the sky had fallen.
Seeing that both of the little brats had finally settled down, Snape commanded, "Now, go back to your dormitories immediately!"
Ron jolted and shouted instinctively, "No!"
"..."
A dead silence fell.
Draco looked at Ron in shock.
Snape's expression was terrifying, his voice soft: "It seems Mr. Weasley has an objection."
Ron cowered, shrinking his head back, then stiffened his neck and protested with little conviction: "I, I still have to find Harry!"
This time, it was Draco who was filled with admiration.
Hearing this, Snape put on a smooth, fake smile: "So Mr. Weasley is an unexpectedly brilliant genius, even more capable than the professors, and is even eager to rush to his death in front of a troll for the sake of the Boy Who Lived?"
"No… no…" Ron stammered, then, thinking of the house points that had likely already hit rock bottom, suddenly found himself not so afraid.
He simply resigned himself to his fate.
Ron widened his eyes: "And Granger!"
Snape: "…What Granger?"
After learning the whole story, Snape saw darkness before his eyes and felt his blood pressure begin to spike.
"…Very well, Mr. Weasley, for your impudence towards a professor, Gryffindor loses another ten points!" Snape said viciously.
As these words fell, inside the now-empty Great Hall, the red rubies in the Gryffindor hourglass completely vanished, and scattered black gems abruptly appeared in their place.
But everyone was still caught up in the panic, so no one noticed for the moment.
Even though he had deducted points, seeing Ron's indifferent expression made Snape's head ache even more.
His point deduction felt like it was aimed at thin air.
Seeing that these two troublesome little brats absolutely refused to go back, he darkened his face, flicked his robes, turned, and strode away: "Follow me!"
The two quickly followed.
Meanwhile, Harry had already reached the entrance of the girls' bathroom, where he saw the big, stupid-looking giant squeezing its way inside. He heard a scream filled with terror come from within the bathroom.
Harry paused: There's someone in there?
What, heartbroken and hiding in the bathroom to cry?
Jokes aside, Harry quickly recalled Ron's incessant complaints before dinner.
And he indeed hadn't seen Hermione Granger at the Gryffindor table.
But it could have been someone else.
Harry raised his hand. Just before the Killing Curse flew from his hand, he suddenly remembered he was still a student, and the Boy Who Lived under Dumbledore's watchful eye.
So Harry feignedly lowered his hand, took out his wand, and silently waved it a few times. The club in the troll's hand abruptly floated up.
The troll stopped, looked up at the club above its head in confusion, and scratched its small head, utterly unable to understand why the club it had used for so long was flying.
Harry didn't hesitate; letting it off easily wasn't his style.
So he manipulated the club to rise and then fall.
After a few times, the troll crashed to the ground. Its small head had been smashed into a pulp, sticking to the floor in a gruesome mess.
The tremendous noise likely scared the little girl hiding in the bathroom, as her screams grew even more terrified.
Harry stepped forward, stood at the entrance to the girls' bathroom, and raised his hand to knock twice on the door: "Excuse me, which young lady is secretly crying inside?"
The screaming inside stopped, and Harry heard a rustling sound; it seemed the person inside was cautiously moving towards the sink.
Harry blinked and continued, "The troll has been dealt with. You can come out now."
A small, bushy head peeked out from the corner. Her eyes were red, with lingering traces of tears, but she was highly alert, carefully peeking out.
Hermione Granger.
Harry recognized her. He had a strong impression of Granger; he felt this clever, intelligent girl stood out almost abruptly among the Gryffindors.
Yes, Harry himself admitted that, generally speaking, Gryffindors were a bunch of reckless fools who didn't use their heads, because if conditions allowed, he would be that kind of person too.
Who wouldn't want an external brain?
Hermione naturally knew who Harry was. Before the school term started, she had diligently read up on major events in the magical world in recent years and ancient history.
She was deeply impressed by the wizarding world's savior, and Harry's performance since the start of term had also been remarkable.
Harry was too clever, and he even dared to argue with Snape.
And it was always Snape who started the conflict, yet Snape would end up being stung into silence.
Although Gryffindor didn't have many points left, the confrontations between Harry and Snape gave one the feeling that Snape was just raging impotently, using point deductions to maintain his professorial dignity.
At the very beginning, Hermione had been thunderstruck by the plummeting house points.
But with Harry constantly clashing with Snape, she, like Ron, had almost become desensitized to point deductions.
What remained was admiration for the Boy Who Lived.
After all, the Boy Who Lived was both excellent in his studies and sharp-tongued.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then emerged from the corner, tugging at her collar: "…Harry?"
She asked, puzzled, "Why are you here?"
Hermione thought that since such dangerous things had appeared in the school, the professors should have sent all the students back to their dormitories. How was it that Harry was wandering around outside?
"I wasn't interested in the feast, so I came out. I heard noise nearby and came to check."
Harry tilted his head, looking at Hermione. Noticing the still-damp tear stains on her face, he thought for a moment, pulled a tissue from his pocket, and handed it to her. He silently pointed to his own face as a hint.
Only then did Hermione feel the awkwardness. She quickly took the tissue to wipe her tears, not forgetting to thank him.
"Thank you." Embarrassed, Hermione wiped her tears clean, then looked outside, past Harry. "But Harry, trolls are so terrifying. How did you do it? Are you hurt—"
Hermione's concerned questioning stopped abruptly when she saw the headless troll. Her face turned pale instantly, and she became almost incoherent: "Oh, it, it's… how did you…?"
Harry's expression was calm: "Just took care of it, nothing to be hurt about. Trolls are stupider than idiots."
"Well… oh, I see." Hermione's face was very pale. She pressed her hand firmly against her stomach, desperately trying to stop herself from vomiting.
After all, the scene was indeed sickening, and she was only eleven, never having witnessed such a bloody sight before.
It was clear she was struggling to hold it in.
Harry blinked: She can really hold it.
"Are you okay?" he asked with concern. "If you're feeling unwell…"
Harry pointed to the toilet inside the girls' bathroom and offered a helpful suggestion: "You can go take care of your business."
"No…" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm, her grip trembling.
After all, Muggles had developed much faster than wizards. Hermione came from a fairly well-off family and was fond of reading, so her knowledge was broader than that of ordinary young witches.
The troll's death was undeniably gruesome and disgusting. Though it was certainly safe now, this was clearly not the method a normal young wizard would choose.
This indicated something abnormal.
Just like in the Muggle world, a child who was different was always seen as a monster.
Hermione was indeed frightened, but Harry had just saved her, and she felt she couldn't turn on him now.
Hearts are biased. Hermione felt that since Harry had saved her, it meant he was a good friend.
She had already spotted figures hurrying towards them at the staircase and softly instructed, "Harry, in a moment, don't say anything. Leave it to me."
Harry was puzzled, but he agreed.