"Clap, clap, clap." Tver applauded as he stepped into the bathroom. "An excellent Pressure Charm. Hard to believe you only learned it this afternoon."
"Professor Fawley!"
Hermione's face lit up with relief and joy, but the hand channeling her magic faltered, breaking her concentration. The Pressure Charm collapsed instantly.
Feeling the sudden release beneath its feet, the troll stumbled, confused by the shift in force. Its sluggish mind worked frantically but came up empty—only one thought remained.
Tear these two humans apart!
The light in Hermione's eyes vanished. Terror froze her in place as she watched the troll raise its massive club high over her head.
"Professor—!"
Before she could finish, the troll froze mid-swing, the club suspended ten feet above her, unmoving like a statue.
"What's the matter?"
Tver stepped out from behind the troll, though there was now a small bubble floating around his nose.
He grimaced. The stench coming from the troll was a hundred times worse than the bathroom itself.
"N-nothing," Hermione said quickly, lowering her head, her cheeks flushed. "How did you know I was here?"
"Your two friends told me."
As he spoke, Tver flicked his wand, "blowing" the troll out of the bathroom while helping Hermione to her feet. Her legs were still trembling, barely able to support her.
"What kind of friends are those?" she muttered softly, pouting.
"Don't be so harsh. Treat anyone who cares about you as a friend, and you'll have more of them."
On his way out, Tver repaired the bathroom, then finally released her hand, guiding her to rejoin her classmates.
By now, the corridor was full of students, with several uneasy professors standing nearby. Percy was struggling to maintain order, his voice barely rising above the chatter.
"Line up by house and year! First years in front, third years in the back—second years? You're in the middle, obviously!"
Suddenly the crowd quieted, all eyes turning expectantly toward the figure behind him.
Percy spun around. "Professor! I've brought all four houses—first through third years!"
Tver nodded in approval.
"Thank you, Percy. Please stay here a little longer. As a reward, you can have a go at the troll at the end."
Percy's face lit up. "It's an honor to serve you, Professor."
Turning back to the students, Tver pointed down the corridor at the troll now restrained and still.
"As you can see, we have a troll guest tonight. He'll be assisting with our extra lesson."
He arranged the troll's massive body into a spread-eagle position so that every student could see its anatomy clearly.
"Now then, who can tell me what a troll is?"
Hermione's hand shot up immediately, standing out among the third-years.
"Hermione," Tver said, tapping his wand lightly. "Before you answer, I'd like to note that Miss Granger here held off this troll for at least twenty minutes using a spell she learned this afternoon. Ten points to Gryffindor."
All eyes turned toward her. Hermione's face flushed red, but she mustered her courage and spoke loudly.
"A troll is a magical creature with immense strength but very low intelligence. Because of that, they're extremely violent and often attack without reason."
"Correct," Tver said. "Trolls are generally divided into three types: mountain trolls, forest trolls, and river trolls. The one here is a mountain troll."
"Professor, do all trolls smell this bad?" a first-year asked timidly.
Standing in the front row, they were closest to the troll—and suffering the full force of its odor.
"Except for river trolls, the other two kinds don't smell great," Tver replied. "It's not easy to teach a creature like this the importance of bathing."
Seeing the students wrinkle their noses, he cast a Bubble Charm over the troll, sealing in the smell. The class collectively sighed in relief.
"I'm sure you've noticed the troll's very small head. In the Muggle world, brain size is often used to measure intelligence—and the wizarding world sometimes does the same."
"However, some magical creatures have small brains but great wisdom. So never underestimate any magical being. Some of them might even be smarter than you."
"Of course, that rule doesn't quite save the troll. Despite its massive legs and long arms, its tiny head is its fatal weakness."
"This also illustrates an important biological principle—no creature is perfect. Once you find its weakness, you can defeat even a troll."
"Now, I'll invite a few of our top students to demonstrate how to handle one."
At once, the young wizards erupted into excited shouts, as if yelling louder would make them more "qualified."
Tver reached into his robes and pulled out a jingling pouch—the first batch of Shield Charm badges he had commissioned from Dervish & Banges.
Of course, what extra little enchantments they carried was a secret only he knew.
"Remember the Light Ball game? Top ten students from each year, please come forward to collect your badges."
Amid the disappointed sighs of their classmates, thirty top students stepped out proudly, each taking a badge from the pouch in turn.
"This is a protective badge. It will shield you when you're in danger, so pin it near the center of your body—around your waist or abdomen.
Mr. Malfoy, I know wearing it on your chest might better suit your handsome face, but please follow instructions."
A faint blush spread across Malfoy's pale cheeks as he hurriedly fastened the badge around his midsection.
Harry chuckled at the sight. He had planned to pin his badge over his heart too, but after seeing Malfoy's reaction, he quickly abandoned the idea.
"Good. Now, let's have the ten first-years step forward."
Tver lifted the Freezing Charm from the troll but cast a Slowing Charm in its place, letting the creature push through the shimmering bubble in sluggish, exaggerated motion.
The stench hit immediately, so strong it made the ten students' eyes water.
"A troll's odor is one of its attack methods," Tver explained. "And notice its long arms—they're also part of its not-so-subtle offense. Some unfortunate wizards have been crushed flat because they underestimated the troll's reach."
The students instinctively took a step back, even though the troll was still some distance away.
"So here's the question: as first-years, how would you deal with this troll? All first-years may think about it."
Hermione raised her hand before anyone else. "Use the Pressure Charm to restrict its movement!"
"Correct," said Tver. "That's exactly what Miss Granger did just now. Since trolls have particularly large feet, the Pressure Charm works on them especially well—simple, and effective."
"What else? Keep in mind, a troll's weakness lies in its head."
Trying to recover some dignity, Malfoy blurted out, "Blind its eyes?"
"Exactly!" Tver snapped his fingers, and the corridor torches flickered in unison.