Chapter 38: An Apology and a Promise (Patreon)

Facing Professor McGonagall's questioning gaze, Harry and Ron hesitantly stepped forward.

Stammering, they confessed everything—how they had mocked Hermione behind her back the previous day.

After hearing the whole story, McGonagall let out a helpless sigh.

She glanced at Hermione before turning back to the two boys.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley."

"Don't you think you owe Miss Granger something?"

Harry and Ron looked thoroughly embarrassed as they slowly walked over to Hermione.

Ron didn't even dare meet her eyes.

"Hermione... I'm sorry."

Harry spoke first without hesitation.

Strictly speaking, he hadn't been the one who started it.

He had simply laughed along after Ron mocked Hermione.

Even so, he believed he was still partly at fault.

Compared to Harry's honesty, however...

Ron found apologizing far more difficult.

After all, the whole incident had begun because of him.

Keeping his head lowered, he mumbled quietly,

"...Sorry."

"What?"

Hermione had heard him perfectly well.

She simply pretended she hadn't.

An apology like that felt far too halfhearted.

Taking a deep breath, Ron finally summoned his courage.

"I'm sorry, Hermione!"

"I shouldn't have said those things yesterday!"

Hermione immediately broke into a bright smile.

"Good."

"I forgive you."

Just then, Shane—who was still wandering around the troll's corpse searching for something—called out,

"And don't think you're completely innocent either."

"If you stay that arrogant all the time, you'll have a hard time making friends."

Hermione's cheeks instantly turned crimson.

She glared at Shane so fiercely it looked as though she wanted to march over and bite him.

At the same time, Snape walked over to inspect the troll.

After confirming that it was thoroughly dead, he expressionlessly asked,

"Dorea."

"What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm looking for something."

Without looking up, Shane held up the two enormous fangs he had just pried from the troll's mouth.

"Professor, do you think troll teeth are worth anything?"

The sight immediately made Snape recoil several steps while covering his nose.

Even someone accustomed to the bizarre smells of potion ingredients couldn't tolerate the unbearable stench pouring from the troll's mouth.

The smell was absolutely lethal.

"No part of a troll has any value."

He paused before adding coldly,

"More importantly, Dorea..."

"You killed a troll and reduced part of Hogwarts' dungeon to this state."

"I suggest you start thinking about how you're going to compensate the school."

"Or perhaps..."

"You'd rather board tomorrow's train home."

Surprisingly, Snape had actually answered Shane's question before delivering his usual sarcasm.

Hearing that the troll wasn't worth any money, Shane looked genuinely disappointed.

Moments later, however, he frowned.

"Professor Snape, that's rather insulting."

"We're wizards."

"Repairing damaged objects is easy."

"What compensation are you talking about?"

He casually pointed his wand into the air.

A few gentle taps later—

The ruined dungeon slowly began restoring itself.

Broken pillars...

Knight statues...

Portraits...

Braziers...

Every shattered fragment floated into the air as though time itself had reversed.

Piece by piece, everything returned to its original form.

Within moments, aside from the troll's corpse still lying on the floor...

The dungeon looked exactly as it had before the battle.

"There!"

"I told you."

Shane grinned proudly, completely ignoring the increasingly dark expression on Snape's face.

Without realizing it...

He had just irritated Snape beyond words.

After finishing with the three Gryffindor students, Professor McGonagall spoke solemnly.

"You three..."

"In light of tonight's events..."

"Gryffindor will lose thirty House points."

Although it pained her—as Gryffindor's Head of House—she still had to enforce the rules fairly.

Hermione looked completely baffled.

"Why?"

"I understand Harry and Ron losing points..."

"But I'm the victim!"

"Why am I losing points too?"

"Because you joined Mr. Dorea in his reckless behavior," McGonagall answered seriously.

"Once you were safe, you should have stopped him immediately and informed the professors."

"You may not realize it, but killing a troll creates serious complications for Hogwarts."

"Me... stop him?"

Hermione was left speechless.

Before she could respond, Shane suddenly popped out from behind her.

"Huh?"

"What complications?"

McGonagall shot him an exasperated look.

"That troll belonged to a troll tribe living in the Forbidden Forest."

"Now that it's dead..."

"The tribe's chieftain may attack Hogwarts."

"Mr. Dorea."

"You saved a fellow student."

"Ordinarily, Ravenclaw would have been awarded thirty points."

"But you also created unnecessary trouble for the school."

"So Ravenclaw will instead lose thirty points."

"Professor..."

"That reasoning feels a little forced."

Shane looked unconvinced.

"I've never heard of any school rule saying students aren't allowed to kill dangerous magical creatures."

"Besides..."

"I was acting in self-defense."

"Were you?"

McGonagall replied dryly.

"Only you know the answer to that."

After seeing the troll beaten into such a miserable state...

Calling it self-defense sounded rather unbelievable.

At that moment, Dumbledore, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward with a warm smile.

"Well, everyone."

"Although tonight brought an unexpected incident..."

"We were fortunate enough to witness several young people grow."

"And we also witnessed the courage of two Gryffindors willing to admit their mistakes."

"Now that the danger has passed..."

"Let's bring the students back."

"Our Halloween Feast shouldn't end like this."

Turning toward Snape, he continued,

"Severus."

"Please dispose of the troll."

"And ask Hagrid to pass a message to... our old friend in the Forbidden Forest."

The "old friend" Dumbledore referred to was the chieftain of the troll tribe.

Most trolls possessed little intelligence.

But there were always exceptions.

The smartest among them naturally became tribal leaders.

Now that one of their own had died...

The agreement between Hogwarts and the magical creatures of the Forbidden Forest had technically been broken.

People often said agreements existed to protect the weak.

What they rarely understood was this—

Such protection only lasted as long as the stronger side was willing to offer it.

After the troll incident ended, everyone made their way back toward the Great Hall.

Walking beside Shane, Hermione suddenly lowered her head and quietly said,

"Shane..."

"Thank you."

"If you hadn't come today..."

"I might have died."

Shane waved dismissively.

"Don't mention it."

"It's no big deal."

"Just don't bottle everything up inside next time."

"If you ever need help..."

"You can always come to me."

"I happen to enjoy helping people."

"Then teach me your magic."

"Sure."

"...Oh, I understand if—"

Hermione suddenly froze.

Had he just said...

Sure?

"You agreed?"

"I did."

"But whether you can actually learn it depends entirely on you."

From somewhere, Shane produced a book.

Its cover read:

Foundations of Magic Circles and Rune Construction

"A book on magic circles?"

Hermione stared at it curiously.

"If you can successfully draw the basic magic circles described in this book within three months..."

"Then you'll have the talent to learn my magic."

"But if you can't..."

"Then magic circles simply aren't suited to you."

"So..."

"Do your best."

With that, Shane gently patted Hermione on the head.

For some reason...

The young witch had gradually become accustomed to the gesture.

By the following morning, news of Shane brutally defeating the troll had spread throughout Hogwarts.

Somehow...

The story even reached beyond the castle.

The Daily Prophet sent an owl inviting Shane for an interview.

He rejected it without hesitation.

The moment he saw the reporter's signature, he knew exactly who it was.

Heaven knew what kind of ridiculous article that beetle woman would write about him.

At lunchtime inside the Great Hall...

Although everyone appeared to be eating normally, curious eyes constantly drifted toward one particular table.

The students whispered among themselves, trying to guess exactly how Shane Dorea had managed to kill a troll.

Meanwhile...

Hermione, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes, held up the book Shane had given her.

"Shane..."

"Could you explain some of this to me?"

"I stayed up all night reading it..."

"And I still don't understand anything."

The contents were simply too profound.

She couldn't make sense of them at all.

"You'll have to figure it out yourself."

"When I was little, the old man just tossed me a few books and left me alone."

"You've no idea how many headaches I suffered before I finally understood."

Shane complained while happily chewing on a fried chicken leg.

It wasn't that he refused to teach her.

The fundamental principles behind magic circles could only be comprehended through personal insight.

The faster someone grasped them...

The greater their talent.

It was much like mathematics.

Those who couldn't understand simply couldn't.

Those with talent advanced astonishingly quickly.

If Hermione couldn't grasp the fundamentals herself...

There would be no point continuing.

After all...

You couldn't expect a mathematics professor to teach advanced calculus to an elementary school student.