Who let this evil dragon into Hogwarts!

"I thought we were doomed!"

In the Gryffindor common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered together, enjoying a belated Halloween dinner while quietly discussing troll-related matters.

"Hermione and I were caught by Snape on our way here, and he deducted ten points from Gryffindor in one go!" Ron shoved the pork chop into the chop as if it were Snape's face.

"Thank goodness Professor McGonagall came back." Hermione looked shaken, clearly still reeling from the troll's presence.

"But Snape added another twenty points to Slytherin's score, so the gap is even bigger now..." Ron said with a bitter face, feeling that he would never be able to win the House Cup in his lifetime.

"That's what Persson deserved, wasn't it?" Hermione said, somewhat displeased with Ron's attitude. "If it weren't for Persson, it wouldn't have been as simple as just adding or subtracting points. Everyone who stayed there would have been doomed, wouldn't you say, Harry?"

"Harry?"

When no response came, Hermione looked up, put down her knife and fork, and the silver fork made a crisp hum on the plate, but Harry still didn't react. He just mechanically stuffed the mints into his mouth until it was full.

Ron nudged Harry with some concern. "Are you alright? Do you need to go to the school hospital?"

"I—cough cough!" Harry finally snapped out of his daze, coughing up the jumbled mints from his throat. "I'm fine, I was just wondering why there are trolls in school?"

"That's right," Hermione said, propping her chin up with her little hand. "According to a piece of Hogwarts history, this castle is protected, and no dangerous magical creatures can enter on their own unless someone helps them..."

"But who did this? And why did they do it?" Hermione instinctively curled her hair, pondering the reasons for throwing the troll into Hogwarts.

murder?

Professor Quirrell's notification was timely; all the wizards except her were in the Great Hall, so even if it were a murder, they could only kill her.

Hermione, as a Muggle-born wizard, was of little value, so there was no reason to target her even in a murder case.

mischief?

Although it is known that the wizarding world has never paid much attention to security issues, releasing a giant monster for a prank is going too far. Moreover, ordinary junior wizards are no match for giants, let alone capture them.

"Attract attention!" Harry suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the plates on it jolt. "That troll has lured all the professors away, making it easier for the mastermind to do their dirty work!"

"Speaking of which..." Ron's eyes glazed over as he drifted into memories, "On my way to find Hermione, I think I saw Snape all alone..."

"It's definitely Persson!" Harry said decisively.

"Impossible!" Hermione exclaimed, defending her friend. "Persson saved you!"

"That's why!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, only lowering his voice carefully when everyone else looked over curiously.

"Remember that troll? I saw it with my own eyes. Persson didn't use any magic; he just stood in front of it, and the troll willingly knelt down."

"Moreover, that giant could talk! Although it was very indistinct, I still heard it clearly: the giant called Persson 'King'!"

Harry's words struck Hermione like a blow. She recalled that in the girls' restroom, the giant monster had not only not attacked her, but had instead knelt down on one knee, and seemed to be making a similar sound.

Could it really be Poisson's work?

Hermione shook her head stubbornly: "But what's Persephone's reason for doing that?"

"Do Slytherins need a reason to do bad things?" Ron, clinging to his family's ingrained prejudice against Slytherins, said, "Those who get into Slytherin are born bad seeds; reasons don't matter."

As one of the first students sorted into Slytherin, Harry felt subtly criticized: "No, Ron, remember that corridor on the right side of the fourth floor? The little hut with the three-headed dog, Percy might want to go in..."

For Harry, he was already certain that Persephone was the one who released the troll, and knowing the answer, all he had to do was work backward.

"But what would Persephone be doing there?" Hermione still couldn't believe it. "We don't even know what's under the trapdoor. What if it's just a storage room?"

"A storeroom? Guarded by Cerberus?" Ron's eyes widened, his tone full of skepticism about Hermione's intelligence. "A heavily guarded place must contain treasure!"

"But……"

Hermione bit her lip, racking her brains to try and exonerate Persson, but the reasons she came up with couldn't even convince herself, let alone Harry and Ron.

If there really is treasure hidden under the trapdoor, given Poisson's personality...

Hermione remembered the three dark wizards who were almost stripped naked because they couldn't afford to pay for their lives, and she was sure Persson would be tempted by the so-called treasure!

Moreover, before Persson asked for leave, she went to see him and the clue she got was that Persson and Dumbledore had appeared together on the fourth floor.

All the clues pointed to the high probability that Harry was telling the truth, and even Hermione had to lower her proud head and whisper:

"At the very least... we should investigate first. What if? What if Persson really is a family of beast tamers, and can make giants bow down just by standing there?"

"Don't make me laugh," Ron waved his hand. "Even on The Quibbler, I've never heard of anything this outrageous."

"I'll definitely find out!" Hermione clenched her little fists, her tone resolute. "If...if Persson really is the mastermind, even if he's tied up, I'll make sure he turns himself in!"

……

at the same time.

Persson, Voldemort's hidden collaborator, another coveter of the Philosopher's Stone, and the absolute tyrant of the Forbidden Forest, is on his way back to the Slytherin common room.

Since Professor McGonagall and Snape were following him, he didn't send the hammer back to the Emerald Territory. Instead, he simply found a side path and gestured for the troll to go back on his own.

"That's incredible..."

Watching the troll that kept turning back, seemingly reluctant to leave Persephone, Professor McGonagall felt her horizons broaden once again; it was the first time she had ever seen magic targeting trolls.

Snape, who stood silently to the side, walked with an inexplicable limp. After escorting Persson to the castle, he left without saying a word.

"Regardless," Professor McGonagall suppressed her curiosity about magic, her expression turning serious again, "Mr. Persson, if you encounter something like this again, you should seek out the professor first, instead of trying to be a hero alone. This is no joke!"

"I will." Persson nodded obediently, knowing that Professor McGonagall was worried about him.

"Finally," Professor McGonagall's lips curved into a slight smile, "I must express my heartfelt gratitude to you, Perseus, for saving those young wizards in time!"

"Alright, come on in. The house-elves have moved the interrupted dinner to the lounge. Enjoy yourselves!"

Professor McGonagall escorted Poisson to the door of the lounge, then turned and disappeared into the shadows.

"Finally solved..."

Persson let out a long sigh of relief, preparing to return to the lounge.

Suddenly, a pale hand grabbed him.

That's Quirrell's hand.