Moments later, Professor McGonagall arrived.
"How dare you—!"
"What on earth are you playing at?!"
Harry swore he had never seen Professor McGonagall so angry.
Her lips were pale, and despite her usual stern demeanor, a look of surprise and relief flickered across her face, but the predominant emotion was anger.
Fixing her gaze on the three students who dared not lift their heads, her voice was cold and furious, "Why didn't you stay in your dormitory!"
The trio felt wronged, especially Ron, who thought he had been a hero and should have earned Gryffindor fifty points.
However, Professor McGonagall's expression indicated that they would be lucky not to lose points.
Hermione, determined to protect her friends, stepped forward bravely, "Please don't be like this, Professor McGonagall, they were looking for me."
For the first time, Hermione lied to a teacher.
"I went looking for the troll because I... I thought I could handle it alone, you know, because I read about them in books and know a lot about them."
"If they hadn't found me, I would definitely be dead now. They didn't have time to get help; when they arrived, the troll was about to swallow me whole. John distracted the troll, and Harry and Ron saved me."
Hermione's defense made Harry and Ron both surprised and touched.
No one dislikes friends who are willing to shoulder the blame alone. Even Ron, who had issues with Hermione, put aside his grudges.
Professor McGonagall felt a sense of relief seeing Hermione's willingness to take the blame for her friends; friendship was the noblest quality of Gryffindor.
But it was evident that Miss Know-It-All forgot something: no matter how she tried to weave lies to take all the blame, Professor McGonagall wasn't a fool.
"Are you saying... John Wick killed the troll?"
Looking at the chaotic scene, with the troll's severed fingers scattered around, blood splattered on the walls, and a sword stuck in the ceiling, even Professor McGonagall was stunned.
She didn't think young wizards could do this, at least not the three standing before her.
Shifting her gaze to John, who was pretending to be unconscious, Professor McGonagall pursed her pale lips sternly, "Mr. Wick, do you have anything to say?"
"Ahem, Professor McGonagall, there's actually a reason for all this... Alright, it was me."
John reluctantly admitted, seeing no point in further explanation under McGonagall's death glare.
"My goodness, I can't believe such a young wizard killed a troll."
McGonagall was incredulous at his confession.
Even for an adult wizard, defeating a troll without special methods was a daunting task.
Yet John, a first-year student, had killed a troll, which was simply unbelievable.
"Alright, Miss Granger, for this incident, Gryffindor will lose five points. I am disappointed in you. If you are not injured, you should return to the Gryffindor Tower immediately. The students are enjoying the Halloween feast in their respective houses."
Hermione, disheartened, left with her head down.
Harry and Ron were left anxious, but McGonagall didn't blame them. Instead, she rewarded each of them five points for fighting the troll to save a friend.
This made the two feel guilty, as they knew John had handled the troll alone.
They had only managed to get Hermione to safety.
The two were also sent back.
Leaving John alone.
As the head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall thought it best to wait for Snape to handle the situation.
Soon, Snape and Professor Quirrell arrived, both equally shocked by what they saw.
Especially Quirrell, who had released the troll himself and knew well how formidable it was. For a first-year student, encountering a troll was a nightmare.
Yet the troll was dead, and brutally so.
This made Quirrell scrutinize John more closely.
Voldemort, who was in Quirrell's head, also took notice, considering that such a talented young wizard might make a worthy Death Eater.
"Mr. Wick, it seems you think quite highly of your abilities."
Snape's usual snide tone didn't change, but he began to reassess John.
Snape, ever eager to award points to Slytherin, gave John twenty points, much more generous than Professor McGonagall.
"For your recklessness, Mr. Wick, you will spend some time in the Forbidden Forest this school year."
John's face darkened upon hearing this.
Had he known Quirrell frequented the Forbidden Forest, he might have welcomed the punishment. But now, knowing a dark wizard might be lurking there, he was less enthusiastic.
Despite his reluctance, there was no avoiding it. Professor McGonagall would have to inform Dumbledore, and John was sent back.
"First the trophy room, now the Forbidden Forest, what a mess."
John muttered, but he didn't regret his actions.
Gaining extra points seemed worthwhile to him.
He decided not to use them immediately, planning to save them for when he hit a bottleneck.
"Maybe I should learn Fiendfyre, or start with Occlumency?"
Considering the potential threat of Legilimency, John opted to learn Occlumency first.
He didn't want his mind read by either the old bat or the noseless one.
...
November 1st.
News of a first-year student killing a troll spread quickly.
John became even more prominent in Slytherin, with even Malfoy curiously asking, "Did you really kill a troll?"
Elegantly finishing his bread with water, John had grown tired of milk and tomato juice. He believed Harry and the others felt the same.
Glancing at Malfoy, who rarely initiated conversation, John replied indifferently, "Do you really want to know? I can give you a detailed description."
Recalling Filch grumbling while cleaning the walls on the first floor, Malfoy suddenly found his milk unappetizing.
"No, thanks—ugh."
Clearly, Malfoy's young mind couldn't handle the gruesome details.
After this incident, John's status in Slytherin became even more revered.
Even the older Slytherins didn't dare to act arrogantly around John.
Feeling annoyed, John switched seats, only for the trio to approach.
"John, there's a Quidditch match tomorrow, will you come?"
The trio had reconciled, and John had gained Harry and Ron's friendship.
Especially Harry, who recalled that his cousin Dudley, who had bullied him, was terrified of John Wick.
"Quidditch? I suppose I'll go, but I must support Slytherin."
John had no reason not to go, and Harry and Ron smiled awkwardly, having nearly forgotten he was a Slytherin, dashing their hopes of him cheering for Gryffindor.
Hermione, more concerned about John's punishment, said worriedly, "There are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest. I can't believe the school is sending a first-year to patrol there."
She was very angry at this point, feeling that John, who had saved her, shouldn't be punished.
Harry also found Snape more detestable, especially after discovering that Snape had been bitten on the fourth floor while retrieving "Quidditch Through the Ages." His opinion of Snape worsened.
Today, Slytherin and Gryffindor didn't have classes together.
After class, as John was about to leave, Malfoy couldn't help but ask, "Wick, are you going to cheer for Slytherin at the Quidditch match tomorrow?"
In Malfoy's view, John was practically a Gryffindor and might even cheer for them.
John smiled at this and replied, "Of course, for eternal glory."
Malfoy was taken aback, muttering under his breath.
"For eternal glory..."
This phrase made Malfoy reconsider his opinion of John. Perhaps he could indeed be considered a true Slytherin.
Slytherin always pursued glory.
...
That evening, John followed Hagrid, carrying a lantern.
Hagrid's massive presence provided a strong sense of security.
Especially with that crossbow glinting menacingly, John was sure a shot from it would be excruciating.
Not long after they entered the Forbidden Forest, they heard wailing.
Hagrid's expression changed, "That's the sound of a unicorn."