During those two months, I also established a daily routine of going to the room every night. I started the day with a common physical training routine near the great lake or by running around the castle. After that, I would meditate to clear my mind and focus on the tasks ahead. Since I was already at an advanced stage, improvement was difficult but not impossible. Therefore, I concentrated on creating more layers of defense and reinforcing them to be better prepared for any possible threats that might arise. During this month apart from my study of potion-making I also made sure to study the "Half-Blood Prince" book Harry will discover in the future which was easily found thanks to the Room of Requirement. Some of the ingredients were rare and I couldn't ask Kreacher to bring them without revealing my position of heir black to Dumbledore, the ward would make sure of it. So I decided to gather the ingredients for the potion on my own. I spent a lot of time researching and gathering the necessary components. It was risky, but I managed to sneak in and retrieve the plant without being caught by any of the dangerous creatures that lived there. I considered enlisting the Weasley twins to procure the necessary ingredients, given their reputation for smuggling alcohol into Hogwarts for Gryffindor parties. However, I ultimately decided to put the plan on hold as I couldn't afford to appear in Dumbledore's eyes so soon.
During the day, I attended classes and made sure my results were average with a great talent for theory. The rumors about the professor's favoritism toward Harriet continued to circulate among the students, it was not helping that the professors did nothing and continued to praise her for being like her mother. What surprised me, even more, was that Professor Snape despite his happy attitude did not give her any points, remaining neutral. This became a hot topic among the students, but nobody could figure out why. However, I had an inkling that it was because Snape still had insulted Lily by calling her a "mudblood." cutting his chance with Lily.
As the days passed, October 31st, Halloween, was fast approaching, and I couldn't help but feel tense and on edge. I always made sure to bring along an utility belt under my robes, similar to Batman, which contained various potions and tools that would come in handy during a crisis.
The castle was a very festive place since holidays give way to various decorations present in its hall and nowhere is more decorated than the Great Hall. The enchanted sky was made to look the most spooky as thunderous clouds roared with the usual candle replaced with floating pumpkins and with live bats flying around. The food was themed too, with many being made from pumpkins, including pumpkin pasties, pumpkin juice, and even a pumpkin tart.
As the feast continued, I couldn't help but wonder why Hermione was still absent. Despite interacting with Harriet and others earlier, she seemed to have disappeared. Was fate a thing? I briefly considered the possibility that something traumatic will happen to her and the possibility of me helping before ultimately deciding that if have to change something then why not do it all the way?
However, the festive mood was abruptly shattered when a person burst through the doors of the Great Hall, running to the head table in a state of apparent panic. He yelled something about a troll and promptly fainted, presumably for dramatic effect. Despite Voldemort not existing in this universe things progressed as the canon. The person who appeared was of course our Defence against the Dark Art professor, and despite what you may think the fact that he was not carrying Voldemort in the back of his head. He was still a terrible teacher.
The entire hall erupted into chaos, which seemed nonsensical to me. After all, there were over 400 witches and wizards present, armed with literal weapons. The most powerful wizard in the world was seated at the head table, accompanied by numerous skilled witches and wizards. I could understand why the younger students might panic, but the situation seemed manageable to me. This is one of the reasons why I despise those pathetic wizards. "Silence!" barked Dumbledore, his voice dripping with annoyance as he rose from his seat. This momentarily halted the mindless chatter of the foolish students.
"Perfect will lead the students back to their house dormitories immediately," he commanded. I couldn't tell if he was ignorant of the fact that the troll wasn't in the dungeon or if he simply forgot that the Slytherin dorms were located down there. Perhaps he just didn't care at all, as his decision was a senseless one. It seemed to me that he was merely allowing the troll to scare students. Was that how the wizard became the sheep they are today? As the frightened students scurried away, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the pathetic display. I was severely disappointed by the situation. It was a shame that Dumbledore would make such a foolish decision making my suspicion of him becoming senile confirmed. However, I decided to take matters into my own hands and remind him of the location of the Slytherin dorms. "Excuse me, Headmaster," I spoke up in a clear voice. "The Slytherin dorms are in the dungeon." This froze everybody in their tracks and turned all heads toward me, including Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said, "Thank you for reminding me, It seems I had forgotten about it."
I nodded politely and continued, "If I may, Headmaster, I believe sending the students back to their dormitories is not the best course of action. The professor should be actively searching for the troll and neutralizing the threat while students close the issues of the Great Hall."
Dumbledore considered my words for a moment before responding, "You make a valid point . Very well, I will assemble a team of professors to search for the troll. In the meantime, please continue to eat."
I nodded in agreement and resumed eating, satisfied with myself for speaking up. As I looked around, I noticed that some of the students were staring at me in disbelief, probably wondering why I had spoken out against the Headmaster's decision. But I didn't care. It was at this moment that Harriet Susan and Hannah came to him and said that Hermione was missing.
With that, he motioned for the professors to follow him and they all left the Great Hall. As they disappeared from view, I couldn't help but wonder what they would find and how they would handle the corpse of the troll.
***flashback***
When I realized that Hermione was missing, I knew that fate had played another one of its tricks on me. So, I decided to use the time turner that I had found by chance in the Room of Requirement. It had required some repairs, but with a little bit of money, I had it fixed up just in time for this day. What a marvelous idea it was. So I turned the hourglass on the time-turner, and I felt a sudden rush of energy coursing through me. It was a strange feeling, almost as if I was apparating. And then, in an instant, everything changed. I was back in the Room of Requirement ten minutes before the feast, I quickly pulled a polyjuice potion I made and drink it. Some may wonder why I didn't transfigure myself, it was simple, it can be dispelled. I made my way down to the location of the troll, carefully avoiding any students or faculty who might see or hear me. I knew that I needed to save Hermione without being discovered. When I arrived at the troll's location, I saw Hermione cowering in fear, trying to avoid being crushed by the massive beast. I quickly assessed the situation and knew that I needed to act fast. I crept up behind the troll, trying to stay as quiet as possible, and reached for my wand. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a stunning spell at the troll, hitting it square in the back of the head. The troll stumbled forward, momentarily disoriented. I took advantage of the troll's confusion to grab Hermione and pull her to safety. Hermione was shaking with fear, but I put a hand over her mouth to keep her from making any noise. Seeing that she was still like this I hit her neck and hid her behind a nearby statue. Sensing the troll's eyes on me I used my wand to transfigure a nearby matchstick into a spear. I quickly looked around for a good vantage point and spotted a staircase with a gap in the steps that I could use as cover. I dashed towards the stairs and took cover, waiting for the troll to approach. As soon as the troll appeared, I leaped out from my hiding spot and thrust my makeshift weapon toward its chest. The spear pierced through the troll's thick hide, causing it to roar in pain and fury. I quickly pulled the spear back and prepared for another attack. The troll charged towards me, swinging its massive fist. I dodged to the side and thrust my spear toward the troll's back, aiming for its heart. The spear hit its mark, and the troll stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground with a loud thud. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around to make sure no one had witnessed my actions. Fortunately, the hallway was deserted and it was at this moment that the potion's effect stopped. I discretely made my way to the hall ready to take my place the moment Quirrell caught the attention of everybody.
***flashback end***
It was some minutes later that Dumbledore come back with a troubled expression and addressed the students once again. "My dear students, I apologize for the disruption. Please continue with your feast and do not worry, the situation is under control, the troll is dead."