Playing With Magic

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Chapter 22: Troll In The Dungeon

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Hogwarts

Jonathan Grey

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With Poppy's eager help, I finally got around to creating my briefcase farms. Using one of the sturdy, well-crafted trunks she had selected from Diagon Alley, one that could withstand the complex enchantments and expansions I had in mind. Back in my apartment trunk, I set to work, casting a series of complex charms, wards and enchantment to expand the trunk's internal dimensions far beyond my other trunks.

The interior of the trunk was divided into several sections, each tailored to a specific type of farm. The first section was dedicated to magical ingredients, with carefully controlled environments for growing rare and powerful herbs. Said plants would also power the wards, runes and enchantment placed on the briefcase should I find myself away from it in a place without any ambient magic whatsoever. I even went as far as to buy a few extra DLCs to allow me access to ingredients and animals from the Elder Scrolls universe to add to the farms.

[Magical Ingredients - System DLC]

[Description - Allows the user to purchase Magical Ingredients from the system using system points]

[Purchased for 5000 SP]

[Magical Animals - System DLC]

[Description - Allows the user to purchase Magical Animals from the system using system points. Not to be confused with Animal Summons, this DLC does not provide animals loyal to the user.]

[Purchased for 5000 SP]

[Miscellaneous - System DLC]

[Description - Allows the user to purchase Miscellaneous items from the system using system points]

[Purchased for 5000 SP]

[Current SP: 11, 534]

It may have been costly now, but I will be gaining those points back real soon when I finally get Operation: Dawg Father completed, which is basically me getting Sirius out of prison, and even if that doesn't work, then at least dealing with the rat.

After creating the biomes for the ingredients within this section, each designed to replicate the natural habitat of the plants being grown, ensuring optimal conditions for their cultivation. I then moved on to the livestock section. This area was enchanted to mimic open pastures, complete with enchanted fences that apply magic to the soil to enhance the growth of grass and large, clean barns for housing various creatures, both magical and non-magical. The barns were divided into sections for different types of livestock, each with appropriate accommodations and plenty of space for the animals to roam.

The third section was devoted to fruit orchards. I designed this area to resemble a sprawling orchard, with rows upon rows of fruit trees and berry bushes. The fourth section was set aside for vegetable gardens. We created raised beds filled with rich, enchanted soil that provided all the necessary nutrients for a wide variety of vegetables. Both areas were also equipped with an irrigation system that ensured the plants received just the right amount of water.

The final section was enchanted as a stasis section, which would be used to keep ingredients fresh until I needed them. Even if I didn't need them, I asked Poppy to take them to places around the world with starving children and people who were generally less fortunate and leave some for them to eat. That should get me my points back a lot quicker-….I mean, it was the right thing to do. Yeah, that's what I meant.

I also enchanted the entire briefcase to provide the perfect balance of sunlight, water, and nutrients, ensuring that the plants and animals thrived. With the work done for now, Poppy was more than happy to take care of things there until I called for her. I will probably need to get more house elves at a later date when I expand, but for now, she has things covered.

With the farming project successfully completed, I turned my attention to another—enchanting and smithing. I had always wanted to add enchantments from Skyrim to wizarding enchantments, and now, I had no reason to continue procrastinating, so I decided to get to it finally.

I started with purchasing an Elder Scrolls enchanting table from the Miscellaneous section in the system that I recently bought for this express purpose, placing it in another enchanted briefcase. While I was at it, I tasked Poppy with acquiring all the necessary equipment for a fully functional smithy from the Goblins. With their help and heap loads of my galleons, she procured anvils, hammers, forges, and a variety of metals. Which I placed in a separate section within the same briefcase.

With his enchanting table and smithy in place, I set out to merge the enchanting processes from Skyrim with the enchanting method used in the wizarding world. Knowing that in Skyrim, enchanting typically required a soul gem to imbue items with magical properties. The whole idea was to use Skyrim enchantments the same way the wizarding world does, through direct magical energy and spells etc, without the need for soul stones.

I began by practising my smithing skills, creating various items such as steel rings, amulets, and weapons. The process was significantly quicker with Potter-verse magic, especially the telekinesis and temperature-control-related spells. Once I had a collection of items ready for enchanting, I moved on to the next phase—adapting the enchanting process.

I started by creating simple enchantments with some soul gems I bought from the system, like shock, frost, and fire, and memorising how the magic moved when it was completed. Then, I focused my magic on replicating the process and channelling it directly into the items. Soon enough, I could create all the Skyrim enchantments without the need for a soul gem. And now I had a stockpile of enchanted rings, daggers, and clothes ready to be sent out as birthday gifts for the next few years.

For myself, I was rockin' 2 enchanted silver rings on each hand and one enchanted earring on each ear. All of them with different enchantments, from [Water Breathing] to [Fortify Stamina], I even went as far as to have one [Poison Imunity] and [Fortify Health Regen] for the small chance I found myself knocked out and couldn't consciously heal myself.

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31 October 1991 - Hogwarts Great Hall

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As I walked into the Great Hall, I was immediately met with the spectacle of magical Halloween decorations, including floating pumpkins, fluttering bats, and other decorations designed to evoke an eerie feeling. The students were seated at their respective house tables, eagerly enjoying the Halloween feast, mostly because of the increased sweets and chocolates. Splitting off from the twins, I went to join my friends at the Ravenclaw table while they were stuffing their faces with as many tasty treats as they could.

As I looked around, I caught a glimpse of Daphne and Tracy, quietly enjoying their meals in relative peace at the Slytherin table. I have already responded with my availability for the weekend study session, taking place around the same time I would normally meet Tonks. Hopefully, by next week I should have my hands on books that Hogwarts is too scared to teach children. Which reminds me, I should skim the titles of the books in the Room of Requirements to make sure I don't ask for books I already have access to.

Continuing on, I noticed Hermione missing from the Gryffindor table, so playing along like I had no idea what was going on, I turned to Terry and Padma.

"Hey, does anyone know why Hermione isn't here?" I asked, looking between the two in particular.

Terry frowned, "Yeah, it's because of what happened in Charms class earlier today."

"Charms? What happened?" I pressed.

Padma sighed, shaking her head. "Ron Weasley happened, that's what. He made fun of her when she tried to help him with his spell, and it upset her a lot. She hasn't come out of the girls' bathroom since then."

Looks like things are going just as they should. For now, anyway. Quirrel Mort hasn't tried to open the Chamber ahead of time, Harry still joined the Quidditch team, and Hermione should be coming in contact with a Troll in a few minutes. Which is a little surprising, considering what I told her in the Library. For now, I can't be sure that it's fate or if its just Hermione just not listening to me.

"Alright, I'll be right back. I'm going to find her."

"Are you sure?" Padma asked, giving me a weird look. "It's the third-floor girls' bathroom. You know, the haunted one. It's also, y'know, a girl's bathroom."

"She's crying, not actually using it" I shrugged, "Besides, I don't actually have to enter to get her to come out, you know. Anyway, she shouldn't be alone right now. I'll be back."

Leaving the noise of the Great Hall behind me, I made my way through the lantern lit corridors towards the Myrtle haunted bathroom, knowing I wouldn't have to worry about other students because other students avoided it. As I was walking though, I passed by a rushing Quirrell who didn't even give me a second glance as he quickly made his way towards the Great Hall.

I had been attending his classes again for third year, bt he has yet to make an attempt to either recruit me or delve into my mind. With his mind on creating a new body, he might just not have the time for recruitment or he he might just not care enough to bother with a child unless said child is Potter himself.

Once I reached the bathroom, telekenetically pushed the door open, stepping inside. No way I was going to tough that handle. The dim lighting and eerie silence were periodically interrupted by sniffles coming from one of the stalls, hearing this, and sensing her position, I made my way over to her stall and called out softly, "Hermione? You in here?"

From the other side, I heard a muffled sob. "Go away!"

Moving closer, I made sure to put a [Bubble Head] charm to avoid the soon-to-be odd smell produced by the troll before I continued. "Hermione, it's John. I'm not here to bother you, I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

There was a pause, and then the door to the stall creaked open slightly. Hermione's tear-streaked face peered out, eyes red and puffy. "Why are you here?"

"Because some people don't do well alone when they're upset. From what I heard, Ron said something that was cruel and uncalled for. You were only trying to help."

"What's that on your face?"

"Oh, it's a Bubble Head charm. It produces a bubble around your mouth area, to give you continuous supply of oxygen. Helps with breathing underwater and an added bonus of avoiding fouls smells."

After a little moment, Hermione sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I just wanted to help him get the spell right."

"I know, and you didn't deserve what he said," I said softly. "But do you remember what I said in the Library?"

She blinked but stayed silent, so I continued. "'There will always be people that don't like those at the top'. You're one of the brightest witches in our year."

After a moment of silence, she spoke. "It's good that you want to help people, That's what makes you a good person. Sometimes, you have to wait until they ask you instead. Otherwise, you only end up getting on their bad side."

Would you look at that, she did listen…just not well enough, apparently. Lesson learned the hard way, I guess.

Hermione's lip trembled, but she managed a small, grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Come on," I gestured for her to leave the stall, already sensing the troll getting close to the entrance. Offering her my hand, I continued. "Let's get back to the feast. There's still plenty of time to enjoy it, and I know the others are worried about you too."

Hermione paused for a moment to look at her hands and clothes, noticing the dishevelled clothes and remembering that she had just been in the bathroom for so long without washing her hands.

"Oh right, one second," Taking out my wand, I flicked some cleaning spells to wash away the tear stains from her face, clean her hands, and smooth out her clothes, restoring her appearance to its usual neatness.

Seeing me work my magic and her clothes go back to normal, Hermione looked at me with grateful eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, finally reaching out to take my hand, and we began walking towards the exit.

As we walked, Hermione glanced up at me and whispered, "You know, you're a boy in the girls' bathroom. You shouldn't be here."

"Well, no one can prove I was ever in here unless you tell them," I replied with a reassuring smile, receiving a smile in return. Just as we got close to the door, Hermione was stopped in her tracks by a low, guttural growl. The door swung open to reveal a towering troll standing right outside. "That would explain why the smell got worse, I had to use a bubble head charm to avoid it."

The troll, its club gripped tightly in one hand as its massive body, filled the doorway,. Hermione gasped, as her grip on my hand tightened in fear.

"Yeah, I almost forgot. Here." Using my wand, I gave Hermione a [Bubble Head] of her own, almost completely unbothered by the troll right in front of us. Some things were more important, it was no use breathing in that stench for no reason.

When the troll's brain finally caught on to what it was seeing, it roared, raising its club, and I instinctively raised my wand and sent a [Expelliarmus] directly at the club to disarm it. The spell hit its mark, sending the club flying out of the troll's hand and clattering to the floor further down the corridor.

The Troll, seeing that it no longer had its favourite toy, decided to try using its hands instead of trying to retrieve it. So, without missing a beat, I used [Telekenisis] on the club and directed it at high speed towards its head at very high speed, with the goal of achieving a similar result as in the movie. The heavy wooden weapon struck the troll with a resounding crack, causing the creature to stagger and then fall, as it lost consciousness.

As the troll began to fall forward, threatening to bury us, I quickly used [Telekinesis] once more to shift the troll's massive body to the side, ensuring it landed harmlessly on the floor instead.

Turning to Hermione, I asked, "Are you okay?".

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and admiration. "Yes, thanks to you."

The entire time Hermione seemed to be frozen in shock, which had me thinking whether or not might have been the reason Voldy won in this reality, because Hermione never made it past the first year. Harry and Ron didn't even turn up.

Just as I was about to delve further into possibilities, Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Quirrell rushed in, wands at the ready. They stopped short, taking in the scene before them: the unconscious troll, the large club, and Hermione and myself standing together, both looking completely unharmed.

"What on earth is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said quickly, stepping forward. "I went looking for the troll because I thought I could deal with it on my own... You see, I've read all about them."

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in shock and fury. "Miss Granger!"

"Yeah, let's not do that," I interrupted what would most likely be a similar conversation to the ones that happened in the movies and books, gaining the teachers' attention. "She's trying to take the blame so no one else gets in trouble. Admirable, but not the time for that."

"To summarise, Ronald Weasley said some hurtful things about her and she was getting her bearing in the bathroom. I came to check to make sure she was alright, and then we came in contact with a troll. I proceeded to incapacitate said troll then you showed up."

McGonagall turned her stern gaze to Hermione. "Ms. Granger, is this true?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, Professor. If he hadn't been there, I'd probably be dead."

Professor Snape's eyes flicked to the troll, then to Hermione for a few moments, and then back to me, a look of grudging respect in his eyes. "It appears Mr. Grey's advancement was well earned."

When I heard that, I honestly wasn't sure if he was trying to imply that I cheated or if he was just giving me a compliment. I don't know why Slytherins have to go out of their way to play those games, it's a waste of time. Noticing who else was in the room, I realised he might not be saying that for me or McGonagall but for Quirrel-Mort.

Professor Quirrell, looking as flustered as ever, merely nodded in agreement, his eyes darting around the room nervously.

McGonagall took a deep breath, scrunching up her nose and winced at the smell in an attempt to regain her composure. "Well, I still cannot believe you took on a fully grown mountain troll. Five points will be awarded to each of you for sheer dumb luck."

"Ten points," Professor Snape interjected, causing McGonagall's head to swivel in his direction with a scowl. "From Griffindor, for bullying another student and being the cause for Ms Granger being here in the first place."

McGonagall nodded at Snape, conceding the point. "Very well. Ten points From Griffindor, and I will talk to Ronald in the morning about his deplorable behaviour." Turning her attention back to us, she continued. "But you both must understand, this sort of behaviour is extremely dangerous. You should have tried to get a teacher as soon as you saw the troll. You are fortunate to be alive."

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied

"Understood." I chose not to point out that the troll was standing at the only exit of this particular bathroom and simply let her continue.

"Now, you should return to your common room immediately. We'll escort you. Ms. Granger with me, Mr. Grey…" McGonagall trailed off as she glanced at Flitwick.

"I will escort Mr. Grey," the half-goblin nodded before gesturing towards me as he started heading down the corridor, "Come along now."

Leaving Snape and Quirrel to deal with the troll, we left the bathroom, heading to our repective dorms. Before splitting off at one of the corridors, Hermione whispered "Thank you, John. You were amazing."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Hermione."

Soon enough, I was back in my bed, allowing sleep to tame me to dreamland.

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"There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

— J. K. Rowling

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Author Here

John gets around to creating his briefcase farms and deals with the troll in the dungeon, saving Hermione in the process. For all he knew, this could be a version of the Potter verse in which the troll kills Hermione, so he had to make sure the duo didn't mess it up.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC and original ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.

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Thank you for reading.

As always, stay awesome.

Until next time.