26 Chapter 26

The next day, Michael emerged from the infirmary at noon. Perhaps due to his exhaustion, he fell asleep halfway through the examination last night and had no idea when Professor Flitwick and Hermione left.

When Michael arrived at the Great Hall, it was already crowded with people. The feast had been interrupted halfway through the previous night, and Professor Dumbledore ordered all students to follow their respective House prefects back to their dormitories. This resulted in the waste of the elaborate feast prepared by the house elves.

Fortunately, in the magical world, house elves are adept at various household spells, including preserving food, which is a fundamental skill. Therefore, the delicious food not yet served last night became the lunch for the young wizards today.

However, the usual favorites of the students were primarily ignored today, as everyone was gathered around the Gryffindor table, with Ron Weasley, the center of attention, regaling them with his account of what happened at the troll's death scene.

He exaggerated his story, punctuating it with dramatic gestures and occasionally pausing to take a sip of juice others handed him.

In his story, Mike's triumph seemed not just over a simple troll but as if he had battled a fearsome dragon.

Undoubtedly, Ron had a knack for storytelling. The little wizards surrounding him were wholly captivated, so much so that they neglected the delicious food before them.

"Look! It's Troll Slayer Mike!" A young wizard on the fringes of the crowd caught sight of Mike and emitted an excited shriek.

Following that shriek, the crowd that had clustered around Ron swiftly scattered, forming a circle around Mike instead. They showered him with inquiries about the previous night's happenings.

Mike found himself swamped by the barrage of questions from the eager young wizards, struggling to answer them all.

Thankfully, assistance for Mike was on its way.

"Disperse, all of you!" Snape's deep voice, though not loud, distinctly reached the ears of every 

When Snape's words rang out, the students surrounding Michael dispersed, retreating to their respective tables. Michael noticed some of the more timid students quivering in fear at the mere sight of Snape, requiring assistance from their peers to return to their seats.

Such was the authority of Professor Snape, a figure whose command over respect was matched only by Professor McGonagall within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

Michael intended to express his gratitude to Snape for defusing the situation, but before he could utter a word, Snape had already declared, "For disrupting the order of the Great Hall, five points will be deducted from Ravenclaw."

With that, Snape flicked his black robes and turned away.

Michael felt a sense of numbness wash over him from the whirlwind of events. He made his way to the Ravenclaw table and took a seat.

Beside him, a young Ravenclaw witch was visibly trembling with excitement. But before she could utter a word, Penelope Clearwater approached and assertively requested to switch seats with her.

The younger witch, not daring to refuse the request of her senior, reluctantly swapped places with Penelope.

"Do you know what they're calling you now?"

"Uh, troll-killer?"

"Exactly! Did you really defeat a troll?"

"If you're talking about the incident last night, then yes, that was me."

No sooner had Penelope taken her seat than she unleashed a flurry of questions at Mike.

When Mike confirmed her suspicions, Penelope's eyes sparkled, and she leaned in closer, asking, "How did you manage that?"

"It was just luck. I did a bit of this, and that, and the giant creature was dead the next thing I knew."

Penelope's face was mere inches from Mike's, and he could distinctly sense the fragrance wafting from her, reminiscent of pear blossoms, quite delightful.

"You're a bit too close, Senior Penelope," Mike remarked, shifting slightly, a hint of discomfort in his voice.

"So, even little Mike can be shy," Penelope teased, her laughter ringing out as she reached forward to pinch Mike's cheeks.

Stirred by her gesture, Mike straightened up, a playful grin spreading across his face as he shed any pretense of embarrassment.

He mused to himself, "In my previous life, I've navigated my way through many a woman's company; I surely can't be intimidated by this young lady."

Now the bashful one, Penelope was taken aback by Mike's sudden assertiveness. She blushed, pulling her hands back.

"You're really something else. I've never heard of someone so young taking down a troll before," Penelope said, attempting to divert the conversation and mask her embarrassment.

"It's nothing extraordinary. You're the truly remarkable one. Managing the entire Ravenclaw House so efficiently, even Professor Flitwick often praises you, saying he'd be at a loss without you," Mike replied, finding Penelope's youthful bashfulness amusing.

Their exchange of compliments clearly delighted Penelope, as she couldn't help but cover her mouth, her giggles ringing out while her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red.

Mike, finding amusement in teasing the older girl, pressed on, "Especially with Senior Penelope's beauty, there must be countless boys vying for your attention, right?"

"Not in the slightest. It's you who's the real heartthrob, strong and handsome. Many of the younger girls in the school are smitten with you. Even some of my close friends have confessed their interest in you," Penelope shot back, her eyes twinkling with playful defiance.

Their mealtime flew by, filled with lighthearted banter and mutual admiration.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Mike, Hermione from the Gryffindor table was casting him a piercing glare.

"Mike, the jerk! Stupid Mike!"

As Mike engaged in lively conversation with Penelope, Hermione's frustration reached its boiling point.

The previous night, she had returned to her dormitory late, consumed with worry for Mike's well-being, resulting in a restless, sleepless night. At the crack of dawn, she had rushed to the infirmary to check on Mike, only to be denied entry by Madam Pomfrey, who insisted that the patient needed undisturbed rest.

The situation worsened during Potions class when her exhaustion caused her to nod off, leading to a loss of 20 points as Snape reprimanded her.

And now, to add insult to injury, Mike, who had emerged unscathed and even gained fame throughout Hogwarts, was openly flirting with his attractive senior right in front of her.

Everything he had told her in the Ravenclaw common room the previous night must have been a lie! "That bastard," she thought to herself.

With each passing moment, Hermione's anger intensified. She gnawed at her chicken as though imagining it was Mike's arm she was tearing apart.

Harry, who was seated beside her, halted his eating and stared at Hermione in astonishment. He was sure he had heard the sound of bones being crunched.

"Hermione... did you just crunch and swallow the chicken bones?" he wondered silently.

Confronted with Hermione's intimidating demeanor, Harry instinctively moved his plate a safe distance away.

At that moment, Hermione's wrath made her a truly fearsome sight.