Chapter 41: Meeting on a Narrow Path

"Sorry, sorry..." Hermione quickly apologized and looked at the person she had bumped into. When she saw his face, her eyes widened in astonishment: the person in front of her was none other than Tom, the person she had been desperately searching for!

"Tom, what are you doing here?" Hermione's emotions were complex at this moment. She couldn't quite determine if she felt joy, anger, or perhaps a hint of relief. After all, the decor of this corridor was incredibly eerie, and walking alone in such an atmosphere was nerve-wracking.

"Uh, because the infirmary is on the second floor?" Tom was a bit puzzled by the question. Why was he here? Well, he had a stomachache. After drinking a cup of tea from Miss Pettigrew earlier in the day as a token of gratitude for his help during the flying class, his stomach had started feeling uncomfortable in the afternoon. After visiting the restroom, it had gone from "dropping pearls on a jade plate" to "rushing down a waterfall," and eventually to "echoing in an empty valley." Tom couldn't bear it any longer, so he went to the second-floor infirmary in the hope that Madame Pomfrey could help him with his issue.

Madame Pomfrey, being an excellent healer, quickly cured Tom with a spell and a potion. After prescribing him a nourishing potion, she let him leave.

And that's how Tom ended up running into Hermione in the corridor.

"Forget about that now; there's a giant creature loose in Hogwarts! Let's get back to our common room quickly!" Hermione remembered that this wasn't a time for catching up and immediately grabbed Tom to lead him away.

Tom wrinkled his nose; he detected a strange odor in the air, a combination of smelly socks and an aged public restroom.

"What's that smell?" Hermione also noticed it and covered her nose in disgust. Then, a low growling sound echoed, accompanied by the scraping of a heavy object against the floor. Soon, Hermione's confusion was answered as a massive creature emerged at the end of the corridor.

It stood at least twelve feet tall, with skin as dull as granite. Its entire body was bloated and corpulent, but beneath the rough, dirty skin, faint muscles could be discerned. Don't assume that fat meant no fighting ability; the most formidable creatures often had muscles hidden beneath layers of fat, like brown bears.

The creature before them fell into this category. Its dirt-caked skin and the layer of subcutaneous fat were excellent defenses. Moreover, it wasn't just a mere beast; it could use tools. That's why there was a giant creature guarding one of the defenses leading to the Philosopher's Stone. In confined spaces, such creatures had the upper hand against wizards. Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore could get his nose broken by a single punch.

The creature approached Tom and Hermione, and it was clear from its tiny eyes that it had already noticed them. It accelerated towards them, and Hermione let out a piercing scream, pulling Tom as she started running up the stairs. However, the creature displayed an unexpected burst of speed and quickly closed the gap.

The distance between them and the creature rapidly decreased, and Tom performed a quick mental calculation. They wouldn't make it to the fourth floor; they would be caught before then.

So he abruptly stopped and shouted, "Hermione, go ahead!"

Then he touched the ring on his hand. When his finger slid over the side with the three-headed dog emblem, he felt his entire body heating up, and his sense of smell became even more acute. In the next moment—

"Roar!" Tom transformed into a dirty three-headed dog, and Hermione didn't hesitate. She didn't shout for him to stop; instead, she sprinted upstairs without looking back. She knew very well that this level of combat was beyond her abilities, and she needed to find a professor to handle it.

One drawback of transforming into a three-headed dog was that the creature's odor became even more pronounced. It was worse than a foul smell, almost like a mixture of smelly socks and a long-neglected public restroom. However, there was an advantage too—the twelve-foot-tall giant creature suddenly didn't seem as intimidating. Tom, in his three-headed dog form, was almost the same height, and in terms of volume, he was even larger.

In terms of equal volume, primates were at a disadvantage when fighting canines. The only advantage they had was the ability to use tools. However, Tom wasn't just a big, dumb dog; he was a man beneath the dog's exterior.

The giant creature seemed puzzled. How had those two small beings suddenly transformed into this thing? If they were any other species, this fight wouldn't have happened because this was a matter of predation, not territorial disputes. When it came to territorial disputes, lives were at stake, but predation was about avoiding injuries. Tom's transformation into a three-headed dog had a strong presence, and in most cases, it would make other creatures retreat. However, the giant creature was different.

The giant creature was simple-minded. It was used to dominating the wilderness with its tough hide and sturdy build. It didn't understand the concept of backing down; its only principle was to fight!

In the eyes of this giant creature, the sudden appearance of a three-headed dog was like someone trying to steal its food. So, it became furious. "You stinking beggar, did you come to beg for scraps in this stone house? Across the hallway is the enemy! It's time to fight!" The giant creature decided to drive this dog out of the area.

Swinging the massive club in its hand and bellowing in anger, the creature charged forward. The club sliced through the air, making a whirring sound, creating a terrifying scene. Tom clenched his teeth and bravely rushed forward.

Bang! The giant creature's club struck the left head of Tom, but he didn't react much. As long as his consciousness wasn't in that head, it was no different from a tumor. The blow only caused intense pain without any dizziness or negative effects.

With a single club swing, the creature left its chest wide open, and Tom took advantage of it. He inserted both of his claws into the creature's shoulders and then sank his one-foot-long fangs deep into the creature's neck. With a powerful tug—

A large chunk of muscle was torn off directly, along with the rupture of the major blood vessels in the creature's neck. Hot and foul-smelling blood gushed out, almost reaching the ceiling. In an instant, the giant creature lost its combat ability.

It tried to cover the wound on its neck, but it was in vain. Blood sprayed everywhere, and with the blood loss came the loss of strength. It leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. In less than a minute, it stopped moving, leaving only its fingers and toes twitching reflexively. The entire corridor was covered in its blood, and it was hard to imagine that it had so much blood in its body.

Tom also reverted to his human form with a snap. His left shoulder was contorted into a strange shape, a result of the giant creature's blow. Meanwhile, loud footsteps could be heard from upstairs.

(End of this chapter)

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