"Adrian, what you did tonight was incredible!" After the crowd scattered, Harry, who had been pushed to the edge during the celebration, stepped forward and hugged Adrian warmly.
"Perhaps," Adrian shrugged, then clarified. "Though you shouldn't make things sound quite so dramatic. The troll took a lot of effort to handle."
It wasn't false modesty, the news had become thoroughly twisted in retelling. In one version Adrian had overheard, the twelve-foot troll had somehow grown to twenty feet tall!
The situation was getting out of hand...
"Come off it, you're Gryffindor's hero now. We saw you kill that troll after saving Hermione. Merlin, it was so fast," Ron said, playfully punching Adrian's chest with a grin.
"Besides, we barely mentioned it in passing. Who knew it would blow up like this?" Harry added, showing they hadn't intended such dramatic consequences.
"Speaking of which, where's Hermione?" Adrian asked.
"Not sure, I saw her earlier," Harry replied, looking puzzled.
"She could at least thank you after you saved her life," Ron said indignantly.
"Something probably came up," Adrian said, shaking his head. Hermione wasn't the ungrateful type.
Since Hermione had taken full responsibility earlier to protect them, Harry and Ron accepted Adrian's explanation readily.
Next, Harry and Ron mysteriously led Adrian to examine a package containing a brand-new Nimbus 2001, sent to Harry by Professor McGonagall that morning. Adrian had missed this development while dealing with the troll situation.
Though Quidditch held little personal interest, seeing their excitement prompted Adrian to offer some praise before hurrying them off to bed.
Finally alone, Adrian could properly examine his reward for defeating the troll.
[Bloodline Fusion Potion (Formula) Required Materials: Dried nettles, night-blooming cereus, valerian, mistletoe berries, black hellebore petals, buckthorn, black bat wing membrane, mountain flower powder... Special Ingredient: 150ml of active blood from magical creatures (Note: Blood loses significant potency after three days outside the body) Prerequisites: Potions Level 6 (Note: Level 4 required when using experience cards)]
Looking at the extensive ingredient list, Adrian felt dizzy. The requirements were overwhelming.
Many were premium potion materials with astronomical prices. Even if he risked sneaking to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, his current funds wouldn't be enough.
The Level 6 Potions requirement made Adrian frown. Though he'd reached Level 3, progression slowed dramatically at higher levels. Each advancement beyond Level 3 was much harder than progressing from zero to three.
Luckily, the fine print provided some relief. Level 4 remained achievable through effort, and apparently potion brewing got bonuses under experience card enhancement.
The magical creature blood presented the most promising opportunity. Despite the three-day viability limitation, Adrian knew Hagrid would soon hatch a dragon.
An adult dragon was beyond his capabilities, but a newborn? That was perfectly manageable...
Drawing some blood wouldn't be difficult, provided he prepared everything else before the dragon was sent away.
Knock knock... knock knock...
Lost in planning, Adrian faintly heard tapping outside his window. Turning, he spotted a dark owl pecking the glass with something tied to its leg.
'Midnight?'
The name came to Adrian's mind, presumably this owl's identity.
Opening the window, the bird swooped inside immediately, perching on his shoulder with visible irritation. The entire dormitory had attended his celebration, leaving this poor creature exposed to night winds.
Adrian barely registered the owl's discomfort, his attention fixed entirely on the envelope attached to its leg.
Because it clearly read: Adrian Blackwood.
He untied the binding with trembling hands, clutching the letter but lacking courage to open it. His expression went through multiple emotions before he sighed resignedly.
'I knew this moment would come, though not so soon.'
After some hesitation, Adrian broke the seal. Relief flooded him, the contents appeared mundane. Simple questions about his Hogwarts experience and house assignment, signed Irene Blackwood, his mother.
Three Galleons were included as a gift, with a note offering additional funds if needed.
Yet the more caring the letter seemed, the deeper his guilt and anxiety grew...
The guilt was obvious. Though transmigration hadn't been his choice, he'd inexplicably replaced another's child. Such circumstances couldn't be accepted lightly.
His anxiety stemmed from Dumbledore's cryptic comments about his mother, and that conspicuous Mortificus Curse lingering in his system interface…
'Considering the Mortificus Curse,' Adrian felt incredulous.
'What kind of mother would teach such a dangerous piece of dark magic before her child had even attended school?'
The teaching process could never have been gentle, otherwise, he wouldn't experience such terror recalling those inherited memories. This mother had clearly subjected her child to the curse directly for quick learning.
These unknowns left Adrian deeply unsettled, creating urgent need for sufficient strength to protect himself before returning home during holidays.
The fastest power increase lay in brewing the Bloodline Fusion Potion. Despite discomfort about the Galleons, Adrian pocketed them.
'His finances were desperately limited...'
"Hoot~" Midnigth, having waited patiently through Adrian's extended thinking, finally tapped his head as a reminder.
Coming out of his thoughts, Adrian realized he needed to reply immediately. He offered Midnigth some food from Echo's supply, ignoring his owl's indignant protests as he reluctantly picked up a quill.
After considerable deliberation, Adrian wrote about his Gryffindor sorting and various school events.
He'd initially planned mentioning the troll incident but deleted all references before sealing the letter.
'Challenging trolls so soon after enrollment would likely prompt his 'mother' to race to Hogwarts in horror to interrogate Dumbledore, rather than express pride.'
'Better to maintain low profile and avoid complications...'
After extensive rewritting, Adrian sealed the envelope and sent Midnight homeward.
Dawn was breaking when he finished. Pulling covers up gratefully, one final question occurred to him as he drifted toward sleep,
'Had Dumbledore's promised "surprise" referred to the welcome party or this letter?'
The next morning, Adrian, having slept less than two hours, reluctantly rose for classes. Harry and Ron, sharing similar exhaustion, joined him in constant yawning.
After seeing each other's prominent dark circles, all three couldn't help laughing, their spirits lifting considerably.
Overnight, news of Adrian's troll victory had spread throughout the school. Whispers followed him everywhere.
Adrian quickened his pace, finding relief only upon reaching the Transfiguration classroom.
Hermione had arrived early, sitting quietly with an open book, surrounded by chattering Gryffindor girls who peppered her with questions. She appeared thoroughly irritated until spotting Adrian, her face brightening as she prepared to approach.
"Settle down, children, return to your seats!" Professor McGonagall entered, frowning at the chaotic classroom.
Adrian, Harry, and Ron quickly found empty seats while Hermione reluctantly remained in place.
McGonagall glanced deliberately at Adrian before clearing her throat to address the seated students.
"I believe I mentioned at term's beginning that Transfiguration represents among the most complex and dangerous magic you'll learn at Hogwarts. Master it properly, and Transfiguration can solve most problems you'll encounter."
"As you've likely heard, yesterday Mr. Blackwood successfully defeated a troll in Hogwarts corridors using superior transfiguration spells and excellent tactical thinking!"
"For this achievement, Professor Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor a full twenty points." McGonagall concluded.
The classroom erupted in excited discussion, with Adrian becoming the entire class focus.
Though many students had heard rumors, they'd come from Harry and Ron, hardly the most reliable sources. Now it was official confirmation!
Despite McGonagall's kind words, Adrian did not feel happy. He already knew that teachers often began with praise only to follow it with warnings or conditions.
As he expected, McGonagall went on:
"However… I must warn you very seriously that trolls are extremely strong and dangerous creatures, far beyond what any student can handle! Hals is a very rare exception. Even Professor Quirrell, who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, fainted from fear when the troll appeared during the Halloween feast!"
McGonagall's face grew stern as she continued:
"If I find anyone else trying the same kind of reckless heroics, I will personally advise Professor Dumbledore to expel them."
"Even for Mr. Blackwood, defeating that troll was not nearly as simple as some of you may think." She looked around at the now-silent class before turning her eyes directly on Adrian.
Adrian stood up at once, putting on a serious face and speaking in a heavy tone.
"Of course, Professor. That troll was without question the hardest opponent I've faced in all my eleven years… truly the toughest of them all!"
The classroom burst into laughter as many students understood the joke hidden in his words.
As a first-year who was only eleven years old, the troll was obviously both his first and his hardest fight.
McGonagall, however, looked far from pleased with Adrian's playful answer. She had hoped he would describe the fear and danger more clearly, so the other students would take the warning seriously.
Adrian only gave a small shrug, though inside he admired her clever way of teaching. First, she had used his victory over the troll to spark the students' interest in transfiguration. Then she gave a strict warning to stop wild rumors and prevent other children from trying something foolish.
After all, it was better to guide the students than to simply silence them. Instead of hiding the truth and letting gossip grow, she turned the event into a lesson, while also using the threat of expulsion to make sure nobody copied Adrian.
Finally, she had tried to keep Adrian humble. By reminding everyone of the real danger, she stopped him from becoming too proud or careless after his success.
Poor Quirrell had become collateral damage, used as a benchmark for troll strength. After today, he'd likely become Hogwarts' laughingstock.
Adrian, far more mature than his apparent eleven years, quickly analyzed McGonagall's strategy.
He wouldn't have minded cooperating with McGonagall, maintaining low profiles was indeed wise. Unfortunately, his troll encounter contained questionable elements. The more he said, the more mistakes he might make.
Otherwise, McGonagall might ask why he'd been carrying transfigured iron spikes...
So McGonagall's carefully prepared opening achieved only half its intended effect due to Adrian's uncooperative attitude.
This led to McGonagall's stern reminder that if he continued answering questions without permission, she might employ a Silencing Charm to give other students performance opportunities.
Glancing at his meager grade points and the 731 points still needed for his next Potions upgrade, Adrian reluctantly agreed to consider her valuable advice and attempt raising his hand before speaking.