章节_62

pe i

dires. as they jostled their way through a crowd of fused

hufflepuffs, harry suddenly grabbed rons arm.

”ive just thought -- hermione.”

”what about her?”

”she doesnt know about the troll.”

ron bit his lip.

”ht,” he s percyd better not see us.”

du, they joihe hufflepuffs goiher way,

slipped dowed side corridor, aoward the

girls bathroom. they had just turhe er when they heard

quick footsteps behind them.

”percy!” hissed ron, pulling harry behione griffin.

peering around it, however, they saw snape. he

crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

”whats he doing?” harry whispered. ”why isnt he down in the

duh the rest of the teachers?”

”search me.”

quietly as possible, they g the corridor after

snapes fading footsteps.

”hes headihird floor,” harry said, but ron held

up his hand.

”ell something?”

harry sniffed and a foul stench reaostrils, a mixture

of old sod the kind of publio oo .

ahey heard it -- a l, and the shuffling

footfalls of giga. rohe end of a passage

to the left, something huge was moving toward them. they shrank

into the shadows a emerged into a patoonlight.

it was a hht. twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull,

gras great lumpy body like a boulder with its small

bald head per top like a ut. it had shs thick

as tree trunks with flat, horhe smell it was

i was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along

the floor because its arms were so long.

the troll stopped o a dooreered i waggled

its l up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into

the room.

”the keys in the lock,” harry muttered. ”we could lo.”

”good idea,” said ron nervously.

they edged toen door, mouths dry, prayiroll

wasnt about to e out of it. with o leap, harry managed

to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

yes!”

flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the

passage, but as they reached the er they heard something that

made their hearts stop -- a high, petrified scream -- and it was

the chamber theyd just ed up.

”oh, no,” said rohe bloody baron.

”its the girls bathrasped.

”hermioogether.

it was the last thied to do, but what choice did

they have? wheeling aroued back to the door and

turhe key, fumbling in their panic. harry pulled the door open

and they ran inside.

hermier was shrinking against the osite,

looking as if she was about to fairoll was advan her,

knog the sinks off the walls as it went.

”fuse it!” harry said desperately to roap,

he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

the troll stopped a few feet from hermio lumbered around,

blinking stupidly, to see what had made the s mean little

eyes saw harry. it hesitated, then made for him iing

its club as it went.

”oy, pea-brain!” yelled roher side of the chamber,

aal pipe at it. the troll didnt eveo

ting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and

paused again, turning its ugly snout toward ron instead, giving

harry time to run around it.

”e on, run, run!” harry yelled at hermi to pull

her toward the door, but she t move, she was still flat

against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

the shouting and the eed t the troll

berserk. it rain aoward ron, who was

and had no way to escape.

harry thehat was both very brave and very

stupid: he took a great running jump and manage