Heeding Nature's Call

Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Great Hall, and collapsed in front of the Faculty Table Screaming about a Troll escaped in the castle, not that you particularly saw. You had stepped out of the hall in search of an open restroom. When you emerge from the restroom you wind your way back to the Great Hall, which is completely empty. The food is still out on the tables, and even the Faculty is not present. You hear the sounds from around the corner, the sounds of students en masse making their way back to their dorms.

Well that's strange...

You consider following the students, and making your way back to Ravenclaw Common Room, but the desire to investigate overpowers your caution.

You wind your way around the corner and see Professor Quirell dismissing a clearly concerned Madam Pomfrey. "I am quite alright, Madam Pomfrey," he says coolly. "It was just a spell it has passed. See to the students." The Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor spun around and slunk off towards the stairs up to the third floor.

"Marvolo!" you hear from behind you. Spinning around you see Jennifer. "What are you doing?" she hisses. " We are supposed to be heading back to the Common Room, there's a Troll loose!" She grabs your sleeve and pulls you "Its in the Dungeons so the upstairs should be safe, c'mon!"

You remain firmly planted. "Professor Quirrell just went upstairs." you say absently. Something wasn't adding up.

"Yeah, I am sure he was brought upstairs its dangerous down here!" Jennifer says, still tugging at your sleeve.

"No, he was fine, he went up on his own. The Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, shouldn't he be going towards the danger?" you mutter. "He wasn't scared either... He was collected, almost angry."

Jennifer looks at you, her eyes wide. "You can't be serious." She sees your jaw set stubbornly. "I am not gonna let- Well, I'm going to come with you at least" she says exasperatedly.

Smiling lopsidedly you slink off up the stairs after Professor Quirrell. With Jennifer on your heels you make your way up the steps to the third floor. Hiding around a corner you watch Professor Quirrell enter a small room, what you assumed was a supply closet. You look back to Jennifer, who shrugs. You are about to give up and follow Professor Quirrell, when the DADA Professor steps back out of the room.

Professor Quirell is not decisive like before he is sputtering and pale, and soon you see why. Professor Snape limps out of the room, favoring his right leg.

"Why are you, the Troll Expert, not helping the other Teachers?" Snape asks coolly, his face as still as a porcelain mask.

"I-I-I thought to check on the - the - the room, I considered the T-t-troll could be a distraction. B-but on reflection, the School's best interests..." Quirrell sputters.

"Indeed, I feel that the school's interests would be better served if we helped the rest of the Faculty chase down the Troll." Snape sneers. He nods towards the stair well, and places his hand on his wand; a not so subtle motivator.

You grab Jennifer and pull her deeper into the long shadows of the hallway. Quirell and Snape trudge past you, neither paying much attention to anything besides the other. You swallow, Kingsley always spoke of the dangers of Wizard Duels, and you think you understand better now. Each of those professors had **** in their eyes.

Jennifer taps your shoulder, "Ok, so we found out that he was going to hide in the supply closet. So let's go back to the Common Room."

You look back to the door. Something wasn't right. You look back towards where Snape and Quirrell went down the stairs.

"Something's off. How would Snape know to check this closet?" you ask. Jennifer shrugs as if to say that people just know things. "It seemed like Quirrell was trying to *not* say something as much as anything." Dragging your right hand over your face, you sigh. "How big is that storage closet?"

"You can't seriously want to investigate a storage closet." Jennifer says flatly. "It's probably just filled with cleaning supplies!"

Smiling guiltily at her you say, "Probably."