The Gamer: Multiverse Travel

Thursday, 31 October 1991

The moment the final lesson ended, Daniel and his friends made their way to the Great Hall, eager for the Halloween Feast.

The hall was unrecognizable from its usual grandeur, completely transformed for the occasion.

Thousands of floating pumpkins bathed the long tables in a warm, flickering glow. Golden platters overflowed with roasted meats, steaming pies, and bowls of sweets, filling the air with a rich, mouthwatering aroma. Above, enchanted bats swooped through the vast ceiling, which reflected a dark, stormy autumn sky. Countless candles floated eerily, their flames casting shifting shadows along the towering house banners and ancient stone walls.

They found seats at the Ravenclaw table, settling in near the end. The second they sat down, Terry wasted no time and immediately reached for the sweets.

"Don't eat too many," Michael said, piling some roasted chicken onto his own plate. "They're unhealthy."

Terry groaned. "Ugh, don't start acting like my mother, Michael."

"What? I'm just stating facts."

Terry narrowed his eyes, clearly about to argue, when Anthony cut in with an exasperated sigh.

"It's Halloween. Just let it go."

Grudgingly, they dropped it and moved on to talking about random things, Quidditch, upcoming exams, and theories about what their next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson would be.

Daniel was nearly finished with his first plate and had just reached for a slice of pumpkin pie when-

BANG!

The doors of the Great Hall burst open with a deafening slam.

Heads whipped around just in time to see Professor Quirrell stumble inside, his usually pale face now sickly white. He gasped for breath, eyes wild with panic.

"T-Troll, in the dungeons!" he stammered, swaying unsteadily. "Thought you ought to know-"

And then, with a dramatic flair, he collapsed.

For a moment, silence hung thick in the air.

Then, all at once, the hall erupted into chaos.

Students screamed, panic rippled through the crowd, and people scrambled to their feet, looking around in terror.

"SILENCE!"

Dumbledore's voice cut through the noise, instantly commanding attention.

The hall fell deathly quiet.

His piercing blue eyes swept over the students before he gave his orders. "Prefects, lead your houses back to the common rooms immediately." Then, turning to the professors, he instructed, "Teachers, follow me to the dungeons."

The Great Hall shifted into a flurry of movement as students hurried to follow their prefects. The excitement for the feast was entirely forgotten.

Daniel was about to follow the others when-

[You have received a new Quest!]

He blinked as a glowing blue notification appeared before him.

Quickly, he opened the quest window.

[Help Save Hermione Granger!]

[Hermione Granger is alone in the bathroom with the troll. Help Harry and Ron save her.

Time Limit: 1 Hour

Reward: 20,000 EXP

Fail Penalty: Possible death of the Golden Trio.]

[Accept / Decline]

Daniel's eyes widened.

'Death?'

His thoughts raced as he considered the butterfly effect.

'I haven't even spoken to Harry once and only a couple of times with Hermione. Would my involvement really change anything?'

He hesitated, but only for a second.

'Even if everything goes like in the books, better safe than sorry. The troll shouldn't be a problem for me anyway.'

Without wasting another moment, he accepted the quest.

"I'll see you in the common room," he told his friends hurriedly.

Before they could respond, he activated Stealth and vanished from their sight.

Slipping out of the Great Hall, he spotted Harry and Ron rushing down the corridor and silently followed them, his footsteps soundless against the cold stone floor.

As he trailed behind them, his mind nagged at him.

'I haven't gotten a single quest since arriving at Hogwarts, and now, the moment something dangerous happens, I suddenly get one?'

The thought was unsettling, but he pushed it aside.

Five minutes later, the horrid stench of the troll hit him like a brick wall.

'Bloody hell, why does it smell this bad?'

With his enhanced senses, the foul odor was nearly unbearable. It was like a mix of rotting garbage and something far worse. He forced himself to breathe through his mouth.

Up ahead, Harry and Ron sprinted toward the girls' bathroom. The moment they pushed the door open, a loud BANG echoed from inside.

Daniel didn't hesitate, he darted in right behind them.

The first thing Daniel saw was the massive, lumbering troll raising its wooden club directly over Hermione.

She stood frozen, terror flashing in her eyes.

Daniel didn't think.

"Expelliarmus!"

A blast of magic shot from his wand, hitting the club mid-swing.

The massive weapon was wrenched from the troll's grip and hurtled through the air, straight toward Daniel.

"Oh, for-"

He threw himself to the side just in time as the club smashed into the floor where he'd been standing.

The troll, now weaponless, turned its furious gaze on him.

"RAHHHGGGG!" it bellowed.

Then, with surprising speed, it charged.

Daniel didn't move immediately, he waited.

The ground trembled beneath the creature's weight as it barreled toward him, its beady eyes locked onto its target.

At the last second-

Daniel sidestepped.

The troll didn't have time to stop.

BOOM!

It crashed headfirst into the solid stone wall, making the entire bathroom shake from the impact.

It stumbled back, momentarily stunned.

Daniel didn't waste the opening.

He swiftly raised his wand, aiming directly at its exposed eye, and cast the Magic Arrow.

A bright, glowing projectile shot forward, piercing the troll's eye and driving deep into its brain.

The creature let out a final, guttural sound before collapsing.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Then-

"Urghh-"

The sound of retching made Daniel turn.

Hermione was crouched in the corner, pale as a ghost, vomiting. Harry and Ron weren't much better, both looked like they were trying very hard not to throw up.

"Who… who are you?" Harry finally managed, eyes darting between Daniel and the now-dead troll.

Daniel shook his head. "Doesn't matter. The professors will be here any second. If you don't want detention, you'd better leave now."

Their faces drained of color even further.

Without hesitation, they bolted.

As they turned back toward him, Daniel was already gone, Stealth active once more.

Back in front of the Ravenclaw common room, a familiar notification popped up before him.

[Quest Complete!]

[You have gained 20,000 EXP!]

Daniel smiled.

'Well, that went smoother than expected.'