The Gamer: Multiverse Travel

When Daniel answered the knocker's question and stepped into the Ravenclaw common room, he barely had time to take a breath before he spotted a familiar figure waiting for him.

The prefect.

The same one who had seen him being led back by Professor Snape the night he sneaked out. Arms crossed, expression unreadable, but the moment their eyes met, the question came.

"Where were you?"

Daniel didn't so much as blink. "I got separated with everyone hurrying past and had to find my way back." His voice was calm, his face carefully neutral.

The prefect gave him a long, scrutinizing look, clearly not buying it. But instead of pressing the issue, he let out a tired sigh. "Let's go inside. The feast is still going."

Daniel followed him in, the warmth of the common room washing over him. Conversations buzzed around the tables, the occasional burst of laughter breaking through. As he slipped into his usual spot, his friends wasted no time.

"Where did you go?" Terry asked the moment he sat down.

"I needed to go to the bathroom," Daniel said, grabbing some food like it was no big deal.

Dead silence. Then, they all stared at him like he had just said something completely ridiculous.

"You think we'll believe that?" Terry asked flatly.

"Yeah, just don't tell us if you don't want to," Michael said with a shrug, reaching for some bread.

Daniel sighed. 'The whole school will know because of Weasley anyway.'

"I got away to see the troll," he said, completely straight-faced.

His friends froze. Terry choked on his drink.

"I guessed that," Anthony muttered, shaking his head.

"So, how did it go?" Terry asked, suddenly excited.

"Well, he was really smelly, for one…"

That got a few snickers, and soon, the conversation flowed naturally again, lasting until the feast ended.

The Next Day

Things were normal, mostly. The morning air was crisp, the chatter in the hallways the usual mix of excitement and grogginess. But through the entire Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Daniel felt a gaze burning into the back of his head.

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. 'I guess they'll want to talk after class,' he thought, pretending not to notice.

As soon as the lesson ended, Michael nudged him. "Weekend tomorrow. What should we do?"

"I don't know. We can think of something together," Daniel replied as they left the classroom, falling in step with the others.

They had barely made it into the corridor when a voice called out.

"Hey, Daniel, can we talk for a minute?"

He turned to see Hermione standing there, looking expectant.

"Sure," he said before glancing at his friends. "Go ahead without me. I'll catch up."

Michael raised a curious eyebrow but said nothing, and the group continued on.

Daniel followed Hermione down the corridor in silence until they reached an empty classroom. Inside, waiting for them, were Harry and Ron.

They didn't speak until Daniel shut the door. Then, Ron wasted no time.

"Why were you in the bathroom?"

Daniel blinked. "I followed you."

Ron stared. "What?"

"I followed you," Daniel repeated.

"But why?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. I saw you two leave the Great Hall alone and got curious."

Harry exchanged a glance with Ron before nodding. "Okay."

Hermione, however, wasn't done. "Why did you kill the troll?"

Daniel looked at her like she had just asked him why the sky was blue. "What was I supposed to do? Let it kill all of you?"

She hesitated but held her ground. "You could have restrained it, and we could have run away."

Daniel let out a short breath. "I'm not strong enough to hold a full-grown troll for more than a few seconds."

Hermione looked like she wanted to argue, but Harry cut in. "Thank you for saving us."

Daniel simply nodded. "No problem. Is that all?"

"Not quite," Ron said. They asked him a few more questions, how was he so strong, if he could teach them some cool spells, and other random curiosities.

By the time he finally left, heading back to the Ravenclaw common room, he exhaled deeply.

'I guess I got tangled in the plot,' he thought as he walked down the corridor, shaking his head.