Hector walked through corridor after corridor, descending flight after flight of stairs—truly a tedious process, as Apparition was strictly forbidden within Hogwarts. Whether going to Professor McGonagall's office or heading out of the Hogwarts castle, one had to rely entirely on walking.
Still, he reached his first destination quite quickly: the Gryffindor Head of House's office. The door stood wide open, indicating that Professor McGonagall had already departed, sparing Hector the need to remind her. Hector hurried down from the second floor, breaking into a jog as he sped past the Great Hall and the long corridor beyond it. By the time he reached the lawn in front of the Hogwarts castle, a battle was on the verge of erupting—more than a dozen robed, masked Death Eaters had materialized near the edge of the Forbidden Forest in the direction of Hogsmeade. Alongside them stood a full six trolls. Hector scrutinized them carefully: the two tallest were undoubtedly the most dangerous Mountain Trolls, bald-headed with rough, green skin; the four slightly shorter ones were River Trolls, bearing a few short horns on their heads and purple skin—Hector had made a detailed study of this species ever since encountering a troll on Halloween, always feeling he might run into them again one day, and it seemed his homework had paid off.
All the trolls wielded their traditional weapons—massive wooden clubs. Aside from these conspicuous figures, Hector also noticed two individuals lagging …
Chapter 64