Harry Potter's Invitation to the World

by Vickie Ewell

 

Chapter 40 – Ron and Harry Fight the Troll
(HP Chapter 10)

Harry wondered what Snape was doing and why he wasn’t with the other teachers, but the smelly troll interrupted his attention because it was moving toward them. The troll smelled bad because some of the boys’ impurities were beginning to rot. The kids pulled back into the shadows as the troll emerged into a patch of moonlight. The light stood in direct contrast to the troll. It was 12 feet tall with granite-gray skin, a boulder-like lumpy body, and a tiny bald head about the size of a coconut.

Some traditions divide Alchemy up into 12 processes, rather than seven, but there are also 12 signs of the zodiac that influence fallen man. The troll’s skin and body were like rocks. Although rocks are a member of the mineral kingdom, biblical scripture speaks of false gods made of wood and stone being the works of our own hands. Fallen man tends to worship himself.

The troll’s short legs were thick like tree trunks (or short poles, in opposition to the very tall Quidditch poles) and it had flat horny feet. It was dragging a large club along the floor because its arms were so long. His head was clean-shaven. He had no real power other than his threatening size. His overall image was of a caveman, our fallen nature.

His purpose was to show us ourselves, but that will differ for each of us depending upon where we are on the path. For example, to Harry, the troll will test whether he loves his life more than his fellowman. It will show him how both dominance and subjugation harm others. To Ron, the troll will test his ability to love his enemies. It will show him his courage and ability to act in a levelheaded manner during a crisis situation. In essence, it will show him his value as a human being. To Hermione, it will test the very foundation of everything she believes in: earthly knowledge and rules. It will mirror her controlling behavior, but it will also show her the inadequacy of her current beliefs and attitude toward others. It will teach her about the impotency of fear.

The troll peered into an opened doorway and then went inside. There was a key in the door’s lock. The boys snuck toward the door, grabbed the key, slammed the door, and locked it. Having trapped the troll, rather than facing it, they ran back down the corridor. This was exactly what they did when they came face-to-face with the three-headed dog, so the troll has been re-introduced to them to prepare them for bypassing the dog later on. Learning comes to us in cycles. What we don’t accept today is presented to us again for our self-examination tomorrow.

When the boys reached the corner, they heard Hermione scream from inside the room they had just locked. For both boys, the corner represented a turning point, and another choice: They can save themselves, or they can try to save their enemy. This reflected the same choice that Harry, Ron and Hermione will have to make later on about Draco.

Both boys decided to go back and face their fear. Although the troll represents fallen man, the current situation also dealt with the pair of opposites connected to level five: life versus death.

Hermione had pressed herself against the opposite wall. She was petrified. The troll was advancing on her. Everything Hermione had read and learned was useless to her because her fear of death had taken over. Harry tried to distract the troll and hollered for Ron to do the same. Unlike Hermione, the boys retained their ability to think and act.

The troll wasn’t very bright, so it worked well. He moved from Hermione to Harry to Ron in a mechanical manner, giving Harry a chance to pull Hermione toward the door, but she was too heavy for Harry to move in her paralyzed condition. Fear was keeping her from acting to free herself as well as the others.

The boys’ screams to each other had escalated the situation, so the troll headed toward Ron. Harry took a running jump and mounted the troll from behind, grabbing his neck. That maneuver caused his wand to go up the troll’s nose. Howling with pain, the troll tried to free himself by shaking vigorously. Harry hung on the best he could. The troll was acting like fallen man when he was in pain and trying to get it to stop.

Hermione sunk to the ground, completely immobilized by her fear. Ron, on the other hand, pulled out his wand and courageously cast the first spell that came into his mind, “Winggardium Leviosa!” Ron’s ability to cast the spell was directly tied to Hermione’s earlier correction, which gave Ron’s subconscious mind the ability to produce the exact spell that Ron needed to save them.

In essence, the spell was a conjunction of efforts between Hermione and Ron. As a result, the club flew straight up into the air, symbolizing the ascension that would result for all of them due to this experience. The club then turned and fell back down upon the troll’s head, cracking his skull. A cracked skull is a concussion, which reflects the lasting effect that this experience will have on the trio. The crack will heal, but the kids will never be the same.

The concussion caused the troll to fall to the floor unconscious. When we view ourselves for the first time, we need to remember that we have been acting unconsciously. Fallen man only reacts within the boundaries of his programming. Everything we thought we were is actually an illusion.

Neither boy spoke. There was no longer immediate danger, so Hermione broke the silence. “Is it – dead?” Harry informed her that he believed it was only knocked out