Chapter 13: Dumbledore's Fishing Game

Tver keenly sensed some movement near the staircase not far away. If it was a prefect or professor doing rounds, he could simply hide inside the room. But if it was someone with the same goal, he couldn't risk it.

After a moment of thought, Tver decided it was safer to stay near the door. Glancing around, he noticed a recess behind one of the walls. He moved towards it.

The moment his body pressed against the wall, the wall behind him gradually stretched to the sides, covering Tver inside, leaving only a semi-transparent membrane around his eyes.

A very useful Disillusionment Charm.

As everything returned to normal, a stealthy figure appeared around the corner.

Though the darkness obscured his face, the conspicuous turban on his head gave away that it was Quirrell.

Didn't expect him to be so eager as well.

Quirrell's movements were no longer as hesitant as usual; he briskly strode into the corridor, immediately noticing the peculiarity of the corridor.

"Lumos."

The wand illuminated, revealing Quirrell's eager face.

"Alohomora."

The door to the room with the Philosopher's Stone could actually be opened with a spell. What's the difference between this and the door at Gringotts that isn't locked?

It was just too straightforward.

The wooden door opened smoothly, prompting Tver to silently scoff at it.

Quirrell hesitated for a moment too, before pushing the door open and entering.

What happened next was beyond Tver's view.

His Disillusionment Charm could only alter the surface of the wall; manipulating the entire wall, which was structurally significant, was beyond his capability.

To be able to perform such a feat, Tver estimated only Dumbledore in the wizarding world could.

However, Tver didn't have to wait long before he heard the sound of spells being cast and the snarling of animals coming from inside.

That must be the three-headed dog.

The legendary three-headed dog was a creature from the underworld, tasked with guarding the gates of hell.

Of course, the magical world's three-headed dog wouldn't look like that, but it wasn't something ordinary wizards could handle either.

Because the three-headed dog had a strong resistance to magic, making it difficult to leave magical marks on it.

Combined with its inherent strength, energy, and stamina, it was invincible in a confined space like that room.

Wizards faced with the three-headed dog typically held the attitude of "can't beat it, avoid it."

Luckily, Tver knew the weakness of the three-headed dog.

At this point, the battle inside the room gradually reached its conclusion, with Quirrell fleeing in haste.

However, Quirrell's strength was somewhat unexpected to Tver. The movies never provided detailed depictions of his abilities; in the end, he always engaged in close combat with the chosen one, turning into ashes without even needing fire.

But just now, he managed to confront the three-headed dog for a while, with only slightly disheveled clothes and no visible signs of injury.

It seemed his strength was not to be underestimated.

Tver sighed as he opened the door.

The three-headed dog, having just endured a battle and intending to rest, was caught off guard when it saw someone approaching again.

This person even arrogantly gestured for silence.

"Hush."

Then, a harp suddenly appeared before its eyes, and it began playing automatically.

As the beautiful music filled the air, the eyelids of the three-headed dog drooped.

It tried to struggle for a moment, but after being baited twice, it resigned itself and collapsed to the ground.

Tver shifted the dog's foot blocking the trapdoor and opened it, revealing the darkness inside darker than the corridor outside.

"Lumos."

A bright sphere of light appeared at the tip of his wand, then detached at its brightest moment.

With the light brought by the sphere, Tver saw the entwined vines below.

Devil's Snare.

Preferring damp, dark environments, this plant could extend its vine-like tendrils like snakes to strangle anyone who came near it, and then feed on them.

But the vines seemed to be very afraid of the light sphere; before it even approached, they automatically parted, allowing the light sphere to pass through effortlessly.

Using Levitation Charm to move his body, Tver slowly passed through the Devil's Snare and reached the ground deep below.

Before him stretched a damp, straight corridor, with the sound of flowing water coming from both sides. He estimated that he had come to the depths underground.

The corridor remained pitch black, but ahead, a bright light shone through.

With the Lumos Charm, Tver strode forward confidently.

Each checkpoint guarding the Philosopher's Stone was set up by the professors. As an assistant, Tver obviously didn't have the qualifications to participate.

The Devil's Snare was the handiwork of the head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Sprout.

And the next room, crafted by Professor Flitwick, housed a group of "birds" shimmering with silvery light, fluttering their wings as they flew around the room.

This time, the door to be passed couldn't be opened with magic; it required someone to catch the one and only correct key to open it.

Next to it, conveniently, were prepared flying broomsticks.

Upon seeing this, Tver's lips twitched involuntarily.

For years, he had devoted himself to the study of magic, coupled with his inherent lack of flying talent, so he had never attempted a perfect broomstick ride more than a few times.

But he had his own method.

Directly casting a spell on the key was naturally ineffective, but why not use magic to seize the key?

Tver looked up and scanned the pile of keys, finding the ancient silver key corresponding to the door.

Waving his wand, a small stream of purple flame shot out from the tip, resembling a rope, swiftly flying towards his target.

Sensing the ominous aura within the flames, the keys, including the correct one, anxiously scattered in all directions.

But the flame, as if alive, chased after, wrapping around and binding the keys after a couple of turns.

Strangely, the purple flame did not exhibit any scorching heat; it behaved like an ordinary rope, simply binding the keys.

With the key in hand, Tver opened the door to the next challenge.

The theatrics of this guardianship were difficult to overlook, but it was all part of the game. Despite knowing it was a trap, Tver was determined to step into it.

The next room was a giant chessboard, black and white pieces distinctly positioned on either side, awaiting Tver's command.

The problem was that Tver didn't know how to play chess.

As mentioned earlier, he had spent these years entirely focused on the study of magic, leaving him extremely inept in many areas, especially recreational activities.

But this was within Tver's expectations; he had come today to confirm the similarities and differences between the challenges here and those in the movie.

It seemed his mere presence wouldn't alter the setup here.

With time pressing, Tver retraced his steps back to his office.

However, the chessboard conundrum still needed solving.

Violent decryption was the simplest approach, but it was hard to believe Professor McGonagall hadn't left behind a small warning charm.

That would complicate matters.

It seemed he needed to learn how to play wizard's chess after all.