"W-What is going on?"
Ron was dumbfounded.
He subconsciously took a step back, only to hear a dull thud behind him!
The large door they had entered through slammed shut with a boom!
Then, it began to merge into the wall!
The Weasley twins reacted with lightning speed.
They immediately reached out to push it open.
However, the door that usually swung open with ease remained immovable.
Finally.
It vanished completely.
Leaving behind only a bare, blank wall.
In the stunned silence that followed.
A cold wind brushed past everyone's calves, making them all shiver in unison.
"...Are we trapped in here?"
Justin from Hufflepuff asked in terror.
His legs were trembling, his face pale as a sheet.
"...I'm afraid so."
Harry's face sank instantly.
He clenched his fists, cursing himself inwardly:
Damn it! We've been tricked!
This eerie scene... needless to say, this is absolutely the handiwork of Professor Vincent!
Just because I didn't see him appear, I let my guard down...
When exactly did Ethan find out?!
Harry felt a layer of cold sweat prickle down his back.
He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder.
He felt as though a pair of eyes was watching them from everywhere.
"There's no other choice," Hermione said. "We have to keep moving forward."
"The door is bound to appear somewhere."
Seeing the heavy expressions on everyone's faces.
Hermione forced the corners of her mouth up into an encouraging smile.
She spoke briskly:
"Don't worry! This is Hogwarts, the safest place in Britain! There aren't any man-eating monsters here!"
Everyone: "..."
There were too many things to roast about that statement; they didn't know where to start.
Anyway, nice speech.
Don't make it again.
Fortunately, they were members of the Enlightenment Society who had endured plenty of torture.
They quickly calmed down.
Raising their wands, they walked forward cautiously.
Nothing happened along the way.
Only the occasional, faint sound of laughter.
Echoing from the shadows.
Before long.
After passing several portraits titled The Model.
They arrived at the end of the gallery.
There, a mirror was mounted high up on the wall.
It reflected the shadowy ceiling, making it hard to see clearly.
They could only vaguely make out what looked like a white dining table laden with exquisite food.
Lines of text floated to the surface:
[Only those with superior wisdom, courage, loyalty, and ambition can pass this way]
[Are you ready?]
The group looked at each other and gulped.
They nodded.
Then.
The pale blue writing was wiped away like dust.
New lines of text emerged:
[I am a warm nest, and a soft shell]
[I am a canvas for stories, painted by experience]
[I am a breathing house and the border of life, destined to return to the slumber of the soil]
[Question: What am I?]
Seeing the poem, Ron let out a long sigh of relief.
He laughed sheepishly:
"So it's just a riddle game. I thought there would be some kind of danger."
Before his voice had even faded.
They heard a series of cracking sounds.
Thud!
A heavy object hit the ground.
Not far behind them, on the path they had just walked.
A headless mannequin, pitch-black and wearing a blood-red dress, fell out of a painting!
In a twisted posture that no human body could achieve.
It slowly stood up from the carpet.
Everyone: ?!!
Their breath hitched as they watched the headless mannequin take step after step, approaching them!
And what was more terrifying.
Arm after arm, like Inferi, began to reach out from that painting.
Crawling out in a crowded mass.
"—————Bloody hell!!"
Ron jumped in fright, wishing he could travel back a few seconds.
And slap himself in the face!
Is there such a thing as a countdown? If we don't solve the riddle in the time limit, we die, is that it?!!
Designer, you get over here, I'll go to the kitchen and get you some food.jpg
"Quick, solve it!"
"Warm nest, soft shell...? What is all this nonsense!"
"Let me!"
Hermione shoved the others aside and stood before the mirror with determination.
Her brows furrowed tight, staring intnetly at the poem, muttering rapidly under her breath:
"I am a canvas for stories... a breathing house... the border of life... returning to the soil's slumber... Hah."
In just a few seconds.
Hermione's brow smoothed out, and she grinned:
"This riddle is simple! The answer is—"
"[The Body]!"
"The body is our shell, and the carrier of our growth. It breathes, and eventually dies, returning to the earth!"
As her voice fell.
Whoosh!
The words were wiped away...
But the headless mannequins, constantly closing in, did not stop moving!
Hermione's smile froze.
She was shocked to see new verses appearing on the mirror!
It turned out to be a multi-stage challenge!
[I have no form or shadow, light as the wind]
[Traversing time, fearing no decay]
[I am neither gold nor silver, nor pearl nor jade]
[Yet I am more precious than any treasure]
[All who live possess me]
[From sunrise to sunset, I never depart]
[Question: What am I?]
The poem this time was even longer than the last!
The wording was also more ambiguous.
Hermione's brows knitted together deeply.
She tried her best to stay calm, but under the life-threatening pressure from behind, her mind was a mess.
Beads of sweat seeped out on her forehead.
Formless and shadowless, light as wind... not gold or silver, but more precious...
All living things possess it... never departs...
"Is it life?"
Hermione guessed tentatively.
However, the poem gave no reaction.
"No, life shouldn't be related to 'wind'... Damn it! What is it!"
Hermione grit her teeth.
But the more anxious she got, the more tangled her thoughts became.
She couldn't even help thinking:
If Ethan were here, he would definitely be able to solve this strange riddle quickly.
Crack, crack.
Just as the shadows of the headless mannequins began to creep over their feet.
An ethereal voice suddenly spoke up:
"Soul."
"The answer is [The Soul]."
Hermione whipped her head around, looking at Luna in surprise.
She saw the blonde girl, who wore a dreamy expression even in the face of danger.
Luna said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:
"Light as the wind... that refers to the soul. I raise my hand, look up at the void, and smile like I'm sleepwalking."
"Haven't you ever seen the image of countless souls flying across the sky?"
"The ghosts in Hogwarts are floaty and light too."
Hermione opened her mouth but couldn't find a single word of rebuttal.
Because following Luna's words.
The pale blue writing dissipated.
—————Correct Answer.
Hermione stood dazed, then became thoughtful.
Body, Soul... what exactly does the creator of this riddle want to express?
Is it that only a healthy body and an unpolluted soul...
Can compose this complete mirror?
If one of them is destroyed... what happens?
Hermione subconsciously thought of Voldemort's twisted, horrific appearance.
He could already no longer be called "human"!
Before Hermione could think further.
The next second.
New subtitles emerged.
This time.
There was only one short sentence:
[Only those who attack their companions can enter the passage]
[This is the final test]
When this line of text floated into everyone's view.
They were all shocked into silence.
Ron's eyes went wide as he muttered, "Bloody hell... is... is this telling us to turn on each other?!"
To pull this stunt at the very end, is the designer of this level even human?!
In the team.
The only two Slytherins exchanged a glance.
Their expressions darkened, and they secretly tightened their grip on their wands.
"W-What do we do?!"
Hermione was panic-stricken.
She subconsciously looked at Luna.
The latter tilted her head, returning an expression that said, "None of my business."
Then, she looked with great interest at the approaching headless mannequins.
As if she wanted to play happily with them.
Hermione: "..."
For me to pin my hopes on the Loony girl, I must have gone 'loony' myself.
Crack, crack.
Countless black shadows surged.
Constantly compressing the group's space.
The distance was already so close that they could smell the scent of paint mixed with rust on the headless mannequins.
Ron grit his teeth and shouted low:
"Screw it! I'll fight them to the death—————"
Bang!
Before he could finish.
A spell shot straight past him.
Firing toward the rear!
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass erupted suddenly!
?!
Everyone turned back in astonishment.
They saw Harry raising his wand, aiming at the mirror.
On his face was a look of gloomy ruthlessness; he was panting heavily as he said in a low, raspy voice:
"...Should have done this ages ago."
———Rather than being led by the nose by that mirror, better to put all our eggs in one basket!
This was their Gryffindor courage (recklessness)!
The mirror surface shattered.
But the wall was still a wall; no passage appeared.
Only the broken shards of the mirror reflected a brilliant radiance.
Illuminating the pattern on the ceiling!
Hermione's eyes went wide, and she blurted out, "The mirror, the mirror is—"
Before she could finish.
Luna's figure leapt forward!
Like a deer in the forest, she lightly jumped into the mirror!
—————The mirror itself was the passage!
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