From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 136 Before the Black Flame
"Clean it up! Clean it up! Clean it up! ..."

When the young wizards' successive cleansing spells failed to reduce the stench lingering on Malfoy, he effectively became the leader of this wizarding team.

After all, he has a powerful weapon that no one can ignore.

Whether it is Gryffindor's heroic Seeker Harry or the proud Slytherin little witch Cassandra, if they cannot physically destroy Malfoy, they must make some compromises to avoid his approach.

Maybe this is the magic application version of "The mop is covered in shit, and Lu Bu is alive"?
"Granger! Go and see what's in the bottle on that table!" Once Malfoy realized his advantage, the bossy nature of his character was revealed. "Didn't you want to answer Professor Snape's questions in Potions class? Now I'll give you this chance!"

Indeed, the young wizards present had all heard the rumors about "Miss Know-It-All". Combined with Hermione's previous analysis of the professor's arrangement of the levels, everyone had already realized that this room was Snape's masterpiece.

There is no doubt that the seven bottles of different heights, sizes and shapes contain potions, so how to find the potion that is useful for the current situation becomes the top priority.

Hermione, who has an extraordinary talent for memorizing, is undoubtedly the best person to solve this level.

When Hermione heard Malfoy's instructions, she first looked at her two companions for help, but seeing that they were hiding far away, she had to walk around Malfoy who was standing in the middle of the room, and hesitantly came to the long table and picked up the parchment on the table.

"This is a clue..." Hermione reacted after taking a few glances, "Fortunately, we didn't move these medicine bottles around...they are placed in a specific order."

Seeing that the eyes of the little wizards in the room were focused on her, Hermione lowered her head and continued reading: "Three of the seven bottles contain poison, two are harmless nettle wine, one can allow us to pass through the black flames that seal the next door, and the other can allow us to return the same way."

"So what should we do?" Malfoy asked loudly, "There are only five of us. Do we just randomly choose a bottle and drink it? Those who are lucky enough to survive can continue trying?"

"That won't work!" Harry objected. "Even if someone drinks the right potion, there's no way to tell which door to go through. One of them is black flame and the other is purple flame. They must be two different kinds of magic!"

"It's a riddle!" Hermione raised her voice. "If you're smart enough, you can figure out how to get through! The conditions are this: the poison always stands to the left of the nettle wine; the bottles on both sides contain different substances, but neither is a potion that can pass through the black flame; the largest bottle and the smallest bottle do not contain poison; the second from the left and the second from the right contain the same substance, so it can only be nettle wine or poison."

Harry looked at Hermione eagerly. "That sounds like a long, smelly spell... so we can't get out, right? Staying in the same room with stinky Malfoy forever?"

"Ha! We still have plenty of time, Scarhead!" Malfoy laughed in self-abandonment. "In order to let you adapt in advance, come here! My friend! Let's have a good intimate time!"

"Just give me a minute!" Seeing Malfoy getting closer and closer to her son, Hermione interrupted loudly, "I'll soon know which one is useful!"

Hermione read the paper several times and walked back and forth in front of the row of bottles, mumbling to herself and pointing at this or that bottle.

Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief: "I have completely figured it out. From left to right, the bottles contain poison, nettle wine, a potion that can pass through black flames, two bottles of poison, nettle wine, and a potion that can pass through purple flames."

"Is it this smallest bottle?" Cassandra picked up the inconspicuous little bottle. "There is too little potion in it. It can only be used by two people at most."

Ron picked up the round bottle on the far right and shook it in front of his eyes. The liquid inside was full and did not make much noise. "Fortunately, this bottle is full. It is enough to send the rest of the people back."

"Go back? Go back where?" Malfoy said in disbelief. "Go back and live in the same room with that giant monster?"

"You see, we've all come to this room, which means we've passed the previous level, right? Maybe the room has become clean?" Ron's voice became smaller and smaller, and he himself probably didn't quite believe it.

"You must choose one person to continue with me." Cassandra had already pulled out the cork and was putting the potion to her lips.

"So the Slytherin Champion has been decided to be you?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.

Cassandra was not angry, but moved in the direction of the black flames without leaving a trace: "Do you really want to face who knows how many levels there are with a stinking body?"

"Professor Dumbledore's own should be the only one left..." Hermione whispered, "The troll is a test for Professor Quirrell of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and this room is a test for Potions. Except for Astronomy and History of Magic, all the required courses are here."

"You're right, I really shouldn't go through the test with a stinking body." Malfoy suddenly changed his mind, because he found that even before the final test, the only teammate he could rely on was a Gryffindor, and as everyone knew, Dumbledore always favored Gryffindor students.

As a qualified Slytherin, he didn't need to bet on a losing bet.

"Drink, Cassandra." Malfoy quietly took out his wand, "I really should go back and clean myself up and get a good night's sleep."

That leaves Gryffindor as the only candidate yet to be decided.

The three friends looked at each other, and Ron was the first to raise his arm: "I won't go. I have to watch Malfoy to prevent him from asking Snape to expel you."

Harry nodded, thinking it was necessary, that Malfoy could really do all this.

"You go, Hermione." Although Harry was reluctant, he still made what he thought was a rational choice. "Neither of us has learned many magics yet, so you have the best chance of winning. Cassandra's magic is also very powerful..." Harry gestured near her belly, "She can cut open the belly of a troll. Apart from you, I can't think of anyone who can beat her."

"And you're the smartest," Ron added. "If it weren't for you, we'd all be stuck here."

"Yeah, and I'm covered in a foul smell, too." Harry wrinkled his nose, obviously tortured by the thing Malfoy left on him.

"Okay." Hermione hesitated for a moment, and finally did not say that she was able to kill the troll entirely with Ivy's help.

Seeing that the Gryffindor trio had already come up with a conclusion, Cassandra nodded, poured the potion in the small bottle into her mouth, and then shuddered.

"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy suddenly chanted a spell, and the target of the spell was Cassandra who was still holding the bottle.

Although Ivy had only taught this spell in the third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class, some young wizards in Slytherin were happy to share it with wizards from the same school. The small potion bottle flew out of Cassandra's hand, drew an arc in the air, and was about to fall to the ground.

For the young wizards, this was the only possibility to move forward.

Malfoy was convinced that non-Gryffindor students could not pass Dumbledore's test, so what was the sure way for Slytherin to win? Of course, it was to stop Gryffindor students from moving forward!

As for what would happen to Malfoy if he stayed in the room with the three Gryffindors? Malfoy thought nothing would happen.

As the saying goes, as long as I am a piece of shit, no one will step on me.

Malfoy was no different from excrement now, and perhaps even more horrible in terms of smell. Moreover, his little dragon still had one unused fire-breathing ability, which was enough as a strategic deterrent.

Unfortunately, despite all his calculations, he still overlooked Harry, a genius-level Seeker.

Harry caught the empty potion bottle with one leap. During the spinning process, Snape's carefully prepared potion had completely spilled. Fortunately, Harry still had an organ that could be used to catch the potion in the sky, and that organ also helped him catch the Golden Snitch for the first time in the arena.

It was Harry's mouth.

The liquid that came out of the potion bottle was not much, not even a mouthful. Harry felt like he had swallowed a large piece of ice, and the cold feeling immediately penetrated his whole body.

"Despicable!" He got up from the ground and shouted at Malfoy. In order not to waste the potion, he had to get into the door burning with black flames as soon as possible.

The black flames licked all over Harry's body, but he felt nothing. In just a moment of darkness, he successfully reached the other side of the door.

"I must say, Malfoy is indeed a qualified Slytherin." Ivy cast a soundproofing spell in front of him and said to the white-bearded old man beside him with a smile.

"Alas..." the old wizard sighed, "Perhaps I should persuade Severus to make more fire-proof potion..."

Ivy was very excited to see the love-hate relationship between the young wizards, but it was obvious that Dumbledore didn't like this kind of scene very much. Perhaps the magic of love and friendship was what suited him most?

"That's a very thoughtful strategy, Malfoy." Cassandra had figured out Malfoy's motives. She shook her head and added, "But perhaps you should trust your companions a little more. This is just a test..."

There's no need to betray them.

This was what Cassandra didn't say, but it was clear that Malfoy didn't see it that way.

"I don't like being companions with a few arrogant Gryffindors, and this is a competition!" Malfoy shook his head at Ron's angry eyes.

"We saved your life!" Ron shouted angrily. Just now, he secretly thought in his heart that Malfoy was not so bad, at least not more unapproachable than that undead monster.

"Although I didn't ask Scarhead to do that..." Malfoy paused, "But don't worry, the Malfoy family is definitely not a family that doesn't repay debts."

Such arrogant remarks undoubtedly angered Ron, who had a strong sense of self-esteem. He clenched his fists and seemed to be hesitating whether to pounce on him.

"Granger, don't let them fight, okay?" Cassandra looked at Hermione beside her and said softly, "For the sake of the fact that we have fought together."

Cassandra had always thought of herself as an unscrupulous avenger, but now it seems that perhaps the unscrupulous means she treats herself, not others...

She shook her head, put her wandering thoughts behind her, turned and walked into the black flames.

"Okay, Ron!" Hermione came to Ron and tried to persuade him, "No matter how abominable his conspiracy was, it didn't succeed, right? We have to believe in Harry."

Harry, maybe it would be better if Hermione didn't mention that name.

Although Ron did not deny that he was Harry's best friend, look at what he did tonight?

Arguing with Malfoy? Cheerin' on Harry as he got on his broom? Getting the best game of wizard chess ever played at Hogwarts thrown off its feet? Or being forced to drag Malfoy through corpse water? Or being a hand rag in this room, just to get a new robe or two?

Ron had never realized that he had so many thoughts. It was as if there were a thousand ducks quarreling in his head. In this great castle, he had always lived like a clown. Perhaps it was time for the clown to show his power and let the arrogant Slytherin experience the anger of a lion.

"Ladies and gentlemen," someone who absolutely should not have spoken spoke up. Dumbledore showed his tall figure, and the three young wizards in the room were all startled. "Each of you has done a great job, whether it's Miss Granger who solved the puzzle and the Devil's Snare, or Mr. Weasley who was able to put aside his prejudice and pull his opponent out of danger, or even Mr. Malfoy who racked his brains to win."

Ron's anger came and went quickly, because Dumbledore had just praised him, the greatest white wizard of this century. This huge honor (in Ron's opinion) even went to his head a little.

Ron noticed that Dumbledore's blue eyes were shining and there was a hint of smile in the corners of his wrinkled eyes. He lowered his head embarrassedly.

"Oh—" exclaimed Hermione, "Professor Dumbledore! You—you were here the whole time?"

"Not just me," Dumbledore smiled graciously, "but also Professor Victor."

Hearing Dumbledore calling out to him, Ivy had no choice but to remove the Disillusionment Charm from his body and simply said hello: "Good evening."

Ivy is now certain that Dumbledore has been maintaining Legilimency, otherwise he would never choose to suddenly appear at this time. It seems that he also regards real-time monitoring of the mental health of the young wizard as one of the responsibilities of the headmaster.

(End of this chapter)