I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 220 The Sphinx's Riddle

Everyone present was a Gryffindor.

And Irving, he's even more Gryffindor than Gryffindor.

The sudden appearance of the ruins' gate didn't frighten them; instead, it piqued their curiosity.

Everyone craned their necks to look inside, but unfortunately, a hazy curtain appeared behind the door, and the rising mist obscured everything, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

But that didn't stop the lions.

If it had been Professor McGonagall who came along, she probably would have ordered Harry and the others to turn back long ago—no!

If it were Professor McGonagall, she would never bring the young wizards to a place like this!

Unfortunately, this time they were led by Dumbledore!

The old headmaster was quite interested in this suddenly discovered ruin; if it weren't for the few young wizards around, he probably would have gone inside long ago.

"Follow behind me." After a moment, the most powerful headmaster in Hogwarts' history finally made up his mind.

He heard many things about ancient magical relics and assessments from the portraits in the principal's office.

In particular, the creators of some of these relics are hanging on the ceiling of their offices.

He knew far more than Irving's shallow knowledge from his past life.

If this is truly a relic left behind by those principals and professors, then it certainly wouldn't endanger the young wizard's life.

As for whether this could be Tom's trap.

This idea was immediately put out of Dumbledore's mind from the beginning.

Tom isn't some heir to ancient magic. If he had that talent, he would have shown it long ago.

Just now, he witnessed firsthand that the gate showed no trace of ancient magic.

He would never believe that Tom could detect it!

You can think the old headmaster was too arrogant, but that's the judgment of one of the most powerful wizards in the magical world. If he couldn't do it, then Tom Riddle could never have.

With these thoughts in mind, the old headmaster led a group of young wizards and slowly stepped into the ruins, which was probably the first time in thousands of years that outsiders had set foot there.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Beyond the curtain.

What comes into view is the tall entrance hall and the magnificent marble columns.

Traces of ancient magic are everywhere.

Even wizards like Dumbledore and Sirius, who couldn't sense ancient magic, could see the strange, flickering torches and the chandeliers with no visible light source with their naked eyes.

The entire room seemed to be glowing on its own; it was bright everywhere.

Even the obsidian floor beneath their feet, etched with intricate patterns and resembling a mirror, emitted a faint glow.

"How strange, how very strange!" exclaimed Professor Dumbledore.

Then he carefully looked around.

"What's wrong, Professor?"

Harry asked, puzzled.

"Our location has changed; we're no longer in the cliffside caves of England," he said.

"That door was a key; it took us to another place."

As he spoke, he led everyone down the only corridor in front of them.

"This way~" The old headmaster seemed to know where to go, leading them accurately to the right direction.

Then he began to explain, "Look at the patterns on our feet."

Only then did everyone notice the intricate, graffiti-like patterns.

"This looks like... ancient runes!" Hermione immediately recognized a part of the patterns.

"Yes, Miss Granger, it seems you've been paying close attention in class," the old headmaster praised, then continued, "Following the signs, we should go this way."

As they spoke, they turned into a staircase leading upwards.

Equally resplendent in gold and silver.

After walking a few steps, there was another large hall.

This time, however, there was an extra door blocking the way up the stairs.

Two huge stone statues appeared in front of the gate.

The enormous knight statue, wielding a giant sword, is about fifteen feet (4.5 meters) tall.

"It seems this is what they call a test." Dumbledore looked calmly at the statue, then waved his wand and cast several spells at high speed, but the result was as if the stone had sunk into the sea, and the statue did not react at all.

"Is it only ancient magic that can activate them?"

The principal muttered to himself.

Then he looked at Irving.

And Irving, the door-opening assistant, naturally understood perfectly.

He waved his wand, and in an instant, two spells imbued with ancient magic struck the bodies of the two statues.

"Buzz!!!"

A loud figure and a gust of wind blew by.

Everyone had to lower their heads and bend over to cover their faces.

Then, at this critical moment, the resurrected knight statue, with a speed and agility that shocked onlookers, took three steps in two and arrived in front of them in an instant, then swung its huge stone sword and slashed at them!

"Damn it, a sneak attack, huh?!"

Irving raised his wand.

But someone was faster than him.

A thick bolt of lightning flashed from the tip of the Elder Wand, and the torrent of lightning sent the statue flying.

it's not finished yet.

The next moment, lightning appeared out of nowhere, and the dim, dark blue currents, like a chain, firmly locked the other statue.

"This~~~"

Is this what it feels like to be cheating?

Irving was overwhelmed with emotion.

This is even more satisfying than using Wind Spirit Moon Shadow; it's like having a real person do the fighting. And it's one of the most powerful wizards in the magical world—it feels like GSD is carrying you through the Tower of Sky (a relic of the past!).

The feeling of exhilaration and excitement was indescribable.

"Roar roar roar!"

Owen took over Dumbledore's attack.

The wand lit up with ancient magic.

A surge of gray energy condensed in his palm, and then he pushed it outward with a sudden burst of energy.

The purplish-gray power was like a small black hole, sucking up the dust on the ground, and the gray power, like a dust storm, hit the bound statue directly.

Then purple cracks began to appear all over the statue. Gradually, more and more cracks appeared, and finally, with a bang, the entire statue exploded into ashes.

"boom!"

The aftershocks of the explosion sent Harry and his friends flying again.

The huge stone key carved from the sculpture fell to the ground with a heavy, solid sound.

"And you too~" he chuckled softly.

A slight smile played on his lips, and then he swung his wand sharply.

A disarming spell was unleashed. This disarming spell, imbued with ancient magic, did not merely take the greatsword from the statue's hand; in the instant of taking it, it also swiftly severed its head with a single strike.

Then, there was the sound of another stone key hitting the ground.

"Bang!"

"Is it over?" Hermione's heart pounded as she looked at the statue that had turned to rubble.

She gripped Irving's hand even tighter.

"These statues are amazing!" Harry said with a serious expression.

Just now, he secretly cast another spell, trying to help.

But he found that his spell had almost no effect on the statue; apart from repelling it, there was no visible damage to the statue.

"Not bad! Only two elite monsters!" Owen's evaluation was not high.

For him, dealing with these two was far too easy.

"Wait! Good heavens, look!"

Just as Owen relaxed, Harry exclaimed in surprise beside him.

He was blind and almost threw out Avada Kedavra.

Then he saw the two keys in front of him float up.

Then, like some kind of gear, it was embedded into the magnificent golden gate.

Then, flame-like patterns flickered on the door, and the next second, the patterns cracked and the door opened automatically.

"You scared me." Owen rolled his eyes at Harry. "Can you stop being so jumpy?"

"I'm easily frightened; I can't handle that kind of shock!"

Harry stared at Owen with disdain, inwardly bursting with laughter, "You're still worried!"

You'd be brave enough to poke a hole in the sky, but you're a coward!

If Owen Sanchez is a coward, then Voldemort can be described as gentle and introverted!

"You know I'm weak, helpless, and pitiful," one of the dark-skinned men continued to argue, then glanced at the stairs behind the door and stopped talking.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling."

"I have a feeling that this is just the first hurdle, and there are many more to come."

Dumbledore smiled without saying a word.

He knew a little bit of the inside story.

Indeed, this is just the beginning.

Soon they passed through the gate and arrived behind it.

What they had seen before was a main hall, with a closed door on the right.

The only difference is that there are more statues on both sides this time.

There are a total of eight.

Besides the swordsmen, there were two others who used large bows.

A bow that's over ten feet long—if it were hit by a single shot, it would probably shatter in two.

This time, he doesn't need to trigger it anymore.

The statues activated automatically the moment everyone entered the hall.

Without a single opening remark, two arrows flew in with a whoosh.

Sirius Black reacted swiftly, destroying one of the swords with a single spell, while the other was slapped by the old headmaster onto the nearest sword-wielding statue.

Got it!

This poor gentleman was forced to leave before he had even done anything.

"To be honest, these statues are much better than the stone pillars at Hogwarts!" Owen was back into the fray.

Let me put it this way!

These levels are designed for the most ordinary third or fourth-grade wizards. Although they look terrifying, the statues' attacks are all methodical.

They only attack one at a time in turn, never simultaneously. So although there are seven, in reality, only one wizard fights each time during a battle.

For Irving, he's already at the maximum level, so clearing this level is like stomping a noob.

Even if all eight of them attack together, what can they do?

And he also brought Old Deng with him.

He's absolutely invincible; clearing the levels is like a vacation for him, giving him time to crack jokes.

"Indeed," Professor Dumbledore did not deny it.

Those creatures, gleaming with silver light and resembling muscles, far surpassed the stone pillars in the castle in both appearance and strength.

Although it seemed like Owen was dealing with the statues with great ease, it was actually only because his spell contained the power of ancient magic.

They were rather restrained in their use of these statues.

In his recent experiment, the principal discovered that the statues possessed an exaggerated level of resistance to ordinary spells.

Ordinary spells only have a repelling effect on statues; to truly deal damage, one must use dark magic.

However, these sculptures did give Dumbledore some ideas.

Perhaps these statues will come in handy in the second half of the competition!

Irving was unaware that the old headmaster had already hatched a plan to move the statues.

He just thought the stone sculpture in front of him was really bad.

Harry Potter could probably pass the test with ease.

With another wave of his wand, and despite his rumbling stomach, he calmly destroyed the last statue.

The same gear key, the same door opening, the same stairs leading upwards.

Another hurdle has been overcome.

This time it's finally not a sculpture.

It is a magical animal.

A giant sphinx.

It's an animal from Egypt.

Part of its body is that of a lion, and part of it is that of a woman, with long almond-shaped eyes.

It was several tens of feet tall, and its head was already touching the ceiling.

It seemed to be dozing when the wizards entered.

He only slowly woke up after hearing someone coming.

"Oh! Someone else is here," she said, her voice quite sweet, like that of a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Someone else?" Sirius frowned upon hearing this, then asked, "Did anyone come in earlier? Was it a boy, about eighteen or nineteen years old? Black hair, and his clothes had a hound's insignia on them."

"Yes," the sphinx admitted directly, "He used some kind of magical artifact to sneak in."

"But his tools couldn't get him out of here, and he also suffered severe external injuries. I could sense that his wounds contained a kind of magic. That magic was preventing his wounds from healing."

"And then? Where did he go?" Sirius asked anxiously, his eyes wide.

"He answered my question correctly, so he naturally moved on to the next level," the Sphinx announced loudly.

"answer the questions?"

"Yes, this level can be passed if you can answer my questions; otherwise, you will be eaten by me if you answer incorrectly."

Eat it?

Upon hearing this, Irving raised an eyebrow.

Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth?

"Go ahead and ask!" He was completely unburdened, while Harry and Hermione were somewhat intimidated by this suddenly appearing behemoth.

After Owen made that casual remark, Hermione quickly grabbed his sleeve and said, "We should be more careful."

"Be cautious about what? A Sphinx, do you think it can defeat Dumbledore? You didn't see the old headmaster wielding the Gryffindor sword and cleaving the Basilisk in two. This is nothing!"

He said in a low voice.

The sphinx then slowly spoke, "Because of your large numbers, you must answer five questions correctly."

"Now, please listen to the first question: Some people try to hide, and some people try to deceive;

But time will tell, and we will always meet again.

Try your best to guess my name;

When I truly have you, I promise you'll know—what is this thing?

"Forehead"

Is the first question really that abstract?

Irving thought it would ask that classic question: what animal has four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?

Luna should have been called; she would definitely have been able to answer.

Owen remained silent, but Professor Dumbledore, standing beside him, quickly relaxed his brow and looked at the Sphinx's exquisite face, saying, "It is death."

"Correct answer." Sphinx nodded.

"Then listen to the second question: What things are always old, yet sometimes new?"

Never sad, yet sometimes melancholic;

Never empty, but sometimes full;

Never leaving, but always getting closer?

"???" Irving was stunned again.

What the hell are these questions?!

Can you please stop playing with such abstract concepts?

Instead of asking directly: In plasma physics experiments, if the polar coordinates of the third energy are adjusted three alpha units in the negative direction, how much will it affect the final result?

At least the answer to this question is fixed and not so abstract.

"It's the moon!"

Surprisingly, the person who answered the question this time was Sirius Black, whom Irving had always considered a reckless brute.

He looked at Sirius in shock. Why! How did you know!

"Correct answer!"

"Then the third question: what can bring someone back to life?"

It will make you cry, make you laugh, and make you younger;

Born in an instant, yet lasting a lifetime?

"Damn! What kind of ridiculous question is this now?" Irving shouted angrily. "I don't believe anyone knows the answer!"

He had barely finished speaking when a voice came from the side, "It's a memory!"

Hearing the voice, Owen turned his head and saw Harry!

Do not!

This is impossible!

Does Harry's IQ actually exceed my average by two ounces?

"Yes, it is indeed a memory."

"So, the fourth question is this: it starts out beautiful, then it's sweet, then it's painful, and finally it's about letting go."

It is stronger than steel, yet more porous than sand; some people possess it for only a fleeting moment, yet it haunts them for a lifetime.

The Sphinx has finished asking his question.

Owen turned and stared at Hermione.

"Based on the principle of one question per person, you wouldn't happen to know the answer, would you?" he asked.

A sliver of hope lingered in my heart.

The result was indeed cruel. Hermione nodded, then glanced past Owen at the Sphinx and whispered, "It's love!"

"Correct answer." Sphinx nodded in satisfaction.

"So, the last question: This thing devours everything: birds; beasts; trees; flowers; it gnaws at steel; it grinds up hard stones and eats them; it kills kings; it destroys city walls; and it can even knock down mountains."

"Alright! Is it my turn to ask the last question?" Irving looked around.

He must not be the dumbest one!

"I seriously suspect that you might be a form of Legilimency. Every question you ask touches on the most important things in our hearts."

Irving looked up at the Sphinx. "If I'm not mistaken, the answer to that question is time."

"Congratulations, you answered correctly." The Sphinx lowered its proud head and silently watched Owen. "This is the sixth question."

"You got it right too."

Its almond-shaped eyes seemed to see right through people, and its blue beads reflected the stars.

"Every question relates to what you are thinking as you stand here at this moment; this is the final test. We must ascertain whether the heirs possess sufficient compassion and empathy to perceive the most delicate thoughts of their companions," it said.

Then he slowly got up and opened the door behind him.

Then, the upward staircase came into view.

(End of this chapter)