"Sorry! This is for your own good."

  The three of them bypassed the unconscious Neville lying on the ground and left Gryffindor Tower.

  Those struck by the Full Body-Bind Curse had their eyes open, but were otherwise indistinguishable from someone asleep. All five senses were completely sealed off, leaving the person with no sensation and thus unable to react. Their body naturally turned stiff as a result. That was the true essence of the Full Body-Bind Curse—shutting down the senses.

  Regulus walked into the Gryffindor common room. Neville, colpsed on the ground, wouldn't be discovered until morning.

  On the nearby sofa, the pet toad continued snoring dumbly, entirely unaware that its little life was now in someone else's hands.

  Lifting up Trevor, Regulus Bck finally left the scene, setting off a little ter than Harry Potter and the others, heading toward the third-floor forbidden corridor.

  The three children, cloaked under the Invisibility Cloak, carefully made their way to the forbidden area on the third floor. Along the way, they encountered Filch, but thankfully, Harry Potter had recently been doing well in Charms css. He successfully applied spells to eliminate scent, sound, and to confuse others, casting them on himself and his companions in succession.

  Filch, along with Mrs. Norris, passed right in front of them—without noticing a thing.

  The three reached the restricted corridor without a hitch.

  "Alohomora!" Hermione once again opened the door to the forbidden room.

  A soft, soothing harp melody echoed through the room. The three-headed hellhound was sound asleep, snoring in perfect harmony with the harp's notes.

  "Fluffy is already asleep, which means Snape's been here—he must have enchanted the harp."

  Harry Potter continued to suspect Snape. It seemed that unless Quirrell admitted it himself, Snape would never be able to clear his name.

  As Fluffy breathed deeply to the harp's rhythm, waves of nauseatingly foul wind swept toward the trio.

  "Ugh! That stinks so bad!"

  "We have to move its paw—it's enormous!"

  Working together, the three managed to lift Fluffy's paw off the trapdoor. They opened it, revealing pitch-bck darkness below.

  "Harry! Take out your music box."

  Hermione, having been tipped off by Regulus Bck, naturally reminded Harry—and Harry had indeed brought the music box.

  He took it out and opened it. The harp had just stopped pying, and Fluffy, beginning to stir, lifted one of its heads—but was immediately lulled back into slumber by the tune of the music box. All three heads thudded back down, continuing to sleep.

  The entire process took only a single breath, but it left the three children thoroughly shaken.

  Merlin's beard! They'd just been one note away from death. Thank goodness the music box could py for a full minute—and as long as it was in hand, it could be rewound.

  "I'll jump down first. If it's safe, I'll call for you."

  Harry Potter, ever the protagonist, showed the spirit of a leader—but Hermione quickly shot him down.

  "Since we're here, we're going down anyway. What difference does it make who jumps first?"

  Saying that, Hermione took the lead and jumped. Harry and Ron exchanged gnces, pced the music box aside, and followed her down.

  Shortly after, Regulus Bck entered the room and picked up the music box he had given Harry.

  Fluffy continued sleeping soundly at the other end of the room. But once the st note of the music box finished pying, it would only take seconds for the beast to revert to its savage state.

  Regulus Bck had no intention of doing something as foolish as battling a three-headed hellhound for three hundred rounds. Even taking it down would only require a few spells—and taming it would merely cost a bit more time. So he simply absorbed it into his system space. No matter how much the creature thrashed, it couldn't escape. Naturally, the harp and the music box went along with it.

  Below the trapdoor, Ron's screams were finally silenced by Hermione's Lumos spell.

  Harry Potter helped the fallen Ron to his feet. "Ron! Are you okay?"

  Ron had thought he'd die in the Devil's Snare, only to be rescued by Hermione. But how could he be saved by her?

  "I'm fine, I'm fine—good thing I didn't panic."

  Even Harry couldn't take it anymore. "Good thing Hermione actually paid attention in Herbology."

  Hermione simply stared at Ron from the side, while Ron averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with her.

  I just won't thank you—so what can you do about it?!

  The atmosphere grew painfully awkward. Even Harry didn't know how to smooth things over.

  "Do you hear that? Sounds like fpping wings."

  Harry's words shifted everyone's attention to the next obstacle.

  They entered a room resembling a tower. There were no windows on the sides—only doors on either end—and overhead, a skylight could be seen.

  Inside the room, hundreds of flying keys flitted through the air. Each one looked different, but one stood out.

  A rge, old key with battered wings was flying unevenly, injured, hiding among the others for protection.

  The three of them pushed open the door and saw an old flying broomstick floating ahead, with the fluttering keys buzzing annoyingly.

  "What a strange bird. I've never seen anything like it before."

  Hermione thought it might be some kind of magical creature, as the way the keys flew felt so natural—it was just like watching real birds.

  "That's not a bird, those are keys."

  Ron had a much simpler thought process. These bird-like things looked like keys, so to him, they were keys.

  "There must be one key that can open that door over there."

  Harry stood in front of the flying broomstick, trying to figure out how to get through this challenge, and what the retionship between the flying broomstick and the flying keys was.

  Having just been saved by Hermione, Ron naturally wanted to prove he wasn't useless. Upon hearing Harry's words, he immediately pulled out his wand and walked up to the opposite door. "Alohomora!"

  It was an awkward moment. Even though he shouted the spell loudly, nothing happened. Whether the spell was effective or not was beside the point—the door was sealed with more than ten spells cast by Professor Flitwick. Even Dumbledore would need some time to force it open, and the same went for Voldemort. As for Quirrell, it would take him even longer.

  "What are you looking at! At least I tried, right?"

  Ron turned around and saw Hermione watching his performance from behind. It was the second time that night he had embarrassed himself.

  "Alright then, what now? There are hundreds—maybe thousands—of keys in here."

  Hermione didn't want to argue with Ron. Watching him mess up was satisfying enough.

  "We're looking for an old, rge key—one that's rusty like the doorknob."

  Ron had a rare moment of brilliance. He turned to examine the keyhole and gave Harry a suggestion.

  "I see it. Right there—the one with the injured wing."

  The three kids quickly realized the purpose of the flying broomstick: it was meant for chasing down the key.

  "What are you waiting for? Get on the broom! If Snape can catch a key with one of those old brooms, there's no reason you can't. You're the youngest Seeker in a hundred years!"

  For once, Ron made the right call. Since he hadn't been much help elsewhere, he went ahead and encouraged Harry while enduring Hermione's disdainful gaze.

  As for getting on the broom and catching the key himself? No thanks! With Harry—the youngest Seeker in a century—right there, it would be foolish not to let him do it. If he somehow succeeded, great; but if he failed, it would be the third time Hermione looked down on him that night.

  Encouraged by his friend, Harry's confidence rose. He grabbed the broom and mounted it.

  All at once, every key in the room reacted. Like a swarm of angry bees, they charged at Harry...

  "Wingardium Leviosa!"

  Regulus Bck, who had waited above for a while, finally descended using the Levitation Charm after confirming that Hermione and the others had moved on to the next room.

  The Devil's Snare cultivated by Professor Sprout was huge—it must have taken considerable time and care to grow.

  Devil's Snare is a type of vine pnt. A mature Devil's Snare can extend snake-like tendrils to entangle anyone who gets close, potentially injuring or even killing people or animals. It prefers dark and damp environments, so light and warmth are its natural enemies. That's why, when attacked by it, fire is an effective countermeasure.

  Additionally, in some cases, Devil's Snare can even disguise its appearance—for example, by taking the form of a crabapple pnt.

  However, the sap of Devil's Snare is an excellent potion ingredient, which is exactly why it's artificially cultivated and bred.

  When you think about it, it's just like invasive species in China—if it's edible, no matter how rampant, people will turn it into farm-raised food.

  Same principle!

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  Regulus Bck took out the [Golden Memory Dragon Egg Secret Realm] and uprooted the entire Devil's Snare, storing it within.

  Inside the Dragon Egg Secret Realm, the map is divided into three territories, each ruled by a boss: the Undead Dragon, the Skeletal Dragon, and the Phantom Dragon.

  Due to its nature, the Devil's Snare was thrown by Regulus Bck into the Undead Dragon's domain.

  He nded on the ground and walked toward the door of the third challenge, quietly listening for a moment.

  With the sound of a series of intense collisions, it was clear that Harry Potter and the others had already passed through this stage.

  When Regulus Bck pushed open the door, all the keys that had pinned themselves to it detached automatically. Even the rge, old key that had opened the door wriggled itself free from the keyhole.

  Since Harry had ridden the broomstick into the next room, Regulus Bck no longer had any tools avaible.

  But that wouldn't be a problem for an excellent wizard—especially one who thinks outside the box. Most wizards would follow the logic and design of the challenge and try to break through with superior power, but Regulus Bck's thinking went beyond the rules of the test itself.

  "It's up to you now. Go… Trevor!"

  Regulus Bck pointed his wand at Neville's pet toad, Trevor. Trevor opened his wide mouth, a long tongue shot out, curled through the air toward the flying keys, and instantly retracted—swallowing over ten keys in one go.

  And so it began. Though Regulus Bck kept Trevor perched on his shoulder, the toad's tongue could stretch all the way up to the skylight.

  Each time, Trevor swallowed a dozen or so keys, yet his body showed no abnormality—he didn't swell up or explode. He just kept repeating the process: tongue out, catch, retract.

  Eventually, all the flying keys were devoured—down to the st one, including the rge, old key.

  "Ribbit… ribbit!"

  Trevor croaked and obediently opened his mouth to spit out the rge, old key.

  "Good job, Trevor! But I'll need one more favor from you."

  Regulus Bck held Trevor with one hand while casting a spell with the other.

  Bubbles began forming on Trevor's back. The already gross pustules began to look infected and rotten.

  Soon, a golden, uniquely shaped key was squeezed out from a swollen blister.

  After a short while, a second golden, uniquely shaped key was also forced out.

  One after another, twelve golden keys emerged in total before the blisters on Trevor's back began to fade and heal.

  Regulus Bck let the exhausted Trevor stay on his shoulder and waved his wand to collect the twelve golden keys.

  Each of these keys had a distinct design at both ends—symbols representing the twelve zodiac consteltions.

  They would serve as the keys to control and summon the Twelve Zodiac Demons. Each key contained a spell for crafting door keys. The holder could reverse summon the corresponding Zodiac Demon to fight by their side, and each demon would obey only the keyholder's command.

  This granted Regulus Bck full control over the Twelve Zodiac Demons.

  He approached another door, gently inserting and turning the rge, old key in the lock.

  He wondered whether Ron had finished the wizard's chess game on the other side.

  "Checkmate!"

  Harry stood in front of the opposing king. The game had reached the point where the enemy king was already taken.

  Harry and Hermione rushed over to the unconscious Ron, who had fallen to the ground. However, they knew he hadn't been struck by a chess piece directly. He had simply fallen off the knight's horse and fainted from fear.

  Given Ron's bravery in this challenge, Hermione decided to forgive his earlier arrogance and prejudice.

  "Take good care of Ron, then go find an owl and send a letter to Dumbledore. Ron was right. I have to go on."

  Harry had been deeply moved by Ron's self-sacrifice, reigniting his chuunibyou spirit.

  He was ready to continue alone into the final stage! Although that had always been Dumbledore's pn, the final puzzle involved Snape's logic riddle—and a wrong answer meant drinking poison.

  Regulus Bck, who had already entered invisibly, had to fight the urge to roll his eyes again. This was seriously cking in elegance.

  "Whispering Whisper!"

  Regulus immediately cast a spell he developed from his system's skill tree, sending his voice directly to Hermione's ear.

  [Whispering Whisper] was derived from the necromancer curse-type spell [Confusing Whispers]. It perfectly filled the gap between [Sonorous] and [Murmur], allowing him to convey messages directly to a target without others overhearing.

  "Hermione! Tell Harry Potter to leave Ron where he is. You already sent me a message before coming in."

  Regulus Bck couldn't allow Harry to venture ahead alone—losing control over the situation could lead to unintended consequences.

  Hermione, as sharp as ever, responded swiftly in this critical moment.

  "Harry! Actually, I need to tell you something—I sent a letter to Assistant Professor Bck before coming here. I believe they'll be arriving shortly, maybe even with other professors. So, leaving Ron here is the best option."

  "You actually revealed this to someone else!"

  Harry Potter hadn't expected Hermione to do something so traitorous. Changing houses really did change her loyalty.

  "If we had told any other professor, our pn would have failed. Only Assistant Professor Bck would help us."

  Hermione couldn't tolerate any insult toward the person she loved most. The little girl spoke up loudly in defense of her professor.

  This made the invisible Regulus Bck, watching from nearby, feel deeply gratified. He hadn't doted on her in vain.

  "Maybe while you're arguing with me, the Philosopher's Stone is being stolen."

  Hermione's words jolted Harry. He had been so caught up in everything else, he almost forgot their actual mission.

  In the end, Harry had no choice but to compromise. Leaving Ron behind to wait for help, he proceeded with Hermione toward the next trial.

  As the two of them stepped into a room—or rather, a corridor—fmes immediately erupted both behind and ahead of them.

  On a table sat a row of uniquely shaped crystal potion bottles, along with a piece of parchment.

  Watching Harry and Hermione leave, Regulus Bck finally dispelled his invisibility.

  With a flick of his wand, Ron was tossed to the side of the wall—worsening his injuries a bit, perhaps, but as long as he wasn't dead, it was fine. The school's medical staff wasn't there for decoration, after all.

  As soon as Ron was removed, the entire chessboard began to change. The once chaotic scene started to clean itself, and the damaged chess pieces repaired themselves one after another. Each piece automatically returned to its proper position. The whole process took no more than a minute.

  Regulus Bck stepped forward. Just as he reached the center of the board, the row of soldiers on the other side drew their twin bdes.

  It was, admittedly, a rather intimidating sight.

  Compared to Professor McGonagall's setup, Regulus Bck's handling of the wizard chessboard was far more complex.

  First, he channeled his magic into several key nodes, completely taking control of the chessboard's mechanics.

  Once he had full control, he used the Levitation Charm to uproot the entire chessboard and suspend it in the air.

  At that point, the board was pristine—every piece was in pce, not even a speck of dust remained.

  Then, Regulus Bck released the fusion of Dementors and Boggarts, sending one into each chess piece.

  Soon, the pieces began to show signs of melting, slowly transforming into what Regulus Bck desired.

  The altered pieces now depicted angels on one side and demons on the other—all in female form.

  On the angel side, the pawns were identical—female archangels kneeling with clenched fists in prayer.

  The back row consisted of: Dominion Angels with scepters, Virtues with bows, Powers with swords, Principalities on horseback, Thrones seated regally, Wisdom Angels holding w books, Seraphim with six wings, and finally, the virgin goddess Lilith.

  On the demon side, the pawns were female succubi bound in chains, kneeling on the ground.

  The back row featured demon lords representing the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust—as well as the six-winged fallen Seraph, Lucifer.