The final results came out, and among the nearly 170 young wizards in the two grades, more than half chose to give up, daunted by the challenge ahead. Hufflepuff and Slytherin had the most quitters, Ravenclaw second, and Gryffindor had the least. This result was not surprising. Bryan quickly divided the young wizards who signed their names into teams. There were ten teams in the first grade and twenty-one teams in the second grade. Harry and Draco stood together with black faces, glaring at each other with hateful eyes.
"If you kneel down and beg me now, Potter, when you are stuffed into the mouth of some monster later, I might be merciful and pick up your broken pieces of meat and give them back to your mud-, your stupid friends, so they can have something to remember you by!"
Malfoy said with a vicious smile on his mouth, his voice dripping with malice. "I'm surprised, Malfoy,"
Harry, who had his 'dream' come true of facing a dark creature with Malfoy, stared back at Malfoy's gray eyes without showing any weakness, "I thought you couldn't walk steady without your two pig-headed henchmen!"
At this time, Bryan, who had finished dividing the groups, returned to the door of the classroom. "Time is precious, everyone. Is there anyone who volunteers to go first?" He asked in a hopeful tone. No one spoke. The young wizards who had exhausted their courage stared at their toes and did not dare to look at Professor Watson's eyes. They knew that behind that door was a test of their skills and nerves that they might not be ready for.
"In that case"
Bryan was a little disappointed that he did not get a response after looking around twice. He looked at Harry and Malfoy who were still locked in a staring contest and smiled happily."Then, please let Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy show everyone their dazzling courage and wisdom!" He said with a clap of his hands.
When it came to the end, Harry regretted signing his name on the contract impulsively. He turned his head and found that Ron, Hermione and Neville in the back of the queue were all looking at him with worry. In order not to make them too worried, Harry forced himself to show a smile that was more like a grimace. Then he took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob.
"Is that it." And Malfoy no longer had that sarcastic expression on his face. He breathed heavily, almost beggingly looking at Bryan, hoping to get some hints or reassurance. But Bryan ignored Malfoy's plea for help. He just raised his voice slightly and looked at Harry who was twisting the doorknob.
"Dark creatures don't like light, Potter. The room might be a bit dark. Be careful not to fall–"
If it weren't for Hermione and Ron's encouraging voices from outside the door, if it weren't for Malfoy who was slowly walking in behind him and hadn't completely closed the door yet, then Harry wouldn't even be sure if he was still in the castle!
He looked stupidly at the room in front of him, racked his brains to recall every spell he had learned or heard of, wondering which one could turn a normal classroom into a circular maze as big as a Quidditch pitch! The walls were made of rough stone blocks covered with moss and vines. The floor was uneven and slippery with puddles of water. The ceiling was so high that it was lost in the shadows.
Click–
When Malfoy closed the door, the light and sound outside were immediately completely isolated. The space in the classroom immediately showed a gloomy and obscure darkness like a rainy day when the sun was about to set. There was cold smoke in the air and filled with the smell of rotten meat that Harry had smelled at Nick's deathday party. It was quiet around without any sound of talking. Vaguely, only the sound of water droplets hitting the brown stone slabs could be heard.
In this situation, Harry's vision was greatly limited. He did not dare to move rashly. He just held his wand tremblingly and pointed forward, trying hard to open his eyes to see more.
Fear and unknown made Malfoy temporarily put aside his hatred for Harry. Unconsciously, he took small steps close to Harry's side. His tone of voice was no longer arrogant and domineering.
"What do you think is waiting for us ahead, Potter?" He asked in a low voice, as if afraid of attracting attention from something lurking in the dark.
"I know as much as you do, Malfoy." Harry's tone was not so harsh either. He did not move his eyesight at all. He tried to pierce through the thin mist that filled the air in front of him. He hoped to find a clue or a way out, but all he saw was more darkness and more walls.
"Come here, Draco–"
At this time, a dark voice that they both knew very well came from behind the fog. It was cold and harsh, like a knife cutting through the air. And the appearance of this voice immediately made Malfoy regain his spirits and made Harry's heart sink to the bottom.
"And you too, Potter. Do you think you can get through these ten minutes by dawdling? I'm sorry to disappoint you. As long as I don't announce the start and end, you have to stay in this room forever!"
Snape said with an extremely disgusted tone as usual. His black robes billowed behind him as he emerged from the mist, his greasy hair framing his pale face and hooked nose. His black eyes glinted with malice as he looked at the two boys. But Harry was used to it by now. Even in this strange and dangerous environment, he even felt Snape's disgust a bit familiar, like a constant reminder of who he was and where he came from.
"Professor, are you here to guide me on how to defeat the dark creatures behind the wall?" Malfoy ran to the entrance of the maze and looked at the professor who cared for him the most in the school with a happy smile. His blond hair was slicked back, his gray eyes shining with hope. He hoped that Snape would give him some advantage over Potter, some secret knowledge or trick that would make him win.
"Can you tell me what's inside and what tricks can I use to deal with it?"
"This you have to rely on yourself, Draco. Professor Watson made me sign a magical contract too, not allowing me to reveal any information."
Thinking of being forced to sign a contract by Bryan's friendly face, Snape frowned. He hated being manipulated by others, especially by someone who seemed so harmless and cheerful. The next words he said also made Malfoy's face lose its joy.
"Dumbledore and Professor Watson arranged me here to try to reduce the casualty rate of this dangerous project."
Snape looked at Harry who was five feet away from him, looking at the entrance of the maze nervously. He could see the fear and uncertainty in his green eyes, so like his mother's. He smiled evilly at the corner of his mouth. He said in a light voice as usual when he was in class, dripping with sarcasm and contempt. "But you have to know, Draco, sometimes if danger suddenly comes, I may not be able to get both of you out of the monster's mouth in time."
Harry knew that Snape's words were actually meant for him. If he and Malfoy were in danger at the same time, it was obvious who Snape would save first! He knew that for some reason Snape hated him more than anything.
"Professor–"
Harry pretended not to understand Snape's implication. He pointed his wand at a sticky brown liquid on the wall near the right entrance of the maze, which was slowly dripping to the ground. It looked thick and dark, like old blood that had dried up and then been rehydrated by the damp air. His voice was so sharp that he didn't even notice it himself. "That. It can't be, is it blood?"
Hiss!
Harry's guidance made Malfoy notice it too. He immediately gasped and turned his head to run towards the door. He felt a surge of panic in his chest, a cold sweat on his forehead. He didn't want to face whatever was inside that maze, whatever had left that blood on the wall. He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. But Snape grabbed his shoulder.
"Professor Watson's magical contract has a very strong binding force. Once you sign it, you can't give up, Draco. Your father won't be happy to see you become a squib."
Snape's words made Malfoy freeze in place. He remembered how his father had warned him not to disappoint him or bring shame to their family name. He knew that if he backed out now, he would lose professor Snape's and his father's recognition and love forever. No matter what, since they stepped into this classroom, there was no room for regret. No matter how scared they were, Harry and Draco still walked into this maze that exuded ominous and death under Snape's stern gaze. One chose an entrance each. Their lonely and helpless figures soon disappeared in the dark that seemed to want to devour them.
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