The atmosphere at the staff table was quite tense.
Professor McGonagall wore a stern expression, exuding a strong aura of unapproachability.
The other Heads of Houses understood why: Gryffindor's loss to Slytherin due to external factors had left her very displeased.
At that moment, a small paper bird flew in, landing directly in front of Professor Flitwick. He opened it, and his expression changed immediately.
He handed the parchment to Professor McGonagall, then cleared his throat. "Severus, Minerva, I believe you two need to see what's written here."
Professor McGonagall took the parchment, and after a quick glance, she narrowed her eyes, throwing the parchment down in front of Snape.
"Severus, don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
"Yes, I did cast a spell on Potter's broom." To everyone's surprise, Snape admitted it after reading the letter.
In fact, if he had just denied it outright, there wasn't much the other Heads could do.
But if he admitted it...
Professor McGonagall coldly stated that Snape owed them an explanation.
"I was using a spell to protect Potter, ensuring he wouldn't fall off his broom, land on his head, and get an excuse to act like a troll in my potions class. I was battling someone who was cursing the broom. You can check the residual magical traces on the broom; they will attest to my actions." Snape spoke calmly.
Hogwarts professors were different from those little wizards whose heads were full of dung. They could communicate and understand themselves.
A simple check of the magical traces left on the broom would reveal the truth.
"Another magic trace in favour of Potter? It seems there was another person protecting him" Flitwick's focus was slightly different.
"Wasn't it you? Pomona?"
Professor Sprout, Head of the Hufflepuff house, shook her head.
"This is a bit strange." Snape frowned. 'Whoever saved Harry, could they be related to the one who killed the troll on Halloween?'
...
Rhys had managed to send Hermione away with a random excuse. He only offered her some advice because she was hardworking and smart, hoping to correct her stereotype of Slytherin House.
After this small incident, Rhys made his way to the third floor of the castle alone.
Pressing his ear against the door, he listened carefully for a few seconds and confirmed that there were some large creatures behind it.
For this type of guard, Godric would undoubtedly throw open the door and engage in an honorable battle. But Rhys saw no need for that. The noise from the fight could alert others in the castle, exposing his presence. So, Rhys chose a more cunning approach.
He took out a small crystal bottle from his pocket, unplugged it, and a stream of smoke with dreamy and blurred colors escaped from it, and drifted toward the crack of the door Guided by Rhys, and got inside through the crack beneath the door. After about a minute, the breathing behind the door became heavy and even—whatever creatures inside had fallen asleep. They would remain in a deep, sweet slumber for the next few hours.
This sleep potion, made from the essence of a Dream Demon's desires, was something Rhys was very confident in.
It could even put a dragon to sleep.
Rhys took out his wand and tapped on the lock of the large door. With a click, the door unlocked.
The torches in the corridor illuminated the hallway beyond.
Upon seeing what was behind the door, Rhys couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: Dumbledore had really outdone himself by finding such a rare magical creature!
Behind the wooden door was a gigantic three-headed dog!
Even a thousand years ago, this type of magical creature was extremely rare.
Rhys admitted his judgment had been slightly off.
He had sensed three breaths and three distinct magical presences through the door, assuming there were several magical creatures guarding it. It turned out to be one creature with multiple heads.
Judging by its massive body and shiny coat, this three-headed dog was well-cared for, which was quite unusual.
Like the Runespoor, the three-headed dog was notoriously difficult to maintain because each of its three heads had a separate consciousness and would sometimes even attack each other.
To keep this dog in such good condition, its owner must have put in a lot of effort.
Stepping through the door, Rhys closed it behind him, waving his wand to lock it automatically. He didn't proceed immediately but instead circled around the three-headed dog.
'Hmm, it's a bit degenerate, not as strong as the ones from before, but still quite effective as a guard.' Rhys conceded. Even for a wizard of the Head of House caliber, encountering this creature in such a confined space without prior knowledge would be a deadly challenge.
Dumbledore was right, anyone who didn't want to encounter an unexpected, painful death should indeed stay out of here.
Rhys easily found a trapdoor beneath the dog's paws. As he opened it, he couldn't help but remark: 'Too easy, it should be hidden. At least put a Disillusionment Charm on it or something to make it less obvious.'
Casting a levitation charm on himself, Rhys leisurely floated down through the trapdoor.
"Tsk." Seeing the mass of tangled vines below, Rhys clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'Devil's Snare here, really? Is this supposed to be a shock absorber? What kind of defense mechanism is this?'
The further he went, the deeper his frown became.
He initially thought that the three-headed dog was just the beginning, but it turned out to be the peak of all the defenses. The final obstacle, with its distinctly Snape-esque flair, amused Rhys to no end.
You use a fire-protection potion as the antidote and a diarrhea potion as the poison???
Only first-year wizards and those with a lost sense of smell would be stumped by this barrier, Severus Snape!!!
Rhys couldn't even take these obstacles seriously.
As he stepped through the fire door, a sudden realization hit him: were these simplistic defenses really intended to prevent theft?
Beyond the fire door was the final room.
Rhys conducted an extremely thorough search, expending considerable effort, only to reach one conclusion: it was empty.
There were no traps, spells, or secret doors; it was empty in the literal sense.
Dumbledore hadn't set up any mechanisms here, nor had he hidden anything.
Rhys's exploration of the corridor ended there.
Regarding the security measures behind the door, Rhys's assessment was: Dumbledore's obstacle course was quite the fun game.
Indeed, in his opinion, apart from the guard dog, the following barriers were akin to simple puzzle games. Even a regular first-year student, as long as they followed the rules, could safely reach the final stage.
This was very unusual.
———
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