"That's why I keep telling you to study and read more books!" Hermione snapped, but she still waved her wand and cast the charm on both of them.
'But that wasn't in the first-year textbooks at all!' Harry thought silently. He didn't dare say it out loud, though. He and Ron were the only ones who couldn't cast the spell.
"Now! Run!" Adrian spotted an opening and temporarily blocked the nearest stone soldiers, then rushed forward.
The enchanted chess pieces didn't move fast, but there were many of them scattered everywhere. Even with careful dodging, encounters were unavoidable.
Fortunately, Adrian's wand wasn't just for show. A few well-placed Impediment and Diffindo spells dealt with the obstacles, temporarily stopping the stone pieces' movement.
Harry's journey was more dramatic. A stone soldier swung a massive sword that nearly hit him. The Shield Charm helped a bit, but he still had to roll awkwardly across the floor to avoid being struck.
Hermione, being clever, stayed close to Adrian from the start. She had no trouble along the way and even had time to use Impedimenta to block the knight's spear from hitting Ron.
The four of them rushed out of the chessboard's magic range. The stone pieces stopped their attacks, gathered their weapons, and returned to their original positions for repairs.
Everyone except Adrian was drenched in cold sweat. The feeling of dancing on a knife's edge was truly terrifying.
Looking around, Adrian realized they'd reached another chamber. There was a small platform ahead, and the doorway beyond was sealed by black flames.
The floor was inscribed with complex symbols. Adrian had seen some of these characters in ancient magic texts, but he didn't understand what they meant.
After Hermione, Ron, and Harry entered, purple flames suddenly rose around them, sealing the entrance and trapping them inside.
It seemed Quirrell hadn't destroyed this test. Adrian wasn't sure if that was fortunate or not.
Hermione was already examining several objects on the platform. Seven transparent glass bottles held liquids of different colors. There was a piece of parchment in front, and Hermione read it aloud.
'Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,Two of us will help you, whichever you would find.One among us seven will let you move ahead,Another will transport the drinker back instead...'
"This is logical reasoning! We don't need magic to solve it," Hermione said with excitement, then turned to Adrian as if thinking of something. "Should we compete to see who solves it first?"
"Maybe not?" Ron looked at the long, headache-inducing riddle. Harry was thinking hard.
Hermione hadn't expected them to answer anyway. She looked at Adrian.
"Seven bottles. Three are poison, two are wine. The smallest bottle contains the potion to pass through the black flames, and the one on the far right lets us go back."
Time was short. Adrian wasn't interested in playing riddle games. After confirming the parchment matched his expectations, he revealed the answer.
Hermione couldn't believe it. In her view, Adrian had barely glanced at it. She immediately used the information Adrian provided and worked backward through the parchment's clues. The result was correct.
But that was too fast... Hermione thought, deflated.
"It would be better if just Harry and I went ahead. You two can stay here. The flames will keep you safe," Adrian said.
"How can that work? Are you planning to leave us behind?" Hermione glared at Adrian angrily.
"There's too little potion in the bottle. We can't all go through." Adrian pointed to the smallest potion bottle.
"I'll go alone. This potion is only enough for one person to drink!" Harry grabbed the potion bottle and continued before they could object.
"Voldemort killed my parents, and I defeated him when I was just a baby. If Voldemort really comes back, he definitely won't let me go. So I'll stop him no matter what!"
"And maybe I can beat him a second time!" Harry touched the lightning scar on his forehead. He was the only one who couldn't back down!
"Come on, you don't even know how you defeated Voldemort the first time. I have an idea. If it works, we should all be safe."
Adrian admired his courage, but considering that Quirrell's condition might have changed drastically because of him, Adrian couldn't let Harry go in alone. Besides, he still wanted to complete the task.
Harry nodded helplessly. Although he'd acted brave just now, he didn't actually have a reliable plan. He'd just wanted to charge in.
Since Adrian said he already had an idea for dealing with the enemy, Harry naturally gave up on being reckless.
"But how will you get in?" Harry wondered.
"I have my own way." Adrian pulled a bottle of fire-resistance potion from his robes and drank it all at once.
Adrian never thought this potion he'd stored in the Room of Requirement would come in handy like this.
He could only say fate was unpredictable.
"What did you drink?" Hermione asked.
"Fire-resistance potion. Homemade. The effect should be good, it can last several minutes." Adrian closed his eyes and felt it. His body felt cool, but it didn't affect his movement.
"That's obviously more than one person's worth..." Hermione stared at Adrian, very dissatisfied.
"Sorry, but there's nothing left now. I'll be more careful next time." Adrian smiled and turned the bottle in his hand upside down. He'd drunk the fire-resistance potion completely clean, with nothing remaining.
He didn't want to protect Hermione and Ron while dealing with Quirrell or Voldemort. That would turn a nightmare difficulty dungeon with a strategy into a real hell-level dungeon!
Hermione walked up a few steps. Her lips trembled, her fist clenched. She wanted to punch Adrian in the face.
But in the end, Hermione didn't do anything. She suddenly grabbed him.
"Make sure to protect yourself!" Hermione hugged Adrian tightly, her face flushing red. After several seconds she let go. She felt Adrian must have done this deliberately because he didn't want her taking risks.
But she wouldn't just wait here like that.
Hermione snatched the empty glass bottle from Adrian's hand, ran to the platform as fast as possible, and filled it halfway with the potion on the right side. She threw the remaining half to Ron, then drank her own mouthful.
"Quick! We're going to Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione glared at Ron. After he drank the potion, she grabbed him by the collar and ran out.
"But what about the stone men outside?" Ron shouted as he was dragged along.
From far away, Hermione's angry voice echoed back.
"We'll use magic to smash them all to pieces!"
Hermione didn't care about the Ministry inspection anymore. She planned to drag Professor Dumbledore down here the moment she got out.
Adrian and Harry were about to face the Dark Lord. What did the Minister of Magic matter?
He could drop dead for all she cared!