Chapter - 48

Leaving the chamber of keys behind, Alex walked ahead. Everything was so dark ahead of him that he could not even sprint carelessly. But just as he took a couple of steps forward, the light suddenly flooded the room.

What was in front of him astonished him. He was standing in front of a huge chessboard. But what surprised him the most was most of the pieces were mutilated and were in the process of fixing themselves.

Alex climbed up the chessboard, ' It looks like the trio played a magnificent game of chess and won'. Alex remembered Potter and that Weasel play chess in their spare time, but he did not know they were so good at it.

The king was still bowing, and behind him, Alex could see a door, most probably to the next room. He looked around to see if there was anything unusual when his eyes fell on something. Someone was lying unconscious there.

Afraid of any mishaps happening, Alex started to Walk cautiously towards the 'dead body'. As he reached closer, Alex identified the one lying there. It was Ron.

Alex hurriedly checked his pulse to see if he was alive or not. To his relief, there was still a pulse. Alex then examined Ron's body to see if there was anything life-threatening. He was relieved to see that all his wounds were superficial, and he was out cold because of trauma.

Dragging Ron down the chessboard, Alex placed him by the wall near the entrance of the room. It might be dangerous to lie on the chessboard after the pieces have finished fixing themselves.

Not waiting for the chess pieces to complete fixing themselves, Alex took advantage of the opportunity and walked past them towards the next door.

When he entered the room, a disgusting yet familiar smell filled his nostrils. It was the smell of a troll. In front of him on the ground lay a troll, larger than the one he fought to save Hermione.

'Could it be Hermione and Potter beat this?' It was highly unlikely, and Alex found it hard to believe.

'There are only two plausible possibilities. If they did defeat it, then they will most likely be severely injured, and if they did not, then there is someone much stronger than them, and it won't be good for them to take that person head-on.'

Leaving the troll behind, Alex hurriedly walked towards the next room. But before he could enter, the door opened, and someone crashed into Alex. It was Hermione, who just dashed out of the room.

He did not want her to recognise him. So taking advantage of the fact that Hermione was not looking at him. He pulled his hood over his head, covering Erebus and his face altogether.

He pushed Hermione aside and stood up. It was only after that did Hermione looked up to him.

VIgilant of the hooded man who came out of nowhere, Hermione asked while dusting her clothes, "Who are you? Why are you hiding your face?"

Alex did not reply or showed any signs of remotely interested in responding to her. He continued to dust his clothes.

Taking her wand out, she pointed it towards Alex, " This is the last time, tell me who you are, or you will be sorry." Hermione said, ready to attack at a moments notice.

Alex still did not reply, and Hermione's patience ran out, "Petrificus To---" Hermione began to chant the petrifying spell.

But Alex was a step ahead of her, "Dormientos!". Alex was more adapt to reacting in extreme situations. In the time Hermione took to recite the chant, he took out his wand from under his robes and finished the charm.

Hermione's body lost all its balance and began falling towards the ground. Alex dashed forward, and before she could even hit the ground, he grabbed her and made her lie down beside the door. Hermione was in deep slumber. Alex wanted to go and make her lie beside Ron, but he was not sure if the pieces on the chessboard will let him pass easily this time.

Now that this matter is taken care of, he needs to hurry and meet up with Potter.

Walking through the door, Alex found himself in yet another room.

'How many rooms do I need to pass? At this rate, it will take an eternity to meet up with Potter'

Just as he was about to walk forward, fire erupted behind them. It was a purple fire. Alex has read in books that the intensity of heat of a fire differed with colour. With red being the one with the weakest heat and violet being the hottest.

At the same instant, black flames also sprang in front of him. Now, this was the type of flame that is nowhere to be seen in the muggle world, but they are considered extremely dangerous in the wizarding world. These are the flames that won't extinguish until and unless the target is completely incinerated.

Alex looked at the shelf in front of him. He walked there and began to inspect. There were seven bottles of different sizes neatly arranged in front of him, and a rolled-up piece of paper beside them.

Alex began to read what was written on it:

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,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine’s left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

Reading the riddle, Alex was clear that out of the seven bottles, four were harmless, while three had some kind of poison in them.

After reading the riddle a couple of times, Alex finally picked up the tiniest bottle, and without any hesitation, drank the contents inside of it. Now that the first step was done, he walked towards the black fire, and without a glitch, crossed it.

By the time Alex crossed the black fire, he was already standing in a chamber, probably the last.

In front of him was Harry tied up with a rope lying on the ground. In front of Harry was Professor Quirrell in his usual attire with a turban over his head, standing in front of the mirror of desires looking intently at it.

Alex walked forward and hid himself behind a large pillar. He was going to look at the situation unfold from far and decide when to jump in and bear the brunt of Potter's foolishness.

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