Tap, tap, tap…
Wade and Tom strode through the vast, dim corridor.
After a long series of puzzles, there were no more to be found along this stretch.
The maze had vanished, replaced by a straight passageway.
However, it didn't look as calm as it appeared on the surface.
Judging from the scattered debris and wreckage along the sides, this corridor had clearly been full of dangers in the past.
Thanks to those who had explored it before, most of the traps were already gone, allowing the two of them to walk safely forward.
Tom glanced at the fragments strewn around, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Why did Slytherin make this path so difficult to traverse? Puzzles, traps… anyone who gets in should be one of his descendants, right? Why make trouble for his own bloodline?"
"I think it might have been a 'trial' left for his heirs. After all, even among descendants, there's a difference in talent. Only those who pass the trial can inherit his legacy… that sounds reasonable, doesn't it?" Wade said with a smile.
Tom felt those words stab him right in the chest.
Even the bruises on his back from crashing into the stone earlier didn't hurt as much.
"So I'm the least talented one here after all…" Tom said miserably.
If Wade hadn't pulled him back just now, he might've been gone for good.
Strictly speaking, he'd already failed this trial.
For someone as proud as Tom, that was a heavy blow.
"Don't be upset, Tom. You're only twelve! You're already far ahead of most kids your age," Wade said, trying to comfort him.
Honestly, aside from using age as an excuse, Wade couldn't think of any other way to soften the blow.
Still, Tom felt a little better after hearing that.
At least he had one more reason to console himself.
After all, the other Slytherin descendants who had come this far were probably adult wizards, or at least upper-year students.
Just as Tom was busy comforting himself, Wade suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" Tom asked.
"Tom, looks like you're getting another chance to prove yourself," Wade said with a smile.
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"Because some of the 'dangers' haven't been cleared yet." As soon as Wade finished speaking, two stone knight statues stepped out from the alcoves on either side of the corridor.
Each was nearly four meters tall—one wielding a greatsword, the other a halberd. Their once dull stone eyes now gleamed with a chilling red light.
Both knights fixed their gaze squarely on Wade and Tom.
Tom immediately drew his wand, tense and alert.
But before he could even say a word, Wade shoved him forward.
"Ah—??"
Meanwhile, their strongest fighter—Wade himself—took a leisurely step back.
A bad feeling rose in Tom's chest. "What are you doing? Fight alongside me!"
"Tom, didn't you just say you'd lost confidence? That's why this battle is yours. You need to prove yourself—get your confidence back! After all, this is supposed to be the trial of Slytherin's heir, isn't it?" Wade said cheerfully as he kept pushing him forward.
"You—bloody—" Tom didn't even have time to finish cursing.
Because the two knights, having locked onto their target, were already charging forward with thunderous steps.
Because he was standing in front, both statues immediately locked onto Tom as their primary target.
That left him no time to talk.
However, having spent so much time with Wade, Tom wasn't exactly a fool.
So when the two statues charged in and swung their weapons down at him, he cast the Flight Charm and shot up into the air.
The statues, unable to stop their momentum, crashed violently into the wall behind him.
Tom looked back with glee.
Didn't want to fight, huh? Well, now that they'd come charging over, let's see you dodge this, Wade!
But his excitement vanished at once—because the Wade who had been standing behind him just moments ago had completely disappeared.
"You can't just fly away like that! Get down there!" came a familiar voice from above.
Startled, Tom looked up, and sure enough—Wade was hovering right above his head.
"When did you—"
"You need to go down there and prove yourself! How can you avoid the fight by flying away? Down you go!"
Bang!
All of a sudden, Tom felt his body, which had been floating lightly under the Flight Charm, drop sharply.
"Wade! You—Motherf"
Bang!
Before he could finish cursing, Tom rolled hard to the side, narrowly dodging the halberd-wielding knight's strike.
The halberd smashed into the ground with a deafening crash, leaving a deep crater on the floor.
That weapon wasn't just for show—it was real! Not made of stone at all!
Tom had no time to think about it. He ducked again just as a greatsword sliced past the top of his head.
Crash!
The blade missed and slammed into the corridor wall, leaving another gaping hole.
Tom's heart nearly stopped from the shock.
At the same time, he felt a sudden coolness on his scalp.
When he reached up to touch his head, he realized his once-smooth, dark hair had been sheared clean off—leaving him with a buzz cut again.
But right now, he had no energy left to worry about his hair—or to curse Wade for it.
Right now… staying alive was all that mattered!
"Protego!"
Bang!
Before Tom could even get up, he cast a full Shield Charm.
But the knight with the greatsword shattered it in one swing.
Tom used that brief moment to scramble to his feet and put some distance between himself and the two statues.
Below, Tom was fighting for his life, while above, Wade floated leisurely, watching the battle with great interest.
And he looked quite entertained, too.
Now this was more like it—proper animated stone guardians!
That speed! That power! Only battle constructs with this level of strength could actually threaten a wizard.
Those statues in the movies that marched forward slowly in perfect formation? Against a wizard with a wand, they'd be nothing more than target practice.
Still… with this much power, wasn't it a bit too much for Tom to handle?
Thinking that, Wade quietly tightened his grip on his yew wand and kept a close eye on the fight below.
He had to keep an eye on things—Tom couldn't die here.
"Bombarda!"
Crack!
Boom!
Tom unleashed the most powerful Blasting Curse he could muster.
But the greatsword knight blocked it with a single swing!
The deflected spell exploded against the corridor wall, blasting out a massive crater.
Clearly, even their weapons had been magically reinforced by Slytherin himself.
Tom was completely stunned. This wasn't right!
It was one thing for their weapons to be enhanced, but their reaction speed—this wasn't the movement of some slow, clumsy golem!
His shock lasted only a split second, though. After being beaten by Wade so many times, his reflexes were sharp.
"Expelliarmus!"
The Disarming Charm didn't have the destructive power of Bombarda, but unexpectedly, it worked!
Before Tom's astonished eyes, the halberd-wielding knight's weapon flew clean out of its hands…
But the next second, Tom's look of delight turned blank again.
Because the halberd was flying straight toward him.
"Oh, come on…" Tom's face went pale.
Luckily, he was still small for his age.
The halberd skimmed past his scalp and slammed into the ground behind him.
Clang!
The metal halberd struck the floor, sending up sparks and ringing with a sharp metallic echo.
"This isn't right! I can't beat them!" Tom shouted, looking up. "Wade, help me!"
"Use your brain, Tom!" Wade called down from above. "You're a clever Slytherin, not some brute Gryffindor swinging a sword and wand at the same time!"
By the time Wade finished his long lecture, Tom's Protego had already been shattered twice.
To manage two Shield Charms in such a short span, Tom's potential had truly been forced out of him.
And in that moment of crisis, his mind had never been clearer.
Right now, every thought and emotion in Tom's mind had vanished, leaving only one instinct—survive!
So, after hearing Wade's words, a new idea suddenly struck him.
Think, you idiot! What would Wade do?
If it were Wade… of course—Avada Kedavra!
No, wrong! That's completely wrong for this situation! I can't copy Wade here!
Ah! That's it! Dumbledore! I should think like Dumbledore!
Yes, what would Dumbledore do right now? I need to fight like Dumbledore!
While retreating, Tom saw the statue that had dropped its halberd pick it back up again.
Both knights charged at him together, weapons swinging down in unison.
At that moment, Tom's back hit solid stone.
The long corridor had come to an end.
Bang!
With nowhere left to retreat, Tom's final Protego shattered once again.
Both statues raised their weapons high. The next second—
Buzz!
The halberd's blade and the greatsword's edge stopped barely a centimeter from the tip of Tom's nose.
_________
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