True chaos had erupted in the school. As soon as the students found the first clue, they scattered to different parts of the castle, and the air filled with the thudding of hundreds of feet, ringing laughter, and groans of disappointment. At that moment, when the first girl from Ravenclaw opened the chest and took the scroll, the air was filled with a collective sigh of disappointment.
— Is that all? Just a piece of paper? — someone in the crowd shouted in annoyance, and many were already about to leave.
— It's not just a piece of paper! There's another riddle here! — the girl replied brightly, clutching the scroll in her hands. But her words were lost in the general noise.
However, everything changed when the next student, pushing his way forward, opened the chest himself. He froze, holding a different scroll in his hands, and, reading it, whispered in amazement:
— This... is a completely different riddle! It leads to the dungeons!
This news, like a spark, ignited a widespread frenzy. It became clear that Viktor had prepared a unique path for each participant. Even those who hadn't originally wanted to play joined the race. In the library, in the kitchens, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom—everywhere you could see students huddled in small groups, frantically solving their own puzzles. The traps Viktor had set, though harmless, made them break into a sweat: here and there, surprised shouts rang out when someone suddenly flew into the air or was momentarily frozen in place.
Viktor stood by the window of the tallest tower, his legs dangling in the air, a magical broom lying beside him. With a satisfied smile, he looked down at the huge labyrinth of snowmen. He had personally enchanted each of them, giving them their own personalities and duties. Snowman-guards relentlessly patrolled the passages, while snowman-warriors, hiding behind icy walls, hurled dark-blue, enchanted snowballs.
Finally, below, on the frozen ground, the first participants appeared. All the riddles had ultimately led to this labyrinth. Viktor watched as they tried to get through the snowy fortress. He saw brave students ignore the snowmen and try to run straight through, only to be met by a hail of icy projectiles that were impossible to dodge even with magic.
— At last, — Viktor muttered to himself, — they've made it. Now the real fun begins.
His gaze became thoughtful. The game had taken longer than he'd planned. "Maybe I should have made the riddles easier? They're simple enough, but it still took a long time." His thoughts were interrupted when he saw two groups of students break through to the center, where a large chest stood, with melted snowballs scattered on the ground.
He grabbed his broom and jumped out the window. In the air, he nimbly mounted it and flew closer to the center, wanting to see everything with his own eyes.
— We're first! The prize is ours! — triumphant cries from one group rang out.
— We don't think so! — a voice from another exit of the labyrinth was heard, and the second group also appeared in the center.
Both groups froze, looking at each other tensely. This delay played a mean trick on them. While they were arguing, one particularly sly Slytherin slowly began to approach the chest. A Gryffindor noticed him.
— Don't touch that! — he shouted, grabbed a snowball from the ground, and threw it at him.
The snowball hit the Slytherin's shoulder. The boy froze, his body petrified, and a look of fright appeared in his eyes.
— Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you okay? — his friend asked, but there was no answer.
At that moment, the most quick-witted student exclaimed:
— The snowballs are enchanted! — his voice was tense with excitement. — They immobilize you! Throw them at each other! They stun!
A real snowball fight began in the center of the labyrinth. Everyone rushed to collect snowballs and throw them at each other. More and more students entered the labyrinth. Former allies instantly became rivals. The battle was fierce: the snowballs didn't just stun, they left a sensation of burning cold on the body. Viktor, watching from above, hummed with satisfaction.
— My god, — he muttered to himself. — I expected it to be cruel, but not this much. How surprised they'll be when they open the chest! — He laughed, his laughter echoing across the courtyard.
Finally, when almost all the students were frozen, a small group of survivors who had managed to band together approached the chest. With bated breath, they opened it. Inside lay a scroll.
— What? Another riddle? — one of them whispered in indignation. — How many are there!
— Viktor! You're a cheat! — cries came from the crowd.
Viktor, seeing their reaction from the air, smiled with satisfaction. The students, who were gradually regaining their senses, also came up to the chest and took their riddles.
They ran all over the school until evening. Many students, tired of the riddles, simply gave up and returned to their common rooms. Some continued, but the riddles never seemed to end. At dinner in the Great Hall, no one touched their food—they were all waiting for the one person who had made them run all over the school for half the day.
When Viktor walked in, a tense silence fell over the hall. All eyes were on him. The Weasley brothers jumped up, and Fred, his face red with anger, shouted:
— Viktor, you're a cheat! There's no prize! Just a bunch of riddles!
Viktor smiled, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
— There is a prize. You just gave up too early, — he replied calmly. — And anyway, what are you complaining about? Didn't you have fun? Just so you know, I spent a whole day arranging this fun marathon for you.
The students looked at each other. Many of them, despite their fatigue and frustration, realized that Viktor was right. They had indeed had a lot of fun today.
Viktor went to his seat at the table and began to serve himself food. Suddenly, the same Ravenclaw girl who had first solved the library riddle ran into the hall. Her disheveled hair was sticking out everywhere, and her cheeks were flushed from running. She ran up to the teachers' table and, a little embarrassed, spoke to Dumbledore:
— Headmaster, could you please stand up?
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise, but, seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he stood. The girl reached for the top of the back of his throne, where a phoenix was carved, and pressed on it. The statuette came to life, its eyes flashed red, and a melodious ringing sound came from its chest. The back of the chair silently slid away, revealing a secret compartment where a small vial with a shimmering, rainbow-colored liquid lay. She took the vial in her hands, and tiny fireworks began to explode throughout the hall, scattering sparks.
Viktor, watching all this, began to clap.
— And here is our winner! — he said, his voice full of joy.
Dumbledore also started smiling and clapping like a child. The students' faces, who had finally realized the prize had been found, showed confusion.
— That's it? We chased after some flask of potion all day? — a disappointed voice was heard.
Dumbledore, smiling, replied:
— It's not just a potion. It's Felix Felicis, also known as Liquid Luck. There are very few wizards in the world who can brew it.
All eyes turned to Snape, who was glaring daggers at Viktor. His face was pale with anger. This potion required the rarest and most expensive ingredients, and Viktor had just given it away. Snape began to regret ever allowing him to take his ingredients, let alone helping him brew the potion.
— What a waste, — he hissed.
Dumbledore continued: — And now, let's thank Mr. Moss for this wonderful event and congratulate our winner!
The entire hall filled with the loud sound of applause.
When the applause died down, Dumbledore continued:
— Although it is the holidays, I cannot help but appropriately reward Mr. Moss for the excellent organization of this event and for his outstanding skills in alchemy. Therefore, I award Slytherin 50 points!
Everyone clapped again, and no one dared to object—Viktor truly deserved those points. McGonagall cast a jealous glare at Snape. After all, she was the one who brought this genius to the school, but the points went to his house. In the first semester alone, Viktor had earned so many points that even if you combined the points of the other two houses, they wouldn't be much ahead of Slytherin. Noticing McGonagall's look, Snape wore a rare smirk.