Chapter Forty-Five: Discovery
"Dumbledore's methods are really difficult to deal with. Looking at all the traps he set before, this really feels like a brave adventurer's challenge. As I said before, only Dumbledore's spells and the way he hid the Philosopher's Stone are the true protection for it," George muttered as they walked, still annoyed by the previous trials. "Honestly, Dumbledore might as well have just taken the Stone with him."
"That's a good idea. If Dumbledore kept the Stone in perfect condition, Voldemort wouldn't be able to do any harm for a long time," Hermione immediately agreed with George's point.
They continued along the corridor and soon reached the end, where another door awaited. George stepped forward and pushed it open. This time, nothing unexpected happened—the door swung open smoothly.
As soon as the door opened, a foul stench of sewers and latrines hit them. Luckily, they had anticipated it and didn't gag. The largest of them pressed a piece of cloth over his mouth and nose and peeked inside. A massive figure lay motionless on the ground—a creature with a huge, bloodied lump on its head.
"It's bigger and fiercer than the troll we faced last time," Harry observed, his eyes scanning the monster.
"Maybe it's an elite among the giants—a mountain troll?" Hermione recalled from the books. Among giant creatures, the largest and most ferocious were known as mountain trolls.
"The smell is awful… I'm glad we don't have to fight it," Ron muttered, covering his nose and mouth.
George quickly cast a Sleeping Spell on the troll, then urged everyone to move along.
They entered the next room. "Now it's Snape's turn," Harry said, eyeing the empty room. Only a table stood there, on which seven bottles of various shapes were arranged.
As they stepped across the threshold, flames suddenly erupted behind them, blocking the crossroad. The fire was unusual—a deep purple—and even from a distance, they could sense the magical power within it. At the opposite end, black flames flared up as well, cutting off their path forward and trapping them in the center of the hall.
"So now it's Snape's method," George said, studying the flames carefully. Suddenly, he realized something—a detail that everyone else had overlooked.
"The troll is Quirrell's usual trick!" Hermione gasped, realizing what she had missed before.
"You mean it wasn't Snape who stole the Philosopher's Stone, but Quirrell? That's impossible!" Ron exclaimed. How could Quirrell have done such a thing?
"Who stole the Stone is still unknown, but Snape and Quirrell are both suspicious. The troll in front of us was released by Quirrell, which means the previous trolls at the school were probably his doing too."
George's voice was calm but carried weight: "The professors and Dumbledore couldn't have been unaware. If Quirrell openly placed trolls here, then surely they already knew about the trolls in the school. Quirrell orchestrated all of this."
Step by step, the clues unfolded. Each discovery brought them closer to the truth—and to the hidden truth behind the truth.
"Let's focus on this level first. But we shouldn't rule out that Quirrell might be behind it all," George said. "We'll know who it is once we get through this challenge." He didn't want to keep guessing, only offering a caution in advance.
"Let me see!" Hermione said, ignoring the debate over Snape or Quirrell. Her attention had been drawn to a scroll of parchment on the table, and she read aloud:
"Danger ahead, safety behind. In the middle are two that can help you—drink one to guide you forward, the other to return by the same path. Two are nettle wine, three are poisons. They are waiting for you to choose. Unless you plan to stay here forever, four clues are set for you to select."
"First, no matter how the poisons are hidden or placed, they are within the coordinates of the nettle wine."
"Second, the bottles on the left and right are different. If you plan to move forward, they won't help you."
"Third, you can see the bottles are of different sizes. The largest and smallest contain no deadly effects."
"Fourth, the second bottle from the left and the second from the right, though they look different, contain the same substance."
After reading, Hermione said, "This isn't magic—it's logic, a puzzle to be deduced. It's more like a brave adventurer's challenge. But many great wizards lack basic reasoning skills. That's the danger—it could trap them."
"This isn't a hard problem. Whoever gets through it proves that this puzzle doesn't really work," George added. Indeed, it was a way to stump wizards with logic, but clearly, it wasn't foolproof.
"What do we do? How do we get through?" Ron asked, his mind in a jumble, unable to focus on logic puzzles.
"No, it's not difficult," Hermione repeated, going over the instructions on the scroll. "Everything you need to know is on this parchment. There are seven bottles, three poisons, and two nettle wines. One will allow us to pass the black flames; the other lets us pass back through the purple flames."
"These little bottles contain potions that let you safely cross the black flames ahead and see the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione added, clapping her hands. She had solved the puzzle in just a few minutes.
Hearing her explanation, everyone gathered around to look at the unassuming little bottles. They exchanged glances, feeling a bit awkward.
"The potion can only be taken by one person. That's not enough," Ron said anxiously, breaking the silence.
"I have to go forward. It's my responsibility, and I want everyone to take part," Harry said with determination in his eyes. No matter what he would face after the flames, he couldn't back down—or let someone else take his place.
"To gain strength, I must draw from the past," George mused, thinking about how to approach the situation. There might be better options, but they would require time.
"There has to be another way—or at least we should consider one," Hermione added, not wanting Harry or George to face the danger alone.
"Yes, we can think of another method. Even if we're stuck here, Snape will come through this place eventually," Ron said, refusing to be a bystander and offering a reasonable plan.
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