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Chapter 158: The Slacking Professor
Chapter 158: The Slacking Professor
Kyle withdrew his wand and extended it towards the trapdoor.
"Lumos!"
In the dazzling white light, Kyle vaguely saw a cluster of green vines curled up directly beneath the trapdoor.
"As expected, it's Devil's Web."
Kyle put away his wand and called Rowan.
"You stay here. If Dumbledore brings people over later, call me."
"Woof..."
Rowan, who had just finished his jerky, obediently nodded his doggy head.
Kyle patted his large head and jumped down from the trapdoor.
"Plop..."
The soft Devil's Web acted like a hammock, catching Kyle securely.
Feeling the snake-like tendrils on his body, Kyle didn't struggle at all and lay quietly on top of it.
After three seconds, the tendrils loosened, and Kyle touched the ground. He flipped over and stood up, looking at the Devil's Web in front of him with a strange expression.
He really couldn't fathom what Professor Sprout was thinking. How could she choose to use this thing as a barrier? Even closing your eyes and randomly picking a plant from Greenhouse Three would be better than this.
Devil's Web sounds intimidating, but its weakness is too obvious—it fears light and fire, and a simple Light Charm can render it useless.
He couldn't understand Professor Sprout's thinking. It was supposed to be a barrier to stop people from advancing, but she arranged a Devil's Web as a soft cushion. Isn't that a waste?
Kyle looked around and took a deep breath. Then, he shouted loudly, "Whose Devil's Web is this?"
...
The surroundings were quiet, with only faint, intermittent echoes in response.
Whose Devil's Web...
Devil's Web...
Web...
Rowan, curious about the commotion, poked his doggy head out and looked down.
"It's none of your business. Go back!"
Rowan whined and reluctantly retracted his head.
Kyle cleared his throat and continued shouting, "Ahem... Whose Devil's Web is this? If no one claims it, I'm taking it away!"
...
Still, no one answered.
Kyle, having completed the process, nodded and took a box out of his leather bag, spreading it open on the ground.
After about ten seconds, an entire Devil's Web, pot and all, was stuffed into the box by him.
After doing all this, Kyle clapped his hands, picked up the box, and headed towards the next challenge.
Following a stone corridor, Kyle arrived in a brightly lit room.
However, the room was empty, with nothing inside. Ahead was a heavy wooden door.
Kyle pulled the handle, and the door opened in response.
"..."
This... Professor Flitwick must be slacking off.
Looking at the pitch-black room before him, Kyle hesitated about whether to continue forward.
From the current situation, it wasn't hard to guess that apart from Rowan and the Devil's Web, the other challenges probably hadn't been completed yet.
But if he went back now, wouldn't this trip be in vain?
"Forget it, I've come this far, let's see what's ahead."
Kyle shook his head and took a step forward.
As soon as he stepped in, the originally pitch-black room instantly lit up.
Looking at the chessboard under his feet and the chess pieces around him, taller than himself, Kyle's mood improved significantly.
It had to be Professor McGonagall; her actions were much more efficient than Professor Flitwick's. No wonder she could be the Deputy Headmaster.
The next challenge should be winning the chess game to proceed further.
To be honest, Kyle felt a bit nervous.
He wasn't very skilled at Wizard's Chess. Usually, he only played to pass the time, and occasionally played a couple of games with Fred or George. It was fine for casual entertainment, but he wasn't up to par when facing real experts.
Kyle casually approached a black castle, reaching out to touch the dark stone chess piece, ready to take its place.
"Give it a try, and if it doesn't work, we'll just turn back."
But after waiting for five minutes, the chess piece didn't show any signs of movement.
Kyle, a bit puzzled, moved on to the knight... and it was the same.
The next bishop, pawn, and king... all were like this.
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He circled back, all the way to the exit, but the chess pieces still showed no reaction.
Clearly, these were just decoys, and Professor McGonagall hadn't completed her challenge either.
The rooms behind were all the same, empty.
Kyle had no choice but to turn back, leaving disappointed.
Apparently, he had indeed come too early.
Perhaps, in Dumbledore's and the professors' eyes, a single Rowan was enough to drive away intruders, and there was no need to rush to complete the challenges.
After leaving the fourth floor, Kyle went to the underground classrooms and then returned to the Hufflepuff common room.
"Thank goodness, you're finally back."
Cedric had been in the common room and immediately approached Kyle when he entered, asking curiously, "Where did you go just now?"
"The fourth floor," Kyle replied. "Didn't we go together?"
"I'm asking where you went after we ran back from the fourth floor."
"I didn't run..." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I saw Rowan last year at Hagrid's... Oh, right, Rowan was the name of the three-headed dog that day."
Kyle sat down in a chair and placed a jug of pumpkin juice and some biscuits on the table in front of him, freshly brought from the kitchen.
Even at midnight, the house-elves in the kitchen looked no less busy than during the day. When Kyle entered earlier, they had even started the stove, preparing a lavish feast.
But it would take too much time, and Kyle just wanted a quick snack, so he declined.
At this moment, Cedric suddenly realized and exclaimed incredulously, "Wait... you just said you know that three-headed dog?"
"Yes, I've known him since last year," Kyle replied. "He's not even two years old yet, still a pup."
"But... why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"I did tell you," Kyle shrugged. "But you ran too fast, and when I turned around, you were gone."
Cedric's face suddenly turned a bit red.
When he saw the three-headed dog, his mind went blank, and his first instinct was to run. He didn't care about what others said at that moment.
Kyle pushed the plate of biscuits towards Cedric.
"Want a biscuit? It's cheese-filled and quite tasty."
"Okay... thanks."
Cedric also felt a bit hungry and took one.
"Have you been on the fourth floor all this time?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded.
Cedric took another biscuit and asked curiously, "Did you notice the trapdoor under the three-headed dog?"
"I saw it, but unfortunately..." Kyle sighed, "...I think we came too early. The professors haven't had time to set it up yet, and it's just a few empty rooms now."
(End of Chapter)
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