Chapter 334: The Upside-Down Corridor
Chapter 334: The Upside-Down Corridor
"Could you be a little more careful?" Fred looked on helplessly at the large wooden sphere Albert had conjured, which was to act as their scout ahead.
"If you feel so brave and eager to take the lead, I'd be happy to let you," Albert rolled his eyes and gestured invitingly to Fred.
"Alright, alright, I believe you already!" Fred grumbled, actually believing about a third of it. Sometimes Albert's predictions were spot on, and it wouldn't hurt to be a little cautious.
George and Lee Jordan were snickering beside them.
However, when Fred glared at them, they quickly coughed and changed the subject. "I wonder what Gryffindor's treasure could be?"
"It's most likely the legendary Sword of Gryffindor," Albert replied as he maneuvered the wooden sphere forward, sharing with his roommates the story of the famed sword.
"Only a true Gryffindor student can find the Sword of Gryffindor?" The three boys' eyes lit up, finding Albert's words reasonable. Perhaps Gryffindor had hidden the sword here.
Not long into their journey, they encountered a problem—a strange mist blocked their path.
Albert frowned slightly and sent the wooden sphere into the mist. When it was pulled out by magic again, it showed no signs of change.
"Should we go in?" George asked, his brow furrowed. No matter how he looked at it, the mist before them seemed eerie.
"Fred," Albert waved his wand, transfiguring the wooden sphere into a rope that he wrapped around Fred's waist.
"What?" Fred asked, confused.
"It's time to show your courage!" Albert said with a mischievous smile, patting Fred on the shoulder. "Don't worry, if there's any problem, we'll pull you right out."
Fred's face fell, regretting his earlier comment. But seeing the encouraging expressions on the other three's faces, he reluctantly stepped into the mist, closing his eyes.
As soon as Fred entered the mist, he found himself in an upside-down world, hanging upside down. Looking at the scene below him, he broke into a cold sweat.
Fred saw dense stone spikes beneath him, and he felt that if he lifted a foot, he would fall right into them, impaled and bloody.
"Quick, pull me out!" Fred couldn't help but swallow, calling out to the others.
Hearing Fred's voice, Albert and the others quickly pulled him out of the mist.
"What did you see in there?" George asked curiously.
Fred was in a bit of a bad state, sitting on the ground with shaky legs, as if he had just witnessed something terrifying.
It took Fred a few minutes to calm down before he described to the others what he had seen.
George and Lee Jordan were also stunned by his description.
"It must be an illusion!" Albert concluded. "We can try running through with our eyes closed."
"An illusion?"
"This mist is a magical one, and it's incredible that it has lasted for a millennium," Albert mused.
"Can closing our eyes block the effect of the magical mist?"
Fred stepped into the mist with his eyes closed and found that he no longer felt upside down.
"This must be the test Gryffindor left for others," George said, looking at Albert. "Should we go now?"
"I can't be sure if there are other dangers ahead, so it's best not to close our eyes," Albert said with a smile, patting Fred's shoulder. "Well, do you want to try again?"
"Why don't you try it yourself!" Fred said irritably.
"As a Gryffindor student, how can you lack courage?" Lee Jordan teased.
"Don't you dare close your eyes later," Fred said fiercely.
Lee Jordan hummed a tune and turned his head, pretending he hadn't heard.
"I wonder if there's a shortcut!" Albert shook his head. "Forget it, I'll do it."
Without tying a rope, he walked forward and plunged into the eerie mist.
Indeed, just as Fred had described, Albert's vision was upside down.
Above him were dense stone spikes, which looked quite scary. Albert only glanced at them and felt his legs trembling. Now he understood why Fred had been shaking when they pulled him out.
However, Albert didn't plan to close his eyes and rush through. Who knew if there were other traps ahead? He wouldn't let the others take the easy way out.
Albert didn't look up, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground beneath him as he slowly moved forward. Sometimes, even if you knew it was an illusion, you still needed to steel yourself; some things were unavoidable.
Passing through this stretch with your eyes open required immense courage; it truly lived up to being a Gryffindor challenge.
After a few minutes, Albert gradually overcame his discomfort and began to observe his surroundings. The area wasn't completely dark, and there was a blue flame along the way—undoubtedly, Goblet Fire.
This upside-down corridor was quite long; after walking for a few minutes, Albert discovered the trap left by Gryffindor.
"It's not that easy to get through, after all," Albert muttered, relieved that he had been careful.
The trap was simple—a pit that one could easily jump over. But if one ran through with their eyes closed, they would surely fall into the pit.
Albert jumped over the pit and spent about ten minutes navigating the upside-down corridor. He encountered two more pits of a similar nature.
To be honest, jumping over the pits was thrilling. Imagine jumping with the ceiling under your feet—it felt like flying, and one wrong step would send you falling into the stone spikes below.
By the time Albert finished traversing the upside-down corridor, his legs were still shaking. But he had to admit, it was very much in the spirit of Gryffindor; without courage, one wouldn't make it through.
And if one tried to rush through with their eyes closed, they would be in for a nasty surprise.
Who said you could cheat your way through?
If you wanted to claim Gryffindor's treasure, you had to have courage! What goes around comes around.
Albert was considering how to explain this to Fred and the others. He was genuinely concerned that they might close their eyes and charge into the mist, only to fall into the pits.
In the end, Albert found a solution. He took out his broom from the Undetectable Extension Charm bag and flew through the upside-down corridor, upside down.
That's right, it was that simple.
Flying upside down on a broom wasn't that strange. He believed Fred and George could do it, and as for Lee Jordan, he could fly on his own or find a partner.
Although Albert felt that Fred and the others should pass Gryffindor's test with their own abilities, it was up to them how they chose to tackle it.
(End of Chapter)
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