Chapter 35
After hearing Harry's words, the others turned their gaze toward the birds on the roof. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the shiny things flying above were not birds at all—they were winged keys.
Suddenly, Harry shouted, "We've got it! Look! We need to ride the broomstick and catch the key for that door!"
They looked at the broomstick lying nearby and the keyhole on the wooden door, instantly understanding that this was the secret to passing this level and opening the door.
While Harry searched for the broomstick, Albert handed over a vial of acid secreted by moss to the stones beside the doorframe, but the stones remained immobile.
Clearly, this level wasn't so simple. Breaking the magic on the door required powerful spells and deep knowledge; otherwise, one would have to chase those keys by riding the broomsticks.
According to the mind behind this challenge, Voldemort would never ride a broomstick. Driven by his arrogance, he would refuse to follow a method set by his enemy, suspecting it to be a trap.
Voldemort, used to controlling everything himself, would rely on magic to seize the key—thus depleting a portion of his already limited magical energy.
This was the same mechanical door guarding the cave where Voldemort had hidden his Horcrux, a door demanding a blood sacrifice to consume an enemy's power before they reached their goal. Dumbledore's approach was simply more straightforward than Voldemort's.
At that moment, Harry and Albert were already mounted on their broomsticks. Ron and Hermione, both poor flyers, had not taken to the air to avoid causing trouble. Instead, they stood back-to-back in the center of the hall, scanning the sky's swarm of keys.
Before taking off, Albert shouted, "Our target is a large, ancient key! Maybe silver, shaped like a door handle—it should resemble the lock's shape and color."
The dense cluster of keys made it nearly impossible to catch any. They chased desperately, but the enchanted keys darted away too quickly.
As anxiety grew, Albert suddenly spotted the target and shouted to Harry, "I've found it! It's to your right, above and in front—silver key!"
Albert was too far to reach it, but Harry was close. So Albert directed Harry toward the key to grab it quickly.
Harry dashed toward it, but the key twisted sharply and failed to stop, nearly hitting the ceiling.
"Let's steer it downward, Albert. Get ready." Harry called out. Together, they guided the key down.
The key sped downward, trying to escape them, unaware it had flown too low and away from the larger group.
Finally, the key dropped close to the ground. Albert leapt and stretched out his hand to grab it.
Albert's agility was impressive—he managed to ride the broomstick in midair yet could drop safely to the ground without injury, enabling him to catch the key.
He gripped the key tightly as it writhed like a living creature pleading for help.
Once Harry landed, they reached the door together.
Albert inserted the key and turned it with a click, confirming they'd chosen correctly.
After releasing the key, which fluttered away, Albert turned the door's handle, and the four of them stepped into the next level.
The room was dark, and the trio felt nervous about stumbling or falling. But the moment they all entered, the room lit up instantly, and the door clicked shut behind them.
Albert was reminded of shows where the heroine's birthday went unnoticed by the hero, leaving her sad—until, after a long day, she returned home to find a surprise birthday party prepared by the hero and friends.
Unfortunately for Albert and the others, what awaited them here wasn't a birthday cake, but Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard.
Albert thought if Professor McGonagall were replaced by an American, perhaps she would conjure a modern chess set—the kind Albert loved in his previous life and knew well. But to be honest, these levels seemed designed to mock Voldemort, treating him like a first-year student.
After all, there were few entertainments in the wizarding world, and chess was surely the second most popular after Quidditch. At least half the people knew how to play.
Perhaps McGonagall's style was much like Hermione's when she was younger, reflecting an average wizarding chess skill. No matter how powerful the stone pieces were, the players' skill was the biggest challenge here.
The chess pieces were nearly life-sized, carved from black and white stone. One didn't need to try casting spells on them to know these pieces were magically resistant and couldn't be dealt with by simple offensive charms.
More unsettling was that none of the pieces had facial features. Against the bright chessboard and the surrounding darkness, an eerie sense of dread filled the room.
Albert could only think of faceless, mouthless monsters from horror films in his past life and felt a shiver of unease. When he turned back, he saw Harry and the others trembling visibly—they were clearly more frightened than he was.
The door on the other side of the chessboard displayed a message: the only way forward was to win the game. Worse, everyone had to play a piece at once, meaning more players brought more weaknesses.
In the end, Albert and Ron took the roles of knights, Hermione was the queen, and Harry the rook. Ron, the most skilled wizard chess player among them, led the match.
As the game began, Albert noticed that although the pieces appeared fierce when capturing others, they mostly knocked them unconscious without using their weapons for lethal strikes.
It seemed Professor McGonagall was deliberately delaying the game to avoid accidentally harming Harry, who had come to break through the challenge. If Voldemort—now possessing Quirrell's body—had to fight through these stages one by one, he'd likely lose much of his magic.
Since their lives weren't in immediate danger, Albert relaxed and took the chance to watch Ron's chess skills.
Ron played well but had to keep his attention on Albert and the others, limiting his full potential. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made.
Seeing this, Albert shouted to Ron, "I've learned the Iron Shield charm—it should protect me when you hit me, so don't worry about me."
"Really?" After Albert's repeated assurances, Ron finally said, "You move diagonally forward-right and take the most threatening queen. Then the opponent's knight will take you, making the next move easier."
The better Ron played, the more constrained he felt. Albert believed if Ron could make sacrifices, the situation would improve gr
eatly.
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