Chapter 141: The Professors' Trials
Fourth floor of Hogwarts Castle.
In one of the rooms lay a very bored dog. It had three huge, ferocious heads; one was turning to look around, another had its eyes shut in feigned sleep…
With a soft creak, the wooden door opened.
All three of Fluffy's heads snapped up to stare at the doorway.
He was about to bare his teeth and bark when the scent from outside reached him. His tail began to wag instead.
When Dumbledore stepped in with Leonardo, the three massive jaws gave a single bark in unison, and Fluffy trotted over eagerly.
The middle head pushed close to Leonardo, clearly waiting to be petted.
"Looks as though Fluffy is very fond of you," Dumbledore chuckled.
Leonardo reached out without hesitation and scratched all three heads. "Creatures do seem to like me," he said. "And now I have a unicorn's blessing as well."
He pulled out three roast lamb shanks and tossed them. Three sets of jaws snapped them from the air.
Fluffy sat, heads swaying as he chewed.
Dumbledore and Leonardo crossed to the trapdoor. The plank lifted of its own accord.
Leonardo leaned over the dark opening.
The first thing he heard was a faint rustling, like snakes sliding through leaves.
It was pitch black below. He quietly opened the Peeking Fiend's Eye.
His view was filled with a tangled mass of blackish‑green vines, thick as pythons, knotted together and slowly flexing.
It had been empty the last time he checked. Now Devil's Snare carpeted the shaft.
A nasty plant, strong enough to bind even a mountain troll for a time.
The weaknesses were just as obvious.
Afraid of light and fire.
Wild beasts and most magical creatures could not easily produce either.
For wizards, it was child's play.
Even the simplest lighting spell was taught in the first Charms lesson.
Professor Sprout had been very gentle with this one.
So long as you knew what Devil's Snare was, you could get through easily.
"Lumos," Leonardo said.
A small ball of light blossomed at his wand tip.
He let it fall. As it dropped, it swelled and flared.
The shifting tendrils shrank from it, leaving a wide clearing.
Leonardo's form blurred and shrank; an owl launched itself from the floor and swept down the shaft.
He turned human again just above the ground and landed lightly.
He looked up at the Devil's Snare, slowly knitting back together.
From this height, it would make a passable cushion in a fall.
Trust the Head of Hufflepuff to be kind and thorough.
"Straightforward, is it not?" Dumbledore's voice came from beside him. He had appeared without a sound.
Leonardo nodded. "Yes. Once you recognise Devil's Snare and recall that it fears light and heat, that is all you need.
"Professor Sprout even went out of her way to review it in class the other day. She said it would be on the exam."
Feeding them the answer with a spoon.
They crossed the corridor to the next room.
The air was filled with the constant flutter of wings, a storm of tiny, jewel‑bright "birds" whirling around the ceiling.
Leonardo took a closer look. They were not birds at all, but keys with wings.
Professor Flitwick's trial.
He went to the heavy wooden door on the far side and examined the lock until he had the shape clear in his mind.
He noticed the brooms stacked against the wall, but did not touch them. Instead, he shifted back into owl form.
He did not even need the Eye. The owl's own sharp vision picked out the one he wanted at a glance.
A large silver key with pale blue wings.
He beat his wings and, after a few deft darts and swoops, had it clutched in his talons.
Moments later, the lock turned and the door swung open. He had passed his own Head of House's test.
Dumbledore, watching the smooth Animagus work, could not help but clap quietly. "Beautifully done," he murmured.
They moved on.
The next chamber went from darkness to bright light in an instant. The floor itself was a giant chessboard, lined with black and white chessmen two or three metres tall.
Professor McGonagall's Wizard's Chess.
Leonardo scanned the pieces and shook his head at Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, this one is meant to be tackled by a group."
"From your tone, there is an alternative?" Dumbledore asked, intrigued.
"To make Black win is easy," Leonardo said, twirling his wand. "The blunt approach would be to blow the White pieces to chips. Or you could…"
He flicked his wand several times. The white chessmen shimmered and darkened. In moments, all were black.
"…simply turn all of them into Black. If there is no White left on the board, Black has won."
The corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched under his beard. McGonagall had transfigured every piece herself. They were hard and very stable.
Normally, a first‑year could not hope to shatter one with spells, let alone overlay a second transformation on top of her work.
Leonardo could. And did.
"Going straight to the root," Dumbledore said. "And with the power to match the idea."
They walked on toward the next room. Before they even reached the door, a foul smell seeped through.
Leonardo wrinkled his nose. When they opened it, they found a mountain troll.
Bigger than the one at Hallowe'en.
Quirrell certainly had a type.
Dumbledore saw the glint in Leonardo's eye and remembered that All Hallows' night. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Ahem. I do not think we need to test this one, do we?"
Leonardo nodded and looked the troll over with some regret. The creature shivered, without knowing why.
These trials are a bit on the simple side, he thought. They could be improved.
A few Chinese Chomping Cabbages mixed into the Devil's Snare. Traps on the flying keys…
As for the troll—perhaps Weavecraft?
He could now reshape a magical creature's pathways. A troll might do as a practice subject.
Adult circuits were tricky, but if he was not aiming for long‑term stability, it might be fine.
Harry and the others did not need to fight the troll themselves. Quirrell would go first.
Leonardo followed Dumbledore into the next chamber.
The instant they stepped over the threshold, purple fire roared up behind them, and black fire blocked the far door.
Leonardo walked to the centre of the room without concern. A table stood there with seven bottles of different shapes and sizes. Beside them, a parchment read:
One among us will help you on.
One among us will take you back.
Two of us are nettle wine.
Three of us are poison.
Here are some clues to guide you:
The poison is always to the left of the wine.
The bottles at the two ends are different, but neither will send you forward.
No two bottles are the same size, but neither giant nor dwarf is Death.
The second from the left and the second from the right look different but are, in truth, the same.
Leonardo read it through and could not help a mental snort.
Snape's contribution. Supposedly a test of Potions, but really a logic puzzle.
Devil's Snare for Hermione, the keys for Harry, the chessboard for Ron, the troll for…
Well. For Quirrell.
And the potion riddle for Hermione again.
A very tidy division of labour.