After knocking out the troll he had set up himself, Quirrell arrived at Snape's trial.
He walked over to the table holding seven small bottles and picked up the parchment.
Danger lies ahead, safety behind. Two of us will help you among the seven. Drink one, and it will take you forward; another will send you back where you came from. Two bottles contain nettle wine. Three are killers, waiting in line. Choose, unless you wish to linger here forever. We also offer four clues to aid your choice: First, however cleverly the poisons may hide, they always stand to the left of the nettle wine; Second, the bottles at either end hold different contents. If you wish to proceed, neither will be of use to you; Third, you will find that the bottles differ in size. Death is not hidden in the giant or the dwarf; Fourth, the second from the left and the second from the right look different, but taste the same.
"Boring logic puzzle—"
The voice in Quirrell's mind sounded deeply impatient.
Last week, while Filch had taken several Little Snakes away, he had met dear little Fluffy.
What was there to do? Sneak into Snape's office, of course.
Three large bottles of Draught of Living Death ought to keep him asleep until dawn.
Devil's Snare? Easy enough.
The keys had been somewhat difficult, mainly because he was unfamiliar with them and couldn't use the Summoning Charm.
Wizard's chess had been fine, though it had taken more than half an hour.
As for knocking out the troll, he had always been very good at that.
"My honored master, Dumbledore must have set up powerful magic."
Quirrell picked up the smallest bottle. "Of course, he could never be your match—yes, I'll drink it now."
He