Passive Deviation from the Original Plan

"You don't need to tell me that, I can leave now," Aaron said without hesitation, completely disregarding Harry's seemingly final request.

He never intended to join the three Gryffindor ' plan. The harp had already proven that Voldemort was under the Trapdoor, so going now was just a foolish and suicidal act.

Harry wants to stop Voldemort from rising from the dead, and whatever his reasons, it sounds pretty noble.

The problem is, how do we stop it?

Is it fueled by passion? Or by sheer stubbornness?

Without sufficient strength, relying solely on these two things is no different from offering bribes.

The best strategy is to wait here in comfort until the two professors arrive, then follow them and pick off their enemies.

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances, then looked at Aaron with strange expressions.

"Don't look at me like that. My plan is completely different from yours, so..." Aaron said with a sigh, "I don't recommend you take the plunge. This is my advice."

Of course, I won't stop you if you insist on playing.

Good luck to you all, farewell.

Just as Aaron was about to leave the dangerous cave entrance, he was hit by a stench and instinctively looked up.

The Three-headed Dog, Fluffy, opened its eyes and stared hostilely at the four Warlock standing in Trapdoor.

A dog's mouth secreted extremely thick saliva, which dripped onto Ron's shirt.

"Oops!"

Aaron swallowed hard, shrugged with a wry smile, and jumped through the Trapdoor without saying a word.

"Why did he suddenly fall ill?" Ron asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Wait a minute," Harry suddenly said, a little uneasy. "Don't you guys think it's too quiet?"

"It's a harp." Hermione glanced back. "It's not playing anymore."

"Yeah!" Ron noticed the disgusting saliva on his shoulder, looked up to see six enormous eyes staring at them. "The music stopped, which means Three-headed Dog ..."

"Roar!"

Fluffy roared, its three heads shaking from side to side. As saliva flew, it lifted one paw, about to strike.

"Jump down quickly!"

"Harry said hurriedly, and with a flip, he jumped into the Trapdoor."

Hermione and Ron followed closely behind, not daring to delay for even the slightest moment.

The next second, a huge and chaotic roar rang out.

Two rows of sharp teeth blocked the Trapdoor, and saliva dripped from between the teeth amidst the barking.

"Luckily, the Trapdoor is relatively small, otherwise we would have been in danger." Aaron's Wand emitted a pale light, illuminating the spot where they had landed.

"It's fortunate that these soft plants are here, otherwise we would have all fallen to our deaths." Ron looked at the exit blocked by the dog's mouth; they had fallen at least ten meters.

Aaron looked at the irregular ground covered with plants, and through the gaps he could vaguely see a few steps. He couldn't help but sigh, "There's another layer below. This must be a level designed by Professor Sprout, the Devil's Snare."

"What kind of Devil's Snare?"

As soon as Harry finished asking the question, thick black vines wrapped around his legs.

Before he could react, more vines wrapped around his limbs and neck, choking him until he couldn't breathe.

Ron and Hermione weren't in much better shape; although they weren't completely wrapped up, they were practically dead.

"What do we do?" Ron cried out anxiously.

"Don't move, relax," Hermione shouted. "I read in a book that the more you struggle, the tighter these vines will tighten."

"Who can relax at a time like this?" Ron said, on the verge of tears. "We're still alive, but Harry is about to be strangled."

"Trust me." Hermione felt herself sinking, a hint of confidence on her face. "As long as you don't move, you'll be fine."

Harry calmed down and soon felt his neck relax a bit, allowing him to breathe more deeply.

His body was also slowly sinking as he relaxed, and it was only a matter of time before he reached the second level.

Ron, however, was completely unable to calm down. The more vines there were, the more nervous he became, and the more nervous he became, the more vines appeared.

In his violent struggle, he was trapped in a vicious cycle, his mouth and nose sealed by vines, with only his limbs twitching incessantly.

"What a nuisance!" Aaron slapped his forehead, then waved his Wand. "Incendio!"

A ball of red flame appeared from the tip of the Wand. The Devil's Snare, which thrived on cold and damp environments, sensed the temperature rise and quickly released the group, huddling in the shadows of the corner.

Thump!

Several dull thuds rang out.

Aaron landed heroically, bracing himself with one hand.

Of the remaining three, only Hermione was not in such a sorry state; Harry and Ron were on their knees, their whole bodies aching.

That is to say, this layer is only two meters away from the Devil's Snare above their heads, otherwise it would not be as simple as just pain.

"Actually, this plant is quite afraid of fire, so burning it is more effective than relaxing it."

"Why didn't you use this spell sooner?" Ron said with some complaint.

Only he knows the extent of his suffering. Difficulty breathing is not terrible; what is terrible is that breathing becomes increasingly difficult.

Just now, he vaguely saw his grandfather waving at him, and just thinking about that scene made him break out in a cold sweat.

"I didn't know you'd be so nervous!"

We all drifted down naturally, slowly, but you're about to suffocate.

Besides, the Devil's Snare is school property, and I don't want to incur such a debt without knowing why.

Ron's lips twitched, and he opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Ahem!" Aaron walked to the top of the stairs, blocking the only way out, then looked at the three of them. "We're safe for now. I suggest you follow my plan and wait a little longer..."

"I must go." Harry knew what he was about to say, and interrupted him without thinking.

"You idiot!"

We're already a step too late. Do you think it'll be any use catching up now?

"The You-Know-Who hasn't succeeded yet." Harry tossed his hair back, pointing to the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. "It hurts a lot. I'm pretty sure he hasn't succeeded."

If you don't stop him, he'll be resurrected once he gets the Philosopher's Stone.

I understand how you feel.

Even if he obtained the Philosopher's Stone, it would still take him some time to transform it into life force.

"Then I can just wait for him to come and kill me," Harry said bitterly.

Aaron hesitated for a moment, then silently handed over the tong.

He's not Harry Potter, and he doesn't have any major grudge against Voldemort. He doesn't know what it feels like to have a knife hanging over one's head.

"Thanks!"

Harry quickly walked up the steps, with Ron following closely behind.

"Don't worry about it," Hermione explained patiently. "It's a matter of life and death, so it's understandable that he's a little anxious."

"Well!

He was in a hurry, but my plan required time.

I'm 99% confident I can stop Voldemort; his only fear is the unexpected.

"Then... would you like to come along?"

What do you think?

I've already come down here, I can't really stay here forever!

"If anything were to happen to any of you, my conscience wouldn't allow it."

Hermione smiled happily and then stepped into the passageway.

As the four continued forward, the sound of flapping wings grew clearer and clearer.

They reached the end of the corridor and pushed open a door.

This is a very spacious room, with a dozen pillars supporting a ceiling tens of meters high, and countless keys with transparent wings Accio in the room.

"If I'm not mistaken, that door should be the exit," Ron said, pointing to the door opposite.

"Nonsense, anyone with eyes can see that," Aaron said dismissively. "The problem is how we get there. That door can't be opened with a lock-picking spell; it requires a matching key."

There are at least a thousand keys here; we can't possibly try them all!

Even if I could try them all, the experience would probably be quite thrilling.

"You mean these keys will attack us?" Hermione asked.

"Uncertain, but we cannot rule out this possibility."

"It's been pierced by thousands of keys, and the doctor probably thinks they're all leaking air." Aaron said, walking to the door and examining it carefully for a while. "We need to find the oldest one among the thousands of keys. It should be easy to recognize, but it's not very easy to grab."

After all... we are all cursed with not being able to fly.

Just then, Harry spotted a Magic Broom floating in mid-air. "I guess I need this."

"Hmm? Isn't this a little too easy?"

The Golden Snitch is much faster than these keys.

As soon as Aaron finished speaking, Harry, Ron, Hermione all looked at him with eager eyes.

"Hey! You're not asking me to go first, are you?"

"Of course it's you," Ron said. "You're Hogwarts' best Seeker. If you don't play, who will?"

"But I haven't touched Flying Broomstick in a long time."

"No, Aaron, you can do it," Harry encouraged Yu. "You're much better than me."

"This...

Alright! Since you've put it that way, I'll reluctantly help you this once.

"This is a one-time thing, don't do it again." Aaron said somewhat smugly, "You all go wait by that door, be ready to open it at any time."

None of the three raised any objections. They quickly walked to the door, leaving only a silver doorknob behind.

"Call!"

Aaron took a deep breath, took out his Wand, and pointed the tip at himself. "Protego!"

A pale light flashed, covering his body with an invisible, transparent barrier, instantly giving him a sense of security.