I Am Curious, Severus

He didn't use any spells, merely extending a finger to gently nudge the core structure of the lock with a barely perceptible thread of True Essence.

"Click."

A faint sound, audible only to himself, indicated the lock's internal mechanism had been temporarily "deconstructed."

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Beyond the door lay a spacious room. The only furnishing was a trapdoor in the center of the floor, leading underground.

And...

Guarding the trapdoor was a colossal beast.

A three-headed hound, twice as massive as a grown bull.

It lay on the ground, its three enormous heads facing different directions, deep in slumber.

Snoring like thunder echoed through the room, creating a bizarre, three-dimensional surround sound.

Its fur was coarse and stiff, like steel needles, and the bulging muscles beneath its skin pulsed with explosive power. A strong, musky odor, typical of a large carnivorous beast, permeated the air.

[Species: Cerberus (Degenerate Hybrid)]

Lin Yuan's Divine Soul database instantly provided the analysis.

[Strength Level: Equivalent to a nascent Foundation Establishment stage demon beast. Strengths: Robust physique, strong regenerative abilities, three heads can attack simultaneously with no blind spots. Weaknesses: Low intelligence, susceptible to hypnosis via specific sound frequencies, three consciousness cores cannot perfectly coordinate, predictable behavior patterns.]

[Overall Assessment: Excellent physical barrier, poor magical guardian.]

Lin Yuan's face remained impassive.

He even thought the sleeping beast looked a little endearingly dopey.

He didn't approach, nor did he attempt to wake it with music.

That was the "protagonist's" way of clearing challenges – inefficient and fraught with variables.

He simply stood silently in the shadows, eyes half-closed.

The next moment, his vast and pure Soul Power transformed into an invisible probe, a million times finer than a spider's silk. It silently bypassed the slumbering three-headed dog and penetrated the heavy trapdoor, extending into the deeper, darkness-shrouded underground space.

First Layer.

[Detected high-density, high-activity plant-based magical energy. Identified as: Devil's Snare. Characteristics: Light-averse, prefers moisture, possesses powerful physical constricting abilities. Energy Structure: Chaotic and primitive, with a core composed of a mother plant possessing faint instinctive consciousness.]

[Solution: Incendio, or any strong light-based spell. Alternatively, directly use Soul Power to shatter its mother consciousness core, estimated time: 0.1 seconds.]

The Soul probe continued its descent.

Second Layer.

[Detected a large number of metal constructs enchanted with flight and tracking spells. Identified as: Flying Key Swarm. Core: a "true" key hidden amongst them, differing slightly in material and enchantment method.]

[Solution: Spend time on physical capture, or directly lock onto the "true" key with Soul Power and retrieve it remotely. Estimated time: 1.2 seconds.]

Third Layer.

[Detected a large-scale alchemical golem formation. Identified as: Wizard's Chess. Tests intruder's logical thinking and tactical planning abilities by simulating warfare.]

[Solution: Play according to its rules; win rate depends on chess skill. Or... fly directly over the chessboard from above. Alternatively, use a sufficiently powerful attack spell to blast the "king" piece to smithereens.]

Fourth Layer...

Fifth Layer...

Layer upon layer of defense was rapidly dismantled by Lin Yuan's all-seeing Divine Soul, with at least three efficient solutions generated for each.

"...So that's how it is."

As his Soul probe reached the final layer, an empty room containing the Mirror of Erised, which reflected the deepest desires of the heart, Lin Yuan slowly retracted his Spiritual Sense and opened his eyes.

The corners of his mouth curved into a meaningful smile.

"This... this is clearly a 'Room Escape' game room, tailor-made for first-year students, filled with educational significance."

"Dumbledore... what exactly are you plotting?"

This discovery was more intriguing to Lin Yuan than the Philosopher's Stone itself.

He lingered no longer, turning and leaving the room as silently as he had arrived, restoring the door lock to its original state as he went.

When he returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron were excitedly recounting to a group of older students how they had "bravely" defeated a twelve-foot giant and "incidentally" saved Hermione.

Hermione stood nearby, looking a little embarrassed, but for the first time, her gaze towards the two held a warmth called "friendship."

The Golden Trio was officially formed tonight.

Lin Yuan calmly observed it all, then found a corner to sit down, picked up a copy of Advanced Runes Explained, and continued his "cultivation."

It was as if his top-secret reconnaissance mission into the lion's den earlier was merely a casual stroll after dinner.

The afternoon before the Quidditch match day, the sky over Hogwarts was as gloomy as an overturned ink bottle.

In the Headmaster's office, the atmosphere was even more oppressive than the weather outside.

The flames in the fireplace burned quietly, casting flickering light and shadow on the portraits of past headmasters lining the walls.

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his large desk, fingers steepled, his sapphire eyes, behind half-moon spectacles, calmly observing the dark figure standing opposite him.

Severus Snape.

"Sit down, Severus," Dumbledore's voice was as gentle as that of a kind elder.

Snape didn't move, only replying in his characteristic oily, cold tone, "No need, Headmaster. I have a pot of Shrinking Solution that requires my attention; it's at a crucial stage."

"Oh, really?" Dumbledore chuckled, a hint of knowing insight in his smile. "I thought all your energy recently had been devoted to researching that bottle of... 'glowing blue paint'."

Snape's body stiffened abruptly.

"I heard," Dumbledore continued unhurriedly, picking up a Fizzing Whizbee and popping it into his mouth, his voice becoming slightly muffled, "that our mysterious Mr. Lin has become a frequent visitor to the Restricted Section lately. And on the pass he holds, there is your flamboyant signature."

He raised his head, the blue eyes behind his spectacles finally sharpening.

"I'm curious, Severus. What kind of reason could lead you to issue a pass, for a Gryffindor, and merely a first-year at that, a pass that most seventh-year students themselves only dream of?"

Here it comes.

Snape's heart sank. He knew this day would come sooner or later.

His sallow face remained expressionless, but his hands, hidden beneath his voluminous sleeves, clenched involuntarily.