The Lazy Professor

Kyle took out his wand and held it under the Trapdoor.

"Wand-Lighting Charm!"

In a blinding white light, Kyle could vaguely make out a clump of green vines curled up directly beneath the Trapdoor.

"It really is the Devil's Snare."

Kyle put away his wand and summoned Fluffy.

"You stay here and guard the place. If Dumbledore with his men later, just shout for me."

"Waaah..."

Having just finished eating jerky Fluffy obediently nodded his head.

Kyle patted its big head and then jumped off the Trapdoor.

"Thump..."

The soft, Devil's Snare, like a hammock, caught Kyle steadily.

Feeling the soft, snake-like tendrils on his body, Kyle didn't struggle at all and just lay there quietly.

Three seconds later, the tendrils loosened, and Kyle touched the ground. He rolled over and stood up, looking at the Devil's Snare in front of him with a strange expression.

I really don't know what Professor Sprout was thinking, choosing this thing as a level. You could pick any plant from Greenhouse Three with your eyes closed and it would be better.

The Devil's Snare sounds intimidating, but its weaknesses are too obvious: it is afraid of light and fire, and a simple Wand-Lighting Charm can render it ineffective.

I don't know what Professor Sprout was thinking. It's a level meant to stop others from moving forward, but he put a Devil's Snare as a cushion. What a waste!

Kyle looked around, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"Whose Devil's Snare is this?"

The surroundings were completely silent, with only a few intermittent echoes.

Whose Devil's Snare...?

Devil's Snare...

net...

Hearing the noise, Fluffy curiously poked his head out and glanced down.

"This is none of your business, go back!"

Fluffy whimpered and sullenly shrank back.

Kyle cleared his throat and continued shouting:

"Ahem... Whose Devil's Snare? If nobody wants it, I'll take it!"

Still, no one answered.

Kyle nodded after completing the formalities, took a box out of his leather bag, unfolded it, and placed it on the ground.

A dozen seconds later, he stuffed the entire Devil's Snare, pot and all, into the box.

After doing all this, Kyle clapped his hands, picked up the box, and headed to the next level.

Following a stone corridor, Kyle arrived at a brightly lit room.

The room was empty, with nothing inside, and further ahead was a heavy wooden door.

Kyle pulled the handle, and the door opened with a click.

"..."

Well... Professor Fowley must have been slacking off.

Looking at the dark room in front of him, Kyle hesitated, wondering whether he should continue walking forward.

Judging from the current situation, it's not hard to guess that, apart from Fluffy and Devil's Snare, the other levels are probably not finished yet.

If we just go back now, wouldn't this trip have been a waste?

"Well, we're already here, let's see what happens."

Kyle shook his head and took a step forward.

The moment he stepped inside, the previously dark room was instantly illuminated.

Looking at the chessboard beneath his feet and the pieces around him that were taller than him, Kyle's mood immediately improved.

It has to be Professor McGonagall; her initiative is far superior to Professor Flitwick's. Otherwise, how could she have become the vice principal?

The only way to move forward is to win the game.

To be honest, Kyle was quite nervous.

He doesn't play Wizard's Chess much. Usually, he only plays a couple of games with Fred or George to pass the time. It's fine for casual fun, but he's not up to par with real masters.

Kyle casually walked up to a black castle, reached out and touched the black stone chess piece, preparing to take its place.

"Give it a try, or we can always turn back the way we came."

He waited for five minutes, but the chess piece didn't move at all.

Kyle walked up to the knight with some confusion... and it was the same for him.

The following bishops... pawns... kings... all followed the same pattern.

He walked around in a circle until he reached the exit, but the chess pieces still didn't react.

Clearly, these were all just for show; Professor McGonagall also failed to complete her challenge.

The same thing happened after that; all the rooms were empty.

Kyle had no choice but to turn back and leave disappointed.

It seems he did arrive early.

Perhaps in Dumbledore's and the professors' view, one Fluffy was enough to drive away all the intruders, and there was no need to rush to complete those levels.

After leaving the fourth floor, Kyle went to the underground classrooms before returning to Hufflepuff's common room.

"Thank God, you're finally back."

Cedric had been in the lounge the whole time. Seeing Kyle enter, he immediately came over and asked curiously, "Where did you go?"

"The fourth floor," Kyle said. "Didn't we go together?"

"I'm asking where you went after we ran back from the fourth floor."

"I didn't run away..." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I saw Fluffy at Hagrid's place last year... Oh, right, Fluffy is the name of Three-headed Dog from that day."

Kyle sat down in a chair and placed a jug of Pumpkin Juice and a few cookies that he had just brought from the kitchen on the table in front of him.

Even in the dead of night, there seemed to be just as House-elf in the kitchen as during the day. When Kyle went in earlier, they had even turned on the stove, preparing to cook a sumptuous feast.

However, that would take too much time, and Kyle only wanted to have a quick bite, so he declined.

At this moment, Cedric, just realizing what was happening, said incredulously, "Wait... you just said you knew that Three-headed Dog?"

"Yes, we met last year," Kyle said. "It's not even two years old yet, still a baby."

"But... why didn't you tell us just now?"

"I already told you," Kyle shrugged. "But you guys ran too fast; you were gone in the blink of an eye."

Cedric's face suddenly turned slightly red.

When he saw the Three-headed Dog, his mind went blank, and his first reaction was to run away. He didn't care what others were saying.

Kyle pushed the plate of cookies toward Cedric.

"Want a cookie? It's cheese-filled, and it tastes pretty good."

"OK, thanks."

Cedric also felt a little hungry, so he took a piece and put it in his mouth.

"Have you been on the fourth floor the whole time?"

"Yes." Kyle nodded.

Cedric took another cookie and asked curiously, "Did you notice the Trapdoor under the Three-headed Dog?"

"I saw it, but unfortunately..." Kyle sighed. "We probably arrived too early; the professors haven't had time to set it up yet. There are just a few empty rooms there now."