Pushing Through

The three-headed dog Fluffy was very obedient, not fierce at all. Really.

His master, Hagrid, had chained him inside the trapdoor and told him to bite any adults he saw—but not to death. If he saw children, he could only scare them, not actually bite.

Whatever you say. You were the boss, after all.

Besides, the last guy who came in had greasy black hair. Fluffy had not even wanted to open his mouths.

Kano smiled and patted the dog on the head. After patting all three heads in turn, Fluffy told him that a big-headed person had just gone through.

"That wasn't a big head. His head was wrapped in a turban."

Fluffy's three heads shook together, indicating that he simply could not understand.

Kano walked behind Fluffy, lifted the trapdoor, waved to him, and jumped down.

He waved his wand in midair, and a gentle breeze spiraled around him, carrying him slowly downward.

Below was a dense layer of Devil's Snare, forming the second line of defense. It was clearly Professor Sprout's work.

"Lumos."

Devil's Snare was naturally afraid of light. Light shone from Kano's wand tip, making the plants retreat one after another.

Landing safely on the ground, Kano strode forward.

After passing through a dark, damp stone corridor, Kano entered a stone chamber.

A bright light source hung from the ceiling of the chamber. Winged keys drifted slowly beneath it, while several battered flying brooms lay on the ground.

To clear this level, one had to fly into the air, chase down the right key, and use it to unlock the door ahead.

It had been made entirely for Harry.

Kano grumbled inwardly, mounted a battered broom, kicked off with both legs, and flew into the air.

The keys in the sky suddenly accelerated, spinning beneath the light and forming a glittering vortex.

Kano observed them carefully for a while. One key flew a little slower than the others, its feathers all disheveled, as though someone had just grabbed it.

A slender, tender vine grew from Kano's robe and tied itself into a loop. Kano seized the moment and swung the loop like a cowboy, lassoing the key.

How boring. Wasn't there a speedrun for this game?

Kano grumbled inwardly as he used the key to open the door before him.

A massive Wizard Chess board appeared before him. It looked like it had been arranged jointly by McGonagall and Flitwick.

The board held full sets of chess pieces taller than a person. Only by commanding one's side to victory could one pass through.

Under normal circumstances, anyway...

Kano did not know how to play chess, nor did he feel like destroying the board. He simply concealed his presence and strolled right across it.

When Kano concealed his presence, he had less presence than a tree. Even the sounds of his breathing and heartbeat became as faint as the wind.

This chessboard could not stop Quirrell, and it could not stop him either.

Come to think of it, judging by the timeline, would the Japanese magical community develop a wizarding version of Yu-Gi-Oh in a few years?

Would this world have dragon-cancer players who screamed themselves hoarse, or starfish-haired people who obviously looked good at card games?

Lost in wild thoughts, Kano opened the door on the other side of the Wizard Chess room.

A foul stench hit him in the face. The troll was sitting on the ground, rubbing its head and holding a club.

Upon seeing Kano, the troll muttered something under its breath, then took huge strides toward him.

"So smelly." Kano first cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself. The spell maintained a bubble around the head, providing a supply of clean oxygen.

It could also be used to breathe underwater, but casting it underwater was more difficult, and Kano could not manage that yet.

The troll's club came crashing toward Kano with a gust of foul wind. Kano dodged lightly.

"There's still a tough fight ahead. Then let's do this."

Kano muttered to himself as he made up his mind. He held out a hand and took out a seed, placing it in his palm.

He tapped the seed with his wand and murmured an incantation. As he chanted, the seed rapidly grew into a vine as thick as an adult's waist.

The vine grew wildly, crawling up the troll's legs and over its body. It passed beneath the troll's armpits and around its neck, firmly restraining its movements.

The troll spat bursts of foul breath, its muscles tensing tightly, but the vine drawing energy from Kano's body did not budge, continuing to bind it tightly.

"Quiet for a while." Kano frowned at the dim-witted troll and made a gesture.

The vine tied a knot around the troll's neck and rapidly tightened. No matter how strong the troll's vitality was, it still needed to breathe. Before long, after one final convulsion, it stopped moving and was strangled unconscious.

Kano stepped around the troll lying sprawled on the ground and entered the final challenge.

Magical flames suddenly sealed off both the path forward and the way back. Whoever came here had to solve a logic puzzle and drink the correct bottle from a row of potions before they could pass through the flames and reach the end.

According to the warning, drinking the wrong one would result in death by poison. This was clearly a mechanism set up by Snape.

Kano read through the riddle once, then drank one of the potions without hesitation. As the potion entered his mouth, the flames before him seemed to turn into icy flowing water, and Kano walked straight into the final chamber.

At that moment, Harry and the others had also reached the trapdoor beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Meanwhile, Quirrell—the person Voldemort had truly tasked with stealing the Philosopher's Stone—was consumed by impotent rage.

"How could it not be here? The Philosopher's Stone must be here!" Quirrell ran frantically around the final chamber, repeatedly waving his wand as though trying to find the Philosopher's Stone.

"Idiot, the Philosopher's Stone is inside that mirror!" a muffled voice came from beneath the turban. Quirrell shuddered and looked toward the Mirror of Erised standing quietly in the middle of the room.

"Diffindo!"

Quirrell cast a spell, but the mirror did not react at all.

"Idiot! It's a powerful magical artifact, and if you break it and lose the Philosopher's Stone, do you know what the consequences will be?"

"I know, Master, I know."

Quirrell agreed repeatedly, drenched in sweat.

He walked to the front of the Mirror of Erised and looked inside.

In the mirror, Quirrell wore magnificent robes and sat upon a lofty throne.

Countless figures with their faces concealed knelt at his feet, submitting to him.

And kneeling by his feet, kissing the hem of his gold-trimmed robes, was the Dark...

"I can see it all, Quirrell."

The voice beneath the turban seemed much calmer, but this time Quirrell could no longer remain standing. He collapsed to the floor and kept begging his master for mercy.

"Lord Dark Lord, I... The things in this mirror are all fake! I'm your most loyal servant!"

"Hehe, I know, Quirrell. I know everything." The voice softened. "You want status? You want wealth? As long as you get me the Philosopher's Stone, all of that will be yours by right."

"Get up, Quirrell."

"Do whatever it takes to get it!"

Steady footsteps sounded from the corridor behind them. Quirrell rose to his feet and looked in that direction.

Kano appeared in the final chamber.

"Quirrell, you and your master really are birds of a feather." Kano raised his wand. "Should I say, 'Surrender and you won't be harmed'?"