The Sphinx sat on its hind legs, waiting for Su Er's answer.
"All right." Su Er nodded. "Could you tell me the riddle, then?"
"Of course." The Sphinx blinked. "Listen carefully."
"First, think of an animal with only one foot."
"It likes to sing and dances every day."
"Then think of an animal that can also play musical instruments."
"Put them together. Who is it?"
"And what country is it a symbol of?"
"Is that two questions?" Su Er blinked.
"No, it's one question." The Sphinx smiled faintly and shook its head.
Su Er rubbed his chin. It had only one foot, liked singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, and was also the symbol of a country...
Hmm...
Wasn't that just-
"An Irish leprechaun," Su Er replied.
"Correct." The Sphinx smiled warmly, rose, straightened its front legs, and stepped aside.
"Thank you." Su Er thanked it politely and strode past it, not at all worried that it might suddenly attack.
How to put it? Sphinxes were among the few highly intelligent fantastic beasts. If you ignored their bodies, there was nothing wrong with treating them as humans.
There was a fork ahead. Su Er immediately used the Orientation Charm and followed its directions down the right-hand path. He ran along it and suddenly saw light.
Su Er abruptly stopped. Not far away, a figure lay motionless on the ground, face down. The fluctuating light made it impossible to tell who it was.
It couldn't be Harry, could it?
Su Er approached with some apprehension. Once he was close enough to make out the wizard robes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't Harry, but Krum. Someone had hit Krum with a spell. His position clearly showed that he had been attacked while running and fallen face down.
It made