As he passed through a pile of ruins, his gaze was drawn to a magic circle emitting a faint glow.
In the center of the magic circle, a black, glowing cloak floated silently in mid-air. Draco suddenly realized:
"So this is what Professor Fitzgerald meant when he said 'I need a cloak'!"
He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, making sure no skeletons were approaching for the time being. He quickly dispelled the Disillusionment Charm, stepped into the magic circle, and reached out to grab the floating cloak.
The cloak felt cool and light to the touch. He draped it over himself, and a strange sensation washed over him as soon as he put it on.
He looked down at himself—his body, along with the cloak he had just put on, had completely disappeared from his sight!
It's not the kind of disguise that blends into the background like the Disillusionment Charm, but rather an invisibility that "hides" its presence from this world.
He could even feel that the aura of "living" emanating from him was completely concealed by the cloak.
"I see... so this is how to 'evade the gaze of death'." Draco realized, but what's next? Wander aimlessly through this land of death while wearing Invisibility Cloak?
"Well done, child."
As if hearing his innermost thoughts, Professor Fitzgerald's voice rang out in his mind at just the right moment.
"You must use this cloak as cover to slip through Death's line of sight and enter the next activation circle."
Draco recalled seeing similar magic circles along the way and quickly arrived at a faintly glowing magic circle in front of a withered tree.
The moment you step in, the world recedes back into pure white space.
"This time, you'll need to master the power of your wand," Fitzgerald's voice fell calmly once more.
As she spoke, the magic circle beneath her feet projected a black phantom into the empty space.
Under this extreme black and white contrast,
Draco could clearly see something radiating a dazzling light in the center of the magic circle.
It was a magic wand floating in the air, its shaft shimmering with ancient and powerful magical energy.
He approached, reached out and grasped the wand; a vast and ancient power instantly surged through his arm and into his body.
Draco's heart skipped a beat. Cloak, wand... why did this combination seem so familiar?
Before he could finish his thought, the blank space collapsed and reformed again, and a gloomy ancient castle rose from the ground.
In the sky, the familiar black mist rolled in once again.
Draco instinctively tried to cast the Disillusionment Charm again to conceal himself, but found that the black mist still landed precisely around him, instantly transforming into hideous skeletons.
"What happened? Has the invisibility stopped working?"
Draco suddenly realized,
"No, at this stage, ordinary invisibility spells are useless. This is what Professor Fitzgerald meant by 'using the power of the wand'—only brute force can overcome skill!"
Since we can't hide, let's face it head-on!
Draco gripped his Elder Wand tightly, flicked his wrist, and unleashed a powerful Ancient Magic shockwave that instantly shattered five skeleton soldiers before charging into the castle.
Upon entering the castle,
Three enormous skeleton guards came into view, each leading a vicious hound formed from black mist.
These strange dogs had only red glowing eyes; the rest of their bodies were shrouded in drifting mist. They growled at Draco, as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Draco remained unfazed, his wand tracing complex paths through the air as he unleashed several powerful shockwaves.
In a flash of light, the skeleton guards disintegrated, and the black mist hounds vanished without a trace under the impact of the spell.
After clearing the obstacles, Draco continued deeper into the castle, climbing onto a towering platform.
The moment he regained his footing, that familiar oppressive feeling descended once more, and the enormous Death Skull reappeared, looking down at Draco from its towering height.
With a single swipe of its massive skeletal claw, the ground cracked open with a deafening roar.
A giant black mist Troll wielding a black club and a large number of skeleton soldiers burst from the ground, while the giant Grim Reaper stood silently outside the castle, coldly observing the battle.
Draco used precise shockwaves and agile Apparition to eliminate the Troll and skeleton soldiers.
As the last skeleton crumbled into pieces, the Death Skull high above vanished into black mist once more.
At this moment, a new magic circle lit up in the center of the platform.
Draco went inside.
I returned to that pure, blank world once again.
This time, a rough gray stone floated in the center of the magic circle. Draco leaned closer to examine it and saw a unique symbol engraved on the stone's surface: a straight line running through a circle, which was in turn enclosed within a triangle.
"A line, a circle, a triangle..." Draco stared at the symbol, his suspicions confirmed.
"Isn't this the Resurrection Stone? The Invisibility Cloak, the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone... all three Deathly Hallows are gathered together!"
No wonder it felt so familiar.
"The Death Skull, the Deathly Hallows... What is the purpose of letting me experience these three legendary artifacts one by one?"
Draco stood in the blank world, frowning, pondering to himself, "Is this a warning that even with the power to control life and death, I shouldn't become overly reliant on it?"
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing these profound philosophical thoughts. "Forget it, I can't be bothered to delve into it."
"Since it's a trial, I'll do as it's told." He picked up the floating Resurrection Stone, and as he touched its cool surface, the surrounding white space twisted again, pulling him into a new scene.
As the light faded, Draco found himself in an unfamiliar village. The atmosphere here was completely different from the terror he had experienced before; a heavy and sorrowful air filled the air.
The villagers, dressed in black, walked silently with their heads down, seemingly mourning the passing of an important figure.
Listening closely, one could vaguely hear the name " Professor Fitzgerald," suggesting that her funeral was taking place here.
The enormous skeleton of Death was crouching behind a small house, as if guiding him. Draco understood and walked straight towards the house, whereupon Death turned into black mist and vanished.
Draco drew near, the scene shifted once more.
The originally simple room disappeared, replaced by a magic circle emitting a ghostly blue light.
In the center of the magic circle, a delicate coffin lay quietly, and Professor Fitzgerald lay peacefully inside.
Draco cautiously approached, and just then, that familiar voice rang in his mind:
"You've finally found me, Draco."
Fitzgerald slowly sat up in the coffin.
Draco was startled; had the zombie come back to life...?
"Don't be surprised, this isn't the real me, not even a ghost," Professor Fitzgerald said.
Her face remained kind, but her eyes held a timeless vicissitude. "Child, you must understand,"
She said softly in a helpless tone,
Even if you possess the power of the Resurrection Stone, you cannot truly change the past. The one speaking to you now is merely an image I left behind in the river of time.
She led Draco to the other end.