Herman shifted his gaze from the teeth marks on his hand to the wooden door that had been closed again, staring intently at the thin crack on the door surface, his mind starting to replay the plot of the original story.
Behind that door is Cerberus, behind Cerberus is a bunch of traps, behind the traps is the Philosopher's Stone, and once you reach the Philosopher's Stone, the final boss should spawn, most likely Voldemort.
He knew all of this, but what he was unsure about was how much the script of this world still matched the original work. He was also torn about whether to give the answer directly, as it might not be accurate and he couldn't explain the source.
As he was pondering this, he suddenly noticed that Harry and Draco were both looking at him, clearly waiting for him to make a decision.
Herman snapped out of his thoughts, considered it carefully for a moment, and then said, "How about we blow it up? I know where to buy TNT, you know, explosives. Explosives should be allowed at the school, right? After all, many spells themselves have explosive effects."
After listening, Harry paused for two seconds, then said expressionlessly, "Get lost."
She paused, then added, "What a terrible idea! We're here to investigate secretly. Are you afraid of not being discovered by the professors?"
Herman looked at her suspiciously. "You're afraid of that? The commotion just now was almost enough to unleash the dogs."
Draco spoke again, her tone carrying a strange confidence, repeating her previous suggestion. "I think we should go back and prepare first, get some good food, and build a good relationship with it."
Herman nodded. "Yes, how about we try some chocolate?"
Draco frowned. "Chocolate? Do dogs like chocolate?"
Harry rolled her eyes at Herman: "He was trying to poison the dog. Dogs can't eat chocolate, but this dog is Magical Creatures, and if it dies from eating chocolate, it'll be from overeating."
She paused here, as if suddenly realizing something, "But this idea does make sense, using poison. We have Potions Class tomorrow, so we can make some poison."
Herman paused for a moment. "Hey, I didn't say anything, did I? Why are you using poison?"
Harry looked at him. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Herman insisted, "I'd better go get some TNT, that's more exciting."
Harry's tone carried a hint of helplessness. "We're not robbers, can't we think of a normal way?"
Draco then turned her gaze to the short sword in Herman's hand and earnestly suggested, "Why don't you try the sword? The shield works well, maybe the sword will work too."
Herman looked down at the miniature short sword in his hand, then at the equally miniature shield on his left arm, and then, imagining the size of the three heads of the three-headed dog, earnestly asked:
"Darling, are you worried that after it finishes eating my two ounces of meat, either bones will get stuck in its teeth or the shield will get stuck in its teeth, so you can use the short sword as a toothpick to pick its teeth?"
Draco was speechless after hearing his words; she opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
Herman turned to Harry, his expression turning serious. "I think Potions are more reliable. Let's ask Professor Snape tomorrow if he has any sleeping potions."
"Drugs?" Harry repeated the word with emphasis, her eyes carrying a meaningful look.
Herman immediately corrected, "I meant a drug to put animals to sleep."
Harry nodded, as if accepting his explanation.
Then she glanced at Draco, then at Herman, and suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Actually Draco is right. High magic resistance might mean lower physical resistance. To have both high magic resistance, you'd probably need something like a fire dragon with scales. You could try that."
Before Herman could even process what "go try" meant, Harry had already turned around, pushed open the wooden door, and given him a light shove on the back.
Herman staggered across the threshold, but before he could regain his footing, the wooden door behind him slammed shut with a dull thud.
He stood inside the doorway, still holding his short sword and shield. When he looked up, he met six yellow eyes that had regained their light.
The three-headed dog, which had already gone back to lie down in the corner, stood up again the moment it heard the door open.
All three heads turned toward Herman, a low, impatient growl rumbling from their throats, and they scratched the ground with their paws, kicking up dust.
The expression clearly said, "Again? Is this never going to end?" Then, without giving Herman any time to explain, and probably wouldn't have understood anyway, it lowered its three heads at the same time, and its whole body pounced on him like a moving wall.
Herman didn't have time to turn and run. His body moved faster than his brain, raising the shield on his left arm. The moment magic surged into the shield, it seemed to sense the threat from the enormous creature opposite him. Its patterns suddenly lit up, the light even stronger and more dazzling than when he saved Harry. A larger and thicker shield of light unfolded in front of Herman, like a semi-transparent golden wall.
The three-headed dog's massive body slammed into the light shield with a dull thud. Herman's feet slid half a foot off the ground, leaving two white marks on the dusty stone surface with the soles of his shoes, but the light shield held firm.
The enormous creature's breath, carrying a foul stench, assaulted his face, its three mouths less than two feet away. In that life-or-death moment, Herman felt as if a string in his mind snapped, or as if a door had opened.
The feeling was similar to when he faced those black thugs in the Cokeworth alley; a magic surged from the depths of his body, no longer the methodical control he displayed in the classroom, but something more primal and instinctive.
Before he could think, the short sword in his right hand had already left his grasp and hovered steadily in mid-air.
Herman paused for a moment, then realized what he was doing. He was manipulating objects in a way that resembled "superpowers," and now he could clearly feel magic flowing out of his body along a certain trajectory, wrapping around the hilt of the sword.
The path of that magical flow was very similar to the Levitation Charm he had learned in his Charms yesterday, but not exactly the same. It was more like the underlying structure of the Levitation Charm had been disassembled and reassembled into a mode more suitable for real-time control.
He didn't have time to think about the underlying principles; he simply followed the feeling and used the Levitation Charm spell's trajectory to refine his unorthodox method. The short sword hovered in front of him, spun around, and then the tip adjusted its direction, flying straight towards the three-headed dog's neck.
It was much faster, more stable, and more precise than when he was manipulating playing cards. Herman could even feel that he could adjust its angle and speed at any time, and even draw an arc in the air and circle back like a pilot.
The hissing sound of the sword tip slicing through the air reached my ears; the short sword pierced the side of the neck of the middle head of the three-headed dog.
But the sword was too small, only half an arm's length long. Even if it went all the way in, it would be like being pricked with a toothpick by the three-headed dog, and then it would be firmly stuck by the thick muscles, unable to penetrate any deeper.
The effect was remarkable; although not fatal, it was extremely insulting.