Chapter 85 Simple Logical Reasoning Questions
"You are checkmated!"
As he finished speaking, the White King released the longsword in his hand, and the remaining white pieces retreated, silently declaring the outcome of the game.
"We won?" Ron asked in surprise, still seeming to disbelieve it.
"We won, but it's not over yet." Aaron looked at the door guarded by the white chess pieces. "The next challenges will definitely not be easier than the previous ones, and we'll have to face a big boss."
"Ron, can you manage by yourself?" Harry asked with some concern.
"Hmm... I can."
"Then we'll have to trouble you to wait for us here. You shouldn't participate in the remaining challenges."
"What? But I've come all this way." Ron stood up, a bit indignant, but as soon as he took a step with his right foot, he stumbled and almost lost his balance.
"You stay here!" Hermione said. "We can't carry you, can we?
If we encounter any more dangerous traps, we won't be able to look after you in your current state."
"You wouldn't want to drag us down, would you!" Aaronadded bluntly, twisting the knife.
Ron opened his mouth, remained silent for a while, then reluctantly lay back down.
Lying flat, but not giving up; he was simply powerless.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he was indeed a burden to the team right now, a so-called drag.
Normally, it wouldn't matter; dragging behind would at most deduct a few points, but at this moment, it would clearly put the others in greater danger.
"A wise decision."
Aaron chuckled and then walked towards the next challenge.
Hermione and Harry gave Ron an apologetic look and followed Aaron through the next door.
As they pushed open the door, a foul stench assailed them.
The three saw a familiar magical creature: a Troll.
However, this Troll was a bit more pathetic than the one they had seen on Halloween eve.
It lay motionless on the floor, with a large bump on its head.
"Great, it seems we don't have to fight a Troll," Harry said.
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Actually, you could also think that the first person who came in was very powerful, defeating a Troll with ease."
Harry's expression froze, but after a moment's thought, he felt this was natural. If someone was mediocre, how could they have the courage to steal things from Hogwarts?
"Let's get out of here first!" Hermione said, covering her nose and mouth. "If we stay any longer, we'll suffocate."
The three immediately bypassed the Troll and pushed open the next door.
There was no magic here, only a table and seven oddly shaped bottles.
"This challenge must have been designed by Professor Snape," Aaron mused. "It's not about brewing a Potion, is it! If it is, I suggest we turn back immediately.
Because that would take a lot of time, and by the time the Potion is ready, You-Know-Who would have already succeeded."
Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Suddenly, purple flames blocked the doorway, and black flames also shot up from the next door.
"Brilliant!" Aaron's eye twitched. "As expected of Professor Snape, he really leaves no room for retreat!"
"Now we have no choice but to go forward." Hermioneshrugged, then walked to the table, picked up a piece of parchment, and read it aloud:
Danger lies before you, safety behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One will take you forward, one will send you back home,
Two are nettle wine, three are killers, waiting in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forever.
We also provide four clues to help you choose:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide,
It is always found to the nettle wine's left side;
Second, the bottles at either end are different in content,
If you wish to proceed, they will not be of use to you;
Third, you will find that the bottles are of different sizes,
Neither Giant nor Dwarf contains the Reaper;
Fourth, the second from the left and the second from the right,
Though different in appearance, are the same in taste.
After Hermione finished reading, her eyes glowed with confidence. "This isn't magic, it's logical deduction.
It's brilliant, truly worthy of Professor Snape. A Wizard who can't deduce would probably be trapped here forever."
"Don't get too excited yet; I don't want us to be trapped here."
"What are you thinking? This kind of logic puzzle can be solved in less than half a minute.
If it were brewing a Potion, there might be some labor reward, but this... is really a bit speechless."
"Half a minute?" Hermione froze for a moment, then turned to look at the seven bottles. "You're not kidding, are you? It would take me at least one or two minutes to figure it out."
Harry stood silently to the side, trying to minimize his presence.
Was he the only one who found this challenge impossibly difficult? Or was there really such a big difference between the world of a top student and a struggling one?
"It's not difficult at all; the most important thing for these kinds of problems is to analyze them step by step." Aaronwalked to the table, took a quick sniff, and then pointed to the second bottle from the left and the second bottle from the right.
"They smell the same. Professor Snape is really rich!
This kind of nettle wine is rare on the market; it must be at least twenty years old.
The first one on the left is poison, and as for the second, the three poisons are mixed among the third, fourth, and fifth bottles.
The one on the far right is not poison, not nettle wine, but it won't help us go forward, so it must be the one that sends us back.
And it's a large bottle, so that's the Giant. The smallest bottle in the middle is the Dwarf, which can help us move forward." Aaron finished and spread his hands. "Less than twenty seconds, how simple!"
Harry and Ron stared at him, dumbfounded and speechless with surprise.
"You definitely want the bottle that can get you through the black flames, right, Harry?"
"Yes!" Harry nodded solemnly.
"Very good." Aaron then looked at Hermione, handing her the large bottle. "Drink it, get out, and go back the way you came."
"But what about you two?"
"I'll go!" Harry said. "This small bottle is only one sip, maybe not even one, so it should only be enough for one person to pass.
Aaron, you and Hermione go back together, then go send a message to Dumbledore, asking him to come save us.
This matter originally had little to do with you two. I'll try my best to stall Snape, but I might not be able to for too long."
"Idiot!" Aaron said disdainfully. "I only agree to Hermionegoing back; I completely disagree with the rest."
"Why?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"First, the person inside is definitely not Professor Snape. I've said it countless times, but you always insist on being prejudiced.
Second, if you send a message to Dumbledore now, by the time he gets back, he'll probably only be able to collect your corpse.
Most importantly, everything you thought of, I thought of, and everything you didn't think of, I also thought of." Aaronsaid, seeing Harry's eyes grow more confused, and sighed helplessly. "Forget it, it's no use explaining it to you.
You just need to understand one thing: I have my reasons for preventing You-Know-Who from resurrecting, it's not unrelated to me."
"Was it that time in the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked tentatively.
After all, back in the Forbidden Forest, the Black-robed Manwas very interested in Aaron, willing to give up the Unicorn's blood to capture him; describing it as relentless pursuit might not even be enough.
If Hagrid hadn't arrived in time, the consequences could have been very serious.
"Forbidden Forest?" Several question marks flashed above Aaron's head. "Yes, that time.
It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. If I don't get my revenge, I'll feel choked up inside."
"But..." Harry swallowed. "How do you plan to stop him?
If it's not Snape inside, then it can only be You-Know-Who.
I have this scar on my head, so maybe I can turn bad luck into good fortune.
What about you?"
"Don't worry about that, he wouldn't dare kill me."
Hermione nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "That's true."
"Alright, even so, he could still capture you."
"He won't get the chance." Aaron said meaningfully. "In short, unlike you, I never do things without certainty, nor do I do things without thinking."
Harry:...Why does that sound so off?
"There's still one problem: this small bottle only has enough for one person to drink, and there are two of us."
"Hmph!" Aaron pouted, picked up the nettle wine from the table, and poured the small amount of liquid from the small bottle into it. "Now, let alone two people, there's enough for three."
"Then am I..."
"Don't speak yet!" Hermione hadn't finished speaking when Aaron interrupted her. "Drinking the other Potion and leaving here is what you should do."
"No, I don't agree."
"It's not up to you to agree or not." Aaron said, taking out his wand. "I won't lay a hand on a girl, but this is for your own good. You'll understand once you're outside."
"You..." Hermione's lips trembled. "Are you really not going to let me?"
"No, don't even think about it. This is non-negotiable."
Hermione sighed softly, glared at Aaron with reddened eyes, and then picked up the plump bottle and took a big gulp.