Chapter 68
Not all the exams went badly for Harry and Ron. Flying class, at least, was a triumph for Harry. He outscored both Gray and Hermione, executing several difficult aerial manoeuvres before landing perfectly to earn a solid ninety-five.
Ron didn't shine quite as brightly, but he performed respectably enough—thanks in large part to Hermione's relentless revision sessions.
If not for the crushing pressure of Snape's glare during Potions, they might have managed better there too.
In the remaining exams, Gray kept a low profile in Flying—settling for a respectable eighty—while achieving full marks or near-full marks in everything else.
Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and Herbology were all written papers, and written exams were where Gray excelled. It felt almost like slipping back into his previous life.
Once the exams were over, the castle atmosphere lightened considerably. This brief stretch of time—free from lessons and revision—was the happiest part of the year for most students. Even the summer holidays ahead wouldn't quite match the carefree joy of these days spent with friends.
Gray, however, slipped away from the trio and headed alone toward the fourth floor.
He had one final test to complete.
Curiosity about the Philosopher's Stone drove him most of all. He wanted to see what the legendary object actually looked like, and—more importantly—to examine its magical pathways through his magical perception.
If he could somehow decipher the transmutation circuit that turned base metal into gold, so much the better. He could certainly use the money.
Gray reached the corridor on the fourth floor and stopped before the forbidden door. He drew his wand and pointed it at the lock.
A Locking Charm—Colloportus, most likely cast by Dumbledore—secured the door. The spiral magical circuit wasn't particularly complex or extensive; even a first-year could unravel it with the right counter-spell.
Gray pressed the tip of his wand to the lock and shaped his magic into a reverse spiral.
The mechanism clicked. The door swung open.
Gray stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was a monstrous three-headed dog, each massive head glaring with ferocious intensity.
Fluffy—Hagrid's pet, the three-headed hound said to hail from the underworld, though in truth it was an Indian magical beast.
At the moment, all three heads were staring in confusion at the suddenly open door.
They sniffed the air in unison, eyes sweeping the room, searching for the intruder.
They found nothing.
Even as the heads passed directly over Gray—several times—they detected no trace of him.
It was as though their eyes had gone blind and their noses had stopped working.
Gray watched Fluffy with faint amusement. A soft silver glow emanated from his wand, enveloping his entire body and erasing his presence completely. His scent, his aura—everything blended seamlessly into the surroundings.
The Presence-Erasing Charm.
A spell he had learned from the unicorn, now finally at a beginner's level after a month of practice. It wasn't yet at full power, but it was more than enough to fool a three-headed dog.
After all, Fluffy wasn't known for its intelligence.
In the creature's perception, Gray was there—visible, scentable—but the charm made his existence feel natural and unremarkable, like the floorboards or the bricks in the wall. Something that belonged. Something to be ignored instinctively.
This was the fundamental difference between the Presence-Erasing Charm and a Disillusionment Charm or Invisibility Cloak: it didn't prevent discovery. It simply ensured that, once discovered, the observer dismissed it as unimportant—just as no one questions a single blade of grass on a lawn or an oddly shaped leaf in a forest.
Gray activated his magical perception and studied Fluffy's three heads.
Each head possessed a distinct magical circuit. The central one was the most orderly and balanced. The left bristled with sharp, protruding spikes of magic. The right curved inward like a devouring void.
Fascinating.
Gray stepped forward, walking straight up to the beast.
By now Fluffy had given up the search, deciding the door must have blown open in a draught and that no intruder existed.
Gray stood directly in front of the drooling central maw and held up his hand for scale.
One bite would probably swallow him whole.
Looking at it now, whatever injury Snape had sustained during his earlier attempt must have been little more than a nip. Anything harder and Snape might have lost everything below the waist.
Beyond Fluffy lay the trapdoor.
Gray moved past the dog and pulled it open.
The noise made Fluffy turn all three heads, but after sniffing once more and detecting nothing out of place, the beast lost interest and looked away.
Gray peered into the pitch-black drop below. The darkness seemed bottomless, stirring an instinctive fear.
He snapped the fingers of his left hand. A small orb of light appeared and drifted downward, illuminating the shaft around him.
With a gentle flick of his wand, he released the Presence-Erasing Charm, then cast Wingardium Leviosa—on himself.
His body rose gently into the air. Under his precise control, he floated downward into the opening.
Fluffy's heads snapped back at the sudden reappearance of scent and presence, but by then Gray had already descended far enough to pull the trapdoor shut behind him.
The passage was dark, cold, and damp—a stark contrast to the blazing summer outside. His Lumos charm lit only a small circle around him. The walls were smooth stone, clearly dug and then carefully finished.
The descent took over ten minutes of slow floating before he reached the bottom. The light finally revealed the floor below.
Thick, writhing vines covered every inch of the ground and walls, leaving only a narrow gap in the centre.
Devil's Snare.
Gray recognised it at once. The vines seemed to sense his presence; countless tendrils snaked toward him, eager to wrap and strangle.
He let the Levitation Charm drop, landing lightly on the ground. Tendrils immediately began crawling toward his ankles.
Gray remained calm. With a small shake of his wand, he sent a jet of red flame from the tip.
Under his control, the fire stretched and coiled into a thin, whip-like rope that circled his body, forming a protective ring—like a serpent of flame.
The Devil's Snare recoiled at the heat. Tendrils twisted, jerked, and retreated, clearing a path through the mass of vines.
Gray walked forward unhurriedly. Only once he had passed through did he extinguish the flames.
After weeks of practice, he could now shape Incendio to a basic degree—far from Flame Bella's mastery or Laval's solid fire limb, but progress nonetheless.
He wasn't in a hurry, as he had plenty of time.
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