The Return to Hogwarts

Harry took a deep breath and made up his mind. No matter what, he couldn't stop here!

Ten feet is not an easy distance to leap, but for Harry, the youngest Seeker at Hogwarts in nearly a century, brimming with athleticism, it was no problem. He focused his gaze on the rotten piece of wood in the middle of the canal, pushing aside the algae.

"Professor Blaine placed this piece of wood here to help us cross the river—"

With that thought in mind, Harry took two steps back, took a deep breath, and then mustered all his strength to leap, landing heavily on the 'wood' in mid-air and easily crossing the canal.

Perhaps because of its proximity to the water, it was colder here than in the tunnels they had explored before. And for some reason, Harry had a feeling that danger was creeping closer. So, after reaching the other side of the canal, he didn't look back and continued walking forward without stopping, his figure quickly disappearing into the vicinity.

Tick, tick.

Moisture in the air liquefied into water droplets upon encountering the wall, which was as hot as ice. Droplets fell into the center of the canal, disturbing the 'wood' that Harry had been using as a stepping stone to float in the water. The ripples caused the 'wood' to drift to one side and soon touch the canal bank.

Unbeknownst to anyone, in the boundless darkness, a hand, the color of pure white marble, suddenly emerged from the water and gripped the solid ground.

The environment inside the maze is not static. In addition to the winding and twisting passageways, there are also some small rooms with semi-circular high domes, and it is unknown what their purpose is.

Based on his initial quick glance into the classroom and his vague recollection of the route and direction he had taken, Harry judged that he had probably reached the center of the maze, which made him slightly happy, because at least in terms of speed, he was slightly ahead of Malfoy!

Now, a straight passageway lay before him. Harry raised his wand so that the glow emanating from its tip could reach further, but nothing within thirty feet was new. Only a few steps away, a large hole appeared in the ceiling, the inside of which was also pitch black.

"Where exactly did Professor Blaine discover this place—"

Having come this far, Harry was fairly certain that Professor Blaine had recreated an area he had once visited; such a complex and realistically detailed maze could not be created solely through imagination.

Thinking of this, Harry pictured Professor Blaine's young and handsome face, and the ever-present smile that seemed undisturbed by any unexpected events. Harry, who thought he knew Professor Blaine a little, suddenly realized that he had never truly seen the real face behind his mysterious veil.

Compared to before, Harry, who had gradually adapted to the darkness and silence, walked much more lightly.

He was increasingly convinced that Professor Blaine had gone to great lengths to create this gloomy maze simply to test everyone's courage, and that his words in the corridor and the magical contract he had produced were merely meant to make them nervous.

Come to think of it, the Slytherin heirs have only managed to petrify Filch's cat, Colin, and Justin so far. But even that has put everyone from Headmaster Dumbledore down to the professors of every subject on edge. If they were to actually do what Professor Blaine was bluffing about, the young wizards might suffer injuries or even death, and I doubt anyone could withstand such severe consequences.

Once Harry understood this, the oppressive and desolate atmosphere around him became much more welcoming. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and a slight smile even appeared on his lips.

"The cunning Professor Blaine!"

Harry muttered something, remembering that Professor Blaine had given each group a ten-minute 'time limit'. If he didn't leave the maze before then, he and Malfoy would be judged as failures, and there was nothing to be proud of, even if he had a higher 'maze exploration' progress.

Harry's mind raced with thoughts like why there was no sign of Malfoy yet, or whether Snape might have broken the rules and secretly given Malfoy an easier way through the maze. Knowing Snape as he did, it wasn't impossible.

Thinking of this, Harry became a little impatient again. He rubbed his sore right shoulder, preparing to speed up and leave this place as soon as possible. But just before Harry took a step, a terrifying, sharp scream suddenly came from the darkness ahead, making Harry's face turn pale again!

Chapter 64 Infernal Corpse

boom!

The sudden roar caused Harry to slip and fall hard on his backside. However, he ignored his sore bottom and stared in terror at the churning darkness. There was no doubt that the scream had come from Malfoy, and it seemed to be quite close to him!

Malfoy is in danger; there really are dangerous dark creatures in this labyrinth!

In just a few seconds, Harry's undergarments were completely soaked with sweat. He shakily got up from the ground, and without thinking, instinct drove his body to run back the way he came.

But after running two steps, Harry stopped again, a conflicted look appearing on his pale, bloodless face.

The presence of dark creatures within the labyrinth proves that Professor Blaine was not deceiving them. Therefore, the 'casualties' mentioned in the magical contract...

In this school, Malfoy is the young wizard Harry hates the most. At the same time, Harry knows that he is probably the person Malfoy hates the most. They are natural enemies. If given the chance, they would not hesitate to expel each other from Hogwarts. There is no doubt about that.

However, this does not mean that Harry wants to see Malfoy die!

The thought of the word 'death' sent a shiver down Harry's spine again. Involuntarily, an image flashed before his eyes: a cold corpse lying in a dark passageway, its lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, its robes soaked in blood, and a furry monster with ferocious claws and sharp teeth crouching beside Malfoy's body, tearing open his belly and gleefully devouring the stench of flesh!

"Don't meddle, Harry. Malfoy won't thank you, and besides, Snape is watching from outside!"

Harry's lips turned pale as he tried to convince his conscience, but no matter what, the image that had just flashed through his mind was like a nail driven into his forehead, impossible to erase!

"Damn it, Malfoy, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

After a difficult decision, kindness ultimately triumphed over fear and disgust for Malfoy. Harry turned around once more and roared in the direction of the screams.

"Where are you, Malfoy? If you can still breathe, shout again!"

Harry listened intently, but there was no answer to his question. However, a series of hurried footsteps soon appeared from the other end of the passage and approached him at a very fast pace!

Harry staggered backward, his heart pounding in his chest as if it would leap out of his throat if he opened his mouth!

"Who's there?"

Harry shouted the question, but his question was immediately answered as Malfoy scrambled out of the darkness!

Harry swore he had never seen Malfoy so disheveled. The scathing look on his face was gone, replaced by snot and tears, and bloodstains on his hair and forehead, the same color as the bloodstains he had seen on the wall before entering the maze.

His robe was torn by something, leaving only half hanging down his shoulder. When he saw Harry appear in his field of vision, Malfoy's eyes burst with unprecedented joy!

It's truly a strange thing that Malfoy would be happy to see himself one day.

Harry thought this, but he also knew that this was not the time to let such ridiculous thoughts take hold of his mind.

"What happened to you?!"

From a distance of twenty feet, Harry began to ask questions, but Malfoy did not answer. He desperately tried to control his trembling body as he ran towards Harry, until he pounced on Harry and grabbed his arm tightly.

"There's a dead body, Potter! I... Phew, I saw a dead man!"

Malfoy's face was beyond pale; his eyes were unfocused as he spoke, as if fear had overwhelmed his defenses.

"The corpse was above my head. I was walking through the maze, wondering whether to turn around, when a drop of blood fell from the ceiling. A pair of white eyes. It was chasing me!"

Malfoy's words were contradictory, and Harry was certain that he had probably experienced something unimaginably terrifying, because he could feel that Malfoy had entrusted almost all of his body weight to him, and if it weren't for his support, he probably would have collapsed to the ground!

"Don't talk nonsense, Malfoy!"

Harry said sharply, but he noticed his voice was trembling.

"Brain taught me, Professor, that there are dark creatures here, but he didn't say whose corpse is hidden in the maze. Besides, corpses don't get up and chase you, right?"

“You don’t understand him at all, Potter!”

Like a final burst of energy before death, Malfoy stared at Harry's bewildered eyes, his cheeks flushed, and roared,

“You have no idea about Amosta Blaine, Potter. He’s a dark wizard, and I’ve seen how ruthless he can be in private!”

Those words seemed to have exhausted all of Malfoy's reason, and he became somewhat dazed again. He broke free from Harry's support and stumbled away in the direction Harry had come from, muttering words like 'escape' and 'leave' absentmindedly.

Harry's breathing quickened again, his heart filled with fear once more. He stared blankly as Malfoy disappeared from his sight, standing there, caught in a dilemma.

rustle--

Just then, an unusual dragging sound came from the direction Malfoy had come from, as if someone was dragging something forward with their feet firmly on the ground!

Gollum—

Harry swallowed hard, the tip of his glowing staff trembling as it pointed in the direction the sound came from. He felt every cell in his body trembling!

Should we stay here and test our skills against that dark creature, or turn around and leave now?

"Professor Blaine is unlikely to let us deal with monsters that are far beyond the capabilities of junior wizards, right? Now that we've come this far..."

Harry pressed his dry lips together, struggling to think with his remaining rationality. He tried to convince himself not to be a deserter and forced himself to keep his eyes wide open, staring in the direction from which the strange noise came. At the very least, he had to see clearly what was hidden in the maze. He couldn't just believe Malfoy's side of the story!

Waiting was the most agonizing thing; every second seemed to be slowed down by magic. Harry slowly moved to the wall, pressed his back against it, and quietly waited for the final moment when fear would descend.

Even though Harry had been telling himself ever since he stepped into the classroom that he might encounter something unprecedentedly terrifying, something even more frightening than Hagrid's dog, Fluffy, or Quirrell with his bandages removed, there was something in the maze. But when that creature emerged from the darkness, in an instant, Harry felt as if his entire respiratory system had been submerged in ice water. Every breath he took was icy cold, and at the same time, the defenses he had built up in his mind completely crumbled!

It was indeed a corpse; Malfoy hadn't lied!

It was a female corpse with tattered and worn clothes, sparse long hair growing on her festering scalp, and hazy eyes and skin that were as withered and white as her skin!

Harry recognized it the moment he saw it, because he had never seen anyone move with a dagger stuck in their heart!

Cluck cluck--

A strange sound came from Harry's mouth—the sound of his upper and lower teeth clattering together. For some reason, Harry began to admire Malfoy a little, because after encountering such a thing, Malfoy still had the strength to run away, which was indeed quite remarkable!

Run! That was the only thought in Harry's mind.

Why is it that a person who looks like they've been dead for a long time can still move? Where did Professor Blaine get this evil creature? And how to defeat a corpse sleeping in the embrace of death are not things to consider right now. The only thing that needs to be considered right now is to escape.

The wind whistling past his ears was enough to prove how fast Harry was running, but even so, he still felt it was too slow. Never before had Harry missed his flying broomstick so much!

"There's one over there, Potter!"

Just as Harry burst out of a small, tomb-like room, Malfoy suddenly appeared from around a corner, and the words that came out of Malfoy's mouth, who was already in a daze, threw Harry into complete panic!

Chapter 65 An Expected Failure

"You're lying, Malfoy!"

Harry tried to make his tone sound less like he was arguing, but the sound that came out was still almost a roar.

“I just came from there, Malfoy. There’s nothing there except a canal. You’re just trying to scare me!”

Normally, Malfoy, treated this way by Potter, might have already drawn his wand in retaliation. But now, he felt no displeasure at being offended; only desperate sobs.

"I saw a corpse with chains crawling out of the water."

After saying this, Malfoy collapsed as if all his strength had been used up in front of the arched doorway of the small tomb, murmuring incoherently.

"Brain wants to kill us, Potter, we're all going to die."