<h4>Chapter 14: Lest there be no chaos in the world</h4>


    "That''s enough, Professor Drac," Dumbledore declined Drac''s invitation for a mutual head-butting with a helpless smile, and changed the subject. "Aren''t you supposed to be setting up the protective wards for the Philosopher''s Stone?"


    "You''re right." Drac nodded, seeming to find new amusement.


    "And when you have time, please give Fluffy a bath. It''s so dirty now, it affects the feel of the touch." Dumbledore patted the three-headed dog''srge head and said, "Fluffy, move your fat belly aside; you''re blocking the door."


    When Drac entered the room, he noticed Fluffy was standing on a trapdoor, clearly guarding something.


    Fluffy obediently shifted to one corner of the room, clearing a path for Drac and Dumbledore to reach the trapdoor.


    Dumbledore waved his hand, and the ring on the trapdoor was lifted by an invisible force, opening it up.


    The hole beneath was pitch ck and deep. However, with a vampire''s excellent night vision, Drac could clearly see what was below.


    "Tsk, a whole area covered with Devil''s Snare. Professor Sprout must be worried that intruders might get hurt falling down," Drac remarked with a nce at Dumbledore. "Moreover, there can''t be many wizards who haven''t learned the Slow-Down Charm. Perhaps this is a test specifically for younger students?"


    Dumbledore smiled and said nothing, floating down lightly to the floor below the trapdoor.


    Drac, meanwhile, gracefully fell into the hole andnded softly on a bed of Devil''s Snare.


    "The precautions for intruders are quite thorough," he remarked while lying on the Devil''s Snare, which quivered slightly in the presence of the dense darkness.


    Drac got up and walked with Dumbledore along the stone corridor in front of the Devil''s Snare, reaching the end where a brightly lit room awaited.


    The room had a high vaulted ceiling, with countless little birds sparkling like jewels, fluttering about. Opposite them was a heavy wooden door.


    "Setting up a wooden door but leaving the key behind, and even thoughtfully providing a few broomsticks," Drac observed, looking at the magical birds and the brooms. "Turning the protective measures into a game of sorts, you really outdid yourself."


    Listening to Drac''s sarcastic remarks, Dumbledore could no longer maintain his calm demeanor andughed helplessly.


    "I knew I couldn''t hide this from you, Professor Drac," he said. "Actually, you might have guessed, I never intended these obstacles to keep genuine intruders out. They''re merely tests and challenges for students."


    "Tests for whom? And who are they meant to train?" Drac chuckled. "If I''m not mistaken, it''s for the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, right?"


    "As expected, you see through everything," Dumbledore sighed and said, "I do want to train Harry; he is an essential part of the process to defeat Voldemort."


    "So I must ask you not to make the uing challenges too difficult. I don''t want Harry to lose confidence before he even faces Voldemort because of the challenges set by his own professor."


    Drac nodded indifferently. He was more interested in uncovering some secrets about the savior.


    How could a one-year-old child defeat the most powerful dark wizard in the world? Drac was very curious about this.


    The two waved their hands, unlocking the heavy wooden door, and then passed through arge puzzle board to arrive at a room that still faintly smelled of decay.


    "There used to be a troll here, which Quirrell just had removed yesterday," Dumbledore exined. "So the smell is still quite unpleasant. Please, Professor Drac, set up the next challenge here!"


    Drac surveyed the empty room.


    "Before setting up the challenge, I have one question. What kind of difficulty level would allow a young wizard like Harry Potter to pass?" he asked bluntly. "After these sses, I''m afraid I can''t praise Hogwarts'' spell-casting levels. First-year students'' casting abilities seem close to zero?"


    Dumbledore masked his embarrassment with a smile and said to Drac, "I believe that under your guidance, the young wizards will make rapid progress."


    Drac shook his head, no longer interested in setting up a yful obstacle course for children.


    "Forget it. Let Quirrell give the troll a bath and then put it back," he saidzily.


    With that, Drac walked directly to the next door.


    Dumbledore shrugged and followed Drac.


    The next room had only a table with seven differently shaped bottles.


    As soon as they crossed the threshold, a wall of fire erupted behind them, sealing the door.


    This fire was unusual, being purple. At the same time, ck mes leaped up at the doorway ahead, trapping them in between.


    "Setting Snape''s potion challenge as a simple logic puzzle—didn''t he make you work hard for it?" Drac looked at the parchment next to the bottles with a smirk.


    The parchment didn''t contain questions about potions but rather a logic puzzle, which made the correct potion choice directly essible to the intruder.


    Neither Drac nor Dumbledore was particrly afraid of such moderate mes, and they passed through the ck mes to reach the final challenge.


    The final challenge was simply a very grand mirror.


    The Philosopher''s Stone was hidden inside this mirror.


    At the top of the mirror was an inscription: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." It had to be read backwards to reveal its true meaning. Reversing the letters and breaking the words properly revealed the sentence: "It shows not your face but your deepest desire."


    Drac paused, his interest growing as he looked at the mirror.


    "The Mirror of Erised shows the most intense desires—usually the fulfillment of a goal or ambition. But just as everyone is unique, what the mirror shows each person is different," Dumbledore exined with a smile.


    "So, can you tell me what you saw, Professor Drac?"


    Drac was silent for a moment, then he chuckled softly.


    "I saw endless funing right towards me," Drac said softly.


    Drac didn''t tell the truth.


    What he saw in the Mirror of Erised wasn''t himself, nor was it any concrete object.


    He saw a war sweeping through the magical world, a chaotic situation.


    Was this what he truly desired? Finding amusement in chaos, stirring up trouble in conflicts...


    Creating disorder in the world!