The Snow Fox

Riddles

"The look on their faces was priceless!" Willow laughed. "When you gave them each a rose they looked confunded!"

Venus laughed and took a scone from a house elf, thanking her.

"And I noticed a certain blonde looking pretty jealous~" the brunette teased and her friend choked on the berry treat.

"Oh hush." Venus quieted her. The girls laughed and with their arms full of snacks ran back up the secret entrance to Venus room and spent the night gossiping, sharing secrets and telling stories.

After a few weeks, the year was getting ready to end and Venus had begun slowky packing up her numerous bookshelves to take home. She enchanted a duffel bag with a maximizing charm to expand it infinitely. It was unorganized but efficient. As she began to unshelf her books she heard a light noise coming from her mirror.

"Venus...Venus, VENUS!" It called and the girl finally turned to see her bushy haired brunette friend in the reflection

"Hermione? Why are you calling me with-"

"I'll explain later, it's an emergency, I need help solving this riddle."

"Read it to me." Venus replied quickly, pacing around her room and grabbing multiple books off the remaining shelves.

""Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight." 

Hermione recited as Venus flicked her wand for her quill to copy down every word.

"Ok, how many bottles are there?"

"Seven."

"Seven bottles...only one will help you get through, I'm guessing a magic wall?"

"You could say that."

"Ok do any of the bottles look the same?"

"Yes, the black and red." Hermione said, looking away from the mirror

"Ok, those are nettle wine."

"Ok, and I deduced that the white and green are poison then so that leaves purple, blue and yellow."

"Yes...ok...I think the yellow is also poison, because the purple can't be nettle wine. It'll make you go back." Venus said, looking at the 3 riddle books open before her at different angles.

"Yes, yes, I see it now, it's blue. Thank you, I'll explain everything later."

"Be careful Hermione." Venus said quickly before the communication spell was cut.