The Art of Deception

Chapter 17

They step into the next room, the faint fluttering of wings immediately catching their attention. The room is filled with thousands of glittering, golden objects flitting through the air.

"Curious. I've never seen birds like these," Hermione remarked, her eyes scanning the room in fascination.

"They're not birds," Harry corrected, squinting up at the shimmering swarm. "They're keys. And I'll bet one of them fits that door." He gestured toward a heavy, iron door on the far side of the room.

The group approached a broomstick suspended in mid-air nearby.

"What's this all about?" Daphne asked, tilting her head.

"Obviously some kind of test," Theodore replied, crossing his arms. "But it feels annoyingly straightforward."

"Why don't we just grab one and try it?" Aurelia suggested, earning a look of disbelief from Theodore.

"Yes, because that'll work so well with a thousand options," he said, his tone dry.

Ron, meanwhile, crept toward the door and whipped out his wand. He rattled the lock and muttered, "Alohomora!" When nothing happened, he shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try."

Hermione groaned in frustration. "What are we going to do? There must be a thousand keys up there!"

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one," Ron said, squinting at the flock. "Probably rusty, like the handle."

"There!" Harry exclaimed, pointing toward a key fluttering erratically in the swarm. "The one with the broken wing."

The others turned to see it, just as Harry's gaze fell on the broomstick.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, noticing his hesitation.

"It's too simple," Harry murmured, eyeing the broom warily.

"Oh, go on, Harry!" Ron urged. "If Snape could catch it on that old broomstick, you can! You're the youngest Seeker in a century!"

"Yeah, Harry, the keys are terrified of you," Aurelia quipped, smirking.

Harry gave her a pointed look but said nothing as he grabbed the broomstick.

"Wait, what's going to happen when he—" Daphne started, but her sentence was cut off as the moment Harry touched the broom, the golden keys shifted, their wings beating furiously as they swarmed toward him.

"Brilliant," Theodore muttered, stepping back. "This definitely isn't suspicious at all."

"This complicates things a bit," Ron grumbled as the keys zoomed in unison.

Harry launched himself into the air, weaving through the room as the keys darted after him. His eyes stayed locked on the broken-winged key as he dodged and swiped at the others.

The group below watched with bated breath.

"I could've done that," Aurelia said offhandedly, earning a snort from Daphne.

"You, on a broom?" Daphne retorted, her eyebrows raised. "Please. You'd spend more time fixing your hair than actually catching the key."

Theodore shook his head with a smirk. "At least she'd look dramatic while failing."

"Focus!" Hermione snapped, glaring at them.

With a sharp dive and a quick grab, Harry snatched the key from the air.

"Catch the key!" he shouted, tossing it toward Hermione as he turned to distract the swarming keys.

Hermione leaped and caught it, sprinting to the door. Her hands shook as she jammed the key into the lock.