The Boy Who Watches

Itachi leaned back against the wall, waiting for time to pass. He mentally worked through his plan of action and gathered his strength. He realized that he needed to be prepared for anything, because he didn't know what he would face in the vault. 

The time Itachi had given himself to wait was running out like sand through his fingers. He knew he couldn't delay any longer. The Gryffindors, armed

 with invisibility cloaks, had probably already reached their target and he had no right to be late. 

His goal was the third floor, where he knew the door leading to the three-headed dog was located.

Upon reaching the correct door, Itachi stopped abruptly, leaning his back against the wall to catch his breath. He listened to the sounds coming from behind the door. He heard heavy breathing and growling that could only belong to one creature, a three-headed dog that someone had apparently woken up. He realized that he couldn't delay now, he had to act decisively. Itachi took a deep breath, gathering his strength, and without a second's hesitation, he swung the door open sharply, preparing for anything.

And just at the same instant, a huge monster rushed at him from the dark room with a fierce snarl. Three heads, crowned with razor-sharp fangs, were pointed straight at him. Huge paws covered with coarse fur were rapidly approaching. The dog was a threat capable of tearing to pieces anyone who got in its way. Itachi, using his inhuman agility and speed, instantly dodged the first attack by making a swift leap to the side. He landed on his feet without wasting a second, his eyes immediately began scanning the room, looking for signs of the Gryffindors presence.

He took a quick look around the room, from corner to corner, his gaze sliding over every detail, looking for even a hint of their presence. But, he saw no one. No footprints, no indication that Gryffindors were here. Two possibilities arose that kept him on his toes. Either the three-headed dog had swallowed them whole, which was highly unlikely, since it would have left obvious traces of blood on its muzzle, or they had

 had somehow managed to get past the monster without leaving any traces.

Itachi, standing in front of the three-headed dog, realized that he had no time for a pointless battle. He felt that every minute spent here was taking him further away from his goal. The Gryffindors might have already advanced far ahead, and he couldn't afford to waste precious energy on an unnecessary fight. His brain searched for a solution, and finally he decided to use his trump card, the sharingan.

He focused his gaze on the monster, his eyes filled with scarlet light. Black tomoes swirled in their depths, creating a mesmerizing pattern. In the next instant, the consciousness of the three-headed dog was captured in a mighty genjutsu. Itachi, like an artist, drew a picture in his mind, plunging him into a deep, peaceful sleep where there was no room for aggression and rage. The dog seemed to struggle against the illusion, but his resistance was pointless. He, like a marionette whose strings had been cut, began to crumble, and, with a deafening rumble, collapsed to the floor.

Itachi, without wasting a second, took advantage of the situation. He went to a hatch in the floor that appeared to lead further down, and with a little effort, opened it. It was pitch black below, like the mouth of some unknown monster ready to devour anything that dared to descend. It was impossible to see anything in that darkness with normal eyesight. But Itachi was no ordinary person.

He activated his sharingan again, and his eyes, like bright flashlights, dispelled the darkness. His vision became like a telescope, penetrating through the darkness and allowing him to see everything that lurked below. Itachi saw long, snake-like vines swaying and stretching in the damp twilight below. Their dark green leaves and stems looked like the tentacles of some nightmarish creature. Itachi immediately recognized them as devil's snares, an insidious plant capable of strangling and consuming its victim. He knew of them from books and was prepared for this encounter.

He didn't push his luck, and without wasting any time, he pulled out his wand, pointing it at the sinister plants. 

"Incendio!" - he said in a clear and confident voice, and a powerful stream of flame erupted from the tip of his wand. The tongues of fire, as if alive, greedily engulfed the devil's snares, forcing them to retreat and clearing a passage. The plants, engulfed in flames, wriggled and recoiled like frightened animals.

Itachi jumped down without a second's hesitation, and landed softly on the ground. The fire, having consumed the devil's snares, went out, leaving behind only the smell of cinders and smoldering leaves. 

As he continued his journey through the labyrinth, Itachi came across the next room. A picture opened up before him that, at first glance, seemed absurd. The room was filled with hundreds of flying clues that swirled in the air like rabid insects. In the middle of the room, against the wall, was a broomstick leaning lonely against the wall. Near the other wall, a door could be seen, which was obviously the purpose of this ordeal. Itachi immediately realized the gist of what was happening. This was another test set up to prevent him from reaching his goal.

Itachi didn't waste any time thinking about it. He activated his sharingan, his eyes filled with scarlet light, and he began scanning the room, looking for that very key. His dojutsu enhanced vision allowed him to see the smallest details that would normally escape the human eye. He quickly looked through all the flying keys, and his gaze stopped on one of them. It was an old and battered key, with a damaged wing that made its flight somewhat chaotic and awkward. This was the key he needed, he felt it intuitively.

Itachi walked over to his broomstick, picked it up and settled on it like an experienced Quidditch player. He swung his leg and, gently pushing himself off the floor, lifted himself into the air. In the same second, all the keys, as if on cue, went berserk. They started pouncing on Itachi, trying to stop him from getting to the right key. The keys buzzed like an angry swarm of bees, and their sharp metal edges posed a real danger. Itachi was forced to dodge their attacks, maneuvering his broomstick through the air like an acrobat.

He kept a close eye on the damaged key that was fluttering in the air, trying to find a way to grab it. The key flew unpredictably, but Itachi, thanks to his sharingan, could anticipate its movements. He maneuvered between the keys, flying from side to side like a bird, dodging attacks and getting closer to his target. His eyes were focused only on the key.

Soon Itachi, waiting for the right moment, accelerated sharply, broke through the tight formation of keys and extended his hand. His fingers closed around the cold metal and the key was in his hands. He quickly opened the door.

Stepping through the door, Itachi found himself in the next room. He expected to see another challenge, a trap, or perhaps even a confrontation with a dangerous creature, but what he saw made him stop for a moment. In the center of the room stood a huge chess table, the pieces on which were not made of wood or ivory, but of stone. And these pieces were alive. They moved as if obeying invisible commands. And near this table, right in the middle of the battlefield, stood the Gryffindors.

Itachi lurked in the shadows, trying to remain unnoticed. He watched what was going on, trying to understand the situation. He saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing near the chess table as if preparing for a fight. Itachi, not being an expert chess player, still realized that something important was happening right now. He soon realized that the Gryffindors were actually playing chess against pieces that had been programmed to fight.

Itachi had to admit that Ron was an excellent player. He watched his actions closely, noting his strategic thinking and ability to predict his opponent's moves. He watched Ron ponder each move as he tried to outsmart the stone chess pieces. He seemed to enjoy this complex and intense game.

Time stretched slowly, and Itachi watched with bated breath. Finally, the Gryffindors managed to win, but the price of that victory was high. In order to win, they had sacrificed Ron. The stone figure Ron was attacking gave him a hard blow to the head, throwing him to the floor. Itachi saw Ron slump to the ground, his body collapsing like a marionette's.

Hermione and Harry, glancing over, didn't linger. They left Ron behind and hurried onward, toward their goal. 

After making sure that Harry and Hermione had already left the chess room, Itachi came out of his hiding place and approached Ron, who was lying motionless on the floor. He leaned over him and checked his pulse. His fingers fumbled for a faint but still present rhythm. Itachi breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Ron, though hit hard on the head, was still alive. It was a small comfort.

Itachi realized that he couldn't waste time giving Ron medical attention right now. He had to move on. He knew that if he lingered here, he might miss his chance. 

He examined Ron carefully once more, making sure he was breathing and that his heart was beating, albeit slowly. At least he wasn't in danger. Taking that into consideration, Itachi decided that Ron would be safe until he woke up. With those thoughts, he made his final decision. He couldn't delay any longer, he needed to move on.

Itachi pushed open the massive door and found himself in the next room, and the sight before him made him freeze for a moment. In the center of the room, like an abandoned toy, a dead mountain troll lay on the stone floor. Its huge, lumbering body was unnaturally twisted, and its rough, wrinkled face was frozen in a grimace of pain. The troll looked like it had been struck down suddenly, without warning.

Itachi eyed the troll's corpse, trying to figure out what had happened here. Had Harry and Hermione, those two young wizards, really been able to defeat such a giant? Itachi immediately dismissed the thought as completely illogical and impossible. He realized that it was unrealistic. He hadn't heard any sounds of battle when he was in the previous room, and besides, the troll looked like it had been lying there for quite some time. The body was stiffened, and from the looks of it, it had been quite some time since his death. That suggested that it wasn't the Gryffindors who had massacred this monster.

Itachi moved his gaze further away, not wanting to waste any more time. His attention was drawn to the next passage, a door that led deep into the vault, and just at that very moment, the door suddenly burst into flames.

 Huge tongues of flame, like invisible hands, engulfed it entirely, turning it into a barrier of fire. Itachi frowned, his face becoming serious and focused. Now he finally realized that the Gryffindors must have reached the last room, and the final test awaited them, and something told him that they were in great danger. 

Itachi, standing in front of the blazing door, strained his hearing. He could hear voices coming from behind the fire barrier. It was the Gryffindors. He realized that they had already reached the last room and were apparently solving another puzzle. He heard Hermione talking about some kind of potions challenge. She was explaining something to Harry, and it became clear to Itachi that they were now in the process of choosing between different vessels, each of which could lead to different consequences.

Itachi then heard Hermione say that she would go back for Ron and write to Dumbledore.

 "About time," Itachi's thought flashed through his mind. "Couldn't you have done that right away?" He was amazed at the naivety of these Gryffindors, throwing themselves into such dangerous adventures without thinking of the consequences at all. 

 Hermione told Harry to keep walking and that she would catch up with him soon.

Itachi realized that now was his chance to go unnoticed. He quickly and silently hid at the dead troll's crotch, Itachi realized as soon as he ducked into his makeshift hiding place. 

The troll's crotch stank. The odor was disgusting, a mixture of rot, sweat, and something else indescribable that made him sick to his stomach. It was an odor of death, decay, and uncleanliness that seemed to permeate every pore. Itachi, accustomed to cleanliness and order, felt his nose turn up at this stifling stench, but he couldn't afford a single gesture of disgust. He needed to remain unnoticed, even if it meant hiding in such a horrible place.

He tried not to breathe too deeply and to hold back the gagging that was coming up his throat.

 Soon he heard Hermione's quick footsteps tapping on the stone floor. She, unaware of his presence, ran past him, heading back to Ron. 

Happy to leave the troll's stinking crotch, Itachi straightened up with relief, breathing in a breath of fresh air. He could feel the disgusting stench slowly receding, and it gave him the strength to move on. He walked through the potions room, trying not to linger and ignore the strange vessels on the table. He had to hurry, for he felt time was running out.