"But first, we must cross," Dumbledore said, not waiting for their questions about retrieving the Horcrux. He pointed toward the lake's edge and continued, "Do you see it? There's a small boat over there. We can take it across."
The three followed the direction of Dumbledore's outstretched finger. Sure enough, a small, flat-bottomed boat floated on the lake, bobbing gently with the ripples of the dark water.
But that boat… it…
Wasn't it a bit too small?
"Let's not even discuss whether this boat can hold all four of us," Sirius said, crouching by the shore and glancing back at Dumbledore. "Are we seriously saying this boat is just sitting here by the water's edge? Would Voldemort really be foolish enough to leave it here for us to use?"
"Voldemort must have been very confident," Dumbledore mused. "He believed that only a wizard of extraordinary skill would ever discover this boat. He likely thought that after setting up barriers only he could bypass, it would be utterly impossible for anyone else to find it. He was willing to take this infinitesimal risk, and we shall soon see whether he was right or wrong."
"How do you know that?" Sirius asked, frowning. "Couldn't Voldemort have placed some kind of curse on this boat?"
"As you've seen, Sirius," Dumbledore explained patiently, "you know how we entered this cave. Even Voldemort himself would need to go through that same process to access it. He's simply too arrogant, too confident—and that is precisely his weakness."
"Then why not just Apparate to the island?" Sirius pressed, still frowning. "Do we really have to cram ourselves onto this rickety boat that might sink at any moment?"
"Voldemort needed a way to cross the lake without angering the Inferi he placed in the water, in case he ever needed to check on or move the Horcrux," Dumbledore said calmly.
With that, he stepped toward the lake's edge, raising his wand as if searching for something in the air.
Harry followed the path of Dumbledore's wand and thought he glimpsed the faint outline of an invisible chain being lifted.
Suddenly, Dumbledore reached out, grasping at something in midair, then pulled back with force. A metallic clinking echoed as if chains were being dragged.
"Is that a chain?" Harry asked loudly.
Dumbledore didn't respond. He raised his other hand, tapped his wand on his clenched fist, and instantly, a thick, verdigris-covered chain materialized from the depths of the lake, extending into Dumbledore's grip.
Dumbledore tapped it lightly, and the chain slithered like a snake, coiling on the ground with a clatter, pulling the small boat closer to the shore.
"How did you know the chain was there?" Sirius asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Magic always leaves traces," Dumbledore replied as the boat gently bumped against the shore. "Sometimes, those traces are quite clear. I taught Tom Riddle, after all. I know his ways."
"So this is the boat we're taking, right?" Veratia said, leaning down to inspect the vessel closely. "As long as we use this boat, the Inferi in the lake won't notice us, correct?"
"It would appear so, Miss Grindelwald," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Look, the Inferi haven't attacked us yet. For now, all is well."
"Besides," he added, "I doubt Voldemort could easily return here himself. You saw what happened earlier—his soul fragment wouldn't be able to pass through the trial he set."
Harry glanced at the boat. It was far too small. "It doesn't look like it was made for two people, let alone four. Can it even hold us? Won't we be too heavy?"
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Voldemort didn't care about the weight crossing the lake. He cared about magical power. I'm certain this boat is enchanted to allow only one wizard to cross at a time."
"Then…" Harry hesitated, thinking of the Philosopher's Stone he'd absorbed. With his magical strength, he might just overload the boat's magical "CPU."
"You and Miss Grindelwald don't count, Harry," Dumbledore explained. "You're still underage, so you won't be detected. Voldemort never imagined a child could reach this place. His arrogance is well-known—he'd only bother to detect adult wizards. As for you and Miss Grindelwald, as minors, you're exempt. His magic wouldn't account for underage wizards."
"That's true," Harry said, nodding in agreement. He turned to Sirius. "What about Sirius, then? What's he going to do?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Sirius, only to see him transform into a large black dog.
"Woof!" Sirius barked.
"An Animagus. As sharp as ever, Sirius," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard with a pleased smile. "That's one of the reasons I brought you along—not just because you're Regulus's brother, but because you're an Animagus."
He paused, then began critiquing his former student. "Voldemort made a grave mistake. Underestimating the young is reckless and foolish… though, to be fair, most people wouldn't expect a thirteen-year-old to wield such immense magical power. Perhaps next year, I should make an exception for you…"
Dumbledore caught himself, stopping abruptly.
"An exception for what?" Harry asked, curious.
"An exception to let you skip a grade," Dumbledore said quickly, changing the subject. "But that's not important now. We need to cross this lake and reach the island where the Horcrux is hidden. Harry, you go first. Be careful not to touch the water."
With that, Dumbledore stepped aside. Harry carefully climbed into the boat, followed by Veratia and Sirius in his dog form.
It was a tight fit, but they managed to stand. As an experienced Seeker, Harry kept his balance effortlessly, even wrapping an arm around Veratia's slender waist to steady her.
Veratia's cheeks flushed slightly, but she said nothing, staring out at the dark lake as if lost in thought.
Sirius, noticing this, nudged his nose against the boat's edge, clearly resigned. If I can't stop this, I'll just look away.
Dumbledore coiled the chain on the ground and stepped into the boat.
With so many people, there was no room to sit—they could only stand.
The boat set off, the only sound the soft ripple of water as its bow cut through the lake. It moved as if pulled by an invisible rope toward the green light at the lake's center.
Soon, the cave walls faded from view. Without waves, it felt as though they were gliding across a calm sea.
"Should I cast a Lumos spell?" Harry asked quietly.
"Not a good idea," Dumbledore replied. "Let's wait until we reach the shore."
Their mission wasn't to clear the cave of Inferi or retrieve the fake Horcrux—it was to find Regulus.
That left them with no choice but to proceed cautiously. It wasn't that they couldn't handle the Inferi—it was that they faced an immense task.
Yes, the task of picking out Regulus Black from thousands of Inferi.
A bloody massive undertaking.
"Look, there's a hand in the lake," Veratia said suddenly, pointing at the water. "Right there. It looks awfully pale…"
Harry followed her gaze and saw a hand protruding from the water, deathly white, unmistakably not the hand of a living person.
"Oh, an Inferius," Harry said calmly. "We should've brought Hermione and Ron. This would've been a great chance to test their skills. You know, in second year, Professor Rosier taught us how to deal with an Inferius…"
"It's not too late to bring them," Veratia said. "These Inferi would make excellent study material. What do you think, Professor Black? Should we save these Inferi for your Defense Against the Dark Arts class as teaching assistants?"
"Woof!" Sirius barked enthusiastically, clearly delighted by the idea.
"Then it's settled, Harry," Veratia said, looking down. "Just make sure not to use any large-scale destructive spells later. We wouldn't want to damage these teaching tools, right?"
"Got it," Harry said, nodding.
Their tone was so casual that an outsider might think they were discussing catching a few frogs for a lesson.
Dumbledore, too, seemed relaxed. Among the wizards present, Harry's magic was formidable, Veratia's combat skills rivaled his own battle-hardened experience, and Sirius… well, Sirius had his humor.
This cave expedition didn't weigh heavily on him.
"We're almost there," Dumbledore said suddenly.
Sure enough, the green light grew brighter.
A few minutes later, the boat gently bumped to a stop.
Harry raised his wand, a spark of light flaring at its tip.
He found himself standing on a flat, rocky island in the lake's center.
"Be careful not to touch the water," Dumbledore cautioned again as Harry stepped out of the boat.
The island was barely larger than Dumbledore's office. On the vast, flat black rock, only the piercing green light shone.
Harry squinted at it, initially thinking it was a lamp. But he soon realized the glow came from a stone basin with a pedestal, not unlike a Pensieve.
Veratia and Dumbledore stepped off the boat, joining Harry as they approached the basin, standing shoulder to shoulder to examine it.
Sirius, in dog form, stood on his hind legs, leaning against Dumbledore and craning his neck to peer at the glowing green basin.
The basin was filled with an emerald-like liquid radiating a phosphorescent glow—clearly something steeped in… magic and serious business.
"What is that?" Harry asked.
"I'm not certain," Dumbledore said, uncertain for once. "But it's likely something more dangerous than blood or bodies. It looks like a potion."
He rolled up the sleeve of his injured arm and reached toward the liquid's surface.
"Dumbledore!" Harry shouted, trying to stop him from doing something reckless.
"Don't worry, Harry. I can't touch it," Dumbledore said with a smile. "See? I can only get this close. Try it yourselves."
Harry stared at the surface and reached toward the basin.
An invisible barrier stopped his hand a foot away. No matter how hard he pushed, it was like pressing against elastic, solidified air.
Veratia, standing beside him, tried as well, with the same result—she couldn't reach into the basin.
"Step aside," Dumbledore said. He moved between the two, raised his wand, and tapped the basin's edge, muttering incantations.
When he stopped, Harry glanced at the green basin, then back at Dumbledore.
"Do you think the Horcrux is in there, Professor?"
"Oh, yes," Dumbledore said.
He leaned closer to inspect the basin, his face reflected in the potion's glossy surface.
"We've tried, but we can't touch the potion," Dumbledore said. "So we can't part it, scoop it, or siphon it. I've also tried Transfiguration and Vanishing spells—none of them work. Other methods won't alter its state either."
He raised his wand, absentmindedly waving it in the air, conjuring a crystal goblet and catching it.
"But I can deduce," he continued, "that the potion is meant to be drunk."
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