"Drink it?" Harry suddenly recalled Kreacher's words. "I remember now—Kreacher told us that when Regulus brought him here, it was Regulus who drank the potion, allowing Kreacher to leave. That's the potion he mentioned!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Only by drinking it all can I empty the basin and see what lies at its bottom."
Harry was perplexed. "We know this Horcrux is fake, yet we still have to drink the potion to retrieve it?"
"So, all we need to do is drink the potion?" Veratia asked uncertainly, her eyes fixed on the goblet in Dumbledore's hand.
"Yes, this potion…" Dumbledore began, but Harry cut him off.
"Dumbledore! You're holding a cruel fate, but it doesn't belong to you!"
"Harry?" Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "Rest easy, my boy. Voldemort didn't intend to kill everyone who reaches this island."
"But we have to drink all the potion to find the fake Horcrux and, through it, Regulus," Dumbledore continued with a nod. "And as I was once Regulus's headmaster, the potion is naturally…"
"Not necessarily," Harry interjected suddenly. "I have someone in mind to drink it, but you'll all need to close your eyes…"
As he spoke, Harry's mind churned with defiance. You want someone to drink this potion, Voldemort? Well, today I'll show you the might of a Hogwarts alumnus!
"Who?" Dumbledore asked, his tone laced with curiosity.
"The basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, of course," Harry said with a grin. "As they say in toxicology, 'Talking about poison without discussing dosage is just nonsense.' This potion might poison us, but for a basilisk, whose body is dozens of times larger than ours, it's probably not even a lick's worth."
"That's… an intriguing choice," Dumbledore said, setting down the goblet. "Voldemort's spell has a loophole. The potion must be drunk by someone, but house-elves can drink it too. The spell doesn't specify what must drink it… so a basilisk should work just fine."
"Then I'll let him out," Harry said.
"Go ahead," Dumbledore replied.
Sirius's eyes widened like saucers. He had no idea his godson had become so bold as to secretly keep a basilisk. A surge of pride welled up within him. Look at that! Truly James's son, my godson! When it comes to adventure, he's just like us!
"Sirius?" Harry noticed Sirius's wide-eyed stare and assumed he was shocked about the basilisk. "Don't worry, Sirius. Professor Dumbledore approved me keeping this basilisk, but you need to close your eyes. Looking it in the eye has… unfortunate consequences."
Sirius promptly shut his eyes, fully aware of those consequences.
Once everyone had closed their eyes, Harry opened his wallet and called inside, "Alfonso! Alfonso!"
"Here, my dear master!" Alfonso's sycophantic voice echoed back.
"I need you to drink some potion," Harry said bluntly. "It's not lethal, but it's unpleasant for a regular wizard. You're a basilisk, though—your body is hundreds, maybe thousands of times stronger. A bit of potion won't faze you."
"Uh… well…" Alfonso hesitated, clearly thrown off. Master, you think of me when it's time to eat… er, I mean, feast, but you can't drag me into this too! What even is this potion?
Seeing Alfonso's reluctance, Harry's eyes gleamed with cunning. "This is a trap set by that half-blood mongrel, Tom Riddle. If we break it, we can destroy his Horcrux…"
Wait, what? Alfonso's entire serpentine body perked up at the mention of Tom Riddle. You're telling me this involves that half-blood mongrel? Well, now I'm wide awake!
"Drink!" Alfonso hissed furiously. "I'll drink it! Let me see who dares tarnish my old master's noble bloodline! That insolent half-blood—I'll deal with him myself…"
"You don't have hands," Harry pointed out helpfully.
"That's irrelevant, Master!" Alfonso snapped indignantly. "When it comes to dealing with that wretch, I'll do whatever it takes! Tell me what to do!"
"First, come out," Harry said, shaking the wallet to let the massive basilisk slither free.
With a thud, Alfonso landed on the rock, causing a slight tremor.
"Here," Harry said, pointing to the basin. "We need to scoop out the potion. I'll find a larger container—"
Taking the goblet from Dumbledore's hand, Harry enlarged it slightly and scooped up a portion of the potion. The basin instantly refilled, but Harry handed the goblet's contents to Alfonso.
"Try it, Alfonso," he said.
Alfonso adjusted his position, opening his gaping maw skyward.
"Like this, Master?"
Harry poured the potion into Alfonso's mouth. The basilisk smacked his lips, his tongue flicking twice.
"Not bad, Master. It's got a certain venomous aroma… I quite like it. Got any more?"
Without a word, Harry scooped another gobletful and poured it into Alfonso's mouth.
"How's it feel?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Fine," Alfonso nodded. "Pour some more. I haven't quite savored the full flavor—maybe I'm not tasting it carefully enough."
Dumbledore, listening nearby, felt a surreal disconnect. Using a basilisk like this? I never would've thought… These youngsters are something else.
"More?" Alfonso asked again.
Harry didn't hesitate, pouring another gobletful down the basilisk's throat.
One cup after another, Alfonso's spirits only seemed to rise. Finally, the basin was empty.
"Pity," Alfonso said, sounding almost disappointed. "I thought this was some potent poison. Is this the best that mongrel descendant of my old master can do? What a laugh…"
Before he could finish, Alfonso suddenly thrashed his head violently.
"Argh!" he hissed in agony, as if wracked by unbearable pain.
Karma came swiftly. Moments after mocking Voldemort's potion, Alfonso was struck by its effects.
"What's wrong, Alfonso?" Harry asked, worried.
"Water! Water! I need water!" Alfonso writhed, stretching toward the lake as if to drink.
Though Harry had tricked the basilisk into this, he couldn't bear to let him suffer. Patting Alfonso's scales, he said, "I wouldn't drink that lake water if I were you. Hold on, I'll get you something…"
He drew his wand and pointed it at the basilisk's head. "Aguamenti!"
A thick jet of water gushed from Harry's wand, straight into Alfonso's mouth. The basilisk gulped it down greedily, showing no sign of stopping.
After about half a minute, Veratia suddenly shouted, "Harry! Something's climbing up! Inferi, I think!"
"Can you get back in the wallet, Alfonso?" Harry asked.
"Still thirsty," Alfonso hissed weakly.
"Drink inside," Harry said, stretching open the wallet. "Can you swim?"
"I have gills," Alfonso replied curtly.
Harry held the wallet open. "It's full of water in there. Get in, but don't drown, or I'll laugh at you."
"No worries, Master," Alfonso said, slithering into the wallet with a splash.
Harry tucked the wallet away, only to feel an icy, clammy hand grip his wrist. The hand tugged him backward as the once-mirror-smooth lake churned. Countless pale heads and hands broke the surface—men, women, children, all moving toward the rock.
An army of the dead rose from the black waters: Voldemort's Inferi.
"The basilisk's gone!" Harry shouted. "The Inferi are coming!"
He fixed his gaze on the nearest Inferius. Seeing it wasn't Regulus, he levitated it with a spell and smashed it against the far shore with a conjured rock. The Inferius struggled briefly before going still.
"Don't damage my teaching aids!" Sirius, now in human form, bellowed, petrifying an Inferius with a spell.
The creature stiffened and sank back into the lake.
"Can you tell which one is Regulus?" Harry yelled to Sirius.
"Not clearly, but I'd know him if I saw him!" Sirius shouted back.
But Regulus didn't appear. More Inferi surged forward, surrounding Sirius in a tightening circle.
"They're coming!" Sirius yelled, petrifying another Inferius he confirmed wasn't Regulus.
His desperation to find his brother slowed his defense, and an Inferius grabbed his wrist. Before Sirius could shake it off, Harry's spell hit it.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The Inferius froze and collapsed. "Nice one, James!" Sirius shouted instinctively.
Harry knew Sirius had mistaken him for James Potter but didn't respond. Instead, he pointed his wand at the ground.
"Protego Gubraithian!"
Bright azure flames roared to life, encircling Harry and warding off the Inferi. Fire was their bane; they hissed and recoiled, forming layers of writhing bodies around the flames.
"This isn't ideal, Harry," Veratia said. "If we stay behind this fire shield, who knows how long it'll take to find Regulus Black."
"Let's check this first," Harry said, turning to fish a golden locket from the green stone basin—the fake Slytherin's locket.
The island at the lake's center was temporarily safe, and with Regulus nowhere in sight, Sirius joined Harry to examine the fake Horcrux his brother had hidden.
A strange scene unfolded: a ring of blazing blue flames burned at the water's edge, surrounded by layers of Inferi, while the four inside huddled around the small locket.
"This must be the fake," Dumbledore said, nodding. "It's remarkably well-crafted. Without prior knowledge, we'd never suspect it wasn't real."
Since Regulus had hidden it, Harry wasn't worried about dark magic. He'd cast several detection spells—even a discreet Avada Kedavra—with no reaction, confirming the locket's safety.
"Let's see," Harry said, opening the locket and pulling out a note. It read:
To the Dark Lord:
I know I'll be dead by the time you read this, but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret. I've taken the real Horcrux and will destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death willingly, so that when you meet your match, you'll be nothing but a mortal man.
R.A.B.
Seeing the handwriting, Sirius fell silent.
"R.A.B.?" Veratia asked.
"Regulus Arcturus Black," Sirius said softly.
"I can imagine why Regulus joined the Death Eaters and then turned against them," Veratia murmured. "He was too young. The brutal reality of the Death Eaters wasn't what he'd envisioned. But what truly changed him was when Voldemort tried to kill Kreacher."
"But how did Regulus know the object Voldemort entrusted to him was a Horcrux?" Harry asked, puzzled. "And why did Voldemort trust him so much, not caring if he knew?"
"Horcruxes aren't Voldemort's invention—just rare. No one's made as many as he has," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Voldemort's arrogance blinded him; he thought no one would recognize such advanced magic. But Regulus grew suspicious of Voldemort's certainty in his immortality. He'd heard of Horcruxes before and, after investigating, confirmed his suspicions."
Harry handed the note to Sirius, who clutched it tightly, tears streaming down his face.
"We have to find him!" Sirius said, his voice breaking. "We must find him!"
"There are too many Inferi, Sirius," Dumbledore said, scanning the horde. "Sorting through them to find Regulus won't be easy—it's a massive undertaking."
"I might have a way," Harry said suddenly. "A way to find Regulus quickly—"
"What is it?" Sirius asked urgently.
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