Lupin was quick to catch on to Dumbledore's question. He'd toured the practical classroom that Douglas had designed—the dark water, the little boat, the island at the center, the near-impenetrable gloom. The resemblance to this cave was uncanny. He couldn't help but wonder: had Douglas been here long before today?
Murmuring his suspicions, Lupin leaned in to explain to a still-bewildered Sirius, and the two angled their ears forward, eager for the truth.
But Douglas remained perfectly composed. Silently activating Occlumency, he replied with a breezy nonchalance, "Explain what, exactly? Why are Voldemort's obstacles stuck at the level I teach my sixth-years?
Look at this design—utterly uninspired. Would someone as brilliant as me ever stoop to plagiarizing such a dull puzzle?
Comrade Headmaster, you have to understand: times are changing, society is moving forward. Voldemort's grown old—and so has Hogwarts' teaching. Just look at the students it turns out: not a spark of creativity, just crude, simplistic defenses. Of course, I'm not blaming you, Professor—after all, this was all decades ago.
But Hogwarts today is still ignoring the world's changes, still neglecting creative thinking. The Muggle world is evolving at breakneck speed—technology, social structures, new problems everywhere. Muggles are forced to adapt and innovate just to keep up...
Bottom line: if our education lags behind, wizards will be left in the dust, unable to face the challenges of a changing world. The wizarding world can't stay cut off from Muggle society forever…"
Dumbledore blinked, then courteously interrupted Douglas's lecture. "Ah, forgive me, Douglas—today is Christmas. As Hogwarts' headmaster, I think I'm entitled to a day off. Let's save this discussion for after term starts… So, you truly haven't been here before?"
Seeing that Dumbledore wouldn't be swayed, Douglas countered, "Haven't you investigated me before? Do your records say I've ever set foot here? What would I come for—a fake Horcrux? Besides, if you, who know Voldemort so well, never found this place, how could I possibly have done it?"
Hearing that Dumbledore had once investigated Douglas, both Lupin and Sirius exchanged glances. What on earth had this guy done to warrant the headmaster's scrutiny?
After studying Douglas for a long moment, Dumbledore finally smiled, letting the matter drop. Whatever the truth, he could sense Douglas's intentions were for the students' good.
But Sirius wasn't so easily convinced. Finding him had been a "coincidence," and building a classroom identical to Voldemort's trial was another "coincidence." How could there be so many coincidences?
In the end, the group followed Kreacher's trembling finger deeper into the cave. With Dumbledore leading the way, their progress was smooth. Voldemort had set plenty of traps along the path, but Dumbledore dismantled each one with effortless flicks of his wand.
Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped. The others, alert, halted instantly.
"Aha! Here we are. Magic always leaves a trace—sometimes a very obvious one. I taught Tom, after all. I know his style…"
He moved his hand slowly through the air, as if feeling for something invisible. Seconds later, a satisfied smile spread across his face—he'd found it. He tapped his other hand with his wand.
Instantly, a length of verdigris-coated chain slithered up from the lake. Dumbledore tapped it again, and the chain glided through his palm like a serpent before coiling on the ground. The metallic clatter echoed through the cavern.
Everyone kept a wary eye on the lake, dreading that the noise might wake the Inferi. Even Douglas wasn't sure what else might be lurking beneath those waters.
As the chain retracted, a small boat appeared, ghostly and glowing green, silently gliding toward the shore. It barely disturbed the surface of the lake.
The group frowned. The boat was tiny—clearly only big enough for a single adult wizard.
Sirius eyed it skeptically. "Is this thing safe? Are we supposed to cross one by one? Shouldn't we search the lake for Regulus first?"
Dumbledore tapped the boat with his wand and stood. "I believe it's safe. Voldemort needed a way to reach his Horcrux without rousing those creatures he left in the lake.
This boat is enchanted. Voldemort didn't care about weight—he only counted magical signatures crossing his lake. That's why the boat only carries one wizard at a time."
Kreacher stared, wide-eyed, muttering, "The Dark Lord took Kreacher across in that boat…"
Dumbledore smiled softly. "I doubt he counted you. Even my old professor said house-elves didn't qualify—Voldemort would never consider a house-elf's magic worth noting. Compared to his own power, yours is negligible."
Lupin asked, "So only by riding You-Know-Who's boat will those things in the lake leave us alone, right?
Douglas, is there any way you can break this spell? Or expand it, so we can all move freely on the lake to search for Regulus?"
He looked expectantly at Douglas—after all, the way he'd cracked Voldemort's entrance spell had been eye-opening. Maybe he could work a similar miracle here.
Douglas looked around in mild surprise, then said lazily, "Why are we trying to avoid the Inferi? We could just destroy a few, or seal some away and release them gradually.
Professor, don't forget what this place is meant to become. If there are too many Inferi, do you really think the students will be able to handle them?"
As he spoke, Douglas produced a small wooden box from his pocket. Inside, seven miniature boats sat in neat rows—clearly shrunken by magic.
He took out a speedboat-shaped vessel, set it on the shore, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, it returned to full size.
Sirius stepped up to inspect it, astonished. "This is pure Muggle craftsmanship. You didn't modify it?"
This time, no one was terribly surprised—who knew how much stuff Douglas kept on him anyway?
Douglas pointed at the fuel tank. "I did tweak it—a little Expansion Charm inside the tank, so it lasts longer. Now, we just need someone to stir up the Inferi, get them all in one place."
He glanced around, and before anyone could object, pointed at Kreacher. "You. You've got more experience here than anyone."
Kreacher shook his head frantically, muttering, "Kreacher hates Muggle things… Kreacher won't pick up Master Sirius's bad habits…"
Sirius glared at him, then leapt onto the speedboat. "I'll do it. I've got experience with Muggle motorcycles—uh, but I think this needs a key. Douglas, where's the key?"
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