By the time Harry regained his senses from the dizzying spin, he found himself standing on a rocky shore.
The roar of the rushing sea was in his ears, while his nose was filled with the salty tang of seawater. Looking up, he saw a bright dawn rising steadily above the horizon.
"It's a bit cold."
Little Sirius wrapped his clothes tighter around himself. After all, it was winter now. Even with the North Atlantic Current, the sea wouldn't freeze, but the air was still chilly.
Harry turned his head to observe what was behind him, discovering a towering, steep cliff looming in the darkness.
The massive rocks around him, including the one beneath their feet, looked as if they had collapsed from the cliff above.
The surroundings were desolate, without a blade of grass or even a single grain of sand.
"I should say, he was a clever man," Little Sirius remarked again. "Look at this place. I really doubt even seagulls and albatrosses would nest here, let alone any people coming by."
"If I were Voldemort, perhaps I would have made the same choice he did," Dumbledore replied.
After a brief pause, he continued, "However, I've only heard snippets about this cave from certain places. We still need to explore what lies inside."
"About what?" Little Sirius asked curiously.
Not only Little Sirius, but even Vivi showed a curious expression as she looked at Dumbledore.
Everyone loves a bit of gossip.
"Just some rumors, not necessarily credible."
As Dumbledore spoke, he glanced around, "I heard from others that there's a place resembling a valley on the middle section of the cliff behind us. I believe that's where Tom took those orphans under the guise of smelling the sea and watching the waves. No, I'd say Tom and his young victims could only have visited there; besides some incredibly skilled climbers, no Muggle could reach these rocks."
"They couldn't have sailed to these cliffs either, as the waters around here are too dangerous for them... I think Tom used a rope to climb down, although magic would have been more convenient. He brought two children, perhaps just to enjoy frightening them."
"When did this happen?" Vivi asked with a frown, "Was it after he became an adult?"
"No, to be precise..." Dumbledore furrowed his brow and sighed, "This actually happened before he entered Hogwarts... when he was just over ten years old."
Surprised by Dumbledore's answer, Vivi let out an involuntary gasp.
She couldn't believe that Tom was already so malevolent at such a young age.
"It seems he truly was born evil. I still don't understand why you, headmaster, thought you could reform him?" Vivi asked, perplexed, looking at Dumbledore. "You must know that Voldemort is the product of a Love Potion, inherently incapable of understanding love—and I must remind you, he showed his evil nature at a very young age. Our most pressing need should have been to nip him in the bud."
"Everyone has the right to redemption, Miss Grindelwald," Dumbledore insisted on his viewpoint, "even if he's such a naturally bad seed."
"Really?" Vivi sneered, "How many suffered from your momentary acts of 'Holy Father'? How many families were torn apart by your indulgence... I truly can't understand it. If it were up to me, he wouldn't have had the chance to leave the orphanage before I'd drowned him with a spell in this very sea."
Unexpectedly, applause sounded from the side.
Little Sirius was reacquainting himself with his much older good daughter-in-law; her decisive nature truly... made her suitable as Harry's girlfriend.
"I must admit, you're right, Miss Grindelwald," Little Sirius nodded in agreement. "Simply drowning him in this sea would have been the greatest mercy!"
Dumbledore chose to ignore their exchange. Debating such matters could go on endlessly.
He felt somewhat weary but didn't want to convince anyone further.
Tired, let it be destroyed.
Perhaps they were indeed right.
"Let's go," Dumbledore continued, "This isn't their final destination. The cave Tom discovered when he was eleven, where he intended to store the Horcrux, came to mind almost immediately—it's just ahead."
He motioned for everyone to walk along a crooked, narrow path on the edge of the rocks, sloping down to where the slightly sunken path led to a series of massive stones half-submerged near the cliff.
It was slippery because the stones, immersed in seawater over the years, had a slimy, slick coating. Touching them with hands was difficult enough, let alone stepping on them.
Little Sirius cast an anti-slip spell on everyone, preventing them from slipping into the water due to the slick footing.
Waves crashed against the rocks beneath their feet, and Harry could even feel the misty, chilly spray on his face.
The area was somewhat dim, possibly due to the rocks' shadow.
"Lumos (Fluorescent Flickering)!"
Dumbledore cast a spell, and the glowing points of magic reflected countless light spots on the surrounding wet, slippery rock walls.