"…."
Feeling the murderous stares coming from behind him, the unfortunate Slytherin sheepishly withdrew his wand and forced an awkward laugh.
"Well… it seems the Dark Lord's defensive measures are a bit stronger than we expected."
"But that was to be expected, right?"
He smoothly changed the subject with impressive skill.
"So what about the rest of you? Did you discover anything?"
"…What do you think?"
Even Percy, who was normally the most composed of them all, couldn't help covering his face.
"We didn't even see how that flame went out!"
Avada's eyes, however, lit up.
At the exact moment the Fiendfyre spark had been extinguished by the magic on the stone wall, he had already caught a tiny disturbance within the magical structure.
"So… should I find something ordinary to feed the Fiendfyre and make it bigger before trying again?"
The Slytherin student still looked unwilling to give up.
After all, Slytherins were famously proud, and he had just embarrassed himself in front of students from the other houses while representing the "best Slytherin student."
"Let's not."
Percy shook his head and placed the tent he had been carrying back on the ground.
"I doubt the outcome would change. And you might end up burning yourself alive."
"All right, we can return now."
"Does anyone else want to try a different method?"
"I actually have an idea."
Penelope raised her hand again.
"I just examined the surroundings. It seems that only the stone wall directly in front of us has magic attached to it. The rest of the surrounding rock appears completely ordinary."
"According to Professor Dumbledore, Voldemort built the ruins inside a natural cave within this cliff."
"So if he only fortified the entrance rather than reinforcing the entire cliff… could we simply dig a tunnel through the ordinary rock and reach the interior directly?"
"That probably won't work."
Avada shook his head.
"Voldemort might be arrogant, but he wouldn't be that foolish."
"And if he was capable of installing Anti-Apparition barriers across the entire cave, why wouldn't he also reinforce the entire structure? For a wizard of his level, that wouldn't be difficult at all."
"But Penelope's observation is correct."
While Avada was speaking, the others had already taken out their wands and examined the surrounding rock.
Just as she said, there was no magic on it.
Percy turned toward Avada.
"And expanding the coverage area of a defensive spell often reduces its strength. It's possible that the protections hidden beneath the surrounding rock are weaker than the stone wall in front of us."
"This approach is worth testing."
"Let's just try it."
Rolf cast a Digging Charm at the rock wall beside them.
"Digging Three Feet."
The spell easily carved a tunnel large enough for a person to pass through. The excavation continued deeper into the rock…
"Just as expected."
Rolf raised his eyebrows slightly when his spell suddenly stopped, as if it had struck something completely unbreakable.
He cast several detection spells to confirm that there were no traps such as poisonous gas or curses before stepping inside the tunnel.
Standing before the obstruction that had halted his spell, he carefully examined the rock with his wand.
"I can't sense any upper limit to the defensive strength of this wall," he said after a moment, turning back with a serious expression.
"It's exactly the same as the stone wall outside."
"I'm afraid Ken was right. Voldemort probably reinforced the entire outer structure of the cave."
"Merlin's beard… If the outer layer alone is already this secure, I can't even imagine what's waiting deeper inside."
"Actually, it's not that secure."
Avada shrugged.
"If Professor Dumbledore hadn't restricted us with rules, one of us could simply stab ourselves and walk right in."
"He didn't even add a curse to prevent wounds from healing. I honestly don't see the point of designing it this way."
"And Professor Dumbledore himself entered easily with his phoenix."
The group suddenly fell silent.
When they thought about it that way…
The once-feared Dark Lord who had thrown the entire magical world into chaos…
…actually seemed a little stupid.
"Perhaps there's something far more dangerous inside," Percy said, rubbing his temples.
"Either way, it's getting late."
"Let's end today's work here. Anyone who wants to continue studying can do so individually."
"But personally, I recommend that during the first few days we focus on studying the materials Professor Dumbledore left us."
"Otherwise our progress probably won't meet his expectations."
"All right then. Percy, everyone—I'm heading back to my tent."
"I'm going to study the stone wall a bit longer."
The group gradually dispersed.
Two students remained in front of the wall, carefully examining it—including the Slytherin who had just failed with Fiendfyre.
The others returned to their tents to study the knowledge Dumbledore had left behind.
Everyone except Avada.
"Near-Yet-Far."
After returning to his tent and sealing the entrance with several protective spells, Avada immediately cast the Near-Yet-Far Spell, slipping into the thin layer between spaces.
Then he calmly walked forward.
Through the tent.
Through the cave.
Through the stone wall that had just blocked them moments ago—while two students were still studying it nearby.
Just like that, he entered the Horcrux cave.
"Oh."
The moment he stepped out of the spatial layer, the sight before him startled him.
According to the original story, the Horcrux cave should have been a gloomy, damp, freezing place.
Darkness should have filled the entire space—thick and oppressive, so dense that even light struggled to penetrate it.
But what he saw now was something completely different.
A vast stretch of flat ground illuminated brightly by a light source suspended overhead.
The cave ceiling held what looked like a miniature sun, flooding the entire cavern with brilliant light.
All of Voldemort's arrangements had lost their mysterious atmosphere.
Only the distant lake at the center of the cave still emitted a faint green glow.
Even the uneven, waterlogged ground that should have filled the cave had been leveled by some unknown force.
A neatly paved path now stretched directly toward the lakeshore.
"…I knew Dumbledore had already been here, but… was all this really necessary?"
Avada blinked after a moment of stunned silence.
Then he slipped back into the spatial layer and emerged again on the island in the middle of the lake, which still retained a slightly eerie atmosphere.
His gaze turned toward the source of the green glow.
He intended to conduct a small experiment.
(End of Chapter)