章 260: 0259 The Unknown Hero (Part-2)

"What did Voldemort want a house-elf for?" Remus couldn't help asking, "Werewolves, giants, vampires, Death Eaters, many dark creatures are Voldemort's supporters. He doesn't lack minions?"

Remus's doubt was soon answered, as the story continued, they seemed to follow Kreacher back to many years ago, to the seaside cave that Muggles couldn't reach.

They listened with rapt attention, as Kreacher described the dark and damp cave, the greenish lake full of Inferi, the stone basin filled with a cursed potion, and the Locket that lay at the bottom of it.

Sirius's breathing became heavier and heavier. He stared at Kreacher with a pale face, his fists clenched and his veins bulging, as if he wanted to rush up and beat Kreacher up at any time. He was furious and heartbroken, as he learned how his brother had sacrificed himself.

Remus's expression was also unprecedentedly serious. By a twist of fate, they learned of a bizarre incident of Voldemort, which might involve Voldemort's deepest secret.

The story of the young man named Regulus was indeed admirable. Bryan also felt a bit of respect, but by the end of the story, he had started to think about other things.

He was not surprised by the existence of Horcruxes, as he had already known about them for a long time. He was more interested in the logic behind Voldemort's actions.

Dumbledore was looking for Voldemort's Horcruxes, and his method was to trace Voldemort's life in the wizarding world, hoping to find some clues.

'Hmm. Voldemort gave the diary to Lucius Malfoy, and let Regulus Black get involved in the hiding of the locket. Would he treat this as a kind of employee benefit, letting every loyal Death Eater participate in this matter?' As he said that, Bryan couldn't understand this behavior.

He had never made a Horcrux, but if he wanted to make one, he would never reveal his soul's location everywhere. Perhaps, he would put a piece of his soul into an inconspicuous stone, and then quietly sink it into the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. Perhaps, splitting his soul too many times had made Voldemort's thinking problematic, or perhaps he was overconfident in his ability to protect his Horcruxes.

"–Young master Regulus took out a locket from his pocket, the same as the Dark Lord's."

Kreacher looked at the locket in Bryan's hand, tears streaming down his long nose.

"He told Kreacher to hold it, and after the stone basin dried up, to switch the lockets."

Kreacher's sobbing became coarse and harsh, making Remus and Sirius concentrate to understand his words.

"He ordered–Kreacher to leave–not to mind him, he didn't let Kreacher tell the mistress what he did–but to destroy the Dark Lord's locket. Kreacher switched the lockets–watched helplessly as the young master was dragged into the water. And then oh!"

Kreacher fell on the table, making a sound like a bullfrog, and cried loudly.

The candles on the candelabra went out one by one as Kreacher recounted the past, and now only one remained, flickering uncertainly. The kitchen was plunged into darkness, and the only sounds were Kreacher's wails and the crackling of the fire.

Sirius's face turned pale and white, his eyes empty as if he had been hit by the Dementor's Kiss. He couldn't believe that Regulus had tried to defy Voldemort, and that he had paid with his life so young and so bravely.

"Did you try to destroy the locket, Kreacher?"

Remus reached out his hand, but at the moment of contact, Kreacher dodged as if he had been electrocuted, with tears in his eyes, and muttered.

"Filthy wolf cub touched Kreacher, Kreacher doesn't allow, what would the mistress say?"

He spat out the words with contempt and fear, rejecting Remus's kindness. He feared that the mistress, the late Walburga Black, would punish him for letting a half-breed touch him.

Besides a bitter smile, Remus couldn't make any other expression.

Bryan stared at the ring of Runes on the locket's surface, showing a thoughtful expression.

Hogwarts was the academic frontier of the wizarding world today, and the interpretation of ancient Runes was undoubtedly the closest to the truth. But even the most knowledgeable wizards of Runes wouldn't dare to say that they knew everything about these ancient magical characters, which might contain extraordinary magic.

Bryan didn't know the meaning of this circle of mysterious symbols, but he felt familiar with them, because he had seen similar characters on the Ravenclaw diadem, which had stayed in his hands for some days.

"Answer the question–"

Sirius's expression was rigid, and he ordered Kreacher to answer Remus's question in a mumbling tone.

So, Kreacher howled in agony, and suppressed his sobbing. He felt ashamed and remorseful, as he confessed his failure.

"Kreacher couldn't leave a mark on it. Tried many ways but couldn't succeed. Kreacher punished himself, tried again, and punished himself again, but it was always useless. There were so many powerful magics on the locket, Kreacher believed that only from the inside could it be destroyed. Kreacher failed to execute the order, Kreacher couldn't destroy the locket, Kreacher let down young master Regulus."

"How dare you mention Regulus!"

Sirius suddenly exploded, and if it weren't for Remus's timely intervention, he would have strangled Kreacher.

"Why didn't you tell me everything then, Kreacher, why! He was only seventeen then, just of age, and you just watched him being dragged under the water by those monsters!"

Maybe Sirius hated his parents, hated the Black family that had brought him so much pain and oppression, but he always cared for his brother, even when he became a Death Eater. Otherwise, he wouldn't have investigated his death on his own after Regulus passed away.

Sirius sat on the chair, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders slightly trembling. He wished he had done more to protect his brother, to save him from the dark path he had chosen.

Regulus was only seventeen then, still a child. He couldn't imagine how much courage his foolish brother had gathered to challenge the most evil dark wizard in history.

How brave he must have been to defy the Dark Lord he once worshipped.

In that cold, corpse-filled cave, only Kreacher was a witness to his death for a noble cause. Regulus sacrificed his life to fight against the evil.

He proved with his death that the 'noble and most ancient house of Black' had real glory, and it was not just a delusion of some blood-purity obsessed people.

Remus took out a few candles from the drawer under the cabinet, replaced the old ones on the candlestick and lit them up, restoring the brightness in the kitchen. The flickering light cast shadows on the walls, making the place look even more gloomy and depressing.

Kreacher was still sobbing on the table. This old house-elf loved Regulus more than anyone, but he had to watch him die in front of his eyes. Sirius didn't understand him, but Remus did. He knew that his heart must be filled with unspeakable sorrow. Maybe because Remus himself was also an outcast in the eyes of the wizards, he was especially sympathetic to him.

"Bryan?"

Remus looked at Bryan, who was examining the mysterious symbols on the locket, and asked softly,

"Voldemort values this locket so much, and you recognized it at a glance. You must know what it is, right?"

"Don't ask too much, Remus–"

Bryan put the locket in his pocket, then said lightly,

"You don't have the ability to keep secrets. The more you know, the more dangerous it is."

"That was what Regulus took back with his life, Bryan," Sirius raised his head, his eyes red, staring at Bryan who was about to take the locket for himself, "I can't give it to you, it must be destroyed. That was Regulus's wish!"

"About that, you don't have the ability either."

Bryan was unmoved,

"Besides, this locket has a very strong magic that can confuse people's hearts. If you wear it for a long time, you will become Voldemort's puppet. Only wizards who are skilled Occlumens and have high magical power can resist its temptation."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other speechlessly.

"Do you have the ability to destroy it, sir?"

Kreacher seemed to hear something from Bryan's words. He stopped crying hard, got up shakily, jumped off the table, and came to Bryan's face, staring at him with his blurry big eyes.

Maybe out of pity, Bryan's tone softened a bit,

"I will do it, Kreacher, but not now."

"We should notify Albus immediately–"

After a long silence, Remus suddenly said, "Since Voldemort cares so much about this locket, it must hide some big secrets. It might be Voldemort's weakness. Albus must know about this."

Bryan raised his eyebrows, ready to say something, but Sirius beat him to it. He said harshly,

"If you want to tell Dumbledore, Remus, I have no objection, but I don't have time for that now. I have to go and bring Regulus's body back. I can't leave him there!"

Kreacher stared at Sirius, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus said solemnly, "Regulus was a hero. We can't ignore him, but I still think we should inform Albus first."

From Kreacher's description, they knew that the cave must be very dangerous. There were many traps that Voldemort had left to protect the locket. Remus thought that with his poor condition and Sirius, who had been in Azkaban for more than ten years, they might not make it out alive.

Remus automatically ignored Bryan. He knew that Bryan didn't like Sirius very much. He thought that he probably wouldn't accompany Sirius to look for Regulus's body.

"I'm not afraid of danger, Remus,"

Sirius's gray eyes were covered with tears, as he spoke with a hoarse voice,

"I've let Regulus sleep in that cold lake for more than ten years. I have to bring him back now, bring him back and bury him. I can't wait a moment!"

He thought of his brother's body lying alone in that dark, damp cave, surrounded by the corpses of the Inferi. Sirius felt an unprecedented sadness in his heart, a sadness that he had suppressed for so long, but now it burst out uncontrollably.

Hearing Sirius's words, Kreacher let out a loud wail, beating his head desperately. He blamed himself for his master's death, for leaving him behind in the cave, for failing to destroy the locket.

Remus clenched his face. He never expected that the dinner to celebrate Sirius's return would turn out like this. He had hoped that they could catch up on their old memories, and share their plans for the future.

But now, everything was ruined by the revelation of Regulus's true cause of death, and the discovery of the locket that he had stolen from Voldemort.

What should he do now?

Because of Regulus's true cause of death, Sirius had lost his mind. He wasn't surprised by Sirius's behavior. He had known him for a long time.

"Let's go and see–"

To Remus's surprise, Bryan actually volunteered to go with Sirius.

Looking at the slightly stunned Remus, Bryan smiled and said,

"Regulus's bravery and fearlessness is admirable. Such a hero deserves a decent resting place. And, I'm indeed interested in that cave. It's like getting a glimpse of Voldemort's power in advance."

Remus felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He understood what Bryan meant. He believed that Voldemort would come back to the Wizarding world one day. And so did Albus. That meant that the dark lord who had brought them so much pain and misery would soon face them again. By then, How many of them would survive the rising storm?

"Thank you, Bryan–" Sirius pursed his lips, "This was my own business."

With Bryan on board, Remus was still worried, but he had nothing to say. He had seen with his own eyes how terrifying this young wizard could be when he went crazy. And Dumbledore's comments also proved his strength.

"Take us to that cave, Kreacher!"

As soon as the matter was settled, Sirius became impatient.

But Kreacher suddenly hesitated. He stared at Bryan, looking like he wanted to say something. Under Sirius's repeated urging, he finally said timidly,

"Mr. Watson, your magic is too powerful. Old Kreacher is afraid he can't take you with him–"

"Ah, that's indeed a problem."

Bryan slapped his forehead, then looked at Sirius,

"You two go with Kreacher first. You have a mark I set on you. I will apparate there by myself according to the location of the mark."

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章 261: 0260 The Cave (Part-1)

It was around eleven o'clock at night, and a bright moon hung in the southwest sky, casting a cold radiance that illuminated the barren landscape. There was not a single cloud in the night sky, and countless stars were embedded in the unfathomable darkness, their light faint and distant.

The temperature was very low, and the waves near the shore were mixed with numerous broken ice blocks that glittered like shards of glass. They crashed against the reefs with a deafening roar, making a sound like thousands of horses galloping on the ground.

Puff!

Bryan, who had changed into a wizard's robe, suddenly appeared behind Sirius, startling him. He was standing on the edge of a high black rock, carefully looking down at the sea below. His eyes reflected the moonlight, and his face was tense and alert.

"Is this the place?"

Bryan looked around cautiously, and saw that behind them was a cliff, with a steep rock wall falling straight down. It was so dark that they could not see its face, only the outline of its jagged edges. And on the shore below, there were many smooth black rocks shaped like goose eggs, piled up like a graveyard of stones. There was no grass or sand, only desolation and gloom.

"How did Voldemort find this place?" After finishing his observation, Remus asked in confusion, "There is nothing here related to magic. I don't understand how Voldemort found this place."

"Maybe Dumbledore can answer your question."

Bryan said with a hint, and looked at the cliff on his right. His eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had noticed something. He raised his wand and pointed it at a spot on the rock wall, where a faint trace of magic was hidden.

"Where is Regulus, Kreacher?"

Sirius did not care why Voldemort would hide the seemingly important locket in this desolate coast. He only wanted to find his brother's body as soon as possible.

"There is a crack in the cliff over there, master!"

Kreacher pointed at the steep rock wall and said, "Kreacher can go in by himself, but he can't take master Sirius and Wolf-Master Remus with him. Kreacher can't break the magic there!"

"Bryan, you found something, didn't you?"

Remus noticed Bryan's strangeness. He followed his gaze and saw the faint glow of his wand tip.

"The magic flow in that place is unnatural."

Bryan simply said, and then he also came to the edge of the black rock where they stood. His gaze followed the many uneven cracks below the rock that could be used as footholds, until he pointed at the surface layer of ice slag, and the undercurrents below the sea.

"We are not very lucky. The tide is high now. We may have to swim a long distance to get in."

Bryan said calmly.

"Then let's do it!" Sirius said immediately, "My animagus form is good at swimming. That's how I swam back to the mainland from the isolated island where Azkaban is located."

As he spoke, a black light flashed, and Sirius's body became soft like dough. After a twist, the bear-sized black dog appeared in front of them again.

"Then–"

Bryan pointed his wand at Kreacher, "I put a positioning mark on you. You apparate to the cave first, and I will swim in with Remus and Sirius."

After some preparation, they finally followed the footholds on the edge of the rock and stood in the icy cold sea water. The water soaked their clothes and skin, and made them shiver uncontrollably.

The raging sea breeze that came head-on carried a pungent smell of salt and seaweed, which made them nauseous. And the irregularly shaped, sharp-edged ice blocks in the sea water also kept hitting their calves, cutting and bruising them. In such an environment, diving into the sea was indeed a very dangerous thing.

Bryan's wand tip emitted a white light, which was like the guiding light from the lighthouse on the shore, warm and reassuring. He held it in front of him, and plunged into the dark water.

"I'll lead the way, Remus follows me, and Sirius covers the rear."

Bryan's voice without any waves made them feel very calm in the night that seemed to swallow everyone. Whether it was Remus or Sirius, they naturally regarded Bryan as the operating commander, and followed his orders.

The undercurrents under the sea were more complex than they had imagined. The cold water rushed from all directions and hit the 'adventure team'. There seemed to be a strong suction force in the depths of the sea, like a bottomless vortex, wanting to drag everyone into the abyss. They had to struggle against the water pressure and the lack of oxygen, and hope that they would reach the cave before it was too late.

Bryan bit the glowing wand in his mouth, and he cast a bubble-head charm on himself and Remus and Sirius, so that they didn't have to worry about breathing. He felt a warm bubble of air form around his head, and he dived into the cold water.

But the sea water was too cold. It felt like needles piercing his skin, and he shivered uncontrollably. After a while, Remus, who was pale as a ghost, suddenly struggled. He clutched his right leg with a painful expression, and his body fell weakly to the bottom of the sea. He had been bitten by a vicious sea creature, and blood was oozing from his wound. But fortunately, Sirius noticed his condition. He bit Remus's collar with his mouth, and swam forward desperately with the standard dog paddle. His black fur was soaked and heavy, and his eyes were full of worry.

Soon, the crack they dived into became a dark tunnel. When the tide was low, people should be able to walk here, but now, the tunnel was completely submerged in the sea water. The water was murky and full of debris, and they could barely see anything. They had to rely on Bryan's wand light to guide them.

The tunnel was very narrow, and the muddy rock walls on both sides were only three feet apart. Under such space constraints, Bryan could no longer swim forward. He used his numb fingers to push against the rough rocks, and supported himself to walk through the last distance. He felt the water pressure increase, and his ears popped painfully.

Splash!

Twenty minutes later, Bryan finally got out of the water, and stood up from the remaining few steps. He shook his head to get rid of the water droplets, and took a deep breath. And Kreacher, who was standing in the cave twenty feet away, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Bryan's head. He had been waiting anxiously, fearing that something bad had happened to them.

"I almost thought I would die in the sea–"

Remus crawled up the rock platform with his limbs, and leaned against the rock wall, gasping for breath. He looked pale and weak, and his leg was still bleeding. And Sirius also returned to his human form, bending his waist and holding his knees, panting heavily. It seemed that they were both exhausted. They had never experienced such a difficult journey before.

Bryan had entered the state of exploring the secret realm. He left the two somewhat weak middle-aged men behind, and stood in the center of the cave, looking at the rock walls and the high dome with the light from his wand.

Kreacher was already anxious, but he didn't dare to disturb Bryan, who was observing the situation. He could only worry by himself.

"Oh, interesting–"

Suddenly, Bryan's gaze pointed to a wall, and he walked over quickly, touching the rough rock wall with his fingers. His light purple eyes turned dark, and a vortex appeared in his pupils.

"What's going on, Bryan?"

Sirius and Remus helped each other and walked over. They looked at the rock wall and were confused. They couldn't see anything unusual, just a plain and solid wall.

"This is the front hall, and this wall is not a natural barrier, but magic–"

Bryan's interested expression made Remus puzzled, "This is just a normal rock wall, isn't it? I can't see anything special."

Effort can help you overcome some obstacles, but on the road of magic, only those with extraordinary talents can reach the higher levels. Bryan ignored Remus's question, because the scenery on that level could not be explained by words. He was seeing something that ordinary wizards could not see.

In Bryan's vision, the core of the black rock wall was intertwined with countless indistinguishable magic pattern circuits, which formed a magic that connected the space magic power. It could continuously replenish itself with magic power, and only by using the correct method could the rock wall be opened. Using violence was not impossible, but the premise was that you had the ability to move the entire cliff.

"Voldemort probably borrowed some of his ancestor's ideas–"

After a long time, Bryan stepped back a few steps and smiled, "But he also added some of his own style."

"What do you mean, Bryan," Sirius, who couldn't understand anything, said annoyedly, "How on earth are we going to get through this wall?"

"If I'm not wrong," Bryan looked at Kreacher and said with certainty, "We probably need to pay a price, right? I think it's. blood?"

Kreacher had been here twice with the Dark Lord and Regulus, and he knew how to get through the wall. But Bryan saw it by himself without any hint, which made Kreacher very shocked.

"As you said, Mr. Watson–" Kreacher bowed and said respectfully, and then he told the three people what he knew.

As expected, Sirius offered his own blood, and when the glowing door appeared in front of them, Remus, who was healing Sirius, said with disgust,

"I don't understand, why did he set up such a mechanism?"

Remus asked, his voice full of bewilderment and frustration. He couldn't comprehend Voldemort's twisted logic and cruel methods.

"We can only guess–"

Bryan leaned back with his hands behind his back, and looked at the edge of the glowing door with interest. He was fascinated by the ingenious design and the complex magic involved. In the invisible magic world, the life force and magic power from the blood were maintaining the light door, but as the power was consumed, the door outline had already shown a slight contraction, like a dying flame.

"Voldemort probably wanted to weaken the wizards who came here."

Seeing that Remus's confusion did not disappear, Bryan continued, "If there were more than one wizard here, then this door would have limited meaning. It would only serve as a warning and a deterrent. Of course, I don't think Voldemort would allow a bunch of people to approach his hidden and protected dark magic items, so, behind this door, there are probably some other means–"

Bryan led the way, followed by two people and a house elf, and passed through the door. In an instant, the environment changed, and a very strange scene appeared in front of them.

Although they had heard Kreacher's description before, the real scene they saw with their own eyes was more shocking than words.

They stood on the shore of a large black lake, which was vast and boundless, and they couldn't even see the opposite shore. The water was so dark that it seemed to absorb all the light, and they couldn't tell how deep it was. They could imagine that there was an underground river connected to the sea at the bottom of the lake.

This was a huge hollow space inside the mountain. The cave was so high that even Bryan's wand, which shone brightly, could not illuminate the top. It was like a dome that covered the whole lake, and they wondered how it was formed and supported. There were no stalactites or stalagmites, no signs of life or vegetation, only rocks and shadows.

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