Are All Members of the Black Family Like This?

Upon entering the doorway, Kreacher walked in front as always, with Sirius Black bringing up the rear.

Dark and eerie, with shadows that seemed to lurk non-lethal lurking watchers, the deeper one went into the cave, the more bizarre the environment became, as one passed through the archway that appeared in the rock.

"Sirius Black, are you alright?" Harry slowed his pace and asked with some concern.

Sirius Black silently shook his head, glanced at Kreacher walking ahead, and knowing that there was no immediate danger, lowered his head and ran his wand across the wound he had cut on his arm. He unleashed a healing spell, and the milky white light caused the wound to heal rapidly, leaving only a faint, tender red mark.

There were some minor, lingering pains, but compared to the torment Regulus had suffered, they were nothing...

He was a core member of the Order of the Phoenix, the eldest son of the Black family, and Regulus's brother. However, before Kreacher revealed everything, he knew nothing about what Regulus had done. There was once a Black family boy who selflessly gave his life to fight against Voldemort.

Even if it's just for the sake of mourning, he must bring Regulus's body back home, to Black's home.

"[Lumos] "

As the cave grew darker and darker, and they could no longer see the path, George and Fred quickly lit their wands.

Two bright clusters of silvery-white light immediately danced at the tips of the wands, their crystalline brilliance failing to illuminate the entire cave; the darkness here seemed denser and heavier than usual. Seeing this, the others lit their wands as well, seven silver beams pushing through the thick darkness to illuminate the eerie yet spacious cave.

As their gaze followed the light, a bizarre scene unfolded before them: a dark, gloomy lake. The lake was wide and still, filled with an intense, impenetrable darkness, as if nothing could float on its surface and stepping on it would only plunge them into the bottomless abyss.

The group stood on the shore, gazing into the distance. They could not see the opposite bank of the lake, but only what appeared to be a small, narrow island in the middle of the lake. A hazy green light shimmered quietly, its reflection shimmering in the still water below.

Loren stood on the shore, his shoes almost touching the dark lake water, and felt a strange, bone-chilling coldness that went deep into his heart. He could vaguely sense many malicious eyes lurking underwater, but when he looked down, he could only see darkness.

He blinked, and a crystalline blue light flickered in his eyes. The lake water no longer obstructed his view, and what came into view were corpses covered with a strong aura of death. Every detail of their bodies was clearly visible, and they stared at him with their eyes wide open, the whites of their eyes terrifying.

The lake was calm. Even though a gentle breeze swirled through the cracks in the rocks and whistled softly inside the cave, the water did not ripple. The eerie, deathly Magic Power was so intense that it was almost tangible, and the dark lake water constantly emanated a chilling aura.

The Inferi at the bottom of the lake wait for the water to mark their targets. Once they come into contact with a living person, countless Inferi will instantly come to life and drag the living person to the bottom of the water, turning them into yet another lifeless Inferi.

Who knows how many corpses are down there? Did Voldemort sink all the bodies from the last Wizarding War...?

Sirius Black still wants Regulus's body; he'll probably have to search through them one by one.

Loren subtly shifted his gaze. Before obtaining Regulus's pendant, he wasn't sure what kind of commotion destroying these Inferi would cause, so he decided to proceed step by step.

Hermione carefully examined her surroundings but found nothing. She turned to the House-elf, "Kreacher, is that thing hidden on the island in the Lake Island?"

"Yes... yes."

Kreacher trembled, his teeth chattering. His rags were still damp, and the cold seeped into his bones. For over a decade, he had returned to this place countless times in his dreams, but now, stepping onto the ground, the familiar scene awakened deeply buried painful memories. An unprecedented panic overwhelmed him, making it hard to breathe. He forced a fearful reply:

"But... but you absolutely must not touch the water here."

"We figured it out..." Hermione's wand lightly touched him, and the cloth immediately steamed with white vapor, becoming dry and warm as if it had been baked in front of a fire. "So how should we get there? Tell me how you got there back then..."

Kreacher bowed slightly to her, his trembling pupils gradually calming down. His tone was still somewhat flustered, but much better. "A ship... there's a ship. Kreacher first came here with the Dark Lord. Back then, there weren't so many traps and magic here. The Dark Lord first cast a spell on the Lake Island, made me drink poison, and then abandoned me..."

The House-elf's trembling, high-pitched voice unveiled the curtain that had been sealed for sixteen years, taking everyone back to the scene where Voldemort built this place.

At the height of his power, the Dark Lord was building protective measures for his Horcrux. He asked one of his loyal followers for a Kreacher -House-elf Regulus Black, Death Eater at the time, was confused by the various behaviors of the Death Eater group. He had not yet discovered the Dark Lord's true nature and thought it was just a normal job. He believed that it was an honor for House-elf to serve the Dark Lord, so he sent his closest House-elf.

"...Young Master Regulus said that this was an honor for him and for Kreacher, and that Kreacher had to do everything the Dark Lord had ordered, and then...go home."

For thousands of years, the most skilled dark wizards have concocted poisons that were poured into the mouths of House-elf. Kreacher's internal organs felt as if they were being roasted in a fireplace, and his blood surged through his veins as if boiling. But his cries and groans were only heard by the Inferi at the bottom of the water. He could only watch helplessly as the Dark Lord finished setting up the spell, boarded the ship, and left, abandoning him on the island like trash.

As the eight wizards listened to the House-elf's firsthand account, the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end. The hoarse voice seemed to come from the mouth of a monster lurking underwater, and the scene flashed before their eyes: Voldemort's pale snake face disappearing into the darkness, his scarlet eyes coldly staring at the House-elf writhing in agony...

"A dead man's hand reached out from the water, trying to drag Kreacher into the lake, but Kreacher always remembered... that Master Regulus wanted Kreacher to go home..."

"Where is that ship?" Sirius Black asked.

"It's right on the shore, but Kreacher doesn't know where he's hiding..."

"How are we supposed to find a small boat in this dark place..."

Harry stood on the shore, glancing cautiously at the lake water, then at the ominous green light shimmering on the opposite shore. "Can we fly across, or walk underwater? But what about those things underwater, those dead hands Kreacher mentioned? Could they attack us halfway?"

"Aquatic dark creatures? Dead men's hands..." Ron asked nervously, "What could it be, a water monster, a water sprite, a water ghost, a giant python, or a phantom?"

"It's Inferi..."

Loren, carrying a wisp of silver light in his hand, spoke slowly and deliberately, walking along the lakeshore under the glow of the fluorescent light. His footsteps echoed as they pounded on the narrow rocks by the lake. "Contact with the lake water may invite attacks from the Inferi," he said.

"Ah?"

The eager Twins paused for a moment, quickly dropped the pebbles in their hands, took a few steps back, and said with some resentment, "If it's just Inferi, Professor Lupin taught us how to deal with it. Clumsy guys without Magic Power, most spells will work on them."

Loren didn't respond immediately, but walked slowly along the lake shore until the people around him gradually caught up with him. Then he spoke softly, "Endless, countless Inferi. Those who are dragged into the water will die in despair and become one of them."

Loren's words, like a chilly breeze, swept through the empty cave. Sirius Black's face suddenly darkened, and he turned to look at the calm, still lake. He finally understood what Kreacher meant by "never touch the water here."

The lake remained completely still, the thick darkness seemingly swallowing all light. Even with all seven wands emitting a pure, silvery glow, the entire cave still appeared dim and gloomy.

They continued walking forward, but the surrounding scenery remained unchanged. On one side were rough cave walls, and on the other, an endless, smooth, mirror-like black lake, in the very center of which shimmered the mysterious green light. A depressing silence permeated the entire cave, making everyone uneasy.

Ron stared at the calm lake, unconsciously slowing his pace, and asked in a low voice, "Are we... are we still looking for Regulus's body? What about the locket he replaced? Do we really have to get it back?"

"Whether it's a body or personal belongings, anything that belongs to Regulus, I want it returned to the Black family!"

Sirius Black glanced at the flickering green phosphorescence in the distance, slowly tightened his grip on his wand, and said with a determined expression.

Loren showed no reaction to these words, his expression calm and composed. Although he didn't particularly like the Black family, and Regulus was a rather dim-witted fellow who could have easily saved his life but chose to sacrifice himself, Regulus had indeed given his life to fight against Voldemort. Retrieving him and letting them take him back was a way of dying in peace.

Let's find a spot closest to the Lake Island and have Kreacher teleport them there.

It needs to be closer; Kreacher is getting old, and it might be a bit difficult for him to lead so many people.

The others in the cave said nothing, clearly showing some respect for the sacrificed Regulus.

"Now, the most important thing is to find that ship!"

Sirius Black carefully observed the dark lake water, trying to find the small boat hidden between the rocks and the water. He sniffed, as if he had noticed something, and took a long breath.

The lake water emitted a faint smell of corpses; there was no decomposition, but it was definitely detectable. The rough, textured rock walls had an earthy odor...

However, there is also a unique metallic smell, a faint rust smell!

He sniffed and walked along the shore. A few minutes later, Sirius Black noticed something unusual, something transparent that looked like a chain.

Sirius Black reached out towards a rock wall, touched something invisible, clenched his fist and grasped a chain, then gently tapped it with his wand in his other hand: "[Aparecium]"

Instantly, a thick, green copper chain emerged from the depths of the lake and darted toward his clenched fist. He tapped the chain with his wand, and it began to snake through his fist, coiling into a heap on the ground. The clanging sound echoed loudly against the rock wall.

The other end of the chain pulled something up from the dark lake bottom. The bow of a small boat suddenly emerged from the lake like a ghost, emitting a green glow like the chain, and floated towards the lake shore where I was standing, almost without making a ripple.

"Magic leaves traces, and objects leave scents, and my Animagus gives me a sense of smell that is more sensitive than most people!" Sirius Black smiled smugly, gave a strong tug, and with a soft thud, the boat crashed into the lake shore.

Loren looked up at his radiant smile, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

It seems that not only Regulus is inflexible, but Sirius Black is also slow-witted...

Hmm? Are all members of the Black family like this?

Loren fell into deep thought.

"Is this...is this little boat safe?" Harry asked.

The former Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor nodded, his face serious as he analyzed, "I think it's safe. Voldemort needs a way to cross the lake smoothly if he needs to visit or retrieve his Horcrux, so as not to anger the ones he's placed in the lake."

"So, if we cross the lake in Voldemort's boat, those guys in the water won't bother us, right?"

"I think we have to be prepared that once they find out we're not Voldemort, they'll definitely come after us. But so far, we've been doing fairly well."

"Professor Black, I have a question!" George raised his hand and asked, "This small boat can clearly only carry one person, two at most, but we have nine people including Kreacher. How are we going to get across?"

Miss Know-It-All- All immediately recognized it as a classic math problem, but it was quite simple. Hermione arrived at the answer with almost no thought, "The boat can only carry two people at a time, and someone must steer it for each round trip. So, there is one person acting as the boatman, and it can only carry one person at a time. It takes eight round trips..."

"Harry and I will go first," Sirius Black said, nimbly climbing onto the boat. Harry followed closely behind, coiling up the chains and piling them at the bottom of the boat. They were crammed together, unable to sit comfortably, and had to squat down with their knees against the side of the boat.

The small boat set off immediately, and all around was silent except for the soft rustling sound of the bow cutting through the water.

Watching them quickly finalize their lake-crossing plan in just a few words, and the godfather and godson swiftly board the boat and set off, Loren pursed his lips, paused for a moment, and then said softly, "Kreacher, could you please take us across?"

"Yes, Mr. Morgan," Kreacher said respectfully.

"!!!"

The few people who were waiting for the boat to return immediately looked up, their eyes widening in surprise.