Fake

Cyberlina did not use Occlumency to calm herself. She let those emotions slowly settle on their own, and only after they had all subsided did she release Dumbledore and stand up with him—only then realizing that Dumbledore had used a Cushioning Charm when helping her sit down.

After giving Dumbledore an appreciative look, Cyberlina once again tossed the cup into the stone basin. Once it was full, she scooped it out, then lowered her head to check how much liquid remained inside.

"Cyberlina?" Dumbledore frowned.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Cyberlina gave him a reassuring smile, then released her grip and let the cup, now filled with liquid, float in midair. She took out her wand and tapped the cup. Her wand then swept through the air in a long arc—two identical cups appeared on either side of the original. Through the little snakes on them, she could still see traces of green liquid inside.

"Although these things need to be drunk, as long as the liquid in the cups doesn't disappear, the magic in the stone basin won't notice anything—so we don't necessarily have to drink it." Seeing that Dumbledore clearly did not want to let her take the risk, Cyberlina said with a smile and a sigh, "Don't overthink it, Albus. I've experienced it firsthand already. Don't worry."

With that, Cyberlina took down one of the cups and placed it in the stone basin.

Only after watching the cup fill with liquid and then seeing Cyberlina take it out, without the amount of liquid in the stone basin increasing, did Dumbledore finally relax completely. Once Cyberlina had scooped out all the liquid in the basin, he stepped forward and retrieved the object inside.

"Oh... Slytherin's locket..." Dumbledore looked at the locket in his hand and smiled in surprise. "I believe I now know what one of the Horcruxes I haven't seen yet looks like."

"As expected of Albus." Cyberlina, who had been thinking about how to take the three cups of liquid back with them, turned around at his words. When she saw the locket, she froze. After examining it carefully for a moment, she said seriously, "This isn't a Horcrux."

"What?" Dumbledore looked up in astonishment.

"There's no soul inside."

Dumbledore fell silent at that. He did not doubt Cyberlina's judgment, so he slowly opened the locket in his hand.

Cyberlina ultimately chose the simplest way to deal with the three cups—she used Ancient Magic to seal their openings. Seeing that the liquid inside the cups did not disappear, she nodded in satisfaction, put them away, and walked toward the clearly dazed Dumbledore, looking at the locket in his hand.

There was no soul inside the locket, but there was a short letter—or rather, a will.

[To the Dark Lord:

I know that by the time you read this letter, I will have been dead for a long time, but I want you to know that I have discovered your secret. I have taken the real Horcrux and will do everything in my power to destroy it as quickly as possible.

I face death willingly, so that when you meet your destined opponent, you will be nothing more than a mortal.

R. A. B.]

Cyberlina read it silently several times before turning to the pale-faced Dumbledore. "Who is he?"

"If I haven't mistaken it..." Dumbledore sighed as he stroked the letter. "This should be Regulus Black's handwriting... R. A. B. does match his name."

"A member of the Black family..." Cyberlina could not find that name in her memories—forgive her, but after returning, she really had not paid much attention to the Black family. She knew about Sirius only because she had read the report on the case involving Potter and his wife's deaths before the school year began.

"He was Sirius's younger brother." Dumbledore solemnly folded the letter, remained silent for a few seconds, and then placed it back inside the locket.

"His younger brother?" Cyberlina raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes, Sirius's only younger brother, the youngest child of the main branch of the Black family. When he died... he was only eighteen." Dumbledore looked at the locket in his hand, his tone heavy. "At the time, we all assumed he had died because of Tom's persecution—after all, he was still very young and perhaps not that important."

"But he was a Black. Since Tom was waving the banner of pure-blood supremacy, he certainly wouldn't spare this old family." Cyberlina chuckled. "Little Black—oh, no, Sirius Black—was clearly on your side. So if Tom wanted the Black family's support, he would have had only Regulus to rely on... Therefore, Tom wasn't the one who did it."

Dumbledore fell silent.

"So Regulus faked his death." Cyberlina looked at the locket. "And he chose a method of dying that wouldn't arouse suspicion from either side. After all, if Tom discovered what he had done, then the Black family would definitely—oh!" Cyberlina suddenly understood, then sighed. "He did it for the Black family. He destroyed Tom's Horcrux and protected his family. What a clever and brave child. The Black family really did produce a good shoot from a rotten bamboo stalk..."

Dumbledore sighed with mixed emotions and placed the locket in the inner pocket of his robes. "Sirius is going to blame himself again."

"Don't tell him yet." Cyberlina smiled. "He should be rather busy for a while. Besides, even if he buys a new house, he'll have to return to the Black family home after leaving the hospital. He may even be delayed there for a long time because of various matters."

Dumbledore looked at Cyberlina with an indescribably helpless expression.

"Then, while he's in the old house, after seeing the traces of Regulus's life and spending many days remembering his younger brother, whose ideals differed from his own... he can learn that his brother was actually a hero who walked the same path as him—how touching." Cyberlina smiled sweetly. "We can also have Phineas mention Regulus a few more times—hmm, no, Phineas has to keep it secret for now too."

"..." Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps we won't need Phineas. The portrait of Mrs. Black... that poor mother will make Sirius think of his younger brother."

"That would be even better." Cyberlina walked to the edge of the island and looked down at the black surface of the lake. "I'm very thirsty right now, though I can still endure it. I just wonder whether that poor child managed not to drink the water from this lake."

Although she phrased it as a question, the answer was already clear—the meaning of Regulus's letter had been far too resolute. Dumbledore understood this as well. He silently walked to Cyberlina's side and gazed with her at the pitch-black lake.

"Is there any way to find that child?"

Cyberlina thought for a few seconds before saying, "There is, but not for now."

"When it becomes possible, let me know." Dumbledore spoke softly. He very much wanted to see that brave child off.

"All right." Cyberlina agreed seriously.

"Then, Cyber, do you think Regulus destroyed the real Horcrux?" Dumbledore asked after regaining his composure.

"At the very least, he definitely had someone take it out." Cyberlina looked up and surveyed their surroundings. "This place blocks Apparition. If some creature really could take something out—"

"House-elf." Dumbledore picked up the thread. "I remember Phineas mentioning that there's a house-elf at the Black family home who was very fond of Regulus."

Cyberlina smiled at Dumbledore. "I never doubt the loyalty of house-elves."

Dumbledore nodded.

"But we don't need a house-elf—" Cyberlina extended her hand toward Dumbledore. "We can leave directly."

"Oh, all right. Then let me guess where you're going." Dumbledore smiled as he took her hand and winked at her. "Perhaps to the place where I Apparated with you this morning. There seemed to be quite a few drinks in that candy shop."

"Correct, but no bonus points." Cyberlina smiled and took Dumbledore with her as they vanished from the cave.

On the second day of Christmas, Hermione went shopping with her parents as she did every year.

Her Christmas holiday had been wonderful. Not only had she finished reading the books she had borrowed from the Hogwarts library, she had also read several Muggle books and magazines her parents had bought for her. Yet even after being buried in books for almost half a month, she was still drawn to any books that caught her interest while shopping with her parents—especially the political magazines displayed outside the newsstand. Thanks to Cyberlina, she had recently become very interested in such things.

At first, she had been fascinated only by observing Harry's behavior and inferring Cyberlina's actions from it. Later, after seeing the contents of the Daily Prophet, she felt that Senior Cyberlina, standing among a group of old wizards, was simply too cool. Then, after learning that Cyberlina might actually be older than Dumbledore and had even once been his professor, Hermione did not feel the slightest bit of incongruity. Her admiration for her only grew stronger—there was actually a witch more powerful than Headmaster Dumbledore!

Unfortunately, Cyberlina had rarely appeared at school since then. On the occasional days she did appear, Hermione was in class and could only exchange greetings with her from a distance. The rest of the time, she could only search for clues in newspapers and history books.

It was just that whenever she read the things about Cyberlina in the Daily Prophet, Hermione always felt that Cyberlina's actions could not be as superficial as they seemed. Yet whenever she thought about it carefully, she could not understand them. So when writing letters to her parents, she included these troubles as well. To her surprise, when her parents wrote back, they also sent several Muggle political magazines, along with analyses written by friends of her mother and father. She immediately realized it—the Daily Prophet was often just like this!

Although it appeared to be discussing only one matter, what it actually conveyed was far more than that single, simple event!

Hermione became instantly interested and immediately asked her parents to prepare some related books for her—the very ones she had finished reading over Christmas.

The Grangers looked at Hermione's glowing eyes, exchanged a helpless smile, and let her linger in front of the newsstand. Then, quite suddenly, they saw their daughter, who had been choosing newspapers and magazines, sharply turn her head and look toward the crowded intersection.

The newsstand's windows, covered with all kinds of magazines, were cleaned by the owner every day. But the frequent winter snow, the cold air, and the dust stirred up by passing pedestrians always made them look blurry and grimy. Through the hazy glass between the magazines, Hermione saw a dazzling figure that could not possibly be ignored—white hair, a vivid purple robe, and a pointed hat embroidered with stars. It was Headmaster Dumbledore!

Hermione was astonished. She crossed the newsstand and took several steps in that direction, only to discover that such an utterly impossible-to-ignore outfit had not caused a single person to stop and stare. He was carrying a bag from a Muggle shop in one hand and was smiling helplessly at the person beside him—a black-haired witch who had her head lowered and was holding a Muggle bottle of water!

Hermione: "!!!"

She stood frozen in place, genuinely unsure whether she should be astonished that the two of them had appeared there or shocked by the bizarre scene before her.

Dumbledore noticed Hermione first. Looking slightly surprised, he waved at her, then patted Cyberlina on the shoulder.

Cyberlina had just finished drinking a bottle of water. With the dryness in her throat relieved, she bent over and sighed in relief. After Dumbledore patted her shoulder, she slowly turned her head and saw the dazed young witch staring at her. Cyberlina immediately straightened and waved at Hermione.

At the crowded intersection, the two wizards she admired stood in a vacuum that everyone else automatically avoided. They smiled warmly at her and waved her over.

Hermione felt as if she had lost the ability to think in an instant. Her heart pounded nonstop, and heat kept rushing into her cheeks.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

Her mother's worried voice came from beside her. Hermione came back to herself and pointed excitedly toward Dumbledore and Cyberlina. "Mum, I saw Senior Cyberlina—Miss Cyberlina! The incredibly powerful witch I told you about!"

The Grangers paused. After looking around in confusion, they lowered their heads and glanced apologetically at Hermione. Hermione realized what had happened. The two powerful wizards must have used magic that Muggles could not see; otherwise, no one would have failed to notice them.

Hermione turned around and saw Dumbledore holding one finger to his lips and winking at her. Then—the two of them vanished into the hurried crowd.

"They really are amazing!" Hermione puffed out her cheeks at her parents and declared with absolute confidence, "I'm going to become a wizard that powerful too!"

"Of course. Our Hermione is the best at everything!" Mrs. Granger bent down and kissed Hermione's forehead. "Is there anything else you want to buy?"

"Of course there is!"

Hermione's excitement lasted all the way until the morning of the first day of term, one second before she received the Daily Prophet.

"Hermione—" Ron, who had enjoyed an incredibly happy holiday, called out to the young witch. But when he saw her utterly shocked expression, he stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Professor Lo-Lockhart..." Hermione blinked twice, then immediately shook her head, her face filled with disappointment and fury. "Lockhart! He's just a thief and a fraud who stole other people's achievements! He's also a terrible wizard who uses spells recklessly to hurt people!"

Ron had never heard Hermione speak about Lockhart like this. He immediately stuck his head out to look at the Daily Prophet in her hands—

[Gilderoy Lockhart! The Fraud with the Brightest Smile!]

The headline was enormous.

Beneath it was a photograph of Lockhart in an elegant formal suit, looking utterly dejected as an Auror pinned his arm behind his back, leaving him in a sorry state.

Ron burst out laughing. "Oh, you're only finding out about this now?"

"You already knew?" Hermione frowned and looked at Ron suspiciously.

"Of course!" Ron lifted his chin and pointed at the Auror holding down Lockhart's arm. "Ms. Carverlin, the wonderful lady who gave our family Muggle train tickets. She's very close with my dad. She told our family on the second day of Christmas—Lockhart is a huge fraud!"

Looking at Ron's smug, triumphant expression, Hermione was furious. But unusually, she did not argue with him. She snorted, shook the newspaper in her hand, and turned away without speaking to him again.