A Pair of Chopsticks Pierces the Barrier / Exploring the Lake, Entrusted with a Relic

"I think it should be safe," Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort needs a way to cross the lake smoothly in case he needs to inspect or take the Horcrux, without alerting the guards he has placed at the bottom of the lake."

The Black Lake was teeming with Inferi. The four of them had been extra careful and hadn't yet witnessed the Inferi rampage, but it was clear that once the lake was disturbed by anything other than the small boat, the evil spirits would likely be unleashed.

"So... as long as we get on this boat and go into the water, those guys underwater won't attack us, right?" Hermione asked, as if suddenly realizing something.

"We must be mentally prepared that they will definitely attack once they realize we are not Voldemort. But so far, everything has gone smoothly; they haven't stopped us from pulling out the small boat."

"But why would Voldemort allow us to do this?" Sirius seemed equally puzzled by Voldemort's thinking.

"Because he firmly believed that only a highly skilled wizard could discover this small boat. He must have prepared for someone to risk their life to find it—which he considered almost impossible—and he must have set up obstacles in front of it that only he could overcome... like the stone basin used to store the Horcrux, and that terrible Potions."

"Is that so..." Hearing Dumbledore analyze Voldemort's thoughts again, Harry, who had been deep in thought, paused his thoughts and turned his head to examine the small boat.

Sure enough, the problem was only with the lake water.

Once the boat left the water, Harry could no longer escape its magical fluctuations. With the aid of water elemental analysis, Harry quickly determined the boat's carrying capacity.

Kreacher was right; this ship can indeed only carry the magic of one adult wizard...

Voldemort must be crazy! Why did he use himself as the benchmark for the magical capacity of so-called adult wizards?!

Honestly, this small boat, which is supposed to only carry one adult wizard, is, in Harry's perception, safe enough for ten Sirius to stand on it without any problems.

Dumbledore's subsequent explanation clearly confirmed Harry's assertion.

"Don't worry, Voldemort won't consider the weight; he'll only consider how much magical power has crossed his lake. I think this boat might be under a spell, allowing only one wizard to ride at a time."

As he spoke, Dumbledore stepped into the boat, which then slumped heavily downwards, yet remained steadily suspended in the water.

"Looks like I was right, we should be able to come up together. Compared to my strength, your magic is probably negligible, but Harry..."

At this point, Dumbledore paused, glancing hesitantly at Harry.

"The headmaster's concerns are valid. If I were to board the ship, it would definitely sink." Harry nodded in confirmation. "Voldemort used himself as a benchmark to determine the total amount of magic a grown wizard possesses. Because I am Obscurial, my own magic is quite powerful. If I were to add it to the headmaster's, the final amount would definitely exceed the total amount of magic Voldemort when he set up the trap."

"Is that so?" Hermione frowned upon hearing this. "If what you and the Headmaster said is true, then if it were wizards like Sirius and Lupin, wouldn't a lot of people be able to stand up at once?"

"That's about right, but other wizards won't find this place." Harry shook his head slightly. "In fact, if it weren't for Kreacher's accident, only the Headmaster should have been able to find this Horcrux cave."

"Oh, is that so?" A hint of doubt flashed across Dumbledore's face, clearly not expecting Harry to say that.

"Let's set off now. You guys take the boat, I'll fly in directly."

Harry seemed unwilling to explain much about Voldemort's traps, and instead transformed into Golden Eagle and flew towards the center of the lake.

Seeing this, the three people on the boat had no choice but to suppress their doubts for the time being and row their small boat to follow.

Harry had already guessed why Voldemort had set up such a trap, but he didn't want to say it outright.

Because he had to save face for Albus Dumbledore.

While Albus Dumbledore was engrossed in reading and understanding Voldemort's mechanisms, little did he know that he himself almost fell into Voldemort's trap.

So, why did Voldemort hide Horcrux here?

And they even set up these seemingly hidden magical traps that could easily be discovered by a skilled wizard (actually, it was Albus Dumbledore)?

All of this is because Voldemort actually intended for someone to find the Horcrux he had hidden... and that person was clearly Dumbledore.

The Horcrux Cave is located in a very remote area. Apart from ordinary people in the surrounding area, no one would come here, and even if they did, no one would approach it.

Such a secluded place would be a place that ordinary wizards would never seek out... but there was one exception.

Dumbledore had been wary of Voldemort since his student days and was also keen to explore Voldemort's past, so only he could think of the Wool's Orphanage and eventually follow the clues to find it!

Albus Dumbledore previously said that Voldemort needed a way to cross the river... Come on, Voldemort can fly, okay?

As a wizard who had mastered the ability to fly, did Voldemort really need a boat as a vehicle to move back and forth in the cave?

And look at how hard Albus Dumbledore working just now! How could Voldemort, who always prided himself on being noble and elegant, tolerate himself being dragged from the water like an ordinary boatman?!

So the truth is, all of Voldemort's traps were designed for Albus Dumbledore, with the aim of humiliating Albus Dumbledore. That's why there's this ship that uses Voldemort's own magical powers as a benchmark!

Because he needed Albus Dumbledore to discover the boat, then successfully stand on it, reach the center of the lake, drink the Potions, and be dragged into the water by the Inferi...

He died in the most tragic way, and in the way that Voldemort would most deserving of his mockery!

So... did Voldemort really not understand Albus Dumbledore?

Harry disagreed, saying that Dumbledore knew Tom Dell, and Voldemort knew Albus Dumbledore just as well.

The reason is that Voldemort always knew that Albus Dumbledore was a person who was prone to making arbitrary decisions.

He set up this system of mechanisms before Harry was born. Imagine, during that period, without the influence of Prophecy, what decision would Albus Dumbledore have made after discovering the Horcrux?

Could he be coming alone to find the Horcrux, without bringing anyone else with him?!

(P. S. The following is some analysis without any guarantee of accuracy.)

Let's make a brief comparison of Old Voldy's seven Horcrux.

Harry Potter: An accident, Old Voldy himself didn't know;

Nagini: Her favorite Horcrux, which she always keeps by her side;

The diary was stored very roughly; it was simply tossed to Malfoy.

The Ravenclaw's Diadem: I carried it with me for ten years, then threw it into the Room of Requirement;

The Golden Cup: He carried it with him for over ten years before losing it in the Lestrange Family vault at Gringotts;

The ring: Hidden in Gaunt Shack, it was specially set up with a large number of very powerful curses, but also easily discovered by Albus Dumbledore, which ultimately succeeded in corrupting one of Albus Dumbledore's arms;

The locket: kept in the Horcrux cave near the Wool's Orphanage, it was specially set up with a bunch of curses that were both pointless and easy for Albus Dumbledore to discover. In the end, it successfully killed Regulus and later severely injured Albus Dumbledore, directly fulfilling the Prophecy of the Divination teller that lightning would strike the tower.

So, have you noticed the problem? The last two Horcrux were both Voldemort's family heirlooms, placed in locations strongly connected to Voldemort's past, and both were coincidentally afflicted with powerful curses.

Therefore, it is entirely reasonable to assume that these Sanmiao Horcrux were bait, intended to be used to scheme against Albus Dumbledore.

Before Harry was born, only Albus Dumbledore in all of Britain was unafraid of Voldemort and dared to confront Voldemort head-on. Albus Dumbledore was also extremely willing to explore Voldemort's past.

So he went to investigate, and discovered the Horcrux. He was overjoyed, and then gloriously fell victim to its trap. That's all~)

Chapter 520 A Pair of Chopsticks Pierces the Barrier

The entire lake was silent, save for the soft echo of the boat's bow breaking the surface. The small boat beneath their feet seemed to be moving automatically, as if an invisible rope was pulling them toward the green light in the center of the lake.

The three people on the boat lit their wands at the same time, and the flickering light illuminated the water's surface, allowing them to clearly see the scene beneath the Black Lake.

They were rows of corpses floating side by side beneath the surface of the water, their pale eyes half-open and their hair and robes billowing around them like smoke, seemingly watching the three people on the boat.

"These are just corpses, nothing to be afraid of, just as darkness itself is nothing to be afraid of," Dumbledore remarked. "But Voldemort doesn't think so. He must be secretly afraid of both. He has once again revealed his lack of wisdom. When we face death and darkness, what we fear is only the unknown, nothing else."

Albus Dumbledore's words might be right.

Anyway, Harry has killed at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, of those Inferi, so he really has nothing to be afraid of.

But regarding death...

In Harry's view, no one can truly be fearless of death.

Even if you're not afraid of death yourself, wouldn't you be afraid of the death of others?

Family, friends, lovers—this is the death Harry fears; and it is also because of these people that Harry himself is afraid of death... because he doesn't want to leave them.

Voldemort was the same; he feared his own death, which is why he was so obsessed with Horcrux...

The green light ahead grew brighter, and a few minutes later, the small boat gently approached the shore, and the three people on board stepped onto the smooth rocky islet in the middle of the lake one by one.

The space here is about the same size as the Headmaster's Office. It's a flat, black rock, completely empty except for the green light emanating from the center, which is undoubtedly the stone basin Voldemort originally used to store Horcrux.

Now, the stone basin is once again filled with that emerald green medicinal liquid.

Harry landed in mid-air at that moment, and Kreacher, who had been waiting on the island, immediately rushed up to him with great excitement.

"Thank God! Sirius is finally here! Please, please, rescue Master Regulus quickly! Kreacher, I'm begging you!!"

"We will do that, Kreacher. That's why we're here."

Hermione quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, not only because she felt sorry for Kreacher, but also because she didn't want Sirius to act impulsively because of his pleas.

"These Potions are truly incredible!" Dumbledore examined the liquid in the stone basin almost as soon as he stepped ashore. "In my opinion, this is something far more worrying than blood and corpses. It is truly admirable that Regulus was able to retrieve what was hidden inside."

"Regulus..." Sirius Black choked up as he heard Dumbledore's words.

"Master Regulus!!" Kreacher couldn't help but wail, collapsing to the ground and sobbing loudly, forcing Hermione to repeatedly try to comfort him.

"As expected, I can't touch it... I have to admit, Voldemort's skill in setting up barriers is indeed superb."

Dumbledore tentatively pressed his fingertips against the surface of the liquid, but found that an invisible resistance blocked his fingers. No matter how hard he pressed, his fingertips only touched hard air and could not reach the liquid at all.

"Just like Kreacher said, it seems the only way to get rid of the liquid is to drink it all." Dumbledore shook his head thankfully. "But thankfully we don't have to do that; all we need to do is find Regulus's body..."

"But I've decided to do it this way." However, Harry immediately rejected Dumbledore's suggestion.

If he only wanted to find a body, why would he go to all this trouble?

Regulus is dead. Once his body is found, it must be buried; it can't just be left outside as an offering, can it?

So after he was buried, where could the House-elf place his longing?

Recalling how Kreacher had almost risked his life for that locket, Harry knew exactly what he had to do.

He did this not for Kreacher or the late Regulus, but for Sirius.

Harry wants to find the fake locket Regulus made and have Sirius personally deliver it to Kreacher in exchange for Kreacher's eternal gratitude and loyalty!

Completely ignoring Dumbledore's questioning gaze, Harry flicked his wrist and took out a narrow-necked bottle from his ring, filled it to the brim with the potion, and then examined it closely.

"The ingredients of this potion must be quite unique; it might be worth recycling and studying." Carefully sealing the bottle, Harry put the narrow-necked bottle back into the ring.

However, when everyone looked at the stone basin, they found that the liquid inside seemed to have not decreased at all.

"That won't work, Harry. This Potions can only be drunk," Dumbledore warned. "Voldemort must have cast some kind of spell; simply making the potion disappear won't work."

"I know," Harry replied nonchalantly. "Voldemort's Barrier Ward is completely attached to the potion and can completely block contact with living things. However, to ensure the potion is scooped out and drunk, this Barrier Ward doesn't block inanimate objects. Also, the bottom of this stone basin is quite deep, which means the cup can't touch the bottom of the basin directly; the liquid level must be lowered by drinking the Potions."

"But... his entire design has a fatal flaw." As he spoke, Harry casually snapped his fingers, and a square, well-defined bamboo stick, over forty centimeters long, silently appeared in his hand...

Okay, so those are actually the long chopsticks he usually uses when eating hot pot, which were also called "zhu" in ancient times.

While the three people and a House-elf stared in disbelief, Harry easily poked his chopsticks into the bowl and casually scooped out the replica of the locket!

"So, this is Voldemort's loophole." Harry shook the liquid off the fake locket like he was washing tripe. "Kreacher said that Voldemort threw the locket in after he had drunk the Potions, so the locket, the potion, and the stone basin are clearly not a single entity. And since it is an inanimate object without a physical body, it is naturally not subject to the Barrier Ward."

"..." Upon seeing this scene, everyone present was completely dumbfounded, utterly speechless with anger.

"This... Harry, you're not kidding, are you? The mechanism that took Regulus's life was actually broken by your two... two sticks like these?!"

Even after Harry handed the locket to Sirius, the latter still looked incredulous.

What's this all about?

If things are really that simple, then what about Regulus's sacrifice?!

"These are chopsticks from China, a symbol of Eastern civilization," Harry explained softly, his tone tinged with pride.

Chopsticks have one round end and one square end, symbolizing the roundness of heaven and the squareness of earth; when holding chopsticks, the thumb and index finger are on top, the ring and little fingers are on the bottom, and the middle finger is in the middle, symbolizing the three elements of heaven, earth, and humanity.

A pair of chopsticks, representing the yin and yang of Tai Chi, splitting into two and then uniting into one.

That said, compared to the wisdom passed down for thousands of years, Voldemort's little trick...

It's about the level of an elementary school student.

Chapter 521 Exploring the Lake, Entrusting the Relics

"They're chopsticks, used by people from the East... Harry, you always surprise us."

Having witnessed firsthand Harry's 'miracle' of breaking through the barrier with a pair of chopsticks, one can imagine Dumbledore's astonishment.

He had always assumed that a mechanism as intricate as Voldemort's would require a considerable price to break, but he never imagined the outcome would be like this...

Child's play.

"Headmaster, what seems amazing to you is what I call...methodology." Harry shook his head slightly. "I'm used to using chopsticks, but actually a slotted spoon can solve the same problem...if the handle is too short to reach the bottom of the bowl, then use Transfiguration to lengthen it."

"This..."