A Bizarre Spirit, Beneath the Black Lake / The One Who Set the Trap, a Test of the Game

Upon hearing Harry casually offer another solution, along with a term that no wizard could possibly understand, not only Albus Dumbledore but even Sirius Black was completely bewildered.

What, then, is methodology?

"I'll add it to the general world knowledge course later... Oh, by the way, that's the new name I've come up with for Muggle Studies."

The wizards' way of thinking, well... hehe.

Voldemort's design was riddled with flaws; even without chopsticks and a strainer, Harry had plenty of ways to solve it.

Your Barrier Ward is indestructible, but is the stone basin containing the Potions also indestructible, perhaps even stronger than Horcrux?

Would it be okay to smash the stone basin and its base together with Sword of Gryffindor soaked in poison?

How about burning it all to ashes with a cursed Fiendfyre?

Honestly, if a wizard can't even grasp the basic principle of "when you encounter a problem, solve it," he shouldn't presumptuously claim he's going to study ordinary people.

"Godfather, you can keep this locket for now. You can give it to someone who really needs it later." Harry handed the fake locket to Sirius, while subtly winking at Kreacher.

"You all stay here for now. I'll go down and try to pinpoint Regulus's location. Until I return, no one should disturb the lake."

Those killed by the Inferi also become Inferi, so in the worst-case scenario, Regulus is now a walking corpse filled with absolute hostility towards his side.

The number of Inferi beneath this lake might be even greater than those that invaded Hogwarts. If they were all disturbed and brought ashore, in the ensuing chaos, who would have time to distinguish which Inferi was their target?

Everyone has their own expertise, and among the few people present, perhaps only Harry truly understood the state of a corpse that had been submerged in water for a long time.

And if it were to reconstruct Regulus's image in one's mind from a face that was swollen and disfigured like dough, only Harry could do that.

"Kreacher, point me to the spot where Regulus was dragged into the water."

"Here! Kreacher will never forget that this is where Master Regulus was dragged off the island!!" The House-elf pointed tremblingly to a spot on the edge of the island, a place that held a deep and painful memory for him.

"Okay! Also... if the situation changes later, you should immediately lead everyone away from here, understand?"

"Kreacher understands!"

Worried that it might not be safe, Harry secretly gave Kreacher another order. After Kreacher agreed, Harry gradually Elementalization and disappeared into the calm Black Lake in front of him.

He could only hope everything went well. Since Regulus's body hadn't moved after being dragged into the water, the other person must be nearby...

Harry, who was thinking this, was hit hard by reality the moment he was fully submerged in the water.

The situation was much worse than he had imagined. The lake water around him was pitch black, so thick it looked like the ink of Giant Squid, a stark contrast to his ability to see several meters underwater from the shore.

Moreover, this eerie lake was also protected by a special elemental shield, making it impossible for Harry to sense anything while in the lake. He could only rely on a vague sense of touch to know that he had encountered Inferi, and then he had to identify the Inferi's face at extremely close range, face to face. The efficiency was simply appalling.

This feeling was like when he was dreaming about being in that dark cemetery.

You can't see anything; you can only find the tombstones by feeling your way up. You can only see the names on the tombstones when you get completely close to them.

But at least that cemetery gets a flash of lightning; this lakebed, however, is completely dark...

"It's been so long, why hasn't Harry come up yet?" Hermione was pacing anxiously on the lake shore, her eyes fixed on the spot where Harry had gone into the water.

Her hands were clenched tightly, her knuckles even turning slightly white from the force, and her shoulders were trembling with tension.

Half an hour or an hour... Hermione didn't know, but every second of waiting felt like torture!

"Wait a little longer, Hermione..." Dumbledore advised softly, seeing the situation. "The lake hasn't changed at all, so Harry should be safe now. There's nothing we can do but wait for him to come up."

"Kreacher, keep this safe. It's a relic of Regulus, after all. Take it as a memento."

Sirius, who was also waiting anxiously, remembered Harry's suggestion and handed the locket directly to the House-elf, whose face was full of pleading.

"Really?! Sirius is willing to give it to Kreacher! Kreacher can preserve Regulus's belongings! Waaah... That's wonderful! Kreacher is so lucky! Thank you! Sirius, Kreacher is truly grateful!!"

The House-elf cried out in ecstasy, kneeling heavily on the ground, clutching the fake locket tightly to his chest, and repeatedly kowtowing to Sirius in gratitude.

"Get up right now!" Sirius couldn't bear to see this and quickly stopped Kreacher's overly enthusiastic expression of gratitude.

However, his tone suddenly shifted sternly. "Kreacher, you remember this... Harry helped you find this locket, so from now on, you must obey him and everyone around him, and maintain absolute respect! Especially towards Hermione, I don't want to hear another insulting word from your mouth!"

"No more! Kreacher will never say it again!" The House-elf nodded hastily, promising, "Hermione Granger is a great and kind wizard, except for her bloodline... Anyway, Kreacher won't say those things again! If he does, he'll cut out his own tongue!!"

"Kreacher... you?!"

Even though Kreacher made a sincere promise, Sirius was still furious because he realized that... Kreacher was only obeying his orders unconditionally out of gratitude.

In the hearts of those House-elf, the idea of Pure-blood glory is still paramount, and it has never changed in the slightest.

"Great! The keepsake... Kreacher got the only thing Master Regulus left him!!"

However, the House-elf didn't notice Sirius's unpleasant expression at all. He kept waving his arms and legs, completely ignoring the snot and tears on his face, and at the same time, he showed what was probably the happiest smile of his entire later life.

Snap~

Perhaps due to excessive force, the locket in Kreacher's hand suddenly sprang open.

Inside the locket, a small piece of paper fluttered down, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

Chapter 522 Strange Spiritual Entity, Beneath the Black Lake

"That's it! Let me see!"

Upon seeing the note that suddenly floated down, Sirius dashed forward and grabbed it before Kreacher could reach it.

Sirius glanced down briefly and immediately choked up, barely able to control his emotions.

That was a note left by Regulus, his declaration of war against Voldemort!

To the Dark Lord

I died long before you read this, but I want you to know that I discovered your secret.

I stole the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as possible.

I am willing to die so that you may be killed when you encounter an opponent.

RAB'

"Regulus... my poor brother!"

"Young Master Regulus!!"

After reading Regulus's last words in fits and starts, Sirius was completely overwhelmed with emotion, and tears of grief and regret streamed down his face.

Meanwhile, Kreacher was pounding the ground with his fists, seemingly trying to cough up blood.

Only after seeing Regulus's last letter did Sirius truly realize the immense courage his brother, whom he had previously thought was foolish, weak, and only obedient to their parents, actually possessed!

Regulus, just like his name suggests, was a fearless lion who dared to fight Voldemort to the death!

At this moment, on the barren island in the middle of the lake, apart from the cries of the Black family, master and servant, only a sorrowful silence filled the air.

Hermione's eyes were red, clearly saddened by Regulus's fate, while Dumbledore was also filled with emotion and regret.

"Regulus Black... he was a true hero, worthy of everyone's admiration."

As everyone was feeling sad, a gentle breeze suddenly blew by, and the fake locket in Kreacher's hand trembled slightly with the breeze, from which a wisp of pale blue smoke slowly drifted out.

The smoke gradually gathered in front of everyone, eventually transforming into a human-shaped phantom that stared blankly at the people present.

"You... you are, Regulus?!"

Sirius stared blankly at the blue figure, then became incredibly excited, roaring as he lunged at the figure!

He recognized him; it was Regulus, his younger brother!

"Young Master Regulus!"

Kreacher quickly followed Sirius, and the master and servant rushed forward in surprise, only to find that they had both missed each other.

"Regulus ...yes, you're a ghost now..." Sirius gave a bitter laugh, staggering back to look at his brother. "My poor little brother, I can never touch you again..."

"Sirius, look closer! Regulus isn't a ghost!" Dumbledore suddenly exclaimed, "He must be some kind of special spirit, and... he doesn't even know you!"

"What did you say..."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Sirius stared in astonishment at Regulus's eyes, and sure enough, he found that Regulus's gaze remained completely unwavering when they met.

I'm not even as good as Kreacher!

At least when facing House-elf, Regulus's expression would unconsciously soften, even making Kreacher laugh and cry in a daze.

"Regulus, what exactly are you...?"

Sirius stared blankly at his younger brother, who was mechanically surveying the island as if he couldn't find anything.

Finally, when Regulus saw Dumbledore, its spirit body suddenly fluctuated violently, and then immediately floated in front of the headmaster.

It seemed unable to speak, but gestured urgently at Dumbledore, pointing sorrowfully to a spot in the water.

"You want me to go there... Could it be that your body is there?" Dumbledore asked, looking in the direction Regulus was pointing.

Regulus's spirit nodded hastily, then quickly floated to the location it was pointing to, circling continuously on the water's surface, seemingly confirming Dumbledore's guess.

"Regulus... is his body really there? Let me go! Let me go and bring him out!!"

Upon seeing this, Sirius impulsively tried to step forward, but was immediately stopped by Dumbledore.

"Sirius, don't you remember? Your godson just said not to disturb the lake until he returns."

Dumbledore gazed intently at Regulus's spirit and the lifeless lake before him, pondering repeatedly the significance of Regulus's spirit's presence here.

This is unlikely to be Voldemort's scheme, because if Voldemort had indeed discovered Regulus's switch of the Horcrux, he would have been furious upon seeing the note in the fake locket and crushed it and the locket together to pieces. He might even have had the Inferi completely tear Regulus's body apart.

So, does this mean Regulus was truly unwilling to accept his fate and hoped someone would take his remains back?

But what troubled Dumbledore was that even if Regulus came to him for help, he didn't have Harry's ability to turn into water and ignore all the Inferi...

Dumbledore little too long to consider, so much so that Regulus seemed to get impatient. His body suddenly transformed into a blue ball of light, which then extended downwards into a staircase of light capable of parting the water's surface!

The light emanating from the staircase seemed to possess endless allure, even casting an unusual glow on Dumbledore's pupils.

"So you want me to go down the stairs...? I was worried about Harry, so I'll go check on him. You two stay with Kreacher and don't go near the lake."

After saying this, Dumbledore, without waiting for Sirius and Hermione to react, stepped onto the stairs and headed down to the bottom of the lake.

Soon after, the lake behind him closed up again.

"This... the headmaster went down too, is this really okay?" Hermione became even more worried when she saw that Harry and Dumbledore gone into the lake.

"Young Master Regulus has disappeared again..." Kreacher, however, was too preoccupied with muttering to himself by the lake to notice anything else.

Regret, yet curiosity... that was Dumbledore's feeling at that moment.

The stairway of light formed from Regulus's spirit was a type of magic Dumbledore had never seen before. He felt as if he were in a passageway completely isolated from the lake, surrounded by darkness, with the motionless Inferi faintly visible in the distance.

He knew the water behind him had closed in, and he knew he must have been momentarily misled by some kind of spell to take such a risky step, but Dumbledore had no other choice but to move forward.

So Dumbledore continued downwards, but instead of finding Regulus's body at the bottom of the lake, he saw a strange statue of Death.

It resembles the Grim Reaper statues in typical cemeteries, with a cloak, wings on its back, and a scythe in hand, landing on the tombstones, but it is even more lifelike than those in cemeteries.

Moreover, its face is not a skull; instead, it bears a striking resemblance to Regulus.

"Strangeness..."

"I'm the one who should be wondering."

Just as Dumbledore marveling at what he was seeing, a chilling sound suddenly rang in his ears!

"Heh... I didn't manage to trick Harry Potter, but instead attracted you. What a coincidence!"

Chapter 523 The Scheme Mastermind, The Card Game Test

Suddenly, a mysterious voice rang out. Dumbledore was flustered but remained calm. He didn't speak, but immediately raised his wand to be alert to his surroundings.

The owner of the mysterious voice seemed to have been monitoring Dumbledore's every move, and soon continued to speak.

"That's why I dislike you old mortals the most. Not only are your souls not as vibrant as those of young people, but you're also incredibly timid, dreaming of living a little longer."