Cave Lake

The Cave Lake was eerie in every way. Though it resembled an underground lake, there was not the slightest trace of dampness—no moss, no stalactites, no stalagmites.

The lake's surface was like a mirror, utterly still and seemingly boundless. The moment Harry and the others entered, they could feel an unnatural silence and an indescribable oppression.

"Something is definitely wrong with this place..." Lupin's tone was heavy. "Even the Illumination Spell is being suppressed."

Hearing Lupin say this, Harry looked up in his direction and saw that the light at the tip of his wand had shrunk considerably, dimming until it was only the size of a fist.

The light was a murky grayish green, as though covered by a layer of mist, illuminating only a small circle around them at most.

"The Inferi in the water..." Sirius walked to the lake's edge, dropped to one knee, and peered into the water. "They really are different. They look much more lifelike..."

"I've seen the Inferi Voldemort deployed in the war. They didn't look like this... These look as if they only died recently... That person's body... is that an Auror's insignia?"

As if trying to get a clearer look, Sirius braced one hand against the ground, his cheek nearly touching the lake's surface.

Harry's feelings were exceedingly complicated. He recoiled from the corpses and Inferi, yet he was also worried about Sirius.

When he saw Sirius leaning so close to the water, he still stepped forward to prevent anything from happening to him.

"So he really was an Auror..." Sirius used Harry's arm to pull himself to his feet, his voice tinged with sorrow. "I knew this Auror..."

"Andy Jones... a very ordinary name. I remember he was only four years older than me. He was a wizard born to