The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 638 The Dark Lord

His life was forever frozen in the early days of adulthood.

He slept in a cold and dark cave, surrounded by dark lake water, with only countless horrible corpses as his companions.

All of this was buried in the memory of the somewhat crazy house-elf Kreacher until today, eighteen years later.

When light triumphs over darkness, people will remember a Slytherin named Regulus Black for his bravery and kindness.

The atmosphere in the bedroom was a bit heavy. Kreacher had already handed the locket to Ada. The house-elf's eyes were full of reluctance, as it was the last thing Master Regulus left for him.

Sirius gently stroked the photo in his hands, caressing Regulus's handsome features.

Sirius hated everything about the Black family, including his brother. But when he knew what Regulus had done, the memories of his past with his brother came flooding back to him, and it seemed like they had never played like brothers.

"Maybe we can go to the cave and have a look." Ada suggested. Although she didn't think she could find Regulus's body, she still made such a suggestion.

Kreacher had been to the cave twice. He could use Apparition to take the two of them to the cave, and he was also familiar with the mechanisms inside the cave.

However, it was more than ten years ago that Regulus was dragged into the water by the Inferi, and the chance of recovering Regulus' body was very slim. It was more to ease the grief in Sirius and Kreacher's hearts.

"Thank you, Ada," said Sirius in a deep voice. "I was there in the First War, and I know exactly what an Inferi is. As much as I'd like to take him home..."

The atmosphere in the room stagnated again and became quiet again.

Voldemort's methods were extremely cruel. The small boat described could only carry one adult wizard.

If you come alone, you will feel your internal organs burning after drinking the poison and you will need water urgently. Once you lie down by the lake and stir the water, the Inferi will rush over and drag the defenseless intruder to the bottom of the lake.

Unless the intruder brought a victim, such as a house-elf, an underage wizard, or perhaps a Muggle. He would pour poison into the victim's mouth, not caring whether they lived or died, and then take the locket and leave alone on the boat.

Just like Voldemort left Kreacher there.

But not everyone is as cruel as Voldemort. Dumbledore took Harry with him, but it was the headmaster himself who drank the poison; Regulus also took Kreacher with him, and he chose himself instead of the elf around him.

This is what Voldemort lacked. He did not know what love was, nor did he understand the power of emotion.

At the same time, Voldemort's arrogance made him ignore Kreacher. He did not think that the lowly, inferior elf could escape.

But the magic of house-elves is very powerful. They can do things that many wizards cannot do. Kreacher used Apparition to escape from the cave and escaped the disaster.

It was this arrogance that caused him to not watch Kreacher being dragged into the lake, which led to the locket being replaced by Regulus and falling into Ada's hands eighteen years later.

With a sigh, Ada walked out of Regulus' bedroom, leaving the room to the grief-stricken Sirius. The locket in her hand was heavy, and the two people paid their precious lives for it.

The locket could not be opened, and it was probably impossible to dismantle it violently. Only Snake Lao Qiang could order it to open. However, Ada did not do so. She was not in a hurry to destroy the locket, but had another use for it.

When the wedding was over, the members of the Order of the Phoenix walked out of 12 Grimmauld Place together, and Moody made some arrangements.

Sirius stood at the door of the old house, a place he had always dreamed of escaping from. But when Sirius's dream came true again, there was a bit of contradiction in his eyes. He touched the photo in his pocket for the last time and left without looking back.

People gradually left, the moldy and ominous old houses disappeared, and Grimmauld Place became a ridiculous appearance with number 11 next to number 13.

……

Late July 1997, Pendle Hill, Lancashire.

This is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the site of the Pendle Witch Trials in 1612.

The Pendle Witch Case was the most important witch-hunting case in the Middle Ages. It is said that more than a dozen people died of witchcraft in the area at that time, and twelve people were accused of being witches and executed. In the following hundreds of years, among those executed for witchcraft in England, ten witches were also from Pendle, so this area became synonymous with witches.

Like Salem, Pendle is famous for its witch trials. Locals use this notoriety to attract tourists and open witch shops, attracting many people interested in the occult and witchcraft to visit.

But when real wizards came to Lancashire and to Pendle Hill, the Muggles who were looking for the witches disappeared.

Late at night, the beautiful Pendle Hill was shrouded in thick fog. The fog was caused by the Dementors wandering in the mountains. The dark creatures that escaped from Azkaban guarded this place where wizard legends were.

Two men suddenly appeared from nowhere, a few meters apart on a narrow winding path in the mountains. Before they could pull their wands out of their robes, they recognized each other and walked along the mountain path through the mist.

"Any news?" asked one of them. He was tall and strong.

"That couldn't be better," replied Snape, looking delighted, as though he believed he was about to be rewarded.

Without saying anything more, the two walked silently along the mountain road at night, and soon they came to a dilapidated-looking wooden house. The tall wizard stopped, and Snape rolled up his left sleeve and placed his left arm, which was branded with the Dark Mark, in front of a small window.

Suddenly, the tattered wooden house disappeared, and a tent that looked like a palace appeared in front of them. The door curtain automatically opened to both sides, revealing the dim light inside.

Although it is just a tent, the interior is very luxuriously decorated, and the precious carpets almost cover the entire floor.

Snape and the wizard walked on the carpet and came to a long table painted black.

The blazing torches illuminated the Death Eaters sitting around the long table. Bellatrix, Dolohov, the Lestrange brothers... almost all the notorious Death Eaters were present.

And of course there was Voldemort, who looked more and more like a snake—two thin nostrils, a pair of shining red eyes with vertical pupils, and his skin was very pale, giving off a pearly luster.

Under Voldemort's arrangement, Snape sat in the place closest to him, opposite Bellatrix, and his attacker was the cruel and cunning Antonin Dolohov.

"How is it?" Voldemort's voice was emotionless. "Albert, can you bring me some good news?"

The man who walked into the tent with Snape bowed respectfully and said, "Master, the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix will work together to move Harry Potter from his current safe residence when he turns seventeen."

The Death Eaters at the long table were very interested in this news; they knew how much their master valued Harry Potter.

"Is the information accurate?" Voldemort asked. He acted very calmly, as if he didn't care about his enemy at all.

Albert Runcorn, still leaning forward, said, "My Lord, that is correct. The source is the Department of Law Enforcement, and Aurors have been roaming Privet Drive all summer, protecting Harry Potter."

After that, the Death Eaters' shrill laughter rang out beside the long table, as if they were mocking the idiots in the Ministry of Magic and the incompetent Aurors.

Since the summer vacation at Hogwarts, the Death Eaters have never launched a raid on Harry Potter. They just monitor Privet Drive. In other words, every move of the Aurors is carried out under the eyes of the Death Eaters.

"And you, Severus?" Voldemort turned to Snape, looking at him with scarlet eyes. "What news will you bring me?"

"Master, the transfer will be next Saturday evening." Snape gave a different time, "and only members of the Order of the Phoenix will participate in the transfer, without Aurors accompanying for protection."

After saying this, Albert Runcorn loudly retorted, "How could the Ministry of Magic not be involved! Scrimgeour is ready to escort Harry Potter, and some Aurors have already received his orders."

"That's because..." Snape's voice also rose slightly, drowning out Runcorn.

When Albert Runcorn shut up, Snape continued, "The Order of the Phoenix does not trust the Ministry of Magic. They brought forward the plan to transfer Harry Potter and did not inform the Ministry of Magic."

"Why?" Voldemort asked with interest. He still faced Snape, his red eyes staring at Snape's black eyes. His gaze was sharp, as if he had the power to see through people.

Snape replied calmly, "Because of Esmeralda Drizzt."

(End of this chapter)