Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 361 Crossing the Lake
The cave was silent. Sirius Black, impatient, rushed toward the archway, his shoulder slamming against the cold, hard rock wall with a dull thud.

The archway on the rock face is clearly visible, yet it resembles a relief sculpted by flowing water. Below the archway is not a passageway, but a solid rock wall. Voldemort's dark magic for protecting the Horcruxes is not just a mechanism that can be activated by pressing.

Kreacher stood not far from the rock face, clearly aware of the arch's special nature, having experienced it twice more than a decade ago.

When Voldemort created the locket Horcrux, he had graduated from Hogwarts two years earlier and was studying dark magic in Borginborough, concealing his dark and twisted soul. However, it was only thirty years later that he hid the locket in a cave and arranged evil and cruel dark magic around it.

By then, he had grown into the most powerful dark wizard in history, but he lacked the taste of Helbo and Slytherin. His tricks were too crude, like a clumsy apprentice showing off his petty cleverness.

Melvin and Dumbledore both knew the correct way to open the cave, but they both remained silent, waiting for Kreacher to take action.

"This is a spell set up by the Dark Lord. The archway is unlocked and has no key. Visitors need to pay a price to pass through." A hoarse, deep voice echoed in the cave.

It was Kreacher speaking. Sirius looked up impatiently: "What price?"

"It's blood, fresh blood."

"How did Regulus get through?"

“Young Master Regulus paid the price.” Kreacher’s voice trembled slightly.

Sirius suddenly calmed down and gave him a cold look: "You are an unfit servant."

In front of the archway, Sirius did not force Kreacher to shed blood. Instead, he gripped his wand and slashed it across the inside of his arm. A faint silver light flashed, and a stream of crimson blood spurted out, splashing onto the rock surface. Blood droplets flowed down the rock wall and seeped into tiny holes.

The archway reappeared, shimmering with dazzling white light. This time, it was no longer just a sculpture; a real passageway had appeared beneath the archway.

The group passed through the archway one after another and stood side by side. In front of them was a black lake. As far as the eye could see, the lake was wide and boundless, and all around it looked the same deep darkness, with almost no edge in sight. Only directly in front of them stood a platform with a faint green glow in the center.

Apparition cannot be used here. The confined and enclosed space is like a cage, and the surrounding darkness, which is even thicker and heavier than the night, makes one feel uneasy.

“This place must have been expanded with a Seamless Stretch Charm,” Melvin said softly, snapping his fingers.

Dozens of blue flames rose one after another, lining the lakeside like streetlights, their soft light spreading and making the view much clearer.

Kreacher began to grope his way along the lakeshore, Sirius close behind. Their footsteps echoed as they pounded on the narrow rocks, finally stopping on an unremarkable rock by the lake.

Kreacher reached into the darkness, trying to grope for something.

Melvin used his magical senses and the ripples in the lake to perceive the outline of a small boat at the bottom of the lake. It was exactly the same as the simple boats made by fishermen, made of hardwood, except that it was covered with some black magic.

"Is this... a small boat?"

Sirius asked in a deep voice. He was standing next to Kreacher, watching as the elderly house-elf pulled a bronze chain from the lake. The patina dyed the lake green, and the small boat was dragged out like a ghost, emitting a faint green glow.

“This is the ship where the dark magic is hidden…” Kreacher replied. “Young Master Regulus said that the Dark Lord needs a ship to help him cross the lake smoothly when he needs to check or retrieve the locket, so as not to anger the guys floating at the bottom of the lake.”

"This boat is imbued with a lot of dark magic to conceal our movements and minimize the noise of crossing the lake. While crossing the lake in this boat, those guys in the water won't make a move, but they will eventually realize that we are not Voldemort, but enemies that Voldemort ordered them to guard against."

Melvin inspected the small boat, using the dark magic he had learned from his mentor Tom: "Below are thousands upon thousands of Infernals, wizards and Muggles alike, all innocent victims who died under Voldemort's wand."

The thought of countless corpses lying below sent a chill down Sirius's spine: "Could...could he be in there?"

“He might still be on the island; we’ll have to go and see for ourselves,” Dumbledore said softly. “We all hope he hasn’t been dragged down with us.”

Kreacher had already climbed onto the boat, and Sirius Black also scrambled up, looking down at the boat, which was already half-submerged.

It was indeed a very small boat. The two people, master and servant, sat on it, taking up almost the entire space with no extra room. If it were three wizards and a house-elf, they would probably have to stand up and cross the lake in a straight line.

He looked up and called out, "Principal, Melvin, come on up, we should be able to squeeze through."

Melvin smiled and shook his head.

Dumbledore chuckled softly: "When Voldemort built this ship, he didn't consider weight or space. He only considered how much magic could carry it across the lake. The ship is enchanted so that only one wizard can ride at a time."

“This…” Sirius turned to look at Kreacher with suspicion.

“The magic of house-elves won’t be counted. Sirius, you fit the bill perfectly, but if Melvin or I get on the boat, it will immediately capsize in the lake and awaken the sleeping infernals.”

"Then you..."

"You go ahead first, we'll think of another way."

Sirius nodded as if he understood, coiled up the copper chain and piled it in the cabin, squatted down slightly, and the boat set off immediately. In the silence and darkness, only the small island ahead glowed with a faint green light, and the bow of the boat made a soft rustling sound as it cut through the water.

He had no doubt that the two of them could reach the other side.

One is the world-renowned legendary wizard Dumbledore, and the other is Melvin, who can track down the Lost Lands even across time and space. What kind of dark magic can stop these two wizards?
Melvin had already crouched down, tentatively reaching his hand towards the lake's surface. The mist carried a chilling, almost magical quality, like a venomous snake poised to strike at any moment.
"There is a theory among magical historians that the witch Vivian laid an ambush at the bottom of the lake, hiding in Infernals, swamp monsters, and fishmen. She cast a spell on the lake, tricking Merlin into diving in. The lake water covered his mouth and nose, preventing him from casting spells. The fishmen and swamp monsters fought over his wand, preventing him from casting spells. Finally, the Infernals clung to him, preventing him from surfacing. A sealed cage completely trapped Merlin, his burial place."

"Imagining the scene of that duel is truly terrifying."

Dumbledore shook his head: "Melvin, do you have any suggestions?"

“I think you can board the ship. When the small boat tests magic power, it won’t take Sirius Black’s power into account. He’s been imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years and is physically weak. He hasn’t recovered yet. Voldemort built the small boat based on his future magic power. Compared to the magic power of a legendary wizard, the power of an ordinary wizard is probably negligible.”

Melvin looked at the smiling old headmaster.

“Aren’t you the same?” Dumbledore smiled kindly. “By the same token, with your magical powers, the little boat won’t care about Sirius’s strength.”

"Hey!"

Sirius's shouts echoed across the lake, his voice tinged with annoyance: "I haven't gone far! I can hear you!"

"I'll go ahead first." Dumbledore showed no embarrassment at being caught talking badly about others.

Suddenly, an orange flame rose into the sky above the cave, accompanied by a soft cry. Phoenix Fox emerged from the flame and soared around the old headmaster's head, its wings glowing with bright firelight, becoming the most dazzling presence in the dark cave.

Dumbledore raised a hand and grasped Fawkes' golden tail wing. A burst of flame suddenly spread, engulfing the phoenix and the old wizard in the fire. The fire flashed and disappeared, and the two figures vanished from the spot.

Melvin saw the lights on the island across the water. He had set off after Sirius, but arrived just before the small boat reached the shore.

As expected, like house-elves, Fawkes the Phoenix's magic is unaffected by restrictions, allowing him to teleport whether in Hogwarts or in a cave.

In his past life, Dumbledore came here to find the locket. He took Harry there, bleeding, rowing, and drinking medicine, and slowly made his way there. In the end, they were almost dragged into the lake by the Inferi. Now that I think about it, it was the old headmaster leading his students on an adventure, his last lesson before his death.

A bone-chilling cold, like the chilling fog of a Dementor, rose from the lake and slowly enveloped Melvin, raising goosebumps on his arms.

Dumbledore and Sirius have crossed the lake, so how will he get across?
Melvin looked down and continued to survey the lake. Below, a corpse floated up, close to the surface. The moment Melvin came face to face with the swollen corpse, he was surprised. The corpse's eyes were also empty and unfocused, with a faint light seemingly gleaming deep within its unfocused pupils, as if woven with spider webs or shrouded in a wisp of mist, as if it were yearning for something.

That familiar gaze—I'd seen it all before in the eyes of Dementors.

How did Voldemort control these Infernals?

A thought flashed through Melvin's mind, and a deep silver light flashed in his dark pupils, which reached out with the magic of his consciousness, touching the cold lake surface.

"I will raise my hand and stretch out my magic wand into the lake to part the water and go to the island on the other side."

"Keep silent, do not make a sound, do not be afraid, just stand still."

Communicating with Dementors through Legilimency and the False Memory Charm, a method learned from young Tom Riddle, is something Melvin isn't sure will work on Infernals.

Melvin waited quietly for a moment, then reached out and placed his hand on the lake surface, reciting softly.

Like a whisper or a murmur, the sound quickly faded into the spacious cave. Melvin stood up and did something that left Sirius speechless: he strode straight toward the lake filled with corpses, as if he were about to drown himself.

The legendary wizard Merlin was murdered in the lake. Even a wizard like Dumbledore would not want to set foot in the lake, as it might harbor countless sinister and evil traps set by Voldemort, such as poison or dark magic curses.

Waves rippled across the lake, and in that instant, the bubble membrane took shape.

The lake water around Melvin's feet began to swirl, and a transparent bubble rapidly expanded outward from him. In the spherical space with a diameter of tens of feet, the lake water at the bottom was forcibly pushed aside, and the water flowed around the bubble membrane. Melvin stood on the bottom of the bubble membrane as if he were walking on water.

The corpse at the bottom of the water remained motionless, looking up as the young wizard swam across the water, drifting from the shore to the small island in the center of the lake.

"Click..."

The small boat gently bumped into a rock, and Sirius saw the smooth rocky islet clearly. It was empty except for a stone basin with a base in the middle, which looked like a lamp and emitted a bright green light.

Sirius Black tied the copper chain to the stone and stepped off the boat. Before he even got close to the stone basin, he saw Melvin behind him, just like when he entered the cave, as if he were floating on the water.

Through the open lake water, their gazes fell upon the horde of corpses below, densely packed, staring up at them with vacant, bewildered eyes, their bodies pale and swollen from being submerged, their hair and robes swirling and drifting around them like smoke.

Sirius and Kreacher stared wide-eyed for a long time but couldn't find Regulus. They felt a mix of emotions.

In the center of the island, Dumbledore had already stepped into the stone basin, and the others immediately followed. They stood there side by side, gazing at the stone basin filled with emerald green liquid that shimmered with an unusual phosphorescence.

"This is poison, this is poison! Kreacher drank it and saw many horrific sights when he drank it. His internal organs were on fire, and he needed water to put out the fire, but the water was full of horrible corpses!"

Kreacher trembled: "Later, Master Regulus also drank it. He ordered Kreacher to replace the locket and then commanded Kreacher to leave."

Sirius's eyes were bloodshot. He reached for the stone basin, trying to touch the liquid, but he was blocked by an invisible force. No matter how hard he tried to reach down, he could not break through that invisible barrier.

Melvin and Dumbledore also tried, but were both stopped outside.

"Incredible magic," Melvin murmured in admiration.

"It looks like it incorporates ancient magic."

Dumbledore tried to analyze it, casting several spells on the stone basin, but nothing happened; the only difference was that the phosphorescence of the liquid became brighter: "You can't use the Vanishing Charm, you can't drain or scoop it dry, you can't change its shape, or use any spells to alter the properties of the liquid. It's not just poison; it's a strange magic that has been combined with the Unseen Stretching Charm to become part of the cave and the lake."

"It looks like this liquid can only be drunk."

Melvin summarized his account: "But I don't think we need to do that. The locket inside has been replaced by Regulus; it was a trap left for Voldemort."

"No, those belong to Regulus!" Sirius was determined to get them back.

Kreacher glanced up at Sirius, then silently closed his eyes, awaiting his master's command, though his body trembled uncontrollably.

He still remembers the pain caused by the poison, like swallowing scorching lava that dried out the moisture in his internal organs. With each breath, he could feel the flames surging in his trachea, and he would want to throw himself into the lake.

But after waiting for a long time without hearing any command, the house-elf opened his eyes and looked up. Sirius Black, the young master who was hostile to him, had already raised his goblet, ready to drink the poison in the stone basin.

(End of this chapter)