Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 408, Section 406: Arrival (45)

Headmaster Dumbledore briefly described the cave and its location, then looked at Sheehan with a very natural gaze:

"I think I can go by myself."

Sheen looked at Dumbledore without saying a word.

He knew that Dumbledore's words were essentially saying:

I'll go ahead and investigate, so if anything unexpected happens, you'll know about it.

Just then, Sheen felt something strange in his head, a cool sensation, as if a bee was flapping its wings outside his memory membrane, and he then displayed some images.

"You're planning to use... a fire dragon to follow us?"

Dumbledore laughed; he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"Ah."

Sheen admitted it.

Dumbledore almost never used Legilimency to probe a young wizard's thoughts, and this time was no exception. He knocked on the door like a guest.

"I don't know what kind of defensive mechanisms it might have; I only have some guesses, which may be completely wrong."

Dumbledore continued,

“If you are willing to come with me, then I must warn you beforehand that there will be extraordinary dangers.”

“I understand, Principal.”

Sheen remained calm.

"Very well, then listen carefully. I'm taking you there on one condition: you must obey any of my orders immediately and without question."

"You need to understand, Sheen. I mean you must even obey orders like 'run,' 'hide,' or 'go back.' Do you agree?"

Dumbledore straightened his back.

"..."

Sheen did not answer.

Dumbledore looked somewhat troubled.

"If I tell you to hide, will you?"

"Maybe……"

"If I tell you to run away, will you obey?"

"Maybe……"

"If I told you to leave me and save yourself, would you do as I say?"

"Won't--"

"Sheen Green!"

Dumbledore's voice grew louder.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"It's always good to be willing to rebel against authority, but..."

Dumbledore was somewhat discouraged.

"There won't be any problems."

Sheen couldn't help but add a sentence.

"Oh? What did you detect in the night sky over the border region?"

Dumbledore asked with a hint of curiosity.

Sheen didn't say anything.

"I hope so. Maybe all people who are not confused about the future are the same."

Dumbledore looked somewhat dazed.

"Is there anything you need to bring?"

Dumbledore eventually agreed.

He knew that whether he agreed or not, he would eventually meet the little wizard in one place.

Of course, this was something he had anticipated.

"No, Principal."

Sheen said.

The night sky was filled with stars. The air was filled with the warm scent of grass and the aroma of lake water.

The old wizard and the young wizard have finally set off.

The method remains the same: Apparition, a technique familiar to Sheen.

He gulped down the potion, and even though he thought he had probably gotten used to Apparition, when he went to the vault, he would still see these potions sitting there quietly, their numbers remaining unchanged for a long time. Sometimes he felt it wasn't like his own vault, but more like a shared vault.

Although the other two guests never took anything.

Sheehan's gaze began to distort after he touched Dumbledore's hand...

After an unknown amount of time, Sheen smelled the ocean and heard the sound of surging waves.

He gazed at the distant sea under the moonlight and the starry night sky, a cold breeze ruffling his hair.

He stood on a high, black rock protruding from the sea, with waves rolling and foaming beneath his feet.

He turned his head and looked back.

Behind me stood a cliff, its steep rock face plunging straight down, its features obscured by darkness.

Several large rocks, such as the one where Sheen and Dumbledore stood, appeared to have broken off from the front of the cliff sometime in the past. The surrounding area was barren and desolate; apart from the vast sea and rocks, there wasn't a single tree, grass, or beach in sight.

"what do you think?"

"Dumbledore asked. He sounded as if he were asking Sheehan if this was an ideal picnic spot."

"He brought the children from the orphanage here?"

Sheehan asked, holding up his glowing wand, and Dumbledore knew the anger in his eyes.

"To be precise, not here."

Dumbledore said,
"There is a place that could barely be called a village halfway up those cliffs behind us."

I believe they brought the orphans there, letting them breathe the sea air and see the waves.

But I think only Tom Riddle and the few kids he bullied ever went to this place.

let's go……"

Dumbledore ended the conversation.

They were now going down into a cave, but the entrance to the cave was in the sea.

Judging from Dumbledore's expression, he wanted to swim down.

Are you afraid of water?

"Dumbledore asked kindly."

"Not afraid."

Sheen thought he was eager to try.

But he still opened the Wizarding Book, and Pukcher came out immediately—under Dumbledore's interested gaze.

With the help of Pukchi's Apparition, they easily entered the cave.

Then, they gazed at the gate that trapped them.

"This is just the foyer, the entrance hall,"

Dumbledore paused for a moment and then said,

“We need to get inside… What’s blocking our way now is a trap set by Tom Riddle, not an obstacle set up by nature…”

Before he could finish speaking, Sheen had already cut his arm, and bright red blood flowed out.

At the same time, he felt weaker than ever before.

But it was alright, he was much weaker than he had been for a long time.

"Ouch...does it hurt?"

Dumbledore fell silent for a moment.

"Fortunately."

Sheen said.

There was really no other way to open this door; it was meant to weaken a wizard's power.

The door opened, and they stood on the shore of a vast, black lake. The lake was incredibly wide and seemed to stretch to the horizon, but the opposite shore was nowhere in sight.

The cave they were in was very high; they couldn't see the top even when they looked up. In the distance, as if in the middle of a lake, a hazy, emerald-green light shimmered and was reflected in the still water below.

"Okay, looks like we need a ship?"

Dumbledore stared straight at Sheehan this time, as if he were about to do something again without warning.

Sheen simply followed the old wizard quietly, just as he had when they first met.

“I must tell you, Sheen. Please stand back against the rock face; I’ve found a spot.”

He said this, and clasped his hands together, grabbing something in the air that Sheen couldn't see.

Dumbledore slowly moved toward the lake, and a small boat appeared.

And they too must take a small boat to the other side.

(End of this chapter)