Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 217 Brothers (Two-in-One)

"I think seeing is believing faster than talking."

Li Wei glanced at Sirius Black, then looked at the sobbing Kreacher, his voice softening slightly.

"Don't worry, the Horcrux that Regulus ordered you to destroy has already been destroyed by me."

Kreacher abruptly raised his head, his large, cloudy eyes staring at him in disbelief.

The crying stopped abruptly.

In the quiet corridor, the only sound was the ticking of a clock somewhere downstairs. Sirius opened his mouth—and then closed it again.

His knuckles were taut and white in his palms.

But he resisted the urge to urge them.

“Do you have the Pensieve here, Klicker? I want to see those two memories with my own eyes—either the one where Voldemort kidnapped you, or the one between you and Regulus.”

Kreacher nodded and then vanished.

Soon, he returned carrying the old stone basin, his hands remarkably steady.

He placed the basin on the low cabinet at the end of the corridor, stretched out a slender finger, gently placed it on his temple, and pulled out a strand of silvery memory.

"For my beloved master Regulus."

Kreacher read it in a low voice.

The ray of light, like water, fell into the basin, slowly creating ripples.

Sirius paced quietly, as if afraid that people would hear his footsteps and notice his presence.

He approached the Pensieve, glanced at Li Wei, and his bloodshot eyes held a pleading look—after Li Wei nodded, he decisively buried his head in it.
Kreacher, who had felt honored and happy, was taken by Voldemort to a green-glowing cave, where he drank the potion in endless pain and wails. His cries of agony were so real that they could be heard even through the Pensieve.

Then he saw his younger brother, whom he had always considered foolish and blindly obedient, drink the potion from the basin and be dragged underwater by the infernal.

His previous conversation with Li Wei echoed in his mind again.

[Regulus, is he your brother?]

Yes, it's my foolish and weak-willed younger brother.

Regulus Sirius's chest felt as dry and parched as a lit bellows, the dryness rising up his throat to the tip of his throat.

He remembered Regulus's face. His younger brother was only sixteen when he left home, but Regulus was only fourteen. It was he who had left Regulus alone there, which was why he had done such an extreme thing.
“Kreacher, take me to that cave.”

Sirius's expression was as cold as ice, but his voice was a thousand times calmer and lifeless than before.

Li Wei stood to the side, and although he didn't bury his head in the basin, he still absorbed the contents of the meditation basin without saying much.

"let's go together."

Seeing Sirius help the staggering Kreacher up, Levi reached out and grabbed them.

"Snapped!"

The three figures appeared outside the cave.

Go all the way.

Sirius swayed when he saw Regulus's body at the bottom of the lake—Kreacher rushed over, crying.

His voice was already unpleasant, but it became even worse when he cried. Combined with the eerie green light in the dark cave, everything looked both bizarre and funny.

But no one could laugh.

"Kreacher, you stay here for now."

Sirius said something in a muffled voice.

He glanced at Regulus one last time, then walked past them resolutely toward the center of the lake. The surroundings were dark, but his eyes seemed to burn with fire. He wanted to experience the pain his brother had tasted himself; otherwise, he could not truly understand what Regulus had felt.

He cannot forgive himself without doing so.

No, he could never forgive himself.

The green light deep within the cave rose and fell like the breath of a plague.

On the stone platform, the basin walls gleamed slightly with coolness, and the liquid surface was as smooth as a mirror.

Sirius walked over, his fingers gripping the edge. Kreacher appeared behind him, trembling, a sob escaping his lips.

"Young Master Sirius, no! Let Kreacher do it! Kreacher has already had a drink once, so it's alright!"

"I'll handle this. Kreacher, you stay here! That's an order!"

Sirius didn't look at Kreacher, he just growled in a low voice.

He glanced at Li Wei, as if he were about to surrender himself to him.

Just then, a figure emitting white light appeared outside the cave along with the house-elf Barton—Dumbledore had also arrived.

Li Wei notified him to come.

Now that they had reached a complete consensus, the two of them would naturally not scheme against each other or set up any surveillance here—this was their tacit understanding. If they couldn't even do this, then they could no longer stand on the same side.

"Dumbledore."

Sirius stared blankly at him, not understanding how Dumbledore could be involved.

“We discovered this place and Regulus first, and then we learned about the connection between the locket and Kreacher.”

Li Wei offered a brief explanation, but Sirius felt even more heartbroken.

In other words, even if Regulus hadn't chosen to sacrifice himself, this place would have been discovered eventually. His sacrifice was meaningless.
"So—I'll drink this potion, you guys don't mind, right?"

His voice sobbed along with the mournful wind.

Dumbledore looked at Livy with some confusion, but didn't say anything—he had already sensed the heavy atmosphere.

“He is Regulus’ brother, and I think no one is more qualified to drink this potion from the basin.”

No further explanation is needed.

The current atmosphere doesn't allow for any further discussion.

"Please bear witness."

Sirius looked at them, and without needing anyone's approval, his eyes were already filled with determination.

At that moment, Kreacher came up and handed over a glass of water.

The master and servant nodded, understanding each other's meaning—this water cup was the same one Regulus had used before.

The cup crossed the invisible boundary and scooped up the magic potion that shimmered with an emerald green light.

The first sip felt like the icy liquid had chilled my very bones, and then my internal organs seemed to catch fire.

Sirius didn't stop, scooping up a second, then a third, and silently drank the fourth cup. Then his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
A bone-chilling cold kept seeping out of his body, and no amount of shivering could fill it—it felt as if he had returned to Azkaban, where the unique chill of the prison completely engulfed him.

Sirius's face began to twitch. His grip on the cup loosened slightly, but then tightened again in the next moment!
With red eyes, he drank another full glass!
As the liquid was poured in, the pain felt like a thousand needles piercing his body; it was as if his internal organs were on fire!

He saw the tapestries in the old house come to life, and his mother's portrait screaming:
"A disgrace to Blake! If you don't consider yourself part of this family, then leave!"

He was out of breath, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the cup tightly, and he used all his strength to press the rim of the cup to his lips, taking another full gulp.

Tears streamed down his face in an instant.

"James. No, not now."

Sirius began to howl in agony—his body trembled violently as he lay sprawled beside the stone basin, unable to drink another drop for a long time.

Everyone watched this scene with mixed feelings, remaining silent. Li Wei's brows furrowed tightly—it felt like watching his friend being tortured, and he wanted to stop it all.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and did not stop him.

So he did it.

"Sirius—let's stop if you need to."

"Do not--!"

Sirius Black responded with a hysterical scream.

"No—! Don't help me, don't stop me!"

With red eyes, he scooped up another cup, his body trembling violently, but his hands still managed to remain steady—he was still not at ease, so he leaned forward and submerged himself further into the stone basin.

Li Wei could only vaguely see his profile, watching him struggle to drink another full cup, watching him curl up into a ball, as if some unseen people were tormenting him, his hands flailing wildly, desperately shouting:

"No, don't hurt them! Don't hurt them! Peter, don't tell anyone!"

"Young Master Sirius, that's enough—that's more than enough—"

Kreacher cried out and rushed forward, tightly embracing Sirius's upper body with his thin frame—his lips were pale with a bluish tinge, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Kreacher's voice gradually calmed him down.

"Ho-ho-ho-ho-"

His heavy breathing gradually subsided.

“That’s enough—Kreacher, get out of the way.”

He pounced on the ground, looked at the stone basin which was about a third full, and scooped up another full cup.

I drank it.

He started screaming.

But he still scooped it up.

I drank it.

He began to scream wildly.

"Regulus—my brother—are you experiencing the same pain?"

I drank it.

He didn't know how Regulus had done it—how could he drink the potion on his own?

His dear brother, who had always been seen as weak, timid, and indecisive, and who always watched him and his mother argue with wide, fearful eyes from the corner.
Sirius's tears kept flowing.

He raised his hand, then lowered it.

Each time felt like tearing myself apart.

He saw his fourteen-year-old brother standing alone at the end of the family corridor, his black hair still short, his gaze not yet daring to look away.

He saw his own back as a sixteen-year-old, uttered a fierce and resolute remark, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"sorry."

He practically scraped the last drop of liquid from the glass, his voice cracking and shattering.

But to everyone's surprise, he was still able to move.

"bell--"

With the sound of chains scraping, Sirius picked up the locket in the basin—exactly the same one that Dumbledore had destroyed earlier, but Sirius already knew it was a forgery made by his brother.
He turned the locket over and compared it to the one he had seen in the Pensieve. This one was neither as big as the one he had seen in the Pensieve, nor did it have the patterned markings or the ornate "S" mark that was characteristic of Slytherin.

"Den-"

With a crisp pop, the locket opened.

There was nothing inside except a folded piece of parchment tightly stuffed into the space where the portrait was placed.

Sirius mechanically and without hesitation took out the parchment, and with the help of the light from the many wands behind him, opened it and read.

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 risked my life so that you would be killed when you encounter an opponent.

RAB
Sirius crumpled the parchment into a ball in his palm.

His tears have dried up.

Li Wei raised his hand, and a ring of fire spread out across the entire center of the lake, dispelling all shadows. The entire cave was warm as daytime under the shimmering firelight.

Dumbledore silently flicked the corner of his robe, and a clean black cloth fell out of thin air beside the stone platform, like a haven in the night.

Kreacher, clutching the black cloth in his arms, followed behind Sirius—they left the island and headed towards the land completely evaporated by Levi, to face the only remaining Infernal corpse beneath the earth.

It sensed the approach of the creatures, turned its head blankly, and stared at the crowd without any change or tendency to attack.

Sirius walked forward without any suspicion and hugged 'it's' body tightly—the Inferi's stiff body remained motionless—he turned around, took the black cloth from Kreacher's hands, and gently lifted Regulus's body.

That young face appeared very calm at that moment, just as it had always been.

"Regulus—let's go home."

He pressed his forehead against Regulus's and whispered, as if afraid to disturb his brother's eternal sleep.

Kreacher finally lost control and began to sob.

"Young Master Regulus, Young Master Sirius, let's go home."

Li Wei surveyed the entire cave, confirming that the surrounding lighting was still sufficient.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, but simply waved his wand, conjuring up white steps for the group.

Sirius held Regulus tightly in his arms, stood up, and Kreacher followed closely behind, carefully supporting the black cloth's tail in his palm.

The three of them stepped out of the shadows of the rock wall, and then Kreacher took 'Regulus' and used Phantom Alien to return first—they did not want Regulus's body to be soaked in seawater again.

Because Voldemort looked down on house-elves, he didn't set up any traps or defenses against them in this area.

Sirius didn't speak to anyone, but silently parted his arms and left the cave.

For a moment, only Levi, his house-elf Barton, and Dumbledore remained in the cave.

Regulus.

Following the emergence of the Seven Saints, this is the second pure-blooded force that surprised him.

It's hard to believe that beneath their superstitious and seemingly eccentric exteriors, these pure-blood families are truly loyal to their own bloodline and family.

When Regulus realized that Voldemort's cruelty would ultimately endanger the "pure-bloods" and his family, the young boy immediately launched the most extreme and resolute resistance.

Without any forbearance or calculation, he gambled on the future of Voldemort's death, exchanging his own life for a Horcrux.

It really is.
"It seems there's quite a complicated story behind this."

Even after the Black brothers and their most loyal servants had left, Dumbledore's voice remained soft.

"Yes."

Li Wei looked in the direction they had left and responded softly.

(End of this chapter)