The Return to Hogwarts

Sirius's gray eyes were veiled with tears.

"I've left Regulus to sleep in that cold lake for over a decade. Now I'm bringing him back, bringing him back to bury him. I can't wait a moment longer!"

The thought of his younger brother's body lying alone in that dark, damp cave filled Sirius with an unprecedented sadness.

Upon hearing Sirius's words, Kreacher let out a loud wail and frantically pounded his head.

Remus's face was tense. He never expected that the dinner party, which was supposed to celebrate Sirius's return, would turn out to be such an accident.

Now how to do?

Because of the true cause of Regulus's death, Sirius was already acting like he had lost his mind. He wasn't surprised that Sirius was behaving this way; it wasn't like he had just met him.

Let's go take a look together!

To Remus's surprise, Amosta offered to accompany Sirius.

Looking at the somewhat bewildered Remus, Amosta smiled.

"Regulus's bravery and fearlessness are admirable. Such a hero deserves a dignified resting place. Moreover, I am indeed somewhat interested in that cave, just to get a sneak peek at Voldemort's strength."

Remus felt a chill run down his spine. Amosta's meaning was clear: he believed that Voldemort would return to the wizarding world sooner or later, and Albus shared the same view. This was almost proof that the ruthless yet powerful Dark Lord, who inspired despair, would one day stand before them again. At that time, how many of them would be able to weather the resurgence?

“Thank you, Amosta—” Sirius pursed his lips, “This was originally my own business.”

With Amosta joining the team, Remus, though still worried, had nothing to say. He had witnessed firsthand how terrifying this young wizard could be when he went mad, and Dumbledore's comments also proved his strength.

"Take us to that cave, Kreacher!"

Once the matter was settled, Sirius Black immediately spoke up impatiently.

But Kreacher suddenly hesitated. It stared at Amostella, looking as if it wanted to say something but couldn't. Only after Sirius Black urged it repeatedly did it speak tremblingly.

“Mr. Blaine, your magic is too powerful; old Kreacher probably can’t carry you around—”

"Ah, that is indeed a problem."

Amostah slapped his forehead, then turned his gaze to Sirius Black.

"You two follow Kreacher first. You carry the anchor points I set, and I will Apparate to the marked locations."

Chapter 267 Similar Methods

It's around 11 p.m. now. A bright, clear moon hangs in the southwestern sky, radiating a cool glow. There isn't a single cloud in the night sky, and countless stars are embedded in the unfathomable darkness, their brilliance faint.

The temperature was very low, and the waves near the shore were mixed with countless pieces of broken ice. As the waves crashed against the rocks, the sound was like a thousand horses galloping across the land.

puff!

Amostella, dressed in a wizard's robe, suddenly appeared behind Sirius, startling him as he cautiously peered out from the edge of a black rock on a high ground, peering at the sea below.

"Is this right here?"

Amosta looked around warily and found a cliff towering behind them, its steep rock face falling straight down, dark and indistinct. Below, on the shore, stood many smooth, black, pebble-shaped rocks, with no grass or sand in sight, a desolate landscape.

"How did Voldemort find this place?" Remus asked, puzzled, after finishing his observation of the surroundings.

"There's nothing here that's related to magic. I can't figure out how Voldemort found this place."

"Perhaps Dumbledore can answer your question."

Amosta said meaningfully, looking at the cliff on his right, his eyes suddenly narrowing as if he had noticed something.

"Where is Regulus, Kreacher?"

Sirius Black didn't care why Voldemort would hide that seemingly important locket on this desolate coast; all he wanted was to find his brother's body as soon as possible.

"There's a crevice in the cliff over there, young master!"

Kreacher pointed to the steep rock face and said, "Kreacher can go in by himself, but he can't bring the young master and Wolf Remus in. Kreacher can't break through the magic there!"

"Amosta, you've discovered something, haven't you?"

Remus noticed Amosta's unusual behavior.

"The flow of magic in that place is unnatural."

Amosta simply said one sentence, and then he also came to the edge of the black rock where he was standing. His gaze followed the many uneven crevices under the rock where he could step, until it pointed to a layer of ice shards on the surface, and below that, the sea surface where the currents were surging.

"We're not very lucky. The tide is coming in now, and we may have to swim a long way to get in."

Amosta said calmly.

"Let's do it that way!"

Sirius Black immediately said...

“My Animagus form is very good at swimming. That’s how I swam back to the mainland from the island of Azkaban.”

As he spoke, a flash of dark light appeared, and Sirius's body became as soft as dough. After a twist, the black dog, the size of a bear, reappeared before them.

"So--"

Amostella tapped Kreacher with her wand. "I've placed a tracking mark on you. Apparate into the cave first, and I'll take Remus and Sirius inside."

After some preparation, they finally stepped onto the icy, bone-chilling seawater, using the footholds along the edge of the rocks.

The fierce sea wind that rushed towards them carried a pungent smell of salt and seaweed, making them feel nauseous. In addition, the irregularly shaped, sharp-edged ice shards in the seawater constantly pounded against their calves. Under such conditions, diving into the sea was indeed a very dangerous thing.

Amosta's wand tip emitted a shimmering white light, a light as warm and reassuring as the guiding light of a lighthouse standing on the shore.

“I’ll lead the way, Remus will follow me, and Sirius will bring up the rear.”

Amosta's calm, unwavering voice was reassuring in the night, which seemed to threaten to engulf everyone. Both Remus and Sirius naturally regarded Amosta as their commander and carried out his orders.

The undercurrents beneath the surface of the sea were more complex than imagined. Cold water surged from all directions, impacting the 'adventure team,' and there seemed to be a powerful suction from the depths of the ocean, like a bottomless whirlpool, trying to drag everyone into the abyss.

Amostella held the glowing wand in his mouth and cast a Bubble Head Charm on himself, Remus, and Sirius so they wouldn't have to worry about breathing.

However, the seawater was too cold. After a while, Remus, whose face was ashen, suddenly struggled. He clutched his right leg, his face contorted in pain, and his body slumped weakly towards the seabed. Fortunately, Sirius noticed his condition and grabbed Remus's collar with his teeth, desperately swimming forward with a standard doggy paddle.

Soon, the crevice they had entered became a dark passageway. At low tide, it should have been passable, but now, the passageway was completely submerged in seawater.

The passage was extremely narrow, with only three feet of space between the mud-covered rock walls on either side. Under such spatial constraints, Amosta could no longer swim forward. He used his numb fingers to brace himself against the rough rocks to support himself as he made his way through the last stretch.

Wow!

Twenty minutes later, Amosta finally emerged from the sea and stood up from the few remaining steps. Kreacher, who was standing in the cave twenty feet away, finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Amosta emerge.

"I almost thought I was going to die at sea--"

Remus climbed onto the rock platform using all fours and leaned against the rock wall, panting heavily. Sirius Black had also returned to human form, bending over and holding his knees, panting heavily. They both looked exhausted.

Amosta had already entered the state of exploring the secret realm. He left the two somewhat weak middle-aged men behind and stood in the center of the cave, using the light emitted by his wand to examine the surrounding rock walls and the high dome.

Kreacher was extremely anxious, but it dared not disturb Amosta, who was observing the situation, and could only worry helplessly.

"Oh, that's interesting--"

Suddenly, Amosta's gaze fell on a cave wall. He strode over and ran his fingers along the rough stone wall. His pale purple pupils darkened, and a vortex appeared in the center of his pupils.

"What's going on, Amosta?"

Sirius and Remus walked over, supporting each other, looking at the rock wall with complete bewilderment.

"We're in the foyer. This wall isn't a barrier set up by nature; it's magic—"

Remus was puzzled by Amosta's enthusiastic detour.

"This is just an ordinary rock face, isn't it? I can't see anything special about it?"

Hard work can indeed help you overcome some obstacles, but the higher peaks on the path of magic can only be reached by those with extraordinary talent. Amosta ignored Remus's question because the scenery at the top of the mountain cannot be explained by words alone.

In Amosta's view, the core of the black rock wall is intricately intertwined with countless indistinguishable magical circuits. These circuits construct a magic that connects spatial magic, continuously replenishing its own magic power. Only by using the correct method can the rock wall be opened. Violence is not impossible, but only if you have the ability to move the entire cliff.

"Voldemort probably borrowed an idea from his ancestor—"

After a long silence, Amosta took a few steps back and said with a smile,

"But I've also added my own style."

"What exactly do you mean, Amosta?"

Frustrated, Sirius, who couldn't understand anything, asked, "How are we supposed to get through this wall?"

"If I'm not mistaken,"

Amostella looked at Kreacher and said with certainty,

"We'll probably have to pay a price, won't we? I think it'll be...blood?"

Kreacher had been here twice with the Dark Lord and Regulus, so he certainly knew how to get through the wall. But Amosta figured it out on his own without any warning, which greatly surprised Kreacher.

"As you said, Mr. Blaine--"

Kreacher bowed low and spoke in awe, then told the three men the method he knew.

As was expected, Sirius Black offered his blood, and when the gleaming doorway appeared before them, Remus, who was healing Sirius, said with disgust,

"I don't understand, what was the point of setting up such a mechanism?"

"We can only guess now—"

Amostella, hands behind his back and leaning slightly forward, stared intently at the edge of the glowing door. In the invisible magical world, the life force and magic from his blood were maintaining the door, but as the power was being absorbed and consumed, the outline of the doorway had begun to shrink subtly.