The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 216 The Corpse at the Bottom of the Lake and Fide's Preferences

"Blood is needed! Only a sacrifice can open this door!" Kreacher shouted excitedly as the knife was taken away.

"My lord, let old Kreacher come; old Kreacher has plenty of blood."

"Quiet! I'll figure something out," Ino whispered.

There were three people present, even if we disregard Sirius Black. With only him and Dumbledore there, making a house-elf bleed to open the door? That would be incredibly undignified.

Seeing the knife taken away, a hint of relief flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. He then walked to the rock wall and examined it carefully.

"A low-level trick, weakening oneself to get in; Tom has misunderstood magic once again."

Unlike Dumbledore's disdain for Tom, Ino called out to the air, "Fidd! Bring me my lamp."

Exploring with a lantern was second nature to him.

Ignoring Dumbledore's curious gaze, Ino had already taken the oil lamp and arrived at the rock wall.

Under the light, an unusually simple pattern appeared on the rock wall. It was simple because anyone who had studied alchemy could recognize it; it was a very basic exchange ritual spell.

There's nothing too complicated about it; all you need to do is pour in blood imbued with magic, and the door will appear automatically.

Although Voldemort's maneuver might stump many people, it was all quite simple under the light of the oil lamp.

You only need to modify one or two runes, replacing magic and blood with water.

……

"The water is as clear as a spring!"

As enough water was poured onto the rock wall, a white light flashed, and the massive rock wall split open from the middle, forming an arched entrance.

"It's open! Young Master Regulus is inside, but there are too many of them..." Kreacher excitedly ran through the doorway, with Sirius Black close behind.

After everyone entered, the space hidden by Voldemort finally came into view. However, due to the lack of sufficient light, they could only vaguely see that there was a wide lake in front of them.

"A thick curse and dark magic!" Dumbledore exclaimed, looking at the calm lake.

"Blazing Flames!" Ino waved his wand.

Orange flames rose up, then quickly expanded into a huge cloud, which then split into the shape of candles, floating quietly in the air above the cave.

The pitch-black cave was illuminated by candlelight that resembled twinkling stars, making even the most distant concealments clearly visible.

"Fantastic transformation! If Minerva saw this, she'd definitely get extra points."

Dumbledore gazed at the raging flames, finding it hard to believe that in just three short years, the once reserved student atop the Astronomy Tower had now mastered Transfiguration to such an extent.

……

Inside the cave, illuminated by candlelight, countless undead corpses at the bottom of the lake simultaneously opened their eyes.

The lakebed was covered with countless corpses, and judging from their clothing, the victims were probably all Muggles.

But there were one or two exceptions, such as a figure wearing the standard Slytherin robes.

"Young Master Regulus is down there, at the bottom of the lake..." Kreacher stopped his hysterical screams, his large gray eyes filled with tears.

The moment Sirius saw Regulus, he felt his heart being squeezed tightly, and an extreme pain swept through his body.

The younger brother who used to follow behind her, always obedient and well-behaved, now lies forever in the cold lake water.

Especially that Slytherin robe, it was like a heavy hammer striking his soul, reminding him that Regulus had not yet graduated and was not yet an adult.

"I'll go get him! He can't lie there!" Sirius wiped the tears from his face. "It's time to go home, Regulus..."

An undead is a corpse resurrected by dark magic, or a puppet controlled by dark magic.

They have no life, soul, or thought; they are merely given a certain degree of mobility by magic, much like the undead in Muggle movies.

Although these corpses are simple to make and don't have many abilities, once their numbers accumulate and they form a terrifying horde, their impact should not be underestimated.

However, at this moment, the massive horde of Yin corpses at the bottom of the lake resembled a group of timid sniffers, trying their best to hide behind rocks or caves.

As the lowest level of dark creatures, the Yin Corpse is naturally afraid of fire and light, let alone the candlelight on the lake that resembles stars and contains hope and redemption.

……

Under the suppression of the flames, everything became easier.

Sirius jumped into the water with a "plop" and swam towards Regulus without a care in the world.

During the salvage operation, Ino didn't pay much attention, since Dumbledore was standing right next to him and nothing could possibly go wrong.

He was now more focused on Fede, and the image of Fede's joy filled his mind.

Seeing the faint blue light on the opposite shore of the lake, he did not hesitate and immediately used the Animagus Transfiguration.

The black swan treads the water to gather strength, then flaps its wings and takes flight.

On a rock on the opposite bank.

Fide was drinking from a small puddle of murky liquid in a crevice in the rock.

"I always thought you weren't eating or drinking... turns out you just didn't like the food."

Seeing Phoenix drinking heartily, Ino's expression was somewhat strange.

He knew better than anyone what the water in the rocks was. The poison Voldemort had concocted was so terrifying that even Dumbledore was plunged into painful hallucinations because of it.

Sensing the increasingly clear joy emanating from Fede, he finally understood why he had been refused when he tried to feed him herbs.

It seems this peculiar phoenix of her own only eats poison, and probably even seems to be the kind of person who's happier the more poisonous it is.

In just a few minutes, the potion in the rock had been completely drunk up.

After a hearty meal, Fede leisurely flew out of the cave.

Yes, flying.

Voldemort was probably also wary of the phoenix; in the hidden spaces deep within the cave, not only was apparition forbidden for wizards, but the phoenix was also forbidden.

After the potion dried up, Ino also saw the note left by Regulus:

"I'll be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that I discovered your secret and intend to destroy it as soon as possible..."

A message buried for over a decade has resurfaced, and the childlike yet proud tone evokes a sense of nostalgia for the boy who once stood here.

At the age of seventeen or eighteen, he seemed utterly unafraid of death, using his own life to teach the fearsome Dark Lord a lesson.

"You deserve to be in Gryffindor more than Sirius!"

Ino held the note in her hand and sighed softly.

He intends to do his part in the matter of Regules.

Although it has always been a one-sided report by the Daily Prophet, it has undeniably garnered some fame.

With Dumbledore joining forces, it's unlikely anyone in the English wizarding world will stand in their way, including Fudge.

As a typical politician who has served as a minister for over a decade, Fouché must understand the basic rules of politics: bully the old and don't mess with the young.

(End of this chapter)