"Here, take these."
The group split into two teams. Sirius, Harry, and Ron planned to wander around the village, while Hodge and Bill returned to the cave to continue researching how to break the magical lock. On the way back, Hodge brought Kreacher two beef pies and picked up some sausages, bread, water, and other supplies from the general store.
Three days passed in a flash.
Sirius, Harry, and Ron explored every corner of the village, then went to see the sea nearby and admire the rocky cliffs. Finally, they dutifully returned to the area near the cave to practice dueling magic. Under Sirius's guidance, Harry and Ron learned several new spells—the most important part being that they'd gone from flailing about wildly to fighting with real form and technique.
Over those three days, Hodge also found time to spar with Sirius a few times. They chose an open, flat area as their battlefield, hurling spells at each other while weaving in transfiguration, storm clouds, fog, terrain manipulation, and all sorts of combat tricks. By the end, Hodge had firmly gained the upper hand.
"How is that even possible?!" Harry and Ron gaped in shock.
Sirius looked a bit dazed, but after one afternoon of this, he flashed a carefree grin and slipped back into his role as instructor. That afternoon, the group built a campfire near the cave entrance and eagerly started grilling meat. The ingredients and seasonings had all been bought in the village. Harry and Ron were already old hands at this; they sprinkled on a handful of fragrant sesame seeds, and the fire crackled loudly, filling the air with an irresistible aroma. Even Bill was lured out from the depths of the cave by the smell.
They ate and chatted.
"Any clues yet?" Ron asked, his tone edged with impatience.
He had other things weighing on his mind. He'd brought the basilisk fang this time, intending to destroy the Horcrux, but he knew it was the secret to Voldemort's immortality—something hugely important. Harry had specifically warned him about it, so Ron hadn't breathed a word, not even to his family. With Bill, Sirius, and Kreacher around, he'd been holding it in for days.
Bill, unhurried, picked up a roasted chicken leg and tore into it with big bites. Facing the gentle sea breeze, he seemed in high spirits.
"We're making good progress. We've pretty much finished tracing the complete magical patterns. Now it's just a matter of reverse-engineering their effects. I've already got some ideas…"
"What are they?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time. Sirius looked over too.
"The magical lock is double-layered," Bill said, setting down the chicken leg. He explained his theory in detail, his expression complicated. "No surprise there… only Dumbledore could stand against You-Know-Who. The outer layer alone is incredibly covert—on par with the protective magic I've seen in other ancient tombs. But beneath that outer layer's magical fog, there's something even deeper hidden. Sometimes it flickers into view, sometimes there's no reaction at all. I don't know why…"
He continued uncertainly, "I'm guessing it needs something specific. It definitely involves magic, but it also seems tied to biological traits."
Hodge figured it was time. "It might be blood."
"What?" Everyone jumped.
"Double-layered lock—one layer incomplete, requiring the visitor to complete it." Hodge held up fingers, summarizing Bill's words. "What is this place? You-Know-Who's treasure vault. Would he let enemies waltz in unscathed? Weaken them, make them pay a price. What's something tied to wizards themselves that they can always give?"
The group froze for a few seconds before catching on to Hodge's initial answer.
"So… blood? Voldemort wants anyone prying into his secrets to get hurt!" Harry suddenly understood, the logic clicking into place.
Bill thought it over carefully. "It's possible." He frowned. "Typical Dark Lord move, but—"
"Use mine," Sirius said suddenly.
Bill and Kreacher whipped around. Harry started to protest, but Sirius raised a hand to stop them. "The whole point of this trip is to retrieve Regulus's body. He was my brother—I should bear the bigger burden." A bitter smile crossed his face. "I bet he did the same thing back then… smearing his blood on the rock wall…
I should've realized sooner. I caught a faint whiff of blood."
Hodge was surprised.
Sirius had smelled blood? His sense of smell was that good? Well, his Animagus was a dog…
At that moment, Kreacher spoke respectfully. "Kreacher has served the Black family for generations. Leave it to Kreacher."
Sirius frowned.
"Use mine!" Harry insisted.
"I can spare some too," Ron muttered. "If we really run out in the end."
Hodge cleared his throat. "No need to fight over it. Once we confirm the theory's right, magical blood isn't hard to find. Like dragon blood—" The arguing group instantly turned to stare at him blankly. "I remember the apothecary in Diagon Alley sells it."
Cough cough cough!
After a few seconds of silence, Sirius started coughing violently. Harry's face turned bright red. After a long moment, Sirius pretended nothing had happened and nodded seriously. "Fire dragon blood? I remember it cost 12 Galleons a bottle back in school. The refined stuff was even pricier."
Of course, before buying dragon blood, they had to test whether the theory was correct.
The group headed back into the depths of the cave. Though it was nearing evening, they were all wizards. Bill rummaged through his toolbox, pulled out an old brass lantern, and tapped it with his wand. The lantern immediately floated up, drifting above their heads. It emitted a soft light that seemed almost sentient—actively climbing over obstacles to illuminate every groove and crevice in the rock walls.
Bill nodded to Sirius.
Sirius's expression didn't change. He lightly sliced his left palm with his wand, then smeared the blood onto the rock wall. Bill and Hodge immediately leaned in to watch. Hodge hadn't been idle these past few days; through Bill's lessons and casual chats, he'd built a basic theoretical framework in his mind. It lacked details, but it was enough for him to understand what was happening.
The first layer of the magical lock lit up instantly. Then the blood smeared on the wall was slowly absorbed, seeping into the rock and vanishing.
"It's drinking my blood—it wants more." Sirius backed away a few steps, his eyes wary and uncertain. "That thing feels alive!"
At that moment, the outline of an archway appeared on the rock, radiating blinding white light. It looked like a brightly lit place lay beyond the crack.
This archway was far more complete and vivid than anything Hodge had seen over the past two days.
Under everyone's gaze, the glowing archway outline faded, but their hearts were racing—this proved their theory was correct.
"Buy fire dragon blood," Sirius said. As much as they needed.
Still, they decided to head back first and get a good night's sleep. They'd been out for days, and even Hodge felt exhausted. Besides, he wanted to check if Dumbledore had replied to his letter.
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