Chapter 188: Journey to the Cave
With only one week left until the end of the term, snow had fallen all night, and by morning, the castle grounds were a pristine white, with the distant Forbidden Forest also covered in snow.
Students walked across the snowy ground, their footsteps crunching.
This weekend was Hogsmeade Weekend, and almost all the older students took the opportunity to visit Hogsmeade Village. Michael and the others had happily prepared to go out early that morning.
Although they could usually sneak out of school using the Vanishing Cabinet, most students were wary of breaking school rules.
Besides, if only a few school-aged children were in the village, shopkeepers would immediately recognize them as truant students.
Some shopkeepers would turn a blind eye, but most would urge or coldly tell them to return to school quickly.
In short, a good touring experience was only possible during Hogsmeade Weekend.
As Wade left after breakfast, he saw Michael, wearing a teal scarf, holding Padma's hand. When they saw him, the two instinctively separated.
"Hi, Wade!" Michael said in an unusually cheerful voice. "Looks like you're ready to go out too!"
"Huh?" Anthony Goldstein walked out from behind Wade, looking at them curiously. "Go out for what?"
"Ah? That..." Michael, who had accidentally let it slip, let out a laugh and quickly tried to cover it up, "Of course, we're going for a walk! The snowy scenery is so beautiful today!"
Anthony eyed him suspiciously and said, "You're not trying to sneak out during Hogsmeade Weekend, are you? I'm telling you, it's best not to! Several students have already been caught by Filch."
"Ah?" Michael asked, amused. "Who's that stupid?"
"A few first-year Gryffindors," Anthony said. "They thought that since it was cold today, if they just dressed warmly, Filch wouldn't notice them!"
"Gryffindors, huh... that explains it," Michael said seriously. "But I genuinely wasn't planning on breaking school rules. I just wanted to enjoy the snowy scenery."
"Of course, of course, the snowy scenery these past few days has truly been captivating!"
Suddenly, a voice, whose very tone seemed to bounce, interrupted their conversation. Michael and Anthony instinctively tried to quickly walk away, but someone had already extended their arms and held them by the shoulders.
"Let me see who this is... Michael and Anthony! Two of my favorite students!"
Lockhart smiled as he put his arms around the two students, then looked at the side. "Oh, and Padma! Are you worried you won't see me during Christmas?"
"Don't worry! Don't worry! Although I must attend an important event in France during Christmas, I will definitely be back on time to teach you in January! I promise, dear students!"
The three simultaneously forced smiles and politely said, "Good morning, Professor."
"Mhm, good morning everyone." Lockhart nodded haphazardly, his gaze searching around, finally spotting the person he wanted to see. "Come here, Creevey! Come take a picture of us!"
"Yes, Professor." Colin Creevey, who always carried a camera, scurried over.
Michael and the others looked like they wanted to run away. He tried to get Wade to help, but saw that his classmate had disappeared at some point.
"That sly guy, he must have cast an Notice-Me-Not Charm on himself!" Michael grumbled to Padma.
Padma nodded haphazardly, but in front of the camera, she instinctively showed a beautiful smile.
With a click, Colin took the photo.
"I'll develop the photos and send them to you," Colin said, then asked Lockhart, "Professor, could you also take a photo with Harry Potter?"
"I was just about to do that!" Lockhart said excitedly, quickly letting go of the students he had just called his "favorites." His sharp gaze accurately picked Harry out from the crowd.
"Come on, Harry, you must want a picture of me too, so you can look at it often during the holidays, right? Don't be shy, boy, you know I always indulge your little adoration!"
Lockhart grabbed Harry's arm, forcibly pulling him closer, and flashed his much-praised smile.
Harry looked desperately and accusingly at Michael and the others, his eyes saying, "What are you doing? Why are you dragging Lockhart into this photo?"
Michael and the others shamefully avoided his gaze.
Lockhart kept reminding Harry to strike a charming pose, but Harry had no interest in cooperating. Only Colin was excitedly pressing the camera.
Michael felt immense sympathy for Harry. Then, he pushed down his conscience and quietly tugged Padma, signaling that they should seize the chance to slip away.
The two squeezed out of the crowd. Suddenly, Michael's steps faltered.
Draco Malfoy stood in the shadows of a corner, arms crossed, coldly watching the commotion.
Michael suddenly realized that Malfoy hadn't arrogantly bothered Harry in a long time.
Not just Harry, even Neville hadn't been bullied by him anymore.
Ever since Crabbe and Goyle stopped following Malfoy like stone statues, the Slytherin's presence had significantly diminished.
Michael shook his head, not thinking much of it, and left with Padma down the stairs.
Soon after, Crabbe and Goyle also passed through the corridor.
Goyle was holding several cakes, greedily eating them as an after-meal dessert, while Crabbe, imitating Malfoy's tone, lectured him—
"You should act smarter, Gregory!" Crabbe said displeased. "It's because you're so stupid that Tracey and them are making fun of us..."
Goyle nodded vaguely, not really listening to what he was saying.
Suddenly, a figure stood before them.
"Vincent, Gregory."
Malfoy looked gloomily at the two of them.
"Ah, Draco." Goyle stopped, looking foolishly at Malfoy, then walked towards him and asked, "Did you eat breakfast?"
Crabbe grabbed Goyle, looking displeased as he spoke to Malfoy, "Don't think we're going to be your lackeys and take your orders anymore, Draco! You and your father just have money, I'm much better than you!"
Malfoy looked at his stupid, former companion and laughed.
"—Better than me? Are you sure?"
He drew out the words, raising his Wand.
Further away, an older Slytherin student leaned on the railing, smiling as he watched the scene unfold below.
...
Waves crashed against the black rocks, and foam accumulated on the sea near the cliff edge, drifting back and forth with the water.
The air was thick with the salty, briny scent unique to the ocean. On the steep cliff, a crimson light flashed suddenly, and two figures appeared.
"Oh, so this is the place..."
Dumbledore surveyed his surroundings, his long beard and hair fluttering in the wind. He had to hold down his precious beard, which still had a golden-red bow tied to it.
Wade also raised a hand to hold down his hood, preventing his hair from being blown wildly by the wind and making him look like a madman.
The Phoenix's fiery glow flashed again, and this time, Lupin and Sirius appeared on the cliff.
"Good morning, Dumbledore, Wade."
"Good morning," Dumbledore asked with concern, "Sirius, how are you recovering?"
"Much better!"
Sirius showed off his Wand, and the arm holding it, which finally had some muscle on it.
"For me, activity is the best medicine! But Lupin always wants me to lie in a bed at St. Mungo's!"
He casually grumbled to Dumbledore.
Lupin paid him no mind. He bent down to look at the large rocks protruding from the sea, then at the deserted landscape around them, and asked, "Where is this?"
"The outskirts of London," Wade said. "There's a small village nearby, but hardly anyone lives there."
Sirius's expression was a little solemn; the scent of the sea wind reminded him of his days in Azkaban.
He tried to suppress the discomfort in his heart, took a deep breath, and asked, "Are we going to that village?"
"No." Wade pointed to the rocks below. "We need to go down there."
"Down there?" Sirius stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at the steep rock face and the bottomless sea below. "We can Apparate, I just hope the rocks aren't too slippery."
Lupin extended his hand towards Wade. "I'll take you, Wade."
"No, I'll take you all."
Wade opened his backpack and tapped it with his Wand. Several old Flying Broomsticks emerged from it and whooshed towards the group.
These broomsticks had originally been stored in the Room of Requirement; Zoe and the others had given Wade the best one.
For this trip, Wade had made all sorts of preparations in advance, including, of course, four Flying Broomsticks, to prevent them from having to risk Apparition onto the rocks or climbing down the slippery rock face.
Sirius quickly grabbed a broomstick and was the first to straddle it. Then he hovered in the air and heard Wade say:
"Our destination should be nearby, a crack near the sea surface, not very wide, and it might be submerged at high tide. Inside, there are steps and a large cave."
"So we need to find that crack first?" Lupin asked.
"Yes." Wade nodded.
As he spoke, he also glanced at Dumbledore's expression, confirming that the old Headmaster had not yet tracked down the cave where Voldemort hid the Horcrux.
Sirius was somewhat surprised, partly because he found that Wade was indeed the one in charge, even with Dumbledore right there; and partly because of Wade's vague description.
He knows there's a place like this, but he hasn't been there?
Did someone tell him about it?
Sirius naturally wondered.
Seeing that Lupin and Dumbledore didn't ask anything, he suppressed his doubts and pushed off with his feet, riding the broomstick down from the cliff.
Then came Wade, Lupin, and Dumbledore.
They were like four swift swifts, darting between the waves and the rocks.
Sunlight spilled onto the rock face; the smooth stones reflected the light like mirrors, sometimes hiding a shadow behind them.
Soon after, Wade and the others heard Lupin's voice: "—It's here!"
He shouted loudly. When everyone looked, a red beam of light shot from the tip of his Wand, pointing directly at the rock face, then was swallowed by the dark crack.
They all flew over.
The crack was only about a meter wide. From above, it looked almost like a long, narrow black stone. Seawater slapped against the rough rocks on both sides, and some slimy-looking algae clung to the rock walls.
The light beam shone into it, seemingly extending to the deepest part of the cliff.
Wade hovered at the entrance, wondering how Lupin had found it so quickly, and even more, how much effort Dumbledore had put into determining that Voldemort had hidden a Horcrux here in the original plot.
Unfortunately, in the end, everything had come to nothing.
The sound of the waves filled the air, and no one felt much like talking. They lowered their broomsticks, hunched over, and slowly flew into the narrow crack, their shoulders and arms occasionally brushing against the algae on the rock walls.
The deeper they went, the wider the crack became, until a few rough stone steps appeared in their sight, leading to a massive cavern.
"*Lumos!*"
Sirius raised his Wand high, and a dazzling light spread out, illuminating the entire cavern.
"Looks like there's nothing here," he muttered.
The sound waves bounced off the rock walls, and Sirius was startled to hear his voice echo louder than he expected.
Lupin was also observing the surrounding rocks, finding nothing, then he looked at the other two.
Dumbledore's expression could only be described as ecstatic. He seemed to have forgotten the others around him, focusing intently on examining the rock walls and the cavern ceiling.
He slowly walked two circles around the cavern, his fingers tracing the cave walls, softly murmuring a Spell in a strange language, occasionally stopping to probe a particular spot.
Clearly, Dumbledore wasn't as clueless as they were.
What truly surprised the two of them was Wade.
The twelve-year-old student had clearly discovered something as well. He wasn't walking around, but his gaze slowly moved along the walls, a strange light seeming to flicker in his eyes.
Lupin and Sirius exchanged a look, feeling both a sense of frustration and shock.
But they didn't shout out their questions. Instead, they made their light brighter, while remaining silent, so as not to disturb the other two.
After a long while, Dumbledore finally stopped. He turned and glanced at them, then asked Wade, "Wade, what have you found?"
Wade walked over, placed his palm on the rock wall, and said, "This should be the entrance."
Dumbledore looked at Wade with surprise and delight, then nodded. "Indeed, this is just the antechamber. Someone used magic to conceal the entrance."
"But who did this, Dumbledore?" Sirius couldn't help but ask. "Who would set up magic in such a hidden place?"
"I do have a guess, Sirius," Dumbledore said, pointing his Wand at the rock. "But I think there's no need for me to reveal the answer now—everything we want is certainly inside."
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