Goyle was holding several pieces of cake, eating them heartily as after-dinner dessert, while Crabbe mimicked Malfoy's tone to reprimand him—
"You should act smarter, Gregory!" Crabbe said irritably, "We're being mocked by Trish and the others because of your stupidity..."
Goyle nodded drowsily, not listening to what he was saying at all.
Suddenly, a figure stood in front of them.
"Vincent, Gregory."
Malfoy was staring at them gloomily.
"Ah, Draco." Goyle stopped and stared at Malfoy foolishly, walking toward him and asking, "Have you had breakfast?"
Crabbe grabbed Goyle and glared at Malfoy, saying, "Don't think we'll still be your followers, taking orders from you, Draco! You and your father only have money; I'm far better than you!"
Malfoy looked at the dim-witted former companion and laughed in anger.
"—Better than me? Are you sure?"
He drawled, raising his magic wand.
Further away, an upper-year Slytherin was leaning against the railing, smiling as he watched the scene below.
...
The waves crashed against the black rocks, foam piled up on the sea near the cliff edge, drifting with the ebb and flow of the sea.
The air was filled with the unique salty fishy scent of the ocean, and on the steep cliff, a crimson light flickered, revealing two figures there.
"Oh, it's this place..."
Dumbledore reviewed the surroundings, his long beard and hair fluttering in the wind. He had to hold onto his precious beard with a hand, with a gold and red bow tied to it.
Vid also raised his hand to hold down his hood, preventing his hair from being blown into a messy tangle like a madman.
Phoenix's flames flashed again, this time appearing on the cliff were Lupin and Sirius.
"Good morning, Dumbledore, Vid."
"Good morning." Dumbledore asked with concern, "Sirius, how's your recovery?"
"Much better!"
Sirius displayed his magic wand, along with his arm which had finally gained some muscle.
"For me, staying active is the cure-all! But Lupin always wishes I could lie in a St Mungo's ward!"
He casually complained to Dumbledore.
Lupin ignored him, bending down to look at some large rocks protruding from the sea, then at the desolate surroundings, asking, "Where is this?"
"On the outskirts of London." Vid said, "There's a small village nearby, but scarcely any people."
Sirius's expression turned a bit grim, the scent of the sea reminding him of his days in Azkaban.
He tried hard to suppress his discomfort, took a deep breath, and asked, "Are we going to that village?"
"No." Vid pointed at the rocks below, "We need to go down there."
"Down there?" Sirius stood at the cliff's edge, gazing at the steep rock walls and the bottomless sea, "Apparition will work, hopefully the rocks aren't too slippery."
Lupin reached out to Vid, "Let me take you, Vid."
"No, let me take you all."
Vid opened his backpack, tapped it with his magic wand, and several old brooms flew out, darting toward the group.
These brooms were originally stored in the Room of Requirement, and Zoe had given Vid the best one.
For this outing, Vid had prepared in advance, including four flying brooms to prevent the group from having to risk apparating onto the rocks, or climbing down the slippery cliff.
Sirius quickly grabbed a broomstick and was the first to mount it. Then, hovering in mid-air, he heard Vid say:
"Our destination should be near here, a crack near the sea surface, not very wide, which might be submerged at high tide. Inside, there are steps and a large cavern."
"So we need to find that crack first?" Lupin asked.
"Yes." Vid nodded.
While speaking, he glanced at Dumbledore's expression, confirming the old headmaster had not yet traced the cave where Voldemort hid the Horcrux.
Sirius seemed astonished, partly because he found Vid really leading them despite Dumbledore being right beside him, and partly due to Vid's vague descriptions.
Does he know, but hasn't been here?
Who told him about this place?
These thoughts naturally crossed Sirius's mind.
Seeing Lupin and Dumbledore remain silent, he suppressed his doubts, kicked off, and soared off the cliff on his broom.
Next came Vid, Lupin, and Dumbledore.
They resembled swift swallows, weaving through the waves and rocks.
Sunlight spilled onto the rock face, and the reflective stones seemed like mirrors, occasionally casting shadows behind them.
Soon after, they heard Lupin's voice: "—Here!"
He shouted loudly, and when the others looked, a red beam emitted from his wand straight towards the rock face, swallowed by a dark crack.
The group flew over.
The crack was just over a meter wide, looking like a long black stone slab from above. Seawater slapped against the rough rocks on both sides, with algae clinging to the stone wall.
The beam stretched inside, seemingly extending to the deepest part of the cliff.
Vid hovered at the entrance, puzzled how Lupin had found it so quickly, and unaware of how much effort the original storyline required for Dumbledore to confirm a Horcrux was hidden here.
Sadly, eventually, it all amounted to nothing.
No one felt like talking amid the sound of waves. They lowered their brooms, huddled down, and slowly flew into the narrow crack, their shoulders and arms occasionally brushing against seaweed on the rock walls.
Further in, the crack widened until several rough stone steps appeared in view, leading to a vast cave.
"Lumos!"
Sirius raised his magic wand high, the radiant glow spreading, illuminating the entire cave.
"Doesn't seem like there's anything here," he murmured.
His voice echoed off the rock wall, louder than expected, startling him.
Lupin was also scanning the surrounding rocks, finding nothing, then looked at the other two.
Dumbledore's expression was nothing short of ecstatic. He seemed to forget about the people beside him, focused on inspecting the rock walls and ceiling.
He circled the cave slowly, his fingers touching the walls, muttering in a strange language, occasionally stopping to explore certain spots.
Clearly, Dumbledore wasn't empty-handed like the others.
What truly shocked the pair was Vid.
The twelve-year-old student had obviously spotted something too; he didn't pace around but his gaze moved slowly along the walls, eyes seemingly sparkling strangely.
Lupin and Sirius exchanged glances, simultaneously feeling a sense of defeat and amazement.
They didn't loudly question, instead they brightened the light further, keeping silent to avoid disturbing the other two.
After a long time, Dumbledore halted. He turned to glance at the group before asking Vid, "Vid, what did you discover?"
Vid walked over, pressing his palm against the rock wall, saying, "This should be the entrance."
Dumbledore looked at Vid in surprise and joy, then nodded, "Correct, this is merely the foyer, someone used magic to hide the entrance."
"But who did this, Dumbledore?" Sirius couldn't help asking, "Who would set magic in such a secret place?"
"I have certain guesses, Sirius." Dumbledore pointed at the rock with his wand, "But I think I don't need to reveal the answers now—inside certainly holds everything we want."