Dumbledore moved closer to the water's edge; Harry stared nervously at Dumbledore, whose buckled shoes had reached the outermost edge of the rock. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info Dumbledore held his hand firmly in mid-air, and with the other hand he raised his wand and struck the tip of his fist with the tip of his wand.

A green thick copper chain immediately appeared in the air, extending from the depths of the lake to Dumbledore's clenched hand. Dumbledore tapped the copper chain, and it slid like a snake in his hand, rolling up on the ground, clanging and clanging echoed over the rocky walls, and in the depths of the black lake, something was pulled up by the copper chain. Harry gasped as a ghostly bow burst out of the water, the boat glowing as green as the copper chain. With a single ripple, the boat drifted towards the shore where Harry and Dumbledore were standing.

"How do you know it's there?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Magic always leaves a mark," Dumbledore said, as the boat gently crashed onto the shore, "and sometimes the marks are very visible. I taught Tom Riddle. I know his style. ”

"This ...... Is the boat safe? ”

"Oh yes, I guess it's safe. Voldemort needed to create a way to cross the lake without provoking the wrath of the creatures he had placed in the lake, just in case he wanted to view or remove the Horcruxes. ”

"So, if we cross the lake in Voldemort's boat, the things in the water won't do anything to us, right?"

"I think we have to resign ourselves to this fact that at some point they will realize that we are not Voldemort. However, so far, we have done a good job. They've pulled us out of the boat. ”

"But how did they let us pull?" Harry asked, his mind unable to shake the sight of tentacles reaching out in the black water when the shore of the lake was out of sight.

"Voldemort must have been quite confident that no one would be able to find the ship, unless that man was a very great wizard," Dumbledore said. "I think he's also prepared for the most unlikely of things, which is that someone else has found it, because he's put up other barriers in front of him that only he can pass through. We'll see if he's right. Harry looked down at the boat. It's really, really small.

"It doesn't look like it's built to carry two people. Will it fit the two of us? Aren't we too heavy together? Dumbledore chuckled.

"Voldemort doesn't care about the weight, he cares about the amount of magical ability that passes through the lake. I believe there must be a magic on this boat to make sure there can only be one wizard inside at a time. ”

"But then—?"

"I don't think you're going to be counted, Harry: you're not an adult, and you're not qualified. Voldemort never expected a sixteen-year-old child to arrive at this place: I don't think your magical abilities would be recorded compared to mine. ”

Those words didn't lift Harry's morale; Perhaps Dumbledore was aware, for he added, "Voldemort's mistake, Harry, Voldemort's mistake...... Age is a stupid and forgetful fellow, if it underestimates the young...... Now, this time you go up first, and be careful not to touch the water. ”

Dumbledore stepped aside and let Harry cautiously board the ship. Then Dumbledore stepped in and wound the chain around and put it on the ship's board. The two of them huddled together; Instead of sitting comfortably, Harry crouched there, his knees already sticking out of the side of the ship, as the boat started. Except for the gentle rustle of the bow of the ship cleaving the water, there was silence all around; The boat could be driven without human labor, as if an invisible rope was pulling it towards the light in the center. Soon they could no longer see the walls of the cave; Except that there are no waves, everything is like driving in the sea.

Harry looked down as their wands reflected golden light off the black water as they passed the water, and the boat cut deep ripples in the glassy water, carving deep grooves into the black mirror.

Then Harry saw something, as white as marble, floating a few inches below the surface of the water.

"Professor!" His shocked voice echoed across the quiet lake.

"Harry?"

"I think I saw a hand in the water—a human hand!"

"Yes, I'm sure you did," Dumbledore said calmly.

Harry stared into the water for the vanished hand, a feeling of nausea in his throat.

"So, that's the thing that jumped out of the water—?" But before Dumbledore could answer, Harry had an answer; The smoothness of the wand reached a new body of water, this time reflecting a dead man lying on his back a few feet below the surface: his eyes were blurred as if covered with cobwebs, and his hair and robes wrapped around him like smoke.

"There are corpses here!" Harry's voice was raised, and it didn't sound like his own.

"Yes," Dumbledore said calmly, "but we don't have to worry about them at the moment. ”

"At this moment?" Harry repeated, his gaze shifting from the water to Dumbledore's face.

"It's when they're just floating peacefully below us," Dumbledore said. "There's nothing to be afraid of corpses, Harry, nothing to be afraid of like the darkness. Voldemort didn't think so, and of course he was afraid of both of them. But once again, he exposed the lack of wisdom. When we face death and darkness, we are afraid of the unknown, and nothing else. ”

Harry didn't say anything; He didn't want to argue, but he was horrified by the thought of corpses floating around and beneath them, not to mention that he didn't believe they weren't dangerous.

"But one of them popped up," he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as Dumbledore's. "When I tried to summon a Horcrux, a corpse jumped out of the lake."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure when we get our hands on the Horcruxes, they'll be less peaceful. However, like many creatures who dwell in cold and darkness, they are afraid of light and warmth, and we can summon light and warmth to protect ourselves if needed. Fire, Harry," Dumbledore added with a smile in response to Harry's confused expression.

"Oh...... Okay......" Harry said quickly. He turned his head to look at the green light, and the boat was still unrelenting towards it. He couldn't pretend he wasn't scared now. A huge black lake, filled with corpses...... It seemed like hours before he met Professor Trelawney and gave Flyers to Ron and Hermione...... He suddenly wished he had said goodbye to them well...... Also, he hadn't seen Ginny at all......

"It's almost there," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

Sure enough, the green light finally grew brighter, and after a few minutes, the boat gently bumped into something and stopped, Harry didn't see what it was at first, only to find out that they had reached an island in the middle of a lake made of smooth rocks when he raised his glowing wand.

"Be careful not to touch the water," Dumbledore said again as Harry climbed out of the boat.

The island was no bigger than Dumbledore's office, and there was nothing on a flat black stone, except for a green light source, which became brighter as it got closer. Harry squinted at it; At first he thought it was a lamp, but then he realized that the light was coming from a stone basin that resembled a meditation basin resting on a pedestal.

Dumbledore moved closer to the stone basin, Harry following him. They looked inside side by side. The stone basin was filled with a phosphorescent emerald green liquid.

"What is this?" Harry asked softly.

"I can't be sure," Dumbledore said. "However, it is something more disturbing than blood and corpses." Dumbledore pulled his sleeve up to his blackened arm, his burned fingertips reaching for the surface of the potion.

"Professor, no, don't touch-!"

"I can't touch it," Dumbledore smiled faintly. "See? I couldn't get any closer. You try. ”

Harry stared at the stone basin, trying to touch the potion. He encountered an invisible barrier, unable to get an inch around it. No matter how hard he pushed, his fingers could only touch what seemed to be solid and stiff air.

"Get out of the way, Harry," Dumbledore said.

He raised his wand and made a complex set of movements over the potion, muttering silently. Nothing happened, maybe the potion was getting brighter. Harry remained silent as Dumbledore did this, but after a while Dumbledore withdrew his wand, and it was safe for Harry to speak.

"Do you think the Horcrux is in there, Professor?"

"Oh yes." Dumbledore stared closer at the stone basin. Harry saw his face reflected on the smooth surface of the green potion. "But how do you get it? You can't put your hand into it, you can't pour it out, you can't separate it, you can't scoop it up, you can't suck it up, you can't change it by spells, you can't change it by any other means. ”

Almost absent-mindedly, Dumbledore raised his wand again, circled the air, and grabbed a crystal goblet that had been conjured out of nowhere.

"I can only conclude that this potion is for drinking."

"What?" Harry said. "No!"

"Yes, I suppose so: only by drinking it can you empty the stone basin and see what lies underneath."

"But what if—what if it kills you?"

"I doubt it will have such an effect," Dumbledore said lightly. "Voldemort wouldn't want to kill anyone who arrived on this island."

Harry couldn't believe it. Is this again Dumbledore's foolish belief that everyone has a good side?

"Professor," Harry tried to keep his voice sane. "Professor, we're dealing with Voldemort—"

"I'm sorry, Harry; I should say that he doesn't want to kill anyone who arrives on this island right away," Dumbledore corrected himself. "He'll let them live long enough to find out how they got so far through his defenses and, most importantly, why they're emptying this stone basin. Don't forget that Voldemort believed that he was the only one who knew about Horcruxes. ”

Harry wanted to speak again, but this time Dumbledore raised his hand to signal him to be quiet, and he frowned slightly at the emerald green liquid, apparently in hard thought.

"No doubt," he finally spoke, "the effect of this potion must be that I can't take the Horcruxes. It can paralyze me, make me forget what I'm here for, cause great pain to distract me, or incapacitate me in some other way. In that case, Harry, your job is to make sure I keep drinking, even if you have to pour the potion into my mouth. Do you understand? ”

Their gaze met above the stone basin, a grotesque green light reflected on the two pale faces.

Harry didn't speak. Is that why he's been invited to come with him - so that he can force Dumbledore with a potion that might be painful?

"Do you remember the conditions I agreed to bring you in?" Dumbledore said.

Harry hesitated, staring at Dumbledore's blue eyes, which were now green with the light from the stone basin.

"But what if—?"

"You swore to obey any orders I gave you, didn't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"I warned you that it might be dangerous, didn't I?"

"Yes," Harry said, "but—"

"Alright, then," Dumbledore rolled up his sleeves again, holding up the empty goblet, "do as I command." ”

"Why can't you let me drink this potion instead of you?" Harry asked desperately.

"Because I'm older, smarter, and less worthless," Dumbledore said. "One last word, Harry, can you promise me that you'll do everything in your power to make sure I drink?"

"Can't—?"

"You promise?"

"But—"

"Your promise, Harry."

"I-well, but-" Before Harry protested again, Dumbledore put the crystal goblet into the potion. For a moment, Harry wished he couldn't touch the potion with his goblet, but the crystal didn't go to the surface and nothing happened; When the goblet was full, Dumbledore raised it to his lips.

"Good health, Harry." He drank it all. Harry stared at him in horror, his hands pinching the edge of the stone basin so hard that his fingertips tingled.

"Professor?" He said uneasily, and Dumbledore put the empty cup down again. "How are you feeling?" Dumbledore shook his head and closed his eyes. Harry wondered if he was in pain. With his eyes closed, Dumbledore inserted the cup back into the stone basin, refilled it, and drank it again.

Dumbledore drank three full cups of potion in silence. Then, halfway through the fourth, he shook and fell to the stone basin. His eyes were still closed, and his breathing was heavy.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry's voice tensed. "Can you hear me?" Dumbledore didn't answer. His face twitched, as if he had slept soundly, but he was having a terrible dream. His hand holding the goblet gradually loosened; The potion inside was about to spill out. Harry reached out and grabbed the glass, holding it steady.

"Professor, can you hear me?" He repeated aloud, his voice echoing through the massive cavern.

"Of course, it's just that he's being tortured by potions right now, and I'm afraid he won't have the strength to answer your questions."

A familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears, and Harry was so frightened that he almost dropped the cup in his hand. But a large hand held him and steadied him, "Don't be nervous, Harry, I'm here to help, and I'm sorry, my job has just been done, if I could have done it sooner, Professor Dumbledore probably wouldn't have had to suffer this torture." ”

Harry struggled to turn his head, a look of hope on his face.

"Du, Duten......"