The entire surface of the lake trembled silently. The army of Inferi on the lakebed twisted their stiff bodies, and after a brief pause, surged toward the surface with incredible speed.
Their withered arms gripped the rocks on the shore, their hollow, clouded eyes fixed on every one of them. Their tattered clothes, soaked by the black water, trailed behind them, the rotted rags seeming to merge with their bodies. All that could be seen were pale, lifeless faces.
These faces had been submerged in the lake for years, their muscles eerily atrophied and their features deeply sunken. But their knuckles were abnormally strong, clinging tightly to the crevices in the slick rocks. In the cold light of a small orb, it was clear that the bodies behind were climbing on the arms of the Inferi in front, scrabbling upwards in a twisted pile, like a writhing mass of white locusts.
"Those are Inferi," Dumbledore explained calmly. "They're a ghostly army made by Voldemort using Necromancy. This isn't a true resurrection; they're just animated corpses without life, soul, or thought."
"You've noticed their cloudy white eyes, haven't you? That's one of the key signs to tell an Inferius from a living dead person."
"The most effective way to deal with them is fire. Your alchemical bombs would be an excellent choice. Even if a wizard is controlling them, this is how you handle it, but be wary of them striking back."
He spoke to Adam in a placid tone, his face calm, as if he were standing in a Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Then, without even an incantation, he simply waved his wand. The Inferi instantly toppled over as if frozen, motionless.
Only Adam, who was closest, saw it clearly. The Inferi's pale bodies and the stark white bones exposed through their wounds instantly turned to dust upon contact with the spell, as if ground into powder by an unseen giant hand.
"That's an advanced technique for the Crushing Curse, but you have to remember that this particular spell can't make gas or liquids explode." Dumbledore noticed Adam's keen observation and his eyes gleamed with a hint of satisfaction.
He deliberately slowed his wand movements, demonstrating the gesture for Adam before pointing toward the Inferi charging from a distance.
"Annihilate!"
The Dark Knights also drew the long swords from their backs and charged into the horde of Inferi. Their swings looked strange, as if they were waving weightless branches instead of long swords. But the technique was highly effective; deep, bone-exposing cuts appeared instantly on the Inferi's rotting clothes and cold, pale skin, though not a drop of blood was shed.
Facing the mindless Inferi who were immune to pain, the Dark Knights' weakness was quickly revealed. Though they could hold back a dozen or so Inferi, they couldn't cause any real damage. Outnumbered by the massive horde, they were soon overwhelmed and dragged under the lake.
Shirley was also waving her wand, her small face tight with concentration. Her Body-Binding Curse was always precise, immobilizing any Inferi climbing the shore, and Tina would then finish them off with another spell. Amy the cat stayed right by Shirley's side, cautiously scanning the Inferi.
Everyone was making a conscious effort to avoid any Inferi that might be Regulus, all the while carefully scrutinizing each face.
Only Fluffy, the three-headed dog, had an easy time of it. His huge body plowed through the piles of corpses; their tearing claws felt like nothing more than a tickle. Each of his three drooling heads examined the pale faces one by one. After confirming they weren't the person in the photo, he would swat the Inferius away toward the far end of the lake.
Adam could hear him muttering quietly from a distance. "Three jerky bits... six jerky bits... eight jerky bits..."
Just as Adam was beginning to master the Crushing Curse, he suddenly froze. He quickly waved his wand, shattering a distant group of Inferi, and said in a low voice, "I found him! He's at the bottom of the lake!" The information had been transmitted through the weak magical link with the Dark Knight who had sunk to the bottom.
"Professor Dumbledore, can I use that spell to clear these Inferi?" Adam asked cautiously.
"You may," Dumbledore agreed without a second thought. "But it would be best if it doesn't end like last time. I don't think you'd want to miss out on your Christmas presents."
The next moment, Fawkes flew over to Tina and Shirley, flapping his wings to take them back to the cave entrance. He kept a watchful eye on the restless Amy, giving her an annoyed flap of his wing. Fluffy, too, reluctantly waddled out of the Inferi pile and slowly returned at Adam's call.
The horde of Inferi surged out of the black water, their pale bodies piling up on the shore like locusts. A large figure and a small one stood on the only remaining dry patch of ground. The sight made Tina and Shirley's faces go white, and they clutched the edges of their robes.
As the Inferi came within an inch of them, their withered arms just about to touch Adam, the temperature inside the cave suddenly skyrocketed. A fierce, reddish-orange light shone from the tip of Adam's wand, and a rain of fire appeared, showering down on the black lake. It illuminated the entire cavern, revealing every hidden horror in the darkness. The crimson sparks were like a brilliant constellation, blossoming between the black rocks and the water and reflecting in Adam's dark eyes.
The Inferi came to a sudden halt, instinctively trying to retreat back into the lake, but they realized the falling fire had already turned the entire surface red. The heavy air seemed to freeze in place. Just as an Inferius stepped through the surface of the lake with a dripping sound, Adam cried out—
"Ignis Erupto!"
A torrent of flame roared to life like an enraged dragon, erupting from the crimson lake. As it passed, the black rock walls were seared red-hot, cracking and melting into a glass-like liquid.
The lake water rapidly evaporated, its level dropping sharply and faintly revealing the bronze chain buried on the bottom. The stacked Inferi turned to ash before the fiery dragon even touched them.
Adam's face was paler than the Inferi's. The dragon, which had lasted only a few seconds, had instantly drained his magical energy. His vision went blurry and unfocused.
Just as he was starting to withdraw his magic, the red fire dragon suddenly glanced back at him with a very human-like look of disgust, then turned and vanished into thin air.
Adam's small finger trembled as he pointed, turning to Dumbledore with a look of disbelief. "It's not... it..." he stammered.
"What is it?" Dumbledore asked, waving his wand with Fawkes to extinguish the remaining fire in the cave.
At that moment, the freed Dark Knight rose from the lake, carrying a pale corpse.
Kreacher, watching from the cave entrance, let out a shriek of excitement.
"It's him... Master Regulus!"
He completely ignored the remaining heat on the ground. Had Dumbledore not handled that area in time, he would have likely stumbled into molten rock.
Adam looked up. It was a man with a deathly pale face. Compared to the boyish look in the photo, he now appeared much more mature. It seemed he had indeed been living in that mysterious place for a long time. His resolute face was locked in a frown, his expression frozen in the moment he drank the potion.
Shirley stumbled forward, her hands pressed tightly over her trembling lips as she cried helplessly.
Just as Kreacher was about to touch Regulus, Dumbledore raised his wand, transfiguring some loose stones into a barrier to block the house-elf's outstretched hand.
Dumbledore's face was extremely serious as he said, "Don't touch him yet. Regulus's soul is still trapped here."
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