Chapter 270: The Cave's Secrets

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 270: The Cave's Secrets

As they approached the cave, the presence of magic became more obvious.

"There is a powerful anti-Muggle ward set around the area," Dumbledore noted.

"It should be in that hole over there." Harry pointed at a nearby opening, just tall enough for a person to pass without bending down.

"Should be? I had assumed you had been here before. At the very least in your… previous world," Dumbledore said.

"I did, but… it's been too long. And you were the one who brought me here that time. I'll say we are already lucky I managed to Apparate this close to the target," Harry chuckled.

"Considering your mastery of Occlumency, I doubt it was luck. But let us not dwell on that." Dumbledore glanced at the pitch-black hole.

"Yes, let's." Harry made a hand gesture. "Old people, children, and women first… isn't that what the Muggles like to say?"

Dumbledore laughed. "You want to use your Headmaster as a shield?"

"Well, I do recall doing absolutely nothing the last time I was here. So you either removed any protections by yourself or… there was nothing dangerous to remove. I would still be extra careful with any detection charms put in place by him."

"Fair enough." Dumbledore scanned the entrance, using all the detection spells he knew. He was being very thorough with this; he didn't want to miss anything.

Harry left the work to the Headmaster. The old man was much more knowledgeable than him about these types of things.

"I am done… there is only a detection charm placed near that wall. It seems a bit light on protections," Dumbledore commented.

"Not really. How many people know about his real identity and his past? The only reason you found this cave the last time was because you spent a very long time studying his early years of life. When he still lived at that orphanage." Harry spoke as the Headmaster cleared out the charms.

Once he was done, he stood in silence for a moment, considering something.

"I remember that orphanage well enough… it was an awful place. No child should grow up in a place like that." There was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Yes, growing up with no parents or anyone who cares for you is… rough," Harry spoke from personal experience.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left him there. I always wondered if… if I had done things differently."

"Oh please, stop that nonsense, Professor. Having a bad childhood doesn't excuse becoming a murdering psychopath," Harry told him.

"Mm… yes, I suppose you are right," Dumbledore said. "I suppose you are right…" he repeated.

"Come on, let's open this thing." Harry cast a Lumos charm. "I believe that wall can move."

Dumbledore glanced at it. "I was going to suggest the same." He tapped it with his wand.

After feeding it a bit of magic, the wall moved aside, revealing the real entrance to the cave.

"Oh… very impressive." Dumbledore stared at the insides of the cavern. It was much bigger than he expected.

There was a large lake that went all around it, with a small rocky island in the middle.

Dumbledore's eyes moved around before landing on the small island.

"I assume that what we came to look for… is there?"

Harry smiled. "It used to be the first time around."

"And now?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. Usually, he was the one with answers and not the questions.

"He hid one of his Horcruxes on that island. There is a magical fountain that needs to be emptied first," Harry said.

"What? Did you know about this since the beginning? Why did we wait this long to come here?" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"Because… it was a fake. Sirius's brother was one of his most trusted men, but he betrayed his Dark Lord in the end. Regulus Black took the Horcrux from here and left an imitation. The real one should have been hidden in the Black household," Harry explained.

"But it won't be there anymore. Is that what you think? Otherwise, you would have already tried to gain access to that house."

"I think at this point it is very safe to assume that Voldemort has recalled all his Horcruxes. The Ravenclaw diadem was missing, and so was the diary. We did find the ring but there was no soul in there."

"Very well then, we are not looking for a Horcrux… what did we come here for?" Dumbledore questioned him.

Harry approached the waters and waved his wand over it. "Pyros."

Several balls of fire appeared and were sent flying to several spots before they stopped and remained levitating over the lake.

Harry knelt down and stared at the dark waters. He could still see nothing.

"It's too dark…"

"Is there supposed to be something there?" Dumbledore looked too. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for."

"Help me out a bit. Use your most potent light spell inside the waters. I need to make sure."

Dumbledore nodded, even if he still was not sure what Harry was trying to find. He did detect traces of some very unpleasant magic inside this cavern.

They both manifested large spheres of light inside the waters. Everything became as clear as if it was day and they were able to even look at the stones at the bottom of the lake.

Other than stones… there was nothing in there.

"They are gone…" Harry now was lamenting not coming here before. But perhaps, he had taken them years ago.

"Wha-"

"Inferi," Harry answered the question before Dumbledore finished it.

"An army of Inferi."

A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.

You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 15 advanced chapters.

You can also find images of some of the characters from the fic for free. Like Lyra, Holly, among others. 

-patreon.com/Kriogenix