Corpse-Fishing at the Bottom of the Lake

Ivan didn't even have time to stop him. He slapped his forehead helplessly.

In his opinion, he should at least come up with a strategy to deal with all kinds of dangers before entering the lake, and then check if there were any problems with the water… instead of rushing over like this…

However, Kreacher had already jumped into the lake, and Ivan had no choice but to follow him.

"It's cold!"

As soon as Ivan sank into the lake, he sensed that something was wrong. It was summer, but the water in the Black Lake was as cold as winter.

It was pitch black all around, and he could only vaguely see something in front of him.

"Lumos ~ (flickering light)" Ivan gently waved his wand, and a light lit up from the tip of the wand and spread in all directions.

Ivan was shocked when he saw what was in front of him. It was a dead body, or rather a male corpse with its eyes open.

Ivan could clearly see the swollen face and the bulging eyes that were staring back at him.

Ivan almost attacked. Fortunately, he remembered that after drinking the potion, his physical characteristics were similar to that of an Inferius. The other party would not attack him, otherwise, they would have pounced on him.

Ivan relaxed a little at the thought. He tried to move closer, but she did not move, as if she were really dead.

It wasn't until he was very close that the Inferius moved. It trembled and then sank.

Ivan looked thoughtful. It seemed that Lupin was right. Inferi were not only afraid of heat, but also of light.

Having confirmed this, Ivan ignored her and swam towards another dark spot in the Black Lake. Inferi did not use magic, so this light must have been caused by Sirius.

The closer they got, the more Inferi there were.

There were bodies of all kinds: men, women, old people, children. Apparently, he had been right. Lord Voldemort must have massacred a Muggle town, or the British wizarding community would not have been able to gather so many bodies.

The Inferi simply floated in the lake, either scattered or clustered, unmoving.

As Ivan swam forward, he kept an eye out for Inferi, sometimes having to push aside those in his way or walk through a few of them.

Some time later, when Ivan's hands and feet were numb from the cold, he saw Sirius.

He was a short distance ahead, the mark on the back of his right hand glowing blood red, indicating Regulus's body was nearby.

However, the spell was apparently inaccurate, and Sirius was forced to swim over to the Inferi and examine their faces.

Ivan helped in the search, holding his wand up against the faint light to distinguish every face within sight.

While looking at them, Ivan noticed that all the Inferi seemed to be staring at him and Sirius, with their puffy faces and sunken eyes.

He understood that this was due to the Illuminating Charm, which attracted the attention of the Inferi, but that they were too stupid to identify themselves as living beings, and thus fell into such a state.

Unable to decide when the Inferi would notice something was wrong and pounce on them, and unable to stop the illumination spell, Ivan had to move faster.

Prior to his arrival, Sirius had shown him a portrait of Regulus, and had Regulus not been disfigured by the lake water, he would have been able to tell him apart.

"Master Regulus!"

As Ivan examined it, a faint, indistinct voice reached his ears, and he turned sharply to see Kreacher making the noise.

Somehow, the elderly house-elf had managed to stay underwater for so long without using the Bubble-Head Charm, and could even talk.

Ivan, however, wasn't paying attention to this at the moment, as Kreacher was obviously on to something and was swimming forward excitedly.

Ivan followed without hesitation, and from a distance he saw Kreacher hugging a corpse at the bottom of the lake.

It was a young male corpse, lying motionless at the bottom of the lake, wearing a dark green robe with a prominent black badge.

When Ivan got closer, he could see that it was Black's family crest, which consisted of a shield with a pentagram and a short sword, and two greyhounds standing on either side of it.

This alone confirmed that this was Regulus!

He was not at all pleased to have been found, nor was Sirius, for Regulus, like the Inferi, was staring at them and the light!

Ivan realised that the last thing they wanted to see was Regulus being turned into an Inferius!

Sirius's body shook slightly, either in anger or disbelief, but there was no such thing as anger, and he opened his mouth to tell Kreacher to let go.

However, they were too slow. Regulus, who had been as still as a corpse, suddenly moved after Kreacher hugged him, his puffy white hands gripping the house-elf's neck like pincers.

Kreacher was too excited to defend himself against Regulus, and did not even try to resist when he was strangled.

However, Regulus, who had been transformed into an Inferius for decades, did not know the meaning of holding back.

Kreacher's eyes rolled back in his head, and the magic that had been protecting him collapsed, sending a large amount of water into his mouth and nose.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Seeing that the situation was critical, Sirius immediately stopped casting the Illumination Charm and quickly waved his wand.

A white beam of light shot through the water and hit Regulus.

Regulus's once-white, puffy skin turned grey and his hands stopped moving.

Ivan seized the opportunity to grab Kreacher, saving him from Regulus and casting a Bubble-Head Charm on him in time to prevent him from drowning.

However, the situation did not improve, and Sirius's attack on Regulus triggered a taboo, causing the Inferi, who had been frozen in place, to become agitated.

Several Inferi that were close to Sirius reached out and grabbed his clothes and arms, while more swam towards Ivan with ferocious expressions.

Irritated, Ivan understood that Sirius's magical attack on the Inferi must have triggered some sort of restriction, as the Inferi no longer saw them as their own kind.

"Sectumsempr… " Ivan tried to cast a spell to save Sirius, but Sirius shook his head at him, his mouth opening and closing under the Bubble Charm.

Close your eyes! Ivan read the word in Sirius's mouth, and he reacted instantly, closing his eyes.

The next moment, a brilliant light lit up from the tip of Sirius's wand, like a supernova in a dark universe, and Ivan could feel the intensity of the light with his eyes closed.

The Inferi restraining Sirius released him, and the hundreds of Inferi that had been rushing towards them fled in the opposite direction in fear.

When the light faded, Ivan opened his eyes and saw that there were no more Inferi around except Regulus, who had been petrified.

Ivan couldn't help but sigh at Sirius's recklessness and quick-wittedness. Although he couldn't cast the Fire Charm underwater, he was able to dispel the Inferi with his enhanced Flicker.