Chapter 7: The Visitors

Máximus cautiously approached the bend where the noises were coming from. He found a small cluster of rocks that offered him cover and quickly hid there. Whatever or whoever was entering the cavern had to be handled with care. He was now a corpse, a shadow of what he once was. Who could it be? His captor? Someone coming to eliminate them all?

Suddenly, a blinding light illuminated the cave, and the rock walls parted, forming a door.

"Come on, stupid elf, walk faster!" growled an authoritative voice.

"Yesss, master, Kreacher is a good elf," responded the high-pitched, trembling voice of the elf.

"Revelio," said the hooded figure.

Máximus felt a gust, something like a mist, pass through his body and the rest of the Inferi. The submerged bodies began to stir in their watery graves, but the surface of the lake remained undisturbed.

"I didn't detect anything alive, just a bunch of corpses in the cave. Ha, as if that would stop me," the man said with disdain.

With a flick of his wand, he cast a beam of light that illuminated the entire cavern. Máximus shrank further behind the rocks, knowing he had to stay hidden. The man didn't inspire trust. And that creature following him... "A child? No... It's an elf!" he thought. Suddenly, realization hit him. Kreacher.

As Máximus processed all this, the man had already boarded the boat and was about to reach the center of the lake.

"NO!" he whispered, overwhelmed by the revelation. "Damn it! I'm in Harry Potter! Is this the cave where Voldemort hid his Horcrux? Wait… it's him!"

From the shadows, Máximus watched as the dark man and the elf reached the pedestal in the center of the lake.

"Hmm… this looks like a potion," Voldemort murmured, staring at the dark liquid in the stone basin. "Elf, go ahead," he said, kicking him forward.

"Yesss, my lord…" Kreacher, trembling, obeyed.

"Drink every spoonful. All of it!" Voldemort ordered, his voice cold and cruel.

Each time Kreacher swallowed the potion, his body shook more violently, tears streaming down his face. He begged, pleaded with Voldemort to stop, but the Dark Lord showed no mercy. With a spell, he forced the elf's throat open and poured the remaining liquid directly into him. When the basin was empty, Voldemort dropped a locket engraved with an "S" at the bottom of the pedestal.

The elf lay in agony on the ground as Voldemort returned to the boat without showing a shred of compassion. Máximus watched with a heavy heart, listening to Kreacher's agonized moans echoing through the cave. Before disembarking, Voldemort glanced toward the rocks where Máximus was hiding.

"Huh?" Voldemort murmured, frowning. "Is something there...? No, my spell didn't detect anyone else."

Quickly, Voldemort headed toward the exit, watching as the cave door sealed shut behind him, blocking the way out once again. Máximus stared, knowing that escape was his only hope. He watched the door for a few more seconds, until the faint groans of Kreacher, trapped on the island, pulled him back.

"Wait... if I remember correctly, elves can escape from this prison!" Máximus thought, suddenly filled with hope. He jumped up and rushed toward the boat, trying to reach it before it was too late.

But just then, he saw the Inferi begin to emerge from the lake. They crawled toward the elf lying in the center, their movements slow but relentless.

"No, no... NO! Damn it! Get out of my way!" Máximus shouted, desperate to reach the island before it was too late.

The boat, however, moved at a steady, slow pace, unable to speed up. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't make it in time. Máximus watched helplessly as the corpses closed in on the elf.

Suddenly, a loud "pop" echoed in the cave. Kreacher had disappeared, transported away in an instant. The Inferi, as if they had lost their target, froze in place. An invisible force repelled them, and they began retreating, returning to the water. Máximus watched, relieved yet devastated. Kreacher was gone. His only escape, his only chance of getting out of this prison, had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"NOOOOOOO!" Máximus screamed in despair. "My only way out!"

Kreacher had vanished. The elf had escaped, and Máximus remained trapped in the cave, with the only exit blocked and no other visible option.