When the figures of the Hogwarts headmaster and the boy reappeared, Harry sucked in large mouthfuls of the cold night air. The air was very humid and carried the smell of the sea.
After a few seconds, Harry recovered. He opened his eyes and found that he and Dumbledore were standing on a tall black rock that jutted out of the sea. Under their feet, the sea glowed with a cold white light in the night. The waves surged and slammed against the black rock fiercely. His hair and clothes were drenched by the waves, which were rolling in layers and layers, and the spray from the waves was astonishing.
Dumbledore's gaze fell on the cliff. In the darkness, the steep cliff looked like a giant beast with its mouth wide open. Harry felt the cold water splashing on his face with the smell of the sea. The cold made him shiver. He also looked at the cliff and goosebumps rose on his body.
"You don't mind getting wet, right? Phantom Transfiguration can't teleport you inside. "
"It's okay, Professor. I learned well in the Goblet of Fire." Harry said and added a Bubble Head Charm to himself.
"I didn't bring Fox, but let's take the risk and give it a try." Dumbledore suddenly became as agile as a young man. He gently slid from the pebble into the sea and swam towards the dark crack on the surface of the rock. He held the wand in his mouth and adopted a perfect breaststroke posture.
Harry quickly jumped into the water and swam after him.
The sea was extremely cold. After Harry's clothes were soaked in water, they became heavy and swollen, dragging him down. He took a few deep breaths. He could smell the pungent smell of salt and seaweed through the Bubble Head Charm. He struggled to find the flickering light that was moving deeper into the cliff and becoming smaller and smaller.
Soon, the crack became a dark passage. Harry could see that the passage would be filled with seawater when the tide rose. The walls were only three feet apart from each other, and under the flash of light from Dumbledore's wand, they glistened like wet tar. A little further in, the tunnel turned left, and Harry saw that it stretched all the way to the deepest part of the cliff. He continued to swim forward with Dumbledore. His fingers, numb from the cold, brushed against the rough, wet rocks.
Then, he saw Dumbledore in front of him stand up from the water, his silver hair and black robe shimmering with water. Harry swam there and found that there were stairs leading to a large cave. He labored up the steps, water gushing from his soaked clothes. He came out of the water at last. The air around him was still and cold, and he shivered uncontrollably.
"Flicker." Dumbledore raised his wand, and golden spots of light lit up the space around them. In the cold and darkness, they labored into the deepest part of the cliff and followed the steps to a large cave. The air around them was still and cold.
"It can't be wrong. Someone has tried magic here." Dumbledore raised his wand and brushed his fingers against the rough, wet rocks.
Harry didn't know if Dumbledore was shivering because of the cold, or because he was aware of the existence of the Bubble Head Charm. He watched Dumbledore continue to spin slowly in place, apparently focused on studying something that Harry couldn't see.
"Harry, I'm so sorry. I forgot." Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry, and reddish-yellow flames spurted out from the tip of his wand. Harry's clothes immediately became dry and warm, as if they had been hung in front of a roaring fire. "It's a popular warming spell in Demstrand."
Before Harry could express his gratitude, he saw that Dumbledore's wand was gradually shrinking into a silver dagger. He calmly cut his palm with the dagger.
"Professor!" Harry exclaimed.
"If you want to find the entrance, you have to pay a price. A price that can weaken the strength of the intruder."
Harry opened his mouth. It was too late to say anything now, but he couldn't help but say, "You should let me do it, Professor."
"No, Harry. Your blood is much more precious than mine." Dumbledore wiped his cut palm on the surface of the rock, and dark red drops of blood covered the surface of the rock.
The rocks on the rock trembled, and the scattered stones piled up on the ground in a disorderly manner, revealing a doorway.
"Lord Voldemort will not easily let people find the place where he hides his soul." Dumbledore pulled his robe and walked over the scattered stones. Both his and Harry's wands were glowing. "He will definitely set up defenses. Be careful."
Dumbledore stopped Harry. In front of them was a vast black lake. Dumbledore raised his arm and swung his wand. A bright light flew out from the tip of the wand and landed on the platform in the middle of the lake.
"The question is, how do we get there? Can't we … Can't we try the Flying Charm? "Harry looked around. He knew it was a stupid suggestion." You're right. You're right.
Dumbledore did not answer. He took a step down, and the tips of his brass buckles moved to the outermost edge of the lakeside rock. He held his wand in his right hand and stretched out his left hand, as if he was pulling something out of thin air. Although there was no wind in the cave, his sleeves were shaking.
Harry also took two steps forward. The lake water bubbled like boiling water. A thick green copper chain suddenly emerged from the depths of the lake and rushed towards Dumbledore's palm. Dumbledore grabbed it.
"Can you help me, Harry?" Dumbledore handed the chain to Harry. Harry quickly put his wand in his trouser pocket and pulled the copper chain back with both hands.
As he pulled, the chain clanged against the rock wall, producing loud echoes. The copper chain pulled a white boat up from the pitch-black bottom of the lake. The boat with the snake-shaped embossment floated towards the shore like a slightly tilted leaf. It slowly approached them with almost no ripples.
"Professor, how did you do that?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Magic always leaves a trace," Dumbledore said. With a soft bang, the boat hit the shore. "Sometimes it's very obvious. I've taught Tom Liddell before. I know his style. "
Dumbledore frowned. His eyes stopped at the chain. "Harry, be careful. Stay alert. There are handprints on the moss on the chain. It seems that someone pulled it recently. "
Harry heard this and held his wand tightly, but nothing happened. Harry looked down at the boat. It was indeed a very small boat. "It doesn't look like it's made for two people. Can it hold the weight of both of us? Won't it be too heavy for both of us? "
"Tom doesn't think about physical weight. He only thinks about how much magic power has passed through his lake. I think this boat may be under a spell. Only one wizard can ride on it at a time. "
"Then...?"
"I don't think it counts you, Harry. You're not old enough to qualify. Tom would never have thought that a sixteen-year-old boy could come to this place. I think, compared to my power, your power is probably negligible. "
Harry was crestfallen. Dumbledore probably realized this too. He added, "Tom is wrong, Harry, Tom is wrong... Old people underestimate young people. They are stupid and forgetful... Well, you go first this time. Be careful not to touch the water."
The two boarded the boat. Because of the small space, they were forced to squeeze together, but they floated to the platform in the middle of the lake without any waves. Dumbledore was the first to step on the shore, followed by Harry.
Harry stared at Dumbledore as he reached his hand into the stone basin, trying to touch the liquid. However, he encountered an invisible resistance. His hand could not get close to the liquid. No matter how hard he tried, his fingers seemed to touch the solid, indestructible air.
"Do you think the Horcrux is inside, Professor?" Harry watched as Dumbledore's wand slowly rubbed over the liquid in the crystal basin. The potion in the basin boiled and bubbled, then calmed down as Dumbledore's wand left.
Dumbledore frowned and sniffed with his nose. He seemed to smell something strange, but then he focused on the changes in the potion in the stone basin. Then he looked up and said, "I can't put my hand in it. I can't separate it, scoop it dry, or suck it dry. I can't use the Vanishing Spell to make it disappear, use magic to deform it, or change its nature in other ways. I have to drink it, all of it."
"What?" Harry said, "No! But what if... what if it poisons you to death? "
"Oh, I don't think it will have that effect... The Lord Voldemort would not want to poison anyone who comes to this island." After Dumbledore finished speaking, his expression became serious. He looked into Harry's eyes and said, "Do you remember what you promised me before you came here? This potion may paralyze me, make me forget why I came here, or make me suffer so much that I can't drink it, or anything else. But you must not obey me, Harry. Your responsibility is to make sure that I drink all the potion, even if you have to force it down my throat. Do you understand? "
"Why can't I drink it, Professor?" Harry could not believe it. Was Dumbledore that ridiculous and blindly thought of others? He did not think that he could let Dumbledore take the risk.
"Because I'm older, better at coping, and not as important as you." Dumbledore's hand grasped the shell-shaped spoon on the crystal basin and scooped out a spoonful of the potion. "You have to live well now, Harry."
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