Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0263 The Cave (Part-4)

"Help, Bryan, we can't handle this!"

In an instant, everything was silent!

In the invisible magical world, a tyrannical magical storm swept across all directions from where Bryan stood. Faintly, the whirlpool-like cyclone in his deep eyes slowly rotated, making a sound like a landslide or a thunder.

The splashing water, the surging lake surface, whether it was the inferis that had landed on the island, or those still in the shallow water, or the horned serpent that weighed two tons, everything that was tainted with magic seemed to fall into a stretched time domain, moving slower than a sloth. They looked like they were frozen in time, unable to move or react.

"Find him quickly——"

Bryan's calm voice brought Sirius, Remus, and Kreacher out of this state. They looked at a pale hand that was trying to get close to them a few steps away, and Remus had a look of disbelief on his face,

"This is unbelievable, Bryan, how did you do it?!"

"I interfered with the normal flow of magic in the area,"

Bryan said lightly, "Don't waste time, Voldemort has laid down a massive amount of defensive measures here. While maintaining this state, I also have to resist these dark magic curses, the consumption is very large–"

He did not elaborate on the details of his spell, nor did he show any signs of fatigue or pain. He knew that this was a critical moment, and that they had to act fast before the inferis and the horned serpent broke free from his spell.

In the distance, the inferis were still gathering towards the island in the lake. When they broke into a certain area, their movements would also become slow. But there were too many of them, and they kept coming from all directions. It was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed Bryan's magic.

Remus stared at Bryan's eyes, which had changed greatly, and his expression was complicated. He had already imagined that this young man's future achievements might be comparable to Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of their time.

"There!"

At this moment, Kreacher suddenly shouted excitedly,

"Master Sirius, Kreacher found Master Regulus!"

Everyone's eyes were attracted by Kreacher's shout. They followed Kreacher's finger and saw a very eye-catching inferi at the edge of the frozen area.

The reason why it was different from the other muggle inferis in the lake was that the inferi, who was probably no more than twenty years old, was wearing a black wizard robe, and there was a very obvious Black family crest on his chest.

Regulus looked very much like Sirius, but he was shorter than Sirius, and his body looked thin and frail. He had a handsome face, but it was marred by the signs of death.

Under the effect of magic, this brave young man still maintained the appearance of the moment he died, except that his cheeks were slightly swollen because he had been soaking in the water for many years.

Like the others who broke into the space where Bryan froze the magic, his movements were strange and ridiculous, but he still moved towards the island with determination.

"Regulus!"

Sirius collapsed in an instant. His sorrowful scream echoing in the dark cave. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, as he saw his brother's lifeless body. 

Before Remus could react, Sirius and Kreacher burst out with astonishing speed and agility. They used the inferis on the shore as stepping stones and rushed into the lake like the wind. They did not care about the danger or the cold, they only wanted to reach Regulus. Then, they dragged Regulus to the center of the island, in front of Bryan. 

"I'm sorry, Regulus——"

Sirius knelt on the ground, clutching his brother's body in his arms. He repeated this sentence over and over, as if he could undo the past with his words. Big drops of hot tears fell on Regulus's face, washing away some of the dirt and blood. He looked at his brother's face, which was still young and handsome, but also cold and lifeless.

And Kreacher also threw himself on the young man's chest, his small and wrinkled body shaking with sobs. He hugged his former master, who had treated him kindly and respectfully, who had sacrificed himself for a noble cause. He blamed himself for failing to protect him, for failing to fulfill his promise.

Their mournful wail moved the listeners, who were also shocked and saddened by the sight. Remus felt a lump in his throat, as he watched his friend's agony.

Tonight's operation finally achieved partial success.

They found Regulus Black, a young man whose life was tragically cut short at the age of seventeen, in order to fight against the most evil wizard in history.

Not to mention the reaction of Kreacher, Sirius's tears became more uncontrollable as he saw his brother's corpse. He mourned the loss of his brother and also mourned his best friends, James Potter and Lily Evans, who had been killed by the same dark lord. He felt guilty and blamed himself for their deaths, as everything was intricately connected to him.

"Sirius–"

Understanding his pain, Remus sighed and came up behind Sirius, gently patting his shoulder with his warm hand.

There are many things in life that cannot be described as right or wrong. When certain things happen, we can only face them and accept them. After all, the deceased are gone, but the living still have to live–

The boundary between life and death is so clear and cruel. Sirius mourned his brother, while the pale, gray veins of Regulus, who had become an Inferi, a reanimated corpse, quietly wrapped around Sirius and Kreacher's necks. He was still faithfully carrying out Voldemort's command to kill anyone who entered the cave where he had hidden his hocrux.

"Watch out!"

Remus noticed this and quickly pulled Kreacher out of the grip of the Inferi, then hugged Sirius from under his armpit and dragged him away from the danger.

Regulus, who had lost his target, turned his attention to Bryan, who was within reach. He slowly turned over and grabbed Bryan's robe with his cold, clammy hand.

This pitiful scene made even Bryan, who had a strong mind, sigh in sorrow.

He didn't harm Regulus's body, he just bent down and tapped his cold arm with his wand, uttering a soft spell.

Thunk! A sound like a bell echoed in the darkness, and Regulus's gray eyes, covered in spiderweb-like veins, closed instantly, and his body lay flat on the ground, motionless.

Bryan shielded the dark magic that turned him into an Inferi. After so many years, Regulus's soul finally found peace. 

"Calm down, Sirius–"

Sirius, who was being dragged to the side, tried to break free from Remus's grip and rushed to his brother's side, while Remus held his friend tightly, his face full of sorrow and concern.

"Regulus wouldn't want to see you like this, would he? You were his most admired brother, he would want you to come out of those shadows and live happily in the sunlight!"

"I will never know what he would have wanted!"

Sirius's eyes were red, filled with tears, and he roared, "He's already dead, just like James and Lily. I don't understand him. I treated him like a brainless idiot, but in reality, I'm the idiot. I'm the one who killed them!"

Suppressing the actions of the Inferi in this heavily dark magic-infused place took a toll on Bryan. The simplest solution was to destroy their bodies and give their souls freedom. But he knew that it would also cause a huge explosion that could bring down the whole mountain.

"Keep an eye on Sirius–"

Bryan said to both Remus and Kreacher at the same time, as he walked towards the center of the cave, where a stone basin filled with a green potion was placed.

"Wait, Bryan!"

Remus felt exhausted, as he had to restrain two 'madmen' at the same time. 

"I know you're angry that Voldemort slaughtered so many Muggles, and I also hope that these poor people can find peace. But if, as you said before, it could cause the mountain to collapse, I think you need to consider it carefully. We don't know if there are any Muggles living nearby!"

Remus's tone was urgent, and he was sweating profusely. He hoped that Bryan would listen to reason and not act rashly.

Well, he had seen the desolation on the coast before, and Bryan's confirmation was that it was unlikely for humans to gather here, but Remus was right, he couldn't be certain. There might be some small villages or towns that they didn't know about.

"I will consider the consequences."

Bryan nodded, his expression stern.

He looked around and used his magical vision similar to infrared to roughly estimate the number of dark creatures in the lake and evaluate the strength of the traps Voldemort had set up. Once he had an accurate judgment, he turned around and his gaze fell on the vial of green potion in the stone basin. 

Hoo--  A cluster of golden flame tore through the darkness of this place like a shooting star and suddenly appeared two feet above the stone basin. The flame, which could burn anything, consumed downwards with a hungry roar but was met with the invisible barrier set up by Voldemort to protect the potion. The two forces devoured each other in an invisible battle, creating sparks and shockwaves that rippled through the air.

Rumble! At the moment when the magic that froze the space was lifted, suddenly, a strong wind blew, making their ears ache and their eyes water. The previously boiling lake surged with waves ten feet high, sweeping through the lake from the outskirts of the Black Lake, and the Inferi on top of the waves, with their fierce faces and claws, were shattered into countless pieces. The edges of the swirling fragments flickered with dying embers, like fireflies in the night.

Huh–Bryan took a deep breath and exhaled, revealing gray smoke in the dim air, like lava about to erupt, and on the surface of the dormant magma, was the rising heat that made them sweat and pant. 

Remus was stunned, and even Sirius and Kreacher, who were grieving uncontrollably, stopped crying. They saw the black smooth slab where Bryan stood gradually losing its color, turning into a gray decay, as if it had been scorched by unimaginable heat. 

The island began to crack, starting with cracks appearing under Bryan's feet. Then, the cracks spread throughout the entire island, as if an invisible force was eroding the rock, unseen by them. When the cracks appeared under the feet of the inferi on the outskirts of the island, the Inferi, who had regained their ability to move, turned into thousands of pieces, their fragmented edges shimmering with extinguishing firelight. 

Bryan's iris regained its pure purple color, the same color it had at the end of their journey to Avalon. He looked at Remus, Sirius, and Kreacher indifferently, who were panicked by the white Inferi wave that covered the sky and the earth. 

"What should we do, Bryan!" Remus gasped for breath and roared as he barely got out of this amazing scene, but his voice was barely audible amidst the roaring winds. 

"Stay there calmly." Bryan's soft words accurately fell into Remus's ears, but made him smile bitterly. 

'How could one stay calm in the face of such a cataclysmic scene?' Remus thought that what he had witnessed already subverted the worldview of wizards, but what they were about to witness next could only be described as a miracle or a disaster!

They saw the black tide of Inferi, which had already covered the sky, surrounding the small island. In the next second, the heavy waves would crash down, and at that time, there would be no way out for the people on the island. 

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