Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0264 End & Follow-up

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.

In the moment of life and death, Bryan, with his gray hair dancing in the strong wind, finally moved again. 

Suddenly, his eyes widened, his gaze fierce, and he took a deep breath, then–

Roar! A thunderous roar erupted, like the roar of an angry dragon. It was the sound of Bryan's magic, unleashed with full force.

The pale gray spherical barrier suddenly expanded, facing the dark magical waves containing astonishing power. 

Crack!

The two powerful forces clashed, and in the void, the black magic left by Voldemort transformed into countless dark lightning bolts, striking the barrier formed by Bryan's burst of magic. 

In an instant, the world was silent, and the dazzling light enveloped the world.

This moment felt so long, as if it had lasted for eternity.

The confrontation did not determine a clear winner in the first wave of clashes. 

Countless black lightning bolts continued to strike the barrier, while the lake water eroded part of the power of the barrier. At this moment, Bryan raised his wand high, and a continuous stream of hurricanes surged from in front of him, merging into the new power of the gray barrier. The barrier suddenly ignited a golden flame that spread across the sky. 

This was a fierce and intense confrontation. 

Neither side had an absolute advantage. 

At times, Voldemort's curse compressed the flame-encased spherical barrier, and at other times, the barrier, fueled by Bryan's magic, pushed back.

The two formidable forces clashed like grinding stones, and the lake water and Inferi were quickly evaporated in the confrontation. The smell of burnt flesh and metal filled their nostrils, making them nauseous. 

"The cave is about to collapse, Bryan!"

While the breathtaking battle captivated the onlookers, Remus, who was still concerned about the consequences of the mountain collapsing, noticed an unusual movement. Amidst the rumbling sound, he faintly heard the sound of rocks cracking. 

The stone basin beside Bryan, where a cluster of golden fire was suppressing the curse that protected the stone basin, because most of the magic in the cave space was consumed in the confrontation, the fire had begun to ignite the potion. The potion bubbled and boiled, releasing a foul odor and a green smoke. 

Whoosh! After being reminded by Remus, Bryan still raised his wand high, but he glanced at the stone basin. 

The golden flame on the stone basin suddenly floated up and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a golden dagger. It heavily struck the edge of the basin, causing it to shatter. The potion splattered, and a locket, identical to the one before, floated up and landed in Sirius's hand under Bryan's position. 

"Get ready, we're leaving–"

After dropping this sentence, Bryan looked at the lightning that had a tendency to collapse, and his purple eyes suddenly brightened. He felt a surge of power, as he gathered all his remaining magic. He roared again with a thunderous force, a force that shook the earth and the sky.

Crack-- In the void, there was a crisp sound like shattering glass. The gray spherical barrier expanded uncontrollably, sweeping away everything in its path, including the lightning, the lake water, and the muddy lake bottom. 

"Let's go!"

After a shout, the group left the cave one after another, leaving behind a dramatically empty spherical space on the ground.

*******************Scene-Break*******************

In the early morning, the golden sunlight strolled leisurely from the other side of the city to Grimmauld Square in the west of London, casting a warm glow on the old and elegant buildings. The wild grass on the roadside trembled as it welcomed the rising sun, releasing a fresh and earthy scent. On the electric poles, a few birds combed their feathers with their beaks while chirping melodiously, filling the air with their cheerful songs.

Residents living nearby gradually walked out of their homes, either on foot or riding bicycles, slowly making their way to the nearby subway station. They wore coats and scarves to ward off the chill of the early spring. When they met acquaintances on the way, they would exchange friendly greetings and discuss the weather and the newly renovated roads that had been repaired after a disaster that had struck the area a few months ago.

In the Black family's old Manor, Sirius, with a tired face from not sleeping all night, stumbled down to the kitchen on the ground floor. His hair was messy and his eyes were bloodshot. He felt a pang of hunger in his stomach, but also a heaviness in his heart. When he saw Remus dining alone in the small dining room, he showed a slightly surprised expression. He had expected to see Bryan there as well.

"Come over, Sirius," Remus smiled and said to Sirius on the stairs, "Come and taste today's breakfast. It's completely different from before. Honestly, I used to think that Kreacher wasn't very good at cooking, but now I realize I underestimated him. He has prepared a feast for us."

Sirius muttered something, rubbed his swollen and red eyes, and slowly walked to the dining table. He saw a variety of dishes on the table, such as bacon, eggs, toast, jam, butter, cheese, sausages, pancakes, and fruit. The aroma of the food made his mouth water, but he also felt a twinge of guilt.

"Where's Bryan?" Sirius picked up a fried egg with a silver fork and put it directly into his mouth, and said while chewing, "I thought he had already come down? He must be starving after last night."

"I think he's still in his room," Remus rubbed his forehead with his palm, his expression complicated. "I told Kreacher not to disturb him. You know, he's probably exhausted. He used up a lot of his magic and energy."

The dining room fell silent, and the two people at the table looked at each other without speaking, both guessing what the other was thinking.

"Have you ever seen someone like him, Remus?" Sirius asked after a long time, his voice was heavy. He put down his fork and looked at Remus with a serious expression.

"I'm not more knowledgeable than you, Sirius," Remus smiled bitterly and shook his head. He took a sip of his tea and sighed. "I've seen many things in my life, but nothing like him. Nothing like what he did last night."

After discussing how to arrange Regulus's body, Sirius stayed up all night, staying by his brother's side, while Remus and Bryan went back to their guest rooms to rest. Remus didn't know if Bryan was able to sleep, but he himself was exhausted, yet unable to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of Bryan destroying the cave. He saw the rocks shattering, the water boiling, the fire blazing, and the dark magic dissipating. He saw Bryan's eyes glowing with a strange light, and his hands unleashing waves of power. 

"Before this, I never imagined that a wizard could have such power, nor could I imagine that a wizard could cause such destruction," Remus said, his voice low. He looked at his hands, which were still trembling slightly. "It was like watching a natural disaster. A force of nature that we can't control or understand."

Remus sighed and said, "It seems that we have been fighting Voldemort for so many years, and we thought we knew how terrible he was, but the truth is, Voldemort probably never showed us his full power. Because he didn't need to. He was already powerful enough to terrorize the whole wizarding world."

"It's certain that Dumbledore knew," Sirius's voice remained heavy. "It's well known that Voldemort feared Dumbledore. During those years, Voldemort did everything he could to avoid confronting Dumbledore."

"Yes, there's no doubt about that," Remus had confidence in the old man with wisdom far beyond ordinary wizards.

The two people at the dining table continued their conversation, their expressions not particularly pleasant. They had mixed feelings about Bryan. 

On one hand, although they had retrieved Regulus's body, the truth of his death still cast a shadow over them, and they were still immersed in deep sorrow.

On the other hand, the apocalyptic scene of Bryan destroying the cave last night had given them an indescribable shock and also made them feel a bit of fear.

As the magical world developed in modern times, magic became more closely integrated into the daily lives of wizards. Casting spells became simple and fast. Now, wizards could not imagine how grand and awe-inspiring battle scenes that could change the terrain were. 

As they had just said, Voldemort had always avoided confronting Dumbledore head-on in those years of rampage. He had never unleashed his full fury and might. 

The last time people in the wizarding world saw such a scene of magic destroying the world was half a century ago—regarded as the battle of the century between the greatest wizard of that era, Albus Dumbledore, and the first Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald. 

The two former friends turned enemies clashed in a legendary duel that lasted for hours and spanned across several countries. The power they unleashed was so immense that it caused earthquakes, storms, and fires, and left behind scars on the land that could still be seen today. The outcome of that battle was decisive for the fate of the wizarding world, as Dumbledore emerged victorious and Grindelwald was imprisoned in his own fortress of Nurmengard.

"Have you made a decision about Regulus?" The topic circled back to Regulus, and Remus rubbed his sore eyebrows, thinking that he should go back to his room and try to sleep again later. He had barely slept a wink last night, haunted by the memories of what they had witnessed in the cave. He felt a surge of grief and guilt for the young man who had died so bravely and tragically.

"I know, Remus," Sirius became irritated at the thought of it. He clenched his fists and glared at the table. "I didn't say we should hold the funeral immediately. Of course, we have to wait until we've taken care of that despicable traitor and cleared our names. I will invite some people, but not the Black family relatives. They don't deserve it. I want those wizards from the original Order of the Phoenix who always stood on the front line against Voldemort to know that Regulus was not a Death Eater, he was a true hero. He did more than any of us to stop Voldemort."

Regulus didn't receive recognition in life, but after his death, Sirius hoped that Regulus would be acknowledged by those like-minded wizards. He hoped that they would honor his memory and his courage. 

"There's one more thing," Remus didn't criticize Sirius's thoughts, but spoke with a serious tone. He looked at Sirius with a solemn expression. "Before Albus left, he told me that he was going to investigate some important matters. To prevent you from trying to harm Harry again, he gave me a way to urgently contact him. I don't want to disturb Albus's important work, but when he returns to school, including Peter and what happened last night, I must report to Albus. He has the right to know everything."

Sirius fell silent for a moment and finally nodded. He knew that Remus was right. 

On the third floor of the Black Manor, in a guest room.

Contrary to Remus's expectations, Bryan was not sound asleep but had already woken up when the morning sunlight, tinged with golden dust, streamed through the carved glass windows. Dressed in a robe, Bryan sat at the desk by the window, lazily leaning back on the high-backed armchair. His left hand rested on the armrest, while his right hand dragged the real Horcrux that Kreacher had brought back more than a decade ago. Bathed in the gentle morning sunlight, he quietly observed the surface of the Locket, with its ancient and incomprehensible symbols of ancient runes hieroglyphs. 

A large pile of books was spread out on the desk, including textbooks for NEWT-level courses published by the Ministry of Magic, as well as some ancient-looking magic books with faded covers and pages filled with worm-eaten marks. 

In order to understand the meaning of the symbols on the locket, Bryan had taken out all these books from his bag, but even after going through all the information, he still couldn't figure it out. He had tried to decipher the symbols using different methods and techniques, but none of them worked. 

"I'll ask Professor Babbling later. She's an expert in this field," Bryan sighed and temporarily put the matter aside. 

Since obtaining the Locket last night, Bryan had also tried to open it. He used some less aggressive methods, such as alohomora, bombarda, and reducto, but they were all blocked by the powerful defensive dark magic of the Horcrux itself. The Locket remained intact and unscathed, as if mocking his efforts.

If he wanted to destroy the soul inside the box, he would have to destroy the Locket itself. 

Similarly, Bryan was not willing to do so at the moment because he planned to use this as leverage against Dumbledore again. 

"How should I set the price this time?" Bryan bit his lip, feeling conflicted. He certainly didn't want to be taken advantage of, but Dumbledore had already been emptied of his 'retirement' funds to pay for the previous commission to capture the Basilisk. So, setting the price too high didn't seem appropriate. 

Bang, bang, bang!

Just as Bryan was thinking about whether to introduce Dumbledore to the concepts of "installment payments" and "loan business," the door to the guest room was suddenly knocked.

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