Chapter 3: Counting Inferi
Disclaimer and Explanations please see chapter 1.
~oOo~
Last time in Shattered Illusions of Safety, Snatching the Ring
"You`re too late, old man!" Voldemort mocked in that moment, before he spun around and Disappareted.
The Dark Lord Apparated onto the top of a rocky, windswept cliff overlooking the rolling sea with a quit Pop.
The salty wind pushed him back, tore at his robe, nearly robbing his breath; the air was tangy from salt and seaweed; a spray of tiny drops hit his face. Seagulls shrieked overhead, endless waves crashed against boulders far down below the cliff. Ruby red eyes swept over the desolate landscape, there were no houses or trees around, and only short grassland covered the ground up to the precipice of the cliff. The sight was limited due to the fog that came rolling in from the open sea.
Voldemort remembered that this barren place was roughly one and a half mile from the nearest seaside village. It was a typical small muggle resort: There was a tiny harbour, a parking lot, some trivial shops, some pubs and a gravel beach. East of the village were more cliffs, with a footpath down a ravine to a nice cove; on the sheltered pebble beach the children from the orphanage had bathed and played once upon a time. There was a coastal hiking path hugging the cliffs, however any muggle tourists would most likely go in the other direction towards the cove, not clamber around on these harsh cliffs. Not that anybody could see him, as he still was under the Disillusionment Charm since Little Hangleton.
He swept his wand around him, casting 'Homenum Revelio' to scan the vicinity in a circle of half a mile for any other human life; the spell revealed nothing. At least something appeared to go better than at Little Hangleton – so far. Prudence was a virtue today, so he again cast the quarter mile Proximity ward and 'Cave Inimicum' to warn him if any enemies should approach.
Underneath the cliff, hidden inside a fissure in the rocks, was a large cave, which he had discovered as a child. Before this huge cavern was a smaller cave with a hidden entrance, connected to the sea outside through a narrow, high tide flooded tunnel. Should an enemy seek to find it, they would have to Apparate to some slippery boulders and rocks below the cliff and swim from there in the cold water through the tunnel, because of the Anti-Apparation and Anti-Disapparation wards that covered the area.
The dark wizard was concerned after the narrow pass in Little Hangleton. He never anticipated that Dumbledore would discover the Gaunt shack.
Yet he had. So, now that the impossible had become cold reality, it was not anymore out of the question that this hiding place for one of his precious safeguards had also become compromised.
Had Dumbledore discovered his cave already or not? That the old wizard had suspected those blood magic powered wards at the Gaunt shack was disturbing.
Well if Dumbledore dared to sneak into his cave, it would be quite uncomfortable for him. Hopefully the meddlesome old bastard would drown on the way in the dark, churning, cold sea. Or the Inferi inside the cave would pull him underneath the surface of the lake, should he gain entrance and then step into the water by accident. If he should reach the island, the poison would surely stop the old wizard. The Dark Lord felt reassured by these mental images.
Apparating to the smaller entrance cave, the atrium, he reappeared in total blackness. The only sound was the churning of the waves outside, which echoed eerily in the tunnel. Lighting up the ceiling of the cave with a hissed {Luminarum} that conjured several green lamp like orbs, he first cancelled the Disillusionment Charm and then began casting 'Specialis Revelio' several times in a circle on the walls and the floor, turning slowly around himself.
At once, the bright outline of an entryway appeared on the eastern wall before him, man high. The doorway was locked with a dark charm that required freshly spilled blood of the wizard desiring to enter; a simple application of blood magic designed to frighten and weaken an intruder, especially a light wizard. No other recently cast magic showed up in the diagnostic charm; this was a good sign that this place was undisturbed.
Quickly Voldemort walked closer and carefully inspected the smooth stone wall and the rough floor of the cave. Everything looked untouched, nothing lying around, no human footprints in the dust on the ground, no visible blood splatters on the wall.
To confirm this he silently cast 'Cruento exsto' while waving his wand to the left and right at the cave wall and above the floor in front of the archway, watching the scan intently for any colour changes to appear. There was no trace of freshly spilled blood; however, there appeared a faint dark brown image of old drops of blood about four feet from the ground.
Frowning, he pondered this evidence, his unease increasing again. What was that? Had someone attempted to enter the cave several years ago? Who? Well, he would do a count of the Inferi inside the lake, if there were more than before...
He placed a hand onto the stone of the faintly glowing entrance and muttered {Open}. The wall became more transparent for him and he walked through as if it was just smoke. Behind him, the stones solidified again to look completely impenetrable.
Rising his wand high in the still air of this much larger cave, he again cast {Luminarum}. At once, several globes flamed up hovering under the ceiling, gently illuminating the large cave with a green light. It was a mighty cavern, with a smooth black lake inside. From the far side a green glow emitted from a small island in the lake.
Voldemort walked alongside the eerily still black water on the rough stone ledge. Everything looked as it should be, quiet and undisturbed, but looks could be deceiving. Well, there was a simple way to find out if another wizard had dared to enter his secret place.
Turning to face the lake, he commanded, "# Rise up, my guardians! #" in the Necromancer´s lingua mortuus.
The black lake suddenly heaved and sizzled. With a deafening splash hundreds of bodies shot towards the surface and crowded along the edge of the churning water, turning their sickly pale faces and misty white eyes towards the Dark Lord, water dripping from their torn clothes.
There were men, woman and children; some appeared to wear muggle clothes, the majority were men draped in typical wizard robes. The dead bodies shuffled, then quietly stood at attention, their feet still in the water. There were so many rows of Inferi, that those farther away were submerged to the chest, only their shoulders, necks and head visibly above the now again calm black water.
Waving his wand over them, he did quick headcount with, "Duco caput capitis". The spell displayed glowing red roman numbers in the air in front of him, 'CCCLXXXVII.'
Cold dread settled in his gut, exploding into anger a moment later. He was sure the last count seventeen years ago had been three hundred and eighty-six. Therefore, there was one more body in the lake indeed, a new Inferius. A thief had found the cave and attempted or perhaps even managed to steal his Horcrux!
~ TBC ~
A/N1: Thank you so much for the friendly reviews and adding this story to your Favs and Alerts.