Chapter 199 Towards The Cave

The house-elf was so taken aback to see the locket destroyed. He was trembling so much that he could barely stand upright. There were words of gratitude for Evan on his lips, but Sirius did not give him enough time.

"Kreacher, take me to that cave," ordered Sirius, with a gleam of determination on his face. He intended to bring back Regulus's body.

He seized the house-elf and prepared to Disapparate.

"Wait a minute, Sirius, we will go with you," Harry hastily stopped him.

"No, you three stay here and wait for me," Sirius refused.

Through Kreacher's account, he knew the cave was very dangerous. There was dark magic left by Voldemort. He was going to retrieve Regulus's body, and there was no need for the three children to risk accompanying him.

"I know what you're thinking, but the three of us are no longer children," Harry looked at Sirius. "In the past two years, we have defeated Voldemort many times. If there is danger in that cave, we can also assist."

"Yes, let us accompany you, Sirius," barely had Harry finished speaking, and Hermione followed, "Having heard Kreacher's tale, no one can remain indifferent. We all want to do something for Regulus, even if it's only to bring back his body for a proper burial."

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Kreacher let out a loud wail.

Evan could easily see on Sirius's face that he was truly hesitating. He knew Harry and Hermione would persuade him. It was only a matter of time.

When it came to such adventures, Sirius was never a man of reason.

In truth, Evan had not thought of going to the cave.

From what was known, the cave was highly perilous. There were many Inferi and other dark magic left by Voldemort. Given that Slytherin's locket had been destroyed, it made no sense to go there.

Especially considering it was Christmastime. This matter seemed even more out of place.

But if Harry and Hermione were going, he must follow them.

Hermione was correct. After hearing Kreacher recount Regulus's story, no one could remain indifferent. They had to do something in his honor.

Since they had to go, it would be best to go with Dumbledore; he just needed to speak with him...

"Well, I can take the three of you," Sirius relaxed. He straightened up and continued, "We better hurry, I believe..."

"I think it would be wise to inform Dumbledore about this," Evan suddenly said, "If I'm not mistaken, Kreacher just mentioned that Regulus was dragged into the lake by the Inferi. No one knows how many of those monsters are in that cave."

"The Inferi," Sirius, Harry, and Hermione were chilled to the bone.

"In short, they are reanimated corpses controlled by Dark Arts. They have no life, souls, or thoughts. They are virtually impervious to everything except fire and light. If there are many corpses in the cave, we couldn't face them, let alone find Regulus's body," Evan turned to the elf and said, "Kreacher, do you remember the number of dead people you saw at that time?"

"The great black lake, Kreacher saw the hands of the dead reaching out from all over the lake," merely speaking of it, Kreacher's large eyes were filled with fear.

"It seems the number of corpses is truly significant," Evan looked at Sirius. "We must be cautious, do not forget that besides the Inferi, there must be other magic left by Voldemort."

"But Dumbledore is still at the Ministry of Magic. He is very occupied. The Wizengamot is holding hearings for the case of Peter Pettigrew," judging by his appearance, Sirius did not seem inclined to tell Dumbledore this. He did not want to waste time.

He longed to go immediately to the cave and bring back Regulus.

As soon as he thought of his brother's body lying alone in the dark and damp cave, an unprecedented pain filled Sirius's heart.

"I don't care who the Inferi are; I don't want to waste any more time..."

"No, we must inform Dumbledore; this is very important," Evan insisted, shaking the medallion in his hand. "Dumbledore must also be informed about this medallion."

Perhaps it was for the safety of the three - Evan, Harry, and Hermione; perhaps Evan had recently saved him, perhaps...

Whatever the reason may be, upon Evan's insistence, Sirius reluctantly went to inform Dumbledore.

He Apparated to the Ministry of Magic, while Evan and the others remained awaiting news. He was considering taking advantage of this time to go downstairs and see the collection in the Black family library.

"Come this way, three Young Masters!" Kreacher was much more enthusiastic than before, taking the lead in guiding the way and introducing the history of each ornament around.

The house-elf knew a great deal about the house.

He could specify when and why each ornament was placed, he could even clearly indicate the origin of each stone.

Upon entering the underground library, Evan noticed the huge green tapestry on the central wall and the family crest in which golden thread was sewn: a symbol of a mountain, two five-pointed stars, and a shield with a short sword. On either side of the shield stood two large upright dogs.

Evan was unfamiliar with the meaning of this coat of arms; all his attention was focused on the series of names at the top of the family Black's family tree.

Many of these names were repeated in the history of magic and belonged to extremely famous wizards.

It was evident that the Black family's past was glorious and honorable.

Evan was interested in juxtaposing these names with the history of magic in his own mind. Furthermore, he also discovered that the Black family was connected to nearly every pure-blood wizarding family, including many long-extinct wizarding families.

Even the families of the Four Founders of Hogwarts were linked to the Black family.

Contemplating the names of these familiar and prominent wizards and recalling the impactful deeds they had done that shaped the magical world, Evan could feel the depth of this history-filled family tree.

However, the farther he delved, the less pleasant the names he encountered were.

For instance, the presentation of Phineas Nigellus by Kreacher, Sirius' great-grandfather, whom Evan had just seen in the Hogwarts portrait a few days ago. A acerbic and sarcastic individual, with a pointed beard, clad in the green and silver colors associated with Slytherin House.

Although Kreacher painted him as a great man, it was widely known among historians that this individual was likely the least popular Headmaster in Hogwarts history.