Chapter 203 Reduction And Departure

Although Evan would never use this dark magic, this book was truly informative, and the dark magic recorded in it inspired him greatly.

In addition to Horcruxes and the three Unforgivable Curses, there were other dark magics Evan had never heard of before. Now, with this book, Evan knew exactly how to deal with them if Voldemort or one of his followers ever used them.

He continued reading a little more and then raised his head.

Suddenly, he remembered it was not the time for quiet reading. Dumbledore and Sirius should return soon, so he didn't have much time.

He would not be allowed to touch those dark magic books, especially the "Secrets of the Darkest Art" in his hand, which also contained the method for creating Horcruxes.

He couldn't read it there; he had to take those dark magic books with him and study them thoroughly when no one was around.

Evan frowned at the dark magic books in front of him. They were too big and too thick to carry easily.

Just concealing and carrying "Secrets of the Darkest Art" was already quite difficult. It should be impossible to take all the other books, but he had to find a solution.

The best method would be the Undetectable Extension Charm that extends space. Using it on a backpack or handbag allows one to put things they need to carry, regardless of their size or weight.

However, this spell was very complex and extremely difficult to use. Evan had tried it several times before but without success. It should be impossible to achieve it hastily.

He thought for a moment and drew his wand.

Since the Undetectable Extension Charm wouldn't work, he was going to use the Reducing Charm.

Days ago, when he encountered Aragog in the Forbidden Forest, Evan had intended to use this spell but failed at that time.

When he returned to the castle, he practiced it many times and mastered it completely.

"Reducio!"

At Evan's command, the wand shimmered purple. The heavy, thick magic book on his lap quickly shrank to just half the size of his palm.

Evan nodded satisfactorily and looked at it. The current size of this book was very small, but its weight had not changed. Without Reducio, it would be hard to believe that this kind of pocket-sized magic book could have this weight.

He placed the reduced Secrets of the Darkest Art on his arm and then selected some more magic books to reduce until he couldn't hold any more.

Shortly after Evan finished, Sirius returned with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore wore a long black travel cloak with the Slytherin locket in his hand, and his face was more serious than ever.

"Professor, we just heard Kreacher saying..."

"Regulus is in that cave, and we need to..."

Seeing Dumbledore, Harry and Hermione rushed, murmuring.

Evan also walked slowly and stood beside Sirius. He was afraid of moving too fast and letting the hidden magic books in his arms fall.

"Harry, Hermione, I know, Sirius has told me everything on the way." Although he was speaking to Harry and Hermione, Dumbledore's eyes were fixed on Evan. His light blue eyes were full of scrutiny. He said slowly, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to actually discover and destroy this object."

"It was just a coincidence. The Slytherin emblem on this locket was so eye-catching that I was curious to pick it up and look at it. I didn't expect..."

"And then you had the basilisk fang with you. It's an amazing coincidence, Evan!" Dumbledore handed the locket back to Evan, "But I must thank you; thanks to all your coincidences and efforts, the locket has been completely destroyed, and the things inside it have vanished completely."

Evan took a half step back and placed the necklace around his neck.

Upon gazing at Dumbledore's wrinkled face, he was unsure if he had noticed anything. Under Dumbledore's scrutiny, Evan felt cornered, as if all his secrets were known.

Without speaking, it seemed as though Dumbledore had seen the dark magic books hidden in his arms.

"I don't understand, Professor," said Harry with a perplexed expression. Both he and Hermione could not grasp what Dumbledore was telling Evan. "What is this necklace? Why does Voldemort want to hide it? And why did Regulus also secretly replace it?"

"Similar to last year's diary, this is an object of dark magic made by Tom Riddle himself. It is very malevolent and very significant. Tom probably never thought that Regulus would take it from right under his nose," there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in Dumbledore's tone. "In my view, he definitely had blind faith in his defensive magic. He did not think that Kreacher would leave the cave. It was always like that and he never wanted to pay attention to such things."

"Professor, what is this necklace?"

"If I am not mistaken, it should be a Horcrux."

"Horcrux!"

Harry's face was even more puzzled, and he turned to look at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head, she did not know what a Horcrux was. She had not even heard of it before.

In contrast to them, Evan was genuinely surprised. He did not expect Dumbledore to say it directly. He thought he would keep it a secret.

It appeared that after seeing Tom Riddle's diary and Slytherin's necklace, Dumbledore had confirmed that Voldemort had created Horcruxes. Otherwise, if he had a new plan, he would not tell them anything about it.

As for Sirius, upon hearing Dumbledore's words, his face turned pale. Although he had his own speculations about the necklace before, he never imagined that thing would be a Horcrux.

Sirius had heard of this ancient malevolent magic.

Although the specific use of the Horcrux was not known, there was no doubt that it was very significant.

It is no wonder that Regulus would prefer to lose his life than to let Voldemort steal it.

Thinking about what his brother, Sirius, had done, which initially left him grieving, he felt an infinite pride in his heart; he was proud of Regulus.

"Professor..." Harry continued inquiring, eager to find out what the Horcrux was.

However, Dumbledore seemed reluctant to answer this question. He glanced down at Kreacher and continued, "I just overheard Sirius mention that this locket was originally hidden in a cave by Tom Riddle. I wish to go to that cave and investigate; there may be clues left there. Would you like to assist us, Kreacher?"

"Yes, sir," Kreacher responded in a hoarse, toad-like voice. "Kreacher is willing to guide you to the cave. But Master Regulus..."

"We will bring Regulus back," Dumbledore reassured Kreacher. "Undoubtedly, he is a hero and deserves to be honored as such."

"Wait, Professor, we will go too," Harry quickly added, without further questioning what the Horcrux was.

He was afraid he had spoken too much and missed the chance to accompany Dumbledore.

"I can take all three of you together." Dumbledore's eyes wandered between them and finally settled on Evan. "But you must promise to keep this secret before I agree. You cannot tell anyone else, including Mr. Weasley, is that understood?"

Evan nodded; Hermione hesitated, then nodded as well.

"Can't we even tell Ron?" Harry seemed a bit hesitant.

"Of course."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Harry nodded. "Alright, Professor."

"Very well, I believe we can go now." Dumbledore turned and drew his wand.