Chapter 204 Traces Of Magic

"Kreacher, please, let me hold your right hand. After I count to three, take us with Side-Along Apparition to the cave," said Dumbledore, looking around, murmuring, "Now place your hand on my arm, all four of you. You don't need to grip too tightly, I am just guiding you."

In the room, a strange scene unfolded. Sirius, Evan, Harry, and Hermione placed their hands on Dumbledore's arms. In addition to them, Dumbledore was holding Kreacher's right hand.

"One... Two... Three..."

As Dumbledore's voice fell, Evan felt himself spinning. He had the same uncomfortable and unpleasant sensation he had when he time-traveled to Salazar Slytherin's room.

Evan couldn't breathe. It felt as if he was being forced through a very narrow rubber tube, every part of him was being compressed almost to the limit.

And then, just when he thought he would suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst, and he found himself standing in a cool darkness, inhaling breaths of fresh, salty air.

He could smell the salt and hear the roaring waves. Looking up, he found himself standing on a dark rocky prominence, with foamy, choppy water beneath him.

A gentle cold breeze tousled his hair. In the distant sky, the winter sun, with its faint, warm rays, shone on him, making him feel comfortable throughout his body.

He then turned his head and looked behind. There rose an imposing cliff behind them, a featureless, black, sheer drop.

Some large chunks of rock, like the one supporting them, seemed to have broken off from the cliff wall at some point in the past.

It was a desolate and harsh sight, the sea and rock without any relief, no trees, meadows, or sand.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Evan asked with concern, supporting Hermione, who was beside him. She had just Apparated for the first time in her life.

"I'm fine, Evan. Did we just experience Apparition?" Hermione rubbed her ear and said, "Well, it's like being suddenly shoved into a tube and forced to compress into a liquid..."

"The sensation takes some getting used to. When you're an adult, you'll be able to pass the Apparition License Exam," said Dumbledore slowly. "We should be at our destination, what do you think of this place?" he asked, carefully observing the cliff.

It seemed as if he was asking for their opinion on whether it was a good place for a picnic.

"If it were summer, it would be a good place for a picnic," said Harry, shaking his head, his face a mix of tension, excitement, anxiety, and more.

Then he noticed that Sirius, who was beside him, didn't look too well.

"How are you feeling, Sirius?" Harry asked hastily. "You seem a bit..."

"Very bad, don't I?" Sirius' pale face looked very ugly. He said with disgust, "I just remembered bad things. Azkaban also has a cliff like this. It was the only view that could be seen from the narrow window of my room."

"Azkaban!" It was the first time Evan heard Sirius mention that place.

"Yes, it was almost exactly the same, the dark sea and the black rocks are endlessly desolate, and no one would go there, except for the Dementors who were ready to throw the dead from there..."

"Oh, Sirius," upon hearing this, Evan, Harry, and Hermione were concerned. They approached to embrace him.

"I'm fine, it's all over now!" Sirius's fragile side was hidden again. Instantly he returned to normal. He said aloud, "Kreacher, is this where my brother died back then? Where is the cave?"

"On the cliff over there, young Master!" Kreacher pointed toward the rugged cliff, and everyone hurriedly looked, but saw nothing.

"I don't see anything. Why don't you take us directly to the cave?"

"Kreacher can enter, but he cannot take them. There is magic there to prevent Kreacher from doing that!" Kreacher looked anxiously and said, "Master Regulus came up from here."

"Yes, it's Tom Riddle's magic that prevents others from entering the cave through Apparition, but he overlooked the house-elf magic, which is in line with his style. He always underestimated house-elves." Dumbledore said briefly, then asked again, "What do you think about this, Evan?"

"I agree with Harry, this is an excellent spot to camp!"

"It truly is a good idea; it gives me much inspiration, very splendid!" Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then calmly said, "If I recall correctly, there should be a village nearby. In the summer, they usually bring orphans here to breathe some sea air and see the waves."

Harry and Hermione looked at Dumbledore puzzled. Only Evan understood what he was talking about.

"Riddle must have been here before going to Hogwarts," Dumbledore observed the barren cliffs carefully. "It's perfect that no Muggle could reach this rock unless they were exceptionally skilled climbers, and boats can't come close to the cliffs as the waters surrounding them are too treacherous. I imagine Riddle descended; magic would have been more useful than ropes. And he brought along two young children, probably for the pleasure of terrorizing them."

They walked a few steps to the very edge of the rock.

Evan saw a series of jagged ledges serving as steps towards the rocks partially submerged in water and closer to the cliff.

It was a treacherous descent. The lower rocks were slippery with seawater. Evan could feel cold saltwater droplets splashing his face.

"Where is the cave?" Sirius asked Kreacher once more.

Kreacher looked anxiously at them, murmuring about the cave entrance, but Evan could see nothing but the black rock and the roaring waves.

"It must be right here, we must be close, we can..."

"In that direction, I already sense its position," said Dumbledore suddenly.

He pulled out his wand. "Lumos," he uttered, as he approached the nearest rock to the cliff wall.

A thousand flashes of golden light shimmered on the dark water's surface a few meters below where he crouched; the black rock wall beside him also glowed.

"Do you see?" Dumbledore whispered softly, raising his wand a bit more to control the light.

Beneath the water's surface, Evan and Harry saw a crevice in the cliff toward which the dark water swirled.

It was so hidden behind the large rock, and with the sea's reflection. If not for Dumbledore's guidance, it would have been impossible to notice.

"Professor, have you been here before?" Harry rubbed his eyes and asked in surprise.

"It's my first time, just like you," Dumbledore stood up.

"But how did you see the crevice?"

"Don't look at it with your eyes, Harry!" Dumbledore whispered, "With your heart, magic always leaves a trace, sometimes very obvious. I was able to sense the magic of the crevice, more obvious than a candle in the dark."