Chapter 208 Strange Feelings
Contemplating this, Evan felt particularly uneasy.
He recalled the book "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts," which vividly depicted Voldemort's strongest decade: "The era of Voldemort's dominion was marked by destruction, as he and his followers, dark wizards known as Death Eaters, employed various forms of coercion and seduction to bolster themselves and spread violence and fear. Many Muggles were slain in the name of 'recreation' as they tortured those who stood in their way with unforgivable curses."
Evan pondered that this was an exaggerated description of Voldemort's brutal reign and the Death Eaters. They may have killed many, but he believed most were wizards who resisted them.
Yet now it seemed this was not true at all.
They had already put their doctrines into practice and had indeed slain many innocent Muggles.
The great Black Lake before him bore witness to their heinous crimes. It was filled with thousands of corpses.
Faced with those powerful dark wizards, those ordinary people devoid of magical power could not even resist, yet Voldemort and the Death Eaters still killed them, cruelly turning them into Inferi.
And even after death, their bodies and souls found no peace.
Such actions were not acts of war; it was genocide.
Evan did not understand why Voldemort and the Death Eaters did this, perhaps as the book said, they did it for amusement; or Voldemort needed them to create Inferi, safeguarding his own Horcruxes; or...
Evan felt a chilling shiver run through his whole body, strange feelings welling up in his heart.
Gazing at the dark lake before him, he felt exceptionally enraged thinking of what Voldemort had done.
Lost in these thoughts, he silently trailed behind Dumbledore. Suddenly, the latter halted, nearly causing Evan to collide with him.
Off balance, Evan stumbled towards the dark water's edge. Dumbledore grasped his arm and pulled him back.
"I apologize, Evan, I should have warned you. Retreat against the wall, please; I believe I have found the spot," Dumbledore said, hinting that the others would follow.
Evan did not retreat but instead took a step forward.
This stretch of dark shore seemed exactly like every other piece, as far as he could see, yet Dumbledore seemed to have detected something special about it.
Evan knew Dumbledore had pinpointed the location of the sailboat and wanted to uncover how he did it.
He focused on watching Dumbledore's hand running not along the rocky wall but through the thin air, as if he expected to find and seize something invisible.
Moments later, his hand closed in the air, as if he had caught something no one else could see.
Throughout this, Dumbledore moved slowly toward the lake, and Evan followed suit.
The closer Evan was to the lake, the more uneasy he felt.
It was an unusual reaction to magic, akin to the sensation at the great rock's entrance but more intense.
Harry nervously observed as Dumbledore's well-worn shoes tips met the rocky edge. Keeping his hand closed in the air, Dumbledore raised his wand with the other hand and struck his closed fist against the tip.
Evan could sense something abnormal but did not know what Dumbledore had found or how he had found it.
Realizing he would not have a chance to speak up again in the near future, he hastily shouted, "Professor!"
"I simply reminded you to feel it in your heart!" Dumbledore glanced at Evan for a moment, calmly saying, "You're getting the hang of it; you're just a step away. I can provide you with a bit more assistance."
The wand in his hand swayed gently, and his lips murmured something.
With Dumbledore's movement, Evan suddenly had a strange sensation, and there was a deep click within him, as if something had broken.
Then he felt a coolness emanating from his heart.
Evan noticed the light around him beginning to fade, everything seemed ethereal; his soul seemed to float out of his body, and the world turned black and white.
He was somewhat curious, what kind of magic had Dumbledore used on him?
Evan suddenly realized he was no longer looking at things with his eyes, but observing everything around him with a strange and different perspective.
It was like what Dumbledore had mentioned, feeling with the heart.
"Now, pay attention to the things in my left hand, Evan!"
Dumbledore's voice seemed to come from a distant, very vague place, but the meaning of his words was accurately conveyed to Evan's mind.
He hurriedly tilted his head and looked at Dumbledore's hand.
He saw what Dumbledore actually had in his hand, a black rope that was significantly darker than the surroundings.
Dumbledore held it and it extended to the lake in front of him.
Down, in the depths of the lake, where the rope was tied, the sinister black became more intense, and the contrast with the surroundings was more evident.
The black took on a strange shape and resembled a boat.
Evan was astonished. He knew there was a wooden boat there, but it was hidden by magic and he couldn't see it before.
Now, in contrast, he suddenly realized that those black things, which were obviously much darker than the surrounding colors, should be traces of what Dumbledore called Magic.
"Very well, remember this feeling and then slowly raise your head."
Dumbledore's voice sounded again, and Evan did as he was told, and the surrounding light began to return to normal.
In the end, he saw the complete image of the lake in front of him.
The lake's water was clearly different from what it had just been. It was no longer dark and opaque, but an abnormal green color, darker towards the center of the lake.
It resembled the juice of a slug, extremely repulsive.
If this was also a trace of magic, then there must be something wrong with the water. No wonder Dumbledore insisted that they should never touch that water.
Below the green lake, there were countless gray dots.
They must be Inferi without a doubt.
Evan thought so, and everything gradually returned to its original appearance.
It was dark everywhere, and only a few wands emitted a faint glow.
Sirius, Harry, and Hermione stood pale on the edge of the rock, anxiously watching Dumbledore and his clenched fist.
"Come on, Evan!" Hermione whispered, gently taking Evan's right arm and pulling him back. "Dumbledore said we should step back against the wall, and you're stuck there."
"It's Dumbledore's magic, he simply..."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione said surprised, "Dumbledore hasn't cast a spell yet. Look, it seems he has found something."
"I know he found the boat, I just saw the traces of magic," explained Evan, "Dumbledore just cast a spell on me. I felt a chill in my heart. Everything I saw in front of me was strange. It was completely different from what I see now..."
Evan suddenly stopped, and saw the puzzled expression on Hermione's face, apparently not understanding what he was talking about.
Not far away, it was the same for Sirius and Harry. They did not notice any anomaly, did not see Dumbledore casting a spell on Evan, nor could they know what he had just seen.
Everything that had just happened was so ethereal, as if only Evan and Dumbledore knew about it.
In fact, the others only saw Dumbledore appearing to have found something on the ground. He gestured for them to step aside, but Evan suddenly approached and stood behind Dumbledore for about two or three seconds, until Hermione pulled him back.
The whole process, albeit strange, went unnoticed.