Chapter 216 Let's Go Home
Just seconds before Kreacher discovered Regulus, Dumbledore's four gigantic trolls pushed countless Inferi into the dark waters of the lake, creating waves.
Dumbledore triumphed, and the creatures he had created defeated the Inferi.
But there was no time for joy. Evan noticed black smoke rising from the body of the troll submerged in the lake. There was a look of fear on its face.
It was the first time he had seen these deformed creatures showing fear. He didn't know what they had encountered, but it must have been the dark magic Voldemort had left in the lake.
In the blink of an eye, they all turned into smoke and disappeared.
As if nothing had happened, the dense and endless swarm of Inferi floated up from the lake bottom and crawled out.
Dumbledore calmly watched the approaching Inferi, not too surprised, as if he had expected this to happen. He continued to move his wand with his hand.
But before he could successfully cast spells, Kreacher's cries suddenly echoed. "Young Master Regulus! Kreacher has found Young Master Regulus!"
Upon hearing his screams, everyone trembled and looked in the direction he pointed.
Only Sirius, without hesitation, darted the moment Kreacher shrieked and ran toward Regulus.
"Be careful, Sirius, there are so many Inferi there, don't go!" Harry shouted, trying to stop Sirius.
But it was in vain, Sirius was quicker than expected.
"Regulus," he shouted hoarsely as he advanced. "Regulus, I have finally found you. I will take you home... Let's go home..."
Sirius repeated his mournful cries as tears flowed from his reddened eyes.
He disregarded rushing into the group of Inferi, completely ignoring his own safety. The tip of his wand emitted a reddish beam at a speed beyond imagination, pushing away the Inferi hindering his progress.
Behind him, the frenzied Kreacher did the same.
"To fight for my Master, for Young Master Sirius, for Young Master Regulus, Kreacher wants to fight."
Even in such chaos, his frog-like voice remained clearly audible.
This old house-elf drained all vitality from his body. He waved the stones he had just picked up from the ground and followed Sirius towards the Inferi.
Harry followed closely, then Dumbledore, Evan, and Hermione. Their defensive lines were completely broken, and the Inferi almost instantly surrounded them.
Evan's heart pounded hard. He simply stood on the raised ground where the stone pile was placed in the center of the island. Watching these grim-looking Inferi from a distance was enough to scare anyone.
The close proximity now made him feel terror.
He couldn't help but shudder. Around him were Inferi emitting a constant chill. They had just emerged from the lake. Their loose, pale skin was covered in cold water droplets. They were extremely uncomfortable and repulsive.
There were so many Inferi that Evan couldn't see the path clearly.
In addition to the nightmare-inducing Inferi, Evan couldn't see Dumbledore, Sirius, Harry, and Kreacher, who were also ensnared in the same crowd.
The only thing he was grateful for was that Hermione was always by his side. When she was about to be engulfed by the Inferi, Evan grabbed her right hand at the last moment and didn't let go.
Hermione gasped and huddled next to him.
Her pale face was almost devoid of blood. Out of fear, her face was as pale as the Inferi around her. Her beautiful, poignant brown eyes were wide open at that moment, filled with panic and unease.
Tears swirled in Hermione's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Besides the cry she let out upon seeing the Inferi for the first time, she had been holding back from making any other sound. She knew she was struggling. Crying, screaming, and showing weakness were of no use in distracting herself or Evan.
Despite the fear she felt, Hermione compelled herself not to be swayed by her emotions.
She didn't know why, but seeing Evan by her side brought a familiar sense of peace. No matter how many Inferi there were, no matter what they faced, even if they had to die, as long as Evan was by her side, she could confront it calmly and persevere until the end.
They leaned on each other and cast various spells at the nearby Inferi.
"Use fire, Hermione, use fire magic," Evan shouted. "Dumbledore just said that the Inferi fear light and heat. We can attack them with fire."
Upon hearing Evan's reminder, Hermione recalled Dumbledore's words.
"Incendio," she shouted hastily.
A faint red flame appeared in front of her, not too far away, and some Inferi poised to lunge at her evidently hesitated.
Seeing the fire, they instinctively wanted to flee.
But Hermione's flames were too weak. The Inferi hesitated. The sense of threat they felt was not strong. It was as if they were looking for an opportunity to attack.
Hermione breathed heavily. After using this spell, all the magic in her body had been depleted. She looked at all the Inferi about to rush towards her. She knew she couldn't dodge them.
Resigned to her fate, she closed her eyes and tightly squeezed Evan's right hand.
But Hermione reopened her eyes. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Evan had also successfully cast the "Incendio" spell. A red flame half the height of a human formed on the ground and surrounded them with its burning heat.
The Inferi retreated, moving farther away from them.
"Evan," Hermione turned and held onto Evan tightly. Her tears couldn't help but fall.
Evan gently caressed Hermione's shoulder and whispered comforting words to her.
In that moment, despite being surrounded by countless Inferi in the dark cavern, the atmosphere became extremely warm within the circle of fire.
Outside the ring of fire, near the shore, Harry was not as comfortable; just moments ago, he had followed Sirius and Kreacher among the Inferi.
Upon seeing Regulus, the two became completely wild.
They were like the gigantic monsters Dumbledore had created, carving their way through the crowd of Inferi. Sirius erupted with incredible and powerful combat strength. Harry couldn't remember how many he had defeated, facing the Inferi trying to stop them.
Under intense siege, they miraculously marched at an alarming speed, and in less than three seconds, they reached Regulus, who had just climbed to the shore.
"Come back home, let's go back home, Regulus," Sirius embraced him and broke into tears, letting out a heart-wrenching cry.
It was so poignant that Harry couldn't help but cry as well. He never imagined Sirius would reach that state. He had mentioned before that he was tired of Regulus, just as he was bored with the rest of the Blacks.
Only when he witnessed the scene did Harry realize that Sirius had many concerns about his brother; he finally understood their brotherhood.
"Back home, let's go home, I want to take you home, Regulus..." Sirius murmured.
He made every effort to embrace Regulus' body, afraid of losing him again.