Chapter 449: The Clearing-Out Performance
The two people standing in the boat suddenly felt a cold wind brush against their flushed cheeks.
Yes, they didn't need to go to the center of the lake to retrieve the fake locket—so why had they taken the boat in the first place?
Dumbledore was the first to react. Without hesitation, he stepped back onto the shore. "Ah, the mind really does fade with age... not to mention how easily I tire these days. But I think you'll want to see Voldemort's handiwork. It's all his usual tricks, unchanged for decades."
"Right," Kyle chuckled.
Fawkes, perched on his shoulder, turned his head away as though suddenly fascinated by the bare rock wall.
At that moment, Sirius and Kreacher also quickly disembarked, following Dumbledore. It would indeed be quicker to avoid the lake's center, and after they found Regulus, they could make a swift exit.
Once everyone was ashore, the boat returned to the lake and vanished with a faint shimmer, leaving the group watching the still, dark water.
Sirius stared at the lake's surface and asked, "Do we have to touch the water here to draw out those creatures?"
Though he posed the question, he didn't wait for an answer. Walking to the lake's edge, he did as Kreacher had described, lowering his hand into the icy water.
This act seemed to trigger an unseen mechanism. A pale arm shot up from the depths, grasping Sirius's arm and yanking him toward the lake with startling force. Instantly, the lake lost its glassy calm, churning violently as more white arms and heads emerged, racing toward the shore with unnatural speed.
"Let go of Master!" Kreacher shouted, raising his finger as though casting a Knockback Jinx or something similar. The Inferius released Sirius and splashed back into the water, but more Inferi had already emerged, their skeletal hands clawing at the slippery rocks, their hollow eyes fixed intently on Sirius.