Chapter 211: The Liquid in the Stone Basin

What mattered most to Ivan were the strange lines on the locket.

He kept feeling that a secret was hidden within them, even though Dumbledore and Voldemort had touched the locket and found nothing.

But Ivan could not know why he still had that feeling.

Dumbledore looked at Ivan and immediately he was back to normal. His face was very calm, as if nothing had happened.

He waved his wand and dragged the ship with his own magic. Now, no one but him knew how much magic Ivan has.

Sirius, Harry and Hermione were also a little surprised, but they didn't think much of it.

It seemed like a miracle to them that such a small ship could hold so many people. They thought that Ivan going up caused the ship to reach its maximum load, which explained its rapid sinking.

Under Dumbledore's tow, the ship got underway immediately, and there was no noise other than the rustle of the ship's bow cutting through the water.

The boat moved automatically, without their help, as if an invisible rope was pulling it toward the light in the center. Soon they could no longer see the walls of the cavern; they might have been in the sea but for the fact that there were no waves.

As the boat moved forward, the golden reflections of the wand lights were bright and shimmering in the black water.

The boat was carving deep ripples on the glassy surface, grooves in the dark mirror.....

At that moment, Harry suddenly cried out in horror. "I saw it, those Inferi aren't far from the water."

Ivan looked where Harry was pointing. His light slid over a fresh patch of water and showed him, this time, a dead man lying face up inches below the surface, his open eyes clouded as if with cobwebs, his hair and clothes swirling around him like smoke.

It was obviously a corpse, but its cobweb-covered eyes followed them in a very strange way, and the eyes inside turned silently.

The Inferi seemed capable of leaping up and attacking them at any moment, but it did not move until the ship crossed.

"They didn't discover our identity, but I'm sure once we take the Horcrux, we'll find them less peaceful." Dumbledore whispered. "We're almost there; Voldemort's purpose has been fulfilled. To keep this ship from sinking, much of my magic has been consumed."

Ivan turned to Dumbledore, thinking about what he meant. The white mist he was using to drag the ship was very magical; he should have used up much of his magical power to be able to withstand all the magical power on board.

Suddenly he had some concerns, what would they do if Dumbledore had no magical power at the end of this?

Besides Dumbledore, no one was a match for the thousands of Inferi.

A few minutes later, the green light in the center of the lake finally seemed to get bigger and brighter. The boat gently bumped into something and stopped.

Ivan couldn't see it at first, but when Harry raised his illuminated wand, he saw that they had reached a small island of smooth rock in the center of the lake.

"Here we are, careful not to touch the water," Dumbledore said again.

They all got out of the boat, and Ivan went first. He got off the boat and returned to his usual posture. He quickly pulled out his wand.

Behind him was Hermione, looking relieved at last.

Then there was Harry, Sirius, and last, Dumbledore, who used his wand to retrieve the mist floating under the boat.

Ivan looked carefully at the island. It was no bigger than Dumbledore's office, a flat, dark expanse of stone over which there was nothing but the source of that greenish light, which seemed much brighter when viewed up close.

Ivan squinted and looked at it. He saw that the light was coming from an ancient circular stone basin, which was perched high on a pedestal.

Dumbledore approached the basin and the others followed him.

They approached the stone basin and stood side by side around it. The basin was filled with an emerald liquid that gave off that phosphorescent glow.

According to the way Dumbledore had just told him, Ivan tried to feel the traces of magic left in the liquid.

The magical power was very strong, but it was not the magic he was familiar with. It was very strange; he couldn't tell how it felt.

In addition to the liquid, the stone basin and the pedestal used to charge the liquid did not seem ordinary, and there was strong defensive magic.

Ivan watched carefully. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he felt.

This green liquid had strong magic hidden in it, and it was very evenly distributed. He didn't know what kind of potion it was, and what kind of magic had been cast on the stone altar. I felt that nothing I had learned before could apply here.

If he didn't already know, and was trying to figure out what to do on his own, he wouldn't have a clue.

As for those standing off to the side, Sirius, Harry and Hermione, who were confused, they were even less likely to know.

It could be seen that Voldemort's strength and magical theory surpassed them, and surpassed that of ordinary wizards.

"Professor, what is this?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not sure," Dumbledore looked carefully at the stone vessel and the liquid it contained, and whispered, "However, it is something more disturbing than blood and bodies. I'm glad whatever was hidden in it was brought out."

Dumbledore watched him for a while, then pulled the sleeve of his robe over his hand, and extended his fingertips toward the surface of the potion.

"No, don't touch it," they all shouted in unison.

"It's not that simple, I can't touch," Dumbledore said, smiling faintly. "See? I can't get any closer than this. You try."

Sirius, Ivan, Harry and Hermione hesitated, and at the same time, their fingers reached for the pile of stone and tried to touch the potion.

However, they were met with an invisible barrier that prevented them from approaching the liquid.

No matter how hard they pushed, their fingers found nothing but what appeared to be solid, pliable air, and the liquid itself had not changed.

"Out of the way, please, I think I can try a spell, maybe it will work," Dumbledore said.

He raised his wand and made complicated movements over the surface of the potion, muttering quietly.

However, nothing happened.

The phosphorescence of the green liquid seemed to grow brighter, and Ivan watched Dumbledore silently until Dumbledore withdrew his wand.

"Professor," Ivan said.

"Great, really great," Dumbledore said gratefully. "If I'm right, this would be a magic potion invented by Voldemort himself, and I must say that it is indeed the best of all the graduates Hogwarts has ever seen."

"But you can definitely top it, can't you?" Harry said, hopefully.

"No, I can't, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head. "This potion cannot be penetrated by hand, vanished, evaporated, collected, or diverted, nor can it be transfigured, enchanted, or otherwise made to change its nature. I can only conclude that this potion is meant for drinking."

"drinking" Besides Ivan, everyone looked at him in amazement.

"Yes, at least I think so: Only by drinking it can I empty the basin and see what is in its depths." Dumbledore said calmly. "Knowing this, I have to admire Regulus, his sacrifice is very significant."