Chapter 130: Mysterious Cave
But the mermaids still charged toward the submarine fearlessly.
After all, there were only four of them inside—still young wizards with limited magical power. Especially the twins and Lee Jordan—actual students. Although Phineas's magic at this point was far more advanced than most adult wizards, even he couldn't fight off a swarm alone.
Though the four of them did their best to hold off the attack, the mermaids soon surrounded the submarine, striking it with their spears.
While the submarine was transfigured from special enchanted book pages and resistant to many magical effects, it was still, at its core, parchment. Transfiguration only alters appearance and structure—it doesn't change the object's essence. Under the constant spear attacks, the submarine began to suffer damage.
As water started to leak in, Lee Jordan panicked.
"Phineas, what do we do now?!"
George and Fred kept casting spells to drive the mermaids back, but there were too many. Despite their efforts, the submarine sustained more and more damage. Even with Phineas casting repair spells, it wasn't enough.
Realizing that the battle was a losing one, Phineas poured magic into the submarine's engine enchantments, forcing it forward and steering toward the location marked on the map.
To their surprise, this maneuver had some effect.
The submarine burst forward, knocking aside the mermaids in front and forcing a path through. Pursued by the furious mermaids, they finally arrived at the point indicated by the map.
But when they got there—they were stunned.
No cave. No ruins. Not even a chest. Just a stretch of empty sand.
"What… how is this possible?" Fred slumped beside his brother. George stared blankly, and Lee Jordan dropped his wand, too stunned to keep resisting.
Phineas furrowed his brow. This couldn't be. The clues from the travel journal, the markings on the map, and the special submarine page all pointed here. This had to be where Gryffindor's treasure was hidden. It couldn't be… nothing.
Another wave of mermaids closed in, striking the submarine again.
This time, Phineas made a decision.
"George, Fred, Lee—activate your magical items and use the Portkey. The mermaids will breach the submarine soon. We've no choice."
The three nodded grimly, reaching for the Portkeys Phineas had prepared in advance. They were grateful—if not for his preparation, they'd already be dead.
But just as they were about to activate them, the map in Phineas's hand glowed brightly.
"Wait!" he shouted.
Startled, the three froze. Activating the Portkey had been their last hope—they were putting their lives in Phineas's hands now. If he was wrong, there wouldn't be time to try again.
But their trust was not misplaced.
The map began to tremble in Phineas's hands—just like a Portkey about to activate.
"It's a Portkey!" he exclaimed. "Everyone, grab the map—now!"
Still confused, but without hesitation, the others reached out and clutched the glowing parchment.
The moment they did, the map activated, and with a sudden pull behind the navel, they were whisked away—just in time.
Had they waited even a second longer, they would have been caught and killed.
After what felt like being sucked through a narrow tube while spinning wildly, they landed in a dark, unknown space.
Phineas staggered slightly, shaking off the dizziness and glancing around.
Strangely, he felt disoriented—more so than usual for Portkey travel. Though he had used both Portkeys and Apparition many times, this trip had felt different. More jarring.
They were inside a cave—irregular stone walls surrounded them, and the ceiling arched above in a rough semi-dome. Dim light flickered from glowing moss on the walls; there was no natural light. Judging by the lack of any visible exit or light source, Phineas concluded they were in a sealed space.
The others began to recover.
"Where are we?" Fred asked, groggy.
"I don't know," Phineas admitted. "But if the map brought us here, this must be the place. I think we've reached Gryffindor's treasure."
George lit up with excitement. "You think so?"
Phineas nodded. "Most likely. But it's too dark to see. Lumos!"
The spell lit a small orb of light at the tip of his wand—but it didn't help much. The cave was vast, and the glow barely pierced the gloom.
George suddenly began rummaging through his backpack.
Fred, realizing what he was after, helped him. A moment later, the two pulled out several hard-packed fireworks.
"Ta-da! And they said these were useless," Fred said proudly.
George said nothing, just pulled the fuse and tossed one into the darkness.
The firework exploded with a burst of light, illuminating the area around them. Phineas finally got a clear look.
Behind them was a solid stone wall, sealing off the way back. The only path forward was… forward.
But the light didn't travel far, and the darkness beyond remained untouched.
George reached for another firework, ready to throw it further—but Phineas stopped him.
"Wait. We don't know how many of those we have. Let's not waste them."
Lee Jordan looked puzzled. "What else would we use them for?"
Phineas pointed to the shadows. "It's so dark in here, it's likely that anything living in this cave has poor eyesight. Fireworks like these could disorient or blind them."
George caught on immediately. "Ah! If we run into something dangerous, we can use the fireworks as a flash-bomb to escape or attack!"
"Exactly," Phineas said. "Let's move carefully. This place might be full of surprises."