## Chapter 283: Blue-White Flame
Dumbledore didn't specifically pull Voldemort's prepared boat out of Black Lake again, nor did he place the Locket back on the stone platform in the center of the lake.
He simply bent down and casually placed Slytherin's Locket on the ground.
If Wade remembered correctly, that was exactly where Regulus, turned into an Inferius, had lain last time.
"This is Salazar Slytherin's relic," Dumbledore said with regret. "If possible, I would have truly hoped to keep it."
"Too bad..." Sirius said coldly. "It was defiled by Salazar Slytherin's descendant with a filthy soul."
This place, where Regulus had died, seemed to stir up many bad memories for him. Sirius looked displeased, showing little respect even in front of Dumbledore.
"Who could have foreseen what would happen a thousand years later?"
Lupin said gently, "At least when the four founders established Hogwarts, they must have had great and pure ideals. We, too, studied here and gained much."
His calmness was like warm water, soothing the resentment and anger in Sirius's heart.
"Let's step back a bit," Dumbledore said. "The scene that follows might not be very pleasant."
The group retreated to the edge of the cave and watched as Dumbledore pointed his Wand at the Locket on the ground, making a "hissing" sound.
"Opening it?" Harry said, surprised.
"Parseltongue?" The two adult Wizards were even more shocked.
"I think Dumbledore must have mastered the pronunciation of that phrase when Harry opened the Chamber of Secrets last time," Wade explained.
As he spoke, the Locket on the ground had already opened. A vague, ethereal figure rose from the box, gradually forming the shape of a girl.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why did you kill me? Did I do something wrong?"
Wade and the others saw Dumbledore's usually steady back suddenly become haggard. The hand holding his Wand was actually trembling.
Sirius and the others looked at Dumbledore, then at the girl, bewildered, not understanding what was happening.
The girl cried out mournfully, her voice like a wail. Her red eyes looked incredibly eerie and evil, and her face was contorted with hatred.
"You know... it was your doing... you know what you did... you're just like that person, aren't you, Albus? You and Gr—"
"*Diffindo!*"
Wade instinctively cast a Spell. The girl's figure immediately dispersed but then re-formed just as quickly.
This time, she turned into a blond young man, speaking in an alluring voice, "I see your heart, Dumbledore... Do you truly understand what—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dumbledore's Wand suddenly swished violently!
A very ancient Spell echoed in the cave. With a "poof," a Blue-White Flame surged up, instantly engulfing the figure.
Wade and the others only heard a very short shriek—so short it seemed like a hallucination. The figure vanished like a burst soap bubble.
As if it had never existed.
A few seconds later, the flame finally disappeared. Slytherin's Locket was completely transformed—
The colorful silk lining and the gems on it had been completely burned away, leaving only a molten mass of golden-red metal on the ground, which then slowly turned black.
A strange atmosphere made the young people afraid to speak.
A moment later, Kreacher seemed to finally react, collapsing to the ground and wailing loudly. His piercing cries echoed through the empty cave, making it seem even more terrifying.
Sirius finally came back to his senses. He wasn't in the mood to investigate what had happened with the figure just now; he just immediately looked down at the portrait he was holding.
He only saw a corner of clothing.
Regulus had stepped out of his portrait and gone somewhere unknown.
Even if he's a portrait, he probably needs a quiet place...
Sirius thought this, and a sudden emptiness filled his heart.
Dumbledore walked back, his expression seemingly unchanged from before.
"Professor..." Harry bravely asked, "What was that just now...?"
"Just Tom's deceptive tricks," Dumbledore said calmly. "I must say, he certainly has a knack for stirring up trouble."
Somehow, the usually slow-witted Harry suddenly realized—he shouldn't ask any more questions.
"The Locket has been destroyed. I imagine Regulus, in another world, will find some comfort if he knows."
Dumbledore finally showed a hint of a gentle smile. He said, "You should take the children back first—there might still be some uncleared Inferi in this place."
"Yes, Professor."
Sirius and Lupin responded obediently, like students still in school.
"Let's go!"
Sirius put his arm around Harry and led him toward the cave exit.
They had to leave the cave first before they could Apparate home.
"Wade, let's go too," Lupin said, reaching out.
"You go first," Wade said. "I have something else to discuss with Professor Dumbledore."
Lupin glanced at him, and seeing that Dumbledore didn't object, nodded and said, "Alright."
He effortlessly picked up Kreacher, who was still sobbing on the ground, and likewise left the cave.
Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, having some theories as to why Wade stayed behind.
"Wade, are you asking about that spell from earlier? I understand your eagerness to learn, but it's still too dangerous for you... Although it's not Dark Magic, it's far more dangerous than even Fiendfyre..."
He might have been in a bad mood, unconsciously rambling a bit.
"Professor." Wade interrupted him, saying softly, "That thing... I have another one."
"What thing?"
For a moment, Dumbledore didn't react.
Wade didn't explain immediately. He looked at the Headmaster, knowing he would understand soon enough.
Sure enough, after a moment, Dumbledore understood what Wade was talking about. He slowly widened his eyes, and his deep blue gaze instantly became incredibly complex.
It wasn't just pure shock, nor was it surprise...
Countless unidentifiable emotions seemed to tear away their disguise and surge forth in an instant, reflecting the greenish glow in the cave, so complex that Wade even felt a shiver down his spine.
He instinctively wanted to retreat, but as his feet shifted slightly, Wade controlled himself, not wanting to back down.
He held his breath, looking directly at the other man.
After a few breaths, Dumbledore finally said softly, "You have... another Horcrux?"
"Incredible, isn't it?" Wade said with a forced easy smile, "But I do."
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