The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Because Dumbledore was the Keeper of Secrets, Shen Hou's residence naturally became the most popular gathering place for members of the Order of the Phoenix. There were quite a few people there today, including Sirius Black, James, Benge Fenwick, and the only witch present, Marlene MacKinnon; along with the Prewitt brothers and Dumbledore, the eight of them crammed the small bachelor apartment with almost no room to move.

Apart from Shen Hou and the Puwitt brothers, the others do not have to go to get off work or leave work, thus becoming the main force responsible for searching the Somerset coast recently.

"Everyone's here, Gideon, Fabian, and Shen. We've been waiting for you," Dumbledore said. "Sirius must have told you earlier that we discovered a magically sealed cave on a remote island off Somerset."

"What's in the cave, a corpse?" Fabian asked the fastest and most impatiently.

Dumbledore replied softly, "We haven't broken the seal and gone in yet; just in case, I've asked everyone to spend an extra day searching the coastal cliffs, mudflats, and even the seabed near the cave to make sure that there is only that sealed cave and no other hiding places."

"So, are we going to take action tonight?" Fabian asked again.

"Yes, tonight," Dumbledore said. "Do you want to go? Considering you've just fought a battle against giants these past two days..."

"Are you kidding me? If you don't want us to go, then why did you call us here in the first place?" Fabian shouted. "The three of us almost lost our lives in that place. Now we have to go in and see what's hidden inside."

Shen Hou and Gideon remained silent, but their silence was tantamount to acquiescence; they shared the same thoughts as Fabian.

Dumbledore nodded slightly: "Alright. Our initial assessment is that there may be a large number of Inferi inside the cave, and even just cleaning it up will require more manpower. Since you're going, then... Benji, Marlene, I'm afraid we won't be able to satisfy your curiosity tonight. However, Mr. Shen, you'll probably have to suffer a bit tonight."

The old wizard clearly had something left unsaid. Ignoring Shen Hou's questions and Benji and Marlene's dissatisfaction, he took out the key to the door, which was made of seaside stone. In recent days, Shen Hou used the key to the door more and more often, and gradually got used to this mode of travel. He no longer got carsick, although he would be greeted with a stomachful of salty sea breeze when he landed.

Once the group arrived at the small, isolated island, Dumbledore led the way, guiding them down. It was less of an island and more of a large reef clinging to a cliff face. There was no path leading down; they had to climb and step on protruding rock formations to descend.

The group walked until they were close to the sea, stepping on rocks of all sizes. The sea was just a few feet below their feet. Every now and then, waves crashed against the rocks, and the spray would wet their robes and feet.

At Dumbledore's signal, everyone turned around and finally saw a dark, narrow crack in the cliff face; half of the crack was submerged in water, and would be completely submerged at high tide. The rock strata of the cliff were constantly eroded by the sea wind, leaving sharp ridges; large vines hung down from the top of the cliff, covering the top third of the cliff face.

"It took quite a bit of effort to find this entrance," Sirius said in a low voice, taking on the role of the guide. "You might not believe it, but James and I passed by here twice and found nothing. It was Dumbledore who found this entrance, as if he already knew there should be one here."

Most people remained unmoved by Sirius's words; wasn't it only natural that Professor Dumbledore could do what others couldn't?

"We have to swim in," Dumbledore said, seemingly oblivious to Sirius talking about him.

"What?" Shen Hou was dumbfounded. "Didn't I tell you that I can't swim and that I'll dissolve as soon as I enter the water? I was definitely not joking with you back then, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore turned to look at Shen Hou with a smile: "Of course, I remember, that's why I said you might have to suffer a bit tonight."

Shen Hou's eyes nearly bulged out as he asked in horror, "Are you sure it's just a little hardship, and not drowning in a dark cave?"

"Of course not. Magic can do many things, not just fighting and killing." Dumbledore smiled and tapped Shen Hou's head with his wand, creating a bubble three times the size of his head that enveloped Shen Hou's body from the neck up.

"The Bubble Head Charm allows bubbles to draw air from the water, enabling people to breathe underwater," Sirius explained to the old wizard.

Shen Hou looked troubled: "But we still have to go into the water, don't we?"

"Otherwise, how can it be called suffering a little?" Sirius gloated, casually conjuring a rope and tying it around Shen Hou's waist. "Remember, from now on, you can't offend me, or if I loosen my grip, you'll be underwater forever!"

"Can I not go?" Shen Hou asked with a pained expression, making a very sincere request.

"I won't force you, Mr. Shen, but..." Dumbledore's smile had vanished, replaced by a solemn expression and tone. "But I do wish you had been there. The whole thing started because your search of the coast attracted Voldemort, and Voldemort's attack led you to discover the existence of this secret location; I remember you once mentioned a word: cause and effect?"

The old wizard didn't spell it out, but Shen Hou understood; it's unknown whether the riddle the Sphinx gave Voldemort had any effect on Voldemort himself, but Dumbledore was undoubtedly affected.

In front of many unsuspecting onlookers, Shen Hou chose a subtle approach to ask, "Do you also believe in cause and effect and fate, Professor Dumbledore? Do you also believe that I came here with some kind of mission that even I don't know about, and that this mission is closely related to Voldemort?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "I would love to give you a definitive answer, but unfortunately, my wisdom and talents prevent me from judging the future, so at this moment I can only follow my heart and intuition."

Shen Hou remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled with relief: "Alright, then let me go in and take a look. Hopefully, this time I can prove you wrong; or... right."

Swimming in the water wasn't too difficult for Shen Hou. The space inside the crevice was limited, so people weren't allowed to swim freely. It was more like touching and gripping the stone walls on both sides to get in. Moreover, the further in you went, the more regular the shape of the stone walls became, as if they had been polished by human hands. Soon, it turned into a dark and deep tunnel.

Dumbledore remained at the very front of the group, his wand glowing brightly to illuminate everyone; he was the only one in the group who could cast spells with such composure in such circumstances.

Before long, Shen Hou saw the end of the tunnel, where a simple, slippery staircase extended upwards from the water, connecting to a bare stone wall.