The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Dumbledore spoke of his failure with composure, but the audience was astonished. Even Shen Hou, an "outsider" who was not a Hogwarts graduate, was surprised. The young people seemed to find it hard to imagine the old wizard's defeat.

"What's going on in the middle of the pool? Besides the poison that won't kill you, are there any other magical traps?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore didn't answer; instead, he frowned. "What do you want to do?"

"If there aren't any other traps, let me give it a try. Maybe I can drink a little more?"

"Quickly dismiss that idea, Mr. Black," Dumbledore warned sternly. "That potion awakens all the negative emotions deep within each person—cowardice, sloth, escapism—which cannot be resisted by willpower alone. The poison may not be fatal, but it's easy to imagine that Voldemort won't leave anyone a chance to survive; there will certainly be traps in place to kill them."

Sirius Black pressed on, unwilling to give up, "Are we just going to stand by and watch? You must have another idea, Professor?"

"If we had enough time, I might be able to break through all the magical traps in this cave one by one, but the problem is that Voldemort might not give us that time; who knows when he'll realize what's happening here." Dumbledore regained some strength and stood up from the rock. "So, the best way now is to just step into the traps and drink all the poison."

"But didn't you say..."

"Yes, I failed; but I also realized one thing: if a second person had been there to help me, I might have been able to drink the medicine."

"But the small boat can only carry one person."

"Ah, this brings me to the second thing I discovered: the boat's limitation on the number of people it can carry isn't based on quantity, but on the amount of magic it can hold... It seems to only restrict adult wizards, without taking into account underage wizards or other weaker races. This is Tom's old problem, his obsession with powerful forces while despising or even ignoring the weak; he doesn't understand that a person's strength isn't entirely measured by magic power."

"Professor, this isn't the time for philosophy," Sirius said. "You mean, you're suggesting that an underage wizard come aboard that ship with you? Where are you planning to find an underage wizard, at school?"

Dumbledore frowned and said, "Of course not. Students come to Hogwarts to learn, not to go on adventures."

"I think a lot of them are willing to take risks, especially Gryffindor."

"Students have their own tasks," Dumbledore said, emphasizing each word, before abruptly changing the subject, "but I do need to go back to the school."

"Why? You mean you'll go back there and then come back here, right?"

"Yes. Now, please follow me and leave this place. You cannot stay here while I return to Hogwarts." Dumbledore led the way out.

"We can wait for you here..."

"No!"

Before Sirius could finish speaking, he was interrupted sternly by the former headmaster. Dumbledore looked at James and Gideon and solemnly requested, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Prewitt, I need you two to do me a favor and make sure everyone follows us and gets out of here."

James and Gideon nodded obsequiously, and the others dared not object any further. They followed in a daze, returning to the portal hidden by magic, only to find that the archway had disappeared.

"You have to pay a price to enter, and another to leave. The mysterious man is really stingy." This time, it was Febian who took the initiative to bleed himself dry.

Dumbledore not only urged everyone to leave the cave, but also made them leave the foyer in front of the Chamber of Secrets and return to the outside of the crevice.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Prewitt," the headmaster called James and Gideon aside again, reminding them, "While I'm gone, please make sure no one returns to the cave, okay?"

"Of course." The two people who were chosen to take charge seemed to be patting their chests to show their loyalty and make a guarantee.

Sirius and Fabian huddled to one side, too afraid to utter a sound, until Dumbledore Apparated away, at which point they dared to mutter their dissatisfaction.

"Make sure no one goes back into the cave... What do you mean, let them both watch us? Why should they be watching us, and not the other way around?"

Shen Hou glanced sideways at the two grumbling fellows, utterly disdainful of their behavior of not daring to confront the main character but only daring to harass him, the "outsider," and retorted in a tone that suggested they might die at any moment: "What do you think? Why?"

This trick, a secret technique I learned from Gideon, was very effective; it ended the conversation with a single sentence.

Dumbledore didn't keep the young people waiting long; less than ten minutes later, he Apparated back to the reef, accompanied by a short figure.

"This is... a house-elf?" Shen Hou recognized the little creature being led by the old wizard. It had big eyes, big ears, and an abnormal head-to-body ratio. It was wearing a white cloth bag that was not much bigger than a tea towel and looked like a pillowcase. It was similar to another house-elf that Shen Hou had seen at Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore, but this one was obviously much cleaner and more presentable than Dumbledore.

"This is Mia, who works in the kitchen at Hogwarts." Dumbledore introduced the house-elves by name as if introducing a wizard. "I just told the house-elves about the problems I've encountered, and Mia was the first to offer her help, even if it means unknown risks."

Under the watchful eyes of a group of wizards, the house-elf felt incredibly guilty and tried to shrink even smaller, stammering, "It is Mia's honor to serve such a great wizard as Dumbledore! They all want to come, but Dumbledore only needs one elf, and none of them can compete with Mia."

"Professor, do you want your house-elves to accompany you to the middle of the pond?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Yes. You could say that in this matter, a house-elf is more suited to be my helper than an underage wizard." Dumbledore took Mia's hand and returned to the crevice. This time, he cast the Bubble Head Charm on both Shen Hou and the house-elf. Shen Hou was already used to it, while Mia's upper body was almost entirely covered by bubbles, and Dumbledore used magic to guide her through the water.

Before long, the group returned to the pool. Dumbledore first had Mia board the small boat, then instructed those who remained on the shore: "If any new situation arises, I will have Mia return first and have her bring back my request; it may be for help, or it may be to protect her and get her away first, but whatever the request I have her bring back, please promise to do so."

"Of course, Professor!"

"Also, do not go near the water. When I first went there, I saw countless infernals at the bottom of the water. This pool is completely soaked with dark magic. If you don't want to be dragged into the water by the infernals and eventually transformed into a new infernal, remember my words."