Chapter 369: Heroes Return
Chapter 369: Heroes Return
After the Magic Array was activated, a bright, golden-red flame ring rose from the island, even overwhelming the green glow from the stone basin. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley and Lupin used their wands to direct the jars of Sunlight Crystals to explode near the lakeshore.
The Sunlight Crystals rained down from the bottles and immediately began to glow upon touching the water. As objects touched the lake water, the Magic set up here was triggered. The lake's surface churned violently, and ghostly white heads and hands emerged from the murky water—men, women, and children, all with sunken, sightless eyes, floating toward the island.
However, these wights had been weakened by the Sunlight Crystals that were previously thrown into the water. As soon as they reached the flame circle created by the Magic Array, black smoke began to rise from their bodies, and they quickly turned to ashes. Everyone on the island could see pale souls slowly rising from the ashes, their faces transforming from twisted expressions to serene ones. Finally, they bowed to Liam and dissipated into golden sparks.
With the help of Mr. Weasley and Lupin, even when some wights gathered, they did not pose any threat to the Magic Array itself. After about 20 minutes, Sirius Black suddenly shouted, "I found it." He then rushed out with Kreacher, and soon the two returned, each holding one side of a corpse with a talisman on its forehead.
The corpse had black hair and bore a resemblance to Sirius Black, though it was slightly smaller and less handsome. This must be Sirius Black's younger brother, Regulus.
"Can I finish off the remaining wights before we leave?" Liam asked with a compassionate look as he watched the souls bow to him and depart with smiles. As a descendant of the Mount Maoshan Sect, he felt it was his duty to liberate these unfortunate souls.
"Of course, as long as you can handle it", Sirius Black said hoarsely, holding his brother. Mr. Weasley nodded in agreement. "Wights are very dangerous when they gather in large numbers. Eliminating them now will also weaken the Dark Lord's power. So we will help you with this." Lupin also nodded firmly.
"Thank you." With that, Liam continued to operate the Magic Array, exorcising wave after wave of wights, while the others dealt with the more difficult clusters. Finally, after more than four hours of intense effort, they cleared out over 5,000 wights from the lake.
"We did it." After waiting for about seven or eight minutes and seeing no more wights climb ashore, the group used their wands to check the surroundings. Confirming that the lake bottom was clean, they all sat down, feeling utterly exhausted both physically and mentally after the four-hour battle.
"By the way, what kind of Magic did you use? We've never seen anything like it before", Mr. Weasley asked, panting as he sat down.
"It's a form of Oriental Magic, highly effective against undead or dark creatures. But it's much less effective on living beings", Liam explained. Mr. Weasley nodded in understanding, as he had accidentally touched the flame circle earlier and only felt a slight warmth without being burned. This explanation made everything clear.
After resting for a few minutes, the group packed up their things and headed out. Sirius Black refused help and carried his brother's body on his back. The journey back was silent, with only Kreacher's low sobs breaking the quiet.
Using another vial of blood to open the stone archway, they entered the cave and were led by Kreacher back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. When the door to the house opened, all the gas lamps in the corridor lit up instantly. The curtain covering Mrs. Black's portrait was pulled back, but this time the portrait did not scream or curse; it only looked at Sirius Black's back and covered its mouth, sobbing. Soon, all the portraits in the corridor joined in, weeping.
"Are you back? Everything went well?" It was already late at night, and the rest of the Weasley family had gone to bed, leaving only Hermione and Mrs. Weasley in the living room, drinking coffee and waiting for their return. Hearing the noise at the door, the two women came out to greet them.
"Everything went smoothly. We recovered the hero's body and eliminated thousands of wights. You could say we completed our mission with great success", Mr. Weasley said to his wife as he hung his robe on the coat rack.
While they were talking, Liam, Hermione, and Lupin helped Sirius Black place Regulus's body on a makeshift table. Liam then performed the exorcism.
This was Liam's area of expertise, a skill he had learned in full from his master, Uncle Kiu. As he recited the spell, wisps of black smoke rose from Regulus's body and dissipated. The expression on the body's face gradually softened, and finally, the soul that had been trapped by Dark Magic was freed.
The soul hovered in mid-air, watching the scene below. Kreacher burst into tears, and Sirius Black's tears also streamed down his face.
"He has unfinished business", Liam said, looking at the soul that was reluctant to move on. "Quick, bring me the pendant box."
Kreacher instantly apparated to the second-floor living room and returned with the damaged pendant box. Upon seeing the opened box, Regulus's soul finally smiled and then vanished in a beam of golden light. The frown on the body's face also relaxed, as if it were now at peace.
That night, Liam stayed up late, using alchemy to create a coffin for Regulus with the help of Hermione, using the furniture and silverware from the house. After everyone had gone to bed, Liam saw Sirius Black and Kreacher sitting by the coffin, whispering to Regulus.
The next day, everyone gathered at the Black family cemetery to bury Regulus. Dumbledore came specially to deliver a eulogy. After the funeral, Sirius Black asked everyone to leave so he could speak to the gravestone.
Half an hour later, Sirius Black and Kreacher returned. Kreacher was now wearing the pendant box that had once been a Horcrux of Voldemort.
"I told him that, to defeat Voldemort, he must bear the reputation of a Death Eater for now. But one day, I will make everyone know that my brother was a hero", Sirius Black declared to everyone, engraving this vow into his soul.
After that day, the house underwent significant changes. Sirius Black's mother's portrait no longer screamed insults, only rolling her eyes at those she disapproved of. Kreacher also seemed much more spirited, and with his help, the cleaning of the rooms progressed much faster. In just one day, they managed to clean a third of the rooms. They also repaired a clock that liked to shoot screws at people and a robe that tried to strangle everyone.
Hermione discovered a ferocious ghoul in one of the bathrooms, the exact opposite of the Weasley family's friendly ghoul. Just as the ghoul's claw was about to grab her, Hermione's rapier pierced its brain.
"Nice work", Liam praised Hermione's swift and precise movements. Sirius Black, who was disinfecting the carpet on the other side, looked astonished. "Are Hogwarts students really this skilled now?"
Hearing this, Liam and Hermione exchanged a smile and continued cleaning the rooms. The person who had changed the most recently was Sirius Black. Since returning from the cemetery, he had become much more energetic and seemed more positive. He often said that he was no longer living just for himself; his future now included fulfilling his brother's wishes. Therefore, he decided to face each day with a positive attitude.
He threw himself into the work of the Order of the Phoenix, determined to avenge his brother by defeating Voldemort and to achieve Regulus's dream of restoring the Black family's honor.
(End of Chapter)
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