Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 269 Pleading

Is this small boat safe?

“It’s safe for now,” Dumbledore said, not entirely certain. “I’m not sure it will safely get us to the other side. It might be Tom’s way to get there too, but I don’t rule out the possibility that something in the lake might attack us if it recognizes that we’re not Tom.”

Dumbledore's words frightened Harry somewhat, but they also somewhat dispelled Harry's senselessness.

He only needs to do two things now: protect himself from underwater things, and not hold anyone back.

The two boarded the boat one after the other, and the small boat immediately set off.

Harry kept a close eye on the lake, and Dumbledore had no doubt that Harry's spell would be cast immediately if he spotted any unusual ripples.

"--hiss!"

Harry saw it—a bloodless hand.

After a brief moment of shock, Harry immediately began searching his memory for relevant information, wishing he were Hermione.

“The Corpse,”

Dumbledore reminded him that Harry's composure pleased him even more than his discovery of Voldemort's Horcrux hiding place.

"A weapon that is controlled by black magic, without life, soul, or thought..."

Dumbledore further explained, pausing only slightly on the last word.

"...They used to be human."

"That's right, but they died on their own."

Harry fell silent for a moment, unable to imagine how many people might have died in such a large lake.

"They are afraid of fire and light."

In the very end, Dumbledore only said this one sentence.

Ironically, what one loves most in life becomes one's greatest fear in death.

The two silently reached their destination, and thankfully, the creatures in the lake did not attack them.

But Dumbledore frowned, clearly not very happy.

Harry knew the reason too; he looked at the stone basin and the ominous-colored liquid inside.

"what is this?"

Dumbledore slowly shook his head. "I don't know, but it's definitely some kind of mechanism..."

He reached out and touched a solid barrier.

"Can't be touched directly..."

Dumbledore pondered, his gaze slowly falling on the long-handled spoon beside the stone basin.

He slowly reached out and picked up the spoon, despite Harry's worried and wanting-to-stop gaze.

"Snapped!"

"hiss!"

Dumbledore poured the potion he had scooped out with a spoon onto the ground, and the slight corrosive sound that followed made both of them change their expressions.

"Professor, look at the medicine!"

Dumbledore looked over and saw that the potion in the stone basin had returned to its original amount.

"Hmm...it seems it needs to be drunk."

Harry was startled; he hadn't forgotten the corrosive scene from just moments ago. If he drank it…

"Don't worry, many medicines have corrosive effects."

Dumbledore's words of comfort were of little use; Harry remained frowning.

Seeing this, Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "Harry, I command you, if I don't finish these potions, you must force-feed me all of them!"

"Did you hear that?!"

"But………"

"No buts! You must agree!!!"

Harry's mind was in turmoil. He wanted to break through Dumbledore's defenses and drink the medicine himself, but Dumbledore seemed to have anticipated this and immediately drank a large mouthful.

This was clearly not a pleasant experience; as soon as the potion went down, a burning, excruciating pain swept through Dumbledore's internal organs.

Even so, Dumbledore still managed to remind Harry, "The value of life cannot be compared, and that only makes the sacrifice all the more remarkable."

Harry knew perfectly well that Dumbledore wasn't talking about him at that moment, so... who was he talking about?

"Harry!"

"Remember what I asked of you!"

"...Okay, I swear!"

What followed was nothing short of torture for both of them.

Harry watched helplessly as his most respected mentor suffered terribly from the poison, his once kind features contorted in agony. And what was even more agonizing was that he was the executioner.

"No...please, stop..."

He could hear the professor's pleas and painful growls, but Harry had no choice but to coax him into giving the potion time and time again.

"...It's all my fault...it was before...and it's still now..."

"It's almost over, Professor..."

Harry urged him on, his hand trembling slightly as he poured the potion down his throat again.

"...I'm sorry...please forgive me...I beg you..."

"It's alright, Professor! It's all over now!"

Ha used loud noises to cover up his panic.

"...I can't...Don't force me...Please..."

Dumbledore murmured, his pained expression contrasting sharply with his obediently opening his mouth.

"Just hang in there a little longer, I promise, it's almost over!"

Harry's hands trembled; he didn't even dare look into the stone basin, mechanically pouring the potion into Dumbledore's hands.

"Stop... It's all my fault... I'll never... never again..."

After swallowing another spoonful of the potion, Dumbledore collapsed to his knees, trembling all over, his snow-white hair already disheveled.

"Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's all my fault, come at me..."

Dumbledore was curled up in a ball, looking more like a homeless, battered stray dog ​​than a dying swan.

"This is the last... the very last time..."

Harry choked up. He didn't understand what Dumbledore was confessing, but the man's madness and endless remorse infected him, and his heart was also torn apart.

After drinking the last drop of the potion, Dumbledore could no longer hold on, and his aged face looked even older due to the excruciating pain.

"water…………"

Dumbledore struggled to make a sound, and Harry, relieved, hurriedly began to fetch water.

"Clear water like a spring!"

"Clear water like a spring!"

"Clear water like a spring!"

As the water appeared and disappeared, Harry, filled with anxiety, could only gaze at the dark lake.

"Sir—here you go!"

He threw himself against the rock, scooped up a spoonful of water, and with a final, powerful thrust, splashed all the water onto Dumbledore's face.

That was all he could do—the moment he reached out, a cold hand grabbed him.

This seemed to be just the beginning; soon, more and more things emerged from the lake, leaving behind stark white skeletons everywhere.

Wish me luck!

Harry silently prayed for himself, but without hesitation, he broke free from those hands and retaliated with a fire spell.

The raging flames made the horde of undead retreat slightly, but as soon as the flames disappeared, they swarmed forward again.

The flames were driven back—the flames disappeared, and they swarmed forward—the flames were driven back again—the flames disappeared again…

The repetitive cycle severely drained Harry's strength until... he could no longer unleash flames—

Until... a cold skeleton slowly crawled ashore—

Until... Harry was surrounded—

Until… Harry was dragged into the lake.

The icy lake water choked him, filling his ears and nose, and the oxygen in his lungs was rapidly depleting. The feeling of suffocation slowly robbed Harry of the strength to struggle…

"He might become one of them," Harry thought pessimistically.