Chapter 181: The Inferius
"Kreacher!"
Sirius's voice rang out, shaking loose dust and cobwebs from the cracks in the walls.
The aged house-elf, Kreacher, shrank beside the chains, trembling.
He had never expected Sirius to open the second basement. After all, Sirius had never come down here before.
"I'll give you one last chance," Sirius said coldly. "Tell me everything that happened. Otherwise, I'll give you clothes—set you free—and cast you out of the House of Black."
"No… no, you can't!" Kreacher shrieked in terror. "I don't want that—I don't—"
"Then talk. Now!" Sirius snapped, his emotions beginning to slip.
Nearby, Wednesday crouched down and picked up a bronze vial lying near the Inferius's feet. A trace of dark green residue clung to its base.
"This… is what turned Regulus into this?" Russell murmured, thoughtful.
"I think I've seen something like it before," Wednesday said, studying the substance with a slight frown.
"It slowly dissolves the soul… and converts the body into a controllable Inferius."
"We haven't used anything like this in a very long time."
Kreacher suddenly began smashing his head against the wall.
"Kreacher cannot say—Master Regulus forbade it—but bad Master Sirius is forcing Kreacher—!"
His chest heaved violently.
"The Dark Lord needed a house-elf—took Kreacher to a dark cave—forced Kreacher to drink a terrible potion—"
Sirius's face twisted, something dawning on him.
He grabbed Kreacher by the rag around his neck.
"And then?!"
"The potion burned Kreacher's insides—like being eaten alive—but later… Master Regulus drank it too…"
Tears welled in Kreacher's cloudy eyes and spilled down in heavy drops.
"He swapped the locket—gave Kreacher a fake—and ordered Kreacher to destroy the real one—then—"
The Inferius suddenly shrieked.
A broken, hollow voice forced its way out:
"—brother—"
Sirius froze.
He didn't dare look at it again.
Not for long.
If he did… he might lose control.
"Keep talking!"
His wand pressed against Kreacher's throat, its red glow illuminating the deep lines in the elf's face.
"The water… came alive!"
Kreacher's eyes bulged, his voice trembling.
"Countless pale hands dragged Master Regulus down—but Kreacher was ordered to return home—he brought the locket back…"
He collapsed to his knees, clawing at his own ears.
"Bad Kreacher should have drowned! Should not have left Master Regulus!"
"But… Regulus is here now," Harry said softly, steadying the shaking elf.
"Because someone pulled him out of the water," Russell said.
He had noticed dried seaweed tangled in the Inferius's hair.
"And not too long ago, judging by this."
Kreacher suddenly produced a water-damaged scrap of parchment.
"Three years ago… during a storm… the kitchen floor turned into a whirlpool—Master Regulus came back with the sea—"
The ink had mostly washed away.
Only one line remained legible:
"The locket must be destroyed."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sirius demanded, fists clenched tight.
"Why hide him down here?"
"Because Master Regulus is dead!" Kreacher screamed.
"He is no longer human—he is like those things in the lake!"
He raised the Inferius's arm.
"I could not let anyone see him like this—never!"
The Inferius suddenly struggled violently, letting out broken, mournful sounds.
It… recognized Sirius.
Sirius's wand slipped from his hand.
Kreacher hurriedly wiped the mud seeping from the corpse's face with his rag.
For a fleeting moment—
Through the decayed shell—
It felt as though the boy Regulus once was… was looking back at his brother.
The damp basement echoed with a ghostly whisper:
"—brother—"
"…We need to call Professor Albus Dumbledore," Russell said quietly, his eyes fixed on Regulus.
"…Doesn't it feel like…"
"He's still holding on to a fragment of consciousness?"
Sirius went to find Dumbledore by Apparition.
When he found him, Dumbledore was leisurely enjoying a handful of sweets.
But the moment he heard Sirius's report, his expression shifted—genuine shock flickering across his face.
When Dumbledore stepped into the basement, Regulus Black's body was thrashing violently.
For a brief instant, a glimmer of awareness even surfaced in his clouded eyes.
Behind his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's blue eyes trembled slightly.
"Let me see the boy's chest."
Before Sirius could stop him, Dumbledore had already reached forward.
The moment his thin fingers touched the decayed flesh—
Regulus let out a sharp, serpentine hiss.
Dumbledore withdrew his hand at once, his expression grave.
"A cruel potion… extraordinarily so. To think Tom would go this far for a Horcrux."
"He transferred part of the curse onto whoever came into contact with it."
"Regulus's body has become a vessel—nourishing the darkness… while at the same time trapping his soul within it."
Sirius paced back and forth, agitation clear in every step.
"So what do we do first? Save him—or destroy the Horcrux?"
"…Both," Dumbledore said quietly. "They must be done simultaneously."
He drew a crystal vial from his robes and let three drops of pearlescent liquid fall onto Regulus's forehead.
The decay stopped spreading.
For a fleeting moment, Regulus's clouded eyes cleared—
"—Kreacher… run—"
Russell suddenly raised the book in his hand.
He had been flipping through Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic, searching for anything related to Inferi—and he had found something.
"Page 719 mentions a method of separating soul and flesh! If we use purified unicorn blood as a medium—"
"That would trigger a dual curse."
Dumbledore gently closed the book.
"A similar attempt was made in 1945. The followers involved tried to purify a host using a light-based medium."
"It resulted in something far worse—a parasitic dark entity."
"…an Obscurus."
Then, almost as an afterthought, he added:
"And Russell—this book belongs in the Hogwarts library. You shouldn't be taking it outside the castle."
"Professor, this was a gift from Aunt Morticia," Russell replied, pulling it back protectively.
"…Very well," Dumbledore said, his voice softening. "Just don't lose yourself in it."
"To resolve what's happening to Regulus…"
Dumbledore paused.
"…we may need the help of Nicolas Flamel."
"Nicolas Flamel?!" Harry blurted out, startled.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"…Is something the matter?" Dumbledore asked mildly.
"N-no, nothing," Harry said quickly, swallowing.
There was no way he was about to explain why that name sounded so familiar.