"But, we need to go over there first." Without waiting for them to ask how to obtain the Soul Artifact, Dumbledore pointed to the lakeside and said, "See? There's a small boat over there. We can take it across."
The three of them followed the direction of Dumbledore's finger and indeed saw a small boat floating in the lake, bobbing up and down with the waves.
Except this boat... it...
Isn't it a bit too tiny?
"Let's not talk about whether this boat can fit all four of us," Sirius squatted by the shore, turning back to ask Dumbledore, "Are you saying Voldemort would be stupid enough to leave this boat here for us to use?"
"Voldemort must be very confident, believing that no one but a truly great wizard would find this boat," Dumbledore said wistfully. "He must think that after setting those obstacles only he can traverse, it seems impossible for anyone else to discover it. I think he's willing to take this minuscule risk, as we shall soon see if he is right or wrong."
"How do you know?" Sirius asked with a frown, "Wouldn't Voldemort have placed some sort of spell on this boat?"
"As you have seen, Sirius." Dumbledore patiently explained to Sirius, "You know how we entered this cave just now. Normally, even if Voldemort himself wanted to enter this cave, he would have to go through this procedure—he is simply too arrogant, and too confident, but that is precisely his weakness."
"So why don't we use Apparition to reach that little island?" Sirius asked with a frown. "Do we really need to squeeze onto this possibly soon-to-sink wreck of a boat?"
"Voldemort needs to create a way to cross the lake without inciting the anger of the Inferi he's placed in the water, in case he ever needs to check on or move the Soul Artifact," Dumbledore said with an unchanged expression.
After saying this, Dumbledore walked to the lakeside and extended his magic wand, seeming to explore the air.
Harry followed the trajectory of Dumbledore's wand and seemed to see him picking up some invisible chain.
At that moment, Dumbledore suddenly reached out and grasped a spot in the air, then forcefully pulled back. At the same time, the sound of clattering chains being dragged resounded.
"Is that a chain?" Harry asked loudly.
Dumbledore didn't speak. He raised his other hand's magic wand and tapped it on his clenched fist, and immediately, a heavy copper-green chain appeared in the air, extending from Dumbledore's tightly clasped hand into the depths of the lake.
Dumbledore tapped it lightly, and the chain slithered like a snake in his hand, clanging and coiling itself on the ground, pulling the small boat floating on the black lake towards them.
"How did you know the chain was there?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Magic always leaves traces," Dumbledore replied as the small boat softly bumped against the lakeshore. "Sometimes, the traces are quite visible. I taught Tom Riddle; I understand his methods."
"So, this is the boat we're supposed to take, right?" Vivi lowered her head, examining the little boat carefully. "As long as we take this boat, it won't draw the attention of the Inferi under the lake, correct?"
"That should be the case, Miss Grindelwald," Dumbledore nodded and said, "You see, at least the Inferi in the water haven't attacked us. So far, everything is fine."
"Moreover, I don't think Voldemort can successfully return here, because, as you also saw just now, someone like him, in his soul form, cannot pass through the trial he set," Dumbledore added again.
Harry looked down at the small boat, which was indeed too small. "It doesn't look like it's meant for two people. Can it handle us? Won't we four be too heavy?"
Dumbledore chuckled softly, "Voldemort doesn't care about the weight crossing the lake; he's concerned about magical ability—I can be sure there's a spell on this boat to ensure that only one wizard crosses at a time."
"Then ..." Harry recalled absorbing the Magic Stone, estimating that his level of magic strength could burn out the CPU of this little boat.
"You and Miss Grindelwald are not counted, Harry. You're underage and won't be detected. Voldemort never expected an underage child to reach this place," Dumbledore explained to everyone, "Voldemort is a conceited person, and we all know that—he would only check the magic of adults. As for Harry and Miss Grindelwald, being minors grants you an exemption—you arguably understand that, given Voldemort's arrogance, his magic would not detect minors."
"That's true," Harry acknowledged with a nod, then looked at Sirius, "What about Sirius? What will he do?"
As he spoke, he looked over at Sirius and realized that the other had already turned into a big black dog.
"Woof!" Sirius barked.
"Animagus, you're as keen as ever, Sirius," Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively while stroking his beard, "Yes, that's one of the reasons I brought you along, not just because you're Regulus's brother, but also because you're an Animagus."
He then began to critically reflect on his former student: "Voldemort was terribly wrong; this is his error... underestimating young people is both imprudent and foolish... however, it's human nature, after all. Normally, people wouldn't expect a thirteen-year-old to possess such a surge of magic. I think I should make an exception for you next year..."