From here on, the task was straightforward.
Alaric casually grabbed a cup and began scooping the emerald-green liquid from the stone basin, pouring it into the mouth of the undead creature.
The first cup of liquid made a noticeable change in the creature's condition.
It no longer focused on Alaric and the other two; instead, it was intent on attacking the three living beings.
At this moment, its own condition was dire.
Indeed, the potion, which had once caused Dumbledore to weep and become severely weakened in the original story, proved to be quite effective even against this undead creature.
Even though it was tightly bound by chains, the creature reacted violently to the emerald-green liquid.
It began to shiver uncontrollably and a hissing sound came from its shriveled throat.
This caused the two girls watching the creature to furrow their brows.
By the time Alaric poured in the third cup of liquid, the potion's effects had fully spread throughout the creature's body, which was already mostly restored thanks to the restorative potion.
The creature was effectively paralyzed; the chains that once restrained it now served as a support structure—now, the creature was practically hanging from the chains.
After the fifth and sixth cups, the creature had stopped shivering, or rather, it had lost all normal reactions.
It now resembled a puppet, with Alaric continuously pouring liquid into its throat, only the occasional convulsions proving it was still alive.
Finally, after the eighth cup, the stone basin was nearly empty. The three could see the pendant box in the center of the basin.
If their guess was correct, this was another Horcrux of Voldemort's—Salazar Slytherin's relic, the Slytherin's locket box.
However, none of them rushed to take it.
Alaric's attention remained on the Inferi creature, while the two girls recalled the previous Horcrux situation.
They understood that rashly touching a Horcrux was extremely dangerous.
Who knew what kind of magic Voldemort might have placed on it?
Due to the presence of soul fragments, some of the magic and curses placed on Horcruxes could become immensely powerful.
After draining the emerald-green liquid, Alaric restored the chains to their original state.
Instantly, the now "well-fed" Inferi creature fell to the ground with a thud, like a puppet with its strings cut, and lay motionless.
"Is it… dead?"
Hermione asked curiously, stepping closer and casting a spell to check its condition, then observing the creature closely.
"It's not dead yet!" After observing, Hermione was puzzled.
"How could the Dark Lord's trap not have killed it? Could the creature be immune to some kind of poison?"
"No, you're mistaken," Alaric shook his head, "This isn't truly a deadly poison.
Voldemort wouldn't want to kill anyone who comes to this island."
Hermione and Fleur found this notion absurd. Would Voldemort really be the type to spare someone's life?
For a moment, they thought the boy in front of them had changed his nature, actually thinking positively about Voldemort.
"Alaric," Hermione said, trying to sound reasonable, "dear, we are dealing with the Dark Lord—"
"Sorry, Hermione and Fleur. I should have said: he wouldn't want to kill those who come to this island immediately," Alaric corrected himself.
"He would want them to live a little longer, to figure out how they can bypass his defenses, and most importantly, to understand why they are so eager to empty the stone basin.
Don't forget, the news of Voldemort creating Horcruxes hasn't leaked out yet.
At this moment, he still believes his secret is well concealed."
This reasoning was in line with Voldemort's character.
Next, their attention turned to the locket box.
Alaric looked at the pendant box and then at the red-haired girl. The girl had no reaction.
"There's no danger here," he said, "There are no traces of Dark Magic—what I mean is, this isn't a Horcrux."
"How is that possible?"
"Does that mean our trip was for nothing?"
The two girls exclaimed in surprise.
In fact, Alaric had been mentally prepared for this.
After all, he knew that the plot had mentioned this detail and he also knew where the real box was.
He could find the real locket box at any time.
However, he couldn't just "know" certain information for convenience's sake.
After all, defeating Voldemort was not the goal but a means.
He hoped to train the girls around him while gaining prestige for himself and the Bones family, which would help him control the Ministry of Magic in the future.
He reached out, took the pendant box from the basin, and examined it closely.
Hermione and Fleur also moved closer, one on each side, to observe the locket box.
The locket box was golden, but it did not have the ornate, snake-shaped S in the middle—there was a clear image of this standard in the book describing Slytherin's relics.
Clearly, this was not the genuine relic.
Nevertheless, apart from that, the box looked quite nice.
The craftsmanship was evidently of medieval quality, but beyond that, it was unremarkable.
Finally, Alaric pressed on the center of the box, and with a "click," the box opened.
The secret of the pendant box was finally revealed.
In the place where the portrait should have been, there was now a folded piece of parchment.
Hermione took out the parchment and unfolded it, while Fleur raised her lit wand high.
The three of them huddled together, reading by the light of Fleur's wand.
The parchment read:
To the Dark Lord - I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. - R.A.B.
"It seems someone got to the Horcrux before us," Hermione frowned, looking very disappointed.
"It sounds like this person is an enemy of the Dark Lord.
Maybe he has already destroyed the Horcrux," Fleur said optimistically.
"That way, we won't have to expend so much effort searching."
"Don't be unrealistic. We need to find a way to confirm whether this Horcrux has been destroyed," Alaric extinguished her unrealistic hopes.
"If one Horcrux was missed, Voldemort will be like gum stuck to our shoe—impossible to get rid of. It's better to be safe than sorry."
"Alright, alright, I was just saying," Fleur pouted in a playful manner and murmured, "R.A.B… who could he be?"
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