The Return to Hogwarts

"Come on, Neville—"

But Hermione seemed very excited; after all, this was the only classmate she had seen in the two weeks she had spent at St. Mungo's. She made Neville sit on the stool Sirius usually sat on, and then walked to the coat rack in the ward, rummaging in the pockets of the robes hanging there, asking eagerly,

"Tell me quickly, Neville, how are the people at school? Has anything happened while I was away?"

"Oh, not bad, everything's normal at school--"

Neville seemed a little dazed; he hesitated for a moment.

“Everyone is concerned about your condition, but Professor McGonagall won’t allow us to write to you, saying that you should get plenty of rest during your treatment.”

Sirius Black wouldn't even let me write letters to school—

Hermione's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Harry and Ron must be very worried about me, but Professor Snape is unwilling to pass on a message to them for me."

Sirius believes that whoever cursed me might intercept owls bound for Hogwarts to find out if I'm still alive. If they really want me dead, they might continue their efforts—I don't deny that possibility, but the probability is too low. Many owls fly to Hogwarts every day; they can't possibly shoot them all down. Ah, of course, in special circumstances, caution is never a bad thing. Found it.

Neville looked at Hermione with a slightly respectful gaze. She seemed to be holding back her frustration and was muttering to herself. He could hear the nonchalance in Hermione's tone, something he could never do if he knew someone was plotting to kill him.

"Sorry, Neville, it got a little wrinkled in my pocket—"

Hermione carefully smoothed out the bubble gum wrapper and handed it to Neville apologetically.

Looking at the wrapping paper, Neville's face turned purple in an instant. He pursed his lips tightly, avoided Hermione's gaze, and felt an uncontrollable urge to run away.

But in the end, Neville took the ridiculous wrapping paper and carefully put it into his pocket.

“It’s alright,” Neville whispered. “I already have plenty.”

"So, would you like to talk, Neville?"

Looking at Neville, who was curled up there, seemingly prepared to be ridiculed, Hermione pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, then brushed a strand of hair from her face, sat on the edge of her hospital bed, and spoke softly.

What did Professor Dumbledore say to you on the way?

Neville's body trembled slightly, and he lowered his head and whispered...

"He told me that Professor Blaine sent a message saying that he was confident he could bring my parents back to their senses, and that if they could recover, they would definitely want to see me first."

Hermione looked at Neville sadly. She knew very well why Neville didn't seem very happy. It wasn't that he didn't want his parents to return to normal, but rather that he was afraid Professor Blaine would fail.

Mrs. Longbottom is a very kind person. These days, whenever she has free time, she comes to her hospital room to chat with her. Therefore, Hermione knows very well how much effort this family has put in over the years to help Neville's parents regain their senses.

When they were injured years ago, Dumbledore rushed to Neville's parents' side as soon as he received the news. Unfortunately, even a wizard like Dumbledore was helpless to help them with their injuries. In order to quell public anger, the Ministry of Magic spared no effort in inviting internationally renowned spell healers to consult on their case.

The therapists did offer some very helpful advice on how to care for Neville's parents, but they were equally at a loss as to how to treat them.

Mrs. Longbottom told her that at first, they did not give up hope. Everyone in the Longbottom family tried their best to help Frank and Alice. Since he could remember, Neville had watched wave after wave of renowned therapists come to his parents' hospital room, using various methods to help them regain their sanity, but in the end, they all left disappointed.

“You should trust Professor Blaine, Neville, he’s a man who can work miracles.”

Hermione said firmly,

"I remember the day I was cursed, on the way back to Hogwarts, he told me that he would soon restore my health."

Hermione's breathing quickened for a moment, her eyes flickering.

"And then he did it. Not only that, he uprooted an entire evil dark wizarding organization."

Taking a few deep breaths, Hermione calmed her wavering emotions.

“Since Professor Blaine told Professor Dumbledore that he was somewhat confident, I think there is a high chance that your parents will recover. Neville, you may not know what happened, but around noon today, Professor Blaine went into that Muggle's ward. It was a Muggle who had been driven insane and lost his mind by a dark wizard from an organization that Professor Blaine had destroyed, and his condition was similar to that of your parents.”

Before Professor Blaine arrived, the healers at St. Mungo's had already diagnosed him, concluding that he was no longer capable of lucidity and was on the verge of death, with little time left. But look—”

Hermione gave Neville, who had perked up somewhat, an encouraging smile.

"In just one afternoon, that Muggle was already wide awake. Oh, you should see how crazy those professional therapists were when they heard about it!"

Neville listened intently, and before he knew it, his breathing quickened, but his eyes still held a sense of bewilderment.

Can his parents really be cured? Can he really have a complete family?

Professor Blaine needs no further elaboration on the many miracles he has created in the two years since his meteoric rise to fame; he is one of the most remarkable wizards Neville has ever seen.

Putting aside his unparalleled magical skill, Neville had been clumsy in physical education for some time, but Professor Blaine had never criticized him. He truly treated everyone equally, showing no special favor to the young wizards of Slytherin, nor deliberately suppressing students from other houses.

Of course, this is a basic quality of a professor, but when you look at another professor in the school who came from Slytherin, Professor Blaine's strength becomes very prominent.

"But Professor Blaine said he hadn't done in-depth research on the healing effects of the Crucifixion on the soul, which is very difficult to solve, and only takes a few months."

Neville gritted his teeth and said that he tried to convince himself to be happy, after all, there was hope that his parents could recover, but his mind was filled with thoughts of gain and loss.

What if Professor Blaine can't cure it either?

Then his last glimmer of hope was shattered, and if he received treatment, his condition would worsen, perhaps even become irreversible.

Hermione knew that Neville was referring to the time at the beginning of the previous semester when Professor Blaine reviewed Professor Moody's class, and Neville had asked Professor Blaine about the treatment for the Crucifixion Curse, to which Professor Blaine gave a disappointing reply.

In just a few months, she had solved a problem that many therapists had been unable to solve for centuries. To be honest, Hermione found it incredible. However, Professor Blaine was different from Gilderoy Lockhart, whom she had misjudged. She would not joke about Neville's parents, and Professor Dumbledore would not do so either.

Hermione calmly shared her analysis, and with her patient encouragement, Neville finally seemed less conflicted.

A family gathered around the fireplace for Christmas—this once unattainable dream—could it really come true?

The conversation gradually escalated, and when Neville told Hermione that during the time she was out of contact, Harry and Ron had treated almost the entire school as her culprits, and that she had received several detentions for being inattentive in class, Hermione's clear brown eyes welled up with tears, and she covered her mouth.

"Those two idiots!"

In my opinion--

Suddenly, Dumbledore's voice came from the doorway. He looked at Hermione, who was inexplicably moved, with a smile on his face and bright eyes.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley clearly value their friendship with you very much."

Hermione gasped and quickly wiped her eyes as she stood up from the bed.

"grandmother?"

Neville quickly stood up as well. He first looked at Professor Dumbledore's grandmother and called out nervously.

Mrs. Longbottom's expression was complicated. She looked at her grandson, Neville, but unlike usual, she didn't immediately ask about his performance at school. Instead, her face was filled with complex emotions, her eyes showing heartache and guilt. This unusual emotion made Neville even more uneasy.

What happened? What did Professor Dumbledore say to his grandmother? Was Professor Blaine's treatment plan unworkable?

Neville clenched his fists tightly, his face gradually turning pale.

“Nawi.”

The once-tall Mrs. Longbottom now appeared somewhat hunched over. Her tone, usually so decisive and efficient, was now hoarse as she looked at Neville.

"Do you want your parents to have their normal health codes restored?"

Chapter 815 Lawrence on the Verge of Death

2024-03-21

Do you hope your parents recover?

Hermione frowned. Mrs. Longbottom's question was really strange. How could Neville not want his parents to be healthy?

Subconsciously, Hermione looked at Professor Dumbledore, hoping to get some hints. However, Professor Dumbledore just stood there with his hands clasped in his hands, remaining silent and not giving her any clues.

Hermione had no choice but to use her own brain.

Clearly, Professor Dumbledore had already had an in-depth conversation with Mrs. Longbottom and had given his evaluation of Professor Blaine's treatment plan.

The plan is undoubtedly useful; otherwise, Mrs. Longbottom wouldn't have said that. But... there are risks involved?

Yes, that must be the truth. Hermione pursed her lips, looking at Neville with deep concern.

This is normal; for such a rare and difficult disease on a global scale, it's impossible to treat it without taking some risks.

Having spent time together, Hermione knew that Mrs. Longbottom was a decisive old witch, and the danger that made her hesitate and silenced Dumbledore was probably not so simple.

Neville stared blankly at his grandmother, a mysterious clarity rising in his mind, allowing him, like Hermione, to see through the essence of his grandmother's strange problem.

He instinctively wanted to refuse treatment, as it would expose his parents to unpredictable dangers—dangers that must have been extremely perilous, otherwise his grandmother and Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have hesitated despite the existence of successful cases.

Even without treatment, at least he's still a person with parents—that's what Neville thought.

However, looking at his grandmother, who looked very old, standing in the doorway, Neville opened his mouth, but a feeling caught in his throat, preventing him from expressing his thoughts immediately.

Grandma always told him that his parents became like this because they fought against evil, and that he should be proud of their bravery. However, she was sure that her pain was just as intense as his, or even more intense.

The image of his parents lying in bed reappeared in Nave's mind.

Every time Neville saw them after a while, he could feel the cold passage of time through their decaying bodies. Those terrible nightmares tormented them in their dreams, causing them unbearable pain and making them age at a visible rate.

Is living like this, until death, really what they want?

Neville's clenched fist trembled slightly, his nails digging into his flesh.

If it were him, he wouldn't want to live such a wretched life; he would rather die a quick and painless death.

We shouldn't. We shouldn't deprive them of the opportunity to recover their health because of our own cowardice, should we?

I want them to recover!

Gradually, Neville's breathing became steady, his eyes stopped darting around, and he faced his grandmother's weathered and gratified face with a shout like a fearless warrior.

Westminster, Mayfair.

No matter how meticulously you calculate, there will always be unforeseen circumstances in life.