Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 107 The Mysterious Coma

"Ken?"

Dumbledore's voice pulled Avada back to reality from his shock, making him realize that someone was waiting for his reply: "Uh, sorry, Professor, I was a little distracted."

"It's alright."

Dumbledore shook his head: "Your mental strength has been severely damaged. When I first saw your condition, I even doubted whether your life was in danger... I should apologize for rushing over to question you so urgently, but this matter really cannot be delayed..."

"What happened, Professor?"

Avada gradually adjusted to the light in the infirmary and slowly tried to open her eyes. She finally saw Dumbledore's aged face—or perhaps it was just her imagination, but the face seemed somewhat haggard.

"You're not the only one who's unconscious."

Dumbledore said in a deep voice, "During the week you were unconscious, two other students also suddenly and inexplicably fell into a coma, and their mental abilities were similarly damaged. Neither of them shows any signs of waking up, so I wish to inquire about the cause of your coma..."

"coma?"

Avada wanted to frown, but then realized her facial muscles were still a bit numb and gave up: "Isn't it some kind of petrification? Could it be related to what I'm seeing...?"

No.

Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Professor Snape and I conducted a thorough examination and found no injuries that could have been caused by the Basilisk. Instead, it seems to be an injury caused by a magical creature that can attack with its mind, such as the Witch Bird, but it would be much more difficult to treat."

"..."

Avada was silent for a while, feeling a slight headache.

"What I said at the time..."

He finally answered Dumbledore's question: "When I was in Divination class, after meeting Professor Trelawney, I suddenly felt a... uh, a spiritual resonance? You know, I've always had a peculiar ability to sense spirituality."

"Then I followed that feeling and began to guide my mental energy. After a while, I felt my prophetic abilities being triggered again, as if I wanted to see something, but I just couldn't..."

"So I tried my best to guide my inspiration, wanting to fulfill that prophecy... After an unknown amount of time, I suddenly saw a large burst of light... and then I fainted."

That's it.

"He fell into a coma after seeing a huge burst of light using his prophetic abilities, and his mental strength was severely damaged... This is an unprecedented situation."

Dumbledore stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Professor Trelawney says you are offending time and prying into taboos. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Offending time? I arrived at the River of Time by following her spiritual power; it should be a normal divination process... I need to learn more about real divination later; my current knowledge is too limited."

"Forbidden... what exactly is that giant sphere of light? Why is its material so similar to the essence of the soul? And why does it allow me to see the essence of the soul?"

"Forget it, I can't figure it out in a short time..."

"No, Professor. I don't know what the light is, nor do I know how it appeared in front of me out of nowhere... If that thing is what is called 'forbidden,' then let's just say I glimpsed the forbidden, even if only for a moment."

Avada shook his head blankly: "My prophetic abilities are almost beyond my control; it's not surprising that I might do something unexpected."

"Alright... let me confirm again, you only fell into a coma because of your prophetic abilities, right?" Dumbledore asked.

I think so.

"Did you experience anything else before you lost consciousness? For example, did you hear screams, make eye contact with something, or experience psychic magic like legatomic possession?"

"no."

Avada shook his head decisively, his hair rubbing against the pillow with a soft sizzling sound.

"I understand. It seems the reason you fell unconscious is different from others. I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest..."

"Wait, Professor."

Avada raised his hand with difficulty, calling out to Dumbledore, who was about to get up and leave: "May I go and see those students?"

"I've always had a keen sense for mental energy; perhaps I can uncover some clues!"

"What you should do now is get some rest."

To Avada's surprise, Dumbledore flatly refused him: "Your mental injuries are too severe. If you don't take good care of them, they may leave permanent scars. As for other matters, that's my job as the headmaster and the professors."

"Besides, the examination of those students was quite thorough and comprehensive; Professor Snape and I are certainly capable of that. So there's no need to always try to shoulder all the burden ourselves, otherwise I, the headmaster, would be out of a job..."

After making a small joke, Dumbledore stood up and successfully left the ward before Madam Pomfrey could come over and chase him away.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?"

Madam Pomfrey walked over briskly and pointed to a large basket of odds and ends by Avada's bedside: "These are things your friends brought while you were unconscious. You can take a look for yourself later, but you can't get out of bed yet..."

"Um, when can I expect to be discharged from the hospital?"

"Then we'll have to wait at least another week."

Mrs. Pomfrey earnestly advised, "I understand that you young people always want to be lively and energetic as soon as you wake up from the hospital, and you wish you could play a hundred Quidditch games in a row. But in reality, waking up from a coma only represents the most basic recovery, and is far from being completely cured... This is how the capital of youth is wasted."

"And someone with such a mental injury like you especially needs rest. If it weren't for Headmaster Dumbledore's insistence and his promise that he would only bother you for a short while, I wouldn't have let him in..."

"Can I see my friends? I've been unconscious for a week..."

"No. You've been awake enough today... Here, drink this medicine and go back to sleep."

"...ton ton ton."

……

Two full days later, Madam Pomfrey finally allowed him to get out of bed on his own, but he still couldn't leave the ward—he hadn't eaten for days, drinking only potions and rarely even waking up, so naturally he didn't need to use the restroom. And Baron, Cedric, and Harry were finally allowed by Madam Pomfrey to visit them…

"Offending time, peeping into taboos...it sounds rather mystical."

Baron muttered, resting his chin on his hand, which earned him a nod of agreement from the people around him.

"Actually,"

Even Cedric hesitated before speaking: "Professor Trelawney's reputation has always been somewhat... well, not so good? Almost everyone who has taken her divination class knows that since she took up her post at the school, Professor Trelawney has predicted the deaths of several students every year. However, so far nothing has happened. So there's no need to take it too seriously..."

"Did she predict who would die this week?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"It seems not."

Shabi shook her head.

"No, not at all." Baron confirmed Shabi's words: "However, although she didn't predict the death of any specific person, she kept saying that there would be a great terror this year, and that everyone might die..."

"How could this get even worse?"

"Who says you can't...?"

"Wait a minute."

Seeing that the conversation was about to veer off in an unpredictable direction, Avada quickly stopped them: "I heard that while I was unconscious, some other people also fell into a coma like me? Does any of you know the details?"

(End of this chapter)