Chapter 210: The Patient
Chapter 210: The Patient
Half an hour later, Felix and Madam Longbottom stood in front of an old-fashioned red brick department store. The sign above the entrance read ‘Tao Tao Co., Ltd.,’ and the place looked desolate and abandoned, with a large sign on the dusty door that read “Closed for Renovation.”
Felix was peering through the window, eyeing the few decrepit plastic mannequins inside. One of them was particularly ugly, with a crooked pose, eyelashes stuck to her face, and a green nylon dress.
“I guess this place has never opened for business?” he said, more as a statement than a question.
“Don’t be silly. The Ministry of Magic put a lot of effort into finding a suitable location,” Madam Longbottom said absentmindedly, her hands fidgeting with the drawstrings of a large red bag. “Are you really sure about this, Professor Hep? I’ve been through too many disappointments over the years.”
“I can’t give you a definitive answer, Madam. This is a last-minute compensatory measure, and my request might seem… not entirely humane,” Felix replied.
Madam Longbottom pursed her lips. “You mentioned a magic surge… are you certain it’s safe?”
“Is a magic surge dangerous for young wizards as they grow?” Felix countered.
Madam Longbottom’s expression turned serious. “You’re asking about something I don’t know much about. My experience tells me that every young wizard goes through this stage, and not experiencing it would be worrying. But artificially inducing a magic surge…” She shook her head, seeming to find the idea hard to believe.
Felix explained, “Madam, my constitution might be unique. I’ve experienced more than one magic surge myself, and while the process is uncomfortable, I’ve benefited from it. In fact, I realized its value early on and made some hypotheses. However, this experience is personal and lacks additional evidence. It wasn’t until this summer that I finally encountered a very rare case.”
Madam Longbottom pursed her lips again. “If you can cure… no, I won’t ask for more, but I need Dumbledore to be present. I trust him.”
Felix’s lips curved into a smile. “No problem, Madam.”
Madam Longbottom turned to the particularly ugly mannequin. “I’m here to visit Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom.” The mannequin nodded slightly and gestured for them to enter.
They stepped through the glass window and found themselves in St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Felix found himself in a waiting room and looked around with interest. A dozen or so wizards and witches were seated on creaky wooden chairs, and two healers in green robes were taking notes of their symptoms.
To the left was the reception desk, where a blond woman stood, a long queue forming in front of her. Behind her hung the St. Mungo’s emblem, featuring crossed wands and bones.
The walls were adorned with portraits of healers and various motivational quotes.
At that moment, a middle-aged wizard approached a healer, showing his right hand. A black teapot was clamped onto it, and dark green blood oozed from the wound. He was angrily shouting—
“Can’t you see—cursed, I’ve been cursed—some anonymous birthday gift—don’t let me find out who sent it! Ow—this stupid teapot—” He kept shaking his arms.
“Hold still, you’re making it hard for me to see,” the young healer with a clipboard said, examining him closely. “You need to go to the fifth floor, Spell Damage.”
Felix read the sign: Accidents and Catastrophes—First Floor (cauldron explosions, wand misfires, broom collisions, etc.).
Creatures——Second Floor (Stings, Burns, Imbedded Spikes, etc.);
Diseases——Third Floor (Dragon Pox, Vanishing Sickness, Leukoplakia, etc.);
Potions and Plants——Fourth Floor (Rashes, Nausea, Uncontrollable Laughter, etc.);
Spell Damage——Fifth Floor (Irremovable Spells, Misfired Spells, etc.);
Tea Room and Shop——Sixth Floor.
"We're going to the fifth floor", Mrs. Longbottom told him. They ascended a crooked staircase, arriving at the landing on the fifth floor. They passed several double-door wards until they reached a long room with locked doors.
A healer wearing a floral circlet of gold and silver emerged from the closed ward, smiling and greeting them, "Mrs. Longbottom, here to visit your family? I'll take you in."
"Thank you, Melanie."
Healer Melanie cast "Alohomora", leading them into the room. They walked past several beds and reached the far end, where two beds were curtained off with floral drapes.
She pulled back the curtains, cheerfully saying, "Frank, Alice, your mom is here to see you."
Felix was seeing the Longbottoms for the first time. Both were in their pajamas, their faces gaunt and haggard, their hair half-gray. Neville's father sat listlessly at the head of the bed, as if he could remain there forever, his eyes occasionally flickering. Neville's mother, on the other hand, held a bag of snacks, examining it closely.
Neither of them responded to the healer's words.
"She's just looking at the pictures", the healer explained. "Most of their memories are gone. You should understand."
"Melanie..." Mrs. Longbottom said, "Can you give us some time alone?"
"Of course." She closed the curtains and left.
Mrs. Longbottom approached the bed, taking Neville's mother's hand and gently stroking her dry, brittle hair. "This is one of the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. They age much faster than normal. I'm worried they'll go before me..."
"If you don't mind, ma'am?" Felix asked softly.
"What? Oh, of course. What do you need me to do?" the elderly Mrs. Longbottom asked nervously.
"Nothing at all..." Felix snapped his fingers, and the room spun wildly. Everything twisted and distorted, colors and shapes merging into an abstract painting.
But soon, everything returned to normal, or rather, not quite normal. Felix's expression was grave. He was trying to pull Neville's father into the Mind Chamber, and he partially succeeded—
In his half of the space, there was no issue, but in the other half, it was empty, a shattered world. His vision was filled with a blackness as serene and deep as the cosmos, darker than the thickest ink. Fragments of memories floated in the air, broken and torn like a curtain ripped to shreds.
Felix stood at the edge of the room, gazing at this bizarre scene. Faint, glowing flashes occasionally illuminated scattered images: men and women—
A baby with Xiao Yuan's face, Mrs. Longbottom, several menacing faces, Dumbledore, a man with a false eye, Lupin, a man who looked like an older Potter...
The one who appeared most frequently was a woman with a round, friendly face. She looked young and had a gentle gaze. Even though her appearance had changed, Felix recognized her immediately—Alice Longbottom, sitting on the bed next to him.
(End of Chapter)
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