Chapter 247: Magic Surge
Chapter 247: Magic Surge
"What do you want? I told you, any treatment carries risks!" the man's voice said.
"But you gave me your word! What did you say at the time? Everything would be fine—now Frank and Alice have been in a coma for two weeks, and they're coughing up blood", Grandmother's voice said.
"What can I do? Put yourself in my shoes. Those experts in the newspapers are hounding me, and I need to get the trial data as quickly as possible—"
"Trial data? Those are two lives! They are my son and daughter-in-law, and Neville's parents! Felix Hep, you're Neville's teacher!"
Neville's heart felt as if it had been soaked in cold water, devoid of any warmth, and his stomach churned. His fists clenched involuntarily.
The despicable man said, "I wish everything had gone smoothly, but accidents happen. Think about it, they only went from moving corpses to still ones. Not much of a difference, right?"
Neville's eyes turned red, and his teeth ground together. How dare he talk about his parents like that... How dare he!
But Grandmother's sorrowful voice came through, "I beg you, please, just double-check. You're the one who caused this, and you know it best—"
The cruel man said, "Sorry, but because I know it best, I don't want to waste my time."
Grandmother's voice grew firm, "I was wrong to beg you. I'll tell everyone what you've done, expose your actions—"
The man sneered, "Madam, I must remind you that your son and daughter-in-law were already given a death sentence by St. Mungo's. I only tried because I thought it might work. If it had, many people would have thanked me."
"Is that so?" Grandmother's voice was sarcastic, "You care about your reputation, and that's your weakness. But soon, the public will see your true colors, and you'll lose everything."
The man's voice hesitated, "That's true... Reputation is a sweet wine, but also a tempting poison. I'm always drawn to its fragrance. So, how should I deal with you?"
"Memory Charm? Too simple. I have a better idea. To be honest, your constant harassment has been quite annoying. There are some spells I've been eager to try... Cruciatus Curse!"
"No, no..." Neville's eyes widened, his knuckles turned white, and his face was filled with fear. He heard Grandmother hit the ground with a thud, groaning in pain.
"No!"
Rage overwhelmed all his rational thoughts, and the door to the room exploded open.
He saw the two people in the ward. The man's face showed surprise, his wand hand frozen in mid-air. An old woman lay on the ground, her pointed hat lifeless on the floor.
"Grandmother!" Neville ran over, trying to lift her head, but she immediately winced in pain. He stopped, at a loss, and stared at the one responsible, his wand still pointed at her. "Stop! Professor."
"Stop?" The man's face was hidden in shadow, making it impossible to read his expression. "Why?"
Neville looked at him in disbelief, feeling a wave of absurdity that made everything seem unreal, like a dream. "What are you saying? You, you're a professor... Why use that spell?"
"Cruciatus Curse?" The man said, and Neville shuddered. The man laughed softly, "Or Memory Charm? Or... the other two Unforgivable Curses?"
He spoke calmly, as if giving a lesson, "Neville, I have a deep connection with the Unforgivable Curses. I learned these three spells in my school days—Cruciatus Curse, Imperius Curse, and Killing Curse."
"I've always wanted to try them out, but I was too soft-hearted. Now, thinking about it, what spell can't kill? Even Aqua Eructo can."
Neville trembled as he looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Don't look at me like that. You should learn to respect your professor, shouldn't you?" the man said.
"You're not my professor!" Neville shouted, pulling his wand from his pocket and pointing it at him. But in the next second, his wand was snatched away.
"Disarming Charm, Neville. Perhaps you should try being angrier?"
Neville immediately pulled out a second wand from behind him—he always carried two, his father's and his own. His anger made him cast a Stunning Spell silently, but it was deflected with a wave of the man's hand. "Too weak, Neville. You're not angry enough—"
A thin layer of magical barrier flew toward Neville, knocking him back.
Neville got up from the ground, looking at him defiantly.
"I don't like that look in your eyes... so, Cruciatus Curse! Cruciatus Curse!"
Grandmother screamed in pain, and Neville's eyes widened in terror. He threw himself in front of her, but the expected pain didn't come. He didn't have time to process it; he needed to do something, buy some time. Yes, buy some time!
He wanted to see this man arrested, just like those Death Eaters.
Neville's mind raced, working faster than it ever had before: "I believed in you so much... I looked up to you as a role model..."
He recited the most familiar thing he knew, a short story that originated from this man—
"Nar was a clumsy person. Others told him he was clumsy, and over time, he came to believe it himself.
Nar loved to play with clay dolls. He had a natural sensitivity to the properties of different types of clay. He enjoyed watching the black, red, brown, white, and gray clays form into delicate and adorable shapes in his hands.
This hobby brought him comfort, especially when he was sad or upset.
His parents were very busy and rarely spent time with him. Even on the most important occasions like Christmas, they only managed to see him briefly. His greatest wish was for them to spend more time with him."
Neville recited without hesitation, until he noticed the wand on the other side lowering, and his grandmother's deep voice beside him: "Let it go, Mr. Heap, let it go..."
Neville stared blankly as his grandmother got up from the ground, and Professor Heap emerged from the shadows.
A few minutes later—
Neville sat alone, sulking. Madam Longbottom tried to console him, while Felix looked awkwardly at him. "Neville—"
Neville turned his face away, clutching the edge of his clothes tightly.
"Why did you lie to me?" he said angrily.
"It was part of the plan", Madam Longbottom said, "to—"
"Let me explain, Mrs. Longbottom", Felix interjected, looking at Neville. "It started with a ridiculous idea I had when I was a student. I experienced several magic surges, which brought me great benefits. I wondered if it was possible to artificially induce a magic surge..."
"But I never saw an example in anyone else until a few months ago, in Diagon Alley, when I met Potter."
"Harry?" Neville suddenly asked.
"Yes, he was going through a very painful experience at the time, which triggered a magic surge. I convinced him to test it with me... and then I found you. I hypothesized that your magic activity was low when you were young, in other words, it was too inert, which is why you struggled so much with magic..."
"You're the same, right?" Neville said coldly.
"Same as what?" Felix looked at him.
"The magic surge you mentioned", Neville said, his calmness was chilling: "It seems to require a significant stimulus. You were trying to provoke me over and over. So, I ask you, are you the same?"
Felix looked at him calmly, "You're right, I am."
Neville stood up with a stern face, "So, Aunt Melanie's words were also part of your plan? Everything was just an act?"
"No, Neville—" Madam Longbottom said.
Neville looked stubbornly at Felix, "I want you to tell me yourself."
"I didn't plan it, but—" Felix said, "I was there when they were talking."
Neville suddenly said, "I'm going back to my room. I need to be alone for a while." He picked up his backpack from the floor and walked out of the room.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
After a long while, Felix admitted, "For a moment, when he blasted the door open, I thought we had succeeded."
Madam Longbottom said wearily, "Perhaps we shouldn't have started this from the beginning..." She bit her lip, "I held him to too high a standard. I wanted him to be like his father, an Auror, but being ordinary is fine too."
"I don't agree, ma'am. Dumbledore once warned me not to manipulate people's hearts", Felix said, "But who can escape the control of the heart? I don't consider this a failure. We almost succeeded. If we could do it better—"
Madam Longbottom looked at him hesitantly, "Mr. Heap?"
"I don't think there was anything wrong with my approach, from the initial design to—" Felix suddenly stopped. His eyes bulged, and he turned his head to look at the air beside him, as if his gaze had pierced through the space. Then, he ran out of the room, turned the corner, and fixed his gaze on a ward at the end of the corridor.
Felix tapped his forehead. In his black and white vision, a powerful and gentle wave of magic spread from inside, a pure white light without a trace of impurity, challenging his established beliefs.
"What—what is this?" Madam Longbottom followed behind, panicking.
Felix didn't answer. He walked step by step to the Longbottoms' ward, yanked open the door, and saw Neville sobbing in a woman's arms. A man with a gentle expression was holding both the woman and Neville, their fatigue evident, still in their hospital gowns, but their eyes brimmed with love.
Various small trinkets in the room floated in the air, humming softly. The patients in the nearby beds basked in the warm light, providing the best answer to Felix's question.
"Magic surge..." he said, word by word.
(End of Chapter)
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