Chapter 476: The Obliviation Curse
Chapter 476: The Obliviation Curse
Wade didn’t consider himself forgetful. In fact, his memory was much better than in his previous life and better than most of his classmates.
Barty Crouch Jr. assisting Voldemort’s resurrection was not a trivial matter, far more significant than the marionettes and the invitation.
So why did he keep forgetting his purpose?
Wade was about to leave with a newspaper in hand when he suddenly stopped, turning to look at the girl on the sofa, her expression always a bit dazed.
“Luna, can you do me a favor?” Wade said.
“Sure!” Luna marked her place in her book, closed it, and put it back on the common room’s bookshelf. “What do you need?”
“Come with me to the headmaster’s office. When we see Dumbledore, remind me to show him the newspaper in my pocket.”
Wade explained slowly, fearing that he might veer off into an unrelated topic before he finished speaking.
Faced with such an unusual request, Luna stared at Wade with her light eyes for a moment before saying, “Got it.”
She put on her coat and walked out of the common room with Wade. On the way, she mumbled, “Are you being haunted by a Morpha?”
“Morpha?”
“It consumes human memories, but usually only the painful ones. You must have encountered a greedy one.”
Luna stated confidently, “If you read more of The Quibbler, you’d know how to drive away a Morpha. I remember there’s a simple spell for it.”
She tilted her head, frowning as she tried to recall a spell that might or might not be real.
“The Quibbler?” Wade laughed. “I think I’ll subscribe to it.”
“Really?” Luna asked excitedly. “I’ll write down the subscription address and payment method for you when I get back!”
“Thanks.”
Wade wasn’t really interested in finding the spell to deal with the Morpha; he just thought The Quibbler was like those unsolved mysteries and sci-fi magazines, perfect for passing the time.
By the time they reached the third floor, a corridor leading to the main building and the headmaster’s tower, they ran into Theo and Lestrange. The two of them waved happily, “Wade, let’s go to the Great Hall for dinner!”
Wade glanced at the time and agreed readily, “Sure!”
Luna looked at Wade in surprise as he walked over to his friends, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of his robe.
“Luna?” Wade turned back, puzzled.
“The headmaster’s office,” Luna asked. “—Aren’t we going?”
“Going where… Oh!”
Wade suddenly remembered, bid farewell to Theo and Lestrange, and walked with Luna toward the headmaster’s office. He apologized, “Sorry, I almost forgot about this.”
“It’s fine,” Luna said.
“Um, can I ask you something?” Wade said. “Why are you seeing Dumbledore?”
Luna’s eyes widened as she looked at him, then she sighed deeply without a word.
Wade was confused, “What’s wrong? Is it serious?”
“It’s very serious…” Luna murmured. “I’ll find that magazine for you when I get back…”
“For me?”
Wade didn’t quite understand, but he knew Luna often acted this way, so he didn’t press her. Instead, he pondered in his mind.
The magazine… Morpha… consuming memories…
Right, wasn’t it he who invited Luna to come to the headmaster’s office?
Why was he going there again?
Wade furrowed his brow, struggling to remember.
...
“Mint Candy!”
The stone gargoyle reluctantly stepped aside.
The spiral staircase began to move upward.
“Knock, knock.” Luna tapped the door knocker.
“Come in,” Dumbledore said, and the door opened silently.
Seeing Wade enter his office for the third time, Dumbledore immediately sensed something was amiss. He walked over quickly, his expression serious, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s not a big deal, but I think it’s important for the future of the school, and even the wizarding world.”
Wade walked in, pulled out a chair, and sat down, gesturing for Luna to do the same. Then he said, “Professor, I believe the school lacks a course that cultivates students’ thoughts, morals, or values.”
“Knowledge alone is not enough for a student’s growth. More importantly, it’s about how to use the power of knowledge and for what purpose.”
He glanced at Luna beside him, nodded to himself, and continued, “The unhealthy competition between houses, bullying among students, blood status discrimination, and certain professors’ biases and unfairness—these things do not make students better people. They only exacerbate conflicts, create divisions, and even hatred.”
Dumbledore nodded slightly. "You raise a valid point, but eradicating discrimination and hatred is bound to be a long process. The maze activity is a good attempt, but the changes it brings are not easily noticeable."
"So, I think the school should take a more proactive approach to change things."
Ved said, "For example, professors should tell students what behaviors are correct and which are foolish and wrong. We could also hold some mental sharing sessions where everyone can directly exchange their thoughts."
"Why not?" Dumbledore smiled at Ved, pleased. "Perhaps starting next semester, we can organize such events... I have a good reason for it."
He blinked, a mysterious smile on his face.
Ved guessed he was referring to the Triwizard Tournament but didn't press the issue. He stood up and said, "I'll refine my ideas when I get back... These were just my spontaneous thoughts. If we really want to implement them, we need a more comprehensive plan."
"Of course. I believe that when you return to school in September, you'll surprise me. I'm proud of your effort and foresight, regardless of the outcome. But Ved—"
Dumbledore looked at him intently, his tone gentle. "You didn't come to me just to suggest these spontaneous ideas, did you?"
"There must be another reason why you keep coming here, wanting to tell me something... Think carefully, what do you really want to say?"
Ved: "..."
He was taken aback, feeling something was off. He frowned, trying to recall.
Different scenes flashed through his mind: walking down the corridors... talking to Theo and Lestrange... the aroma of food from the Great Hall... Morpha... Ravenclaw Tower... Luna looking up and saying, "What do you need me to do?"... pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket...
At this point, Ved noticed Dumbledore's gaze on him was unusually cautious, as if he were a patient with a hidden illness. This made Ved inexplicably angry.
Just as he was about to speak, his robes twitched—Luna reached into Ved's pocket, took out a newspaper, and handed it to Dumbledore.
"He wanted to show you this newspaper", Luna said in a distant, sad voice. "Please don't blame Ved. He's been haunted by a memory-devouring creature, which is why he keeps losing his memory."
Dumbledore took the newspaper and discovered it was an old report. He adjusted his glasses and read it carefully.
Ved looked at the newspaper, his eyes filled with confusion and realization.
Luna gazed at him with pity and consoled, "Ved, if your mind is damaged and you're not as smart as before, don't be sad—there's a reason for everything in life."
Ved sighed, "Thank you, Luna. But I don't think my mind is the problem. I think I've been hit by some strange magic."
He walked over to Dumbledore, his eyes fixed on the face in the newspaper. Ved realized that only by looking at this face could he prevent the sudden loss of memories related to this person.
"This is what I wanted to tell you, Professor Dumbledore", Ved said seriously. "During the Divination exam, I saw this person in the crystal ball—Barty Crouch Jr."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Miss Lovegood, dinner should have started. You should go to the Great Hall and eat. Oh, the roasted lamb tonight is tender and juicy; don't miss it."
"Okay." Luna glanced at the two of them, stood up, and left the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore then asked, "Ved, what did you see him doing?"
"He was holding a baby with a snake's face and red, glowing eyes." Ved recounted honestly. "When I saw that baby, I felt that he was... he was..."
"Voldemort."
As Ved faltered, Dumbledore completed the thought, speaking the name both had already connected.
Then, Dumbledore rubbed his throat and his head, slowly saying, "Indeed, that is quite peculiar."
"What’s strange, Professor?" Ved asked.
Then, he saw Dumbledore gently waving his wand as if conducting an orchestra, muttering a long incantation in a foreign language. Suddenly, many slender, mist-like golden rays filled the room.
After a while, the golden threads almost filled the entire space. They suddenly converged inward, and Ved instinctively took a step back. But the dense golden threads had already wrapped around him and then vanished.
Similarly, some golden threads also disappeared from Dumbledore, momentarily making his beard shimmer with gold.
Then, Ved felt as if a veil had been lifted from his mind. He instantly remembered all the information about Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr., as well as his own hazy and confused behavior, as if he had been drinking counterfeit alcohol.
At the same time, he also recalled what Professor Morrie had said—
"Legend has it that some magical items can even influence the thoughts of the entire world."
"Was my mind influenced, Professor?" Ved asked. "Did someone silently cast a curse on me?"
"I don’t think it was deliberately aimed at you, Ved", Dumbledore said. "Even I was affected to some extent. I’m confident that no one could cast a curse on me without my noticing it."
Ved asked, "So this is..."
"This is likely a spell targeting the entire world, or at least all of Britain—a memory alteration curse."
Dumbledore explained, "Voldemort didn’t want anyone to discover his attempts at resurrection, so he cast a very powerful and widespread spell. The more you focus on anything related to him, the faster the memories are forgotten, and it can even interfere with unrelated thoughts."
"No wonder my memory seemed to be getting worse, and I even forgot that I was the one who wanted to find you, not Luna..." Ved muttered. "But... is such a spell even possible?"
"Voldemort might be the world’s most skilled curse-caster. However, even with his resurrection, he couldn’t achieve this on his own."
Dumbledore said casually, "I believe he must have used some dangerous artifacts... Coincidentally, I received a message recently that the Department of Mysteries’ Brain Room was broken into..."
Ved, looking at Dumbledore’s expression, said, "Professor, you don’t seem worried at all. Do you have a way to completely remove this spell?"
"If it’s just to shield individuals from its effects, yes, I can", Dumbledore said. "But to completely remove the spell, it would be very difficult unless the caster is killed."
Just as Ved was feeling a bit worried, he heard Dumbledore chuckle and say, "Moreover, why remove it at all?"
"Professor?"
"Think about it, Ved", Dumbledore encouraged, looking at him. "This spell isn’t as terrifying as it seems. It’s a double-edged sword, and the other edge is pointed at Voldemort himself."
Ved left the headmaster’s office with a lingering doubt. As he walked down the corridor and saw the students walking together, chatting and laughing, he suddenly understood what Dumbledore meant.
A terrifying enemy lurking in the shadows, with everyone unknowingly forgetting his threat, giving him ample time to develop, was indeed unsettling.
But on the other hand, such a broad and indiscriminate spell probably couldn’t precisely bypass certain people, like the Death Eaters.
Voldemort was an ambitious and power-hungry man. From his student days, he had gathered a group of followers around him, and even after becoming the Dark Lord and his resurrection, he had a large number of loyalists.
Although many of these followers were traitors, cowards, brutes, and lunatics, Voldemort didn’t care or trust them. He continuously recruited wizards into the Death Eaters, controlling them with brutal methods to achieve his goal of transcending death and dominating the magical world.
But suppose... suppose when the resurrected Voldemort confidently summoned his followers, the Death Eaters had completely forgotten their "master" due to the spell...
If he tried to rally dangerous creatures like werewolves, giants, Dementors, and Acromantulas, would they still be loyal and follow him?
Realizing why Dumbledore had laughed, Ved now found himself starting to smile.
(End of Chapter)
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