Chapter 499: Forbidden Forest Treatment
Chapter 499: Forbidden Forest Treatment (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
In the Headmaster's Office, Harry seemed somewhat restless after hearing what Headmaster Dumbledore had just said. However, Professor Dumbledore paid no attention to him and instead stood up, walked around the desk, and passed by Harry.
Harry was startled by Dumbledore's movement and turned around in his chair, curious, to see Dumbledore bending down in front of a cabinet by the door, retrieving the familiar Pensieve. He then opened a nearby golden Rococo-style three-tier storage cabinet and took out one of the densely arranged Crystal Vials. After Dumbledore sat back down and placed both items on the desk, Harry noticed that the vial contained something that looked like silver-white spider silk, slowly swirling inside.
"These are memories", Dumbledore explained, noticing Harry staring at the Crystal Vial on the table. "The cabinet is full of such vials. The one in front of you contains memories of Tom Riddle, which is what I need to show you."
For the next while, Harry and Dumbledore shared Bob Ogden's memories of the Gaunt Family. This was one of the earliest memories related to Voldemort, even predating his birth.
"What exactly is this memory?" Ginny, who had been waiting in the common room with Ron, immediately asked the most crucial question after hearing Harry's brief overview of his lesson.
"Um—okay", Harry thought for a moment and then said, "Professor Dumbledore allowed me to share this with you four because he trusts you. However, you cannot spread this information further. This is a time of war, and you know how important any information involving Voldemort can be."
After seeing Liam and the others nod and swear not to reveal anything, Harry told them what he had seen in the Pensieve. This information left Ron and the others, who had been unaware of these details, completely shocked.
"He's not a Pureblood?" Ron was stunned by the fact that Voldemort, who always demanded pure Wizard blood, was not a Pureblood Wizard himself.
"It's very common", Liam said, but only Harry and Hermione understood his reference. "Just like the joke about World War II Germany: What is a pure Aryan? As tall as Xxx, as handsome as XX, with blond hair and blue eyes."
"The most disgusting part is the Gaunt Family's sick obsession with blood purity and clan legacy", Hermione said with a look of disgust. "They practiced Pharaonic Incest, which led to increasing genetic defects. No wonder the clan became so irrational and their wealth was depleted. Of course, Slughorn was right to consider Amortentia one of the most dangerous Elixirs. Just look at what Merope gained from using that Elixir."
After discussing their insights on the Gaunt Family, they focused on Voldemort's birth. It was clear from this family history that Voldemort's cruelty and restlessness might partly stem from genetic factors. Liam thought that the role of the last descendant of an ancient family was a common trope for protagonists, and the subsequent mourning behavior further reinforced this. However, such villains often appeared as the final boss for the hero.
"He might need a Frost's Sorrow", Liam muttered quietly, but Hermione overheard him. "What did you say?"
"I was just saying it's already half past ten, and we need to get some rest. We have a lot of homework to do tomorrow", Liam said, pointing to the grandfather clock in the corner.
"Oh, Merlin, we have so much homework over the weekend. We should talk about this tomorrow", Ron said, slapping his forehead. At that moment, Ginny yawned. They all wished each other goodnight and dispersed to their respective dormitories to rest.
After slipping into bed in the dark dormitory, Liam entered the Emerald Dream. He had thought of a way to continue treating the Werewolves during school hours, but he needed to discuss it with the Centaurs. Today was the day they were supposed to give their response.
Shortly after arriving at the designated location in the Emerald Dream, the sound of crisp hoofbeats echoed through the air. Aunt Betty, clad in a simple white linen robe, emerged from the forest. When she stopped, Liam noticed a radiant smile on her face. From the look of it, he felt confident that things would go well.
Sure enough, Aunt Betty's news was excellent. She told Liam that during the communication ritual she held in the village, the natural world had responded positively to the idea of transforming the evil, unnatural Werewolves into a part of nature. Therefore, Liam could use the Sacred Grove near the Centaur Village for his healing ceremony.
The next day, after lunch, Liam and Hermione took a walk by the lake. Once they were sure no one was around, Liam opened a portal and released the puppets he had used in Russia, letting Rose Crystal control them as they strolled by the lake. Meanwhile, he used the cover to head straight for the Forbidden Forest.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in two hours at most", Liam said to Hermione before using Imperial Apparition to transport himself to the riverbank near the Centaur Village. From there, he walked in. Fortunately, Hogwarts' magical monitoring and anti-Apparition arrays only extended to the outer grounds of the school, not into the Forbidden Forest. This allowed Liam to reach the Centaur village as quickly as possible. This was the core of his treatment plan: performing the healing outside the castle's magical influence, where the environment near the Centaur Village could provide the necessary magic power.
What he hadn't expected was that after Aunt Betty communicated with nature, the Centaurs had allowed him to use the Sacred Grove, the area with the best magical environment near the village, for the treatment.
"You don't need to feel uncomfortable", Wolf said as he greeted Liam. "Completing your magical ritual in the Sacred Grove means that every Centaur in our village will have contributed to transforming the Werewolves from twisted, evil, unnatural beings into natural beings. Nature will bless us, and we will benefit from it."
Liam felt relieved. It was always unsettling to receive one-sided benefits, but mutual benefits would sustain the friendship. When they arrived at Wolf's home, they found Lupin waiting with a middle-aged Werewolf who had a beard.
The treatment began. Liam set up the portable Alchemical Array in the Sacred Grove and started the procedure. With his previous experience, he completed all the steps within an hour. He also noticed that performing the ritual in such a richly natural environment felt smoother overall.
Next, the newly transformed Werewolf, led by Lupin, spent some time adapting to his new body. Fortunately, it only took about half an hour to complete everything. While the new Werewolf and Wolf went off to enjoy the forest, Liam began to ask Lupin about recent developments.
"Everything is going well. All the work is on track. I've been teaching the Werewolves magic along with the Witch who graduated from Beauxbatons. Most of them haven't received proper magical education, so their knowledge is quite fragmented. They are proficient in some offensive and defensive magic, but they have little to no knowledge of many common Wizard spells and skills. There's a lot they need to learn. But they are all very dedicated. The successful treatments have given them hope, and they are all eager to learn."
"Indeed, as long as there's hope, everything will get better", Liam sighed after hearing Lupin's words.
(End of Chapter)
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