Chapter 563: Rescue
Chapter 563: Rescue
When Liam arrived at the Great Hall, Hermione was waiting for him at the entrance. The Phoenix Mark was indeed very useful, allowing two bearers to stay in constant contact. Even a place as filled with defensive magic as Hogwarts Castle couldn't block the connection between two mark bearers.
"How was today's practice?" Liam asked as they walked into the Great Hall together.
"Everything went smoothly", Hermione replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "You should trust our current level in this area. Whether it's Apparating directly into the castle or to Marseille, we have no problems. Apparating within Hogsmeade is just too simple for me."
But not everyone in the training was as calm as Hermione. As Liam and the others approached the table, they could hear Ron's excited voice from a distance. "I succeeded—well, almost. We were supposed to Apparate to the outside of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, but I overshot a bit and ended up near The Three Broomsticks. But at least I moved!"
When they got closer, Liam saw that Harry was already seated at the table, and Ron had just been talking to him. Upon noticing Liam and the others, Harry and Ron immediately invited them to sit down. Once Liam was settled, Harry asked curiously, "Where were you earlier? I didn't see you in the castle."
"Oh, I went for a walk by the Black Lake. I also discussed some Study Group matters with Luna", Liam replied frankly. After hearing the specific questions Luna had asked, Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Not many people would think to ask those questions. I suspect Luna is the only one besides me in the Study Group who would."
"Your synchronicity is truly astonishing!" Liam said, scooping a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "I find it hard to understand how two people with such different personalities can agree on so many things."
"It's not about agreement", Hermione shook her head seriously. "Actually, I'm quite puzzled myself. How does Luna manage to always choose the right option based on intuition, which I can only reach through careful analysis?"
"Perhaps it's destiny", Liam said with a slightly mystical tone, recalling J.K. Rowling's comment in an interview. Luna is "Hermione's opposite." This doesn't mean Hermione is uninteresting, but she relies entirely on common sense and rationality, while Luna is like a fairy from a fairy tale.
"Are you talking about Loony?" Ron asked, looking somewhat bewildered. This question reminded Liam that it was impolite to discuss others behind their backs, so he quickly changed the subject. "Harry, what were you up to earlier?"
"Roaming around the castle, and—" Harry glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping before lowering his voice. "Thinking about how to get that memory from Professor Slughorn. Oh, and I ran into Lupin in the corridor. He was holding hands with Tonks."
"Really?" Ron immediately perked up, his curiosity piqued. "That's great! They've finally gotten together. Last year, when Tonks and Lupin visited our house, it was painful to see them so in love but unable to be together due to external reasons. It seems Lupin has finally come to his senses this year."
"It seems so", Harry agreed, a smile spreading across his face. "They came because Tonks couldn't bear being separated from Lupin any longer. She wanted to quit her job and move to Northern Europe to be with him. But after Dumbledore's persuasion, she decided to stay as an Auror for a while longer and will go north after things calm down."
"Damn this war", Hermione muttered, her voice low. The others around the table shared her sentiment. Life would be so much better without the war.
For the next while, Harry kept trying to figure out a way to get Professor Slughorn to hand over that memory. The problem was that Harry knew he only had one chance, so he wouldn't act without being absolutely sure.
Time passed quickly. Soon, summer arrived in Scotland. Clear blue skies began to appear over the castle towers, but these signs of summer did little to improve Harry's mood. He had neither managed to uncover what Malfoy was up to nor had a chance to talk to Slughorn alone to get the memory that seemed to have been hidden for decades.
During this period, everyone was very busy. Ron was preparing for his Apparition exam, while Liam and Hermione were almost always occupied with their research, except for their evening rest and class time.
In this transitional period between spring and summer, Liam and Hermione continuously advanced their understanding of the rules. With the war now in full swing, they needed to enhance their combat abilities as quickly as possible. Studying the rules was a crucial part of this process. If they couldn't break through their current level in this area, they would never reach the level of Voldemort or Headmaster Dumbledore, let alone achieve their goals in this war. Therefore, whenever they had free time, they would head to the Alchemy Laboratory to continue their research. Naturally, this made it difficult for others to find them.
However, the brutal war outside soon affected the school. One Friday afternoon, after all the classes had ended, Liam was about to go to the Laboratory to continue his research with Hermione as usual. As they were walking down the corridor, he suddenly felt a slight vibration from a silver wolf-head tie clip attached to his school uniform.
"Is it—Lupin?" Liam took out the tie clip and frowned. He then turned a corner at a nearby junction to a deserted corridor and opened the communicator, while Hermione stood by the corridor to keep watch.
"Professor Lupin, what's happened?" Liam asked the wolf head on the tie clip. "Is someone injured, or has the Manor been discovered by the Death Eaters? How is everyone?"
"Nothing that bad has happened, and everyone is fine", the wolf head's mouth opened, and Lupin's voice came through. "But we have no other options. A five-year-old boy has been bitten by a Werewolf and is severely injured. St. Mungo's can't do anything for him; they can only watch him die. Our only hope now is to use this emergency contact to find you and see if you can help the boy."
"Is the injured child still at St. Mungo's?" Liam seemed hesitant. At this moment, saving the child was the top priority, and other details could wait.
The problem was that even if he didn't consider the potential trouble that might arise from exposing certain things, the magic items and alchemy equipment needed for the treatment were not available at St. Mungo's. Even with Liam's advanced magical skills and the ability to neutralize the Werewolf's toxins, he couldn't provide help without proper preparation. So he asked the most important question.
"He has been taken home by his mother because St. Mungo's can't cure him", Lupin said, his voice tinged with resignation. "Clark, the oldest former Auror among us, has a good relationship with the child's parents from his time at the Ministry of Magic. After being asked by the parents, he convinced them to bring the child back home."
"Convinced them with just words? Aurors are that persuasive?" Liam found it hard to believe.
"No, it wasn't just words", Lupin paused for a moment before continuing. "Clark gave the child some of the Elixir of Life you provided for protection. While it couldn't cure the Lycanthropy Poison, it at least stopped the child's condition from worsening."
"That's fine; those elixirs are meant to save lives", Liam understood why Lupin had felt uncomfortable. He must have thought that the Elixirs he had given to the combat team were precious and that using them on others might be inappropriate. But Liam didn't see it that way. The ingredients for the Elixir of Life were Sunlight Crystals, which weren't valuable to him. He had only given a small amount to Lupin and the others out of caution, which might have caused a misunderstanding.
"Tell me where the child is, and I'll come over immediately." After saying this, Liam quickly heard Lupin mention a location and immediately ran in the direction of the Headmaster's Office.
(End of Chapter)
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