"Vincent!" Lockhart called out, needing his apprentice's help.
But Crabbe didn't answer.
Everyone turned to look around the ward, searching for the boy. They quickly spotted the tall, chubby kid standing by the window, right next to Professor Lockhart. A thin, white-haired, middle-aged witch in a hospital gown was handing Crabbe a piece of bubblegum. Crabbe swallowed, took it, and gave a shy, goofy smile.
It was Neville's mum, giving little Crabbe some sweets.
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Grandmother Augusta's eyes welled up with tears at the sight.
Uncle Algie, however, had an icy look. He knew this kid; he was the son of Crabbe, one of Malfoy's dimwitted cronies, and he'd even bullied Neville alongside Draco!
"This boy has issues in his head too," Lockhart sighed, shaking his head. "Fortunately, I found he's not bad at heart, just needs guidance. See, he's still got a rather good nature."
In truth, Crabbe was more like an advanced version of the permanently troubled patients in this ward – a bit more intelligent, a bit less bewildered, but still quite similar in his condition.
Algie pursed his lips. "I know, many pureblood families have faced such problems. I won't hold it against a simple-minded boy."
"That's precisely it!"
Lockhart exclaimed, "The magic in their bloodline is overly potent, causing a particular kind of magic to become too active, suppressing the very thought processes that define human behavior. It seems the Cruciatus Curse might not just have negative effects. I suspect it produces some positive effects too, but they've exceeded a threshold."
"???" Algie looked utterly bewildered.
In fact, apart from Snape, everyone else present had no idea what Lockhart was talking about. But their research fields were so different that even Snape couldn't think of much more; he merely had a vague guess about what Lockhart was planning to do next.
"Vincent!" Lockhart called again, finally getting Crabbe's attention.
A month of working together meant Crabbe knew exactly what the professor meant without even thinking. He quickly pulled out his wand and waved it with earnest concentration.
"Soul Bonfire!"
A silent, fiery glow flowed out from his feet, rapidly spreading outwards. The flickering light began to climb the ward walls, reaching the ceiling, until the entire room was filled with this remarkably unique dual-colored flame.
In an instant, everyone felt an incredibly gentle healing power. It was a force that soothed agitated minds and calmed overly turbulent souls. Before long, the dog-headed witch yawned, pulled up her covers, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. The pale, muttering wizard also drifted off to sleep.
A little while later, Neville's parents also settled back into their beds and fell asleep. The people around, Snape's astonishment, the two Healers' awe, Neville's grandmother's grief, and his uncle's suppressed anger, all seemed to be smoothed away. All hatred and aggression temporarily subsided under the 'Soul Bonfire.' This was the protective magic used by the Forest Witches to sleep at night in the dangerous Amazon rainforest; even hungry beasts would calm down and suppress their desire to hunt.
Just then, faint silver light began to surge, like mist, drifting and swirling throughout the ward. A silver horse with wings shimmered within it, adding another layer of 'peace of mind,' making everyone feel an involuntary sense of calm.
Lockhart slowly stepped forward, touching his wand to Neville's father's forehead, closing his eyes and sensing carefully. Crabbe was improving, and naturally, so was he. His Memory Charms no longer required an incantation; using the spell with such mastery meant he knew exactly how to make it perform different functions according to his will.
Everyone watched quietly, and for a moment, the only sound in the ward was soft snoring.
"Yes, yes!" Lockhart murmured, his wand flicking upwards, as he instinctively stepped back. Instantly, silver threads rapidly emerged from Neville's father's forehead, extending and wriggling into the air. These threads seemed alive, moving forward, weaving and surging through the ward.
Snape had seen this before; Lockhart had done something similar to the Death Eater Amycus Carrow. But there was a clear difference now. There was less brutality and strangeness, and more of a smooth, natural feeling. Snape could even sense a magical power from the wriggling silver memories in the air, and a phrase involuntarily popped into his mind – 'opening the mind.'
It wasn't just him; the few other people who were still awake also had this phrase come to mind. This was a manifestation of one's own will influencing and pervading the 'social' sphere through magic, much like how humans involuntarily think 'warmth' when approaching a bonfire in winter. Sometimes, the scene itself carries more information.
"His memories are perfectly fine!" Lockhart gently waved his wand, turning to everyone, explaining his diagnosis. "Especially his memories from after he was admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries; they're all clear, which shows he's clearly aware of his surroundings!"
Lockhart spoke with excitement. "Yes, Severus, your judgment was correct. There's nothing wrong with his soul."
Snape's eyes narrowed. As a wizard with considerable achievements in the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he naturally understood the power of the Memory Charm and realized how preposterous the magic Lockhart was currently performing was.
It touched the soul! Lockhart's Memory Charm actually touched the soul! Such a terrifying depth of penetration! Snape had no doubt that if he were hit by Lockhart's Memory Charm, he might never remember anything about a certain person again, or even feel any emotion towards them.
Terrifying! More terrifying than amnesia. With amnesia, there's still emotion bursting forth from the soul's subconscious. But this kind of touching of memory imprints on the soul would undoubtedly cause someone to lose a part of their life, completely and utterly.
"Let me see his memories of his body since being hospitalized…" Lockhart murmured, gently waving his wand. "Fuzzy, yes, unprecedentedly fuzzy. He clearly remembers his surroundings, but he's forgotten himself!"
Everyone could understand the initial parts of this. But the later analyses became very complex and strange; nobody really knew what he was talking about. Even Snape was a bit lost. What was this 'life fire,' 'soul expression,' and so on?
Finally, as the wand waved again, the silver threads retracted back into Neville's father's forehead. Professor Lockhart then examined others, even the dog-headed witch.
"It's a problem with the magical bloodline!" Lockhart gave the simplest answer. "I won't bore you with the more complex mechanisms; I doubt you'd understand anyway."
He then looked at Snape. "Now, I also have a solution."
Snape nodded. "Speak."
"We need to find a way to suppress their spell-casting ability. I'm not sure how to do that. Do you have any ideas from a Potions perspective?"
He then looked at Neville's grandmother and uncle. The Longbottom family was deeply tied to the Auror profession. "Do the Aurors have any methods for this? Using magical artifacts or spells to turn a wizard into a Squib?"
Uncle Algie frowned. "Prison shackles, but due to historical anti-wizard protests from the Ministry, similar magical artifacts were destroyed. All wizards who mastered that skill were strictly forbidden from touching them. By now, it's unlikely many could be found."
He looked at his mother, who seemed to be deep in thought. Grandmother Augusta was no longer sorrowful, standing straighter, looking at Lockhart with serious concentration. "Are you sure this sort of thing will work?"
Lockhart spread his hands. "In theory, it should be correct, but I can't guarantee it. I can only say there's a good chance. Does the Longbottom family collect these sorts of things?"
Grandmother Augusta shook her head. "Of course not, that's unjust. The Longbottoms wouldn't allow such things to exist. But I understand pureblood families too well. The more strictly something is forbidden, the more likely they are to keep it. You can find things that affect Muggle objects in the Weasley family, and naturally, you'll find anti-wizard items like this in a wicked, rotten family like the Malfoys!"
"I'll find a way to get them!" This old witch was a force to be reckoned with, a powerful witch renowned for her combat skills. She was sure Lucius would be very cooperative.
Lockhart nodded with a peculiar expression, then turned back to Snape. "Are there similar potions?"
"There wouldn't be potions to turn a wizard into a Squib. Ancient wizards or the Order of Merlin might have dabbled in such dark research, but by the time of the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic, they were practically nonexistent." It was an interesting point; no matter how 'evil' pureblood wizards were declared, even Voldemort wouldn't want all other wizards to become Squibs, leaving only himself.
"But there are still other researches that skirt Ministry rules and social opposition…" Snape drawled, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Wolfsbane!"
"Hmm?" Lockhart was taken aback.
"Yes, Wolfsbane. Its power is enough to suppress a wizard's own magic, and even their thoughts…" Snape stroked his chin, seriously considering this direction. "That's a good topic; I'll look into it."
"However…" he shook his head, "your treatment plan would only make them normal people again, but it would also strip them of their rights as wizards!"
Being unable to cast spells would likely drive many wizards to despair. Especially the four people in this ward; ordinary wizards don't have the capacity to make themselves brain-damaged. Even that dog-headed witch was clearly a powerful witch, otherwise, how could she have managed to try to turn herself into a magical creature during an Animagus attempt?
"One step at a time, no need to rush," Lockhart said dismissively. "First, let's get them from intellectually disabled to normal, then we can think about other things."
Yes, this was just the first step. To confirm the characteristics of the magical bloodline. If the Longbottom family or Snape could help him achieve this, then it would help him verify some things.
Voldemort's book, The Unquenchable Fire of Life, would undoubtedly become the authoritative guide for healing the Longbottoms and perhaps even more people!
Hmm, maybe he should ask Tom what he thinks of this book. Perhaps he could offer even more ideas!
Excellent! Lockhart was filled with anticipation.
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