The breakthrough in identifying the core nature of the Maledictus curse opened a floodgate of new, focused research. The Room of Requirement transformed further, its vast space now containing not just a library and laboratory, but also anatomical charts of magical nervous systems, complex arithmantic models of energy flow, and alchemical arrays shimmering with contained power.
Their work became a three-pronged assault on the problem. Hermione, with her encyclopedic knowledge, became the "Conduit Theorist," researching ancient runes, magical siphoning, and the history of soul-magic transference. She poured over texts describing how magical energy could be drawn, contained, and moved, looking for a safe and stable way to create a one-way street for the curse to travel.
Daphne, with her deep understanding of pure-blood history and genetics, became the "Lineage Analyst." She meticulously traced the Greengrass family tree and, through correspondence with other old families, began to map the occurrences of the Maledictus curse through generations. She discovered patterns—the curse often lay dormant for centuries before re-emerging, its virulence seemingly tied to the overall magical strength of the host generation.
Ariana, however, was the "Primary Surgeon." Her focus was on the central, critical problem: how to safely detach the parasitic curse from the host's magical core without causing catastrophic damage.
"The curse is like a deeply embedded splinter in the soul," she explained one evening, gesturing to the swirling, projected image of Astoria's magical signature. "If we simply try to pull it out, we will tear the soul itself. The host would be left a husk, magically and spiritually crippled. That is likely why all previous attempts at a magical cure have failed. They have been too brutal, too direct."
She spent days in deep meditation, her mind navigating the complex, interwoven tapestry of Astoria's magical and physical being. She analyzed the "latch," the point of connection where the dark thread of the curse integrated with the flaw in the host's cellular magic. It was a neurological connection as much as a magical one, a feedback loop where the physical body and the magical core were in a constant, toxic conversation.
"We need to interrupt the conversation," she murmured, a new idea beginning to form. "We need to put the host's magic to sleep."
Hermione looked up from a dusty grimoire. "Put it to sleep? How?"
"In the Muggle world," Ariana said, her past-life knowledge bubbling to the surface, "surgeons use anesthesia. A chemical compound that temporarily suppresses the central nervous system, allowing them to perform invasive procedures without the patient experiencing the trauma of the pain. The body is still being cut, but the brain does not register it. The memory of the pain is not created."
Her eyes lit up with a sudden, brilliant insight. "That's what we need. Not a chemical anesthetic, but a magical one. A state of magical anesthesia."
Daphne looked confused. "But how would that work? Magic is life for us."
"We are not trying to suppress life," Ariana explained, her mind racing as she worked through the theory. "We are trying to temporarily retract it. Most magic a wizard performs is external—spells, charms, transfigurations. But the core itself is an internal power source. What if we could develop a technique, a potion or a meditative state, that causes all of a person's magic to recede, to pull back from the periphery of their body and consolidate entirely within their core for a short, controlled period?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she grasped the concept. "If the magic pulls back, it would retreat from the 'latch' point!"
"Precisely," Ariana affirmed. "The curse would be left clinging to a connection point that has gone dormant. For a moment, it would be… untethered. It would be hungry, searching for the magical energy it needs to survive."
The final piece of the plan clicked into place with stunning clarity. "And in that moment of searching," Ariana continued, her voice filled with a quiet, fierce excitement, "we present it with a more attractive, more accessible food source."
She pointed to Hermione's notes on runic siphoning. "We create an external conduit. A runic array, drawn on the body, leading away from the latch point. At the end of that conduit, we place a containment vessel."
"Like what?" Daphne asked.
"Something simple," Ariana mused. "Something magically absorbent but fundamentally neutral. A piece of prepared parchment. A specially treated crystal. We draw the curse out, along the runic path, and into the object. The curse, desperate for energy, will follow the path of least resistance and embed itself in the new host material."
"And then you seal it," Hermione breathed, her mind alight with the possibilities. "A runic seal on the parchment, trapping the curse inside!"
"Exactly," Ariana said. "We don't destroy the curse; we transplant it. We lure the tumor out of the patient and trap it in a petri dish. Once it is isolated, we can study it, and eventually, find a way to destroy it safely, without harming the original host."
It was a plan of breathtaking elegance and audacity. It combined ancient runic magic, advanced alchemical theory, and a core principle borrowed from modern Muggle surgery. It was a fusion of worlds, a type of thinking that had never been attempted before.
The challenges were still immense. They would need to develop the "magical anesthetic" from scratch, a process that would involve incredibly complex potion-work and meditation techniques. They would need to design the perfect runic conduit, one that was powerful enough to attract the curse but stable enough not to shatter under its dark energy. And the timing of the procedure would have to be flawless, executed in the brief window where the host's magic was fully retracted.
But for the first time, they had more than a theory. They had a procedure. A tangible, step-by-step plan that could, if they were skilled and brave enough, lead to a cure for an ancient, incurable curse.
The three girls looked at each other in the quiet, magical light of their secret room. The weight of what they were attempting was enormous, but it was overshadowed by the fierce, brilliant light of possibility. They were no longer just students. They were pioneers on the very cutting edge of magical science, and they were about to attempt the impossible.