Chapter 532 – The Backbone of the Heart!!
"Dumbledore… is she?"
Mrs. Weasley stood up, confusion clearly written on her face.
Dumbledore laughed softly.
"This is the one I mentioned to you," he said.
"A friend. After hearing my request again, she agreed to come immediately.
"Darren, come here. This is the psychiatrist I found for you. I don't think you'll use the Obliviate Charm on Luna again, will you?"
He spoke lightly, even cheerfully.
Darren froze.
After a moment, he shook his head and said calmly,
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. There's really nothing wrong with me.
"What I said before was said in a hurry. Once I heard my brother's wand was safe, I was already fine."
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding… ]
"It's serious," Luna said in her airy voice.
"There were many, many disturbing presences around him. They were surrounding him."
…Disturbing presences?
Darren was speechless.
If she meant those people staring at him every minute, then maybe she wasn't wrong.
"Nonsense!" Hermione stood up angrily.
"I admit Darren's mental state isn't good right now.
"But he should be treated by a real psychiatrist—not her! She's just a Ravenclaw student!"
Many people looked at Hermione in surprise.
Only Dumbledore looked thoughtful.
"Whether it works or not," Dumbledore said calmly,
"let her try."
He raised his hand, signaling the end of the argument.
Then he turned to Luna.
"Just try the way you treated the unicorn that day. I found it remarkable myself.
"I originally planned to wait until school started before asking you to help Darren. But I can't rest easy now.
"We can't keep staring at him or stunning him forever."
Dumbledore's tone grew serious.
Luna nodded.
Then she happily walked up to Darren, took his hand, and said,
"Not here. Let's go to a room."
…Wait.
That escalated fast.
Darren suddenly felt short of breath.
A flood of very questionable scenes flashed through his mind—
the kind that lasted more than two hours, with very specific plot details.
"Darren…"
Luna gently clapped her hands.
Darren almost thought he was in the wrong genre—
When the system's voice abruptly interrupted him.
[Ding, hypnosis detected.
Do you wish to spend 1,000 Holy Father values to counteract hypnosis?
Please select which emotions you wish Luna to perceive.
Note: Luna requires emotional awareness to guide behavior. Uploading strong emotions may attract attention.]
…Damn it.
The atmosphere was completely ruined.
Darren also realized that he was standing still, head lowered, lips unconsciously forming a faint smile that absolutely did not match the situation.
Luna was still holding his hand.
If it weren't for the system's warning, things might have gone very wrong—
right in front of everyone.
Still…
The relaxation was real.
This hypnosis… honestly…
If only it were after marriage—stop, stop!
Darren forcefully cleared his mind.
[Use it. Upload grief, pain, and fear—fabricated.]
The Holy Father values were deducted almost instantly.
Immediately, Darren felt his body move forward against his will.
Luna was guiding him.
She pulled him gently into her arms, resting his face against her shoulder, and whispered softly:
"You can cry. Cry it all out. Everything will become beautiful."
…Cry?
Darren internally panicked.
How was he supposed to cry on command?
But the next second, he was shocked.
Under Luna's guidance, his expression twisted with genuine pain.
Tears poured out uncontrollably.
Large drops fell one after another.
Even Darren himself was startled.
"He's been suppressing too much pain," Luna said quietly, looking toward Hermione.
"He needs to cry—to release everything.
"That's what I did for the unicorn. Headmaster Dumbledore saw it, and thought I might help Darren too."
Hermione looked utterly stunned.
To her, this seemed completely unscientific.
Even in the wizarding world, this bordered on the miraculous.
Of course, emotional comfort magic existed—but none of them could sense Darren's emotions so precisely, nor guide him so gently into acceptance.
Luna could.
That made them feel both amazed—and relieved.
Even Darren himself felt incredibly comfortable.
The exhaustion of sleepless nights, constant vigilance, and being watched nonstop for days seemed to drain away.
Even the oppressive feeling of being monitored eased significantly.
So… Luna really had this effect?
Once the crying finally stopped, Darren immediately put on an embarrassed expression.
As if only now realizing everyone was watching, he looked at Dumbledore and said awkwardly:
"Headmaster… am I causing trouble again?"
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding… ]
"What are you saying?" Moody growled.
"You almost ran away with Harry.
"If we hadn't been cautious, you'd already be charging toward You-Know-Who—either dying together or being killed!"
Mrs. Weasley shot him a sharp glare.
"Darren is doing fine now. Don't talk to him like that.
"It's not his fault. He's only fifteen!"
"Yes, I know," Moody snapped back.
"But Darren is not an ordinary child.
"He is our backbone.
"Whether you admit it or not, many of our plans rely on Darren—at least one or two key levels depend on him.
"Even if Dumbledore weren't here, those fighting on the front lines would still need Darren's presence.
"No one can deny this.
"That's why his importance is obvious—and he needs to understand the responsibility he carries."
The room fell silent.
Mrs. Weasley's face turned pale.
She kept saying Darren was still a child—
But even she knew that this child had already faced countless battles.
Many who had joined the Order of the Phoenix did so after witnessing Darren's combat power.
Aside from Dumbledore himself, Darren was their golden standard.
As long as Darren stood there, people believed the place was safe.
As long as Darren hadn't fallen, hope remained.
Someone who could already be compared—
to Voldemort… and to Dumbledore himself.