allendalepharm Chapter 180 This is only the first step
Chapter 180 This is only the first step
Chapter 180 This is just the first step
"Vincent!" Lockhart ordered; he needed the apprentice's help.
But Crabbe did not respond.
This drew everyone's attention to the ward, as they searched for the child.
Everyone quickly spotted the tall, chubby boy next to Professor Lockhart.
Standing by the window, a middle-aged, thin witch with a full head of white hair, dressed in a hospital gown, was handing Crab a piece of chewing gum. Crab swallowed hard, took it, and gave a somewhat awkward, sheepish smile.
Neville's mother gave little Crabbe candy.
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Grandmother Augusta exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the scene unfold.
Uncle Algi, however, had a cold look in his eyes. He knew that this child was Crabbe, one of Malfoy's foolish henchmen, and that he had even bullied Neville with Draco!
"This kid has some issues with his head too," Lockhart sighed and shook his head. "Fortunately, I've discovered he's not a bad person at heart, he just needs guidance. Look, he retains a very good nature."
In fact, Crabbe is more like an advanced version of those patients in this ward who have permanent brain problems, with more wisdom and less understanding, but the situation is still somewhat similar.
Algi pursed his lips. "I know that many pure-blood families have this problem. I won't hold a grudge against a silly child."
"That's the problem!"
Lockhart sighed in admiration, "The excessive abundance of magical blood has caused a certain special kind of magic to become overactive."
"It suppresses the thought processes and expressions required for human behavior. It seems the Cruciatus Curse probably has more than just negative effects; I suspect it produced some positive effects, just exceeding a certain threshold."
"???" Algi said he didn't understand.
In fact, apart from Snape, no one else present could understand what Lockhart was saying. However, their different research areas prevented Snape from figuring out more. He only had a vague guess about what Lockhart was going to do next.
"Vincent!" Lockhart called out again, finally drawing Crabbe's attention.
This month's cooperation allowed Crabbe to almost instinctively understand the professor's meaning, and he quickly drew his wand, waving it earnestly.
"Soul Fire!"
Silent flames flowed, spreading rapidly from his feet to the surroundings. The flickering light began to climb along the walls of the ward and up to the roof, eventually filling the entire room with this unique two-tone flame.
In an instant, everyone felt an extremely gentle healing power.
That was the power to soothe the restless heart and calm the overly turbulent soul. Before long, the dog-headed witch yawned, pulled the blanket over herself, lay down on the hospital bed, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. The ashen-faced, muttering wizard also fell asleep.
A little while later, Neville's parents also went back to bed and fell asleep.
The surrounding people—Snape's astonishment, the two healers' amazement, Neville's grandmother's grief, and her uncle's suppressed anger—were all calmed down.
All hatred and attacks will be temporarily quelled under the 'Soul Campfire,' a protective magic used by the forest witch to sleep at night in the dangerous Amazon rainforest. Even hungry beasts will calm down and suppress their hunting desires.
Just then, faint silver light surged and rippled through the ward like mist, with a winged silver horse appearing and disappearing within it, further enhancing the 'peace of mind' and bringing a sense of tranquility.
Lockhart slowly stepped forward, placed his wand on Neville's forehead, closed his eyes, and carefully felt the sensation.
Crabbe is making progress, and so is he.
Now his Oblivion Spell no longer requires chanting. He is so adept at using this magic that he knows exactly how to make it work differently according to his own will.
Everyone watched this scene in silence, and for a moment, the only sound in the ward was the faint snoring.
"Yes, yes!"
Lockhart murmured, flicking his wand upwards and taking a step back. As time passed, silver threads rapidly emerged from Neville's forehead, wriggling and extending into the air.
These threads seemed to move forward as if they were alive, intertwining and surging in the ward.
This wasn't the first time Snape had witnessed this; Lockhart had done the same thing to the Death Eater Amycus Caro before.
But there is a clear difference.
It has lost some of its roughness and strangeness, and gained a smoother, more natural feel.
Snape could even sense a magical power from the silver memories writhing in mid-air, and the phrase "open the mind" would involuntarily pop into his mind.
Not only him, but the other few people around who were still conscious would also have this word in their minds.
This is a manifestation of how one's own will, through magic, infiltrates and erodes "society," much like how people unconsciously utter the word "warmth" when they approach a campfire in winter. Sometimes, a scene carries even more information.
"His memory is perfectly intact!" Lockhart waved his wand lightly, turning to look at everyone.
He recounted his diagnosis.
"Especially his memories of being admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries are all vivid, indicating that he is fully aware of his environment!"
Lockhart spoke of this with great excitement, "Yes, Severus, you were right, there is nothing wrong with his soul."
Snape narrowed his eyes. As a wizard who had made significant achievements in the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he naturally understood the power of the "Forgetfulness Charm" and knew just how outrageous the magic Lockhart was currently casting was.
Touches the soul!
Lockhart's Oblivion Curse actually touched the soul!
Snape had no doubt how terrifyingly deep the connection was. If he were to fall under Lockhart's Oblivion Curse, he might never remember anything about a particular person again, or even feel any emotion towards that person.
terrible!
Even more terrifying than amnesia is the subconscious emotions that arise from amnesia. This kind of memory imprint on the soul will undoubtedly cause a person to lose a part of their life, to lose it completely.
"Let me see his memories of his body after being hospitalized—"
Lockhart murmured, waving his wand gently. "Blurred, yes, blurrier than ever before. He clearly remembers his surroundings, but has forgotten himself!"
At first, everyone could understand what was being said.
Later analyses became very complicated and strange, and no one knew what they were talking about. Even Snape couldn't quite understand them.
Things like the flame of life or the expression of the soul.
Finally, as the wand was waved again, the silver threads retracted back into Neville's father's forehead. Professor Lockhart then examined the others, even the dog-headed witch.
"The issue of magical bloodlines!" Lockhart gave the simplest answer. "I won't go into the more complex mechanisms, since I doubt you'd understand anyway."
He then looked at Snape, "Now, I also have a solution."
Snape nodded. "Go on."
"We need to find a way to suppress their spellcasting abilities, but I don't know how to do that. Do you have any ideas on potions?"
As he spoke, he looked at Neville's grandmother and uncle. The Longbottom family was deeply intertwined with the Auror profession. "Do the Aurors have any methods for turning a wizard into a Squib, using magical items or spells?"
Uncle Algi frowned. "Imprisonment of Gassock, but due to the Ministry of Magic's anti-wizarding campaign in history, similar magical artifacts were destroyed, and all wizards who mastered this skill were strictly forbidden from touching them again. Nowadays, I'm afraid there aren't many that can be found."
As he spoke, he looked at his mother, only to see her looking thoughtful.
Grandmother Augusta, no longer looking sorrowful, straightened up and stared at Lockhart with seriousness. "Are you sure this stuff will work?"
Lockhart shrugged. "Theoretically, it shouldn't be wrong, but I can't guarantee it. I can only say that there's a pretty good chance the Longbottom family has these in their collection?"
Grandmother Augusta shook her head. "Of course not. It's unjust, and Longbottom wouldn't allow such a thing. But I know pure-blood families too well; the more strictly something is forbidden, the more likely they are to keep it. The Weasleys have things that can be used to cast spells on Muggle objects, so naturally, an evil, bad-blooded family like the Malfoys would also have such anti-wizardware items!"
"I'll find a way to get it!"
The old witch in front of him was a formidable figure, a powerful sorceress known for her fighting prowess. Lucius would surely agree without hesitation.
Lockhart nodded with a strange expression, then looked at Snape. "Are there any similar potions?"
"There's no such potion as turning a wizard into a Squib. Ancient wizards or the Order of Merlin might have conducted such wicked research, but it's practically nonexistent in the later Wizarding Council and Ministry of Magic era."
This is an interesting topic. No matter how much those so-called pure-blood wizards are claimed to be evil, even Voldemort wouldn't be happy if all the other wizards became Squibs and he was the only wizard left.
"But there are other studies that circumvent Ministry of Magic rules and societal opposition—" Snape drawled.
A slight smile played at the corners of his lips. "Wolfsbane!"
"Huh?" Lockhart paused for a moment.
"Yes, wolfsbane, its power is enough to suppress a wizard's own magic and even his mind—" Snape stroked his chin, pondering this direction seriously.
"This is a good topic, I will study it."
"But—" he shook his head, "your treatment plan can only turn them back into normal people."
But it also deprived them of their right to be wizards!
Without the ability to cast spells, many wizards would likely be in utter despair.
Especially the four people in this ward. Ordinary wizards don't have the ability to turn themselves into brain-dead beings. Even that dog-headed witch is obviously a wizard with considerable strength. Otherwise, how could she have the ability to try to turn herself into a magical creature when she is an Animagus?
"Take it one step at a time, no rush," Lockhart said dismissively. "First, get him out of his intellectual disability and into a normal person, then we can think about other things."
Yes, this is just the first step.
To confirm the characteristics of magical bloodlines, if the Longbottom family or Snape could help him achieve this...
That would help him verify some things.
Voldemort's book, "The Eternal Flame," will undoubtedly become the authoritative guide for healing the Longbottoms and many others!
Hmm, maybe I should ask Tom what he thinks of this book; perhaps he can offer some more ideas!
Nice!
Lockhart was full of anticipation.