Chapter 209

After a long time, Felix withdrew from the thinking room.

To the outside world, he looked like he had been dazed in place for ten minutes, but old Lady Longbottom held her breath, and her lips quivered as she inquired, “How was it … I saw Frank suddenly, not moving a muscle.”

Felix pinched his temples and sat down somewhat wearily in the chair next to him, “A vast project, but ah,” he gave a broad smile, “I have a cure.”

Old Lady Longbottom let out a suppressed cry, she covered her mouth with a death grip, her eyes suddenly misted with water, and took a few steps back to sit on the hospital bed, “Is it True, Professor Hap? Mr. Happ…, I wish–oh, I don’t want to ask too much, as long as they can recall something …”

” No, ma’am, no. I had a plan before I came here, so either nothing can be done about it, or it can be completely cured as a matter of fact.”

Felix said in a relaxed tone, “Although it would seem like I’m not being modest enough by saying this, my biggest concern is dealing with a fragmented soul.

If that were the case, even if I had got some guidance from a great master of magic once, the chances of them being healed would still be minimal.

Fortunately, though, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. I just need to complete a puzzle, and probably a bit of power of emotion …”

The old lady Longbottom calmed down as she cautiously said, “Can I understand your concept of treatment, after all, Frank and Alice have been sentenced to death by the most authoritative healers in St. Mungo’s …”

She originally wanted to keep these words inside and pretend to trust Felix completely, so she could get herself a few months filled with hope, but as a tough witch with a strong personality who had personally sent her son and daughter-in-law to war, she had her own perseverance.

” Of course, and please don’t resist.” Felix snapped his fingers again and pulled her into the thinking room.

Half a minute later, she abruptly said in a bright tone, ” That’s a thinking room, powerful memory magic? It’s a miracle, I already believe you can do it, I’m going to look for Miriam …”

“Oh, please don’t do that for now, ma’am. I don’t want too many people to know about this, it is not successful yet, is it? Not everyone is much open to an outsider’s instructions.” Felix said tactfully.

“You’re right, Mr. Hap.” Old Lady Longbottom considered his suggestion seriously, and she did not want to make an issue out of it to avoid intervention from St. Mungo’s, but she prepared to consult Dumbledore.

It’s nothing to do with trust or lack of trust, but Dumbledore, as the founder of the Order of the Phoenix, has the right to know about it. Moreover, he may help to check the omissions.

“Mr. Hap, in your opinion, approximately how much time is needed to be able to see the results?”

“I can spare one morning a week, and frankly, I’m willing to spend more time, it’s really an interesting project, maybe when I succeed, my thinking room magic will reach an incredible level …”

Felix’s voice trailed off, he had always believed that the Room of Requirement was Ravenclaw’s ‘Thinking Room’, and so he had been considering how to make it come to reality.

On the night he recovered the zooming spell and obtained the rune orb, he touched a glimpse of this realm – pulling thousands of magic runes out of the Thinking Room – but this particular state never succeeded again.

Now, he saw hope for it again.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Felix said to old Lady Longbottom, “I can’t guarantee a specific time, but I think they should be able to recognize their family members around Christmas at the very least.”

“I’m looking forward to that, Mr. Hap, it might be the best Christmas present I’ve ever received in my life.”

“I don’t want to throw cold water on it, ma’am. But we’d better keep our optimism limited, lest the unexpected happens.”

“Is that your motto, always be on your guard? I’m thinking of a friend who also has a pessimistic view about the future.”

“No, I just prefer to mould my future with my own hands.”

…

As they walked out of St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the two discussed the matter of artificially creating a magic riot in passing; Felix hadn’t thought it through yet, and he only offered some general thoughts.

“What I’m doing might hurt Neville’s feelings, so I’ll have to get your approval,” Felix said, even though he looked a little evil, but he said it anyway.

“If I didn’t know you to a certain degree, I would have thought … Moreover, aren’t you worried that Neville will misunderstand you?” She couldn’t help but inquire.

Felix shrugged, “I will ask his forgiveness afterward, whatever he might think of me.”

Old Lady Longbottom looked at him with a complicated expression, “I may never able to fathom the thoughts of a Slytherin, even a good man like you. According to you, if it succeeds, the boy will stimulate a stronger talent, or at least not too much worse than others …”

She added: “And you risk a lifetime of misunderstanding, Mr. Hap, the boy is more stubborn than you think.”

Felix calmly reminded her, “Ma’am, I’m not trying to brand myself innocent; in fact, I’m discussing with you how to hurt a child to the greatest extent possible, even if it’s only temporarily.”

“I am also his grandmother, and I have reasons for doing so, but how would you … be perceived by others if they knew about this? Some would pounce on you, and I know that boring crowd.”

“Yes, yes,” Felix said softly, “but I won’t stop just because I’m conscious of what the bystanders think.”

At his invitation, he and Old Lady Longbottom used the Apparition to come to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The two then made their way into the castle.

She looked at the castle nostalgically: “I used to stumble on this Grand Staircase when I was at school, and … I remember a huge, ugly stone gargoyle in front of the headmaster’s office.”

They soon came to her words “ugly huge stone gargoyle”, Felix extended his wand, a silver beam of light went through the gap in the stone gargoyle and disappeared, half a moment later, the silver beam came back, turning into a silver-white rain swallow.

It landed on Felix’s shoulder, held its head high, and made a clear, crisp sound from its mouth: ” Iced lemonade.”

The stone gargoyle suddenly came to life and spun out of the way, revealing the spiral staircase on the inside.

“Let’s go, Dumbledore is waiting for us.” Felix said.

Pushing open a gleaming oak door, Dumbledore smiled at them as he rose from his chair, “Lady Longbottom, I am surprised by your arrival.”

Old Lady Longbottom pursed her lips, “Dumbledore, I need to draw on your wisdom.” She began to recount the things they had talked about.

Dumbledore listened quietly, occasionally a look of surprise flashed, but he made no attempt to interrupt her and waited until she had finished before he smiled and said, “So, I’ll be seeing two friends of mine soon?”

“As for artificially constructed magic riots …” he frowned and looked at Felix: ” As I reminded you, any study of magic itself has the potential to induce extremely dangerous results. ”

“I was the one who agreed.” Old Lady Longbottom insisted, “That boy Neville, I believe if he knew, he would make the same choice. Only we could not tell him in advance.”

Dumbledore fell into silence, a long time he said emotionally: “Perhaps I am too sensitive, judging from my point of view, your approach is not very dangerous, although, it may …” He looked at Felix and asked a similar question. “Aren’t you afraid of being misunderstood, Felix?”

Felix said calmly, “This thing is win-win for us, and it’s perfect research for me, so I don’t mind being the one who pushes it through.”

Dumbledore muttered in a low voice, then he said: “Felix, later on, you stay, we can discuss this part in detail. As for Lady Longbottom, you …”

“I’m going to find Neville,” she stated snappily, “and take him to purchase a new wand – through Minerva’s fireplace, and get back quickly.”

The door closed behind her.

Dumbledore’s expression turned serious as he stared at Felix and said in a quiet voice, “Are you sure, about the Longbottom’ treatment? To be honest, after the tragedy, I have tried many times to mend their shattered memories, but the Longbottom couple’s condition is so bad that there is nothing I can do.”

Felix chuckled lowly, “Headmaster Dumbledore, I once received a selfless helping hand from Lady Rowena Ravenclaw …”

For him, apart from the Thinking Room magic, there was one thing that he had not revealed to old Lady Longbottom, and that would be the memory node, or rather, the soul node, inherited from Lady Ravenclaw.

This is his greatest source of confidence.