Chapter 246
Chapter 246
A few minutes ago.
Neville returned to the ward with a blank face, but his heart softened at the sight of his parents, who are still sleeping quietly in their bed.
“Dad … mom …,” he called out softly.
He knew he wouldn’t get a response, so he just opened his school bag and took out a clay figure from it, “This is dad.” He took out another doll, “This is mom.”
A third doll, “This is me.” The fourth doll, “This is Grandma.”
Neville put the four dolls together and looked at them with satisfaction.
In fact, he had another doll in his school bag, but he did not want to take it out now, nor did he want to see it.
He only had these four dolls in his eyes, as he looked at them, he smiled, and he couldn’t stop the tears from falling out.
“Daddy … Mummy …” he whispered over and over again.
On the hospital bed, Alice Longbottom’s fingers moved slightly, as if waking up from a long sleep, she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw in her vision is a round-faced boy who is crying and sniffling.
She also saw the clay figure next to the table and heard the boy’s soft cry.
” Neil? Is that Neil?” Somewhere inside her is touched, and strong emotions welled up. She remembered her little baby in the cradle, and she called him exactly as she had called him.
Neville looked up, his face still covered with teardrops, which blurred his vision a bit, and he wiped the tears with the back of his hand, then blinked hard.
“Mom?” Neville felt that his mother is different today, the tenderness in her gaze seemed to overwhelm him.
“Is that you, My Neil?” Alice Longbottom asked excitedly.
“It’s me, Mom! You, you have recovered your memory?” Neville asked giddily. If the first half was a nightmare, the second half is definitely a beautiful dream, he can’t wait to experience it every day.
Alice Longbottom looked at the ward and the clothes on her body, she understood somehow in her heart, and she couldn’t stop the tears from pouring out, “All these years, is it just you …”
“I live with my grandmother!” Neville said in one breath, this is his buried words for a long time: “I had a good time, met a lot of friends, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Seamus … and the professors also like me, although I’m a little stupid, don’t have a good memory… …”
Alice listened quietly, her fingers continued to tremble, and soon Frank Longbottom also woke up, he shook his groggy head, the first glimpse of his wife, followed by a rambling, crying, and laughing boy.
His wife had grown thin and pale, as if she were recovering from a serious illness, and the hair on her head had lost its lustre. He thought with distress.
A reserved message triggered in his mind and he saw a young man with dark hair and blue pupils address him, “Mr. Longbottom, I need to introduce myself …”
A minute later, he fully understood what had happened, including the fact that they had been tortured into madness twelve years ago by four Death Eaters using a Cruciatus Curse to inquire about Voldemort’s whereabouts, living in St. Mungo’s for treatment, and some of the major events that had occurred over the years.
He said softly, ” Alice, is this Neville?” He looked at Neville, who looked very much like his mother.
“He’s our Neil.” Alice said Neville’s nickname.
“Dad?” Neville wiped his eyes, not only did his mother healed, but his father too? Is it really not a dream, he felt the sense of unreality again.
He pinched himself fiercely, it hurt, it hurt badly. But he felt overwhelmed by great joy, an intense emotion that filled his entire being, leaving no place for pain, and he felt like he is going to explode with happiness.
Frank Longbottom smiled gently as he wrapped his arms around his wife and stretched them out toward Neville: ” Neil …”
Neville pounced and let out a loud cry, not wanting to hold back, but instead shouting loudly as if showing off, constantly venting his inner joy, as if he had reached some kind of limit –
Boom!
An Accidental Magic riot broke out.
…
Felix’s emotions were complicated to the extreme, his painstaking attempt did not work, but unplanned factors contributed to the success of this event.
He quietly walked out.
Old Lady Longbottom appeared in the doorway, staring at the scene inside and crying with joy. “Frank, Alice, you … It’s wonderful.”
Felix looked at them from afar and his expression became very odd. He forced himself to resist the idea of getting out of here and moved a little away from the scene, only to see Dumbledore’s figure.
“Headmaster? What are you doing here?”
Dumbledore said in a relaxed tone, “Dilys has her portrait at St. Mungo’s, she was the one who informed me, oh, I haven’t introduced her, before Dilys Derwent became the Headmistress of Hogwarts, she worked as a Healer at St Mungo’s as well.”
Felix nodded in silence, every Hogwarts Headmaster had been an elite wizard, and their portraits were hung in more than one place. Theoretically, any portrait at Hogwarts is Dumbledore’s eyes and ears.
Dumbledore surveyed the wards with interest, “Although Dilys sounded like the sky is about to fall when she told me – pardon my phrasing, I think all St. Mungo’s healers have a sentimental heart, but I’ve come at just the right time, haven’t I?”
“Are you going in, Dumbledore? The Longbottoms are awake, I’m sure you have a lot to say to them?” Felix just wanted to leave now, and be alone.
“No, Felix.” Dumbledore blinked his azure eyes, “I’m not going to make a fool of myself at this time of year, today, and the entire Christmas holiday belongs to them. On the contrary, you, Felix–”
“I’m a little worried about you,” Dumbledore said.
“Worried about me?” Felix looked at him strangely.
“On the way here, I wondered, if you failed, will there be a next attempt? You’re not one to give in easily, young and competitive – would you set your sights on Potter? Or Weasley? Granger? Malfoy?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Because you succeeded, and that’s one of the best endings I could have hoped for.” Dumbledore said.
“You mean-”
” Longbottom activated his own inert magic because of love, not because of hate.” Dumbledore said.
“I don’t see the difference.”
“Felix, love is the greatest power, but few wizards understand this, Voldemort did not, so he was defeated by an infant in swaddling clothes.”
“It sounds like you rushed over here specifically to give me a lecture.” Felix said.
“Felix, I just thought that you should know the power of love.” Dumbledore said, “Hate may make you stronger, but the belief in love and guardianship will take you farther.”
Dumbledore quickly left, “I’m going to visit Nick.” He said. Felix suddenly remembered the gift he had prepared: he took a gift box out of his ring: “Headmaster Dumbledore, please pass it to Nicholas for me.”
Dumbledore’s expression became complicated, and he said with some sadness, “Nick is not in the mood for Christmas right now, including receiving gifts. Felix, find another time.”
“What’s going on, what can I do?” Felix asked, Nicholas had been communicating with him much less in the last month.
“Nick’s wife – Perenelle – is not well and may not make it through the winter.” Dumbledore said: “We were prepared for this, but when it really happened, you can not help but be sad.”