Chapter 180: This Is Just the First Step
"Vincent!" Lockhart called out, needing his apprentice's help.
But Crabbe didn't respond.
This caused everyone to look towards the ward, searching for the boy.
They soon saw the tall, plump child beside Professor Lockhart.
He was standing by the window. A thin, middle-aged witch with white hair, dressed in a hospital gown, was offering Crabbe a piece of chewing gum. Crabbe swallowed, took it, and gave a somewhat shy, goofy smile.
Neville's mother was giving little Crabbe candy.
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Grandmother Augusta's eyes welled up with tears at the sight.
Uncle Algie, however, had an icy gaze. He knew this child; he was the son of Crabbe, one of Malfoy's foolish cronies, and he had even bullied Neville with Draco!
"This child also has some mental issues," Lockhart sighed, shaking his head. "Fortunately, I've found that he's not bad at heart; he just needs guidance. Look, he retains a very good nature."
In fact, Crabbe was more like an advanced version of the permanently brain-damaged patients in this ward, with a bit more intelligence and a bit less ignorance, but the situation was still somewhat similar.
Algie pursed his lips. "I know. Many pure-blood families have faced such problems. I won't hold it against a simple child."
"That's precisely the point!"
Lockhart exclaimed approvingly. "The magical bloodline's excessive vitality causes a certain special kind of magic to become overactive, suppressing the expression of human thought and behavior. It seems the Cruciatus Curse might not only have negative effects. I suspect it has some positive effects, but they've exceeded a threshold."
"???" Algie indicated he didn't understand.
In fact, everyone in the room except Snape didn't understand what Lockhart was saying. But their different fields of research prevented Snape from contemplating more details. He merely had a vague guess about what Lockhart was going to do next.
"Vincent!" Lockhart called out again, finally getting Crabbe's attention.
Their cooperation this month meant Crabbe almost instinctively understood the professor's meaning. He quickly drew his wand and waved it earnestly.
"Soul Bonfire!"
Silent flames flowed, quickly spreading from his feet outwards. The flickering firelight began to climb the walls of the ward all the way to the ceiling, eventually filling the entire room with this extremely unique two-colored flame.
In an instant, everyone felt an incredibly gentle healing power.
It was a power that soothed agitated minds and overly turbulent souls. Soon, the dog-headed witch yawned, pulled her sheet, and lay down on the bed, falling asleep with a smile on her face. The sallow-faced wizard who had been mumbling incoherently also fell asleep.
A moment later, Neville's parents also simultaneously returned to their beds and fell asleep.
The surrounding people, whether it was Snape's surprise, the two Healers' astonishment, Grandmother Neville's sadness, or Uncle Algie's suppressed anger, were all smoothed over.
All hatred and aggression would be temporarily quelled under the "Soul Bonfire." This was the Forest Witch's protective magic for sleeping at night in the dangerous Amazonian primeval forest. Even hungry beasts would calm down and subdue their predatory urges.
Just then, faint silver light undulated, drifting and swirling like mist in the ward. A winged silver horse faintly appeared and disappeared within it, further imbuing this "calm state of mind," making people feel involuntarily at peace.
Lockhart slowly stepped forward, placing his wand against Neville's father's forehead, closing his eyes and carefully sensing.
Crabbe was improving, and he, naturally, was also improving.
Now, his Obliviate Charm no longer required an incantation. His extreme proficiency in this spell made him perfectly clear on how to make it perform different functions according to his will.
Everyone quietly watched the scene. For a moment, there was no sound in the ward except for faint snores.
"Yes, yes!"
Lockhart murmured, abruptly flicking his wand upwards, stepping back. Immediately, silver threads rapidly emerged from Neville's father's forehead, continuously extending and wriggling into mid-air.
These threads moved forward as if alive, weaving and surging in the ward.
This wasn't the first time Snape had witnessed this. Lockhart had done something similar to the Death Eater Amycus Carrow before.
But there was a clear difference.
It was less crude and bizarre, and more fluid and natural.
Snape could even feel a magical power from the silver memories wriggling in mid-air. The phrase "opening the mind" involuntarily surfaced in his thoughts.
Not just him; the few other conscious people in the room also had this phrase come to mind.
This was a manifestation of one's own will, through magic, invading and influencing "society," just as humans, when approaching a bonfire in winter, involuntarily think of "warmth." Sometimes, scenes carry more information.
"His memories are perfectly fine!" Lockhart lightly waved his wand, turning to everyone, stating his diagnosis.
"Especially the memories after being admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries; they are all clear. This indicates that he is clearly aware of his surroundings!"
Lockhart spoke excitedly about this. "Yes, Severus, your judgment was correct. There's nothing wrong with his soul."
Snape's eyes narrowed. As a wizard with considerable achievements in the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he naturally understood the power of the Obliviate Charm and knew how absurdly powerful the magic Lockhart was currently performing was.
Touching the soul!
Lockhart's Obliviate Charm actually reached the soul!
What a terrifying depth. Snape had no doubt that if he were hit by Lockhart's Obliviate Charm, he might never remember anything about a certain person again, perhaps even losing all emotions related to that person.
Terrifying!
More terrifying than amnesia. With amnesia, there are still emotions emerging from the soul's subconscious. But this kind of touching of memory imprints on the soul would undoubtedly cause a person to lose a part of their life, completely and utterly.
"Let me see his memories of his body after being hospitalized—"
Lockhart murmured, lightly waving his wand. "Blurred, yes, unprecedentedly blurred. He clearly remembers the environment, but he has forgotten himself!"
At first, everyone could understand this.
But later analyses became very complex and bizarre; no one understood what he was talking about, not even Snape.
Something about the "flame of life," and "expression of the soul."
Finally, with another wave of the wand, the silver threads retracted back into Neville's father's forehead. Professor Lockhart then examined the others, even the dog-headed witch.
"A magical bloodline problem!" Lockhart gave the simplest answer. "I won't go into the more complex operational mechanisms; I don't think you'd understand anyway."
Then, he looked at Snape. "Now, I also have a solution."
Snape nodded. "Tell me."
"We need to find a way to suppress their spell-casting ability. I don't know how to do that. Do you have any ideas from a Potions perspective?"
Then, he looked at Neville's grandmother and uncle. The Longbottom family was deeply tied to the Auror profession. "Do Aurors have methods for this? Using magical artifacts or spells, something that can turn a wizard into a Squib?"
Uncle Algie frowned. "There's the Captivity Chain, but due to the historical anti-wizard witch hunt movements initiated by the Ministry of Magic, similar magical artifacts were destroyed. All wizards who mastered this skill were strictly forbidden from touching them, so now, it's probably hard to find many."
As he spoke, he looked at his mother, who seemed lost in thought.
Grandmother Augusta was no longer sorrowful. She straightened her back, looking at Lockhart seriously and sternly. "Are you sure something like this would work?"
Lockhart spread his hands. "Theoretically, it should be correct, but I can't guarantee it. I can only say there's a good chance. Does the Longbottom family collect such things?"
Grandmother Augusta shook her head. "Of course not; it's unjust. The Longbottoms wouldn't allow such things to exist. But I understand pure-blood families too well. The more strictly something is forbidden, the more likely it is kept. While you might find things that cast spells on Muggle objects in the Weasley family, a family as evil and rotten as the Malfoys would naturally have such anti-wizard items!"
"I'll find a way to get them!"
This old witch was a fierce one, a powerful witch renowned for fighting. He believed Lucius would be very cooperative.
Lockhart nodded with a peculiar expression, then looked at Snape. "Are there similar potions?"
"There won't be potions that turn wizards into Squibs. Ancient wizards or the Order of Merlin might have had such dark research, but by the time of the later Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic, it was practically nonexistent."
This was an interesting topic. No matter how much so-called pure-blood wizards were proclaimed evil, even Voldemort wouldn't want all other wizards to become Squibs, leaving only himself.
"But there are still other researches that circumvent Ministry rules and societal opposition—" Snape drew out his words, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Wolfsbane!"
"Hmm?" Lockhart was startled.
"Yes, Wolfsbane. Its power is sufficient to suppress a wizard's own magic, even their thoughts—" Snape stroked his chin, seriously contemplating this direction.
"That's a good research topic. I'll look into it."
"But—" He shook his head. "Your treatment plan would only allow them to become normal people, but it would also make them lose their rights as wizards!"
Being unable to cast spells would probably leave many wizards completely despairing.
Especially the four people in this ward. Ordinary wizards didn't have the ability to turn themselves brain-damaged. Even the dog-headed witch was clearly a powerful wizard, otherwise, how could she have attempted Animagus and wanted to turn herself into a magical creature?
"One step at a time, no rush," Lockhart said indifferently. "First, let's get them from intellectually disabled to normal people, then we can consider other things."
Yes, this was just the first step.
Confirming the characteristics of magical bloodlines. If the Longbottom family or Snape could help him achieve this step, then he could verify some things.
Voldemort's book, "The Ever-Burning Flame of Life," would undoubtedly become the authoritative guide for treating the Longbottoms, and even more people!
Hmm, perhaps he should ask Tom what he thinks of this book. Maybe he could offer more ideas!
Nice!
Lockhart was full of anticipation.
....
For advanced chapters:
Get early access to 80 advanced chapters before anyone else!
👉 Join now: patreon.com/Chaos_God