John's pupils returned to normal, and he saw the Star Spirit running back and forth below before finally being pinned beneath Astoria.
John: "..."
Did you forget that you can transform?
The Star Spirit struggled to poke its head out.
Daphne ran over and picked up her sister.
"How is she?" Daphne asked anxiously.
John reached out and lightly brushed his hand over Astoria's body.
"The curse has been removed."
After confirming that the curse had been completely eradicated, John said, "However, she'll need some time to rest."
"That's wonderful." Daphne sighed in relief and held Astoria tightly. "It's okay now."
The Star Spirit also bounced around happily. John smiled faintly, then left the isolated island and returned to the Constellation Society.
"Bili-buli!"
A group of Star Spirits chased after the little dragon.
The little dragon ran while indignantly turning back to shout something at them.
Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't anything nice.
John sighed. "I really shouldn't have let Draco teach it."
Hector carried over a quill.
Hermes climbed onto the table carrying a sheet of parchment.
John picked up the quill and began recalling the process of Astoria's treatment.
Treating Astoria had given him a deeper understanding of the Bloodline Curse.
Rather than a curse, it was more like a living organism parasitizing the human body.
The curse passed itself on by reproducing and dividing within a fetus.
"A bearer of the Bloodline Curse is equivalent to having a shackle. Once that shackle is released, it temporarily increases their magical power."
...
Headmaster's Office.
Slughorn stared at the parchment covered in writing and said blankly, "No one has ever thought about it this way before. John, you're a genius."
John shrugged and said, "At this point, that hardly counts as a compliment to me."
Slughorn was very excited. The Bloodline Curse had finally found a solution.
Moreover, curses were often associated with evil.
Children born with the Bloodline Curse were usually abandoned by their families.
Some wizards believed that doing so could prevent the curse from continuing within the family line.
But according to John, the Bloodline Curse brought more than just harm.
That was a limiter. After the curse was removed, a body that had grown accustomed to the curse's existence would absorb a large amount of magical power to strengthen its own vitality.
Without the curse, the body's capacity to absorb magical power would not decrease. Instead, it would effectively become a blessing in disguise.
"This isn't merely a curse," Slughorn said solemnly. "You'll save many cursed lives."
"As a Potions Master, I offer you my highest respect."
With that, Slughorn stood up and bowed.
This was the attitude a Potions Master should have toward someone who saved lives.
"About this..."
After expressing his respect, Slughorn rubbed his hands together awkwardly.
John saw through his thoughts at a glance and smiled. "This is our achievement."
"I regret it so much, John." Slughorn grinned from ear to ear. "I never should have retired. If I hadn't, I could have continued as your teacher."
"I already have an excellent teacher," John said with a smile. "He taught me a great deal."
"Of course, I know, Nicolas Flamel." Slughorn waved his hands repeatedly. "Sorry, John. I mean no disrespect whatsoever to the greatest alchemist."
"The greatest alchemist? I like that title."
John was in a good mood. He stood up and straightened his robes. "I think this matter is finally over."
"Of course. I'll publish this as quickly as possible."
Slughorn said enthusiastically, "I still don't have a First Class Order."
His enthusiasm in this regard reminded John of Damocles. As expected of master and apprentice, they were exactly alike.
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, John went to the Hospital Wing to visit Astoria.
Although the curse had been removed, Astoria still had a period of weakness ahead of her.
Daphne did as well, though hers was not as severe. Astoria would need to stay in the Hospital Wing for at least a week.
During that time, Malfoy finally learned what had happened.
He was filled with regret. Sitting beside Astoria's bed, Malfoy buried his head in his arms.
"I should have noticed, Astoria," Malfoy said hoarsely. "I was too slow."
Astoria's face was still somewhat pale, but she smiled and said, "I didn't want you to worry, Draco."
Malfoy gripped her hand tightly and said gently, "You'll get better."
Even Daphne, who usually couldn't stand Malfoy, didn't interrupt him.
Malfoy's rare display of tenderness made Daphne understand why her sister liked this boy.
Still, the way Malfoy was talking made it sound as if they were about to be separated by life and death, which irritated Daphne greatly.
"She's just hospitalized," John said as he walked in, looking speechlessly at Malfoy's display of affection. "And let me remind you of one thing. Astoria has actually benefited from this misfortune. Her magical power will increase, which means you'll probably stay at the bottom of the rankings."
The deeply affectionate Malfoy immediately became restless upon hearing that his ranking would now truly deserve its position.
"John, do you have some kind of curse or..."
"I know the Killing Curse. Do you want that?"
"Uh..."
Malfoy swallowed the rest of his words.
Fair enough.
The Killing Curse was, in essence, also a type of curse, and an extremely lethal one.
Malfoy fell into despair. Was he destined to remain at the bottom for the rest of his life?
The mixture of joy and sorrow made Malfoy resolve to work harder.
The very next day, he went out for morning training.
Then he ran into Neville and was lapped twice, leaving him utterly depressed.
...
Slughorn worked very efficiently.
This also demonstrated the extensive connections of Hogwarts' current Headmaster.
Among the Wizengamot review committee, half of the witches and wizards had some connection to the old professor.
They were either his former students or his old friends.
The paper was published in major academic journals just one week later, and some called it the last miracle of the century.
Bloodline Curses had been passed down through many ancient families. Families that had endured for a thousand years were bound to have encountered old enemies or terrifying magical creatures at some point.
The curses remained with them.
Some newborns born carrying such curses were abandoned without hesitation.
For most of them, death was the final outcome.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The name John Wick once again echoed throughout the wizarding world.
Slughorn's name was also listed on the paper, though anyone with insight could tell that the Headmaster had once again benefited from John's achievements.
This inevitably made Damocles jealous.
"I should have applied for that position back then."
Damocles regretted it deeply. Although his qualifications had given him only a slim chance of becoming Headmaster, it hadn't been impossible if he had really tried.
Now, he had to watch John earn yet another Order of Merlin, while his former teacher also got to share in the glory.
Honour was a trap that no Slytherin could escape.
Not just Damocles, but many other Potions Masters were envious of Slughorn's good fortune.
The previous Battle of Hogwarts had already secured Slughorn a portrait at Hogwarts. This time, the Bloodline Curse research had earned him a place on a Chocolate Frog card.
After the paper was published, John also received a number of letters.
Most of them were related to the Bloodline Curse.
Some pure-blood families were focused on one particular question: whether the Bloodline Curse limiter was real.
If it was, then the Bloodline Curse could become a means of enhancing a wizard's abilities.
John glanced at the letters and burned them with a cold smile.
"Enhancement? Dream on."
Without John's soul surgery, those curses would kill anyone who tried to tamper with them.
It was true that they could enhance magical power, but that was only possible if John personally intervened.
However, the potion used to suppress the curse could alleviate the effects of the Bloodline Curse. If the Bloodline Curse was not too severe, this potion could even cure it.
The potion was named the Ruby Potion.
Like the Emerald Potion, it was another of John's creations.
Before January had even ended, the paper continued to generate discussion.
Eventually, a Potions Master noticed something.
After studying the paper for an entire day and night, he arrived at a conclusion that everyone else had unconsciously overlooked.
"If the Bloodline Curse can be removed, does that mean that lycanthropy, which is also a curse, can be cured as well?"
The moment those words were spoken, the discussion spread far beyond professional circles.
The entire wizarding world joined the debate.
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