The interior of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries smelled of herbs, freshly prepared potions, and a slight metallic tang. The corridors, wide and well-lit, were filled with healers in green robes rushing back and forth, carrying trays of vials or scrolls with prescriptions and treatments.
As she crossed the entrance, Augusta Longbottom was immediately recognized. Her imposing bearing, her hat adorned with feathers, and the air of severity that never left her face caused several healers to stop and bow their heads in respect.
"Lady Longbottom," one of them greeted her solemnly. "It is an honor to have you here again."
Augusta responded with a slight nod of her chin, accustomed to such recognition, and continued walking as if the entire hospital belonged to her.
But soon the attention shifted to the boy walking beside her.
"Is that him...?" whispered a healing apprentice to her companion.
"Yes, without a doubt. It's Lord Gaunt."
The looks they gave him were full of respect and curiosity. Aurelian's figure was naturally imposing. He was tall for his age, dressed in a dark robe, and had an air about him that made others turn to look at him. His name and title had already spread throughout the magical world. There was no wizard or witch in Britain who did not know who he was.
Some bowed formally, others watched him silently with a mixture of admiration and caution.
Aurelian noticed their glances, but reacted only with a slight, polite smile. He didn't need to say anything.
Neville, at his side, walked with a certain stiffness, uncomfortable with the atmosphere. Augusta, however, kept pace with a steady stride, as if nothing could affect her.
Finally, a mature-looking healer in a neat robe stepped forward to greet them. He bowed deferentially first to Augusta, then to Aurelian.
"Lady Longbottom. Lord Gaunt. Welcome. I am the head healer of this ward. I will personally take you to the room where Frank and Alice Longbottom are staying. Follow me."
The words echoed in the corridors as they prepared to face what awaited them behind those doors.
The head healer guided them through the hospital corridors, the echo of their footsteps reverberating against the floor. The walls were decorated with portraits of former healers who had passed through the hospital, jars of potion ingredients, and even some banners with the St. Mungo symbol embroidered in gold thread.
As they walked, Augusta Longbottom held her head high, with the dignity of someone who had never allowed tragedy to break her spirit. After a few minutes of silence, her deep voice broke the stillness.
"I hope you understand, Lord Gaunt, that I did not bring you here out of mere courtesy." Her gaze hardened, fixed straight ahead. "I want you to see with your own eyes what the sacrifice of my son and daughter-in-law means. I want you to understand that Neville is not just any boy."
Aurelian did not look away, listening to her respectfully.
"I understand," he replied calmly. "Neville has shown me that he is more than others believe him to be."
A slight glimmer of approval flashed across Augusta's eyes, though she did not express it in words.
The old woman continued, her tone even more severe.
"We used to come here every week. Neville talks to them even though they don't recognize him. He's learning to be strong in the face of indifference from those who gave him everything. That's the hardest lesson my grandson has learned in life, to love without receiving anything in return."
Neville walked beside her with his head down, clenching his fists without protest. He had heard those words many times before.
Aurelian silently observed his friend's expression and pressed his lips together slightly. Loving without response... breaks anyone.
The healer finally stopped in front of a wooden door reinforced with security runes. He turned to them calmly.
"Here they are. Frank and Alice Longbottom." His gaze shifted from Augusta to Aurelian. "Get ready."
Aurelian took a deep breath. The moment had come.
The healer waited by the door, but Augusta raised a gloved hand, stopping him. He did not enter immediately. Her eyes, hard as steel, rested first on Neville, then on Aurelian.
"Before we walk through this door," she said in a grave tone that commanded silence, "I want you both to remember something."
Neville looked up respectfully, accustomed to his grandmother's severity. Aurelian just watched her calmly.
"The war," Augusta continued, "has left scars that cannot be erased. Not only on bodies, but on the souls of our people. Broken families, orphaned children, forgotten heroes... as well as cowards who still hide behind their masks."
She paused briefly, her voice vibrating with emotion.
"Frank and Alice were two of the bravest Aurors this generation ever knew. They never gave up, they fought even when all was lost. Out of loyalty to the wizarding world, they never gave in to fear... but in the end, they fell at the hands of the Death Eaters."
Neville lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together, holding back his emotions.
Augusta took a step toward the door, standing tall as always.
"I want you to remember this well. What you see here is not just my broken son and daughter-in-law. It is a living portrait of what darkness can do when the world sleeps and fails to act."
Then she looked directly at Aurelian, her eyes shining with a particular weight.
"You, Lord Gaunt, have power. But beyond magic or titles, remember this. The true enemy is never just the one who casts the curse. It is the indifference of those who allow those curses to spread throughout our society."
The silence that followed was absolute. Even the healer avoided moving.
Finally, the old woman nodded to the healer.
"Now. Open it."
The creak of the door echoed in the air. Aurelian stepped forward. What he was about to see would mark him forever.
The room was large. In the center, separated by a pair of white beds, were Alice and Frank Longbottom.
Aurelian felt a knot in his stomach when he saw them for the first time. They were not physically injured; their bodies were fine, carefully tended to by healers. But a single glance was enough to understand that something essential had been damaged.
Alice, with her delicate features, had messy hair and her eyes wide open, staring at a blank spot on the ceiling. She moved her hands slowly, as if trying to catch something invisible. Every now and then she let out a low, soft, meaningless laugh.
Frank, more robust, sat on the edge of the bed, rocking his body back and forth in a monotonous rhythm. He muttered unintelligible words, barely sounds, as if trying to form sentences that never ended.
The magic of both was perceptible, disordered and erratic.
Neville clenched his fists tightly and took a deep breath to calm himself. He moved forward a little, his lips trembling, and spoke in a whisper.
"Hello... Mom, hello... Dad."
Alice slowly turned her face toward him, and for a moment her eyes seemed to focus. Then she reached out a trembling hand toward Neville, as if she wanted to touch him. She didn't say his name, but there was a fleeting sparkle in her eyes, an echo of lost recognition.
Neville swallowed, fighting back tears, and leaned down to take her hand in his.
Augusta watched silently, standing still as a statue, but with her jaw clenched.
Aurelian stood still, his eyes fixed on the scene. He analyzed every gesture, every movement, trying to decipher what was really left of those minds destroyed by the Cruciatus Curse.
Their bodies are here... their minds, fragmented. Magic still flows, very disorganized. A thought crossed his mind: perhaps there was still something to save.
Aurelian remained silent for a few moments, observing Alice and Frank. The emptiness in their eyes, their mechanical movements, their muffled voices that were mere shadows of what they once were. The air in the room was heavy as lead.
Finally, he turned to Augusta.
"Lady Longbottom... How has her condition been over the years? Has there been any improvement?"
The old woman looked at him sideways. Her features did not change, but there was a harsh edge to her voice, tempered by pain.
"No... They have remained the same since that night. Not even the best potions, nor the most skilled healers... nor Neville's or my prayers have brought about any change. The only thing that has changed are their expressions." She looked at her grandson holding Alice's hand. "Sometimes they look at him as if they recognize him. But it disappears instantly, like a mirage."
Aurelian nodded slowly, processing each word. Then he fixed his dark eyes on Augusta's.
"May I try something? I can't promise anything, but I need to... feel what is really happening with his magic and his mind, to know if I can help you."
Silence spread through the room. Neville looked up immediately, a pleading gleam in his eyes.
"Grandmother... let him try."
Augusta did not respond immediately. Her gloved hands tightened on her cane, her face remained impassive, but deep in her eyes there was a gleam that had been suppressed for years. One of pain and resignation.
Finally, she sighed.
"Do as you wish, Lord Gaunt." Her voice had a slight, barely perceptible tremor. "I expect nothing."
However, deep in her gaze, Aurelian caught a glimpse of something different, a spark, tiny but real.
The spark of someone who, despite everything, still wanted to believe that hope was not dead.
Aurelian bowed his head in respect.
"I won't disappoint you."
He turned to Alice and Frank, his mind already formulating the first step.
Neville remained by his mother's side, holding her hand gently. He looked up at Aurelian.
"Thank you..." he murmured, his voice barely audible. "Thank you for being here with me... and for being my friend."
Aurelian looked at him silently for a moment, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Always, Neville."
He approached Alice and Frank, took a deep breath before extending his magical perception over them. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the flow of magic running through their bodies.
What he felt hit him like a storm: their magic was there, alive, but fractured. The internal channels were broken, scattering energy in erratic directions. Their minds were covered in layers of magic, memories of torture that had left deep scars.
However... not everything was completely destroyed.
There were threads, weak but intact, connections that could be reinforced. His magic still responded, like embers buried under ashes waiting for oxygen to reignite.
Aurelian slowly opened his eyes. With a glint of certainty in them.
He turned his head toward Augusta and Neville.
"It's possible," his voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. "It won't be easy, and it will take time... but I can help you."
Neville stared at him with wide eyes. His breath caught in his throat, and without thinking, he threw himself at Aurelian, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you! Thank you!" His voice broke, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Aurelian, surprised, hugged him for a moment, patting him on the back.
Turning his gaze to Augusta, the matriarch maintained her rigid demeanor, but tears she had been holding back for years welled up in her eyes. One of them rolled down her cheek as she bowed her head.
"Lord Gaunt..." her voice, broken for the first time in decades, sounded more human than ever. "I am grateful to you... more than I can say."
Aurelian nodded slowly, calmly.
"Don't thank me yet. I haven't healed them yet. But... I promise I'll try."
For the first time in that room, it felt as if a window had been opened. A ray of hope pierced the darkness.
Aurelian waited for Neville to break free from the embrace, though he still held his robe with his fingers. Then, calmly, he knelt in front of Augusta and Neville.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time," he began in a firm voice. "The Cruciatus Curse doesn't just inflict pain. Pain is an effect, but not the essence of the curse. What it really does is reconfigure the impulses of the mind, forcing neural connections to respond only to suffering."
Neville swallowed, listening to every word without fully understanding. Augusta watched him intently, though part of her seemed to refuse to hope.
Aurelian continued.
"Most healers think the damage is irreversible because the magical synapses are burned, unable to regenerate. But that's not the case. The soul and the mind have a capacity that few understand, that of adapting, of seeking alternative routes. I call it the principle of magical rerouting."
He stood up and began to walk slowly around the room, his hands clasped behind his back, like a teacher lecturing his students.
"Imagine a river. If you block it at one point, the water seeks other channels, albeit weaker ones, to flow through. With the Cruciatus Curse, the main channels of the mind were destroyed. But that doesn't mean there aren't alternate currents we could use. If we manage to redirect the magic in their minds to those hidden currents, they could awaken new pathways of thought, reactivating their minds."
Augusta frowned, still skeptical.
"Are you suggesting that you can create... new 'channels' in their minds?"
Aurelian nodded.
"Exactly. It's a slow process that will require perseverance. I will force the mind to rebuild itself through stimuli combined with Legeremancy impulses, perhaps with the use of stabilizing potions. There is a risk, but... what remains of them is asleep, trapped in a labyrinth."
Neville had tears in his eyes, but now they were not tears of sadness, but of hope.
"And... do you think they can be the same again?" he asked, his voice muffled.
Aurelian paused and stared at him.
"I don't know. Maybe not exactly the same. But they can regain their consciousness, their memories... their humanity. It will be up to them if they return to what they were before."
Augusta was silent for a long time. Her proud bearing, forged by years of carrying a surname and a tragedy, trembled. Then, in a voice softer than she had ever used in front of Aurelian, she murmured.
"Lord Gaunt... if you achieve even a fraction of what you say... you will change not only my grandson's life, but the history of our family."
Neville stepped forward and looked at him sincerely.
"No matter how long it takes, Aurelian. I'll do whatever it takes. If you say it's possible... I'll help you no matter the cost."
Aurelian nodded with a smile.
"Then, Neville, get ready. Because it won't be an easy road."
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