The echo of Aurelian's words still lingered in the hospital room when Neville and his grandmother left the treatment area. The hallway at St. Mungo's was lit by a white light, too pure for a place where hope and pain coexisted every day.
Neville walked silently, his gaze fixed ahead, but his mind was a whirlwind.
He couldn't stop thinking about Aurelian. How he had spoken with such confidence about things that even the best healers dared not guarantee. There was something about him... the way he spoke that made everything seem possible.
For Neville, titles never meant much, but on the lips of others, those names were their pride. However, Aurelian did not use it as a badge of power, but as a reminder of what he must protect.
Neville clenched his fists, feeling a comforting warmth in his chest.
"He's incredible..." he murmured without realizing it.
Augusta, who was walking a few steps behind, heard him.
"Did you say something, dear?" she asked in her usual tone, half stern, half affectionate.
Neville smiled, still looking ahead.
"Aurelian... He's an incredible person, Grandma." His voice trembled slightly with admiration. "I don't know how to explain it. When he speaks, you feel that... he really understands how the world works. That nothing is beyond his reach."
Augusta watched him for a few seconds. She didn't see a frightened or insecure child. She saw a young man who was beginning to believe in himself. The mere thought filled her with quiet pride.
"Lord Gaunt is a peculiar boy, no doubt," she replied after a moment. "More mature than I thought, with a fire in his eyes that you don't see every day."
She paused before adding, almost in a whisper.
"I'm glad you met him, Neville. Perhaps fate decided to put him in your path for a reason."
Neville turned to her with a shy smile.
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course I do." Augusta's face softened a little. "Everything happens for a reason. In dark times, the world needs young people like him... like you. The war took a lot from us, but if there are still wizards who build rather than destroy, then there is still hope."
They continued walking, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the corridors. Outside, the London sunset tinged the sky with amber, and for the first time in many years, Augusta Longbottom felt a small flame ignite within her chest.
It wasn't blind hope or naivety, but rather the feeling that the wounds of the past, however deep they were, could begin to heal. And all thanks to that boy with black eyes and a sharp gaze who spoke like a sage disguised as a teenager.
Neville, without knowing exactly why, looked up at the sky and murmured.
"We'll make it, won't we, Grandma?"
Augusta looked at him and nodded firmly.
"Yes, Neville. This time, we will make it."
The special room at St. Mungo's had been cleared for the occasion. The curtains were closed, and a single floating lamp illuminated the center of the room, casting a soft light on the two beds where Frank and Alice Longbottom lay.
Aurelian studied their faces closely.
They were pale, motionless, with an empty gaze that belonged neither to the living nor the dead. Neville, standing next to his grandmother, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The head healer, a man with a gray beard and green robe, glanced nervously at the young Lord Gaunt.
"Are you... sure about what you're going to try, my Lord?" he asked cautiously.
Aurelian nodded without taking his eyes off the Longbottoms.
"Of course I am."
His words were calm, but his gaze showed that he was completely focused. He approached Alice's bed, extended his hand, and closed his eyes.
"Sssha'th merisss..." he whispered.
The sound filled the room like a murmur, an almost tangible vibration that made the skin crawl. Neville took a step back, surprised. Augusta, although she tried to remain steadfast, felt a chill run down her spine. Even the healer recoiled slightly. It wasn't every day they heard the language of snakes.
Aurelian's voice grew deeper, more rhythmic. The air became imbued with a faint, almost imperceptible green glow, and the words whispered by Aurelian drew symbols in the space around them.
Inside Alice Longbottom's mind, Aurelian saw it all: chaos, a labyrinth, fragments of broken memories floating in the darkness, connections that had been severed years ago.
He walked mentally through that chaos, watching as the currents of magic faded into spirals of pain. There was no blood, no screams... only the echo of what Alice Longbottom once was.
"As I thought... the curse doesn't destroy... it reconfigures the mind."
That idea struck him again. Carefully, he began to weave the threads that still resisted.
His magic flowed with precision.
He used Legilimency like a scalpel, slowly moving the fragments, stabilizing them.
The Parseltongue served as a catalyst, a current that tuned into the vibrations of the soul, causing each magical impulse to anchor itself with precision.
"Ssshal'ta marh..." he whispered one last time, before opening his eyes.
The silence that followed was absolute. Only the hum of the lamp filled the air.
Aurelian took a deep breath and stepped back. His eyes, normally black as obsidian, now seemed to reflect small flashes of silver-green, as if magic still danced within him.
"I'm done," he said finally.
Neville looked at him, not knowing what to expect.
"And... and my mother?"
Aurelian looked down at the motionless body and replied calmly.
"Don't expect an immediate miracle. The important thing is that their minds... reacted. There is activity where there was none before. If everything goes according to plan, before the start of classes we may notice small changes, some reactions, gestures, or even words."
The healer stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe what he had heard and witnessed. Augusta, for her part, maintained her composure, a tear escaping silently.
"Lord Gaunt..." she whispered, "I don't understand much of what you did today, but I will be eternally grateful to you for trying."
Aurelian nodded respectfully.
"Don't thank me yet, Lady Longbottom. There's still much to be done."
Neville, without saying a word, approached him and hugged him tightly. The gesture took Aurelian by surprise, but he didn't push him away. He simply patted him on the shoulder with a slight smile.
"Have faith in them, Neville." His voice was firm but warm. "Sometimes the mind just needs to remember who it was and that it is not alone."
The runes floating above Frank and Alice Longbottom's beds, previously static, now flickered with a new frequency. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Aurelian stepped back and took a deep breath. The effort had been considerable; the use of Parseltongue in conjunction with Legilimency required such fine and precise control that even he was exhausted. A slight smile appeared on his lips.
"There's movement," he said to the healer, pointing to the runes. "Mental fluctuations are something that hasn't happened before... it shouldn't happen if the neural networks were completely collapsed."
The healer, still amazed, bowed his head in respect.
"I've never seen anything like this before... congratulations, Lord Gaunt."
Aurelian turned to Neville and his grandmother.
"From now on, the most important thing is stimulation. Talk to them every day. Read to them, sing to them, remind them of their history. The human mind responds better to emotional bonds than anything else. Even if they don't answer, they hear you, and that's what matters most."
Augusta, visibly moved, nodded without saying a word. Neville, on the other hand, stepped forward.
"I'll do it," he said firmly. "Every day, without fail."
Aurelian placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That will suffice."
Then he turned to the healer and added.
"Avoid the use of sedative potions. They reduce mental activity. If you must stabilize them, use valerian extract or lemon balm infusions. They are less aggressive. And one last thing. Do not attempt any more healing spells... If you force the process, you may break what I am trying to rebuild."
The healer bowed his head.
"Understood, Lord Gaunt. I will follow your instructions to the letter."
Aurelian straightened up, adjusting his robe, and before leaving, he looked back at the Longbottoms. He thought he saw a slight flicker in Alice's eyes. Nothing more than a reflection... but enough to keep his promise alive.
The following days passed in a flash.
Aurelian visited St. Mungo's twice more, reviewing the healers' records and supervising the Longbottoms' care. The change, though slight, was undeniable.
The runes above the beds now flickered steadily, and the healers' reports spoke of slight involuntary movements, responses to familiar sounds, and even murmurs during the night.
Neville didn't miss a single day. He read aloud excerpts from his Herbology books, or simply told them about his week. Augusta remained silent beside him, in tears, every time she saw a gesture or movement in her son's fingers.
"They're starting to react to emotional stimuli," Aurelian explained during his last visit of the week. "That's a good sign. Their minds are responding."
Neville looked at him with that mixture of respect and affection he felt for him.
"Do you think... they'll come back completely?"
Aurelian smiled slightly.
"It will depend on them. But one thing is certain. It is thanks to you that they are improving so quickly. I only showed them the way."
Neville allowed himself to smile, and Augusta bowed her head solemnly.
When Aurelian left the hospital that afternoon, the cool London air brushed his face. He looked up at the sky, the sun beginning to set behind the late August clouds.
There were only two days left until the start of the new school year.
Two days until he returned to Hogwarts. Two days before, once again, fate began to move again.
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