Loren and Hermione, hosted by the house-elf, enjoyed a lavish lunch. As for Neville, after ruining several sets of tableware, he finally managed his first bite.
Afterward, Neville led them to the manor's library. "Loren, Hermione—everything here is yours to read," he said, standing proudly before a wall of towering shelves.
A quick sweep told Loren there were many books he hadn't seen before. Since Neville had given the word, he and Hermione didn't hold back, drifting along the stacks to pick out what interested them. Neville, for his part, carefully pulled several rare Herbology volumes you hardly ever saw on the market and settled in.
Before long the quiet was broken by the sound of a page tearing—no need to look to know Neville had misjudged his strength again.
This time, Loren didn't use his Reader's gift. He took a volume called Ancient Herbals, sat beside Hermione, and read with her. It had been a long time since he'd read this quietly, without power—just turning pages next to Hermione. It wasn't a bad feeling.
Around three in the afternoon, Loren felt a ripple of magic. "Honored guest, the old mistress and the master are waiting for you in the drawing room," a house-elf said.
Loren set down his book, told Hermione he'd be right back, and followed the elf. Soon they stood again at the doors from the morning; the elf opened them, bowed, and vanished.
"Thank you," came Mrs. Longbottom's voice. Loren looked over to see three people in the room—Mrs. Longbottom beckoning him closer, and Frank and Alice Longbottom seated beside her. He sat; she began at once: "Truly, thank you. Without you, my son and daughter-in-law would still be in their beds."
Frank and Alice stood and bowed in gratitude. Pale-faced and mentally ragged though they were, their eyes were clear. "No—you are the Longbottoms' great benefactor," Frank said quickly. "Without you, Alice and I don't know how much longer we would have slept."
"Thank you so much," Alice added, voice trembling. "Without you, I might never have seen Neville again."
Loren looked them over and spoke gently. "I can't say waking you early was right or wrong. The aftereffects of the curses still bite, don't they?" The magical light around them was unstable, veined with cracks.
"To see Neville clearly, to stand beside him a while—that's enough," Alice said, taking Frank's hand. As she spoke, the aura around her steadied; some cracks even began to knit. Loren thought, This is the power of resolve.
He drew out two amulets and set them on the table. "These stabilize the soul and keep the will clear. Your injury is to the soul. Without this early waking, another ten years might have seen you healed—without pain like today. For now, suppress it with these."
Frank and Alice picked up the amulets and put them on without hesitation. Color touched their cheeks; the tight lines on their brows eased.
"Remarkable," Frank murmured after a moment's quiet, feeling the difference.
"Don't be too excited," Loren cautioned. "These will give you at most eight pain-free hours each day. The cost is drowsiness: you'll need sixteen hours of sleep daily to let your souls recover."
"Eight hours is enough," they said, meeting each other's eyes.
"It's my shortcoming," Loren said, a little rueful. "I can't solve it outright yet. For now, it's a forced waking—and you shoulder the pain."
"Tell Neville," Mrs. Longbottom cut in softly. "He's in the library. He should see you. The child's had a hard road."
"Yes—yes," Frank said quickly. "It's been so many years. He's a young man now. I wonder if he'll even recognize his mother—Alice, mind your step, careful there."
Their voices faded down the corridor. Loren and Mrs. Longbottom were alone again. After a long moment, she spoke—and when she finished, it was like her spine had been pulled out; she slumped into the chair.
Loren understood. She was weighing him against another ambitious wizard—measuring favors as levers to control the Longbottoms. And yes, he had helped the heir to win influence. But he was no failed Tom from the past.
"Mrs. Longbottom," he said, "from the start I've said I want a deep commercial partnership with your family. Healing Neville's parents is friendship—nothing more."
She stared, not fully convinced. History's shadow was long. "Say what you want of the Longbottoms," she said at last. "Name it plainly."
"This," Loren said, setting a magical notebook before her. "I want to run this with the Longbottom family. Profits split fifty-fifty."
She didn't believe words alone, so Loren demonstrated. "The idea comes from a Muggle 'computer'—never mind what that is; think of it as a very capable device. Each notebook is activated to one account and name. With that, it can replicate a Two-Way Mirror—live video and text between notebooks. That's one of its selling points. It also shows time, works as an alarm, and, yes, it's a proper notebook… one that can record the entire Hogwarts library if you wish."
As he spoke, Mrs. Longbottom's doubt eased. She rose and leaned in. "It can really function like a Two-Way Mirror?"
To her, everything else was garnish. If it could truly replace the mirror, it would shake the wizarding world. Loren tapped Hermione's name; the call function opened.
"Loren? Do you need something?" Hermione's image and voice appeared at once. Mrs. Longbottom hurried to Loren's side to peer down at the display.
"Could you show Neville?" Loren asked. Hermione stood, and the picture swung around as she walked. Neville came into frame, head bent over a book. The background—Longbottom library—was unmistakable.
Then the scene shifted again: Frank and Alice Longbottom stepped into view on the far side. Neville looked up, eyes filling with tears, and dropped the book to rush his parents—
"Stop, Neville! Stop!" Loren's voice rang from the notebook, making everyone jump.
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