"Alright, it's rare for anyone to ask me such a professional question," Mophit pulled two visitor chairs from the corner of the ward.
"The Longbottoms' condition, strictly speaking, isn't an illness, but a self-defense mechanism of the body. You should know what they went through, right?"
"Crucio."
Mophit nodded. "And it was Crucio used by vicious Death Eaters. The pain inflicted by this Crucio was beyond what the human body's own secreted hormones could control."
He even glanced at Kaisen's peculiar expression after speaking.
"Don't mind those details. After graduating from Hogwarts, I pursued advanced medical studies at the Muggle Manchester University."
"Oh! A fellow alumnus!"
"Don't be so surprised. All Wizards in England are alumni… Wait…"
"Indeed, I was referring to a Manchester alumnus."
"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you, I really didn't expect it. You specialized in…"
"Civil Engineering."
The two immediately exchanged a few enthusiastic pleasantries before returning to the main topic.
"This kind of painful memory, one could say, is almost one where if you recall the pain, your brain will empathetically relive that pain. You know, it's like… do you know about post-war syndrome?"
"Generally, victims will go in one of two directions. Perhaps the more extreme ones will pull out their wands and go on a rampage. The quieter ones are like the Longbottoms."
"Do they have any… um, physiological problems?"
Mophit shook his head. "Avada Kedavra doesn't damage the body, and strictly speaking, it doesn't damage the soul either; it only causes the soul pain. That's why I don't consider this condition an illness. Because of this, I don't know how to proceed."
"So, the Longbottoms are like this just because of a terrifying memory? Can this memory be erased?" Kaisen asked.
Mophit pulled out his wand and drew a line in the air.
"Let me explain. Ordinary memories are physiological memories; they are only recorded in the brain. However, the pain caused by Crucio is a memory of the soul."
"Consider this line as the patient's memory wave. If it's physiological, that memory will only leave a trace at one point on the memory line."
"But if it's of the soul, then the entire memory line is shrouded in a thick haze. Honestly, for this level of memory problem, a typical Obliviate probably won't work. To be honest, I doubt Dumbledore's Obliviate has such a high level of mastery."
Kaisen looked up at the ceiling… He thought of someone… someone he had previously looked down upon, but at this moment…
"If a person can detect that a Confundo has been cast on him, and then uses Obliviate to make himself forget the effect of the Confundo, can he handle this difficult task?"
Mophit shook his head. "Impossible. There's absolutely no one in this world who can use a Memory Charm to that extent, and whether a Memory Charm can even be used like that is an unknown."
"Oh… Not necessarily. You know, Hogwarts, that place, has a certain reputation. It's absolutely no exaggeration to say it's a den of hidden dragons."
"Your meaning?"
Kaisen shrugged and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Mophit before disappearing from the spot.
....
On the other side, Hogwarts...
Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
Knock knock knock.
"Coming, coming!"
Kaisen stood outside the door, hearing sounds from far to near inside. Soon the door opened, and Lockhart's brilliant smile reflected on Kaisen's monocle.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
And Lockhart also politely returned a smile… well, a smile uglier than a cry.
"Professor Kaisen, I remember I haven't offended you recently. I… what did I do wrong?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just here to ask, did you really use Obliviate to free yourself from the effects of Confundo back then?" Kaisen leaned against the doorframe, preventing Lockhart from closing the door.
"Memory Charm… Professor Kaisen, I'll be frank with you, many stories in my books are fake, but the Memory Charm, that's truly real. It's the only spell I specialize in."
"Just tell me if you can do it?"
"I can."
Kaisen nodded. "There's an opportunity now to save a Little Wizards's broken family. Are you in?"
Lockhart shook his head.
"Don't you like fame? You also said your stories are fake. What's the use of false fame gained from fabricated stories? This time, as long as your Memory Charm works, I guarantee the contribution you make this time will be enough to get you out of Azkaban once!"
"What kind of activity to save a Little Wizards requires using a Memory Charm?"
"I'm not a professional in that area, but I can assure you, there's absolutely no danger this time. If there truly is danger, how about I take care of it for you?"
"I think the closest danger to me… you can't handle, and you won't handle," Lockhart said pointedly, looking at Kaisen.
"Help me out this time, and I promise I'll never bother you again."
"…..Am I unable to refuse?"
"That's your freedom," Kaisen replied.
And Lockhart heard a different meaning in Kaisen's reply, such as refusing being his freedom.
And beating him up here was also Kaisen's freedom.
"…Let's go."
.....
"So… Professor Kaisen, if it were you with the enchantment book therapy, I would absolutely, 100% let you try it yourself. If something went wrong, I'd take responsibility without a problem. But him? This swindler?" Mophit said, looking at Lockhart with disdain.
"Uh… If I may ask… when did you know I was Kaisen Heath?"
"…Don't you know how famous you are now? Ever since your enchantment book therapy came out, those former Werewolves have gone crazy, printing your photos and praises in every corner belonging to Wizards."
"On average, they gather to beat up 2.5 Wizards who speak ill of you every day. In this situation, it's very difficult not to recognize you," Mophit said, spreading his hands.
"…This was absolutely not at my behest; I didn't even know about it."
"Hmm, I understand that. But you still want to use this swindler?"
Kaisen shrugged. "Every profession has its specialties. When it comes to the Memory Charm, perhaps even Dumbledore isn't as skilled as him."
"For your sake, things can't get any worse anyway," Mophit said.
"If you're not confident, don't push yourself. I don't want to make the situation worse," Kaisen warned Lockhart.
Lockhart nodded and entered the ward.
Evening, Hogwarts Castle.
"Neville will have an unforgettable Christmas this year."
"Hmm… Thank you, Professor Kaisen."
"Thank me for what?"
"…Perhaps… for showing me another path," Lockhart replied.
------------------------------
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