Watching the patient once again turn into a muddled state, Healer Elliot quickly walked in and sighed helplessly:
"Dumbledore, I'm afraid visiting time is about to end."
She glanced sympathetically at Slughorn who was talking to himself and whispered, "Such intense emotional swings are not conducive to his recovery."
Dumbledore nodded and whispered to Vid, "Vid, may I request you to leave a poppet?"
He looked at Slughorn still cradling the cheetah's arm, saying, "The companionship of these little fellows... seems more effective than sedatives."
With a poppet by his side, even in his confused state, Slughorn was not terrified to hide himself anymore.
"Of course, Professor."
Vid waved his hand, and the other poppets jumped off the bed one by one, disappearing into the wardrobe space, while the cheetah lazily waved its tail twice and remained lying on the bed, just letting out a low call.
Vid walked over and petted its chin, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, little guy... take good care of him."
The slender tail wrapped around his wrist as if making a promise.
Dumbledore quietly watched this scene.
Harry sighed with a bit of envy—he also had a poppet pet, a very cute lion, usually well-behaved, occasionally mischievous, leaving gray paw prints on his textbooks. He was already used to playing with the little fellow every night before bed.
But the poppet pets were completely different from the poppets around Vid. Though both were thoughtful and smart, the former was like a well-behaved and smart cat at home, while the latter was more like a silent partner.
They may look similar, but they are completely different.
The healer's face showed some dilemma. She looked at the poppet's massive form, then at Slughorn clinging to it with some dependency, and finally said:
"Alright... let's leave it then... Although it's against regulations, well, let's consider it a special medical tool... Can you guarantee this cheetah won't hurt anyone?"
She had watched the match's live broadcast and knew well this seemingly still-cuddling big guy actually had the frightening combat power to rip a person apart instantly.
Yet at the same time, Elliot also knew that this cheetah, being both a poppet and a beast, was Vid Gray's loyal soldier, a combat hero who had fought against Voldemort.
Such a complex identity, along with its different race, made her carefully consider whether she could even speak loudly in its presence.
"Of course," Vid said affirmatively.
After some thought, he added: "...as long as no one deliberately provokes it?"
Healer: "..."
As the healer watched the cheetah poppet uncertain if she could get the patient to let go, Dumbledore took the two of them and quickly left the ward.
Just reaching the corridor, he tucked the crystal bottle into the inner pocket of his robe, and the silver glow slowly flowed, emitting a pearl-like lustre.
"Professor," Harry couldn't help asking curiously, "what is this?"
Dumbledore replied solemnly, "This is an important piece of the puzzle, the key to everything, and the reason Voldemort captured and tortured Horace."
Harry stared at the headmaster, full of curiosity, hoping he'd reveal more secrets. However, Dumbledore just sighed longingly:
"Poor Horace... hiding for decades, yet in the end, couldn't escape..."
He muttered, his eyes flickering with complex emotions, then changing the subject: "Speaking of which, today's tasks are completed. Would you like to go upstairs for a cup of tea?"
"I think I'll pass," Vid shook his head, "for tea, I prefer a relaxed and leisurely environment."
The tea room must also be filled with all kinds of bizarre patients, the air saturated with the suffering of illnesses, so no amount of sugar added to the black tea could take away the bitterness.
Harry, recalling the patient earlier who spat soap bubbles, quickly shook his head too.
They headed towards the elevator; the walls of the corridor were adorned with portraits of many famous healers who, whenever awake, were keen to treat passersby.
As the three passed by, one of the old men suddenly stood up from his seat excitedly, his goat beard sticking up high. He tapped on the picture frame and shouted:
"Stop, the lad with the scar on his forehead! You've got Emblem Sensory Syndrome!"
"Emblem... what?" Harry couldn't resist uttering a line.
"Emblem Sensory Syndrome!" The old man with the goat beard shouted with wide eyes, "It will cause sensory imbalance, hallucinations, and auditory illusions, severe cases might even lead to madness—"
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Vid grabbed Harry's arm, dragging him forward, "It's all centuries-old rubbish."
"Child, you need to apply snake egg membranes on your forehead, then soak them in snail mucus!"
The old wizard's voice still echoed from behind, "If you need my treatment, you'll have to pay me at least two gold coins!"
As the words faded, the door ahead of them opened, and an elderly witch in a green robe walked out. While leaving, she turned back to say to the inside person, "Take good rest. Next time I come, it will be with Neville..."
Upon hearing the familiar name, Vid and the others turned their heads simultaneously, and the old witch also looked back.
She carried a rather unsightly red-brown bag on her arm, had a buzzard specimen adorning her pointed hat, and her grey-white hair bun remained immaculate.
Dumbledore smiled, "Good afternoon, Augusta. Truly didn't expect to meet you today."
"Albus," Mrs. Longbanton nodded slightly, her back straight, "pleased to see you, especially with all you have been doing lately... Oh!"
She lowered her eyes, seeing Vid and the others, seemingly slightly surprised, then reached out her hand:
"Hello, Vid Gray. I want to thank you, Neville has told me everything. That necklace, you lent it to him, right? It was of great assistance to us, I don't know how to thank you enough..."
Vid hurriedly shook her hand, softly saying, "You're too kind, Mrs. Longbottom. Neville has helped me greatly too."
"Oh, that child still has some ways to go... much more... not as talented as his father, but he's a good kid, isn't he?"
Mrs. Longbottom said proudly, then extended her hand to Harry: "Seeing you healthy brings me joy, child... I must say, you were incredibly brave when facing that man—like your father!"
For Harry, this was nearly the highest praise he could receive, he quickly shook hands with her, his voice tinged with emotion, "Thank you for your praise."
As she looked at them, Mrs. Longbottom's sharp gaze softened slightly. Suddenly, she turned toward the ward and raised her voice:
"Frank, Alice! Come out and see these two lads! They've done what you couldn't back then!"
Vid's heart jumped, and Harry, filled with curiosity and confusion, stared at the ward.
Soon, the sound of dragging footsteps came from inside, the ward door opened in response—
A weary-looking middle-aged couple, graying and worn, supported each other and slowly stepped out.