Chapter 241
Chapter 241
In the hospital wing, Dumbledore stood in purple pyjamas, gravely watching Madam Pomfrey examine Suer upon the bed.
He could never have imagined that the boy with whom he had devised a plan in his office only hours earlier would now lie unconscious in a condition Dumbledore had never encountered throughout his long life.
“There is nothing physically wrong with him. This isn’t Dark magic, and he is otherwise perfectly healthy, but we must replenish his magic immediately,” Madam Pomfrey said, her expression grave.
“I don’t know what has happened. The magic in his body is continually disappearing — dispersing. At this rate, if it continues…”
“He will die.”
Dumbledore looked at Snape. Snape nodded in silence and left the hospital wing without a word.
He soon returned carrying several glass bottles.
“This is all I have, but I will begin brewing more immediately.”
“Then hurry! Judging by his condition, this much magic-restoring potion won’t sustain him for more than a few days!”
Before Dumbledore could speak, Madam Pomfrey snatched the potions from Snape and poured them into Suer’s mouth.
Snape inclined his chin in silence, turned and departed once more.
Dumbledore concentrated upon Suer. He drew the Elder Wand and murmured an incantation too quietly for anyone to hear. A faint radiance spread from its tip.
He closed his eyes, as though sensing something.
“This is… the Patronus Charm?”
Only a moment later, Dumbledore’s eyes opened in astonishment.
At the same time, in the centaur settlement at the heart of the Forbidden Forest, Lys opened her door and walked to the dying bonfire. She raised her eyes to the sky.
“Priestess.” A centaur standing guard pressed one hand to his chest and bowed his head.
Lys nodded lightly to him, then gazed at the stars and murmured, “Pluto’s course has changed…”
…
Within the white space, Suer lay with his eyes closed as strands of silver light scattered across his body. The whirling threads had somehow become a translucent cocoon.
The faint outline of a human figure flickered within.
…
On the long bridge outside the castle, the air twisted with a crack. Amelia Bones appeared, anxiety covering her face.
She had not returned to her old school for many years, but she had no interest in admiring the view. Following her memories, she made straight for the corridor on the eighth floor.
The stone gargoyle seemed to have received instructions in advance and immediately moved aside.
“Dumbledore.” Amelia hurried through the oak door. “I came as soon as I received your message. What happened to Suer?”
“Don’t be alarmed, Amelia,” Dumbledore said softly. “He is in no immediate danger, merely unconscious. I asked you here because I need you to accompany me to Gringotts Wizarding Bank.”
“Gringotts?”
“Professor.” Professor Sprout entered at that moment. “I have the key you requested.”
“There is no time to lose. We must leave at once. Allow me to explain later. Take hold of me, Amelia.” Dumbledore accepted the key and urged her closer.
“Fawkes!”
The phoenix gave a soft cry and flew onto Dumbledore’s shoulder. With a rush, flames swept around the two of them.
Outside the hospital wing on the second floor, Hermione paced anxiously back and forth. She had already been there for half the day.
“Please, Madam, let me inside.”
“No. We still don’t understand his condition, and I cannot allow anyone to enter without good reason.” Madam Pomfrey stood firmly before the ward door and shook her head.
“Miss Granger? What are you doing here?” Dumbledore approached, carrying a small paper parcel with Amelia behind him.
“Professor, what happened to Suer? The Hufflepuffs told me that he…”
“Suer will be all right, Miss Granger.” Dumbledore shook his head. “There has merely been a small complication. Do not worry. He will soon return to lessons with the rest of you.”
Relief loosened the tightness in Hermione’s chest, though she remained anxious.
“May I come inside with you? I want to see him.”
“Very well. Come with me.”
“Thank you, Professor.” Hermione hurried behind Dumbledore and entered the ward with him and Amelia.
Suer lay upon the hospital bed with his eyes closed, his expression peaceful. Empty glass bottles covered the bedside table as Madam Pomfrey quietly explained his condition to Dumbledore.
“His magic is disappearing faster and faster. The potions Severus has supplied can no longer restore it quickly enough,” she said. “If you have no other solution, then I fear…”
“Do not worry.” Dumbledore concentrated upon Suer, who floated above the hospital bed. “If the only problem is a lack of magic, I believe I have found the answer.”
He opened the paper parcel and approached the bed, placing the red magic stone within it upon Suer’s chest.
Then he drew the Elder Wand and gave it a gentle wave.
Whoom.
An immense tide of magic erupted from Suer’s chest and swept through the ward. Cabinets beside the bed shuddered violently and were forced backwards.
Amelia instantly drew her wand and conjured a transparent shield before Hermione.
Dumbledore held his wand steady and ignored the raging magic, his hair and beard streaming around him. He stepped forwards against the pressure and touched the centre of the red stone with his wand tip.
Crack.
The sound was almost too faint to hear.
Before everyone’s eyes, the red magic stone silently shattered. Pale crimson magic rippled from it and began dispersing through the room.
Dumbledore moved his wand swiftly. A transparent magical barrier trapped the escaping power and compressed it towards Suer.
Suer gave a muffled groan and frowned as though enduring intense pain. His exposed skin turned a vivid red.
“Professor, Suer…” Hermione could not stop herself, but the solemn Amelia interrupted.
“Don’t distract Dumbledore. This is the critical moment.”
The pale crimson magic escaping the stone was compressed further and further. It strained to flee, but Dumbledore’s power forced it against Suer’s body.
At the same time, within the mysterious white space, the silver cocoon draining Suer’s magic suddenly paused, then accelerated. A faint pink hue spread across its surface.
Each time the cocoon breathed, it drew a great mass of pale crimson magic from Suer’s body.
Outside that space, the crimson magic, which had resisted so fiercely, now seemed like young swallows returning to their nest. It went from reluctant to eager, pouring into Suer’s body and forming a pale red whirlwind that spun faster and faster until it vanished entirely.
Suer gently descended onto the hospital bed. At some point, the tension in his brow had eased.
“Haa…” Dumbledore lowered his wand and released a quiet breath. He closed his eyes to sense Suer’s condition, then opened them again.
“Professor…” Hermione spoke as soon as Dumbledore clearly indicated that he had finished.
Dumbledore gently shook his head and motioned towards the corridor.
…
An uncertain length of time passed — perhaps one day, perhaps two.
The cocoon, which had deepened from pale pink to light crimson, ceased breathing and began dissolving from the top down.
A long-haired girl appeared within the white space. Her entire body glowed with pearly light, and her eyes remained lightly closed.
Her long lashes trembled as though she were about to wake.