Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Suer found Neville in the shadow of an easily overlooked corner along the left-hand corridor of the third floor.

The poor boy had been forced into a game of cheek-to-cheek affection with several red-eyed Ashwinders.

Suer froze the snakes into blocks of ice and smashed them with clean efficiency.

“Finite…” Frowning, he helped Neville upright. “Why are you here? And who used a Freezing Charm on you?”

Neville’s face was grey-blue and blank. His eyes held only emptiness and despair. At the same time, his body shuddered from prolonged exposure to the cold. Spring had begun and the air had warmed a little, but nights upon the highlands remained bitter.

Heaven knew whether Neville had suffered a complete collapse while trapped in a flickering corridor with Ashwinders inches from his face and cold air constantly flowing around him.

Any ordinary person would have emerged with lasting nightmares.

Suer sighed, conjured a blue bellflower and held it near Neville.

Perhaps it would bring him back to himself. If not, Suer would have to take him to Madam Pomfrey.

After a long while, the warm blue flames restored a trace of colour to Neville’s corpse-like face.

His neck turned stiffly, like a broken automaton, until he faced Suer.

“S-Suer… You came.” His lips trembled around a terrible smile.

“I’ve been here for some time.” Suer sighed with relief and pulled him upright. “Come on. I’ll take you to the hospital wing and let Madam Pomfrey examine you.”

Neville did not answer. He was plainly still trapped in the horror of the castle’s long night.

Suer delivered him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey muttered as she poured a cup of Pepperup Potion down Neville’s throat, then chased them out while cursing the culprit who had scattered Ashwinders through the whole castle and interrupted her important “research”.

“What happened to Neville?” Hermione reached the Great Hall shortly after Suer and immediately noticed Neville sitting rigidly, white steam pouring from his ears.

Oh? She had not waited a whole day before speaking to him this time.

“First this happened, then that…” Suer gave them a detailed account of finding Neville. “I’ve asked him several times, but this is all he does.”

“It must have been Malfoy!” Ron declared. “I heard him boasting to the Slytherins about how many Ashwinders he’d caught.”

“Speculation is useless. We should wait until Neville recovers and tells us himself.”

“In any event, I’m leaving him with you, Harry and Ron.” Suer yawned. “You share his dormitory, don’t you?”

Harry nodded.

“I’ll join my own house. See you tomorrow, Hermione.” The words were casual, but Suer’s eyes rested on Hermione and his fingers twitched.

If she had forgiven the hand-holding so quickly, did that mean he could push his luck?

For example, could he pinch one of those smooth, well-padded cheeks?

There was no time like the present.

Suer succeeded. Under Hermione’s stunned gaze, he fled towards the Hufflepuff group.

“Children.” Professor McGonagall had appeared in the Great Hall without anyone noticing. She stood high upon the dais, smiling.

“Your performance tonight has greatly pleased me. The danger has passed.”

“Oh!” Every young wizard released a collective breath.

“I must also congratulate you. The excellent qualities you displayed prove that Hogwarts provides a sound and effective education. Therefore, I shall award thirty points to each of your houses.”

The students erupted in cheers. Professor McGonagall could not suppress the rising corners of her mouth. She casually amplified her voice so it would carry above the celebration.

“That will do. It is already deep into the night, and dawn is not far away. You must return to your common rooms and sleep.”

“Give the collected eggs to your prefects and ensure they remain frozen.”

“I have also instructed the Hogwarts kitchens to prepare food in each common room to help you rest. You may eat before going to bed.”

“Leave the remaining work to us.”

…

The young badgers had remained tense while hunting snakes and eggs. Once the strain lifted, exhaustion washed over them. They yawned, ate a little in the common room and stumbled back to their dormitories before collapsing into sleep.

Would they see the Slytherin captain in women’s clothes again tomorrow?

Marcus had not looked particularly happy.

“What a performance…” Suer murmured, closed his eyes and sank into sleep.

While the students slept soundly, the four Heads of House gathered in the Headmaster’s office on the eighth floor. A rigid figure stood among them.

Whoomph.

Flames rose in the office, and Dumbledore appeared beneath his tall hat.

His mild gaze travelled around the room before settling upon the rigid figure, where it remained for a long time.

“Tell me what happened.”

“This is the sequence of events, Dumbledore,” Professor McGonagall began. Clearly and logically, she recounted everything that had occurred in the castle.

“Severus and I went to Silvanus’s woodland hut,” Flitwick said gravely, waving his wand. “There we found this. It was so large that I had to shrink it before bringing it here.”

“An Ashwinder?” Dumbledore frowned at the serpentine creature trapped within a deep-blue block of ice.

“More than that,” Flitwick said. “Given sufficient energy, it appears able to produce eggs indefinitely.”

“If it had been shrunk and released inside the castle tonight, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“Silvanus has created something truly remarkable.” Dumbledore lifted his wand. The ice block spun through the air of the office.

“What is Silvanus’s condition?”

“Unknown magic,” Professor Sprout replied. “Minerva and I examined him. Ordinary counter-curses have no effect. He seems fixed permanently in this state, his life force entirely frozen. It is neither petrification nor death.”

“I know of no herb capable of reversing it. Neither Mandrake nor moonshadow will help. St Mungo’s may have a better answer.”

Dumbledore rubbed his brow wearily. “Very well. Please take Silvanus to St Mungo’s as soon as possible. Thank you, Filius, Pomona.”

“It is no trouble, Professor. We shall take him now.” Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout exchanged a look and nodded. Their wands lifted Kettleburn’s body into the air.

“Did you discover anything else, Severus?” After the two professors left, Dumbledore turned to Snape.

Snape nodded and drew a bottle from his pocket. Inside lay a clump of earth soaked in silver liquid, glowing with a halo like moonlight.

After a moment, Dumbledore looked away and regarded Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

“I understand. You should rest as well. You have both worked hard tonight.”

Snape turned and left without a word.

Minerva McGonagall gave Dumbledore one last worried glance before putting away her wand and departing.

Dumbledore remained seated for a long while. Then he rose and gazed towards the Forbidden Forest, saying nothing.