In case anyone is still following this, I'm sorry for taking that long to update this fanfiction. I'd been busy with my work, but now I finally found time to finish it. Last chapters will be posted in the following weeks. I'd also like to apologise for any mistakes.
18. Professor Snape
"Lay her on the bed over there, Anthony..."
"Woe!"
"I'm sorry, Parvati...! Did I hurt you?"
"I'm... fine... just... ugh..."
"Aunt Parvati!" Lysander dashed to the group. "I'm so glad you're fine!"
"Huh...!?" confused, the woman dressed in monk robes stared at him for a second. "Oh, I remember you. You're Luna's boy..."
"Come closer, Lysander..." the injured woman in the bed beckoned him. "I'm here. This... woman... is my... twin... sister, Padma," she spoke with difficulty as Lysander approached her bedside. "Where... Neville and Luna? They here?"
"Don't worry, they're alright," the boy shivered as he analysed her nasty wounds. "Aunt Parvati, you're severely hurt...!"
"I'm fine..." she caressed his hair, forcing a smile. " I'll be back... on my feet... in no time..."
A whole bunch of monks began circling Parvati, speaking in an unknown language. Lysander, thus, stepped back to give them room.
"Mrs Patil," Lysander respectfully bowed his head to Padma. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, I'm Lysander. Er... huh... Mr Goldstein, I don't know if you remember me, good to meet you too," Lysander began whispering. "I have to ask you not to reveal your real identity to the monks. Y'know..." Lysander scratched his head uncomfortably. "Professor Longbottom is... er... impersonating you. He couldn't reveal his real identity..."
"Hi, kid, I remember you, of course," Anthony shook the kid's hand. "Uh, thanks for letting me know that. I'll just tell them I'm Draco Malfoy." Padma glanced daggers at him upon hearing that but kept quiet.
"Hey!" Neville waved at them as he entered the room. "The monks have just told me you're back!" Neville rushed in their direction. "I was starting to get insanely worried... er, oh..." when his eyes lay on Parvati, he became instantly speechless. "Parvati... this isn't..." he swallowed hard. He couldn't just say 'werewolf bite' out loud in front of Lysander.
"If that's... your way..." she panted. "...of asking... how I am... then... I'm fine..."
One of the monks hissed at Parvati in a language unknown to the others. Neville assumed he must have told her to be quiet. Even though Parvati hadn't answered his question, he didn't need to hear it out loud, though. Wordlessly, Padma confirmed his fears with a solemn stare.
"Madam Brown, are you here somewhere?" Lysander asked, scanning the ceiling of the room.
"That should be 'Miss', Lavender was 17 years old..." Anthony corrected him. "Uh, no, Lavender has..." he was interrupted by a violent wince.
"Sissy!" a Padma dashed to her sister's side, horrified by her cry, pushing a monk aside. "Are you fine?"
"Lavender has..." Parvati ignored her sister, addressing Lysander, even though not looking at him, but staring transfixed at the ceiling. "She has... passed to the other side. This is a good thing..." she said more in order to convince herself of that, for the absence of Lavender still hurt more than her nasty wounds. "She is... in the place... she belongs..."
"You mean... passed to the other side... like Your Grace always begs Helena to do?" Lysander asked, curiously.
"How come...!?" startled, Neville shouted. "Lavender is... gone...?"
"Neville..." Parvati continued speaking with difficulty. "Thanks for... helping me... reach my... goal... without you... Lavender wouldn't... have passed..."
"Monk Patil!" one of the monks hissed, this time in English. "We need you to stay put!"
"Sissy, do as you're told!" Padma whined.
"You're all... overreacting..." Parvati kept talking. "I'm fine. I made... the decision... to stay in this world..." she coughed. "I won't... die... anymore."
"You won't die? What do you mean by that?"
"Don't make her talk, Neville. Parvati, you heard the monk, shush!" Anthony reprimanded. "To be short, she had decided to pass to the other side with Lavender, but, in the end, she changed her mind and ended up staying."
"Need to stay..." Parvati insisted on talking. "'Cause of my nephew..."
"And your sister!" an offended Padma remarked.
"My sister... is... a woman... in her forties... she knows... how to take care... of herself..."
"It happens that she doesn't! She can't do without her twin!"
As Parvati was about to answer, another monk scolded her in a language unknown to Neville and the others. Lysander observed the scene silently, asking himself if he'd ever be as close to his own twin.
"So," Anthony turned to face Neville and Lysander. "Let me tell you both what actually happened back there..."
"I don't want any of your money, Hannah..." Neville mumbled, staring at his feet.
"No?" genuinely puzzled, Hannah frowned. "You earned it, Neville... I gave you my word." She scratched her head, thinking back on all her assets. "I bet you'll want the pub instead, right? I bet you can run it by yourself after I'm gone..."
"No. I want you not to go," he interrupted her, resolutely. "I want you to... stay..." his voice cracked.
She snorted. "You must be kidding me..."
"I'm not," he abruptly swung his neck to stare at her. "How am I supposed to live without you?" He reached out for her hand. "Hannah, I love..."
"Bullshit, Neville!" she broke him off, shaking him off her. When she realised how much noise she had mindlessly made, she cast the Muffiatto Charm non-verbally. Lowering her voice, she resumed, "Are you so afraid of being alone that you are really considering saying the L-word to me!?"
Neville kept silent, sweating as a single tear travelled down his face. She was right, he had always been cautious not to say that to her, even though he never imagined she had noticed that. Whenever he thought about whether he loved Hannah or not, his mind would dash straight to Luna's direction, the thought of who would ultimately cause him to believe what he felt for his wife couldn't be actual love. However, the word had thoughtlessly slipped out of his tongue, and, to his own surprise, he didn't regret it. Even when Luna's image popped into his mind, he didn't feel like taking it back, for the idea of not having Hannah by his side anymore hurt more than the memory of his long-lost love.
"I love you," he repeated, as surprised as her as he heard these words coming out of his mouth. "I can't do without, Hannah... you are my family... the only person I can count on..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Neville... it doesn't work with me..."
"It's not supposed to work, it's true!" he insisted, exasperated.
"Have you finally forgotten Luna, then?"
"No..." he began pacing around the room. "It doesn't mean I can't love you as well, though..." Once more, his own words surprised him as they came out of his mouth. "Don't you always say you love many people...?"
"It precisely means I don't love anyone particularly," she sighed. "I don't belong to anyone, Neville, I belong to the world." Neville stopped pacing, staring at her thoroughly as she spoke. "I love you, Neville, you were a great husband to me, but I don't love you any more than I love many other people. I'm very grateful to you, my grandmother would never have left me that much money if hadn't married a pure-blood wizard. However, I'm sorry, it's time for us to go our separate ways..."
Tears began falling down Neville's cheeks. "I... I need... you," following a moment of hesitation, he babbled.
"You don't..."
"I do."
"This is not fair. You can't do this to me, Neville!" she snapped. "You always knew I planned to move to Germany when I had the gold... it's always been my dream. You knew perfectly well we weren't meant to be..."
"No, Hannah, I didn't know that..." he scowled, still weeping. "I knew we were marrying for money... I also knew moving to Germany to be a brewer was your dream... but you never told me that meant leaving me..."
"Well... I figure..." she rambled uncomfortably. "It was... kinda obvious? I mean... it wasn't a real marriage from the beginning..."
"We live together, we sleep together, we wake up together, we eat together, we run a pub together, we have a bank account together, we drink together, we take care of each other when we're hangover, when we're sick... we even take care of my disabled mother together... it wasn't a real marriage, Hannah!?" Neville brought his hands to his face. "We share a life! How is that any different from a 'real marriage'?"
"You're right, that's not what I meant..." Hannah nervously replied. "It is a real marriage. It's just... it's... well... without the love..." she fidgeted nervously. "Neville, you can always count on me... but it's time for me finally follow my dream. I have to go, Neville. You always knew I'd leave..." she took a deep breath. "I need to see the world, Neville, I want to meet new people, to travel, to have fun, to make people happy with my beer... I need to be free..."
"I knew you planned on leaving for Germany," Neville avoided her piercing gaze. "I never imagined it meant leaving me behind. I never imagined you needed to be free... from me... do you feel I keep you from doing anything that you want?"
"Neville, you're making me sound like an awful person...! You never kept me from being free, I just need to..."
"Is it about the fact that you sleep with other people?" Neville interrupted her. "Tell you what, I don't give a damn...!"
"If you did love me, you would, wouldn't you?" Hannah asked.
"I want you to have fun, to be happy, to do everything you want... I just need to know that you're coming back eventually..." he begged, his hands before his chin as if he were praying. "You're the only person who I can be completely honest with..."
"You..." Hannah neared him tentatively. "But you cared when Luna cheated on you, didn't you?"
"So..." Neville thought for a second. "So Luna is the problem? That's what bothers you?"
Hannah thought for a moment as well. "No," assertively, she answered. "Quite the contrary, knowing you loved someone else made me feel at peace with myself, I wouldn't have to worry about you falling in love with me..."
"Because, if that's the problem, then I..." Neville braced himself before saying what was on his mind. "If that's the problem, I promise you I'll do everything I can to forget Luna. To never think about her again. Whenever she may pop into my mind, I'll push her aside..."
"Neville, look..."
"I'll wipe out all memory I have of her..." Neville put his wand to his head. "Luna is in the past, Hannah. She's married to another man, she's got a family..."
"Expelliarmus!" Hannah cast in his direction, causing Neville's wand to fly from his hand. "Are you out of your mind!?"
"Why..."
"Are you insane!? Are you seriously considering wiping out years of your life from your memory!? Do you want to end up in that same room in St. Mungo's your parents spent most of their lives!?"
"No! I just want you to stay with me!"
"Fine!" she spat, much to his confusion. He couldn't figure out if that had been ironic or not. He suspected it hadn't, but he could barely believe he had managed to change her mind, for Hannah rarely backed down on what she wanted. "I won't leave you. On one condition."
"Anything."
"You have to prove what you said... you know... regarding... that word you said to me..."
"Name it."
"You..." she hesitated. "You come along. You leave everything behind... and come to Germany with me."
"No..." Neville shook his head in disbelief. "Not that... everything but that..."
"As I imagined..." Hannah smirked. "That were just words..."
"Everything but that, Hannah..." Neville tossed himself on the bed, burying his head in a pillow. "I can not leave my mom behind..."
"I never suggested that we'd leave her..."
"She's finally making some progress, Hannah, you can't seriously think she'll adapt in another country! Isolated, away from everyone and everything she knows... new house, new doctors, new nurses, new hospital, new culture... Merlin's sake, Hannah...! She'll never learn another language!"
"Er..." Hannah scratched her nose. "You have a point, Neville... that'd be rough on Alice..."
Neville's head emerged abruptly from the pillow as he swayed to face her. "You serious? So you'll stay?" He cracked a huge grin and crossed his arms around her waist. "I could never thank you enough, Hannah..."
"Neville," she spoke leisurely, staring at the ceiling to avoid him. "I understand you really can't come with me. However..." she took a deep breath. "I also really can't stay. I need to go. I need you to understand that." Hannah felt Neville starting to sob against her belly. Ruefully, she caressed his hair. "I should've known this was a bad idea... obviously you'd fall in love with me, how couldn't you?" She argued with herself out loud. "I mean, look at me, I'm hot as hell..."
"You are..." Neville mumbled. "That's not what I like most about you, though..."
"I mean, I thought your feelings for Luna would be strong enough to keep it from happening..." she kept reasoning with herself, ignoring him. "That was a mistake, they weren't... I need to be more careful from now on..."
"I haven't forgotten about Luna, I've just learned to live without her..." Neville elaborated. "Actually, you're the only person who wouldn't reject or despise me for what I've done to her... you're the only one who sees some good in me, despite my horrendous deeds... Ginny, grandma, Professor McGonagall, they've never forgiven me..."
Hannah finally came out of her rambling and swung her head to look at him. "I reckon Luna's forgiven you..."
"What!?" abruptly, Neville let go of her. "I've asked, no, I've begged you not to talk about me with Luna behind my back!" He felt anger starting to run through his veins. "As far as I know, the last time you talked to her, you ended up accusing me of being responsible for cursing her back in the day! Groundless accusations! You've seen with your own eyes how miserable I was at that damned hospital when... when...!" Neville couldn't even bring himself to repeat out loud the dreadful events of the worse day of his life.
"Will you get yourself together and talk to me like a human being?" without having to raise her voice, Hannah lay down the law, causing Neville to settle down pronto. "Unfortunately, even though I'd rather be a brewer in Germany, I happen to be a healer. A huge part of my job is to find what is causing people's health problems... and that happens to include Luna." She headed to the counter and began pouring Firewhisky to herself. "Luna's checked in St. Mungo's..." '...more than once,' Hannah added in her mind, but she kept it from Neville. "We needed to figure out what was happening to her. We had no leads... no clues... she refused to talk to us..."
"Huh..."
Hannah paused to take a huge sip of her drink. "How could we not investigate you? She was clearly hiding something. We had to consider the possibility that she felt uncomfortable sharing her thoughts with us healers because you were my husband," as she spoke, she pointed to herself, then to him, repeatedly. "It makes sense that she wouldn't want to share with me anything she might have held against you, doesn't it? Also, Narcissa Malfoy's suspicions about you from that time weren't thoroughly looked into..."
Neville brought a hand to his eye to dry a tear. "Luna has reason to think the worst about me..." he wheezed. "But you...? There's not a single thing about me that you don't know, Hannah! I was open with you about all the ways I wronged Luna... you know perfectly well how much that episode in the pub still hurts and haunts me! It made my world fall apart...! How could..."
"Every single day I have to hear you mourning how of a horrible person you are," Hannah interrupted him again. "But I never cease to try to convince you that you have good in your heart." She paused, took another draught of her drink and stared seriously at him. "Don't try to make me feel sorry for considering the possibility that you might have actually done something evil. Don't try to make me apologise for doing my job. For trying to help a person in need..."
"But I answered every question you had... under the effect of a Truth Potion! How can you still..."
"I don't, Neville," out of patience, yet another time she cut him off. "You did prove your point back then. Also, we have leads now. Luna's decided to share her thoughts with us... she's never thought you had anything to do with it..."
"Seriously!?" startled, Neville jumped from the bed. "What did Luna say?"
"I don't know much, Neville," Hannah lied. "I can tell you that you're completely clean, no one suspects you, that's all."
"Hannah, if you know something..." Neville resumed crying. "It was my child too, y'know? I have the right to..."
"You should ask Luna that, Neville," Hannah put her glass back on the cupboard. "I think she'd tell you what's on her mind if you asked."
"I'll never talk to Luna again, Hannah," Neville heard in his head Ginny's voice warning him not to bring Luna more problems at home. "She's happily married, she's got a family... I don't want to mess with that. I've brought her enough problems for a lifetime."
"I wouldn't say Luna is that happily married..."
"Well, of course, her husband and her kid had quite some trouble with the Ministry, that was on the Dialy Prophet. No family is perfect, but I figure they managed to overcome that..."
"You should talk to her about that, too, Neville..." Hannah continued. "I'm serious. This is something you have to do, Neville, you have to finally find some guts to apologise to her..."
"I'd rather duel a dragon unarmed..."
"You can't keep living like this, Neville!" Hannah raised her voice. "You can't spend your entire live blaming yourself...'
"I can and I will," he began pouring whiskey for himself too, but Hannah snatched the glass out of his clutch.
"Neville..."
"Why are you insisting on this, Hannah?" heatedly, he retorted, spilling liquid from the bottle as he swung his neck to face her. "What do you want with that?"
"What do I want, Neville!?" Hannah screeched, snatching the bottle from him as well. "The best for you, obviously! I only have your best interest in mind!"
"It doesn't seem so!" Neville grunted, furiously, yet seeking to control himself in order not to punch the wall. "Did you bring that subject up 'cause you know it hurts me!? Are you deliberately trying to hurt me so I stop begging you to stay!? Is that so!? Then go, Hannah!" He abruptly stopped his fit of anger just to burst into tears, leaning against a wall. He kept crying for some moments until he finally managed to speak again. "Auf Wiedersehen!"
Hannah quickly peeked through the door in order to see if her charm was still working. Fortunately, Alice seemed to be sound asleep. When she came back, she sought to phrase her reasoning in the most well-spoken way she could. "Neville, please, be reasonable," she chanted gently, barely resembling her usual self, almost sounding like Luna. "That was never my intention. I stress: you do need that. You need to forgive yourself. If you stopped hating on yourself, maybe you wouldn't think that living with someone you don't actually love is the best that life is got for you..."
"Thanks, Hannah!" sarcastically, he yelled. "You successfully reminded me that I don't love you. Right now, I don't think I even like you! You're free to walk through that door whenever you want, I'll even help you pack..."
"Please, Neville, stop acting like a child...!"
"Do you hear yourself, Hannah!? Are you seriously suggesting that I should, I dunno, chase after Luna, apologise to her and willingly cause problems in her marriage? And what should I expect? Should I expect she'd come running back to me or what...? Don't you notice how absurd that sounds!? Do you want to get rid of me that bad!? Congratulations! You did it!"
"I never suggested that! I didn't tell you to chase her... I told you to apologise to her, that's all!"
"I won't!"
"Fine! Do as you please!"
"Same for you!" Neville stood from the floor and looked at her briefly, then turned his back on her. "Ask Cho to send me whatever papers you need me to sign." Thus, he walked through the door, slammed it shut as he passed through it and headed to his mother's room.
Following that, a calm Hannah paced in silence to the cupboard where she had placed the Firewhisky bottle. She grabbed it and went to their bed. She drank its entire content inchmeal, losing track of time in the process. 'I can't tell,' she thought repeatedly. 'I gave my word, I can't tell...' She didn't even notice when she finally fell asleep.
They heard someone make a sound from a distance. Although the tone sounded like communicating something, it was nothing like any word they knew.
"Mom!" Lysander ran in the sound's direction. It was Luna. She walked leisurely in their direction, limping and trembling, leaning on a staff, but steadily. When the kid reached her, he promptly came to her aid. "Aunt Parvati and the others are back!"
Assisted by Lysander, Luna neared them but didn't try to say anything. She came to halt by the bed, nodded briefly at everyone, and then began staring uneasily at Parvati.
"You're back... on your feet... Luna..." Parvati wheezed. "That's... wonderful..." Luna didn't express any reaction to this comment, she kept staring deeply at Parvati. "I'm... fine... OK...?"
"The monks have examined Luna," Neville explained. "She seems fine, all her physical injuries are fully healed. She can walk by herself and she is completely sound of mind." Luna warmly embraced Lysander as Neville spoke. "They agree with Padma that there is something magical keeping her from talking, though." Neville sighed. "They haven't found out what yet."
"Luna, now that you're feeling better, maybe..." Padma thought out loud. "I bet you might have some idea of what has happened to you. Could help us figure that out?"
Luna strived to force a smile at Padma, but she found out she couldn't. She merely scowled hard, sweating as she fought the magic that kept her from speaking. Thus, she opened her eyes again and spoke assertively to Padma. "Cauldron."
"Hm... you're trying to say..."
"She's saying she'll help," Lysander answered on his mother's behalf. "We don't need words to understand each other."
"Good idea, Padma," Neville brought a hand to his mouth, thinking hard as well. "So, Luna, try to tell us what you know..."
Still fighting against her own mind, Luna babbled a bit before she managed to actually pronounce a word. "Harry..." she whispered. "Harry," Luna repeated, this time louder.
"Harry!?" Neville jumped, surprised. "Harry's the one who's done that to you, Luna!?" When Padma stared witheringly at him, he realised how silly his conclusion was. "Er... never mind. Go on, Luna..."
"Professor... Snape..." she mumbled.
"Harry, Professor Snape..." Anthony had conjured a piece of parchment and began writing down as Luna spoke. "Hm..."
"Umbridge..."
Upon hearing that, Neville completely gave up trying to solve the puzzle. His mind couldn't even begin to understand how these three could be connected to whatever had happened to Luna.
"D'you think of anything, dear?" Anthony addressed Padma, who was so absorbed in her thoughts she even forgot to reprimand him for treating her as if they were still together.
"Hm..." she closed her eyes. Apparently, Padma and Anthony hadn't given up yet. "Not yet..."
"Go on, mom," Lysander asked.
"Sirius..."
"Sirius? You mean Sirius Black?" Anthony asked.
"He was... Harry's... godfather..." Parvati whispered.
"Harry, Snape, Umbridge and Sirius Black?" Padma asked. "That's it? I... I sincerely have no clue..."
Luna paused for some moments, not looking at them. Thus, she Padma babbled at Padma. "Prophecy..."
"Help... me... sit..." Parvati made an effort to raise from the bed. "If... it is... about... some... prophecy... I... might... know..."
However, Luna promptly gestured for Parvarti to stay lying in the bed. She gazed at her intensely for some seconds, and thus switched her keen look to Padma. "Prophecy," she repeated, holding Padma's hand and squeezing it.
"It's something related to a prophecy, but you want Padma to solve it... is that so, Luna?" Anthony asked.
"Alright... that must be it..." Padma said. "So... it's to me..." she closed her eyes one more time, the engines on her head working at full power. "Prophecy... prophecy..."
"Umbridge... Harry... Sirius..." Luna insisted. "Prophecy."
After some seconds of silence, the answer dawned on Padma. "You mean... prophecy..." she linked the dots as she spoke. "From... the place I work..." she opened her eyes and straightened herself. Luna smiled at her as she spoke. "The Department of Mysteries. You were there... with Harry... and the others... you destroyed all the prophecies..." she paused to catch some breath before finishing. "That year when Umbridge was at Hogwarts. Supposedly to save Sirius Black from dying."
"That can only be it!" Neville cheered, barely believing she had managed to find a link between all these supposedly unconnected words.
"Nice one," for a second, Anthony felt like embracing his ex-wife, but he reminded himself that she always made a point they shouldn't behave as if they were still married. At least not in public.
"So... maybe something recently invented by the Department of Mysteries is keeping my mom from talking?" Lysander asked.
"That might be it... Padma, do you know of anything?" Neville's heart pounded as he felt that there was still hope.
"No," Padma stated.
"Think harder!" since Neville couldn't solve the puzzle himself, he had decided he'd better push Padma to do it. "C'mon..."
"I'm not saying I don't know, Neville," Padma retorted. "I'm 100% sure there's nothing that could cause that effect on a person currently being studied by the Department of Mysteries. Actually, it wouldn't even fit the category of Mystery. Any means of causing harm to a person would rather fall into the category of Dark Magic, and thus should be investigated by the Auror Office."
Luna, then, paced towards Neville and grabbed his wrist, squeezing it as she'd done to Padma's hand not long before. "Snape," she looked into his eyes. "Harry."
"Luna... uh!? I..."
"It's for you, professor," Lysander told him. "She wants you to come up with the answer."
"Huh!? I...?" Luna squeezed his wrist as he looked at her astounded. "But... no, Luna... I can't... you know I can't... I'm a failure..."
"You were there, weren't you?" Anthony asked. "In the Department of Mysteries. Back in the day..."
"Huh, yeah..."
"So it has to be you, Neville," Padma agreed with Lysander. "You're the only one who can."
"For Merlin's sake!" Neville sounded desperate. "Luna, you know me, you know very well that I can't do it!" He lowered his voice tone. "You know my mind is the opposite of bright, you know I can't even remember what I ate for dinner yesterday...!"
"Harry..." relentlessly, she kept her eyes glued on his. She didn't even blink. "Snape."
"Neville, are you even trying!?" Padma scolded him.
"I am!"
"Think back on that time, Neville," Anthony encouraged him. "Did Harry and Snape do anything unusual the day you broke into the Department of Mysteries?"
"I don't remember!" Neville tossed himself on a chair, on the verge of a mental breakdown. "I can't remember!"
"Please, professor," Lysander approached him, his light eyes brightened by tears. It made Neville's heart bleed for a second. "We need you."
"OK... Harry... Snape..." Neville trembled and sweated as he strived to recall these events. "Harry gave Snape a hint... yeah..." Luna leisurely reached out for his wrist another time and began squeezing it. Neville's head felt as if it were about to melt whereas he thought he could be getting closer to the answer. "We were in Umbridge's office... Harry told Snape that Sirius had been kidnapped in a way Umbridge couldn't understand."
Some silent seconds passed, but Luna kept squeezing his wrist steadily.
"So..." Anthony broke the silence. "Is that it, Luna?"
She kept silent and stared at the floor. "Harry," she spoke this time more clearly than ever. "Snape," thus, she let go of Neville's wrist.
"That doesn't seem to be it," Padma concluded.
"Luna, can't you try to speak in a way they can understand you?" Neville urged her. "Can you try that?"
Thus, Luna clumsily approached Padma once more. She closed her eyes, focusing on producing the words she actually wanted to communicate. "Snape," however, she could only produce the same words she'd been saying until now. "Harry."
"I don't believe she can choose what she says," Anthony said. "Maybe... can you write, Luna?"
"I don't think she can even..." Padma surveyed Luna's pained expression thoroughly. "I don't think she can even nod and shake her head to tell us 'yes' or 'no'. There is something messing with her ability to communicate..."
"Professor..." Lysander sounded like begging as he turned his puppy eyes to Neville.
"Lysander, I'm so sorry, I can't," Neville apologised, not daring to look back at him. "I'm sorry for letting you down, kid."
"You can do this, professor. You're the best teacher at school..."
"I'm not the person you think I am, Lysander!" Neville interrupted the kid, in a ruder tone than he'd like. "I just told you, there's no chance!" Just as the words left his mouth, Neville regretted being so unfair to the boy. From one of the child's already brightened eyes, a single tear fell. "Kid, hey, the last thing I wanted was to shout at you... I'm so sorry. I just... it's... I really wish I could help..." he swayed his head in order to face Luna. "Your mother knows me well, she knows how bad my memory is. I bet she'd tell you if she could."
Luna placed a hand on Lysander's arm as Neville said that. "It's alright, professor... you did the best you could," the boy stared at the floor. "I guess we shouldn't lose all hope, we could still ask uncle Harry. I guess he might have a better memory..."
"He might..." Neville agreed.
"Who said anything about losing hope, kid?" Anthony approached him amicably. "We can still ask the second smartest person in Britain..."
"Of course!" Padma felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. "Hermione!" Padma and Anthony spoke at the same time. "She was with you that day, wasn't she, Neville?"
"Yes, she was..."
"Wow, if aunt Hermione was there, we'll certainly solve everything in no time! There's nothing aunt Hermione can't do!" Lysander cheered. "And who is the smartest person in Britain?"
"Her," Anthony smirked and pointed at Padma.
"Wow," marvelled, Lysander beheld. "You're smarter than aunt Hermione, ma'am!?"
"I'm not!" Padma hid her face behind one of her hands.
"She's also the most beautiful person in Britain, must I add..."
"Anthony, not now...!"
"But she has a temper..."
"What!?"
"You... do..." Parvati croaked.
"It's virtually impossible for me to be the most beautiful, I'm exactly like Parvati!"
"Now... you're... not..." Parvati laughed for a brief second, but it caused her a coughing fit. "I've got... whole chunks of meat... missing..."
Neville gawked as he heard this questionable joke, whereas Padma covered her mouth with a hand. "Children in the room, Parvati," she reprimanded her sister.
"So, Luna," Anthony picked up the piece of parchment. "Is there word else you'd like to tell Hermione? I'm just heading back to the Ministry..."
"Huh? Heading back?" caught off-guard, Padma cut him off. "Already?"
"I'm actually skipping work, I should've been back already."
"Oh, right," Padma sought to compose herself.
"So, Luna... anything?"
Even though Luna gave her best effort, she only managed to produce the same words from before. "Snape..." she said. "Harry."
"Ok," Anthony folded the piece of parchment. "That's all?"
"Cauldron," Luna added.
"I guess 'Cauldron' means OK... well, I'm all set," he pocketed the parchment. "You all take care, right?" Anthony waved quickly at everyone, then placed one hand on Padma's shoulder. "You take good care of Parvati, OK?"
"I'll go with you," readily, headed in the direction of the door. "I'll show you the exit."
"Not necessary, stay with Parvati..."
"You were so busy carrying her when we first got here, you won't remember the way out," Padma insisted. "I should come along..."
"I'll find it, don't worry..."
"She... wants..." panting, Parvati broke him off. "To... talk.. alone..."
"Yes, I do, about Panju...!" Padma quickly added, her cheeks burning from shyness. 'Parvati, when you're all better, we'll have a serious conversation!' she thought.
"Oh, OK. Let's go, then..."
'How guys can be so clueless?' Parvati thought as she watched the couple leave the room. She smirked as she noticed her sister stare daggers at her for half a second. 'I'm glad I didn't die earlier today...'
Padma led Anthony into an apparently desert corridor. When they came to a halt, he asked, "So, what about Panju?"
"Ok, er... huh..." she was having a hard time speaking her heart out. "I just wanted to ask... why did you come after me?"
"I've answered that question already, back at St. Mungo's. I went there to save my son's mother," but she kept staring at him as if she weren't content with that answer. So, he took a deep breath and began explaining. "Panju told me that, for some reason, the plan was to stick with a person we love immensely. If that's so, I couldn't leave you all by yourself, completely unprotected..."
"I wasn't unprotected, Parvati was with me. She loves me immensely."
"But Panju believed she had foreseen her own death... what if Parvati ended up dying? I couldn't leave you facing werewolves all by yourself..."
"Oh."
"Look, I know you asked me to stay with Panju and I didn't..."
"Here is a little something," all of the sudden, she gave a quick smack on his cheek. "To thank you."
"Huh...!?" Anthony stood dumbfounded for a second, then bought a hand to the place she'd kissed. "I mean, that's all I get? I deserve better, don't I? I'm kind of..." he inflated his chest. "A hero!"
"What...!? You should be more than satisfied with that! After all, you left our son all by himself!"
"No son wants to lose his mother, rescuing you was in Panju's best interest...! And I didn't leave him alone, he's in the Minister's office with Hugo, Hermione, Ron..."
"Do you mean that?" Padma interrupted him.
"Huh? That I left him with Hugo and the others? Of course, why would I lie about that?"
"I mean..." she whispered to his ear. "Do you really love me immensely?"
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know that well enough?"
"But I like to hear it out loud..."
Thus, Anthony stared deeply into her eyes and caressed one of her hands warmly. "I love you immensely," he mouthed.
Upon hearing that, she mindlessly cracked a smile, then pecked him on the lips. "Is that better?" giggling, she asked after they broke apart.
"Nah..." he smirked. "Not good enough. Look, I have a proposition for you. If you agree to it, then we can be even."
"I'm listening."
"Well, I promise I'll open every door for you until the day that I die," he said. "But, in return, you have to let me call you my wife again. What do you think?"
"Hum..." she pretended to be considering the offer. "It seems fair. We have a deal."
Following that, he leaned against the wall and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. She, for her part, locked her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with passion.
"Sadhvi Patil!" the couple heard a male voice shout from afar. It continued shouting and was followed by yet other voices, but they didn't understand the language in which they were speaking.
"Merlin's beard...!" the woman nervously murmured as she jumped away from Anthony, become suddenly aware of the orange monk robes she wore. "They believe I'm my sister!" she exclaimed. "Not. Parvati," she raised her voice as if she were talking to a deaf person, gesticulating primly. "Not. Speak. Sanskrit."
"Oh, thank Merlin you could make it here, Cho..."
As she passed through the door Neville had opened, Cho Chang walked quickly straight past him, ignoring him completely, dashing in Padma's direction.
"Hey," Padma stood from the chair she'd been sitting by her sister's bed and waved cheerfully at the woman. However, when Cho finally reached her, she merely passed her a copy of the Dialy Prophet and passed straight past her as well.
"How are you feeling? Everyone is worried," Cho finally stopped by Parvati's bed. She bent a little to examine her wounds.
"Better than yesterday," Parvati answered. She was finally able to speak normally, but her tone still carried a bit of moaning.
"That's good news," Cho cracked a tiny smile, then swung her head in Neville's direction. "Hello, Neville."
"Thanks for greeting me so enthusiastically," Neville joked. "So, how is the world outside?"
"One of the most prominent young academics in the field of Theory of Charms," Padma broke Neville off, reading an article from the Prophet out loud. "Currently serving as Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic, also known for taking part in Dumbledore's Army in her youth, not to mention for her physical attributes (oh, seriously, I can't believe they wrote that!), Padma Patil, 43, is the responsible for capturing dozens of werewolves and finally defeating infamous werewolf Fenrir Greyback, yesterday in the battle following the attack at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." Neville fought hard to muffle a giggle. Padma, for her part, stopped reading and took a deep breath, dispiritedly. "How come there were journalists there!? I remember none. Apparently, someone has taken a picture of us when we were escaping." She turned the newspaper to Parvati so she could see the picture of her, dressed as her sister, in Anthony's arms, covered in blood, as her sister dressed as a monk accompanied them. "It had to be Rita Skeeter..."
"You stole my glory!" Parvati rudely pointed at her sister. "Woe!" She winced in pain, for she had put too much effort into protesting.
"You're a monk, Parvati, you've given up the pleasures of this world," seeming to be mildly amused, Cho remarked. "Why do you want glory? Isn't saving people's lives enough?"
"I don't care! I'm a sloppy monk! I'm a hero, I want to be recognized for that!" Parvati kept complaining. "We're Gryffindors, that's our thing! Tell them, Neville!"
"Parvati, I think you should chill, that's not going to be good for your health," Neville recommended. "Besides, according to what you told me, it was Lavender who killed Greyback, no? You'd be steaing Lavender's glory..."
"Sissy, I'll tell everyone it was you when we come back. I didn't mean to steal your glory," Padma said, apologetically. "Quite the contrary... Rita Skeeter has mentioned my reputation as 'scarlet woman' in this..." she kept reading. "Oh, that was exactly what I needed! I can hear Anthony's mom's voice already... 'Everybody is talking about the kind of woman you've decided to marry!'"
"Er... about that... huh..." Cho gazed at the floor as she thought about a way of giving her the bad news. "She's even mentioned the rumours that Anthony might not be Panju's actual dad."
Instantly, Padma stopped reading, crumpled the newspaper violently into a ball and threw it against the wall. She strived to keep a stern expression, but Neville noticed she had to fight tears from falling. She quietly sat back on the chair next to her sister and crossed her arms. Sensing the other's distress, Parvati discreetly brought one of her hands to her shoulder.
"Padma, this Rita Skeeter is a monster..." Neville sought to solace the woman, for he knew how terrible it was to be the subject of people's gossip. He never forgot what he and Luna had to endure when they were together. "Don't mind about that. People don't give her any credit anyway."
"Whatever..." Padma swallowed hard. "I don't really mind... how is Panju, Cho?"
"He was worried bad that you might've been bitten by a werewolf," Cho told her. "But, since he found out that it was actually Parvati, he is better."
"So much for my nephew's consideration..." Parvati simpered ironically.
"He reckons you're better prepared to deal with it. He feels Padma wouldn't make it..."
"So much for my son's consideration!" this time, Padma was the one who protested.
"Anyway, everyone is fine. There were very few casualties," Cho continued. "The Ministry is now targeting the werewolves' hideout. The ones who were arrested are collaborating and the Ministry expects the crisis to be over in a few days. Oh, and of course, as your legal assistant, I happily inform you that you're off the hook Neville," Cho gave thNeville thumbs-up. "No one is interested that you might've kidnapped a child from Hogwarts. You're also being depicted as a hero by the public opinion, there are one or two things about you in there..." she pointed at the Prophet that Padma had crumpled, and Neville readily bent down to pick it up from the floor. "About Luna as well. There's also a big piece on Rolf."
"Huh, I see," Neville responded as he scanned the Prophet's content. "Thanks for letting me know."
"You may go back to your job at Hogwarts anytime. Professor McGonagall is expecting your return... so, where is she?" Cho surveyed the whole room. "Is she awake? Conscious? Luna?"
"Luna, conscious? I'll show you," Neville paced towards the window, opening it widely. "Luna!" Neville called her thunderously through the window.
Luna, who had been wandering outside with Lysander, swung her head in his direction instantly. However, some monks also peeked through their windows to check the cause of the disturbance.
"This is a monastery!" from her bed, Padma scolded him, whispering. "Don't shout!"
"Oh, sorry," he wheezed. Thus, he beckoned Cho and asked her to appear at the window by his side. "Luna," he spoke without sound, hoping she could read his lips. "Cho is here," he pointed at her. "Come back."
He didn't know if she had understood him, but, at the sight of Cho, Luna quickly seized her child's hand and, before they could say 'Quidditch', a knock on the door could be heard.
When she walked into the room, she strode directly at Cho, who welcomed her with a warm hug. "Look at you! I thought you were knocked out in bed!"
"She's feeling good," Padma explained. "The only thing is that something is keeping her from communicating. Did you happen to..."
"Hear from Anthony?" Cho completed her sentence. "I did, I'm all updated. I just thought the way he explained made it seem worse than it is."
"More important," Neville said. "Do you happen to hear anything from Hermione?"
"Yes," upon hearing that, Lysander and Luna became all excited, but Cho gestured for them to keep calm. "Don't celebrate so soon. I believe the answer I bring is not what you must have expected."
"How come?" Padma asked, intrigued.
"Er... to be short, Hermione doesn't even remember when was the last time she slept..."
"That's horrible, but..." Neville leaned on the wall, thoughtfully. "I can't say I'm surprised."
"Her children were trying to convince her to take a Dreamless Sleep Potion," Cho went on. "Anyway, she asked me to apologize to you, Luna, but she was too exhausted to think about anything. However," Cho plunged an entire arm inside her handbag, "she wanted me to deliver you this." From it, she pulled out an empty portrait. She placed it on a table and took some distance. "Hem, hem," she coughed, politely. "Er, Professor Snape? Would you please come out? We'd like to talk to you, sir."
"Who dares to wake me up while I'm sleeping?" after the group called for a considerable time, Severus Snape finally walked into the portrait, swinging his black cape magniloquently as usual. As he scanned the area, his expression changed from displeasure to disgust as his eyes travelled from Neville to Luna. "Just what I needed," Snape spoke leisurely. "Longbottom, Lonny..." then he laid eyes on Padma. "Oh, Patil as well. Where are we? A mental institution? If so, Minerva should have checked Sybill in as well..."
"No, no...! I'm normal Patil, professor, the other twin," Padma corrected him. "I'm dressed like this just because we're in a temple, you will note everyone else is wearing orange robes, not only me." Padma pointed at her sister. "My sister is there, in the bed. She's injured, she's been attacked..."
"Normal Patil?" Parvati retorted. "What am I, Mental Patil?
"You're Professor Snape?" Lysander meddled in, reverently. "The one Uncle Harry has named Albus after? The one wizard who was wit enough to fool You-Know-Who? Wow, it's an honour to talk to you, sir!" The little kid smiled and bowed his head. "I ask you not to call my mother Loony, though, her actual name is Luna."
"Huh?" even though he fell for the boy's flattery, Snape forced himself to act harshly. "What kind of rubbish is this?" Snape was a bit confused, he couldn't understand why the boy didn't remember him. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"For the second time, other twin," Neville sighed, out of patience. "This is Lysander. You don't know him yet."
"Longbottom! Show me due respect...!"
"Professor," Cho raised her hand, much like she'd do in an audience. "I don't know if you remember me, Cho Chang, I was your student as well. The Minister lent me your portrait so we could ask you some questions."
Snape crossed his arms, staring at Cho attentively. "I'm listening."
"It's about Luna. I reckon you must be aware of her situation..."
"A little."
"Great... so, the problem is..." Cho rapidly thought of a way of telling the story in front of Lysander without criticising of his father. "Luna has been... attacked. When she was found, she was severely injured and seemed to have lost her mind."
"Loony losing her mind?" Snape sneered. "Who would've thought?"
"Anyway," Cho ignored his rudeness. "We found out that she is entirely conscious, she understands us perfectly."
"The problem is that some magic is keeping her from speaking her mind freely, and we don't know what may be causing it," Padma explained. "We have discovered that there is a pattern in what she says. She can't communicate freely, but she's managed to say words that are linked to what she'd wish to say. She's trying to tell us what happened the day she was attacked, but we can't figure out what it is."
"And where do I fit in this situation?" Snape asked.
"One of the things she is repeatedly saying is 'Professor Snape'," Neville clarified. "That's why Hermione must've thought you could help us. Sir..." Neville added at the end, a bit of irony in his tone.
"Loony," Snape called her, solemnly. "What are you trying to say?"
"Harry, Professor Snape, Umbridge, Sirius Black," she recited. "Harry, Professor Snape," Luna repeated. "Harry, Professor Snape."
"Umbridge, Potter, Black and I?"
"You forgot about 'prophecy', Luna," Parvati added. "Neville has concluded that she wants to tell us something about the day she broke into the Department of Mysteries with Harry and the others. They were trying to save Black if I remember well..."
"It makes sense," Snape surveyed Luna interestedly. "I talked to Potter briefly in Dolores' office that day. Loony was present." He sighed, thinking hard. "Lonny, come closer. I want to examine you." She obeyed. "Huh, curious... have you checked her for hexes and curses yet?"
"She's been to St. Mungo's," Padma informed. "I believe she must've been thoroughly checked there."
"The monks have checked me," Parvati raised her voice. "So they must've checked Luna in here as well."
"They did," Neville confirmed.
"Why are you trembling, Loony?" Snape frowned as he kept examining her.
"Cauldron," Luna spoke, gazing pleadingly into Snape's eyes. "Cauldron." She repeated, this time more intensely.
"We believe 'Cauldron' is a word she says when she wants to say 'yes'..." Padma began explaining.
However, she was brusquely interrupted by Snape snarling. "Why hasn't anyone been capable of understanding that Loony has been..." Snape paused for a moment as if he wished to spit in all his irritation as he said this last word, "poisoned!?"
"Poisoned!?" Neville's heart stopped for a second.
"Cauldron," Luna repeated in an assuring tone.
"But what could cause that to a person? I can't be what you're trying to tell me, Loony. The Babbling Beverage's effects wear off on its own."
"Babbling Beverage!?" Neville freaked out one more time. "What makes you think that Luna wants to tell us that?"
"That is what she is meaning, Longbottom. Loony isn't any crazier than she's ever been, her memory is still sharper than yours," Snape venomously remarked. "When Potter told me that Black had - supposedly - been kidnapped and taken to the Department of Mysteries, Dolores demanded to know what he meant. My answer to her was that I had no idea, and I suggested Potter should take a Babbling Beverage, for it is the potion that one should drink when one wants to talk nonsense."
"Bloody diadem taken out of the fire from the room of requirement!" the memory of that moment came back to Neville all at once. "I recall it now!"
"Professor, the entire cuss!? This is utterly disrespectful to Her Grace!" Lysander reprimanded. "In front of all us Ravenclaws!"
Cho nodded, trying to conceal a laugh. "Shame on you, Neville!" she glanced mischievously at Padma. "We Ravenclaws never invoke Ravenclaw's diadem in vain! Isn't that right, Padma?"
"Both of you do it..." Parvati intervened.
"That's ridiculous! I don't!" ashamed, Padma lied. "Anyway," she sought to change the subject. "Do you remember, Parvati? We brewed that potion that year. We used it on Umbridge's loudspeakers..." Padma turned to gaze at Luna, apologetically. "Is that what you meant, Luna? I feel awful that I couldn't understand you..." Luna grabbed Padma's hands yet another time, staring keenly at her. "This is it," Padma declared. "She's confirming it."
"Loony," Snape directed himself at her. "Try to elaborate on what makes you believe you've been poisoned with the Babbling Beverage."
"With all due respect, Professor Snape, but Luna is an accomplished alchemist," Padma retorted. "Do you reckon she wouldn't be able to recognise something as ordinary as the Babbling Beverage?"
"With all due respect, Normal Patil," Snape scowled. "What I see before my eyes is definitely not a person under the effect of the Babbling Beverage. I reckon I would recognise something as ordinary as that."
"If Luna is saying, then..." Neville joined the argument. "I agree with Padma. Luna is a specialist. She is deemed by some as one of the greatest contemporary alchemists."
"It's not like your opinion counts, Longbottom," Snape hissed. "You were the worse student I've ever had the displeasure of teaching. Also," she turned his eyes to Luna. "Loony has never showcased any sign of geniality when she was my student. Sometimes I even doubt she could be capable of great accomplishments as the ones she's known for..."
"Professor, once more, I apologise, but I suggest that you read Luna's doctoral thesis," Padma contested. "Any doubts about her intellectual credentials would most certainly disappear."
"I've had the pleasure of reading it," Snape crossed his arms. "Does it actually come from Loony, though? Even though Loony was never brilliant in my class, Scamander certainly was..."
"What!?" Neville hammered on a table so strongly that yet again the monks began searching for the source of disturbance. He continued screaming though, not minding the commotion, pointing aggressively at Snape's portrait. "Say that again!"
"Sissy, stop him!" Parvati asked, and Padma sought to hold Neville, without much success. "You're a witch, use your wand!" Parvati complained.
"Not a good time to become Caveman, Neville!" Padma moaned as she unsuccessfully sought to contain Neville.
At the same time, Luna took Lysander by the hand, seeking to escort him out of the room. However, Cho stopped them.
"I need to leave pronto, I'm late for an audience. I'm representing your granddad Artemis," Cho smiled sympathetically at the kid as she rushed to the exit. "Can you show me the way out, Lysander?" She asked, even though she knew the way out better than anyone there. "I'm afraid I may get lost..." as she left the room with the kid, Luna nodded at Cho gratefully. "Padma, I ask you to return the portrait to the Ministry next time you're there. Hand it to Harry, please. I better not visit his office, his wife wouldn't like it..."
"I never expected much from you," Neville resumed his fit of rage as he finally broke free from Padma grasp. "Harry may have forgiven you, but I'll never forget the horrendous person that you were! But complimenting that psychopath...!? This is a new low!"
"I'm not complimenting anyone, Longbottom. I'm merely observing his intellectual merits. Not that you ever possed the acuity to distinguish these things."
"Even though the potioneers and alchemists from the Wizarding Natural School used to call Luna crazy, in the end, none of them could keep denying her brightness!" Neville kept shouting. "That man never wrote anything on Luna's behalf, quite the contrary!" Neville paused, out of breath. "If you haven't been capable of recognising Luna's brilliance, it is solely because you have never been capable of teaching anything to anyone who wasn't in Slytherin!" Neville's hateful screaming resounded all over the monstery. "If Luna is telling us she's under the effect of the Babbling Beverage, I believe her!"
"You certainly have no clue how absurd that hypothesis is, Longbottom! The Babbling Beverage's effect is usually short-lived, I'd have to be the strongest Babbling Beverage ever made for its effect to last so long!"
"So what!? Didn't you just 'observed' his merits!? I guess that man could pull out the strongest Babbling Beverage of the entire history!"
"Cauldron, cauldron, cauldron, cauldron, cauldron," Luna kept repeating this word, staring hopefully at Neville.
"You're telling me I'm right?" Neville hopefully asked. "It was indeed a potent potion, that's it?"
He was right, but it wasn't what Luna actually wanted him to understand. "Cauldron, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... Cauldron, 1. Cauldron, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Cauldron, 1..."
"Oh, Merlin... what does it mean...?" sweating, Neville looked back into Luna's blue eyes, but couldn't be more clueless.
"Cauldrons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 turn into only one cauldron. It's not something simple," Padma sounded like she'd understood. "It's something compound. He's combined different potions so it would have a unique effect. That's why the healers couldn't find out that she had been poisoned." Luna turned to Padma instantly, her eyes bulging. "He must've made sure it'd be heavily debilitating, though not lethal."
"Is that it, Luna!?" still nervous, Neville asked her.
"Cauldron," she stated, affirmatively.
"Amazing!" Neville celebrated with a clenched fist, still staring resentfully at the professor. "We don't need you anymore!" Neville snatched Professor Snape's portrait and carried it above his head. "Farewell, professor!"
"What are you doing, Longbottom!?" Snape howled indignantly. "Put me down right now!" He ordered, but Neville ignored him and kept pacing towards the window. "You need me to brew an antidote! You can't do it without my help!"
"I may be a loser, but, wherever you've noticed that in your classes or not, Padma is an extremely talented witch! Luckily, we have her here, so your services are no longer necessary!"
"Are you thinking about throwing it through the window!? Stop it right away! I can't do it by myself!" Padma warned, but Neville wouldn't listen. "Accio!" she cast wandlessly, just by snapping her fingers, and the portrait flew directly to her hands. "Professor Snape, we'll need your assistance."
"At least in this matter, I can agree with you entirely, Longbottom," Snape remarked, hatefully. "You should thank Merlin that Normal Patil is here, for you'd be the last person in the whole world to be able to brew anything half-decent!"
"Cauldron," Luna said, taking the portrait from Padma's hand, and then putting it back in the place it had been. "Cauldron," she repeated determinedly.
"It seems that Luna wants to brew an antidote herself," Parvati pointed out as she analysed the woman's expression carefully.
"Cauldron," Luna spoke, this time with one hand on the portrait.
"But she needs Professor Snape," Parvati added.
"That's obvious, Mental Patil! She can't communicate! How else could she tell you which ingredients are necessary!?" Snape scolded them. "So, Normal Patil, why haven't you conjured a piece of parchment yet!? Why aren't you taking notes!?"
"Come in," Professor McGonagall raised her voice as she heard a knock on her door.
"Excuse me, Professor McGonagall," Cho Chang politely walked into the Headmistress' office, Artemis Scamander on her trail. "We came to pick Lorcan Scamander up. We have an order from the Ministry."
"Oh, hello, Madam Chang, Artemis," she shook their hands. "Please, have a seat."
"Thanks, Minerva," Artemis smiled at the elder woman as he took a seat. "Long time no see!"
"Can I offer you a cup of tea?"
"I'd love that, Minerva..."
"Oh, no, professor," Cho broke Artemis off. "We're in a hurry. Artemis and Lorcan have a plane to catch in a few hours."
"A plane, Artemis? Where to?"
"To the United States, Minerva."
"Artemis, isn't international travelling temporarily forbidden by the Ministry?" Professor McGonagall asked as she fixed her glasses.
"We're on the possesion got a special authorization," Artemis showed McGonagall a piece of parchment. "The boy better be the farthest he can from here, at least until my son is caught..."
"Well, Artemis," McGonagall spoke in her signature severe tone. "I personally believe it is safer for him to stay here in Hogwarts. Hogwarts is much safer than..."
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Professor McGonagall," Cho spoke. "But I reckon you'll agree that the idea that Hogwarts is safe has long been proved wrong. Besides that, staying here could possibly put the other students in danger." She checked her watch. Hopefully, they were still on time. "There's nothing to worry about, professor. The Ministry has assigned Kingsley to escort them."
"Very well," Professor McGonagall nodded. "If Kingsley is involved, everything will turn out fine."
"Professor McGonagall, we're here," Thompson, a prefect from Ravenclaw, joined the room, bringing Lorcan with her.
"Come, kid," Artemis beckoned Lorcan. "Have you packed?"
"Yeah," he answered, looking down. "Granddad, how will we be going?"
"We're off to catch a plane in London," Artemis explained, showing the boy their tickets. "Thank you, Minerva. Have a wonderful day!"
As they walked down the stairs, Lorcan suddenly stopped. "Granddad, may I go to the bathroom real quick?"
"Sure, kid. Don't take long, though."
Once in the bathroom, Lorcan pointed his wand at a cell phone he had stolen from another student earlier that day, casting the spell that made electronics work at places packed with magic as Hogwarts. Thus, he began typing a message.
"Dad, granddad is taking me to the airport right now..."