"That's where the fight took place. ”

The deputy director of St. Mungo's Hospital, who was not much younger than Dumbledore, pointed a few meters away, and said to Dumbledore with a subtle expression: "I haven't paid attention to the teaching situation at Hogwarts for many years, but I know something about that kid, as far as I know, he doesn't have giant blood, right?"

"According to the genealogy of the Longbottom family, he really does not have the blood of giants. Dumbledore nodded.

"Maybe this happened before there was any record? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tarnish the pureblood of the Longbottom family, but there should be an explanation for all of this...... Uh, I mean there's always some reason why a third-grader can do this to this extent, either by pedigree or by ......"

The vice president was babbling on the side, obviously what had happened before had a certain impact on his inherent cognition.

Merlin is on top!

Just turned thirteen years old to defeat a Death Eater head-on, even if that Death Eater's strength is not outstanding, there are many reasons for defeat, but that kid is only thirteen years old!

Including Dumbledore in front of him, a Merlin Order of Merlin of the First Degree, President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, and the greatest wizard of our time...... Even if he is as great and powerful as him, at the age of thirteen, he is only showing his initial talent, and he is still learning magic knowledge in school.

"That kid is very talented. Dumbledore interrupted, "Also, Neville won't be in his third year until school starts. ”

"He's a genius?"

The vice dean was stunned for a moment, then shook his head again and again, and retorted confidently: "No kidding, Dumbledore, I swear to Merlin with my seventy years of medical experience, that child's brain is much more stupid than normal." In fact, I already think it's a miracle that he was able to go to Hogwarts, not that anyone can survive the Oblivion Charm as a baby, and I can tell no less than ten negative cases right now. ”

"Obviously, Neville's talent doesn't show up in our regular perceptions, and he ......"

At this point, Dumbledore paused, as if he didn't want to continue the stalemate on the topic, or perhaps out of secrecy. Anyway, he took a few steps forward, coming to the heart of the previous battle that was bound to alarm the entire wizarding world.

In contrast to the marks left by wizards after they bombarded with spells, mainly explosions, cuts, and burns, Dumbledore was presented to Dumbledore in front of a tap dance hall that looked more like a violent creature such as a troll, with various cracks and large pits on the ground and walls, and a large and conspicuous hole in the ceiling above Dumbledore's head, through which a human-shaped pit could be seen in the ceiling of the fifth floor.

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, if he had doubts about something that he hadn't seen with his own eyes before, then after inspecting the scene, he had finally determined the authenticity of some of the records of the texts that had been hidden for thousands of years.

"We should have cleaned up this place ahead of time. The vice president said meaningfully: "Even if it is an onlooker, it is not impossible, just a cup of decoction......

Dumbledore turned his head to look at him, and said in surprise, "I didn't know that St. Mungo's Hospital, which had always been neutral, would lean so much towards me. ”

"They broke the rules first. ”

The vice dean looked indignant, even in the previous war, the Death Eaters did not attack here, but it has been more than ten years since Voldemort fell, and almost all the Death Eaters have been captured in Azkaban, this kind of ridiculous thing has happened.

"Are you sure it's a Death Eater?"

"The Death Curse, the attack on Harry Potter, the characteristic mask and robes...... and the Mark of the Dark Magic. ”

The vice dean shook his sleeve and pulled out a wall panel engraved with a skull entangled with a serpent.

This is the mark of the Dark Devil, the mark of that person, or of that group.

"I dug it down before the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic arrived. ”

The deputy dean proudly showed off, and Dumbledore took the wallboard and carefully identified it, the expression on his face became much more serious. Then he drew his wand and spoke to the wallboard, and a fiery red light struck the black mark, and the snakes and skulls suddenly writhed like living creatures, and the dark and evil magic attached to them was restless. It was only under the suppression of Dumbledore's powerful magic that the wallboard completely turned into a handful of ashes in just a few breaths.

Dumbledore let out a long sigh and said solemnly to the Deputy Headmaster, "I owe you a favor. ”

"I don't know anything. ”

The vice dean shrugged his shoulders, then looked up at the hole in the ceiling, and said, "Go up and have a look, your students are all lucky, the most serious is a flesh injury, and they will be discharged in three days." ”

"Oh, by the way, someone has to be responsible for the repair costs here. The deputy dean added.

"Lucius, he's going to pay for it. Dumbledore said disapprehantly.

"Did he really have something to do with it? I knew that he had just been to the hospital and there was an attack in the back, how could it be such a coincidence. ”

"It doesn't matter. ”

............

"It's you, Remus. ”

Looking at the middle-aged man sitting on the bench at the door of the ward reading a newspaper, Dumbledore looked a little surprised, and then looked at a bald, dark-skinned tall wizard with a golden earring on his ear standing next to him, and greeted politely: "Long time no see, Kingsley." ”

"I knew I was going to meet you here, Dumbledore. ”

Kingsley, the dark-skinned wizard, reached out and shook Dumbledore's hand, then stepped out of the way.

"It would have been better if I hadn't met you all in this situation. ”

The middle-aged man said self-deprecatingly, he got up and shook Dumbledore's hand with a wry smile, compared to the energetic Auror Kingsley, he looked very down-and-out - the clothes that had been washed to white did not fit on his body, his hair was unkempt, although he was still young, he had already turned gray, and his face was tired, haggard, and bloodless.

Remus Lupin, like Kingsley Shackle, the earliest member of the Order of the Phoenix, survived the war, but lost almost everything, and because of his werewolf status, it was difficult to find a decent job, so he had no skills, but his life became more and more depressed.

Dumbledore hadn't seen Lupin for a while, recalling that every time they had met for more than a decade, the other party's situation seemed to be getting worse and worse, and after a brief conversation that followed, he knew that Lupin had recently been in charge of driving elevators at the Ministry of Magic. It was around this time that an idea germinated in his mind, and it was quickly determined that only further communication remained.

"Can I go in and take a look at Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's not very convenient now. Kingsley shook his head and said, "Minister Fudge is inside." ”

"This is today's Daily Prophet, and they say that the attackers are...... Well, that guy. ”

Lupin handed over a newspaper, and Dumbledore just glanced at it and shoved it into the trash can next to him like garbage.

"This must be what our Minister meant. ”

Dumbledore commented noncommittally, thinking of Fudge and not even thinking of staying here, and turned to walk towards Neville's hospital room.

"I'm with you, Dumbledore. ”

Lupin followed, he had never liked to deal with the so-called big guys, so Kingsley was left alone at the door of the hospital room, waiting for Fudge to come out.

"When did you get here?" Dumbledore asked Lupin.

"Actually, I just happened to be passing by. Lupin said, "You know, there are still three days to go, and I just have some money in hand, so I thought about preparing in advance." ”

Dumbledore nodded slightly, there are still three days to go on the night of the full moon, Lupin, who is a werewolf, will have a hard time on this day, and the wolf poison potion sold by St. Mungo's hospital can make him suffer less.

"Are you considering a change of job?" Dumbledore asked.

"But who wants to hire someone like me?" asked Lupin rhetorically.

"I'm going to hire you as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, how?"

“......”

Lupin's footsteps stopped, and so did Dumbledore, waiting for Lupin's reply.

"I don't think it's a wise choice. ”

Lupin squeezed out a smile, his lips trembling slightly as he spoke, his heart was not at all as calm and calm as he had always appeared.

"I don't want you to think, I want me to feel. ”

Dumbledore showed his domineering side very rarely, from a teacher and student many years ago to a comrade today, he knew very well that you had to be more aggressive with someone like Lupin, who lacked the approval of others for a long time and lacked confidence. Relying on the kindness of a good old man can't solve the problem.

"But......" Lupin's voice was not at all resolute, and seemed a little cowardly, almost the opposite of the heroic performance of the Order of the Phoenix elite like Remus Lupin in the last war. "That position is cursed. ”

"I thought you hated the low wages. ”

Dumbledore smiled, then asked rhetorically, "Are you really afraid of this so-called curse?"

“......”

Lupin didn't answer the question, but said something else: "I'm just worried that this will have some bad effects on you, and as far as I know, Lucius has been jumping up and down the Hogwarts Board of Governors to get you out of power, and this will give him an excuse." ”

"Your message is very sensitive. ”

"When I drove the elevator at the Ministry of Magic, I heard a lot of things, good or bad, like it or not. Lupin replied.

"Do you think I'm afraid of Lucius, then?" asked Dumbledore.

“......”

Lupin remained silent in the face of similar questions as before, because this time the answer was obvious.

"I don't care about Lucius's attacks at all, and now recruiting a werewolf wizard as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor doesn't make any difference to me from recruiting a werewolf kid as a Hogwarts student more than twenty years ago. Moreover, the previous two years of Defence Against the Dark Arts professors were so bad that if something was not done to remedy it, the academic and future of these students would be greatly affected. Do you think it's because you're in a bad situation that I'm going to use my power for personal gain and find a professor at Hogwarts who is not up to the task?"

Dumbledore looked at the silent Lupin, knowing that the other party had been almost convinced, only the last bit of push.

"Sirius Black has escaped from prison, and as his former best friend, you should know very well that he is going to go to Harry, whether he is the traitor or not. Some things should be settled, you have been living in isolation for so many years, which is equivalent to exile yourself, and I know some of the reasons for this, so now I will give you a chance......"

"An opportunity to atone for sins. ”

............

After receiving a satisfactory answer from Lupin, Dumbledore, who was much better, made his way outside Neville's hospital room.

According to what the Vice President said about the injuries of several people, Neville was the most slight, but he was just out of strength, and he was fine after eating and drinking enough to sleep, but after Neville fell asleep, the people at St. Mungo's Hospital realized that their previous diagnosis was too optimistic.

"What the hell is going on?"

Dumbledore asked the doctor with a questioning face, and the doctors and nurses who were supposed to be in the ward were gathered at the door, and in the ward, only Neville was lying on the hospital bed and two middle-aged men and women in hospital gowns, holding Neville's two hands.

That's his parents.

"The boy must have fallen asleep, but the magic in his body was out of control, mercilessly attacking anyone and anything that came close, and we already had one of the caregivers injured, and now we can't get close to him at all. The doctor looked helpless, and then added: "No one can get near him except his parents." ”

"Sorry, I didn't understand......" Lupin asked with a look of surprise and confusion, "You mean that a group of adult wizards can't get close to a thirteen-year-old child, and the child is still asleep?"

"How could it be!" the doctor rolled his eyes and explained, "just forcing yourself in it can cause something bad to happen, such as causing damage to the child's mind and brain, or hurting his parents. I've looked at the medical records of this child, his brain had already been damaged once more than a decade ago, and if he had to do it again, who knows what would have happened worse. ”

"So we're just going to have to wait here?"

"Aren't we trying to figure it out?" said the doctor angrily, then ignoring Lupin and discussing it in a low voice with the other doctors.

Lupin returned to Dumbledore's side with an embarrassed face, as if to comfort himself, and said, "Neville will be safe." ”

“......”

Dumbledore didn't speak, his originally soothing expression was much more solemn, and he stared at Neville for a moment, and he said with some uncertainty, "He's having nightmares?"