"Oh, why are you here?"

Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Longbottom finally calmed down her daughter-in-law's emotions and coaxed her back to bed, instead of squatting barefoot in the bathroom in the hospital room, she was going outside to give Neville's mother and even though there was such a big commotion in the ward, Neville's father, who was still asleep, to get something to eat, and when she turned around, she saw Sirius and Tonks, and the little girl in the wheelchair appearing in the doorway.

"Let's come over and see if we can help, Augusta--"

The three of them were still standing in the doorway, Sirius said.

"It's a little bit of a situation, but it's not bothering me—"

Mrs. Longbottom stood up from the hospital bed, although she said so, but her tossing just now still added a lot of load to her old body, when she stood up, her back ached, and the daughter-in-law, who was finally willing to lie down, saw that she had the intention of leaving, and immediately sat up nervously, tugged at her sleeve, did not let her go, and looked out of the door in fear,

"Don't be nervous, Alice—"

Mrs. Longbottom, a little helpless, turned to Sirius,

"Alice is probably a little scared of you, Sirius, if it's convenient for you, could you please help get Frank and Alice something to eat, this time of day is the busiest time in the courtyard--"

"No problem, Augusta--"

Sirius agreed very simply, he turned and left, but before he could take two steps, he stopped and said to Hermione when he remembered something,

"Don't forget, Hermione, you can only be outside for half an hour--"

"Shall we come in, Mrs. Longbottom—" Tonks asked.

Mrs. Longbottom did not answer immediately, but looked at her daughter-in-law, and did not know how she had judged it, Mrs. Longbottom turned her head and beckoned to them,

"Come in, Alice seems to like you guys--"

"Excuse me—" Hermione said in a neutral voice.

The moment she saw the lady lying on the hospital bed, Hermione bit her lip tightly, and her dull brown eyes were filled with tears.

The woman on the hospital bed was emaciated and emaciated, and her body under her pajamas was shriveled and weak. The skin on her cheeks lacked a bit of shine, and her hair was mostly gray, which made her look more than ten years older than her actual age, and unusually, when she looked at herself and Tonks, the woman's eyes still sparkled, and it was not the wise or deep gaze of an adult, but the timid childlike of a child—

Neville's mother still had obvious tears on her face, presumably from her wake up and being frightened by not finding Mrs. Longbottom.

"Alice, these two are Tonks and Hermione, and they're here to visit you—"

Mrs. Longbottom said to Alice.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom—"

Hermione's voice was wet, and she looked at the woman in front of her who had shrunk behind Mrs. Longbottom, and she couldn't say more sadly.

Neville's clumsiness has always been famous at Hogwarts, and in the past two years, the gang led by Malfoy has always liked to play tricks on Neville, and in addition to Harry, among the Gryffindor students, Snape is the last one to see Neville, and even in Gryffindor House, many people also like to make innocuous jokes about Neville's clumsiness.

And Neville doesn't seem to be good at remembering these troubles, he has been trying to integrate into everyone and be friends with everyone, but who would have thought that Neville behind him would actually bear such pain!

"This girl," said Mrs. Longbottom, pointing at Hermione, "Hermione Granger, she's Neville's good friend at school--"

Hermione saw that Mother Neville, who had been hiding behind her and only dared to show her head, had a brighter glint in her eyes after the old lady had said this, and she grunted indistinctly.

"That's right, friend—" Lady Longbottom, who was already very good at listening to the muffled voice, exclaimed, "At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—"

Another indistinct voice.

"--She's fine, Alice, it's just a minor problem, she'll be healthy soon!" Mrs. Longbottom rubbed Alice's hair.

Through the old lady's answer, Hermione figured out the meaning of Alice's grunt just now, she was moved, and suddenly felt very remorseful, regretting that she had never asked Neville about the situation in the house, and she didn't know that his parents were like this!

Mrs. Longbottom's affirmative response, Neville's mother looked less frightened, and she slowly crawled out from behind the old lady, crouched down on the bed, her withered hands rubbing something under her pillow, and a moment later, under their gaze, took out a piece of paper with a colorful and playful animation.

Hermione immediately recognized it, it was the wrapper of Bubble Gum.

Neville's mother stuffed the wrapping paper into the old lady's hand and gently pushed the old lady's arm, her eyes full of grievance,

"I told you, Alice, Neville went to Hogwarts, and he's only been away for less than ten days, hasn't he, and he's not coming back that soon—oh, okay, okay, I'll help you ask--"

Mrs. Longbottom said a little helplessly,

"Alice wants you to help bring this to Neville when you get back to Hogwarts--"

Hermione might have giggled at this funny scene if it had been a different environment, but now, she did everything she could to keep herself from crying.

"I—I'd be glad, ma'am!"

Hermione said in a hoarse voice, and Tonks, who knew she couldn't move, took the wrapping paper, carefully folded it and put it in the pocket of Hermione's hospital gown.

This scene made Alice happy, and she even hummed a weird tune, and with a much brisk movement, she felt something from under the pillow again—the bubble gum wrapped in the wrapping paper just now.

"This is a gift from Alice—" Mrs. Longbottom sighed as she slipped bubblegum into Hermione's jacket pocket, "to thank you for helping her bring something to Neville—"

Looking at the woman who was happily fiddling with her nails on the bed like a child, Hermione felt like a stone had been blocked in her heart, and she was struggling to breathe.

Is there no way to treat it?

Hermione's mouth opened to ask the question, but before she could say anything, she sanguinely shut her mouth again.

She believed that Mrs. Longbottom must have done her best, and since Neville's parents had become like this because of their resistance to the mysterious man, perhaps Professor Dumbledore had personally visited them, but there was nothing he could do.

And what about Professor Blaine?

Hermione couldn't help but think that it wasn't that she thought Professor Bryan was more skilled in magic than Dumbledore, or that he was more professional in healing than St. Mungo's.

It was only in the first half of the year that Professor Moody was explaining the Three Unforgivable Curses to them, and Professor Bryan added some theories at that time, and some of his views on the Three Unforgivable Curses surprised Professor Moody, who had been fighting against the Dark Wizard for most of his life. Maybe he'll have some whimsical ideas?

Hermione's mind was thinking, and then, suddenly, she saw a figure jumping up next to Neville's mother's bed, which was separated by another curtain!

It was probably Neville's father - Hermione reacted immediately.

Crash!

Neville's father, who was lying on the hospital bed inside, pulled back the curtain and exposed himself to the public's attention.

"Oh, get out of here!"

For the first time, the old lady Longbottom, who had always behaved capablely, showed some panic,

"Frank likes to lose his temper with strangers when he's not sleeping well, he's actually quite gentle before!"

Old Mrs. Longbottom hurriedly stood up and walked around to the other bedside to stop the man with the same haggard face and gray hair, but with angry bloodshot eyes from smashing the vase at the bedside at them.

"We'd better get out of here and call someone to come and help!"

Knowing that staying would only help more and more, Tonks panicked and pushed Hermione's wheelchair away, leaving only Mrs. Longbottom still struggling to 'fight' her son, and Neville's mother, who was at a loss for what to do

(End of chapter)