Back in the office, Hogwarts seemed particularly quiet under the night. The Forbidden Forest in the distance was darker than the night. Felix carefully looked at the eight-eyed giant spider in the large glass cover and recorded the latest data.
"Wizard, when are you going to let me go back?" The eight-eyed giant spider said gruffly.
"Soon, wait until the experiment is done." Felix said perfunctorily.
...
After spending the daily teaching routine on the next Friday, time came to the second weekend after school started. Felix dressed neatly and came to Hogsmeade Village on time.
He deliberately passed the main gate of the school and saw the existence of Dementors on both sides of the cast iron gate.
This thing is more evil than he imagined. It seems to have a rolling cold wave. Once it approaches, it will involuntarily stiffen its body and its mood will quickly become bad.
When Felix consciously operated the brain block, the influence of Dementors on him dropped sharply, and these cloaked monsters in tattered cloth seemed to lose interest in him.
But his disgust for this creature doubled, and he had a strong urge to destroy it.
Pushing open the door of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, Felix came to this place for the first time, which was called "a dating place" by Hogwarts students. In a way, it did have a hazy beauty.
The interior was filled with mist, and the layout was cramped and twisty. All the decorations inside were decorated with slightly tacky lace.
Felix didn't like this decoration style very much, but he had to admit that the owner created a good atmosphere.
In addition to several pairs of young male and female wizards, he also found several single customers enjoying tea, which made him feel relieved. He came to the counter and saw a short and fat middle-aged witch with a smile on her face.
"Madam Puddifoot?"
"It's me, dear, what would you like to order?" said Madam Puddifoot, who had a black bun.
"Help me check the appointment information, with Ms. Augusta Longbottom, at ten o'clock."
Mrs. Puddifoot lowered her head and flipped through the records that only she could understand. "That's right, she told me, ten o'clock in the morning, in the booth next to the window, you arrived a quarter of an hour early."
"I know, give me a cup of coffee first. Which seat is it exactly?" Felix said.
"Just to your left, along the aisle, there is a lace bow menu next to the small round table."
Felix sat down and looked at the gray window. His index finger pointed at it, and the glass blurred an area as big as a palm, so he could see outside clearly.
He thought about his thoughts silently. During the conversation with Lupin on Thursday night, he accidentally discovered the traces of Harry and the other two, so he deliberately guided Lupin to tell the story of the pro-era.
'I don't know if Harry can bear it, but the cruel truth is always better than false stability. Whether it is decadence or rise, it is your own choice, and you can't blame others at all. 'About
seven or eight minutes later, he saw an old woman with a big red handbag appear on the corner of the street.
As soon as she entered the room, she loudly asked if Puddifu had arrived. Mrs. Puddifu pointed to his seat and said a few words, then the old woman strode over.
Felix stood up and shook hands with her, "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom."
"Hello to you too, Professor Hepp, we met each other during the summer vacation." Mrs. Longbottom stretched out a dry, eagle-claw-like hand, then she took off her tall hat with an old vulture pattern, put it together with her red handbag, and sat opposite him. Mrs.
Puddifu brought over a cup of black tea, "As you usually do, Mrs. Longbottom."
"Oh, Puddifu, you are still so thoughtful." Mrs. Longbottom said, looking at the coffee in front of Felix, she suggested to him, "The black tea here is good, I like it very much, you can try it."
"There will be a chance, ma'am." Felix said.
After some greetings, the two got down to business. Felix said, "Madam, you should have received my letter. Neville's wand seems to be inherited from his father, and it is not very easy to use."
Mrs. Longbottom stirred the dark red tea with a small spoon, "You are right, child."
Felix paused and said tentatively, "Maybe I don't understand the tradition of the Longbottom family, maybe..."
"No, maybe, no." Mrs. Longbottom pursed her lips tightly, "It was Neville who insisted."
The little round face with a slightly slow reaction, introverted and timid? Felix was a little unconvinced.
He looked at her calmly and remained silent.
Mrs. Longbottom thought for a while, "This is not something to be ashamed of. My son and daughter-in-law were tortured to insanity by Voldemort's men. They have been living in St. Mungo's Hospital for many years. Neville grew up with me. Before he went to school, I took him to St. Mungo's to visit his parents every other week..."
"Wait, you mean, his parents are still alive?"
"Of course!" Mrs. Longbottom said proudly, "They were tortured by four Death Eater scums, using the Cruciatus Curse... Few people can survive, but they are great, Frank and Alice, I must say, they are all great!"
Her voice rumbled, attracting the attention of many people.
"The Cruciatus Curse..." Felix repeated softly.
"It is this curse, one of the Unforgivable Curses, which can make you live a life worse than death." Mrs. Longbottom said, "Frank and Alice are the most courageous people I have ever seen. They didn't utter a word. I am proud of them, but I am a little regretful... Voldemort is obviously dead, and I still remember Frank said that he would celebrate the victory."
She held up the cup of black tea to cover her face.
After two or three minutes, she calmed down. Except for the redness in her eyes, the expression on her face seemed even more proud. "We have gone off topic and wasted your time, Professor Hep."
"It's nothing. I admire those who are determined." Felix said.
"Thank you. Where were we talking about, wand? Oh, yes, wand."
"When Neville was about four or five years old, he came back from the hospital, rummaged through the boxes and found his father's wand. It was hidden by me. The core of the wand is unicorn hair, which is very loyal."
"I thought he was just in a whim, so I let him do it. But he has been holding on to it ever since. When school was about to start, I wanted to take him to buy a wand, but he refused to do so. He said he wanted to take his father's wand."
"Didn't you persuade him, ma'am?"
"I've tried. This child is usually quite cowardly, but he is particularly persistent in this matter. Moreover, before school started, he successfully cast a simple spell with that wand. Judging from his previous performance, it was simply a miracle... I agreed."
Felix thought for a moment and suggested to her, "Maybe you can buy another wand. As for Neville's father's wand, just keep it as a spare wand."
Mrs. Longbottom said sternly, "I don't think changing a wand will help him much. I was ashamed of the report card he brought back this summer! He didn't inherit the talents of his parents at all. I once suspected that he was a squib until he showed his magical talent because of an accident."
Felix said gently, "But as you said, he was not a genius. Any slight influence will bring about huge changes, not to mention a wand?"
He took out a stack of parchment from the ring, "This is Neville's performance in learning spells in the duel class. He recorded it himself. The data above is unexpectedly honest, and it also gives me a clearer understanding of his situation."
"From the data, Neville learns a spell three to five times slower than the average person. It's hard to say whether the wand is a factor..."
Mrs. Longbottom looked carefully, flipping through the pages one by one. In addition to Neville's handwriting, there were also another person's markings and summaries. After a while, she raised her head and said, "You have convinced me, Professor Happ. It is really Neville's greatest luck to meet you."
Felix shrugged his shoulders. "I am also curious about his performance after getting the new wand. In addition, Mrs. Longbottom, I have an unwelcome request..."