When they reached the small sitting room behind the tavern, Aberforth's expression finally softened a little.
"I never expected that Wade would actually cure you," Aberforth said in amazement.
"Wade is truly kind. After learning about my situation, he never treated me like a snake again. He always treated me as a person, as a friend… and he devoted himself day and night to researching a way to cure me," Nagini said gratefully.
Aberforth recalled the time Wade had stayed here, then sighed softly. "That boy really is a good child. I rarely see my brother hold a student in such high regard."
"Please, have a seat." Only then did Aberforth remember to invite her to sit. He brought over some tea. "You came… to see Aurelius, didn't you?"
"Yes… after Wade returned to Hogwarts to study, I set out to visit old friends. I just came from Newt's place." Nagini looked at Aberforth nervously. "Credence… I mean… Aurelius. How is he now?"
Hearing this, Aberforth's face grew somewhat ashen. "Not very well… Only when he is in a coma does the power of the Obscurus stop rampaging out of control. So now, the time he can stay conscious each day is very limited… Still, for an Obscurial, the fact that he has lived this long is already a miracle… sigh… you could say that every extra day he lives is a gain."
"How could this happen…" A wave of sorrow surged in Nagini's heart.
Even though Aurelius had ignored her advice back then and joined Grindelwald without hesitation, he was still her closest friend.
When she had been a snake and lost her consciousness, and later, after regaining awareness, she had not wanted Aurelius to see her in that form, so she had kept avoiding him.
Now that she was finally starting to recover, Aurelius was already on the brink of death.
"Where is he now?" Nagini asked.
"We moved him to a safe place… you know, given his current condition, it's no longer suitable for him to stay in Hogsmeade."
"I want to see him," Nagini said.
Aberforth glanced at the clock on the wall, then nodded. "Alright. He should be waking up soon anyway."
…
The place Aberforth had arranged for Aurelius was extremely remote, with no sign of human habitation around it.
He did not want his son to stay in such an isolated place, but… only somewhere like this could ensure that no one would be hurt if the Obscurus went out of control.
It was a sturdy stone house, standing alone on a small hill.
Nagini noticed intense magical fluctuations on the outer walls of the stone house.
"We set up this house for him… even if he loses control, the Obscurus won't be able to leave the building. But…" Aberforth could not bring himself to continue.
Yet Nagini understood perfectly what he had left unsaid.
This house was Aurelius' cage.
"Father, is that you?" From inside the house came Aurelius' weak voice.
Aberforth was such a strong man, yet when he heard his son's voice, his eyes could not help but redden.
He opened the door and walked inside. "Yes, I'm here… and someone has come to see you as well."
Inside the room, Aurelius lay weakly on the bed, staring quietly at the ceiling, his gaze dull and lifeless.
After hearing his father's words, he finally looked toward the doorway.
Aberforth stepped aside, and Nagini, who had been standing behind him, came into view.
The dull light in Aurelius' eyes suddenly flared with brilliance.
After a long moment, his parched throat finally produced a hoarse voice.
"You're here."
"I'm here…" Nagini walked to the bedside, looking at Aurelius with a complicated expression.
"I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime, Nagini," Aurelius said, his once-weak voice now filled with vitality.
"I thought I would never be able to meet you again as a human," Nagini said, her eyes reddening as well.
"I heard about it. It was Wade who cured you," Aurelius said.
"Yes…"
"Before… Wade also saved me. He really is a remarkable child…"
"I'll find a way to cure you too."
"It's too late… Nagini…"
"No… I'll go ask Wade. There must be some way…"
Aurelius shook his head. "It's no use, Nagini. I can feel it. My body is already failing."
"That's impossible!"
"In truth, my body had already failed long ago. Later… when I heard that you had regained your consciousness, I barely managed to hold on." Aurelius smiled softly. "I've actually been waiting for you. I really hoped you would come to see me, because only then would it prove that you had been cured. And… I still owe you an apology. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have abandoned you back then and joined Grindelwald."
"That's all in the past! And I never blamed you. You… you'll definitely get better too!"
Aurelius looked at her quietly, yet his spirit seemed to grow stronger and stronger.
"How wonderful… to see you getting better. Truly wonderful…"
…
In the end, Wade Reynolds could not fulfill his wish to sleep straight through until morning.
He was woken by someone.
When Wade opened his eyes and saw Dumbledore's serious expression in front of him, he thought he was still dreaming.
"Ha! Old man! I don't wanna duel anymore!"
How could Dumbledore appear in the Slytherin dormitory, af it! Hehe.. I must not be fully awake yet…
"Get out of my dream.. hehe~" He smiled like a fool and closed his eyes again, "let me dream about those St. Mungos' Nur—"
"It's not a dream, Wade..." Then he heard a woman's voice.
Eh..?
Then he saw Nagini beside Dumbledore, her eyes brimming with tears, and the other students in the dormitory looking on in confusion.
"Professor? What happened ...Wade.. did he do something?" Tom asked in surprise.
"We need Wade's help with something," Dumbledore said. "Sorry to disturb your rest."
"Oh… then it's fine." Tom let out a sigh of relief. He had thought Wade Reynolds' schemes had been exposed and that he was about to be arrested and thrown into Azkaban.
If Wade Reynolds were arrested, he, Wade's number-one follower, would not escape either. Fortunately, nothing he feared had happened.
So before Wade could even fully react, he was already pulled up and helped into his clothes.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already following Dumbledore and Nagini into the cold, quiet corridors of the castle.
Along the way, Dumbledore briefly explained the situation to him.
Only then did Wade Reynolds finally understand what was going on.
It turned out that Aurelius was on the brink of death. When everyone was at a loss, Aberforth suddenly thought of Wade Reynolds, that remarkable boy.
If Wade could even solve the problem of the blood curse, perhaps he really had a way to save Aurelius as well.
So Dumbledore came.
In truth, no one held much hope, because even when Wade treated the blood curse, it had taken him a long time of research.
Even if Wade had the ability to cure Aurelius, under such rushed circumstances, it was almost impossible for him to come up with a solution.
They brought him over only for the faintest chance.
Do what they could, and leave the rest to fate…
_________
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