Isaline threw herself onto Hydrus's body, her tears flowing like a river.
Edmond walked up silently and patted Isaline on the shoulder, signaling for her to step back.
Sparse gasps echoed around them—no matter how popular Audrey was, there were very few true fans who would actually weep over her death.
"Edmond, what are you doing?"
Edmond responded with a smile and a shake of his head before kneeling down. Without hesitation, he poured the red and blue potion into Hydrus's mouth.
...
...
Hydrus felt as though she were constantly falling.
She was somewhat annoyed; she hadn't enjoyed the luxuries of this life long enough yet. How could she be dead already?
Below her was what seemed like an endless abyss, where she could faintly hear the wails of the dead.
Greys, greens, and deathly whites...
Cold-toned mists permeated the area. Though she had never been here before, it didn't stop her from knowing that this was the passage to the land of the dead.
Suddenly, a massive pulling force struck her. Instead of falling, she began to rise.
After a moment of disorientation, Hydrus's soul arrived at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley.
Edmond was looking around the shop. Through the large glass window, he watched the eleven-year-old Hydrus, wearing Hermione Granger's face, walking toward Gringotts.
He looked at the shop owner with a smile. "My apologies—"
With an Imperius Curse, the owner's eyes immediately lost their focus.
Edmond leaped forward and transformed into a tabby cat.
'Isn't this Jinhu?'
Hydrus was speechless.
Seeing Jinhu sitting there with such an aloof expression, Hydrus blinked. After a short wait, her eleven-year-old self pushed the door open, sending the little creatures in the pet shop into a frenzy.
Only Jinhu remained unmoved, gazing at her younger self with a calm expression...
'So that's how it was!'
...
...
The scene shifted, and Hydrus found herself in a forest.
Edmond was hurrying along the path, and behind him was Gellert Grindelwald.
"Great-uncle, is your information accurate?"
"Of course. That Bode Gray has a few tricks up his sleeve; the little girl is likely to suffer a bitter defeat this time!"
"It's just ahead!"
Hydrus's soul looked up in the direction Edmond was pointing, only to see her eleven-year-old self and Bode Gray engaged in a fierce aerial battle.
Her younger self successfully ambushed Bode Gray but was then knocked unconscious by the thunder of ancient magic.
Gellert Grindelwald flicked his wand, sending his Protego Diabolica fire in the shape of a phoenix toward Bode Gray.
However, a green light erupted from the tip of Bode Gray's wand. Edmond was shocked and hurriedly waved his own wand!
"Avada Kedavra!"
The two green lights collided with precision. Seeing that his plan had failed, Bode Gray turned and fled decisively.
Hydrus witnessed everything; it turned out that Edmond and her teacher were the ones who had saved her back then!
The pulling force returned, and Hydrus's soul was drawn away from this memory.
Yes, though she didn't know exactly what was happening, she was well aware that she was currently inside Edmond's memories.
...
...
Inside a cave.
This appeared to be one of Grindelwald's hideouts.
The grandfather and grandson were having an extensive conversation regarding Hydrus's future and Dumbledore's attitude.
"Ah, she's about to wake up!"
Grindelwald said, "It's not convenient for me to show my face right now. I'll leave the rest to you."
Edmond glanced at Hydrus on the bed with a beaming smile. "Understood, Great-uncle."
"I'll take good care of this naughty kitten so she doesn't end up scratching herself with her own claws."
The young Hydrus on the bed seemed ready to open her eyes.
Edmond leaned closer. "You can't wake up just yet, Princess."
His expression was full of mischief, carrying the playful air of someone who had successfully pulled a prank on his little sister.
"It would be quite troublesome for me if you woke up now."
"Stupefy!"
Edmond straightened his back and made a few theatrical gestures like an opera singer, his voice taking on a melodic quality.
"Even if it's a classic case of a hero saving the beauty, please don't fall in love with me, Princess!"
"I'm no prince, after all,"
Edmond couldn't help himself and started laughing.
"Besides, even if I were a prince, you're a bit too young for a princess!"
After finishing his performance, Edmond rubbed his arms, looking like he was cringing intensely at his own behavior.
Hydrus's soul watched this scene, unsure of how to react. This greasy performance was a total eyesore!
Fortunately, the yanking sensation returned, and she vanished from the spot.
...
...
Inside the Leaky Cauldron.
Edmond, in the form of Jinhu, was sitting on a dining table eating steak.
Hydrus remembered this; it was after she had been pummeled by Bode Gray, and Bode had gone on to rob several pure-blood carriages. Once she heard the news, she had planned to raid the Gray family vault again.
The bar door swung open, and Bode Gray rushed in, heading straight for the rear courtyard.
Hydrus was stunned. Her robbery of the vault had been a complete success back then, and she hadn't run into Bode Gray at all.
She saw Jinhu jump down from the table and follow Bode Gray all the way into Diagon Alley.
He picked up his pace and arrived at Gringotts before Bode Gray did.
Leaping into a flowerbed and climbing up to the second floor, Jinhu moved through Gringotts as if he owned the place.
"Can't you move any faster!" Bode Gray shouted at the goblin banker who was busy matching keys.
The goblin had finished the verification and was about to speak when he was distracted by the tabby cat at his feet.
He looked down and saw the tabby cat transform into a handsome young man lying on the floor, who then gave him a smile and a wave of his wand.
"Apologies, Mr. Gray, but we must follow protocol. To ensure the safety of every customer's assets, we have to make sure every step is flawless. Please wait a moment! The key matching still needs a little more time!"
Hydrus's soul stood frozen. So the reason she had been able to empty the Gray family vault so smoothly was because Edmond had delayed Bode Gray for her...
'He never even mentioned it to me!'
...
...
After another moment of disorientation, she arrived at a spacious cave.
It was filled with a dazzling array of brilliant colors.
At the very center of the shimmering light stood an altar.
Edmond Grindelwald stood before the altar, talking to the ghost of a harpy behind him.
"Madam, will the price I have to pay be my life?"
"No, this altar has never taken a life."
Edmond stepped onto the altar with determination.
The runes lit up, and a beam of celestial light pierced the cave roof, illuminating Edmond.
He let out a cry of pain as a swirl of red and blue light shot from one of his eyes, spinning and shifting before him until it finally condensed into a single drop of liquid.
"Quickly, store the panacea!"
Edmond followed her instructions and collected the vibrant liquid in a small vial. When he turned back, one of his eyes had turned a cloudy grey, with blood trickling down from it.
"Is this the panacea?" Edmond looked at the medicine in awe. If it only cost him an eye, it was a price he was more than willing to pay.
"Yes, you have obtained the panacea, but your eye was merely the price for the acquisition,"
The ghost of the Veela Great Elder said.
"Always remember that this panacea is bound to you. It can cure any negative effect on a conceptual level, but however much it heals, it will reflect the corresponding side effects onto your own body. Use it with caution, and do not follow in my footsteps, young man..."
Edmond's expression froze. He hadn't expected the eye to be just the price for getting the medicine; there would be another price to pay once the healing actually occurred!
'It really is quite fair.'
Edmond murmured to himself, "Perhaps the price for freeing that girl from the agony of Mantore poisoning is for me to lose my magic?"
Edmond clenched his fist and let out a long breath. "It's just a lifetime of magic. It's no big deal!"
The Veela Great Elder laughed.
"That is hard to say. The altar will not take the petitioner's life, but the panacea will—if you want to bring back someone who has just been struck by the Killing Curse, the price will undoubtedly be your own life..."
...
...
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