The researchers, who had just been celebrating the complete success of their first month's production and research plan, all fell silent.
Everyone's faces looked grim, and Augustus's face drained of all color in an instant!
"How could this happen... I'll never jinx things again..." he muttered. "What about St. Mungo's? What about Hippocrates?"
He stood up and walked toward the fireplace, seemingly wanting to rush to St. Mungo's immediately to investigate—
But he realized the Floo Network here had been temporarily severed.
Croaker stepped forward, silently placing a hand on his shoulder and pressing Augustus back into his seat.
Augustus was breathing rapidly, clutching his heart with a pained expression.
Everyone present understood his anxiety—
Ever since graduating from Hogwarts, Augustus had worked at St. Mungo's. Due to his head full of Muggle medical "wild ideas," no Healer thought highly of his prospects.
But his mentor Hippocrates had taken him into his own ward, letting him serve as a trainee Healer there, and even—with patient consent—permitted him to attempt many Muggle treatments.
Now with St. Mungo's suddenly under attack and the staff's fate unknown, Augustus was frantic with worry, desperate to rush there and join the battle.
"Calm down." Jane Yu forcibly made the agitated, nearly heart-attack-stricken Augustus swallow a nitroglycerin tablet, analyzing: "St. Mungo's Hospital has dedicated Aurors and its own security protection. They should be equipped with our Spell-Shielding gear—even against a group of elite Death Eaters, they should have fighting capability."
Augustus took two deep breaths, but his expression didn't improve—it grew more tense:
"Merlin's beard—if only I hadn't secretly slacked off doing chemistry during work hours! If I'd focused more on research, couldn't those Spell-Shielding Robes have included specific counter-curses for the Entrail-Expelling Curse? What if my dear Professor Hippocrates's organs get ripped out by Death Eaters—"
Who knows if Hippocrates, far away at St. Mungo's, would be so angry he'd vomit his stomach if he heard his star student's words.
Jane mentally noted another mark against his perfect attendance award.
"Think about it," she tried to comfort him, "that Entrail-Expelling Curse is your signature technique—and Death Eaters have targets. Most likely they're capturing Umbridge, who was hospitalized recently. Rather than massacring at St. Mungo's, they need to complete their master's mission."
But hearing her analysis, Augustus became even more horrified—
"No, you don't understand—Umbridge is Hippocrates's patient! She was attacked by Death Eaters recently and sent to the Spell Damage Ward, but because they couldn't fit more beds, she was temporarily transferred to our Creature-Induced Injuries Ward—we're doomed—"
He looked completely mentally shattered, standing up to rush toward the door:
"Hippocrates is just a fragile Healer—how can our hospital full of squishy medics withstand those berserkers' dark magic—"
Jane had no choice but to give him a light Stunning Spell, letting Augustus calm down in sleep.
Though Augustus was a volatile, fragile Healer, she certainly wasn't.
After being cooped up in the laboratory for a month, she decided to go to St. Mungo's for some fresh air, dragging back employee family member Hippocrates while bringing some gifts to personally visit the Death Eaters who'd so thoughtfully delivered themselves as ready-made test subjects.
Should she bring this half-finished Magical Grenade, or this unstable nitroglycerin, or this Decoy Detonator?
Jane picked through a cabinet full of magically modified periodic table elements, selecting ten-odd bottles, donning her Spell-Shielding hat and robe, grabbing the half-finished invisibility device, and pocketing several Magical Grenades—deciding to personally assess the Death Eaters' combat capabilities.
Practice yields true knowledge—having basic understanding of enemy tactics and strength would help her formulate the next stage of armament manufacturing plans.
But just as she pushed open the door—
She ran straight into Snape, who'd come to keep watch!
"Our wise Headmaster truly plans for everything," he swiftly pushed Jane back into the room. "Excellent employee care, Miss Jane—I suppose you want to go blow up St. Mungo's on Mr. Pye's behalf?"
Seeing his reaction, Jane realized something.
Dumbledore and Snape's unsurprised responses suggested this was intelligence already passed to their side.
People might be injured, but most likely St. Mungo's had prepared for battle, and the cost wouldn't be severe.
She sighed regretfully, lamenting that she probably wouldn't make it in time for the action.
Under Snape's supervision, she calmly sat beside the unconscious Augustus and opened her monthly research plan, looking at the "Weapons and Equipment" section.
She marked progress (2/10) on "magical explosives" and added terms like "timing devices," "grenades," "landmines."
But as she was furiously writing her armament manufacturing plans—
A pale arm slowly settled on her shoulder!
The awakened Augustus spoke with a thread-like but exceptionally firm voice:
"I understand now, Yu... I understand that studying medicine isn't crucial. No matter how skilled or brilliant a fragile Healer might be, facing powerful Death Eaters and dark magic, they can only serve as meaningless intimidation material and spectators."
Jane stared at him dumbfounded, feeling his spirit had undergone a major transformation.
Augustus slowly sat up, speaking with conviction:
"Medicine cannot save St. Mungo's!"
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