"?"
Audrey was taken aback. "Messenger? What kind of messenger?"
The woman's expression turned vacant. She muttered, "I...don't know."
"Are you waiting for the messenger?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She shook her head again. "Don't know."
Audrey sat down beside her. "Can I wait here with you?"
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay…"
"Mrs. Longbottom…no, I think I'll call you Alice." Audrey rested her chin on her palm and looked ahead with her, as if making small talk. "Why do you keep hiding here and not go outside?"
"B-Bad people…"
She immediately shrank back, glancing around in fear.
"There's no one here," Audrey said gently. "All the bad people have been chased away."
"…"
Mrs. Longbottom curled up and remained silent for a long while before whispering, "I'm waiting…for the messenger."
Again with the messenger?
Audrey was puzzled. If only Edward were here with me. Unfortunately, the Mental Terror Candle was down to its last bit—she had to save it in case of emergencies.
"Um…do you still remember Neville?"
She nodded quickly. "I do! My son…Neville."
"Neville really misses you."
"I…I miss him too."
"Then you can go see him."
"I…I…" she mumbled, her lips trembling. "I have to wait for the messenger."
Audrey frowned slightly. "Is the messenger the only one who can take you out of here?"
"D-Don't know."
She shook her head, then hesitated and gave a small nod. "The messenger…can make it so I…no longer…hurt."
Audrey gave her a few more calming suggestions. "But you're not in pain anymore, are you?"
Mrs. Longbottom blinked, seemingly stunned. She murmured, "I'm…not in pain? I guess…I guess I'm not."
"So, you don't need to wait for the messenger anymore, right?" Audrey said softly. "Come out with me. If you leave this place, you'll be able to see Neville and your husband again."
"I…I…"
A flicker of yearning appeared on her face.
Audrey stood up and reached out her hand.
"Come on, Alice, leave with me. There's nothing to fear. No one here can hurt you. You don't need a messenger to take you back—if you come with me, you'll be able to see Neville."
Mrs. Longbottom hesitated, slowly lifting her hand toward Audrey's. Just as their fingers were about to touch, a series of footsteps echoed from nearby—tap tap tap.
She quickly withdrew her hand and turned toward the sound.
Audrey tensed up and looked in the same direction.
Out of the shadowy path emerged a creature neither of them had ever seen before. It had grey-black skin and a pair of long, curved horns. Its nose was unusually prominent, and overall it resembled a feline creature—with horns.
No, calling it a creature wasn't quite right. It was…a spirit.
A spiritual entity.
In the world of Harry Potter, spiritual beings certainly existed—like the ghosts of Hogwarts, or even Voldemort in his current form.
The unknown spirit stepped forward and silently stared at Mrs. Longbottom for a moment, then locked eyes with Audrey. After that brief gaze, it turned around and disappeared back into the darkness.
"I…I have to…wait for the messenger," Mrs. Longbottom muttered again, curling up as she stared blankly at the dark path.
"That was the messenger just now? What…what was it? Why do you call it a messenger?"
Audrey bombarded her with questions. The woman just blinked blankly and said, "I…don't know."
"…"
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through Audrey's mind—a warning sign of spiritual exhaustion. She quickly reached up to massage her temples, deeply alarmed. Spiritual depletion? That shouldn't be possible. Under normal circumstances, she could carry out seven or eight sessions like this in a row without issue.
Could it be…that spirit from earlier?
Still full of confusion and unease, Audrey closed her eyes and used self-hypnosis to withdraw from Mrs. Longbottom's mental world.
——
In the hospital ward.
Audrey's eyes snapped open. Her face was pale, twisted in pain.
Edward rushed over to steady her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine…just spiritual exhaustion."
"Spiritual exhaustion? That shouldn't be happening."
Edward turned a chair into a makeshift bed and helped her lie down.
After about twenty minutes of rest, Audrey finally felt somewhat better. She sat up and said, "Just now, while I was in Mrs. Longbottom's mental space, a strange spirit appeared. It had long, curved horns, a prominent nose, and looked a bit like a leopard."
"A spirit?"
Audrey then recounted everything from start to finish.
"…And then, I suddenly experienced spiritual depletion."
Edward was surprised.
"If the spiritual depletion really was caused by that spirit creature, it likely means…it wasn't something Lady Longbottom imagined, but something that truly exists—and it invaded her mind world just as you were treating her."
"But I…I don't remember any magical creature like that," Audrey said with a puzzled frown. "And even if there is such a creature, to be able to deplete my spirituality so quickly…it must be extremely powerful!"
"I don't remember anything like that either. Maybe…we can ask Professor Dumbledore to consult Mr. Scamander..."
At this point, Edward suddenly paused.
"Curved horns and a protruding nose…Why does that sound a bit familiar?"
A realisation flickered in Edward's eyes.
"That's right, this description fits the Crumple-Horned Snorkack Luna once talked about!"
Luna had seen the so-called "Crumple-Horned Snorkack" the day her mother passed away. Back then, the strange, unknown creature seemed to have come to take her mother away.
And Lady Longbottom had apparently also seen that spiritual entity only when she was in unbearable agony, on the verge of death.
Could it be related to death?
Lady Longbottom called it a "Messenger." Could this "Messenger" mean it was there to guide the departed?
Edward shared this theory with Audrey. She pressed her lips together, still confused, "But if that's the case, there's still one question left unanswered. If it really did invade her mind world just now…then what was it here for?"
She paused and added, "Is it possible that Lady Longbottom didn't see it during a near-death experience, but encountered that spiritual creature in her mental world only after she lost her mind?"
Edward thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"I'll try to find a chance to confirm with Luna—see if that creature really matches the one she saw."
—Last time he had an unpleasant encounter with Luna's father…if he shows up unannounced again, would they be thrown out?
"Alright. When we get home tonight, I'll draw a sketch of it for you."
Audrey supported herself on Edward's arm and got off the bed.
"I'm fine now. It's time to treat Mr. Longbottom next."
"You just had spiritual depletion. Maybe we should call it a day?"
She gave a sweet smile.
"Don't worry, the more urgently the spirituality is consumed, the faster the potions digest. I'm doing this to better fulfil my role as a psychiatrist."
"Okay~ Just don't overexert yourself."
Perhaps because his treatment had lagged behind, Mr. Longbottom was still tormented by visions of Death Eaters in his mind world.
All Audrey could do was to try to comfort him as best she could—using suggestion and cues to gradually ease his fear of Death Eaters, gently guiding his psyche to let down its defences.
By the time she exited Mr. Longbottom's inner world, it was already noon.
There was a knock at the door, and the old lady came in carrying a hearty meal.
"I haven't had a chance to let you try my cooking the past few times. You mustn't miss it today."
She placed a ceramic pot on the table.
"This is my speciality—braised mutton stew. It's quite good, if I say so myself."
The two were indeed famished and didn't stand on ceremony. They dug in with crispy toasted bread and mushroom soup to go along with the mutton.
The elderly woman watched them with great satisfaction.
"This used to be Frank and Alice's favourite dish. I learned it from a Russian friend. You know, no matter how good a cook you are, English food tends to be…well, less than appetising."
She glanced toward the hospital bed.
"It's just a shame that ever since then, the two of them have never again—eh?"
She suddenly froze and stared at Lady Longbottom.
"Alice, what's wrong?"
Lady Longbottom had sat up by now, staring blankly at the table, as if she wanted to eat but didn't know how to express it.
The old woman asked joyfully, "You…want to eat?"
Alice hesitated for a while, then nodded.
The old lady hurriedly ladled out a small bowl and brought it over to feed her. But Alice turned her head slightly, avoiding the spoon—then reached out, trying to take the bowl and fork herself.
"Oh Alice, let me feed you instead."
Audrey quickly interjected, "Madam, let her try. This is a sign she's beginning to engage with the outside world on her own."
"Alright, alright."
The elderly woman was a bit emotional as she carefully passed over the bowl and fork. Her hands trembled several times, nearly dropping them.
Several minutes passed before Lady Longbottom finally held them securely. She stared at the meat in the bowl in a daze, then glanced at the fork. After a moment of thought, like a child, she clumsily held the fork backwards and stabbed it into a piece of mutton.
As she lifted the meat, the sauce dripped onto her clothes. The old lady instinctively moved to help her but managed to restrain herself.
Lady Longbottom stared at the fork for another moment, then slowly brought the meat to her mouth and began to chew.
"Oh, my goodness…"
The old lady covered her mouth in disbelief.
"If only Neville were here…he would be so happy, he really would…"
She looked at the two young people with immense gratitude and bowed.
"Thank you. Thank you both."
——
After lunch, the two stayed at St. Mungo's for another twenty minutes before finally taking their leave.
The smile on Audrey's face hadn't faded since earlier. To her, this was an incredibly rewarding experience. But a moment later, she looked a little worried.
"If I ultimately can't cure them, giving Madam and Neville hope only to plunge them back into despair…wouldn't that be too cruel?"
Edward patted her on the head and smiled.
"Then keep advancing your Sequence. I don't believe that by the time you reach Angel—or even a Demigod—you still wouldn't be able to handle this kind of 'small matter.'"
"You're right!"
Audrey's eyes lit up.
"Alright then, accompany me for one more round of shopping. After that, we need to attend the banquet at the Malfoy estate."
"Okay~"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.