Chap
Poor memory...
It didn't seem like something worth mentioning separately.
But Dawn vaguely remembered that Neville's forgetfulness wasn't innate.
Before the Death Eaters were completely defeated, Neville had personally witnessed his parents being tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange and others with the Cruciatus Curse.
To make him forget this painful memory, Neville's grandmother had cast the Forgetfulness Charm on him multiple times.
Unfortunately, the old lady's mastery of the charm was lacking, far inferior to someone like Lockhart. As a result, she severely damaged Neville's memory, making him the forgetful person he was now.
So...
Was Neville's unusual magic related to this? Had his damaged memory made his magical patterns appear more fragmented than others'?
Dawn frowned deeply.
This was far too strange.
Could a spell really cause permanent damage to a wizard's magic?
Dawn rubbed his chin, then suddenly pointed his wand at Hermione.
°Expelliarmus!°
A flash of red light shot out.
Hermione's wand spun out of her hand and clattered to the floor.
Staring at her now empty hand, Hermione froze for several seconds before coming back to herself, her hair practically standing on end with fury.
"Dawn!! What are you doing again?!"
"Ah, sorry, misfire," Dawn explained calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Hermione picked up her wand, chest heaving with anger, feeling herself close to becoming numb from the frustration.
Dawn propped up his chin, looking at her without a hint of guilt.'Hmm... There was no change at all in her magic. So it had to be spells that could cause damage to the soul?'
Dawn absentmindedly tapped the table with his index finger, deep in thought.
At that moment, he caught a flash of light from the corner of his eye.
It was Neville!
Perhaps startled by Hermione's anger, Neville had, somehow by sheer accident, finally managed to cast the Lumos spell.
Dawn squinted sharply in his direction.
No difference whatsoever.
The magical patterns flowing within the light were exactly the same as those produced by Hermione or himself when they cast Lumos.
But if the magical patterns after casting the same spell showed no difference... Then where exactly did a wizard's magical uniqueness come from?
Could it be... that the patterns had nothing to do with the magic itself?
Dawn felt sparks of insight flitting through his mind, like fish about to be pulled from the water.
"I'm sorry!" Neville blurted out loudly, instinctively apologizing under the pressure of their gaze.
Hermione took a deep breath, forcing down her anger, and managed a smile at him.
"...No, you did very well."
Then she grabbed Neville's wrist.
"Neville, let's go."
"Go?" Neville looked hesitantly at Dawn.
"But..."
"No buts!" Hermione said firmly.
The admiration and fondness she had once felt for Dawn because of his knowledge had completely evaporated after these few interactions.
Now she believed Aemon had been absolutely right—this guy was a total jerk!
"Dragging us here without explaining anything, acting all high and mighty giving orders... Hmph! There's no reason we should put up with someone so rude!"
Hermione vented her anger loudly as she yanked open the door.
But just as she was about to step out—
Dawn, sitting at the long table, sighed.
"Apologies, Miss Granger. I still need Mr. Longbottom's help for a moment."
He flicked his wand.
Hermione suddenly felt an invisible force push her forward, making her stagger a few steps out the door, while Neville, his robes caught up as if by an unseen hand, floated back into the room.
"Hey!" Hermione regained her balance and turned back, shouting angrily.
But in the next second, with a sharp *BANG*, the door slammed shut right in front of her.
She grabbed the doorknob and twisted hard, but it refused to budge.
°Alohomora!°
Fueled by her anger, the Unlocking Charm blazed brightly. But as the light faded, Hermione's expression fell.
The door remained shut.
Damn it!
This was the second time! Grinding her teeth, Hermione felt a strong sense of déjà vu—this scene had happened yesterday on the train too.
She pounded her fists on the door in frustration, then shouted through it, warning Dawn not to bully Neville.
After that, she stomped away furiously.
Hermione had made up her mind— If Dawn dared cast a spell on Neville like he did on the train, she would tell Professor McGonagall this time, no matter what!
.......
Inside the room.
Neville, left alone, felt an inexplicable wave of panic, like a child abandoned at a relative's house, shy and uneasy.
"Alright, Neville, calm down."
Dawn raised a hand in a soothing gesture and stood up from his chair, walking toward the chubby boy.
"I... I..." Neville stammered, overwhelmed by the pressure of Dawn's presence.
"Relax! Look at me."
Clicking his tongue lightly, Dawn waited until Neville, after some hesitation, met his gaze. Then he raised his wand and pressed it gently against Neville's forehead.
°Obliviate.°
A flash of light burst forth.
Neville's eyes immediately grew vacant and dazed.
Dawn maintained the spell carefully while closely observing the changes in Neville's magic.
Truth be told, although he had earlier mocked Neville's grandmother's spellcasting skills, Dawn's own mastery of the Forgetfulness Charm was only slightly better.
His magic reserves still weren't high enough.
Fortunately, knowing his limits, he had not cast the spell with brute force, avoiding any real risk of damaging Neville's memory further.
Aside from erasing the memory of being spelled by him, Dawn simply made Neville forget today's Gryffindor password, thereby enhancing the effect of the charm.
Gradually—While carefully sustaining the spell, Dawn finally detected faint, minute changes in Neville's magical patterns.
Very subtle, but definitely there.
The fog in his mind was thinning.
Dawn stepped back and lifted the spell.
He watched as Neville gave a visible shudder, still looking confused. Pulling a candy from his pocket, Dawn placed it into Neville's hand.
"I just wanted to thank you for coming along, that's all," Dawn said casually. "You can go now."
He gestured toward the door.
Still muddled, Neville obediently followed the instruction. By the time he had fully cleared his mind, he found himself already standing alone in the eighth-floor corridor.
Turning back, he looked at the door he had just exited.
Clutching the candy in his hand, with no memory at all of being spelled, Neville couldn't help but think to himself—
What a good guy!
......
Inside the now empty room.
Dawn paced back and forth excitedly.
He felt like he finally had an answer—about his own ability, about the meaning behind the magical patterns...
Only one final verification remained.
Thinking this, he hurriedly packed up the clutter on the table, grabbed the toad's cage, and left the Room of Requirement.
He needed to find Professor McGonagall right away!
But—
Before he could even leave the eighth floor, he ran straight into a pair of twins blocking his way at the corner.
"Hey! Spill it! Where did you sneak off to after you got up here?" Fred asked, baring his teeth in mock ferocity.
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