Chapter 481
Spiritual World
Chapter 481 Spiritual World
"What if Mabel is given Felix Felicis?" Wade asked. "Will that not help?"
Lupin and Steven looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
"Vader." Lupin's tone was full of doting and tolerance. He said gently: "Mabel's body is inhabited by the Obscurus. She drank the Felicis Felix, which was equivalent to the Obscurus drinking the Felicis Felix - the potion can't tell who it is serving."
Steven comforted him, "Don't worry, although Mr. Scamander has just arrived, he actually received Dumbledore's letter a long time ago and has been preparing for several months - he will definitely succeed."
He was comforting Vader as well as himself.
The thick walls and solid doors could not completely block the fluctuations of magic. The three people in the outer room sometimes heard the whistling wind, sometimes saw exceptionally bright lights flashing, and sometimes there were crackling sounds like frying beans, which made people uneasy.
After a long while, there was a ping-pong sound from inside, and Madam Pomfrey exclaimed: "How could this happen?"
Lupin stood up immediately, then hesitated at the door, fearing that he would interfere with their treatment if he went in.
Wade also reached the door, reached out and knocked gently, and asked: "Professor, what happened in there? Do you need us to do anything?"
After a moment, the door suddenly opened.
Wade and the other two walked in tentatively, only to see Dumbledore sitting in an armchair, taking off his glasses and pinching his brows, looking silent and tired.
Scamander was sitting at the table, looking through the various materials he had compiled, muttering something and frowning tightly.
Only Madam Pomfrey was still by Mabel's side. She waved her wand, and rays of healing spells fell on Mabel, but they were like a drop in the ocean, without bringing any visible effect.
Mabel, who could talk and laugh just now, was now lying on the bed with a pale face, eyes closed, unconscious.
"Has the treatment... failed?" Lupin's face turned pale and he asked in a trembling voice.
During this period, he had been acting as Mabel's guardian, and after spending so much time with her, he had already regarded this strong but unfortunate girl as his own family. Seeing her lying on the bed without knowing whether she was dead or alive, his heart was torn.
"I... I'm sorry." Scamander looked at him, looked away, and said reluctantly: "The separation failed... and her condition is deteriorating rapidly."
"How could...how could this happen?"
Lupin asked in disbelief, looking at Dumbledore for help.
Madam Pomfrey put down her wand and sighed. "It was successful at first, and the Obscurus almost separated from her, but..."
Dumbledore put on his glasses and looked at the sleeping girl through the lenses with his blue eyes.
He asked, "Remus, have you discussed with Mabel why you want to separate the Obscurus?"
Lupin was confused: "Of course."
"How did Maybelle react then?" asked Dumbledore.
"What was her reaction? Of course she agreed..." Lupin got stuck in the middle of his sentence. He recalled for a long time before saying, "She hesitated for a long time before she said...she would follow our arrangements."
In the view of Lupin and others, there was no reason for Mabel to disagree if they could separate dangerous dark creatures like the Obscurus and make their souls complete and pure again.
Not only does the Obscurus devour the life and soul of its host, it also makes Mabel a wanted criminal of the Ministry of Magic, forcing her to hide everywhere and potentially be executed if she is caught.
Moreover, once this kind of thing gets out of control, it will cause huge damage to the surrounding area and hurt many innocent people.
Mabel was a kind child. After Lupin explained the consequences to her, she naturally agreed and did not show any resistance afterwards.
Only the night before, Mabel tossed and turned for a long time and couldn't sleep. In the morning, she said to Lupin: "Remus, if I die, can you help me take care of Hayley? It doesn't have to be a big deal, just visit her occasionally."
Lupin naturally agreed, and then comforted her: "Dumbledore said before that if the separation is not smooth, we should temporarily suspend it and continue after finding a more suitable solution. Don't worry, the worst result is that when you wake up, everything will be the same as it is now."
Lupin briefly recounted their previous conversation, and then asked: "Could it be that the reason for the failure is... Mabel was very resistant? She was too scared, so the separation failed?"
"That should be the case." Dumbledore said slowly, "Her soul is entangled with the Obscurus. If she doesn't want to, no one can separate them. Forcible operation will only kill Mabel as well."
"But now, the magic of separation has intensified the Obscurus. We suppressed it and prevented it from erupting, but it... its encroachment speed has accelerated." Scamander said guiltily, with anxiety written all over his thin cheeks.
Lupin didn't say anything. He walked to the bed and saw that the girl's face was as pale as paper and her lips had lost their color.
It was only an hour since they last saw each other, but the child, who was fine before, had his vitality visibly declined to the point of being on the verge of death.
He didn't have the energy to blame Dumbledore or Scamander, because he knew that if it were him, he wouldn't be able to do better.
Lupin only blamed himself for persuading Mabel to accept the magic of separating the Obscurus... He hoped to let this child live in the world openly, but ignored the danger involved.
He was too optimistic.
Lupin sat down slowly, not daring to touch the girl who seemed as fragile as porcelain, his cold fingers trembling slightly.
Wade looked at this scene, gently touched the stone necklace in his pocket, and suddenly felt a feeling called "destiny".
"Wade, it's time to use the gold powder." Dumbledore said, "Let Mabel's time stop temporarily to stabilize her condition, and then we can try other methods."
"I brought the gold dust."
Vader took out a crystal bottle and placed it on the table. The golden powder inside looked very similar to the stuff in the time-turner hourglass and was dazzling even in the dim light.
"Also, Professor, I want to see if I can convince Mabel to let go of Obscurus."
"How to convince her?" Dumbledore asked calmly, "You can see that she is unconscious now. No matter what you say, she can't hear it."
"I know. I mean... go talk to her in her spirit world."
Wade took out the stone necklace again, quickly explained its function, and then said: "In fact, it might be most effective to let Hayley do it, but she is an ordinary person, and I am worried that she can't withstand the effects of this magic."
"Don't worry about that. Whether they are Muggles or wizards, their souls are equally tough. And Mabel's condition deteriorates very quickly. She can't withstand repeated attempts."
Dumbledore took the necklace and looked at it, then uncorked the crystal bottle and waved his slender fingers gently, allowing the gold powder inside to evenly cover Mabel's skin.
Almost instantly, the werewolf with keen hearing discovered that the girl's breathing and heartbeat slowed to the point of almost disappearing.
"This way, we can buy more time." Dumbledore looked at Wade and said, "Remus, Wade, go find Hayley, explain the situation to her, and try to convince her to help."
"Understood." The two set off immediately.
"Um..." Steven stood at the door and said awkwardly, "Can I help you?"
"Of course." Dumbledore twisted the stone necklace in his hand, looked into the big man's innocent eyes, and asked, "Steven, can you let me visit your spiritual world?"
"Huh?" Steven was puzzled.
"I want to try out the effect of this necklace first." Dumbledore explained, "I don't see any traces of dark magic on it, but to verify whether it is safe, we can only be sure by entering the so-called spiritual world in person."
In order to enter Mabel's spiritual world and convince her to give up the Momo Ran who is holding on to her tightly and unwilling to let go, someone she trusts very much must be someone she trusts very much.
Hayley was a little girl, and no one was willing to let her take on such a heavy responsibility. If she got lost in Mabel's spiritual world, it would not be saving people, but harming them.
Someone must accompany her.
Although Lupin had spent more time with Mabel, Dumbledore thought Vader was more persuasive in this regard.
Because for Mabel, Lupin is a "guardian" and a "trusted elder", but Vader is a "friend of life and death". He saved Mabel and Mabel tried to save him. The weight of this relationship is different. Vader can leave safely after entering his own spiritual world, but if he and Hayley enter Mabel's spiritual world, can they also ensure safety?
Will the Obscurus, who exists in Mabel's spiritual world, attack them?
If they were attacked in that world, would they be able to pull people out in time?
These all need to be confirmed through experiments.
Among the people present, only Steven's experience was the simplest. If the existence in his spiritual world would attack outsiders, it would also be the easiest to get rid of.
Steven didn't think too much about it. He just thought about some of his past embarrassing moments and felt a little embarrassed.
But thinking that this was to save people, Steven hesitated for a moment before agreeing and asked, "What should I do?"
"Sit down and give me your hand," said Dumbledore.
He wrapped the necklace around their wrists like handcuffs, then looked at Scamander and said, "Watch closely. If something doesn't seem right, wake us up immediately."
Scamander nodded seriously.
Dumbledore recited the spell that Wade had just told them. Steven was still curiously observing the runes on the stone, but after the spell was finished, his head immediately tilted to the side and he fell asleep.
Dumbledore beside him also lowered his head and breathed evenly.
Scamander watched for a moment, then stood up and set up various protective spells around the room, then sat down again opposite the two men and watched them quietly.
Madam Pomfrey stood guard over Mabel, giving her a bottle of potion from time to time, then looked at the two people sleeping over there and frowned in worry.
……
Dumbledore stood on a gravel road, looking at the sudden change in the scenery around him, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
Steven beside him was also looking around curiously and said in surprise: "Is this my spiritual world?"
Unlike the endless corridor described by Wade, Steven's spiritual world is actually a garden. If you look closely, it is a bit like the garden in Murray Manor.
The difference is that the trees here are hung with fist-sized crystals, and the flowers are also full of crystal ball fruits of various sizes. At first glance, it is dazzling and yet very peaceful.
The two walked along the garden for a while and found that the crystal ball was full of fragments of Steven's memories from childhood to adulthood, and there was no pattern.
On the same tree, there were memories of him babbling as a baby, memories of him studying in school, and memories of him taking care of various magical creatures.
Whenever Steven touched a crystal ball, that memory would be recalled particularly vividly. He saw some of the silly things he had done as a child and couldn't help laughing.
Dumbledore's eyes left the crystal ball of an infant and looked at him gently. After a while, he said, "Steven, try to be hostile to me."
"Ah?...Oh!" Steven remembered that they came here for an experiment. He stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes, trying to imagine him as the guy he hated the most.
Suddenly, a wind blew in the garden.
The crystal ball began to clink and the sound became more and more rapid. Dumbledore looked around and suddenly he was shaken involuntarily!
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the previous room. Scamander in front of him asked hurriedly, "How do you feel?"
"I was expelled." Dumbledore closed his eyes and felt it for a while, then said, "But it didn't hurt."
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore." Steven woke up as well. He scratched his hair and said, "I don't know how it happened... Was the experiment considered a success?"
Dumbledore thought for a moment and decided that it was not a success.
Steven's spiritual world is so harmonious that even his hostility towards others seems painless. This kind of attack power is obviously incomparable with the real Momo.
"I think we need to verify it again." Dumbledore asked, "Have Remus and Wade returned?"
Just as she finished speaking, there was a sound of a door being pushed open outside. Haley, wrapped in a small cloak, appeared at the door and asked with a trembling voice, "Where is Mabel?"
……
The necklace was wrapped around Dumbledore and Lupin's wrists again. Lupin moved his body unconsciously, as if the chair under his buttocks had suddenly turned into a prickly pear.
"Sorry, Remus." Dumbledore said suddenly before chanting the spell.
Lupin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is for Mabel. I'm happy to help."
After a while, they both fell into a deep sleep.
——Is this my spiritual world?
Lupin looked around, somewhat surprised.
This was a maze with crisscrossing roads. Lupin stood at a fork in the road, not knowing which direction to go.
Dumbledore was not around, probably somewhere else in the maze.
Then Lupin noticed that the walls of the maze were inlaid with mirrors of various sizes. He walked closer and saw himself at different stages in the mirror.
He walked along the maze for a while and suddenly stopped.
In a mirror with a turquoise patina, Lupin saw his young self lying on the bed, his mother leaning over to blow out the candle and kissing his forehead.
"Goodnight, Remus," she said with a smile.
"Good night." The child in the bed whispered.
The mother went out with a lamp in hand. A dark shadow flashed past the window. Then, a rough and ferocious face pressed against the window, with a cruel smile on the corner of his mouth. He opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth.
Lupin suddenly realized which memory this was and couldn't help but shout, "No...No!"
He lunged forward, his hand hit the mirror, and he fell in. But the werewolf broke through the window, passed through his body without any hindrance, grabbed the boy who was screaming in fear on the bed, and bit his neck!
"Go to hell!"
Lupin cast the spell without thinking. He did not notice that he had fallen out of the mirror, nor did he realize that the werewolf Greyback also appeared in the maze corridor.
The light of the spell shot towards Greyback, and the entire maze seemed to be shaking. The huge oppressive force rushed towards Greyback like a tsunami, causing his figure to disappear from the spot in an instant.
Lupin's hands and feet were shaking and he was breathing heavily. Before he could react further, the maze world in front of him suddenly shattered.
He woke up and his whole body shook violently.
"Relax, Remus, relax." Dumbledore held his shoulders and said apologetically, "That's all over. You are safe now."
Lupin gasped for breath and looked up at Dumbledore, his confused eyes gradually becoming clear.
"……It's you?"
"It's me." Dumbledore nodded. Seeing that Lupin's magic that was about to riot was slowly subsiding, he let go of his hand and said again: "I'm sorry."
This time Lupin understood why he had apologized in advance before -
It was not because he would see Lupin's past that was deeply buried in his memory, but because before entering, Dumbledore planned to transform into "Greyback" to verify whether the spiritual world would cause harm to the soul identified as an enemy.
Lupin sat in the chair, unable to calm down for a long time. He wanted to curse, but he didn't know what to say.
He touched his neck and his eyes dimmed.
(End of this chapter)