Chapter 198 - 198: Neville's Expectations

Words : 1769 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

"!!!" Edward and Audrey were both taken aback at the same time. That world? Edward quickly asked, "Lady Grey, when you say 'that world,' what exactly do you mean? Could you please tell us? It's very important to us." She was silent for a moment before replying, "The world of the dead." "Back when the Baron stabbed me to death, my soul drifted away from my body and arrived at a very strange place. It seemed to be the entrance to another world. After a period of confusion, I came to understand—it was the world of the deceased, the afterlife." "But just as I was about to enter it, some strange energy sent me back. Since then, I've been a ghost. However…I remember that world's aura very clearly." A look of confusion crossed her face. "But why…why does that same aura exist on this diadem?" Edward's mind raced. Within seconds, he had formed two possible hypotheses: One: it could be residual traces from when Voldemort made it into a Horcrux. A Horcrux is something that lets one defy death, break free from the world of the dead—so perhaps the two became somehow connected through that process. Two: the aura came from the grey fog absorbed by the diadem—the aura of the Sefirah Castle from the world of the Lord of the Mysteries. The afterlife of the Harry Potter world… The Sefirah Castle of the Mysteries world… How could these two possibly be connected? Suddenly, the two of them exchanged glances, both thinking of Slytherin's secret: Gods are real in this world. As long as one could find the entrance to a deity's dwelling, anyone could become a god. And considering that the clues to Death's dwelling had always pointed toward the Deathly Hallows, could there truly be a Death that resided in the afterlife? But then again, how could the Death of the Harry Potter world have anything to do with the Sefirah Castle from the world of the Mysteries? Edward thought hard about it but couldn't make any sense of the connection. "Lady Grey, may I ask…did you know Salazar Slytherin?" She nodded. "Of course." "What kind of person did you think he was?" "I don't know. But my mother once said that he wasn't as cold and harsh as he appeared. Everything he did was to protect the children of the wizarding world." She paused for a moment, then frowned. "But later on, he seemed to change. He suddenly lost interest in Hogwarts, in the wizarding world itself. It was like he was searching for something. When my mother asked him, he said he had found another path to ensure wizards would never be persecuted again." "After that, he had a huge argument with my mother and the other three founders, then left Hogwarts and never returned." "Did the other three ever speak of him again?" "They all said Salazar had gone mad." Gone mad? "Well…thank you for sharing that." Edward let out a slow breath and smiled. "Then, Lady Grey, could I trouble you a little longer and ask you more about this ancient castle?" "….." She glanced at the Ravenclaw diadem, then at Edward. After a moment of reluctance, she gave a small nod. "Ask, then." —— Over the next hour or two, Edward asked every question he could think of about Hogwarts—its architectural style, design philosophy, all the odd stories and curious lore he could remember. He took diligent notes, soon filling up nearly half a notebook. By the time the sky had darkened, he finally closed it. "Thank you, Lady Grey." She hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "And thank you, for retrieving my mother's diadem and removing the soul fragment within it—so it would no longer be defiled as a Horcrux." With that, she drifted through the tower wall and disappeared. Audrey let out a sigh. "That's the first time I've ever found listening to stories so exhausting…are you going to keep going?" Edward nodded. "Yeah. There are still some gaps in my understanding of the castle—maybe the other ghosts can help fill them in." She tapped her forehead. "Ah, sorry, I won't be able to go with you. I'm playing the role of a psychologist tonight." "No worries, let's both do our best!" The two left the Ravenclaw common room and went their separate ways. Edward then sought out the Bloody Baron, the Fat Friar, and several of the former headmasters in their portrait frames. It wasn't until after ten o'clock that he finally completed his research on Hogwarts Castle. And with that, his progress as a Scribe advanced a little further. Afterwards, he headed to the Room of Requirement, spent all his recorded ability, then recorded new ones again. It had to be said—compared to the other Sequences before it, playing the role of the Scribe was far easier for him. ——— The next morning. Edward and Audrey ran into each other in the Great Hall and were surprised to see the same thing on each other's face—sheer exhaustion. "You—" They spoke at the same time. Audrey sighed. "I really didn't expect so many children to have psychological problems." "Uh…" Edward was taken aback. At this age—no matter how old or young—kids usually resisted therapy. But judging by what Audrey said, it sounded like a lot of students had come to her for help. She gave a wry smile. "I just gave psychological counselling a new name. Said it was a kind of magic that lets you peer into the heart and that I needed volunteers for some research. The kids were practically lining up to be part of it." "Several of them had serious issues. Like Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor and Harry—both of them have experienced things since childhood. Then there were a few half-blood students in Slytherin who've been subjected to discrimination after getting sorted there. Quite a few Ravenclaw students are suffering from anxiety…though your Hufflepuffs, hmm, seem like they just don't care about anything." …Uh. "The good news is, the Potion of the Psychiatrist is progressing well. The bad news is, I might need therapy soon." As she said that, she cast a glance toward the Gryffindor table. "The worst case is Neville. His parents went insane right after he was born, and he was raised by his grandmother, who's particularly strict with him. For a boy who's already emotionally fragile, that lack of safety and comfort only made things worse." "As for Harry, he has a strong desire for recognition. He treasures his friendships deeply, rejects his family, and expressed very clearly that he never wants to return to them. But because you specifically told me not to delve too deep into his psyche, I didn't dig further." —That was something Edward had asked of her before they returned, considering Harry's status as a Horcrux. Edward couldn't help but recall Harry's experiences in the original story. From birth, he had been saddled with the role of the "Chosen One." Aside from Hermione and Ron, no one had ever really cared about what he truly thought or needed—not even Dumbledore, who was more concerned with protecting his physical safety. By the end, Harry had grown stronger…but he'd also lost most of the people he loved. Thinking of that, Edward felt a growing sense of guilt—how he'd 'borrowed' the Invisibility Cloak left to Harry by his father, with nothing more than a revolver and a bullet. Sorry, Harry. I'll return the cloak to you. Consider this year's Christmas present my way of making it up to you. "What about Malfoy? Weren't you planning to pry his secrets out of him ever since we got back?" Audrey shrugged. "He's been doing everything he can to avoid me, let alone agree to any therapy sessions. I mean, I can't exactly knock him out with a Stunning Spell and then perform Legilimency on him…" She paused, then locked eyes with Edward. They both spoke at the same time: "…Actually, that would be a method." Hahaha. The two of them burst into laughter. "By the way, where's Lilith?" "Still running wild somewhere. Other than showing up to sleep at night, she's pretty much vanished during the day." "Same with Susie." The two of them sighed in unison. "Kind of nice, though. Once we go back, the two of them won't have this kind of freedom anymore." "True enough." As they chatted, the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table suddenly slammed the table and shouted in fury: "That damned reporter! Complete nonsense!" "What's going on?" Harry leaned over curiously, full of energy and inquisitiveness—especially after his chat with Audrey yesterday. She'd used some kind of magical technique that gave him the best night's sleep he'd ever had. He felt lighter than ever. One of the Weasleys said, "Look at this! The Daily Prophet just published an article accusing Professor Dumbledore of running for Minister of Magic just to grab attention. They're claiming he's doing it so the wizarding world won't forget him, that he wants to control both Hogwarts and the Ministry—that he's trying to follow in Grindelwald's footsteps and plunge our world into chaos!" The other added angrily, "It even says that his schemes will eventually be crushed by the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and that he'll be tried and thrown into Azkaban!" Harry's face darkened as he snatched the newspaper. "Who wrote this load of rubbish?" He scanned it quickly until he found the name of the journalist: Rita Skeeter. Ron, munching on a chicken leg beside him, growled, "Just let me run into her. I'll show her what real chaos looks like." "Yeah!" Audrey turned to Edward. "Rita Skeeter—do you know her?" "Hm. Professionally, she's a very capable journalist. Morally…she's a trashy hack who blurs fact and fiction." Audrey frowned. "Sounds like someone people would love to hate." Just then, a slightly pudgy boy hesitantly walked over. He was nervously wringing the hem of his robe, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "You're here to see me, Neville?" Audrey asked gently. "N-No…" He started by shaking his head, then suddenly nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am." Neville looked up at Audrey. "Miss Hall…what you said yesterday—about being able to cure my mum and dad…is that true?" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 198 - 198: Neville's Expectations

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