0740 At St.Mungo's

"You arrived with such remarkable speed, Bryan!" Tonks exclaimed with surprise, her voice carrying tones of both admiration and astonishment.

After allowing herself a moment of hearty, relieved laughter that seemed to release weeks of accumulated tension and worry, Tonks observed Bryan's face with slightly widened eyes.

"I honestly thought you wouldn't be able to oust yourself from all the Ministry obligations, press conferences, and official responsibilities for quite some time!"

She continued, shaking her head in amazement. "The Daily Prophet made it sound like you'd be tied up in bureaucratic meetings and formal debriefings for days, if not weeks!"

"I've never particularly enjoyed wasting my precious energy, time, or mental resources on boring matters that don't genuinely interest me or serve a meaningful purpose," Bryan replied with a subtle smile as he spoke.

As he spoke these words, he approached the two and focused on Hermione, who sat in her simple hospital robes. As their eyes met, he could clearly see the unmistakable touch of deep, heartfelt gratitude shining in her gaze.

The effects of nearly half a month of imposed bed rest and medical treatment had undeniably made Hermione appear somewhat thinner than she had been before her suffering.

However, Bryan's senses could detect something far more important than these superficial physical changes. The natural flow and rhythm of magic within her body had completely and perfectly returned to its normal, healthy state.

In fact, and this was particularly interesting from a magical theory perspective, because Hermione had consumed quite a large number of magic-replenishing potions during the treatment period and because her body had also absorbed and integrated a portion of the protective magic that Bryan had deliberately left within her system to suppress and counteract the curse's effects, the overall magical power and capacity within Hermione was now slightly stronger than it had been before her attack.

"Excellent—" Bryan said with evident satisfaction after completing his thorough magical examination.

His face broke into a warm, genuinely pleased smile as he continued. "You've recovered exceptionally well,"

Professor Watson's positive assessment and encouraging words brought an even more beaming quality to Hermione's smile. The gratitude in her heart deepened and expanded, becoming something almost overwhelming in its intensity and sincerity.

Without needing to ask for details or confirmation, Hermione's sharp mind had already pieced together much of what had happened during her recovery. She knew how hard Professor Watson had worked during this time to solve her seemingly impossible problem.

He had even tracked down and confronted dangerous dark wizards and ultimately completely uprooted and destroyed a massive, deep-rooted dark wizard organization that had been lurking in the shadows of the European magical community for years, or possibly decades!

This interpretation of events was somewhat off from the reality of the situation but to Hermione's perspective, with the information available to her, this was exactly what she saw and understood.

In her mind, Professor Watson had launched a one-man war against the forces of darkness specifically to save her life.

"May I ask when I might be permitted to return to Hogwarts, Professor?" Hermione asked with eagerness.

"In my opinion, you could return right now, this very moment," Bryan replied with a slight chuckle, his eyes glancing meaningfully at the improvised study area that had been set up near the window.

"Simply pay careful attention to getting adequate rest over the next few days," He continued, "avoid overexerting yourself magically or physically, and I have complete confidence that you'll recover completely very soon."

Though Hermione had been hoping and even secretly planning for her discharge from St. Mungo's for several days now, actually hearing so unexpectedly and definitively that she could return to school now and she could see her friends again—such overwhelming, pure happiness struck her heart.

For a few seconds, she simply sat there in stunned silence.

It wasn't until Tonks stepped forward with a warm, congratulatory smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, congratulating her recovery and return to Hogwarts, that Hermione finally snapped back to full awareness of her surroundings.

As her focus returned to the present moment, she noticed that Professor Watson had picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet that she had just placed on her desk, his eyes were scanning the front-page headline and accompanying article about his own recent activities and official statements to the press.

Hermione opened her mouth with the clear intention of speaking, a question burning on her tongue, but then hesitated and closed it again, as uncertainty flickered across her face.

After taking several minutes to scan through the detailed report which consisted mostly of direct quotes from his own carefully worded statements during morning's official press conference, along with some surprisingly restrained commentary and analysis—Bryan noted with slight surprise that the Daily Prophet had unusually refrained from their typical practice of sensationalizing the story or adding dramatic add-ons that might distort the facts.

This was actually quite remarkable, considering the newspaper's well-known tendency toward exaggeration and their eagerness to milk any story involving prominent magical figures for maximum dramatic impact. Perhaps the seriousness of the situation, or possibly some behind-the-scenes pressure from the Ministry, had encouraged them to stick closer to factual reporting than was their usual custom.

Setting down the newspaper, Bryan's gaze caught sight of Hermione's hesitant, uncertain expression.

After taking a moment to consider her obvious internal struggle and the likely source of her concerns, he smiled with understanding and decided to address the elephant in the room directly.

"Are you wondering why I made the choice to suppress and minimize the news of your specific attack, and why I completely separated that incident from the much larger story of this dark organization's destruction?" He asked with gentle directness.

Hermione bit her lower lip nervously and nodded gently in confirmation.

Tonks, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, also turned her attention to Bryan, She was also curious about this and waited eagerly for his explanation.

"The first question has a relatively straightforward and easy explanation," Bryan began, settling into his teaching mode.

"When you were first attacked by this mysterious curse, none of us knew the true purpose or motivation behind whoever had ordered this assault. We couldn't determine whether the person orchestrating this attack simply had some personal grudge against you only and wanted to take your life out of revenge or malice."

He paused, allowing this information to sink in before continuing with his explanation.

"So, under those uncertain and potentially dangerous circumstances, it was absolutely essential from a security standpoint to hide your exact location and current condition from public knowledge, rather than worry about issues of public accountability or transparency."

Seeing Hermione nod in understanding, Bryan continued with the more complex part of his explanation.

"As for the second question, why I separated your attack from the larger story of the organization's destruction—this involves the much more complicated matter of this evil organization's true purpose in targeting you."

Hermione's gaze sharpened and focused with intensity. She leaned forward slightly, her hands clasped in her lap, adopting an attentive listening posture.

But to her complete surprise and growing confusion, Professor Watson's next words were not what she had expected to hear at all.

"Regarding this particular point, both Headmaster Dumbledore and I owe you a sincere and heartfelt apology," he said, his voice taking on a more serious, almost solemn tone.

"In reality, this evil organization's main goal wasn't simply to take your life, as terrible as that would have been. Rather, they hoped to use the threat of serious harm against you as a weapon to enrage and provoke both Headmaster Dumbledore and myself, deliberately luring us into a public investigation and response so they could manipulate and use us to achieve some much larger, more sinister ulterior purpose."

"What purpose?" Hermione asked almost absently, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

The shocking revelation that this dark organization's real target had been Professor Watson and Professor Dumbledore all along that she had just been an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of some much larger conflict passed through her mind like a swift current, processed and quickly set aside as her curiosity seized upon the more intriguing mystery.

But immediately after speaking, even before Professor Watson could respond, Hermione's brain provided her with the obvious answer to her own question. She realized that she wouldn't get an answer to her inquiry.

Since Professor Watson had made the choice not to inform the general public about these deeper motivations and purposes, he almost certainly wouldn't share those sensitive details with her either, regardless of her personal involvement in the situation.

Sure enough, Professor Watson's response confirmed her prediction.

"I'm afraid it's not suitable or appropriate for public disclosure, Hermione," He explained sounding apologetic. "The truth of their ultimate goals would cause widespread panic and fear throughout the magical community, and that kind of mass hysteria would serve no helpful purpose and might actually make the situation worse."

He paused, his expression becoming more serious as he continued, "Those who have been permitted to see part of the complete truth, certain Ministry officials, senior Aurors, and other key figures in the magical government have already been officially ordered to maintain absolute silence about these matters.

What I can promise you, and what I hope will provide you with some comfort is that this matter is now completely and permanently over. The threat has been eliminated."

It was clear from Hermione's expression that she still had great curiosity about this mysterious "purpose" that Professor Watson couldn't reveal.

However, rather than continue pressing for details as would have been her right as the directly affected victim of this entire conspiracy, she showed remarkable maturity and restraint. She nodded in acceptance of his explanation and looked at him with slightly anxious, worried eyes that revealed a different concern.

"May I tell Harry and Ron what you've shared with me here today?" She asked carefully.

"Oh, of course you may," Bryan replied immediately, his face breaking into a warm, reassuring smile. "Harry and Ron are both completely trustworthy, and they've been deeply worried about you throughout this entire ordeal. They deserve to know the truth about what happened, at least as much of it as can be safely shared."

"Are you planning to leave St. Mungo's now and return to your regular duties?" Tonks inquired, though her question carried a tone of concealed eagerness and anticipation.

Having devotedly watched over Hermione in the hospital for more than ten long days and nights a period that had felt like an eternity to someone of her naturally active and adventurous temperament, Tonks was definitely feeling restless and eager for a change of scenery.

The prospect of returning to her normal, exciting life of fighting dark forces, tracking down criminals, and engaging in the kind of challenging work that made her feel truly alive made her heart race with excitement and anticipation.

Of course, before reporting back to the Ministry of Magic to resume her official duties as an Auror, she had already made private plans to visit Remus first.

Ever since Bryan had brought Remus to work at his specialized alchemy workshop, Remus's previously "leisurely" and relatively peaceful life had become a thing of the past.

The man who had once struggled to find steady employment due to his furry little condition now found himself in such high demand that in a months' time, he could spend at most a quarter of his days in the country, with the rest devoted to traveling for various projects and meetings.

It just so happened that Remus was currently at the workshop for a few days, and Tonks absolutely didn't want to miss this rare opportunity to see him.

"I can certainly help you pack your belongings and prepare for departure," She said cheerfully to Hermione. "Though honestly, there's really not very much to pack at all. You only have some textbooks, study materials, and a few changes of clothes here!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble either you or Sirius to escort Hermione back to Hogwarts safely," Bryan interjected.

"I need to remain here at St. Mungo's for about two more days to handle some important business." Seeing that Tonks seemed particularly eager to leave the hospital environment and return to her normal activities, Bryan had to say.

"You're staying at St. Mungo's?" Tonks asked, her voice filled with genuine surprise and confusion.

"What exactly are you planning to do here that requires your personal presence?" She continued, her curiosity thoroughly aroused by this mysterious development.

There was nothing particularly sensitive or confidential about his plans, so Bryan saw no reason to conceal his intentions from his friends. He explained in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner:

"While tracking and investigating this dark wizard organization, I discovered and rescued a Muggle who had been tortured and abused by these evil wizards over a long period of time. His name is Onesto Pastore, and he's an innocent victim who became caught up in this situation through no fault of his own."

Bryan's expression grew more serious as he continued, "This unfortunate Muggle man is in extremely poor physical and mental condition as a result of the torture he endured. If left without proper treatment and intervention, the healers believe he probably doesn't have many days left to live. I want to see if there's any possibility of alleviating his symptoms, restoring his damaged consciousness."

Hermione and Tonks looked at each other and exclaimed in unison:

"Is that the Muggle that Kingsley brought?"

"The one who was driven mad by the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Is it actually possible to cure someone in that condition, Professor Watson?" Hermione asked with intense curiosity and hope.

Bryan raised his eyebrows in surprise at their immediate recognition and knowledge of the case.

"You already know about this situation?"

"I happened to run into Kingsley when he first came to St. Mungo's bringing the patient in for emergency treatment,"

A familiar voice explained from just outside the hospital room door. "I asked him about the situation out of curiosity, but he didn't say very much about the details—he only told us that the Muggle was someone you had discovered during your investigation."

Sirius's voice came clearly through the doorway as he approached, and Bryan turned to look in that direction.

He saw Sirius walking confidently into the room accompanied by a tall, elderly woman carrying a red handbag.

Sirius's face was absolutely beaming with genuine smiles of pride and satisfaction as he strode to Bryan with obvious enthusiasm.

Without hesitation, he reached out and clapped Bryan heavily on the arm in a gesture of congratulation and approval.

"Exceptionally well done, Bryan!" Sirius said with heartfelt admiration. "Wiping out those evil forces in one fell swoop—it's exactly the kind of decisive action that was needed!"

Before Bryan could give an appropriate response to these generous compliments, Sirius continued in a tone of genuine regret,

"You really should have brought me along for such an intense and exciting battle,"

"Haha, well, you won't have to worry about lacking for exciting battles and meaningful action much longer," Bryan replied with a knowing smile.

"The Ministry is currently in the process of implementing an expansion of the Auror teams to better handle the increasing threats. I heard that Amelia is planning to recommend you to organize these new teams and lead the expanded group's field operations. You certainly won't lack for thrilling battles and important missions in the near future!"

As Bryan spoke these encouraging words, he couldn't help but notice that the dignified elderly woman who had entered the hospital room alongside Sirius was observing him with somewhat strange, intense eyes.

"And Madam you are?" Bryan asked politely.

"I am Augusta Longbottom!" Mrs. Longbottom introduced herself. The strong-willed woman was unusually hesitant, even somewhat dazed.

"Do you truly have confidence that you can cure that poor Muggle man?"

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