Dawn stared at the mangled arm, the flesh torn and bloody.
He pressed his lips together. Only at this moment did he begin to truly grasp what life during the time of the Black Death must have been like.
He looked at the two bodies lying together.
He wanted to say something.
But suddenly, the colors around him began to ripple, like the distorted screen of a malfunctioning television.
Dawn froze for a moment, then realized what was happening.
The dream was ending.
Pop.
Like a bursting bubble.
Dawn abruptly opened his eyes.
His first instinct was to look around.
The wooden ceiling of the small room came into view, and he understood that he had returned to reality.
Pushing himself up from the ground, Dawn noticed that the bearded man lying nearby was beginning to stir. His eyelids twitched slightly, as though he was about to wake.
Without hesitation, Dawn cast another Stunning Charm on him.
"Magic really is convenient," Dawn murmured softly as he felt the familiar flow of magic in his body.
He shook his head, temporarily burying the memories of the dream.
No matter how curious he might be about history, he still had matters in the present to handle.
Stretching his stiff back, Dawn stepped outside to confirm the date.
It was December 30.
Just as before, he had spent about two days inside the dream. There was not much time left before school resumed.
Dawn clicked his tongue softly.
Time was becoming tight.
He still wanted to test what would happen if trait diagrams were converted into runes.
He also wanted to determine whether he could enter the minds of the dead without using the Resurrection Stone by altering trait diagrams.
And besides that—
During this Christmas break, Dawn wanted to completely settle the matter with Neville.
As for how to resolve it...
Dawn had thought about it carefully.
In the end, he realized that the only reason he cared about Neville was because he felt he owed him something.
Before seeing that pot of Silverstar Grass, he had never felt anything particularly special toward Neville.
So his solution was simple.
He would repay that debt.
Once it was settled, he believed he could return to treating Neville with the same indifference as before.
"So many things to do."
Dawn sighed softly.
After staring blankly for a while, his gaze drifted toward the bearded man again.
"Alright. One thing at a time."
And so, the days passed.
Inside the dim room, Dawn lowered the wand he had been pointing at the man and studied the trait diagrams within his body thoughtfully.
Over the past few days, he had completed both experiments.
The results were one success and one failure.
The successful one involved entering the minds of the dead without using Resurrection Stone powder.
By altering the bearded man's trait diagram, the man truly began dreaming of past historical events.
Dawn confirmed this through Legilimency.
But the rune experiment had failed.
Or perhaps "failed" was not quite accurate. After transforming the man's internal trait diagrams into rune-like patterns, nothing happened.
Dawn cast spells on him.
He even had the man cast spells himself. But the results were exactly the same as before.
No changes.
Dawn couldn't figure out what was missing.
After several repeated attempts, he could only conclude that runes and trait diagrams were incompatible.
For now, he abandoned that line of research.
Letting out a slow breath, Dawn glanced at the calendar he had purchased. It was time to finish the final task.
Thinking of the address he had obtained for Neville's home, Dawn vanished instantly.
January 3.
The sky was clear and bright.
Only two days remained before school resumed.
Inside the Longbottom residence, a loud voice startled the owls perched on the roof into flight, marking the beginning of the day.
"Neville! Look at the mess you've made! School is about to start and you haven't written a single piece of homework. No Longbottom has ever behaved like this!"
Augusta Longbottom was furious.
She refused to listen to any explanations and pushed Neville toward a room.
"Listen carefully, Neville. If I hear from any professor that you haven't finished your homework, then even a Howler from me will be well deserved!"
Bang.
The door slammed shut.
"Until you finish your homework, you will stay here and go nowhere!"
After delivering those final words, Augusta stomped away down the hallway.
Neville stood behind the door, rubbing his reddened neck where his collar had tightened.
With a miserable expression, he pulled a small glass sphere from his pocket.
It was a Remembrall.
He hadn't meant to neglect his homework.
He had simply forgotten.
No wonder the Remembrall had been glowing constantly these past few days.
Sighing, Neville walked to the desk and climbed into the chair.
But when he noticed the silver-glimmering plant on the windowsill, he suddenly jumped back down.
Picking up a watering can from the corner, he gently poured water over the Silverstar Grass.
Only after the flowers lifted slightly did he return to the desk.
He pulled out his homework and began writing, flipping through his books while chewing on his quill.
The scratching of the quill filled the room.
Neville completed his Herbology homework first, the subject he was most confident in.
Then came History of Magic.
Finally, he struggled through the remaining assignments.
Swelling Solution: made from bat spleen, dried nettles, and pufferfish eyes. Any object touched by the potion will instantly expand in size.
Before brewing, grind two portions of dried nettles and three pufferfish eyes into a fine powder using a mortar until no large particles remain.
Add water to the cauldron. Once it boils, pour in the powder. When the solution turns green, add the bat spleen and stir four times counterclockwise.
Neville wrote carefully.
Then suddenly, a voice spoke beside his ear.
"That's wrong. The Swelling Solution requires seven and a half counterclockwise stirs before adding the bat spleen. Not after, and definitely not four."
"Ah! Thank you."
Neville replied automatically, immediately correcting his mistake. But just as he finished crossing out the error, his chubby body froze.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head.
A very familiar figure stood behind him. Yet something about him felt different.
Red eyes watched the parchment calmly.
"Neville, you mixed up the stirring method with the Hair-Raising Potion. But you remembered the ingredients well."
Dawn pointed out the mistake and even offered a bit of praise.
Then he casually picked up another piece of homework and began reading.
"Hmm… your Herbology answers are excellent. You even included extra information.
But in your Charms assignment, the movement for the Impediment Jinx is a cross-shaped motion with the wand, not a horizontal sweep."
Listening to the calm voice behind him, Neville sat frozen for a long moment.
Finally, he reacted.
His face filled with panic. He tried to retreat, but the chair and desk trapped him in place.
Struggling awkwardly, he stammered,
"You—"
"Who are you?!"
"Who am I?" Dawn tilted his head slightly and looked at him. "Neville, why ask that? You should know very well. I'm Dawn."
"No… no, that's impossible! Dawn already—Dawn already—"
"Already died, right?"
Dawn sighed and finished the sentence for him.
Neville froze.
Then anger suddenly flared in his eyes.
"I know! You're the wizard who pretended to be Dawn and broke into Hogwarts!"
Pretended to be Dawn?
Dawn looked confused.
He hadn't read the newspaper at all. But knowing the Minister's personality, he could guess what had happened.
Shrugging, he asked casually,
"Neville, do you want me to be real?"
To his surprise, Neville shook his head immediately.
"No. I don't."
Dawn blinked in disbelief.
He glanced at the well-cared-for Silverstar Grass.
"Why?"
"I don't want Dawn to be dead," Neville said stubbornly. "But I also don't want the person who broke into the school and hurt the professors to be him."
What a hassle.
Dawn pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had only come to repay a favor. He had no interest in playing a long identity game.
So he simply grabbed Neville's shoulder.
At once, Neville's wizard robes shifted and transformed into Muggle clothing.
"What—what are you doing?!"
Neville panicked and struggled.
But Dawn had already cast a Disillusionment Charm and Apparated.
Flames wrapped around them.
Crack.
The two vanished instantly.
A powerful gust scattered the parchment across the desk.
On the windowsill, the Silverstar Grass trembled. One dark brown leaf slowly drifted to the floor.
"Ugh…"
Neville's vision spun.
His stomach lurched violently, and he crouched down retching.
"Sorry. I forgot you probably haven't experienced that spell before." Dawn waited patiently while Neville recovered.
After a long time, Neville finally steadied himself. He instinctively reached for his wand—
Then remembered it was still at home.
Gritting his teeth, he prepared to throw a punch. But when he turned around, he froze.
Crowds of people flowed past.
Cars moved endlessly along the street.
"W–where are we?!"
"The Muggle world," Dawn replied.
He gestured for Neville to follow him.
Neville tried to run the other direction. But his clothes seemed to move on their own, guiding him along.
"What do you want from me?" Neville shouted.
"I'm here to grant your wish, Neville."
"My... wish?"
Neville was completely confused.
"Yes," Dawn said lightly. "It's a little late, but... Merry Christmas, Neville. What present do you want?"
"I—I don't want anything," Neville stammered. "I want to go home!"
"Home? Don't you want to go out and have fun? With friends?"
Dawn stopped walking and turned to face him with a smile. "I know you want that. You want friends to play with. Like Harry and Ron."
Neville froze.
Did he want friends? Of course he did.
But...
Did he actually have any?
Harry and Ron shared secrets and adventures. Compared to them, Neville was just their dormmate.
Most students teased him.
Many looked down on him.
Even some in his own house did the same.
Hermione often defended him. But Neville knew she would do that for anyone.
Friends.
What were friends? Neville didn't know.
He only hoped that someday someone would see him as special. Not just another face in a crowd.
At that moment, Dawn held out his hand. "Then let's go now, Neville. Let's have some fun."
Looking at the boy smiling in the sunlight, Neville suddenly felt his eyes sting.
"...Are you really Dawn?" he asked quietly.
"Of course," Dawn said.
"Don't you remember? Besides the Silverstar Grass, I told you about the Room of Requirement early in the term."
"Then why did you break into Hogwarts? Why did you hurt the professors? Are the things in the newspaper true?"
"If you really want to know, I'll tell you everything."
Dawn smiled. "But only after sunset. Until then, let's forget about those troublesome things."
Neville stared at the footprints in the snow.
After a long silence, he murmured,
"...Alright."
The invisible force guiding his clothes vanished.
Neville looked up.
Dawn was already walking ahead. He hurried to catch up. Then suddenly he remembered something important.
"Wait—my homework!"
"It's fine," Dawn said. "There's still tomorrow. You'll have plenty of time."
Neville hesitated.
But lacking confidence, he accepted the explanation. Then another terrifying thought struck him.
"Oh no! I didn't tell my grandmother I was leaving!"
His face went pale.
"Don't worry," Dawn said calmly. "I saw her leave through the fireplace. She won't be back anytime soon."
Soon they arrived at their destination.
Dawn canceled the Disillusionment Charm and revealed himself.
Neville stared at the tall building in front of them.
"What is this place?"
"A shopping mall," Dawn explained as he pushed open the rotating glass door. "You can think of it as the Muggle world's Diagon Alley."
The moment they stepped inside, a flood of noise filled Neville's ears.
Crowded shops lined the walls.
People moved everywhere.
Neville tugged at his unfamiliar clothes nervously. He had rarely gone shopping. And everything in the Muggle world felt strange.
He stuck close to Dawn.
Suddenly, a loud cry rang out.
Neville turned.
A small child was sitting on the floor crying loudly while a helpless woman stood beside him.
"What's happening there?" Neville asked.
"Probably the kid wants something his parents won't buy," Dawn said casually.
"Oh."
Neville nodded, glancing again at the woman comforting the child. A trace of envy flickered in his eyes.
Dawn didn't say where they were going.
Neville didn't ask.
Everything in the mall fascinated him. He could barely keep up.
For example, a nearby clothing store. The colorful fabrics and animal-shaped outfits caught his attention immediately.
"You want one?" Dawn suddenly asked.
Neville blinked.
When he saw the red eyes looking at him, he quickly waved his hands. "No! I—I was just looking!"
Dawn said nothing. He pulled Neville into the store.
A shop assistant greeted them warmly.
"What style do you like?"
Dawn scanned the room.
His eyes suddenly lit up when he spotted a mannequin. He compared it to Neville's body and pulled him forward.
"Do you have a larger size? Something that fits him."
Then he casually waved a stack of cash.
The assistant hesitated briefly but quickly went to prepare the clothes.
"Neville, are you buying me clothes?" Neville asked nervously. "But I didn't bring any money."
"It's a gift," Dawn said. "A thank-you for taking such good care of the Silverstar Grass."
Then he pointed at the mannequin.
"Neville, have you heard of Sherlock Holmes?"
Neville shook his head.
"No... what's that?"
"A fictional detective. Very famous among Muggles in Britain."
Soon the assistant returned with the clothes. At Dawn's request, Neville was led into the changing room.
A moment later, a boy emerged wearing a small Ulster coat, a checkered deerstalker hat, and holding a toy pipe and cane.
"Fat Sherlock Holmes."
Dawn couldn't help laughing.
Neville scratched his head awkwardly.
___________
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