The peaceful days at The Burrow bled into one another until, almost without notice, the scorching heat of August had arrived.
In the two weeks since his training had begun, Ron had improved at a frantic pace. He had even developed a startling intuition for dueling, allowing him to anticipate Molly's attacks before she cast them. Whether this newfound sixth sense was a universal combat skill or a unique "mother-specific" defense mechanism remained to be seen.
One morning, a formal letter arrived by owl. The healers of the Greengrass family had been assembled. Aiden took the letter straight to Molly.
"Aunt Molly, look," he said, holding it out. "It's an invitation from the Greengrass family. They're ready for me to treat their daughters."
Since the Kingsport incident, Molly's rules regarding Aiden leaving the house had become several times stricter. She took the letter, her eyes scanning the familiar family crest.
"Hmm. Greengrass," she murmured. "Alright, you may go. But remember..."
"...No fighting, and leave immediately if there's any danger," Aiden finished for her with a patient smile. "I know, Aunt."
"And one more thing," she added, her expression serious. "Be careful not to get too close to the Greengrasses. They hold very strong views on blood purity."
At eight o'clock sharp, a magnificent, magically drawn carriage pulled up outside The Burrow. A well-dressed, elderly butler alighted.
"Mr. Prewett, I presume?" he said with a formal bow. "I am the Greengrass family's butler. The carriage is ready for you."
Aiden followed him inside. A short time later, he was being ushered into the grand hall of the ancient Greengrass castle, where Arseno was waiting for him.
"Aiden! It's wonderful that you could come," Arseno greeted him warmly. "I've gathered everyone. The rest is in your hands."
"I'll do my best, Uncle Arseno."
Two other people stepped forward—a man and a woman, both wearing the distinct robes of St. Mungo's Healers.
"A pleasure. I am Healer Severin Wendell," the man said.
"And I am Healer Elena Sophia," the woman added, her tone professional and brisk.
Aiden shook both their hands. "Aiden Prewett. It's an honor."
"Alright, let's dispense with the pleasantries," Elena said, cutting straight to the point. "Mr. Prewett, we have reviewed your initial proposal. You mentioned introducing natural magic to the treatment. Could you please elaborate?"
"Of course," Aiden began. "My initial spell was designed to dispel a wizard's will from a curse, effectively restoring the magic to a neutral, attribute-less state. However, I discovered that this particular curse is more complex. It's not just the caster's will; the very magic of the curse is corrupted. Even with the will removed, that corrupted magic remains."
He paused, gathering his thoughts. "This led me to a new theory. If the curse uses a medium to corrupt magic, could we not use a medium of our own to introduce pure, natural magic to counteract and cleanse it?"
The two healers listened intently, their expressions thoughtful.
After a long moment, Healer Severin spoke. "Frankly, Mr. Prewett, your approach is so novel it puts our conventional methods to shame."
A familiar voice suddenly chimed in Aiden's mind.
[Ding. Subtext analysis: 'Your outlandish idea is completely untested and cannot guarantee the patient's safety.']
'System? What are you doing here?'
[Ding. Providing quality control. We must prevent the host from accidentally killing his patients and starting a blood feud.]
'What?!'
[Ding. Please review your treatment parameters carefully.]
'What's wrong with it?' Aiden thought, confused. 'The plan is to use the Sowilo (ᛋ) rune as the core of an alchemical matrix to channel the sun's magic.'
[Ding. Do you hear yourself? You want to channel raw solar magic into the body of a ten-year-old girl? Her body would be incinerated.]
The realization hit Aiden like a physical blow. 'Ah. I forgot. The reference subject for this treatment… was me.'
[Ding. Indeed.]
Aiden, who had been lost in his internal conversation, looked up to find the healers waiting patiently.
"Ahem, Healers," he began, quickly recalibrating. "My initial thought was to use the sun's magic to directly dispel the curse. However, upon further reflection, I believe that may be too… aggressive. Do you have any suggestions?"
"The sun's magic?" Elena scoffed, her eyes wide with alarm. "Do you want to murder the girls?"
"My reference subject had some… unique resistances," Aiden admitted sheepishly. "Considering Astoria's and Daphne's bodies, you are correct. It's not suitable."
"Is it possible it's not suitable for any wizard?" Severin asked gently.
"Not necessarily."
Without another word, Aiden held out his hand and carved the Sowilo rune (ᛋ) into his palm. As sunlight from a nearby window touched it, the rune began to glow with a brilliant golden light. The magic flowed from his hand up his arm and into his chest, a visible line of light glowing through the fabric of his robes.
"Are you insane?!" Elena cried, grabbing his arm and dispelling the rune with a sharp burst of magic. "Severin, prepare for emergency treatment!"
The other healer already had his wand out, stepping forward.
"Wait, wait!" Aiden said, holding up his hands. "Do I look like I'm in any trouble?"
The two healers froze, then pointed their wands at him, casting a series of diagnostic charms.
"He's… unhealthily healthy," Elena said, baffled.
"You can directly absorb raw solar magic?" Severin asked, his professional curiosity overriding his alarm. "Are you quite sure you're a living being?"
"You're the second person to ask me that," Aiden muttered, quickly changing the subject. "The point is, we need a way to weaken the sun's magic to a level the girls can safely absorb."
"If the sun's magic is too strong, why not use the moon's?" Elena suggested.
"It's not that simple, I'm afraid," Aiden explained. "In alchemy, the phases of the moon represent change. Using a mutable magic for this treatment would only risk transforming the curse into something new and unknown. Curses are inherently tied to darkness, which makes the sun's opposing magic the ideal choice."
"Could light be used as a substitute for the sun?" Severin offered, showing he also had a grasp of alchemy.
"I've tried that," Aiden replied. "I was worried the effect wouldn't be strong enough, so I even added the Kenaz (ᚴ) rune to the matrix. It can cleanse the curse from the body, but it can't eradicate it. Light dispels darkness, but darkness also displaces light. It creates a cycle, changing the curse from a constant affliction to a periodic one. It lessens the power, but it never fully goes away."
"Then won't weakening the sun's magic also prevent it from being fully eradicated?" Elena countered.
"No," Aiden said confidently. "I've considered that. If we can dilute the sun's magic to a manageable level, we can apply it in controlled batches. We can burn the curse away piece by piece, rather than all at once."
A thoughtful silence fell over the room.
"Well then," Elena said, a new idea dawning in her eyes. "I have a suggestion. If the patient cannot withstand the direct injection of solar magic, why not find someone who can to act as a filter?"
"I see," Severin said, his eyes lighting up. "Similar to a Muggle vaccine!"
"That's brilliant," Aiden agreed. "That could work. In that case, let's design the ritual. Healers, I would be grateful for your counsel."
With that, he took out the blueprints he had prepared and distributed them, a new sense of hope filling the ancient hall.
***********
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