"Merlin..." Hermione covered her mouth as tears surged forth again. This was the price of taking a Killing Curse head-on! If not for the Star Stone... she did not dare imagine the consequences.
"Hermione! The Philosopher's Stone!" Harry's urgent voice rang out. Struggling to his feet, he looked toward the base of the Mirror of Erised. With Voldemort gone, the mirror's surface was once again shrouded in thick mist. Yet at its base, a blood-red stone had somehow appeared out of thin air, emitting a soft glow! It lay there quietly, like a beating heart.
The Philosopher's Stone! The thing Voldemort had schemed so desperately to obtain had ultimately remained here!
Harry rushed over and carefully picked up the warm stone. The instant it touched his hand, a gentle yet powerful vitality flowed into him through his palm, refreshing his spirits.
"We need to leave! We need to find Madam Pomfrey!" Harry ran back with the Philosopher's Stone. When he saw Lynn's horrifying injuries, his face turned deathly pale as well.
"Right! Hurry!" Ron staggered over to help.
Just as the three of them prepared to lift Lynn together, hurried, heavy footsteps came from the entrance to the stone chamber!
"What happened here?!" A stern voice, tinged with shock, rang out.
Headmaster Dumbledore appeared in the doorway! His long silvery-white beard and sapphire eyes behind half-moon spectacles were filled with gravity and disbelief. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape followed behind him. Professor McGonagall sucked in a sharp breath and covered her mouth. Professor Snape's gloomy gaze swept across the devastated stone chamber, Quirrell's corpse, the unconscious Lynn, and finally settled on the Philosopher's Stone in Harry's hand. His expression was impossible to read.
"Professor!" Harry sounded as though he had seen a savior, his voice breaking with tears. "It was Quirrell! Voldemort was attached to the back of his head! He wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone! Lynn... Lynn saved us..." He choked and could not continue.
Dumbledore strode quickly to Lynn's side and crouched down. His aged yet powerful fingers lightly rested on Lynn's pulse before he carefully examined the charred wound on his chest. For the first time, those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything showed extreme solemnity, especially when he noticed the faint starlight flickering beneath the blackened wound.
"Star Origin Backlash..." Dumbledore murmured, his brow tightly furrowed. "He forcibly triggered it to counter a Killing Curse... the damage has reached his foundation..." He immediately took a small, crystal-clear Crystal Phial from his sleeve. Inside swirled a liquid like molten gold—Fawkes' Tears!
"Hold him steady." Dumbledore's voice carried unquestionable authority. Hermione immediately braced Lynn's shoulders with all her strength.
Dumbledore carefully removed the stopper and let several drops of glittering Phoenix Tears fall onto the horrifying charred wound on Lynn's chest.
Sizzle—!
Like a red-hot branding iron meeting ice and snow, the instant the blackened wound came into contact with the Phoenix Tears, silver-gray smoke flecked with starlight rose from it! The stubborn Dark Energy carrying the aura of the Killing Curse seemed to meet its nemesis. It gave off faint sizzling sounds like a venomous snake hissing as it began to be neutralized and dispersed! At the same time, the weak starlight beneath the wound seemed to receive nourishment, its glow stabilizing slightly.
Lynn's breathing, once so faint it had nearly vanished, finally became more distinct after the Phoenix Tears fell. It was still weak and rapid, but no longer seemed as though it could cease at any moment.
Hermione stared fixedly at Lynn's face. When she saw his tightly furrowed brow seem to relax slightly, the taut string in her heart loosened just a little. Tears blurred her vision again. The Moon White Stone gave off a faint, comforting warmth.
"Take Mr. Lynn to the Hospital Wing immediately!" Dumbledore ordered decisively, his voice heavier than ever before. "Severus, please escort Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley for an examination as well. Minerva, seal this place off at once and notify the Ministry of Magic."
Snape nodded silently and stepped forward to support Harry and Ron. Professor McGonagall, her expression grave, began setting up Protective Magic.
Hermione did not move. She still held Lynn tightly, her eyes never leaving his pale face. Dumbledore looked at her, deep reassurance in his sapphire eyes. "Miss Granger, you need rest as well. Mr. Lynn requires the most careful treatment. Madam Pomfrey will take good care of him."
Only then did Hermione seem to wake from a dream. She watched as the school nurse and a stretcher hurried over and carefully lifted Lynn onto it. She followed beside the stretcher in a daze, her hand still instinctively gripping Lynn's cold fingers as though they were the only tether connecting her to her world.
They passed through the dark passageway, left that underground stone chamber steeped in the stench of death, and returned to the castle's bright, warm corridors. Yet Hermione could not feel even a trace of warmth. Her heart sank into an icy seabed along with the unconscious figure on the stretcher. Only the faint pulse beneath her fingertips and the steady warmth of the Moon White Stone kept her from collapsing.
The pungent smell of disinfectant hit them as they entered the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, like the most capable of generals, directed the nurses as they settled Lynn onto a bed by the window, then immediately began examining him, casting spells, and preparing potions.
Hermione was stopped outside the white curtains. Through a gap, she could only see Madam Pomfrey's serious face and the healing light flashing at the tip of her wand. Every time that light flared, her heart clenched.
Harry and Ron were placed in beds nearby. After a brief examination, Madam Pomfrey confirmed that they had only suffered some impacts and fright, with no serious injuries. After drinking calming potions, they soon fell into deep sleep.
Only Hermione stubbornly remained standing outside the curtains around Lynn's bed, like a silent statue. Lynn's blood stained her school robes, now dark red, glaring and cold. The tear tracks on her cheeks had not dried, and her brown eyes had lost their usual brightness. All that remained was an inescapable worry and fear as she stared at the blurred figure within the curtains.
Time crawled by amid the deathly silence. At last, Madam Pomfrey lifted the curtain and emerged. Her face was tired, but her expression had relaxed somewhat.
"Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said, her voice unusually gentle, "Mr. Lynn is temporarily out of mortal danger."
Those words were like heavenly music, instantly shattering Hermione's strained resolve. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the floor, catching herself against a bedpost just in time.
"R-Really?" Her voice trembled with disbelief and tears.
"Yes." Madam Pomfrey nodded firmly. "The Phoenix Tears the headmaster brought played a crucial role. They dispersed most of the lingering Dark Energy from the Killing Curse. The injury to his chest is extremely severe, and his Star Origin has suffered enormous depletion, but his vital signs have stabilized. However..." She paused, looking at Hermione's face as it immediately tensed again. "He will need a long period of rest and magical nourishment to recover. There is also a strong possibility that... he will be left with lasting damage to his magic. He pushed himself far too hard."
Damage to his magic... Hermione's heart sank again. For a wizard of extraordinary talent, that was nearly a devastating blow. But compared to losing him, this was already the best possible outcome. As long as he was alive...
"Can I... see him?" Hermione asked, her voice carrying a humble plea.
Madam Pomfrey looked at the girl's swollen eyes and lost expression, sighed, and stepped aside. "You may, but do not wake him. What he needs most right now is deep sleep to recover."
Hermione practically threw herself to Lynn's bedside. He lay on the pristine white bed, his complexion still so pale it was nearly translucent. His long lashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyes. The wound on his chest was covered in thick bandages soaked in ointment, though the blackened marks could still be seen at the edges. His breathing was weak but even, as though he had simply fallen asleep.
Hermione cautiously reached out, her trembling fingertips touching the hand he had left outside the blanket with the utmost gentleness. It was still cold. She carefully wrapped his icy fingers in both her hands, trying to pass the warmth of her palms to him. Tears silently slid down her face and fell onto the white sheets, spreading into tiny wet marks.
"I'm sorry... it's all because of me..." she choked out softly, her voice shattered. "You have to get better... Lynn... please..."
She remained quietly by his bedside, holding his hand as though she could pull him back from the abyss of slumber. Moonlight streamed through the window and gently fell over them, casting intertwined shadows before the bed. The Moon White Stone at her chest gave off a faint yet constant warmth, like an undying glimmer in the darkness, stubbornly connecting two hearts bound tightly together.
Before you continue