Physical Examination (Part Two)

Doubts aside, Mrs. Granger didn't ask any more questions. It was clear that Lin Yue's parents hadn't treated her well, so Mrs. Granger didn't want to bring them up and upset her.

After finishing her sandwich, Mrs. Granger went into the kitchen and took out a plastic bag. She looked at Lin Yue apologetically.

"Sorry. Last night, we thought you and Hermione were both asleep, so her dad and I didn't come upstairs to find you. We're planning to take you both to the hospital for checkups today, so you can't eat breakfast."

As she spoke, she packed the breakfast Lin Yue had made into the bag. "I'll bring this along for you. You can eat it after your checkups."

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly and helped Mrs. Granger pack the food. "All right. You don't need to apologize, Auntie. You and Uncle haven't done anything wrong."

Mrs. Granger reached out and rubbed Lin Yue's head. This child... The more she heard her speak, the more her heart ached for her...

By the time Mr. Granger came to the dining table, there was only one serving of breakfast left for him. Mrs. Granger and Lin Yue had packed up the rest to give the two girls after their checkups.

"Good morning, Uncle," Lin Yue greeted Mr. Granger in her calm voice.

"Good morning." Mr. Granger smiled and nodded. "We'll take you and Hermione for a checkup in a little while."

Lin Yue's expression didn't change. Her eyes were lifeless. "I understand. Auntie just told me. Sorry for the trouble."

"What trouble? You don't have to be so formal with us." Mrs. Granger gently put an arm around Lin Yue.

After all, judging by Little Hermione, there was a good chance they'd be family one day.

Lin Yue nodded mechanically, feeling a faint warmth stir inside her.

"Hm? This sandwich tastes great. Did you come up with a new recipe?" Mr. Granger took a bite and looked at his wife in surprise. This sandwich tasted completely different from the ones she usually made.

Mrs. Granger glanced down at Lin Yue and praised her with a smile. "Lin Yue made it. She's quite the cook, isn't she?"

"Very impressive." Mr. Granger nodded in approval.

Mrs. Granger smiled at him, then abruptly changed her tone. "But from what you're saying, you think my sandwiches didn't taste good before?"

Mr. Granger's jaw visibly stopped moving as he chewed. Every rational instinct in his brain screamed that he was in danger.

He thought up an answer at lightning speed and placatingly waved a hand.

"How could that be? Yours just taste different from hers."

Mrs. Granger considered that for a moment and seemed to accept his explanation.

Mr. Granger let out a huge sigh of relief and lowered his head to continue eating.

Lin Yue's eyes drifted over the Grangers, as still as stagnant water. She had the vague feeling that, although she hadn't eaten a thing, she was pretty full now.

Without wondering why or giving it much thought, Lin Yue's attention was drawn to the footsteps coming from the stairs.

She turned to look. Hermione was coming downstairs in her pajamas and slippers, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, Hermione," Lin Yue said in her usual flat voice.

Hermione yawned and nodded, then went over to Lin Yue. "Why didn't you sleep in? You're up so early."

"I got up to make breakfast," Lin Yue replied as if it were obvious.

"Make breakfast?" Hermione froze and instinctively looked at the table, only to see the serving in front of her dad.

"Is there none left?" A deep sense of regret welled up inside Hermione. If she'd known sleeping in meant missing breakfast made by Lin Yue, she wouldn't have gone back to sleep. She would've set an alarm and gotten up early.

"There's some. We're having checkups, so we can't eat right now."

Lin Yue shook her head expressionlessly and explained in the fewest words possible.

"Checkups?" Hermione looked at Mrs. Granger in confusion. Why were they suddenly getting checkups?

Mrs. Granger affectionately stroked Hermione's head. "It's nothing. We're just making sure you and Lin Yue are healthy. You can never be too careful with children."

Thinking of how Madam Pomfrey had kept Lin Yue in the Hogwarts Medical Wing, Hermione nodded in agreement. Lin Yue really did need a thorough examination.

Compared to the magic she'd only been learning for a year, having Lin Yue examined thoroughly at a hospital would make Hermione feel more reassured.

Once Mr. Granger had finished breakfast, he drove Lin Yue, Hermione, and Mrs. Granger to the hospital.

Mr. Granger drove smoothly. As she sat in the car, Lin Yue softly recited her Potions Textbook.

Hermione listened and shook her head. She pulled Lin Yue into her arms, making her rest her head against her chest.

"You got up so early, and we still have a while to go. Get some sleep first."

Lin Yue's recitation was interrupted. She blinked mechanically, feeling Hermione's hand gently patting her back.

She slowly closed her eyes. Since it wasn't her usual time to sleep, there was no way she'd be able to. With her eyes shut in the darkness, she began imagining the process of making potions.

Hermione looked down at Lin Yue in her arms. Her lips weren't moving, and her eyes weren't twitching like they usually did, so Hermione assumed she'd fallen asleep. She held Lin Yue comfortably and turned to look out the window.

The buildings outside rushed by. The four of them were lucky enough not to encounter any traffic.

After a drive of nearly an hour, they finally arrived at one of London's most prestigious private hospitals.

As for why they'd chosen a private hospital, one reason was that private hospitals were indeed better equipped than many public hospitals. The other was the special situation the Grangers suspected Lin Yue might be in.

If a surgery of that sort really had caused the problems she was experiencing now, it would be better not to let the matter spread too widely.

Her parents were both dead, so there was no way to hold them accountable.

If word got out, people would only talk about this already unfortunate child even more. That was why they'd chosen a private hospital, where they could have more privacy.

The car slowly pulled into a parking space. Hermione gently shook Lin Yue in her arms.

"Lin Yue, Lin Yue, we're here. Wake up."

Lin Yue hadn't been asleep in the first place. As soon as she heard her full name, she immediately snapped out of her imagined potion-making and opened her eyes.

The sudden brightness made it hard for her to keep them open. Of course, to Hermione, it just looked like she was groggy from having woken up.

Hermione covered her mouth and giggled. Lin Yue looked "sleepy," and although her expression hadn't changed at all, there was something inexplicably cute about her that wasn't there when she was her usual self.

Hermione took Lin Yue's hand and opened the car door on her side. "Come on."

"Mm." Lin Yue nodded blankly, her eyes adjusted to the light. She followed Hermione out of the car and walked toward the hospital right behind her.

Once inside, the Grangers went to handle the paperwork for the girls' checkups, while Hermione led Lin Yue to a corner of the hospital lobby.

There were quite a lot of people in the lobby. Most were hurrying from one department to another, going through examinations.

Lin Yue's eyes quickly swept over the entire lobby and even took in the parts of the upper floors she could see.

It had been a long time since she'd been to a hospital. After that surgery, she hadn't gone to another one, she thought, her heart unmoved.

Even when the school arranged checkups for the students, her parents would give the teacher some money in advance and ask the teacher to let her focus on her studies. They'd say they would take care of the checkup themselves.

Then they'd give the money to the hospital responsible for the examinations. In that respect, her parents had been quite willing to spend money.

About ten minutes later, the Grangers returned, each carrying a stack of papers with various examination forms. Compared to Hermione's, Lin Yue's included an additional brain examination.

The Grangers took the two girls from one department to another. After completing all the other examinations, they finally brought Lin Yue to the place where she would have her brain checked.

Hermione looked at the room where they performed brain examinations and CT scans, then asked Mrs. Granger in confusion, "Mum, do checkups include this?"

Mrs. Granger gave a slight shake of her head to signal Hermione not to say any more. Then she had Mr. Granger take Lin Yue inside for a brain CT and a detailed EEG examination.

She herself took Hermione to sit outside and wait. Even as Hermione looked at her curiously and with confusion, Mrs. Granger still didn't explain what they suspected might be going on with Lin Yue.

That surgery had been far too cruel and evil. To protect her daughter, Mrs. Granger didn't want her to find out about it just yet.

Of course, if Lin Yue really was in that situation, Mrs. Granger would tell Hermione the truth, whether for the sake of future treatment or their everyday life.

She was the person closest to Lin Yue and the one who spent the most time with her. She was also the best placed to look after and help Lin Yue.

If Lin Yue wasn't in that situation and their suspicions were wrong, then Hermione had even less reason to know about it.

Seeing that her mother had no intention of explaining, Hermione slowly looked away.

Never mind. If Mum wanted to tell me, she would have already. There's no point staring at her if she doesn't.

Hermione sighed and gazed anxiously at the door across from her. Lin Yue, Lin Yue... Please don't let anything be wrong with you.

After quite a while, the door finally opened. Lin Yue came out with the same expressionless face. Mr. Granger followed behind her, looking dazed, as if he'd just experienced something unbelievable.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Granger's heart gave a jolt at the look on her husband's face. Could their suspicions really be right?

Hermione also looked at Mr. Granger uneasily, waiting for him to speak.

Mr. Granger glanced at Lin Yue with a troubled expression, then looked at Hermione. "Hermione, take Lin Yue to wait in the lobby for a little while."

Hermione frowned. She didn't want to leave. When it came to Lin Yue's condition, every instinct in her screamed that she had to stay.

Lin Yue's brain automatically analyzed the situation. She understood that Hermione didn't want to leave and wanted to stay and listen.

Facing the Grangers, she nodded expressionlessly. "I can go to the lobby by myself. You can talk."

Then she turned and walked quickly toward the lobby, softly reciting her Potions Textbook again.

As soon as Lin Yue was gone, Mrs. Granger and Hermione asked at the same time, "What's wrong with Lin Yue?"

Mrs. Granger pressed her lips together and looked at her husband nervously. "It isn't really what we suspected, is it?"

"Not exactly." Mr. Granger frowned and shook his head.

"The emotional center in her brain is normal."

Hearing this, Mrs. Granger visibly relaxed. Hermione beside her also began to understand why her parents had had Lin Yue's brain examined: they'd thought something was wrong with the emotional center in her brain.

"But it isn't completely normal, either." Mr. Granger finished his thought.

"What?" Mrs. Granger's relief vanished. She glared at her husband. Couldn't he just say the whole thing at once?

Hermione also looked at him helplessly. "Dad, can you explain it all at once? What exactly is wrong with Lin Yue?"

Mr. Granger looked troubled and tried to organize his thoughts. "The emotional center in Lin Yue's brain hasn't been damaged, but its activity is very low. The brain waves there are even weaker than those in a baby's emotional center."

"In other words, it's as if her emotional center has just grown in. She hasn't learned what emotions are yet, so even when she perceives the outside world, she can't respond emotionally."

"Just grown in?" Mrs. Granger frowned deeply. The situation really was strange. The emotional center was supposed to be fully developed at birth, then continue to perceive emotions as the baby grew.

Why would Lin Yue's be like it had only just grown in? And why hadn't she learned what emotions were?

Mrs. Granger felt utterly bewildered, but Mr. Granger hadn't finished.

"Also, during the examination, the doctor noticed that the brain waves in Lin Yue's own brain seemed to be deliberately suppressing her emotional center."

"Deliberately suppressing her emotional center? You mean Lin Yue is suppressing herself so she won't feel anything?" Hermione quickly picked up the thread, her expression darkening.

"Mm." Mr. Granger nodded. "Also... the sleep center in her brain is unusually active. In other words, she probably often has trouble sleeping."

"Likewise, the brain waves in her brain are constantly stimulating her sleep center, keeping it in a state of hyperactivity."

"There's no way she was born like that!" Hermione gritted out each word. With so many "coincidences" connected in a chain, you'd have to be a fool to believe they were natural!

"I'm not sure..." Mr. Granger looked just as grim, his expression mixed with heartache and anger. "It's impossible to imagine what her parents did to her before."

"Those two monsters! They don't deserve to have children! They should go to hell and be tossed into a boiling oil pot by Satan for the rest of eternity!"

Hermione swore furiously. She'd thought Lin Yue's parents were already vile enough, having made her develop so many bad habits and turning her into a study machine.

But she hadn't expected them to be even worse. They'd actually tampered with Lin Yue's body, and with her brain—the most complex and dangerous part of all. How could they have dared?

The Grangers usually kept a very close eye on their language, but this time neither of them tried to stop Hermione from swearing.

Mrs. Granger even gave a frosty snort. "In the East, they should go to hell and suffer the torments of the eighteen levels of hell!"