Murder to Silence Him, Then Transfer Hospitals / Swift and Decisive-The Deal Is Done

"And Broderick Bode, you have a beautiful calendar with a different Hippogriff every month. It's sure to brighten your day, isn't it?" Then, she hung the calendar on the wall opposite the elderly wizard's sickbed. "Oh, and... the Longbottoms received a pot of bluebells as a gift, and someone else gave you a Christmas cactus. I need to think about where to put it..."

She picked up the potted plant and began looking for a suitable place to put it in the room, and Neville's eyes widened even more after hearing her words.

"Harry ... this flowerpot, could it be..." He looked at the flowerpot in Hermione's hand, his lips trembling involuntarily.

"Harry told us to buy it. We didn't know our aunt and uncle were here beforehand, so we didn't prepare anything. But Harry just told me it would be best to bring a pot of bluebells," Hermione explained to Neville with a smile, handing him the pot. "Here, a gift for your parents."

"Thank you... thank you all!" Neville said excitedly, his eyes red as he placed the flowerpot on his parents' bedside table.

Alice Longbottom, who had just lain down, suddenly broke into an extremely joyful smile upon seeing the potted plant, even gesturing repeatedly to Neville with her hands.

"Mom, this is... wonderful! Mom smiled, Harry, how did you know Mom would like this?!" Neville asked Harry excitedly.

"It's a pleasantly surprising coincidence, I suppose. I just thought your mother, who used to love bluebells so much, would be happy to see them now," Harry said with a smile, offering a vague explanation. "Right now, I think she's doing quite well. Neville, even though your parents are like this right now, as their family, you should definitely give them a positive response to what they keep doing. That might actually help them recover."

Harry's explanation was pure nonsense. After all, no matter how good he was at logical reasoning, he couldn't possibly connect a candy wrapper to bluebells.

He was so certain because when Alice Longbottom came to deliver candy wrappers, Harry had secretly used Legilimency to learn what she was thinking at that moment.

The case of the Longbottoms, who went insane due to extreme suffering, should be classified as an organic mental disorder in medicine, which is simply a type of mental illness.

Mental illnesses are generally difficult to treat, one important reason being that while doctors can control a patient's physical condition, they cannot understand the patient's thoughts, and therefore cannot respond positively to their strong needs, thus failing to stimulate their brains.

However, if this happened in the Wizarding World, Legilimency could solve this problem very well.

So when Harry discovered that Alice Longbottom had been sending Neville candy wrappers and that she herself really liked bluebells, he decided to try using a pot of bluebells, and it seems to be working quite well.

Even the head therapist, Melanie Straw, highly praised Harry's approach.

"I think Mr. Granger's suggestion is excellent. For example, Gilderoy here has been signing autographs a lot lately, and I feel he's in much better spirits."

Smiling, Mrs. Strout held the flowerpot in her arms, preparing to place it by the old wizard's bedside...

"Wait... please wait a moment!" But just then, Neville suddenly called out to her, "You... the plant you're holding..."

"It's a Christmas cactus, is there a problem?" the therapist asked, puzzled.

"It's not a Christmas cactus, the taste is wrong..." Neville stammered, perhaps due to nervousness, but finally shouted out definitively, "There's no mistake, it's... it's the Devil's Snare!!"

"Mrs. Strout, let go!"

The instant Neville finished speaking, Harry suddenly roared, startling the healer. At the same time, a Levitation Charm was released from his hand, lifting the flowerpot into the air after the healer released his grip.

"Lumos Solem!"

At the same time, Hermione also lit her wand, shining a beam of light onto the light green vines that were swaying gently.

In an instant, the vines began to writhe in agony as if in spasms, eventually shrinking into a dark green sphere, revealing several spiky green branches that had just broken through the soil.

"There are even Venomous Tentacula..."

Hearing Neville's mutterings, for a moment, no one dared to approach the dangerous potted plant.

Chapter 674 Murder to silence witnesses, decision to transfer to another hospital

The sudden turn of events put everyone in the ward on edge, their eyes glued to the potted plant floating in mid-air, not daring to look away.

If the previous Devil's Snare could cause suffocation if not handled properly, then being bitten by the Venomous Tentacula would be 100% fatal.

"Mrs. Strout, who gave you this pot of flowers?" Harry asked the healer seriously.

"It was a wizard I didn't know. He said it was a gift for Broderick Bode... I originally thought it was a Christmas cactus, but it turned out to be Devil's Snare..."

Therapist Melanie Straw was now utterly terrified; she realized just how dangerous a weapon she had brought in!

The patients in this ward are completely defenseless; neither the Devil's Snare nor the Venomous Tentacula pose an absolute and deadly danger to them!

And if a murder were to occur here, she, as the head therapist, would absolutely be implicated...

"Is that so... Never mind, let's deal with it first."

Harry pondered for a moment, then unleashed a water balloon that completely enveloped the dangerous plant.

He initially wanted to chase after them to check the situation, but then he changed his mind and gave up, because he wasn't sure if the other person was still hiding in the hospital. If he failed to find the other person in time, it would be bad if he was tricked into leaving the hospital unattended.

"Oh... poor Broderick Bode, he's already like this, who could be so cruel?"

The therapist, clearly oblivious to the true nature of the conspiracy, was sighing with a sob in his voice, unable to understand why the murderer would harm a poor old man who had been used as a teapot.

"He was probably just caught in the crossfire..." Hermione said, frowning. "After all... the risk of being caught when you frame someone is just too high."

"This is a case of using someone else to do the dirty work." Luna Lovegood nodded calmly. "The killer's real goal is to silence Bertha Jorkins."

"Exactly," Harry agreed with Luna Lovegood's assessment. "To implicate all the patients in the ward just to kill one person—that's clearly the style of Death Eater, and who knows, maybe even someone they know."

At this point, Harry had basically confirmed the killer's identity.

Using Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself, while also disguising the Devil's Snare as a Christmas cactus and concealing Venomous Tentacula, etc... This series of meticulously planned and sophisticated operations, at least in Harry's opinion, should only be possible for one Death Eater.

That's the one who's always been my rival, both openly and secretly!

It doesn't matter who you give that deadly plant to; what matters is that once the Devil's Snare starts to spread and captures its first 'prey,' it will quickly spread throughout the entire room.

Meanwhile, the Venomous Tentacula trapped in the Devil's Snare will also launch indiscriminate attacks, ultimately causing the deaths of everyone in the ward!

In this way, Bertha Jorkins, whom he truly wanted to silence, would definitely not escape!

That's ruthless...

Harry was truly grateful that he had the sudden urge to visit St Mungo's's today, and even more grateful that he had met Neville there!

Neville was very skilled in Herbology, or rather, only skilled in Herbology. Therefore, Neville's familiarity with herbs and magical plants often surpassed Harry's.

If it were Harry himself, he probably wouldn't have cared why a potted plant given to a stranger smelled slightly unusual.

In short, this incident can be considered a close call, but St Mungo's's place is undoubtedly no longer safe.

The Longbottom family... well, I could ask them for a favor.

Harry glanced at the serious-looking Longbottom grandfather and grandson, and suddenly had an idea.

"Neville, cheer up!" He smiled and leaned closer to Neville, giving him a comforting pat on the chest. "You just protected your parents, how can you keep looking so gloomy?"

"I... protected my parents?"

Neville repeated Harry's words, still somewhat confused.

"That's how it is," Harry nodded with a smile. "If you hadn't seen through this plot in time, that dangerous potted plant could have killed all the patients here!"

"Is... is that so?" Neville scratched his head sheepishly.

"Let's say that for now," Mrs. Longbottom nodded slightly. "This Granger seems to be right. Neville, you've done quite well in your Herbology; you're at least somewhat like your parents."

"Grandma..." Neville looked at his parents in surprise, a clear look of joy appearing on his face.

In his memory, this was probably the first time his grandmother had ever praised him on her own initiative.

Mrs. Longbottom usually described Neville as a "good boy" and "very well-behaved," but the rest of the time she would lament how stupid Neville was and how he couldn't compare to his parents.

This time, Neville received praise from his grandmother, which filled him with immense excitement and made him even more grateful to Harry.

"Granger, weren't these Death Eater who did this? Have they really started active again?"

At this moment, Mrs. Longbottom turned back to Harry, her eyes now filled with obvious anger... and a hint of murderous intent!

This old lady was clearly no ordinary person when she was young.

"It is indeed them, and that's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you." Harry nodded, then said seriously, "Mrs. Longbottom, I have a suggestion... I would like you to move Neville's parents to the nursing home I run."

"You run a nursing home?" Mrs. Longbottom frowned. "The one in Hogsmeade Village?"

"Yes, that's the one," Harry said confidently. "They failed to achieve their goal today, and they might have more schemes in the future. St Mungo's's lacks protection and is ultimately not very safe. So it would be best if your son and daughter-in-law, as well as Bertha Jorkins whom I was supposed to visit today, went somewhere else."

"In that case, it's not entirely impossible..."

Mrs. Longbottom frowned and thought for a moment, then realized that Harry's suggestion made sense.

In any case, permanent spell damage is essentially incurable; it's just a matter of keeping it alive no matter where you place it.

And she'd heard that many important people lived in Harry's retirement home...

Or should I move in myself?

"How can that be?" But then, the therapist Straw suddenly objected, "These patients can only receive the most reliable treatment at St Mungo's's! You can't let this worry cause you to give up all hope for their recovery!"

"If you're worried, you can go with these patients," Harry said with a smile. "I can get you a private room in the nursing home so you can continue caring for them."

"But..."

"If you still have concerns, all the patients in this ward can be transferred here together. I will cover all the expenses, and St Mungo's's can still charge hospital fees as usual." Before the other person could speak, Harry directly cut off their worries.

"If you agree, I can go and talk to the dean of your hospital right now!"

Chapter 675 Swift and Decisive Action, Business Negotiated

Now, if you were to visit the Granger family members again and ask who the biggest spendthrift is, Hermione and Luna Lovegood would both unanimously say it's Harry.

Look at what he's done! Today, the two women went shopping and bought a lot of things, but they mostly bought clothes, shoes, bags, and the like.

But Harry, on the other hand, immediately asked St Mungo's's to buy a ward, along with a room full of patients and a therapist...

Even if you're rich and want to be capricious, this isn't the way to spend your money!

What left Hermione and Luna Lovegood speechless the most was that he actually managed to close the deal!

"Of course, I told you the headmaster of St Mungo's's would definitely agree!" Harry boasted with no small amount of pride while waiting to move in the ward.

The idea of moving a ward out of St Mungo's's through a few haggling words may sound absurd, but it's actually just a normal development that takes advantage of the situation.

First of all, besides Harry and the others, the only people who have the most say on this matter are the Longbottom family, and the head healer, Melanie Straw.

That's why Harry first tried to persuade the Longbottom, and eventually won over Mrs. Longbottom as an ally.

As for the therapist, if she doesn't agree, then she'll have to take the blame for today.

St Mungo's has a rule that gifts brought by visitors must be strictly inspected. However, since it is currently Christmas season, Mrs. Strout has handled a lot of gifts, which may have led to this oversight.

Her dereliction of duty, once exposed, should at least result in her suspension and reflection, and will also leave a stain on her career.

But if she agrees to Harry's proposal, then Harry and his 'patients' families' will naturally stop pursuing her mistakes.

Therefore, everyone in the ward could stick to the same story, which is why Harry was able to negotiate directly with the hospital director.

On the other hand, for St Mungo's, this matter was also more beneficial than harmful.

Harry's identity is quite special, and he also possesses evidence of St Mungo's's negligence—namely, the potted plant. If they disagree with Harry's demands, he can use his influence to escalate the situation, causing St Mungo's to suffer significant losses—both financially and in terms of reputation.

Conversely, if everyone cooperates, St Mungo's's can not only weather the crisis smoothly, but also at least continue to collect hospital fees from Lockhart, Broderick Bode, and Agnes.

All they need to do is send a therapist from out of town and explain the situation to a few unimportant patients' families... The vacated rooms can even be given to other patients, so it's a win-win situation no matter what.

To everyone's surprise—especially Mrs. Longbottom's — Harry was a man of his word. He said he would do it immediately, and sure enough, he invited the hospital director, who was celebrating Christmas, over late at night and then directly proposed a collaboration.

After understanding Harry's meaning, the other party did not hesitate for long, drafted the contract, and signed his name with a flourish.

This is actually quite normal. A hospital director is not stupid. He can simply sign off on an incident and make a lot of money at the same time.

If he dares to push his luck at this point, make exorbitant demands of Harry, or cause any other trouble, he'll definitely be in deep trouble.

After all... in today's Britain Wizarding World, Harry's reputation for genius is widespread, but his notorious arrogance is equally well-known.

So, after the two sides reached an agreement, the current situation arose... Harry used St Mungo's's Floo Network to send letters to both Hogwarts and the nursing home, instructing them to send people to St Mungo's as soon as possible to complete all the transfer procedures overnight.

Shortly afterward, Eliezer arrived in St Mungo's's with several House-elf from the nursing home and quickly began the relocation process.

Harry also met Sirius, who had come with him.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom," Sirius greeted the eldest, Neville, upon arrival. "I heard you're also planning to move into Harry's retirement home. I must say, that's a wonderful idea. The environment Harry is quite nice, and most importantly, the fees are absolutely reasonable!"

"That was just a joke I made earlier, Black," Mrs. Longbottom said, shaking her head imperceptibly. "I'm still considering it; for now, Neville's parents should be the priority."

Mrs. Longbottom was no naive old lady; she knew perfectly well that Neville's parents could move into a nursing home without any problem, but if she herself decided to move in, it would have a completely different meaning.

She was meeting Harry for the first time today, and she needed to consider the character of this renowned young man for a while longer.

But she had to admit that Harry's decisive and efficient manner truly shocked her, and she also greatly admired it.

A child who dares to think, dares to act, and doesn't procrastinate—definitely capable of great things!

"Godfather, what brings you here?" Harry asked curiously as he stepped forward.