Miriam Strout took out a letter and held it up before the curtain. "Your son told you that he'll come to see you during the Christmas holidays..."
At Miriam Strout's words, Agnes let out a bark and stretched out a hand covered in long hair, rather like a dog's paw, snatching the parchment envelope.
Once Agnes had taken the envelope, Miriam Strout visibly relaxed and returned to Wizet and the others.
"Dear, let's go further in..." She raised a hand in indication. "Frank and Alice are in the bed behind that curtain."
As Wizet passed Agnes's bed, he heard a tightly restrained whimper, as though she were crying.
Miriam Strout heard Agnes's whimper as well and could only sigh helplessly.
She led the three of them to two beds. After peeking behind the curtain herself first, she pulled it open as gently as she could.
Frank Longbottom lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, clutching a robe whose style was impossible to make out.
Alice Longbottom sat sideways on the edge of the bed, holding a candy jar filled to the brim with Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.
Both looked utterly worn down. Their gaunt bodies made their eyes seem especially large, and their hair had gone gray-white, utterly lusterless, like tangled weeds.
Compared to Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom looked even more weathered, with more wrinkles lining his face.
Wizet also noticed something else: neither Frank Longbottom nor Alice Longbottom bore any scars caused by the Cruciatus Curse. That was different from Hecate Graves's condition.
Wizet had once seen what Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom used to be like through Fenrir Greyback's memories.
Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom had both been Aurors for the Ministry of Magic, and they had crossed paths with Fenrir Greyback while on missions.
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