"No, no, don't give up!" Hawthorne used all his strength to support Ezra Hughes's constantly slipping body, his voice trembling. "Hold on! I'll take you to the hospital right now!"
But the Anti-Apparition Charm in the area had not yet been lifted. He quickly cast a Levitation Charm to make Hughes float, then dragged him back, staggering as he went.
Hughes's body trembled uncontrollably. He forced a smile at the corner of his mouth and squeezed air from his throat. "You're... all right... that's good... Niccolo, you are... where hope lies... don't... give up..."
The last syllable was almost inaudible, because right before Hawthorne's eyes, in the blink of an eye, Hughes's body suddenly began to regress!
His bones gave soft cracking sounds as his figure rapidly shrank, growing smaller until he slipped from Hawthorne's arms. His crisp uniform, having lost its support, fell away under gravity.
Within only a few breaths, the tall, resolute Director of the Auror Office was gone.
All that remained was a baby who looked less than two years old, sitting amid a pile of clothes and blankly sucking on his own fingers.
Hawthorne stood rigidly staring at him, his entire face blank for a moment, unable to react at all.
"Ha... heh... hahaha..."
The dying Perez witnessed the scene, and a greedy gleam unexpectedly burst from his clouded eyes. A hoarse laugh rasped from his throat.
He had seen the "antidote." Using the last of his strength, he struggled like a worm and crawled toward the Gold Powder that had stained Hughes's body. His withered fingers trembled as they reached out, wanting to return himself to youth as well.
"You scum!"
Hawthorne's roar exploded like thunder!
He could no longer suppress the grief and fury surging through him. Blinding light burst from the tip