As one of the oldest pure-blood families in the Wizarding World of United Kingdom, the Longbottom family certainly had no shortage of money.
Clearly, though, they were not as wealthy as the Weasley family was now. Since Neville's parents were both long-term patients, they shared a twin room, but as they happened to be husband and wife, it hardly made any difference.
The room next door also held two people, just like this one. There were, however, obvious differences.
The bed farther inside was screened off by a curtain, leaving its occupant out of sight, and not a sound came from behind it. The patient in the outer bed, meanwhile, received visitors from time to time, and was himself a chatterbox who would mutter away endlessly at the slightest provocation.
Yes, the occupants of the ward next to Neville's parents were the two Hogwarts professors, Severus Snape and Gilderoy Lockhart.
Both had been admitted in the same year.
Snape, however, had been in a vegetative state ever since his arrival and needed a continuous supply of nutrients delivered through special magic to keep him alive. Judging by his current condition, even if he never woke up, he could last another dozen years or so without much trouble.
Lockhart in the next bed, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
Without knowing beforehand, it would have been hard to tell that he was a patient. He looked very lively and had no shortage of chatter. With people visiting every few days, bringing gifts and writing letters and such, he really did not look like a dying man.
But that impression changed completely when he lifted his clothes. By now, Lockhart's body was covered in purplish-black blood vessels, with only his face and hands untouched. The sight beneath his clothes