When Lin Ze went to St. Mungo's to see Longbottoms, it was already three days later.
Wizengamot put "Bellatrix" on trial and sentenced her Azkaban to permanent imprisonment. Lin Ze watched the whole process in the audience. It was not until Auror took her away that Lin Ze's tight strings were gently loosened.
After arriving at St. Mungo's, Lin Ze found the witch in charge of reception and asked about Longbottoms's room.
The witch wore a pair of round-rimmed glasses and spoke in a very soft voice, "Longbottoms is on the fourth floor, turn left and take the third room."
Lin Ze thanked him and walked up the stairs.
There is a smell of disinfectant mixed with Potions floating in the corridor of St. Mungo's all year round. It makes your nose sore after smelling it for a long time.
The fourth floor is the long-term treatment area. The ward doors on both sides of the corridor are ajar. Occasionally, low sobs and the soft comforting sounds of doctors and nurses can be heard coming from inside.
Lin Ze walked to the third door on the left and was about to knock on the door, but stopped midway with his hand raised.
He saw the scene in the ward through the crack in the door, where two beds were placed side by side.
Frank and Alice have both woken up. At this moment, they are huddled on the bed against the wall, with a light blue thin blanket covering their legs.
Alice curled up in Frank's arms, and Frank put one hand on her back, stroking her back gently.
Lin Ze stood at the door, suddenly not wanting to go in. This scene was really embarrassing.
"Are you here to see Longbottoms too?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice with a slightly raised tail came from behind, a voice he had often heard in the past seven years.
Lin Ze's back stiffened and he slowly turned around.
Albus Dumbledore was standing less than three steps behind him, wearing a dark purple robe with the hem reaching his feet and his iconic Half-moon Spectacles on the bridge of his nose.
His hair and beard were whiter than Lin Ze remembered, so white they were shiny, as if he had just stepped out of the snow outside.
"Mr. Dumbledore." Lin Ze took half a step back, and a professional smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Just call me Albus." Dumbledore looked at him deeply.
"I heard that Longbottoms was rescued, so I came over to take a look. I didn't expect to meet you here, Mr. Lin." Dumbledore said.
Lin Ze opened his mouth in surprise. He didn't expect Dumbledore to remember his name.
"You are the only Asian face on Hogwarts in the past twenty years, so I have a deep impression of you, Mr. Lin." Dumbledore noticed Lin Ze's surprise and explained.
"I heard that you did a lot of things at Ministry of Magic, and you also saved Longbottoms..."
"Oh, look at me, people like to nag when they get older... Let's go in and talk, I've just arrived." Dumbledore said and opened the door, motioning for Lin Ze to come forward.
So the two of them entered the ward one after another.
Frank raised his head when he heard the movement, and his eyes lit up when he saw Lin Ze, but then his expression changed when he saw Dumbledore behind him.
It was like seeing a trustworthy elder, but also with a trace of unspeakable guilt.
"Headmaster Dumbledore..." Frank's voice was hoarse and he wanted to get up from the hospital bed.
"Don't get up, just lie there." Dumbledore waved his hand, walked to the bed, and looked down at Alice.
Alice looked up at Dumbledore, blinked, then slowly stretched out his hand and gently touched his long silver-white beard.
"It's true..." Alice's erratic voice seemed to come from a very far away place.
Dumbledore smiled and let her touch his beard, "Of course it's true, I haven't planned to cut it off yet."
Lin Ze stood nearby, feeling like a telegraph pole stuck in the ward.
"I didn't expect you to come..." Frank said.
"I should have come a long time ago. You have sacrificed too much for the war." Dumbledore sat down by the bed, picked up an orange from the bedside table, and slowly peeled it.
"It's just that there are too many facts about Hogwarts recently. You also know that Voldemort has just fallen. Many Death Eaters children in the school are being liquidated by the children of those who were persecuted by their parents. It has become a mess... sigh..."
"Mr. Lin, thank you for saving our couple, if not..." Frank said excitedly.
"Okay, okay, I'm just here to see how you are doing. I don't need to say any more words of thanks. After all, it is my duty to fight against dark wizards." Lin Ze waved his hands repeatedly.
Alice's eyes moved from the beard to the orange, and then from the orange to Dumbledore's face, as if he was trying to identify who this old man with a white beard was.
"Alice This is?"
"After she wakes up, she occasionally has intermittent memory shortages. The doctor said that she will recover after a period of recuperation."
"Memory trauma, it seems that crazy woman was ruthless enough." Dumbledore nodded.
Lin Ze nodded along with deep feeling. If he hadn't appeared, the miserable couple in the original book would have become madmen in the rest of their lives, and they would be inseparable from St. Mungo's for the rest of their lives.
Mr. Lin." Dumbledore suddenly spoke.
"Huh?" Lin Ze came back to his senses.
"Thank you for saving Longbottoms, and of course, Sirius."
"Oh... Hey, it's my job, my responsibility..." Lin Ze scratched his head, facing Dumbledore he still had an indescribable sense of urgency.
Dumbledore turned to Frank and said, "Your son Neville is now living in your mother's house. The child is very healthy and I heard he has a good appetite."
Frank's eyes suddenly turned red.
"Will he... will..."
"Don't worry. Although your mother is a bit old-fashioned, she is still very dedicated to her grandson. You can see Neville when you get out of the hospital." Dumbledore said in a very gentle tone.
"Neville will become a very good boy. I have seen him and he has the same stubborn eyes as you."
Frank lowered his head and wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand to prevent tears from falling.
Lin Ze looked at it in disgust, so he quietly moved half a step towards the door, planning to run away.
"Mr. Lin, don't leave in a hurry, I just have something I want to talk to you about." Dumbledore said without looking back, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
Lin Ze paused in his steps and mentally greeted Dumbledore from his hair to his toes.
"Ah, that's just right. I also have something I want to ask you about." Lin Ze turned around and put the "I'm easy to talk to" fake smile on his face again.
Dumbledore stuffed the remaining half of the orange into his mouth, chewed it, and nodded approvingly. "Well, the orange is very sweet. It can be seen that St. Mungo's has made a good income recently, and the quality of the fruit he selected is very good."
He chatted with Frank and Alice for a while, while Lin Ze leaned on the door frame and stared at the window in a daze.