Kyle had nearly forgotten—Neville was still at Hogwarts.

After graduating, his love for Herbology led him to apply for a position as a teaching assistant, and Professor Sprout readily agreed.

Neville truly had a gift for Herbology, particularly when it came to caring for delicate plants—he had remarkable patience.

And as the greenhouses filled with more and more magical flora, Sprout had become increasingly busy. Sometimes, she’d even have to sprint to another greenhouse in the middle of class.

Having an extra pair of hands made things much easier, and with Neville’s application, she was happy to accept.

The assistant’s salary wasn’t particularly high, and even if the school had objected, Sprout could’ve easily covered it herself.

Of course, the Headmistress and the Board had no objections.

Hogwarts already had one assistant—one more made no difference.

And besides, the school welcomed outstanding students who wanted to stay on and work... well, everyone except Tom Riddle.

...

When Kyle found Neville in Greenhouse Three, he was in the middle of collecting spores from Jumping Umbrella Fungi.

It was a fiddly job—keeping the fungi still was no easy task.

But Neville looked like he was having the time of his life. His hands and body moved in sync with the bouncing mushrooms, and he was humming a tune.

It was “A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love,” a lively song by the Weird Sisters.

You could tell—he genuinely loved doing this. It wasn’t a chore to him at all.

“Neville...” Kyle knocked on the greenhouse door.

“I’m here... Oh! Kyle! What brings you here?” Neville looked up, surprised and delighted. “Are you looking for Professor Sprout? She’s probably in her office at the castle grading papers.”

“No, Neville. I came to see you.”

“Me?” Neville blinked, clearly not expecting someone to visit him in the greenhouse.

Ever since he stayed on at Hogwarts, his companions had mostly been belladonna, knotgrass, and fanged geraniums. Visitors were rare.

But he liked it that way. He didn’t go looking for others either.

“Do you have a moment?” Kyle asked. “There’s something I’d really like to talk to you about. It’s important.”

“Of course, no problem.” Neville snapped back to attention and quickly wiped his dirty hands on his robes—only to smudge them even more.

“Sorry, could you give me a minute to change clothes?”

“I know this might sound a bit rude, Neville, but... you do remember you’re a wizard, right?”

Kyle pulled out his wand and gave it a quick wave.

“Scourgify.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveIꜰire.net

All the dirt and dust vanished from Neville’s hands and robes, leaving him suddenly much cleaner.

“Thanks,” Neville said sheepishly. “You know my memory’s never been great.”

The brave, dependable Neville from the war seemed to have reverted to the forgetful “dunce” everyone remembered—after the war had ended.

“So, where are we headed?”

“How about The Three Broomsticks? I’ve been craving some Butterbeer.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” Neville nodded, then hesitated. “But... could we not be too long? I’ve still got loads of work to do.”

“That depends on what you decide,” Kyle said offhandedly.

The two of them arrived at The Three Broomsticks and ordered drinks.

“You can tell me now,” Neville said, taking a sip of his Butterbeer. “Don’t be shy—if you need my help, just say it. I’ll do everything I can.”

“It’s about your parents,” Kyle said.

Neville’s hand froze mid-air, his mug halfway to his lips.

“I have a way to bring them back—to restore their consciousness,” Kyle continued.

Clang!

Neville shot to his feet. The sudden movement sent Butterbeer sloshing out of his mug, spilling across the table.

But Neville didn’t care about that at all.

He just stared at Kyle, his entire body trembling slightly.

“You... you can bring... them back...?”

“Don’t get worked up, Neville. Just let me finish first,” Kyle said, waving his hand.

The chair that had been knocked aside floated back to its place behind Neville—but he didn’t sit.

It wasn’t that Neville didn’t want to—it was that he couldn’t.

His legs felt like they’d frozen solid. He couldn’t move at all except to stand there.

Kyle didn’t keep him guessing. He laid everything out from beginning to end.

“...That’s the whole story.”

Half an hour later, Kyle took a sip from his Butterbeer. “I’ve only just finished developing the method, and it does involve a Horcrux... of course, I’ll change the name when I present it to the Ministry—just to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

“But you have the right to know the full truth, and I won’t hide anything. Whether you agree or not... that’s entirely up to you. You, and your grandmother.”

Neville stared at Kyle.

He opened his mouth, as if to speak—but no words came out.

He wanted to say yes. This might be the only way to bring his parents back to themselves.

But when the moment came, he just couldn’t speak. He hesitated.

It wasn’t because the method was untested.

Neville trusted Kyle. Ever since Kyle had defeated Voldemort at Hogwarts, that trust had become absolute.

It wasn’t entirely rational—but it was how Neville truly felt.

If Kyle said he could wake his parents, then Neville believed it.

And with Professor Sykes involved too, it wasn’t just blind hope.

What gave him pause... was the word Horcrux.

Neville had never really gotten to know his parents—but there was still a deep familiarity, the kind born from family ties.

And he knew without a doubt that, as Aurors, they had their principles.

They would rather remain in that state forever than use something as dark and twisted as a Horcrux.

His grandmother was the same.

That was why Neville hesitated. He couldn’t make the decision.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Kyle had already finished his second Butterbeer.

And Neville was still standing there, pale and unmoving, gripping his mug tightly.

“I suggest you talk it over with your grandmother,” Kyle said.

The words seemed to snap Neville out of his daze. The light returned to his eyes as he tipped back his Butterbeer and downed the rest in one gulp, as if hoping it would help steady his nerves.

Maybe it was just psychological, but even though Butterbeer had barely any alcohol, Neville did feel noticeably calmer.

“I will... no, I’ll go now.”

“Wait,” Kyle stopped him. “Make sure you explain to Mrs. Longbottom that the reason Horcruxes are considered dark magic is because they require killing in order to split the soul.”

“But in Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom’s case, their souls are already fragmented... I hope you don’t take offense—I only mean that the step involving murder isn’t necessary.”

“And besides, this is a completely reconstructed form of Horcrux. It’s fundamentally different from what came before. Technically speaking, it should be called a ‘Soul Vessel Charm’—a branch of spellwork.”

“I—I understand.” Neville nodded stiffly, then turned and hurried off.

Just then, someone stood up from a nearby table.

“You sure he’s going to remember all that?” Fred walked over and sat down across from Kyle.

“You know his memory’s always been spotty,” George added.

They had come into The Three Broomsticks right behind Kyle and Neville.

Since Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was located right at the edge of Hogsmeade, Fred had spotted them the moment they arrived—he’d been outside checking inventory.

Kyle and Neville...

One look was all it took for them to figure out why the two had come. They’d followed right behind—unnoticed by a stunned and distracted Neville.

“Just because he forgets things doesn’t mean he forgets everything,” Kyle said, glancing out the window. “I’d bet he’ll remember every single word.”

“Maybe,” Fred shrugged, neither agreeing nor arguing.

Kyle soon left as well, leaving Fred to settle the bill.

Neville had bolted out of the pub with the Butterbeer mug still in hand—that would be an extra charge.

...

Back at Hogwarts, Kyle went straight to Professor Sprout and asked for a leave of absence on Neville’s behalf.

She didn’t ask why. Once Kyle assured her she wouldn’t be needed, she agreed without hesitation.

...

“Do you think Mrs. Longbottom will agree?”

After dinner, Kanna and Kyle were walking side by side down a corridor in the castle when she asked softly.

“She will,” Kyle replied.

“You sound confident. Do you really think they’ll trust you?”

“It’s not me they trust. It’s Professor Sykes,” Kyle said. “Didn’t you notice? When Neville and I left for The Three Broomsticks, Professor Sykes left the castle too.”

“She said she was going to fetch something.”

“If I’m right, she went to St. Mungo’s.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s trying to find a way to reverse the Cruciatus Curse,” Kyle said.

“And you’re not?” Kanna stopped walking and looked at him.

Kyle didn’t answer right away. He hesitated for a long moment.

“To be honest... I’m not sure.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t look at me like that. I really don’t know,” Kyle said. “The idea first came to me when I saw the Longbottoms at St. Mungo’s—driven mad by the Cruciatus Curse.”

“They were Aurors. They lost everything fighting Death Eaters. I wanted to try and save them.”

“So technically, my original reason for developing the Soul Vessel Charm was for the Longbottoms... Compared to Professor Sykes, that probably sounds kind of small, doesn’t it?”

“Of course not,” Kanna said without hesitation. She gently took his hand. “Because you succeeded... You’re the only one who did.”

“I wouldn’t say that just yet,” Kyle said, glancing out the window. “I never expected the spell to be this difficult. I didn’t get it right until after graduation... but at least it’s not too late.”

As he said that, Kyle narrowed his eyes.

A familiar double-decker bus had just pulled up at the gates of Hogwarts. It looked a lot like the Knight Bus.

Then, someone jumped off the bus and ran toward the castle.

Kyle couldn’t make out who it was from this distance, but he turned without hesitation and started down the stairs.

“Come on, I think they've made their decision.”

“So soon?” Kanna looked surprised, but followed closely behind.

When the two of them reached the Entrance Hall, a small witch was hurrying in from outside.

She was a striking figure—an elderly witch in an old-fashioned green dress, wearing a tall hat with a stuffed vulture perched on top.

Kyle couldn’t help wondering how the thing stayed on. She’d been running so fast and it hadn’t budged—Permanent Sticking Charm, maybe?

Now wasn’t the time to think about that.

The old witch came to a stop as soon as she saw Kyle.

“Gran...”

Neville came running up behind her.

“Kyle, what are you doing here... Oh, I mean—we were just coming to find you. My gran wants to ask—”

“I’ve heard everything,” said Mrs. Longbottom, walking up to Kyle and looking him straight in the eye. “So then—Frank and Alice are in your hands.”

“You’ve agreed?”

“We have.” Mrs. Longbottom gave a firm nod.

“I assume Neville explained about the Horcrux.”

“He did. I understand.”

She added, “But you—a stranger—were willing to spend so much time researching Horcruxes just to save them. If we still got hung up on whether Horcruxes are dark magic, we’d be downright shameless.”

“Neville, get over here and thank him.”

The sudden bark made Kyle jump.

Neville shuffled out from behind her like a startled quail. “Thank you, Kyle.”

“And?”

“I’m sorry—I should’ve thanked you this afternoon.”

“Er, no need to be so formal,” Kyle said. “Besides, Neville and I are friends. I wouldn’t really call myself a stranger.”

He hadn’t expected Mrs. Longbottom to be so... forceful. The issue Neville had agonized over for so long had been resolved in seconds under her command.

“Don’t let it bother you,” she said, stepping closer. “You’re doing this to save Frank and Alice. And if they can’t accept the idea of a Horcrux, well—they can just knock themselves unconscious again. Two spineless cowards.”

Kyle almost replied that he really didn’t mind.

Also, considering the Longbottoms hadn’t even regained consciousness yet, wasn’t it a bit early to be scolding them?

But Mrs. Longbottom was talking so fast that by the time he thought to speak, she was already several sentences ahead.

Kyle decided it was better to just keep quiet.

She was berating her own family, after all—they probably wouldn’t take offense.

...

Mrs. Longbottom really was all action. As soon as she made up her mind, she had taken the Knight Bus straight to Hogwarts.

And though it was already evening, once she got Kyle’s confirmation, she turned around and left just as quickly—also by Knight Bus.

She didn’t have much choice. She couldn’t Apparate and didn’t have a Portkey. The Knight Bus was the fastest method available.

They arranged to meet the next morning at St. Mungo’s.

The reason for waiting until tomorrow was that Sykes still needed to stabilize the Longbottoms’ souls using a potion.

It was a new brew she’d created using basilisk blood—specifically designed for soul restoration. It was the perfect opportunity to use it.

Besides, there wasn’t any rush. While Frank and Alice weren’t conscious, their physical health was still relatively stable.

To avoid disrupting Kyle’s schedule, Mrs. Longbottom had originally wanted to wait until the following weekend—but Kyle didn’t have any classes tomorrow, so it worked out.

With the spare time, Kyle headed back to the Headmistress’s office.

There was no reason to keep any of this from Professor McGonagall—especially since he still needed her approval to take the day off.