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0761 Private Talks
🕑 Added 2025-06-29 11:30:27 +0000 UTCBryan had never been one to pursue gratitude from others for his actions, and the Longbottom family's overwhelming expressions of thanks, while touching and heartfelt, were not something he actively desired. His choice to attempt saving Frank and Alice Longbottom from their tragic fate had not been driven by any desire to gain their appreciation, but rather because he truly admired Neville's character.
Combined with the fact that Frank and Alice were both heroes of the previous wizarding war, this had ultimately motivated him to make the risky attempt at healing their minds.
The truth was that Bryan needed no one's thanks or expressions of gratitude, as he had already gained more than sufficient reward from this complex and demanding treatment. With Voldemort's inevitable return to the wizarding world lurking just around the corner, any advancement in magical strength, had become more and more precious.
"So then—" Bryan said, turning his attention back to the present moment, looking at the reunited Longbottom couple with a gentle, interested expression.
"What are your plans moving forward?"
Frank and Alice exchanged meaningful glances. After a moment of this silent conversation, Frank cleared his throat and spoke.
"Thanks to you and Albus, Alice and I have been blessed with the opportunity to return to this beautiful world that we had thought we would never experience again.
So, we've decided that we plan to travel around magical Britain and perhaps even into other magical communities around the world, to see and experience personally what changes have occurred in the wizarding world during the dozen years we lost to our condition."
He paused, glancing at his wife before continuing. "Of course, before we can go on any such travels, we'll need to follow the strict medical advice we've been given and recuperate here at St. Mungo's for several more weeks, possibly even months. Our bodies simply can't immediately adapt to the physical and magical rigors of long travels."
Bryan turned his attention to Neville with a smile. "Do you need me to help you apply for a leave of absence from the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, Neville? This would be a perfect opportunity for you to spend proper, quality time with your parents."
"Oh, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to convince Professor McGonagall to give me an extended leave from my studies, Professor Watson," Neville said with a slight smile and shrugged.
"Of course, I certainly can't return to Hogwarts immediately right now."
'He really is different,' Bryan thought to himself.
Looking at the composed, confident, young wizard who now stood where once there had been a timid, uncertain boy, Bryan couldn't help but marvel in his heart at the change.
Previously, whenever they had spoken, Neville had always been timid and hesitant, constantly second-guessing himself, carrying what seemed like heavy psychological burdens in his heart that weighed down his every word and action.
But now, it was as if he had somehow managed to wipe away the thick layer of doubt and self-blame that had covered his soul for so many years, and in doing so had revealed the confident light that had always been waiting within him to shine forth.
Bryan had a strong premonition that the future Neville would surprise everyone who had ever doubted him.
"What's troubling you?" Bryan asked, his voice carrying obvious appreciation as he observed Neville's face.
"Is there some other problem, Neville?"
Neville took a deep breath and spoke. "It's about my wand, Professor,"
Neville chose to openly reveal the secret he had carried and hidden for so many years.
"I've always been using my father's wand, ever since I first came to Hogwarts. It was Grandmother's specific requirement, she hoped that I could somehow inherit Dad's talent and courage by using his wand. But obviously, my abilities don't match up to that wand."
Frank, his face showing a mixture of understanding, regret, and love, reached out to ruffle Neville's hair.
"Don't talk nonsense, my brave son," He said with a warm grin. "I'm certain that you're far more outstanding, far more capable and talented than I ever was at your age, or even now for that matter. It wasn't your lack of ability that held you back all these years; it was my wand that was holding you back."
"Oh, very well then!" The elderly Madam Longbottom interjected, her tone carrying a tone of displeasure with herself, though her eyes still held the warmth of affection for her family.
"I owe you a sincere apology, Neville, and I'm not too proud to admit when I've made a mistake," She continued, her voice softening. "I shouldn't have willfully and stubbornly forced you to use your father's wand all these years. And you two, don't need to beat around the bush when you're complaining about me!"
The hospital room was filled with cheerful, warm laughter. Alice was the first to move, stepping forward to embrace Lady Longbottom in a hug. Father and son quickly followed, creating a group embrace that seemed to heal old wounds and strengthen family bonds. Though Madam Longbottom made a show of appearing impatient with all the emotional display, she stood perfectly still without moving even an inch.
"Ah, so that's how it was—" Bryan said with a chuckle of understanding.
"When you were practicing various spells and techniques in my spiritual world during our class sessions, I sensed that your spiritual power and raw magical strength were not inferior to those of other young wizards your age. But you always seemed to have tremendous difficulty controlling and directing your magic. Hmm, now I finally understand what was causing that disconnect."
"I'd be willing to wager a considerable sum that you're not the only professor at Hogwarts who found my dullness and magical incompetence frustrating over the years," Neville replied with a confident smile.
"But I believe that once I finally get my own wand, things should change for the better."
Frank, Alice, and Madam Longbottom were all looking at Neville with expressions of pride. It was at that moment, as Bryan observed this touching family scene, that a wonderful idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
"It's like this—" Bryan began thoughtfully, taking a moment to organize his thoughts.
After pondering the idea for several more moments, carefully weighing the potential benefits and risks, Bryan looked at the Longbottom family.
"Could I speak with Neville privately for a few minutes?"
Frank and Alice, who had been enthusiastically discussing their plans to accompany Neville on his trip to Diagon Alley to select and purchase his new wand, abruptly stopped their conversation when they heard Bryan's unexpected request.
The entire family looked at Bryan with expressions of curiosity mixed with a touch of confusion.
"Just for a brief moment," Bryan added with a reassuring smile, sensing their uncertainty.
At this particular time and in these circumstances, Bryan certainly wasn't planning to discuss Neville's academic performance or school grades with him. Though the family remained somewhat puzzled by the request, they naturally wouldn't refuse Bryan's request.
They quickly and tactfully left the hospital room, with Alice thoughtfully closing the door behind them to ensure complete privacy for whatever conversation was about to take place.
The previously warm and bustling hospital room suddenly fell into a peaceful, expectant silence. Neville stood watching Professor Watson with a mixture of curiosity and respect, as he waited patiently for whatever instructions or information his professor wanted to share with him.
"After hearing that you're planning to get a new wand, I suddenly had what I believe could be a very interesting and beneficial idea, Neville," Bryan spoke slowly, his tone thoughtful and contemplative.
"You can consider this as me wanting to set you on a path that might be more suitable and advantageous for your talents and abilities, or you can see it as me simply wanting to try something. Oh, to be completely honest,"
He added with a slight smile, "I think what I really want is to conduct an experiment, because I genuinely believe you could be a very promising candidate for what I have in mind, Neville."
Neville blinked in surprise but showed remarkable restraint by not immediately asking the dozens of questions that were forming in his mind. Instead, he waited quietly and patiently.
However, when Neville saw Professor Watson reach into a cloth bag that had been sitting unnoticed beside the hospital bed and took out a gleaming, magnificently crafted silver-bladed sword, he could no longer maintain his composed demeanor.
Neville's eyes widened as he stared at the sword in complete astonishment and disbelief. He certainly didn't think for even a moment that Professor Watson intended to attack him with the weapon—such a thought was utterly ridiculous given their relationship and the circumstances. No, there was really only one logical possibility that made any sense: Professor Watson was planning to give him this magnificent sword!
But why would Professor Watson want to give him a sword of all things? What he needed now, what he had been looking forward to acquiring, was a proper wand that would work in harmony with him, not a... Oh!
The look of surprise and confusion on Neville's face intensified. He shifted his gaze from the exquisite, breathtakingly beautiful silver sword back to Professor Watson's expectant face. Now he truly needed and desperately wanted a complete explanation of what was being planned.
"You understand what I'm suggesting, don't you, Neville?" Bryan said with obvious approval, pleased that Neville had indeed become much more perceptive and quick to grasp complex situations than he had been in the past.
"I only guessed that you intend to give me this sword," Neville replied honestly, his voice having a tone of uncertainty despite his confidence.
"But I must admit that I don't understand what I could possibly do with it, Professor. I mean, unless you want me to become some sort of medieval knight wandering the countryside in search of adventure... though I'd still need a horse for that, wouldn't I? Of course, a unicorn would work even better than a regular horse, but unfortunately unicorns have always shown a preference for ladies, so that option seems rather unlikely for someone like me."
"Hehe, a knight?" Bryan chuckled warmly at Neville's earnest confusion and the somewhat whimsical direction his thoughts had taken.
"That profession has been eliminated by the passage of time and the advancement of magical techniques. I certainly wouldn't want to develop your talents in that rather outdated direction, Neville."
Without further explanation, Bryan tossed the sword through the air toward Neville, who instinctively reached out and caught it with reflexes that were notably quicker and more assured than most people would have expected from the famously clumsy young wizard.
The moment that the sword's hilt made contact with his palm, Neville felt a remarkable warm sensation begin to flow from the grip into his hand and up his arm, giving him an oddly familiar feeling of blood connection, as if the weapon had somehow been waiting specifically for him to claim it.
Curious and somewhat amazed by this unexpected response, Neville experimentally swung the gleaming silver sword a few times through the air, testing its weight and balance. He was genuinely surprised to discover that the weapon felt remarkably natural and comfortable in his hands, as if he had been training with swords for years rather than wands.
But despite this promising beginning, he still didn't fully understand what Professor Watson had in mind or how a sword could possibly help him with his magical education and casting spells.
"I discovered quite early that your physical talents and natural abilities significantly exceed those of most other young wizards of your generation," Bryan began, his expression growing more serious and focused as he prepared to explain.
"This isn't just about your particularly robust physique and impressive physical strength but also about your exceptional reflexes, your natural coordination, and your instinctive understanding of movement and balance. These physical gifts, combined with your magical potential, make it totally possible for you to develop and master a dueling method that is both ancient in its roots and completely innovative in its modern application."
Bryan paused to let this information sink in before continuing with growing enthusiasm. "This sword was forged by the finest goblin smiths using pure mithril, one of the most magically conductive metals known to wizard-kind. It's incredibly sharp and durable while simultaneously possessing truly wonderful and unique magical properties that make it far more than just an ordinary weapon."
He gestured toward the blade. "The sword can deflect and redirect magical attacks, acting as both shield and weapon in combat situations. But more importantly for your development, it can also function as a wand—it can serve as a medium for casting spells and channeling your magical energy. Of course,"
He added with a tone of caution, "using a mithril sword to cast magic will certainly feel quite different from using a traditional wand, and you'll need to explore and understand that difference through your own experimentation and practice. I don't have enough personal experience with this particular combination to guide you completely in that specific regard."
After a thoughtful pause, Bryan continued.
"I believe that this sword can bring out and enhance your excellent physical talents in ways that a traditional wand-based magical education simply cannot. If you can master its use through practice and training, you'll be able to create a completely distinctive dueling style that combines the best of both magical and physical combat techniques.
Hmm... perhaps we could call it something like 'magical knight practice combined with traditional wizarding combat,' though we'd need to come up with a better name."
Neville nodded slowly, his expression showing that he was beginning to grasp the nature of what was being proposed, though he still had many questions about the practical aspects of such training.
"I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean, Professor, and it's honestly quite exciting to consider," He said thoughtfully. "Oh, and if I may ask boldly, where did you get this sword? It's quite remarkable, and I must say—well, it does feel surprisingly natural and comfortable in my hands."
"Oh, that's not convenient for me to reveal at this time—" Bryan replied with a knowing smile.
"But I can tell you with complete confidence that its previous owner would certainly want this sword to be inherited by a true Gryffindor."
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