"No," Hermione said, shaking her head with frustration and worry.
"He's been the same since yesterday afternoon. We've been here all night and most of this morning, hoping and watching, but there's been no improvement."
Her eyes suddenly focused on Adrian more intently, taking in his disheveled appearance, the exhaustion radiating from him, the faint marks of recent combat. "Professor, you look terrible. Are you injured? What happened? Where have you been?"
"That's a very long story," Adrian said, moving past them toward Harry's bed with purpose. "But the short version—I succeeded. Voldemort is destroyed."
The silence that followed was so deep that Adrian could hear the distant sounds of students in the corridors beyond, could hear Madam Pomfrey's sharp intake of breath, could hear Ron's chess pieces shifting slightly on their board.
"You... what?" Ron finally managed to say. His face had gone pale with shock.
"Voldemort is gone," Adrian repeated, coming to stand beside Harry's bed.
He looked down at the boy who'd suffered so much. "Permanently and completely. His soul was destroyed in a way that makes any form of resurrection impossible. He won't be coming back this time. Not ever."
Hermione's hand went to her mouth, her eyes were going wide with shock and hope. "You actually did it. You faced him alone and you actually defeated him? For real this time?"
"For real this time," Adrian confirmed softly.
"But how?" Hermione asked, her mind was already working through the implications. "You-Know-Who was supposed to be immortal because of dark magic, wasn't he? How did you destroy him completely?"
"Let's just say I found a way to destroy what remained of him so completely that resurrection became impossible."
Adrian explained, keeping his explanation simple and focused. There would be time for detailed debriefings later, time to explain everything to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.
Right now, he needed to focus on Harry.
He pulled one of the crystalline leaves from his pocket and held it up so they could see it. The thing glowed softly in the morning light filtering through the hospital wing's windows, pulsing with that gentle inner radiance.
"This is what's left of Voldemort," Adrian said quietly. "Pure soul energy, stripped of his consciousness and corruption. And this..." He looked down at Harry. "This is what I'm going to use to heal Harry."
Madam Pomfrey had approached during this conversation, her healer's instincts were overriding her shock. She stared at the leaf with a mixture of fascination and professional concern.
"Adrian," she said carefully, "I'm not sure what exactly that object is, but using untested soul magic on a patient is extraordinarily dangerous. If you're wrong about its properties, if there's any remaining taint from You-Know-Who's essence, you could do more harm than good."
"I understand your concern," Adrian said, meeting her eyes. "But I've studied soul magic, and I know what I'm doing. This crystalline structure contains nothing but pure soul energy without personality, and without the corruption that made Voldemort what he was. It's exactly what Harry needs to repair the damage that was done to his soul."
He looked back down at Harry, at the peaceful expression on the boy's face.
"Harry's soul was torn when Voldemort forcibly extracted the Horcrux from his scar," Adrian continued, explaining for everyone's benefit.
"That extraction left a wound, a void that his consciousness couldn't bridge. That's why he's been trapped in this state—his soul is incomplete, and his mind can't function properly with that vital piece missing. But this..."
He held up the sparkling leaf. "This can fill that void, can provide the pure soul energy needed to make him whole again."
"And you're certain it will work?" Hermione asked, her voice was tight with hope and fear in equal measure.
"I'm as certain as I can be about anything involving magic this complex and unprecedented," Adrian answered honestly. "But yes, based on everything I know about soul magic and what I experienced during my confrontation with Voldemort, I believe this will heal him completely."
He moved closer to Harry's bedside, the leaf was held carefully in his palm. Through the transparent structure, he could see the soft glow pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Everyone should probably step back," Adrian said softly. "I'm not entirely sure what this process will look like from the outside, and I'd rather no one get caught in any overflow of magical energy."
Hermione, Ron, and Madam Pomfrey retreated a few steps, though their attention remained fixed on what Adrian was doing.
Adrian took a deep breath, centering himself despite his exhaustion.
He placed the leaf directly over Harry's heart, positioning it on the boy's chest. The moment the leaf made contact with Harry's body, it began to glow more brightly, as if responding to the presence of Harry's damaged soul.
Adrian closed his eyes and reached out with his magical senses, perceiving the world. He could feel Harry's soul beneath his awareness. The void left by the Horcrux's extraction was clearly visible to Adrian's perception.
Gently, and carefully, Adrian began to channel magic through his hands into the leaf. He wasn't forcing the healing as that would be dangerous and potentially harmful.
Instead, he was guiding it, facilitating the natural process by which soul energy could integrate with a damaged soul, fill the gaps, repair what had been broken.
The leaf began to dissolve, its solid structure was breaking down into component energy. Pure soul power flowed from the leaf into Harry's chest, seeking out the damage instinctively.
The watching trio held their breath as light began to seep into Harry beneath his clothes, visible as a soft glow that outlined his chest and spread out.
The monitoring charms that Madam Pomfrey had placed around Harry's bed suddenly flared to life, their readings were spiking high as they detected the massive influx of magical energy.
"His magic is responding!" Madam Pomfrey said with suppressed excitement, watching her diagnostic spells with intense focus. "The energy is integrating—I've never seen anything like this!"
The glow intensified, spreading from Harry's chest up his neck to his face. It concentrated for a moment at his forehead, right where his famous lightning-bolt scar had always been visible.
And then, as everyone watched in amazed silence, the scar began to fade.
The raised tissue that had marked Harry since he was a baby, the physical reminder of Voldemort's failed curse, gradually smoothed out and disappeared. Within seconds, it was gone completely, leaving unmarked skin where the lightning bolt had been for fifteen years.
"The scar..." Ron breathed, his voice was filled with awe. "It's gone. The scar is actually gone."
The glow finally began to fade, the last of the leaf's energy fully integrated into Harry's soul. The process had taken perhaps two minutes from start to finish, though it had felt much longer to everyone watching.
Adrian pulled his hands back slowly, feeling utterly drained. That had taken the last reserves of his already depleted magical strength. He swayed on his feet, and Hermione quickly moved to support him, guiding him to a nearby chair before he could collapse.
"Professor, you need to rest," she said with concern. "You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm fine," Adrian protested weakly, though he made no attempt to stand up again. "Just... depleted. That took more energy than I expected."
They all turned their attention back to Harry, watching with intense focus for any sign that the healing had worked.
For several seconds, nothing happened. Harry remained as still and peaceful as he'd been for weeks, showing no sign of awareness or consciousness.
Then his fingers twitched.
"Did you see that?" Ron said urgently, pointing. "His hand moved!"
Harry's chest began to rise and fall with deeper breaths than the shallow respiration that had sustained him during his unconscious state. His eyelids fluttered, moving as if he was trying to open them but couldn't quite manage it yet.
"Harry?" Hermione called out softly, moving back to his bedside. "Can you hear me? It's Hermione. You're safe. You're in the hospital wing."
Harry's eyes opened slowly, squinting against the light. His green eyes were unfocused at first, confused and disoriented. His lips moved, but no sound came out initially.
"Take your time," Madam Pomfrey said, her professional demeanor was taking over. "You've been unconscious for several days. Your body needs a moment to remember how everything works."
Harry blinked several times, his vision was gradually clearing. He looked around the hospital wing with growing awareness, taking in his surroundings.
When his gaze landed on Hermione and Ron, a weak smile appeared across his face.
"Hey," Harry managed to croak, his voice was barely audible and rough from disuse. "What... what happened? Where's John?"
"You're safe, Harry," Ron said, his voice was shaking with relief and suppressed emotions. "You're at Hogwarts. In the hospital wing. You've been out for days, mate."
"Days?" Harry's eyes widened slightly with alarm. He tried to sit up, but his body was too weak from prolonged unconsciousness, and he fell back against the pillows. "The last thing I remember is... we were in that room. John—no, Voldemort—he attacked us. He did something to my scar. It hurt so much, and then..."
His hand went automatically to his forehead, fingers seeking out the familiar raised tissue of his scar. When he felt only smooth skin, confusion filled his expression.
"My scar," Harry said, his voice was filled with wonder and disbelief. "It's gone. My scar is actually gone. How is that possible?"
"Voldemort removed the soul fragment he'd accidentally created when he tried to kill you as a baby," Hermione explained gently. "But the extraction damaged your soul. That's why you've been unconscious—your soul was incomplete, and your mind couldn't function properly with that piece missing."
Harry slowly turned his head to look around the room more thoroughly, his gaze eventually landing on Adrian slumped in a nearby chair. Recognition and understanding appeared in his green eyes.
"Professor Westeros," Harry said, his voice was gaining a bit more strength. "You... you healed me, didn't you? And Voldemort..."
Something changed in Harry's expression like he was processing something. "He's gone, isn't he? Really gone this time. I can't feel him anymore."
Everyone in the room went very still at those words.
"What do you mean, you can't feel him?" Adrian asked, leaning forward despite his exhaustion.
"There was always this... presence," Harry explained haltingly, struggling to tell something he'd never really discussed before.
"Ever since I can remember, but especially strongly after he came back at the end of fourth year. Like there was something else in my head, I didn't really understand what it was, thought maybe I was going mad. But it was him, wasn't it? The soul fragment, or the connection it created."
He closed his eyes briefly, as if testing his perception.
"But now, there's nothing," Harry continued, opening his eyes again. "It's quiet in my head in a way it's never been before. He's really gone, isn't he?"
"Yes," Adrian confirmed. "Voldemort is completely destroyed. His soul was shattered beyond any possibility of recovery or resurrection. The connection you felt through the soul is broken because there's nothing left on the other end to connect to."
Harry's eyes filled with tears whether from relief, exhaustion, or overwhelming emotion was impossible to say. It was probably all three.
"I thought I was going to be stuck like that forever," Harry whispered. "Unconscious, trapped, unable to wake up no matter how hard I tried. I could hear you all sometimes, talking to me, but I couldn't respond. I couldn't move or speak or let you know I was still in here. It was..." He broke off, unable to find words for the horror of that experience.
"You're awake now," Ron said happily, reaching out to grip Harry's shoulder. "That's what matters. You're back with us."
"And You-Know-Who is gone," Hermione added, though she was crying now, tears of relief were streaming down her face. "Really and truly gone. Professor Westeros defeated him. It's over, Harry."
Harry looked at Adrian again, his expression was complex with gratitude, awe, confusion, and something approaching wonder all mixed together.
"Thank you," Harry said simply. "Thank you for bringing me back. And for... for ending it. For defeating him."
"You don't need to thank me, Harry," Adrian said. "I only did what anyone would do—what was necessary and right. You've suffered enough."
Madam Pomfrey, who had been monitoring Harry's vital signs throughout this emotional reunion, finally spoke up with professional briskness that couldn't quite hide her own relief.
"Mr. Potter, while I'm absolutely delighted to see you awake and apparently recovering, you've been unconscious for nearly a week. Your body is extremely weak, and you need rest and proper nutrition before you do anything else. No arguments," She added firmly as Harry opened his mouth to protest.
"You'll remain in the hospital wing for at least another day under observation. Once I'm satisfied that you're truly stable, you can return to your dormitory."
She turned her attention to Adrian, her expression becoming stern despite the warmth in her eyes.
"And you, Professor Westeros, look like death warmed over if you'll pardon me saying so," Madam Pomfrey said bluntly. "Whatever you did to heal Mr. Potter clearly exhausted you severely. You should also remain here for observation and rest."
"I can't," Adrian said, shaking his head despite his exhaustion. "I have one more person to heal."
Adrian nodded, pulling himself to his feet with considerable effort.. "I have to leave immediately."
"But Professor, you're in no condition to travel, let alone perform complex magic," Madam Pomfrey protested. "You should rest first, regain your strength—"
"I've been waiting years for this chance," Adrian said, his voice carrying absolute determination. "I'm not waiting a single day longer when I finally have the means to heal her. I'll rest after she's awake. Not before."
He turned toward the door, each step requiring conscious effort and willpower, but he kept moving.
"Professor Westeros," Harry called out, his voice still weak but carrying genuine concern. "Be careful. And... I hope your sister wakes up soon."
"Thank you, Harry," Adrian said, pausing at the door to look back. "Enjoy your recovery. Try not to get into any more dangerous situations for at least a few weeks, would you?"
Despite everything, Harry managed a weak laugh. "I'll do my best, sir."
Adrian nodded to Hermione and Ron, acknowledging their worried expressions with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Then he left the hospital wing, heading toward Dumbledore's office to explain where he was going and why, before making his way to his plantation's portal and from there to international magical transportation.
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