Chapter 1228: Dispelling Fear

Chapter 1228 -45: Dispelling Fear

“Voldemort is still alive.”

Vid repeated it again, his voice was light, yet it exploded in Slughorn’s ears like a thunderclap.

“Wha… What?!”

Slughorn’s muscles instantly tensed, breath stopped, eyes opened wide, pupils greatly contracted.

He jumped up suddenly, staring at Vid intently, his gaze searching on his face.

For those few seconds, he couldn’t even feel his heartbeat, as if the whole world had only those calm gray eyes opposite him.

“No… Impossible…”

His cracked lips moved, his voice hoarse as if squeezed from another throat.

An absurd idea suddenly darted into his chaotic mind:

Could this be St Mungo’s “new therapy”?

That they confirm his words to shock him, and when he believes, they laugh heartily, telling him it’s impossible and all just jokes?

But the terrifyingly calm eyes of the young man in front didn’t seem to be acting.

Slughorn’s muddled mind worked at unprecedented speed, instinctively choosing the most protective approach:

“What are you saying?”

His voice suddenly rose, becoming sharp and trembling, speed like machine-gun fire:

“He’s alive? How do you know? Who told you? This… this is too absurd!”

“Everyone knows he’s dead!”

He instinctively grabbed his sleeve tightly, knuckles whitening, saying shakily:

“You… You won’t deceive me again!”

Vid calmly said: “Just like that night at Godric’s Hollow, he never completely died… This time, he’s similarly still alive.”

“Taking his body, his broken soul, he escaped from everyone’s sight.”

“The reason everyone tells you he’s dead is because two years ago, he cast an extremely powerful spell, making everyone subconsciously ignore the fact that he’s still alive.”

Slughorn’s expression wavered: “This… This can’t be! Such magic isn’t achievable by human power, even if… even if it’s him…”

“Because he borrowed the influence of some ancient power from the Department of Mysteries.”

Vid added, looking frankly into Slughorn’s eyes full of suspicion:

“You should know that some rooms down there research fields far beyond ordinary wizard’s imagination.”

Slughorn shook physically, looking at Vid, instantly believing.

He instinctively wanted to believe.

His logic also told him, a fifth-year Hogwarts student couldn’t make such specific reasons up, especially involving the most secret places in the Ministry of Magic.

If suspecting this is the Healers’ “conspiracy”…

His healer Elliot was indeed kind and smart, but couldn’t possibly know of the Brain Hall’s existence, even most Ministry of Magic staff are ignorant about it.

Once his mind formed such a conclusion, in an instant, all Slughorn’s emotions seemed to find an outlet—

Long suppressed fear, grievance, loneliness surged into his heart, overwhelming his barely maintained calm and composure.

His body started to tremble violently, from fingers to shoulders, then all over, every part trembled uncontrollably with excitement.

Slughorn almost collapsed to the ground.

He grabbed the bed edge in a panic with one hand, the other tightly clutching Vid’s arm, mouth agape trying to speak, but only emitting short, hoarse sounds:

“Ha… Haha… Ha…”

Vid supported his weakened body, watching the old man show a twisted expression of crying and laughing, facial muscles spasming uncontrollably, tears streaming out.

“So that’s how it is… So that’s the truth…”

He cried hysterically but suppressively:

“I… I thought… I was crazy… Or the whole world was crazy… I even thought… they…”

He spoke incoherently, releasing Vid’s arm, arms swinging randomly.

“Those healers… those nurses… sometimes I felt they were all his people…”

“They use this method… slowly torture me… drive me crazy, let me decay here…”

Vid gently comforted: “I know… I know. You haven’t gone mad, contrary, you’re the clearest among everyone.”

“They misunderstood you, but it’s not their fault… it’s just that most people can’t resist the influence of Voldemort’s magic spell.”

Vid supported Slughorn, letting him sit slowly by the bed edge, gently patting his back.

Cheetah Poppet lightly jumped off the bed, pacing back and forth by Slughorn’s feet, steps cautious and concerned.

Sometimes it gently nudged his calf with its head, sometimes it simply snuggled into his arms, emitting low, soothing purrs from its throat, tail swinging back and forth.

After some unknown amount of time, the violent shaking and hoarse gasping gradually settled.

Slughorn covered his face and cried heartily, when he raised his red and swollen eyes, his mind finally regained clarity.

Meanwhile, a strange sense of vulnerability and belonging surged—

Finally, someone believed him!

Finally, someone knew the truth!

He wasn’t crazy!

But following closely was colder, piercing reality—

Voldemort truly is still alive, this isn’t his delusion!

Then that person… could they still find him?

Recalling that nightmare-like experience, Slughorn involuntarily shivered, fearfully saying: