Tainted Blood
Chapter 14:
For the next few days, Harry adjusted to his new routine. He and his Father arranged his Rider training around his timetable. They were concerned that if Harry practiced too much magic, then he may accidentally overwork himself. However, as wizarding magic required less energy than the Ancient Language, they decided to wait and see if this would be an actual concern.
What was an immediate concern, was Professor Moody.
Harry was becoming suspicious of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He seemed rather tense around everyone, and his magical eye was always swivelling every which way, as if he were expecting an attack at any moment. He supposed that this was reasonable, as he was a war veteran. But still, it was a bit over the top. He wouldn't even drink from the school goblets, preferring to drink from his own strange flask. Part of him thought that this man's behaviour must be so bad, due to the apparent lack of wizarding therapists. But another part of him was suspicious of the man's intentions.
This suspicion was further cemented by what the teacher believed was an appropriate way of educating fourteen-year-olds.
That Thursday they had their first lesson with Professor Moody. Everyone was talking to each other, wandering what this new professor was going to be like. Harry too, was curious. He seemed far more professional than either Quirrell or Lockhart, but gruffer than Remus. And he was a former Auror, so presumably he knew what he was doing.
As soon as he entered the room, the entire class fell silent. He strode up to his desk and stood behind it, facing them all.
"Now," He began. "Professor Dumbledore has told me about your previous teachers in this subject. Two of them were shite, but the last one, Lupin, seemed to know what he was doing. From what I've heard, he has pretty much covered how to defend against dark creatures. However, you are all very behind in how to fight against dark curses. The Ministry would rather you not learn about them, but both myself and Dumbledore think you need to be vigilant and know about these, constant vigilance, Mr Finnigan."
Seamus, who had been muttering to Dean, instantly jumped in surprise.
"R-right, Professor." He stuttered in shock.
Moody huffed but continued.
"Today, I will be demonstrating three very powerful, very dark curses. These three are known as the unforgivable curses, and they can land you a life sentence in Azkaban. Dumbledore has given me permission to show you these."
Moody then took a glass jar out of his desk. In this jar were three spiders.
Ron instantly flinched away from the spiders. Harry put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," He whispered. "You've got a Rider to make sure the big bad spiders don't get you."
Ron chuckled.
"Thanks."
"Now," Moody began. "Can anyone tell me one of the unforgivable curses?"
As usual, the room was silent. Hermione was the only one to lift her hand.
"There is, the imperious curse." She began hesitantly. "It was used to control the minds of its victims."
Moody grunted and took one of the spiders out of the jar.
"A lot of the Death-Eaters, after the war, came out claiming they had been under the imperious curse. The biggest problem is that it's hard to tell who has and who hasn't been under it. But you are right, this can allow the caster to control the mind of the victim."
He tapped the spider with his wand.
"Imperio."
Moody began to make the spider Tap dance across the desk. People around the room began to laugh.
"You think this is funny?" Moody asked. "Would you think it's funny if it were done to you? I can make this spider do anything."
He began to direct the spider, so it appeared he was going to make it jump off of the desk. Thankfully, he stopped at the last minute and put the spider back in the jar.
"This is no laughing matter." He said.
The entire room was silent.
"Can anyone else name a curse?"
Yet again, the room was silent. However, Hermione's hand was not the only one up this time. Surprisingly, Neville's hand was also up, though shaking violently.
"There... There is the... The cruciatus curse." The boy stuttered.
Harry was honestly surprised. Neville was always so quiet, never having anything to do in lessons except Herbology. And here he was, offering up an unforgivable curse. He could feel his curiosity growing.
"Yes," Moody said. "The cruciatus curse. A favourite torture method for the Death-Eaters."
He took out another spider and made it become larger, so they could see it easier.
"Crucio." He said.
The spider began to twitch in obvious pain. It made Harry feel sick. Did this man honestly think this was what was appropriate for students? And what about Dumbledore? What was that man thinking? Didn't he think these kids were scared enough from the past three years?
He looked to Neville to see that the boy had gone very pale and was shaking violently. Though the boy was always nervous, this was just too much. He hated seeing people in pain, and Neville was obviously suffering from some form of trauma.
It was at this point that he had had enough. Angrily, he stood from his chair. Everyone stared at him in shock.
"Stop!" He demanded.
Moody looked up at him.
"What?" The teacher asked casually. "Can't handle seeing a little pain Potter?"
Harry scoffed.
"I have seen more pain than any person of my age should have seen. But this is just wrong. You are subjecting fourteen-year-olds to witnessing the torture of an innocent creature."
"You need to see this." Moody retorted. "Welcome to the real world Potter, where people get tortured."
"Look at these people." Harry said, gesturing around ow room at the people who had gone very pale. "You are scaring them."
Moody scoffed.
"They need to toughen up."
Harry clenched his fists.
"They are only children, they should not have to see this if they don't have too. It's one thing to teach us these things, but to actually show us straight off the bat?"
He gestured to Neville.
"He's obviously suffering from some sort of trauma."
"He needs to toughen up." Moody said simply.
Harry had to suck in several deep, long breaths to steady himself and to keep from punching Moody. Instead, he walked over to Neville and grasped his arm.
"Come on Neville, you look like you need some air."
"B-but..." Neville stuttered. "I.. I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Harry retorted. "Come on."
Harry did not care if he would get into trouble. He hated seeing innocents being hurt, physically or otherwise. That spider may have been only an insect, but it was still a living breathing creature. They may use living creatures in transfiguration, but he didn't think it hurt them. At least he hoped it didn't. And then there was Neville... Harry really did not like seeing people suffer. Though he was not particularly close to the shy boy, he still did not like how he was reacting to witnessing the spider being tortured.
Harry was also thinking about what his Father had told him months ago. His Mum had apparently been friends with Neville's own mother. So much so that she made her one of Harry's potential guardians, if anything ever happened to herself and his Dad. However, something happened to the Longbottoms, that prevented Harry from being taken in by them.
Harry felt a slight amount of guilt that he had not enquired more about them before, and that he had not tried a little harder to be closer to Neville. After all, they could have potentially grown up together. They could have been as close as brothers, just like what he had heard about Eragon and their cousin Roran.
So now, as he saw Neville suffering, he knew he had to do something. So he felt justified in leaving the classroom with the other teen.
He led the shy boy through the corridors until they reached an empty classroom. He sat Neville, who was still pale and shaking, in one of the chairs and sat down himself, turning his chair so it faced the other boy. They were both silent for a long time.
"Y-you didn't have t to do that." Neville muttered quietly.
Harry sighed.
"Yes, I did." He said. "Neville, you were obviously suffering in there. What Moody was doing was messed up. No one should see that. But you... You seemed to react worse than everyone else."
"I'm fine." Neville muttered.
Harry sighed and put a hand on Neville's shoulder.
"Look, I know that we're not exactly the closest, but I don't like seeing people suffer. You are obviously traumatized by something. I'm not going to demand an answer of you, but I know from personal experience that you should never keep your problems in. I've been doing that my entire life, and it hurts. I know you don't know me that well, but if you want to talk..."
He trailed off. Neville just sat there in silence for a long time.
"Thanks." The boy muttered. "It's just I... I..."
"You don't have to say anything." Harry said.
However, it did not seem that Neville heard him. Suddenly, words began to spill out of the boy's mouth, as if he had been keeping something in for a very long time.
"My... My parents... Just after You-KnowWho fell... Some... Some Death-Eaters... The Lestranges... They came after them and... And tortured them with..."
"With the cruciatus curse." Harry said in surprise.
Neville nodded shakily.
"Yeah. And... And seeing that spider... It just... It just made me think... Did... Did my parents look like that when..."
He sucked in a breath.
"Sorry about... About telling you all this... It's just... No one's ever shown so much care and... And you seem nice and... And you stood up for me in there and... And I guess seeing it, I just... I just needed to let it... Let it out and..."
Tears began to appear in Neville's eyes. Harry acted on instinct and pulled the boy into his arms. He could feel his robes becoming damp with tears, but he did not care. He rubbed Neville's back comfortingly.
"They... They're in St Mungos. Gran and I see them every Christmas, b-but it's n-not the s-same..."
"Shhh." He shushed the distraught boy, rubbing the boy's back. "Easy, easy. Just let it all out."
For several minutes they just sat like that, Neville crying into his shoulder and Harry rubbing his back and whispering comforting words. Finally, Neville sat back up, his eyes red.
"T-thanks." He said.
"It was nothing." Harry replied.
He squeezed Neville's shoulder.
"If you ever need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come to me for help."
Neville nodded.
"Will you be okay with going to the next lesson?" Harry asked.
"I-I think." Neville replied.
Harry frowned.
"Are you sure? We could go to Professor McGonagall..."
"No, no." Neville replied. "I just... Need something to take my mind off it."
Harry nodded.
"Okay, if that's what you want."
They both got up. Neville smiled.
"Thanks, for helping."
Harry smiled.
"Hey, what are friends for?"
Neville's smile widened.
"A friend. That would be nice."
At lunch, Harry stormed up to the head table. He stood right in front of Dumbledore, glaring at the old Headmaster from across the table. He could feel the entire hall staring at him, but he did not care.
"Can I help you Mr Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry had to resist the urge to draw his sword and stab the old man. He had to sucked in some very deep breaths before he did something he would regret. Like his father said, thinking about hurting someone, and especially using lethal methods, was one thing, but actually doing the deed was entirely different.
"What the bloody hell are you on?" He demanded.
"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry clenched his fists.
"You, and that madman Moody, showing children three of the darkest curses known to wizard kind." He replied angrily.
"Professor Moody and I," Dumbledore began. "Believe that it is wise for the students to learn about these spells, if they ever encounter them."
"Was it really necessary to demonstrate them?" Harry demanded.
"Now Mr Potter," Dumbledore began.
Harry could feel his anger growing at the man's calmness. How could he be so calm when he knowingly subjected the students under his care to witnessing the horrors of the unforgivable curses?
"I had to take Neville out of the classroom after Moody tortured a spider." Harry said. "He looked absolutely horrified and it took me ages to calm him down."
There were gasps around the Great Hall. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Professor McGonagall was getting angry. He looked around the staff table to see that several other teachers, especially Professor Sprout, were also becoming angered by this news.
"I am sorry that he felt that way." Dumbledore began calmly. "However, I still believe that it is important for the students to learn about these curses. I am afraid that you will have to appologize to Professor Moody for so rudely leaving his class. And I am afraid that Mr Longbottom will have to learn how to cope with his feels towards the Cruciatus curse."
That was it. Harry could not control it any more. How the hell was Neville supposed to just "cope with his feelings"? He was traumatized. Dumbledore must know what had happened to the Longbottoms. And he had the nerve to just sit there and calmly say that the boy had to "Learn to cope".
Without hesitation, Harry punched Dumbledore in the face. He felt satisfied to hear the old man's nose break. Blood began to trickle down his face, and Harry could not stop the smirk from appearing on his face.
"Potter!" Snape said angrily. "How dare you attack a professor?"
"Oh, shut up Snape." Harry retorted. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you."
Snape's eyes widened, and he could hear the entire hall gasp. He did not care.
"Why you..." Snape spluttered.
"Enough, Severus." Professor McGonagall interrupted. "Mr Potter is right in saying that Dumbledore has gone too far. And while I do feel that his show of violence was a little unnecessary, I can excuse it this once, as he was trying to stand up for another student."
She glanced at Harry.
"However, I do hope that this does not happen again."
Harry grinned.
"Only if Dumbledore pulls his head out of his ass and actually starts acting responsibly."
Professor McGonagall's lips thinned, but she did not comment. Professor Sprout cleared her throat.
"Minerva, I believe we should discuss this further with Professor Dumbledore, especially seeing as his and Moody's decision so heavily negatively affected a student."
She looked to Harry.
"Oh, and Mr Potter?"
"Yes?" Harry replied.
"Twenty points to Gryffindor for helping Mr Longbottom in his time of need."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks."
And with that, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout got out of their seats and proceeded to grab Dumbledore and drag him out of the Hall, followed by the rest of the Professors.
The entire Hall began muttering, but Harry could not hear them. He just stood there, deep in his thoughts. Now that the deed was done, and he had given Dumbledore a piece of his mind, he was somewhat calming down. He was now looking back on what he had done, and how he had felt.
He had just been so angry. Neville and the rest of the students had been horrified by the lesson, and Dumbledore had the nerve to just sit there so casually. The old fool had a tendency of being irresponsible when it came to the students under his care, but this was just too much. Harry had felt over three years worth of frustration building up inside of him, and it all had just exploded out of him.
He rarely got so angry. His life with the Dursleys had taught him to be patient. But this, seeing people suffer, seeing Neville in such a state...
Anger had coursed through his veins like liquid fire, and he had confronted Dumbledore. He had only wanted to use words, try to get him to realize what he had done. But Dumbledore's calmness, how he just casually dismissed Neville's suffering as something he needed to learn to cope with...
However the most horrifying thing was how he had felt after punching the old Headmaster. He had felt so satisfied, even gleeful, to see the nose breaking. To see the blood trickling down, to hear the bone break, for the man to suffer even a fraction of what the students he was meant to protect had suffered. What Neville had suffered. What he had suffered...
Now, the thought of how he had felt horrified him. How could he have taken such glee in seeing anyone, even Dumbledore, suffer? Even if the Headmaster had allowed Moody to teach such an unethical lesson, he should still not be so happy in the man's own pain. It was wrong. He knew it was wrong.
But how could something that should be wrong, feel so right?
And then there was more. The fact that he had wanted to draw his sword. He had wanted to use his sword to hurt Dumbledore. Not to kill him, but to hurt him. To make him feel the same pain so many others had felt. He had wanted to stab the old fool and watch as his blood spilled onto the floor.
Why was he feeling this way? He did not think of himself as a violent person. He wanted to help people, not hurt them. He hated violence. He had seen enough of it during his less than stellar childhood.
He liked to think that people's behaviour was shaped from their experiences. However, part of him felt that this violent streak was something else. Something in his blood. Could it be possible that he... That he had somehow inherited this thirst for violence from... From Morzan?
He shook his head. He did not care if he would miss his next lesson, this was important. He needed to see his Father.
Murtagh had been meditating in his clearing when Colaen suddenly jumped up. Both he and Thorn sighed. They had only just gotten her to learn how to calm down. And now, for some reason, she was becoming excitable.
[Thorn, what is going on?]
He asked his dragon.
After a few seconds, Thorn replied.
[Harry is coming.]
Murtagh frowned.
[Doesn't he still have lessons?]
[He is supposed to.]
Thorn replied.
[But according to Colaen he is coming, and he seems upset.]
Murtagh's frown deepened. What had happened to his son? Whatever it was, he knew that this was more important than any peace and quiet he and Thorn might have finally had.
He got to his feet just as Harry entered the clearing, his pace quick and restless.
"Harry..." He began.
"Father, I have an emergency." Harry interrupted.
Murtagh could see the young man was frazzled. His eyes were darting around, he was wringing his hands, and he couldn't seem to stand still. Murtagh walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened?" He asked.
Harry sucked in a breath.
"IpunchedDumbledoreandIlikedit." He said so quickly that Murtagh could not understand him.
"What?" Murtagh asked blankly. "Harry, calm down and repeat that slowly."
Harry sucked in some calming breaths.
"I punched Dumbledore and I liked it." He repeated.
Murtagh blinked. He then sighed and led Harry to where Thorn lay. They sat, leaning against the large dragon, and Colaen quickly joined them. She rested her head in Harry's lap, evidentially concerned for her Rider.
"Now, what happened?" Murtagh asked. "What has Dumbledore done this time?"
Harry sucked in a breath and began his story.
"This morning we had our first lesson with the new teacher, Professor Moody." He began. "Things went downhill as soon as he told the class what he would be teaching us."
"What?" Murtagh asked.
"Ever heard about the unforgivable curses?" Harry asked.
Murtagh's eyes widened. He could feel his entire body stiffen. He had heard of these curses, and the horrors they could inflict. The only time he had actually witnessed them in use was the day he met Lily, and he really did not want his son, or any other child, to witness it.
"Yes." He replied. "I have even seen one of them in use."
Harry clenched his fists.
"I saw two out of three of them, and I think the only reason why I didn't see the third was because I left the room."
He sucked in a shocked breath.
"What?" He demanded. "He practiced the unforgivable curses on you?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, only on some spiders. But we all still saw everything."
Murtagh had to take a few seconds to compose himself.
"I presume that Dumbledore was aware of this?"
Harry laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, he allowed it." The younger man replied. "Both he and Moody reckon we need to see these things. You know, learn about the true horrors of the real world."
Murtagh clenched his fists.
"Was an actual demonstration necessary?"
"Apparently." Harry replied.
Murtagh was quickly becoming angered. Yes, at the Rider's Academy they did teach students as young as Harry how to fight with swords and use magic in combat. But that was purely for defense. They saved the more deadly training for later years. But even then, they never saw it necessary to demonstrate war crimes that could give you a life sentence.
He knew that Harry had suffered more than any person his age should suffer. But that did not mean Murtagh thought that showing him the unforgivable curses was fine. Even seeing one of them done on any creature could be traumatic. He was especially concerned, as presumably Voldemort used the killing curse to kill Lily and James. He feared that this could be quite upsetting or even frightening for his son, to see the curse that had killed two of his parents.
"You say you left the classroom after only two of the curses?" Murtagh began.
Harry nodded.
"Yeah. Moody was torturing one of the spiders with the Cruciartis curse. I felt sick, the entire class was pale, but the worst reaction came from Neville. He was pale and shaking, as if he were on the verge of a panic attack."
Murtagh frowned. Why would this boy in particular have such a bad reaction? He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Harry continued.
"I at first tried to get Moody to stop, but the madman just said Neville needed to toughen up if he had a chance in the real world. After a bit of arguing, I just grabbed Neville and walked out. It took me ages to calm him down."
Murtagh could feel pride swelling in his chest. His son truly had a kind heart. He had stood up to a teacher and comforted another student. The act reminded him so much of Lily, and he knew that she would be proud too. He was thankful that, despite his horrible childhood, Harry was still kind and selfless.
"You did the right thing." He said.
Harry smiled, though the expression did not reach his eyes.
"Yeah, well, we got talking and..."
He sucked in a breath.
"I... I found out what happened to his parents."
Murtagh's eyes widened.
"What?“
Harry clenched his fists.
"Just after Voldemort fell, they were attacked by some Death-Eaters. The Lestranges. And they were tortured into madness with the Cruciatus curse."
Murtagh clenched his fists so tightly that he could feel his fingernails stabbing into his palms. He remembered watching as the band of Death-Eaters used that very curse to torture Lily. Watching the young woman trying and sometimes failing to hold back her screams. How much pain did Alice and Frank Longbottom have had to go through, to be tortured into madness?
Harry was stroking the scales on Colaen's head.
"I was angry that Dumbledore would have allowed this. I mean, he would have known what Neville's parents went through. And surely there are more students who's families have suffered because of those curses. So at lunch I confronted him. No matter what I said he just sat there calmly, acting all superior. Said that Neville had to get over it. I got really angry. This was just another thing to add to the long list of all the times Dumbledore neglected the students under his care. I know that there had to be more than just Neville who reacted this way, and yet Dumbledore didn't care. He only sees the big picture, where everyone knows what the unforgivable curses look like. I get that he wants us to be prepared for anything, but this is too much. Our parents fought and died so we didn't have to see horrors like these, and here Dumbledore and Moody are, showing us in the middle of the classroom."
Murtagh squeezed his shoulder. Harry shook his head and continued.
"I got really, really angry and I... Snapped. I just punched him straight in the face."
"That is understandable." Murtagh said soothingly. "I only hope you did not get into too much trouble."
Harry shook his head.
"Snape looked like he wanted to give me detentions until the end of seventh year, but after the rest of the staff heard what happened, they all got pretty angry. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout literally dragged Dumbledore out of the Great Hall. I was even given twenty points for helping Neville."
He sucked in a breath.
"But that's not all." He continued. "When I saw Dumbledore, after I punched him, I... I actually felt happy. I was happy to see the blood flowing from his nose. I felt satisfaction when I heard his nose breaking."
He began to breathe heavily.
"I... I enjoyed seeing him in pain." He said. "But I wanted him to suffer more. I wanted him to suffer like the students that are supposed to be under his care have suffered. Like Neville has suffered. Like I have suffered. I... I wanted to draw my sword and make him bleed. Not kill him, but make him hurt badly. I... I just felt so much anger, and I couldn't control it."
He looked straight into Murtagh's eyes. For once, he did not look like a boy who was forced to grow up too fast. He looked like a vulnerable child, afraid and desperate for some form of comfort.
"Am I like Morzan?"
The question hit Murtagh hard. He felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of him.
How could Harry even think such a thing?
He could see his son shaking violently, so he wrapped an arm around him and pulled the younger man close. His head rested against Murtagh's chest. With his other hand, Murtagh began running his fingers through his son's messy hair.
"Listen to me Harry," He began, in a voice that was much calmer than he felt. "You are nothing like Morzan."
"But I took pleasure in seeing Dumbledore suffer." Harry argued. "I enjoyed it, and wanted him to suffer more for all that he has done."
Murtagh shushed him.
"You are nothing like Morzan." He repeated. "Your anger is justified, his was not. You are as kind as he was cruel, as selfless as he was selfish, as good as he was evil. You are nothing like him."
He did not know how long they sat like that, with him comforting his son. But eventually, Harry seemed to calm down, and he sat up.
"Thanks." He said quietly.
Murtagh squeezed his shoulder.
"I am here for you." He said. "Always, no matter what."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks. It's just... I still can not get over how angry I was..."
Murtagh sighed.
"I know how it feels." He began. "During the war... I remember being so angry. At Galbatorix, at Eragon, at my life... I was a victim of fate, and I hated it. My own brother wanted to kill me, I was forced to fight for a monster, and I could do nothing about it."
He sighed.
"I suppose, that killing the dwarf king Hrothgar was my way of venting out my frustration. I was just full of so much anger, and power, and I unleashed my new power to vent my anger."
He shook his head and chuckled bitterly.
"If either of us are like Morzan, I am afraid that it is I."
"No, you're not." Harry argued, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You actually feel sorry for what you have done. I doubt he ever felt anything resembling remorse. And you are a much better parent. I know that isn't saying much since he set the bar pretty low, but it's still true."
Murtagh's lips twitched in a smile.
"It's just the anger..." Harry continued.
Murtagh chuckled bitterly.
"Perhaps we can at least blame him for this trait."
"Yeah, I guess." Harry agreed.
They were silent for a few seconds.
"Can I... Can I just stay here for a bit?" Harry asked. "It's just... People are probably still talking about what happened at lunch, and I don't think I'll be able to handle it."
Murtagh nodded.
"I have plenty of books in my tent, if you wanted to do some reading. After your sudden burst of violent thoughts, I doubt you would want to do any sword-training."
Harry nodded.
"Thanks."
With that, the younger man got up and walked to the tent.
Later that night, after Harry had gone back to the castle, Murtagh and Thorn silently flew as quickly and stealthily as they could. They had instructed Colaen to remain in the clearing, and hopefully she would listen to them. This was an important mission, and Murtagh was determined for it to succeed.
After several hours of flight, he and Thorn landed in London under camouflage. He left Thorn in a park and snuck through the streets.
Without anyone noticing, he found his way into the wizarding hospital, St Mungos.
He remembered it vaguely from the night when Harry was born. However, he did not completely know the way to his destination. Thankfully, there was a helpful list of the wards in the front foyer. He assumed that the people he sought were in the long-term ward, so that is where he headed.
After several minutes of wandering around, he found the right ward and entered undetected. He walked over to the two beds at the end of the ward, which had been pushed closely together. He had to stifle a gasp when he saw the two occupants.
It had only been fourteen years since he had last seen them. But Alice and Frank Longbottom looked so different. Alice's formerly dark hair was now prematurely white, and both of them seemed gaunt and pale. In their sleep, they twitched uncontrollably. It filled him with sorrow to see yet more people he had failed. They had been Lily's friends. They could have potentially taken care of Harry. They had both been good, kind and brave people.
If he had stayed, he could have done something, anything, to protect them. But no, he had run, and they had been tortured into madness. Dying was one thing, but this...
Not to mention the effect this must have had on Neville. The poor boy had lived his entire life with his parents so close and yet not even able to recognize him.
As he looked at them, his mind began to wonder if this could have happened to Lily, if the Death-Eaters had continued to torture her, and if Murtagh was not there to stop them. Could she have been in a bed like this, her beautiful red hair turning prematurely white, unable to recognize the people she loved?
Murtagh clenched his fists and his resolve strengthened. He could not change the past, but he would do whatever it took to improve the future. He may not be able to give Harry all of his family, but he could ensure that another boy so much like his son was not forced to live without his family for the rest of his life.
He gently probed into Alice's mind first. It was an honest mess, and it would take longer than this one night to repair the damage. He did the same to Frank, and saw that his was just as bad.
No matter. Murtagh did not care how long it took, or even if he had to ask Eragon for help. Everyone deserved to have people who loved them. No child should have to go without the love of a parent. The Longbottoms had suffered enough. He would fix their minds, no matter what it took.