Chapter 257: Treatment Like a Thousand Cuts
"Let's go."
Phoebus led a few people up the stairs and walked through the door in the portrait into a room that was almost identical to the previous one.
"This is where our family takes refuge. When our enemy comes, we can activate the magic circle inside. That way, except for a few spells, this place won't be destroyed."
"According to family records, the structure here is exactly the same as the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Therefore, you can use any magic here without worrying about any other accidents."
Dumbledore nodded, looked at Astoria, and asked,
"So, Miss Greengrass, are you ready?"
Astoria took a deep breath and said, with a slight tremor in her voice,
"Ready, Professor."
"Very well, then, Fawkes!"
As Dumbledore spoke, a ball of fire appeared in front of everyone. The fire then transformed into a phoenix, landed on Dumbledore's shoulder, and rubbed his cheek affectionately.
Dumbledore smiled and spoke a few words to the phoenix in a singing voice. The phoenix responded with a high-pitched call, which made everyone in the room feel relieved and refreshed.
Phineas glanced at Phoebus and said,
"Phoebus, I personally suggest that you don't stay here, because the next scene is not something you want to see."
Phoebus had no idea what would happen next. Although he had agreed in words, if he really saw his daughter in such pain, he wasn't sure he could refrain from interfering. So, after Phineas said this, he left the secret room.
After Phoebus left, Phineas said to Astoria,
"Um, Astoria, I think you might need to prepare some clothes, if you don't want to walk out of this room naked after everything is over."
Astoria was stunned and looked at Phineas in surprise.
Phineas shrugged and explained,
"I told you we'd be using Fiendfyre to burn your body and purge the curse. Under the effect of Fiendfyre, everything on your body will be burned. Your flesh will recover under the phoenix flame, but your clothes won't. So if you have anything precious or important, you'd better take it off now, or it'll all be destroyed."
Astoria was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, as if making a decision.
Reaching back with both hands, she gently unzipped the back of her robe.
As the zipper slid down, her snow-white skin was exposed to the air, catching the eyes of Phineas, Dumbledore, and Nico.
Dumbledore's love for Grindelwald made him completely indifferent to women, and at his age, he was old enough to be Astoria's grandfather.
Nicolas was even more detached. His five hundred years of life had made him indifferent to nearly everything.
But compared to them, Phineas was still immature.
Astoria's pale skin, long weakened by the blood curse, looked nearly bloodless, like solidified fat.
The eleven-year-old girl's figure had already taken shape. Although she was still very young, her developing form was noticeable. If nothing unexpected happened, she would surely become a beauty.
Phineas, only fourteen years old, young, inexperienced, and impulsive, found himself overwhelmed by the sight before him.
Ordinary emotional fluctuations would be one thing.
But now, he was about to initiate the Fiendfyre. It required complete mental focus, without the slightest distraction.
And in this moment, he couldn't do that.
So, he sat down, forcing himself to imagine a thick book in his mind, filling it with details line by line.
Imagining something so entirely mundane helped him calm his restless thoughts. Finally, he regained his composure.
When he opened his eyes again, they were cold, calm, and emotionless.
Seeing this, Nico nodded silently. The ability to center oneself so quickly was rare and valuable in magic—further proof of Phineas's outstanding magical talent.
"Are you ready?"
Phineas asked again, and this time, his voice was much colder.
Astoria, still just a little girl, was too embarrassed to speak. She simply nodded, her face flushed.
"Fiendfyre!"
Following Phineas's spell, a large ball of fire shot from his wand toward Astoria's frail body.
Fiendfyre is an extremely dangerous magic. Its flames can consume anything. Unless countered by specific spells or a coordinated group of wizards, it will burn endlessly until everything nearby is reduced to ash.
Since receiving Hufflepuff's inheritance and taking the blood-enhancing potion, Phineas hadn't needed to speak incantations aloud.
The enhancement of his bloodline had elevated his magical control beyond that of most great or even legendary wizards.
He could cast silently, even with unfamiliar spells.
But now, to maintain precise control, he chose to speak the spell aloud.
Under his guidance, the Fiendfyre climbed up Astoria's body, slowly engulfing her entirely.
"Professor!"
Phineas shouted quickly, reminding Dumbledore of the next step.
At his call, Dumbledore swung the Elder Wand, and a large ball of orange flame flew from Fawkes and merged with the Fiendfyre.
Just when the fire was about to consume her entirely, the Phoenix flame began restoring her burned flesh, tissue, blood vessels, and skin.
"Ah~"
A wretched scream escaped Astoria's lips. Her voice trembled, grew weaker, and eventually faded into silence.
The fire burned her skin, her muscles, and every vessel inside her.
Following that pain, another flame followed, burning again where the Fiendfyre had just scorched—like pouring boiling saltwater and pepper into an open wound.
"Being cut into pieces" didn't even begin to describe the agony Astoria endured. And through all of it, she had to remain conscious—performing mental calculations even while her body was aflame.
Her vocal cords had burned away. All she could manage now were barely audible whimpers.
Phineas watched as the skin that had distracted him moments ago turned to bone. The fire consumed flesh and blood alike.
The phoenix flame continuously restored what had been burned, keeping her on the edge of life.
This was intentional. To remove the curse, Astoria's entire body had to be destroyed before the curse could spread. The Phoenix flame served only to keep her alive.
The Fiendfyre did not burn her just once.
It burned, and the Phoenix flame healed. Then it burned again. And healed again.
Over and over again.
Until not a trace of the curse remained in her body. As if the process had replaced her entire being—like a Muggle blood transfusion—but more extreme.
In truth, her bloodline hadn't changed. But her physical body had.
Even the bloodline of the entire Greengrass family could be said to have been cleansed—through her alone.
...
As time passed,
Phineas's forehead was soaked with sweat. He and Dumbledore had to stay intensely focused. While Astoria endured unspeakable physical pain, they endured continuous mental strain.
Nicolas scanned Astoria's body again and again, checking for signs of the curse.
Astoria no longer had the strength to scream.
Only Nicolas remained unaffected.
Even Dumbledore looked deathly pale—drained of decades of life.
"Almost there, almost there!"
Nicolas suddenly shouted,
"It'll be over soon—hold on!"
His call revived the spirits of the others in the room.
Phineas gripped his wand tighter and bit his tongue. The sharp pain and taste of blood sobered him.
He felt a wave of relief—if not for Nicolas's shout, he might have lost control of the Fiendfyre.
Astoria hadn't had the strength to scream anymore, and without that cue, Phineas nearly lost track of the fire.
Failure would have meant her death.
But they had made it.
At Nicolas's signal, Phineas pulled the Fiendfyre away from Astoria's body, slowly extinguishing it.
Freed from Fiendfyre's restraint, the Phoenix flame surged, completely engulfing Astoria.
As the orange flame faded,
In the center of the room's scorched floor, Astoria lay naked and gasping for air.
"We…"
Phineas collapsed to the floor and looked at Nicolas and Dumbledore.
"Did we succeed?"
Dumbledore smiled bitterly and said nothing. He simply gestured to Nicolas.
Nicolas crouched beside Astoria and carefully examined her.
Had Astoria not just endured such despairing pain, she would've been filled with discomfort and shame. Any young girl, lying naked and being examined by a 500-year-old man—even with the best intentions—would feel deeply uncomfortable.
After a while, Nicolas stood and announced,
"We succeeded."
Then, looking at Phineas with great excitement, he added,
"Phineas, you changed history. You found a way to cure blood curses. Not just this one—any curse related to the body that couldn't be removed before… now it can."
Dumbledore laughed softly at this and looked at Phineas with admiration.
"Phineas, with your current achievements, if nothing unexpected happens, you'll receive a First-Class Order of Merlin—perhaps even a seat in the Wizengamot."
Phineas lay there and laughed.
"I don't care about the Order of Merlin, but I am interested in the Wizengamot. Besides, this wasn't about glory. We just wanted to save a life, right?"
Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction. This time, the look he gave Phineas was pure and sincere, full of praise.
Until now, there had always been a trace of calculation in Dumbledore's eyes. But in this moment, that vanished.
Phineas and Dumbledore gradually recovered. Their fatigue came only from long hours of standing and mental strain.
Astoria, on the other hand, had a completely renewed body. She couldn't control it yet and lay helpless on the cold ground.
Phineas glanced at her, sighed, and waved his wand.
Her clothes floated over and dressed her gently.
When everything was done, Phineas levitated Astoria's body behind them and walked out of the secret room with the others.