"This is going to be a long and draining procedure for me," Vincent
told them. "I must ask you both to keep absolutely quiet, as any lapse
in my concentration could have dire consequences, not just for Fred but
also for anyone else present, ie not only me but you too, my dear." And
he nodded to Astra. Then he pulled out from his bag a small stoppered container,
a wand, and various other odds and ends, and took down some large leatherbound
volumes from his shelves. For the next hour or so, he chanted various incantations,
anointed Fred with drops of liquid from the container, waved his wand at
intervals, and carried out various strange rituals. After a while a golden
haze seemed to gather around Fred and to grow gradually denser.
-
 Then Vincent appeared to finish.
Fred's body seemed to shimmer, and then was restored to what it had been.
-
Then Vincent appeared to finish,
but nothing happened except that the golden haze dispersed.
-
 Then
Astra suddenly sneezed, and Vincent glanced in her direction and seemed
to falter in the incantation that he was in the middle of reciting.
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