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Chapter 219: A Chance to Explain
Chapter 219: A Chance to Explain
When the word "werewolf" suddenly popped into Felix's mind, everything that had seemed unreasonable suddenly made sense.
Lupin had always given him a strange feeling, which he initially thought was due to Snape's words. Now, it was clear that it wasn't just that; he had picked up on some characteristics of a werewolf in human form—the pupils, the hair, and the faint aura of a dark creature.
Unfortunately, Felix hadn't thought along these lines at all.
Additionally, Lupin was always perceived as being in poor health, but when was this impression most pronounced? Around the full moon! Especially in the past few days, all the talk about his lingering cold was just an excuse... It should have been clear that the full moon had just passed.
Madam Pomfrey's skills weren't that bad.
"It's so obvious! I can't believe I didn't see it. The clues were right in front of me." Felix looked at the information he had noted on parchment, comparing each point—
'Lupin is impoverished because he has no proper job. To hide his identity, he has to constantly move and change his identity.'
'He must have a lot of experience in hiding, but once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern, and three or four times? For a werewolf, it's only a matter of months before people around them notice something is off. No amount of excuses can change the fact that a werewolf disappears during the full moon!'
'He has a grudge against the new Minister of Magic, Fudge, because Fudge revised the werewolf registration act, linking the registration list to the Wolfsbane Potion. Without registering, you can't buy the potion. This explains why Lupin came to Hogwarts this year—he couldn't get the potion to maintain his sanity during the transformation from anywhere else.'
Werewolves' transformations are extremely draining. Before the Wolfsbane Potion, they would attack anyone they saw, even if locked in a cage, they would go mad, losing their sanity as they beat and claw at anything in their way.
The aftermath of such behavior is severe and can last three to four days, or even a week, depending on the individual's constitution.
With the Wolfsbane Potion, werewolves fare much better. They can remain rational during the full moon, find a secluded place to hide, and by the next day, everything returns to normal—perhaps a bit tired, but they can manage without giving away any clues. This is far better than being recognized as a werewolf.
Felix recalled that two weeks before the start of the term, Snape was called back early by Dumbledore. He had grumbled about having to brew a "disgusting" potion. Could it have been anything other than the Wolfsbane Potion?
Felix couldn't help but smile, imagining the scene of Snape being forced by Dumbledore to brew a potion for someone he despised.
'Severus's expression must have been priceless!'
There were other small details worth noting.
For example, Snape had once told him, "Lupin's true nature will surprise you", which was likely a hint about his werewolf identity.
Before the Opening Feast, Professor Mcgonagall had deliberately avoided Snape while introducing Lupin, indicating that she knew about their conflict. In other words, she also knew about Lupin's werewolf identity.
Who else might know?
Dumbledore must have known, and perhaps even more...
Felix calculated the timeline. When Lupin was a student, Dumbledore was already Headmaster. For Lupin to attend school, he must have had Dumbledore's approval.
It's possible that Dumbledore orchestrated the entire plan himself, perhaps even going to Lupin's home to persuade him personally...
To enroll a young werewolf wizard at Hogwarts, a series of protective measures must be put in place—this includes a designated transformation location and post-transformation care and treatment.
For the former, Felix had no idea. In theory, any abandoned classroom would suffice. With Dumbledore's capabilities, he could easily cast various silencing charms to isolate the young Lupin's howls during transformation.
'Hagrid once mentioned that many werewolves, feeling rejected by the entire wizarding world, become disheartened and prefer to live with wolf packs. However, for a young Lupin, that would be an impossible choice. The most likely scenario is that his parents locked him in a room and used silencing charms to prevent the neighbors from hearing...'
'Thinking about it this way, does Lupin have a significant psychological shadow regarding silencing charms?'
As for the latter, Lupin himself admitted that Madam Pomfrey helped him a great deal during his school years.
Felix suddenly thought of an interesting question: Did Harry's father, James Potter, and Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, know about Lupin's werewolf condition?
'Probably,' Felix speculated silently. 'Otherwise, Lupin wouldn't have looked back on those times with such fondness.' He remembered the smile on Lupin's face when he described his school days, his eyes glowing with warmth.
This only increased Felix's curiosity, not about Lupin, but about Sirius Black.
From the information he had pieced together, Black's behavior seemed to have a clear sense of dissonance, even to the point of being abnormal.
In his youth, Black was a Gryffindor with a strong sense of justice, strongly opposing Slytherins and even his own family. Although, based on some of the forbidden records Felix had seen, the guy seemed a bit reckless...
After graduation, Black almost immediately joined the Order of the Phoenix, becoming a key force in the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. From this perspective, he was a fearless warrior.
'When did Black start to change? Was it the irresistible pull of family ties, being swayed by his numerous Death Eater relatives, or was he captured by Voldemort himself during a mission, threatened with the lives of his family? Or perhaps he simply couldn't withstand the torture of the Cruciatus Curse?'
'Could it be that after tasting pain, he turned from brave to cowardly...'
Felix suddenly felt irritable. If things were as he suspected, he detested this story.
Especially when he thought about the Longbottoms, who were driven insane by the Death Eaters but never revealed a single piece of information, the stark contrast left him deeply conflicted.
If he were in that situation, how would he choose? Would he betray his best friend for some reason?
"The premise is invalid", he muttered after a long while.
Felix suddenly realized with a sinking heart that he hadn't made a single close friend during his school years. The first three years were spent focusing on studies and fighting, the fourth year was dedicated entirely to practicing spells, and by the end of fifth year, everyone looked at him with a mix of awe and fear.
'Come to think of it, a few Slytherin girls gave me chocolate during my school years, but I suspected it was cursed, so I threw it away.'
'Did I miss out on something?'
Felix mulled over his past experiences, and after a while, he laughed humorlessly.
"I must be really bored. But... Sirius Black, whether it's for the books in the Black Family Manor or to confirm if you have a despicable soul, I will give you a chance to explain."
Today's update is only this much. The main plot of this school year is approaching, and the author is also working on a significant early climax. Please bear with me as I sort things out.
(End of Chapter)
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