https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-422-A-Chance-Encounter-with-Lupin/13454005/
Chapter 423: Gift
Chapter 423: Gift (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
"What?" Lupin's voice was so loud that Hermione and Tonks turned to look at him.
"We were discussing some alchemy-related matters. Professor Lupin got a bit excited after hearing about my recent progress in alchemy", Liam said, calming the two women. He then turned to Lupin and added, "I just said I would try; I didn't say I would definitely succeed."
"It's fine, I believe in you", Lupin took a deep breath and said. "We've always thought you have a good chance of becoming the next Nicolas Flamel. If there's anyone I know who could solve my problem, it would be you."
"Really, you think so highly of me? That's quite flattering", Liam scratched his head, embarrassed. "But recently, I did figure out a crucial piece of knowledge. It might actually help with your condition. However, I can't guarantee 100% success. You might have to face the possibility of a long wait with no results."
"It's okay, I've been waiting for so long, I can wait a bit more", Lupin smiled genuinely. "You should know that over the years, very few wizards have been willing to do anything for us werewolves. Most wizards aren't interested in researching treatments for us, as we don't have much money."
Liam understood. The issue of researching werewolf treatments was similar to the rare disease research in his previous world. Because the number of patients was so small, the drugs developed often couldn't recoup the costs, leading those with the capability to abandon such research for financial reasons.
"By the way, how should I assist you?" Lupin asked seriously after venting his emotions.
"First, give me a vial of your blood. Then, during the next full moon, I need to observe you", Liam thought for a moment and replied.
"Is that all? I remember when Damocles Belby invented the Wolfsbane Potion, he gathered a lot of data on werewolves and even required seven or eight werewolves to participate in his experiments. You don't need to worry about this affecting my life; I'll do my best to cooperate", Lupin said, sounding a bit incredulous.
"It's fine. Thanks to Damocles Belby's observations, I can just review his research papers. There's no need to repeat the long-term observations", Liam explained. It seemed that since the Wolfsbane Potion couldn't make money from werewolves, Damocles Belby had openly shared all his research notes and the method for brewing the potion after its invention.
This was a smart move. Realizing he couldn't gain enough economic benefit from his invention, Damocles Belby abandoned all financial interests in exchange for fame. This strategy worked well; Damocles Belby received the Order of Merlin Medal and became a Potion Master as renowned as Professor Snape.
After they agreed on the plan, Lupin went to the bathroom and drew a vial of his blood, which he handed to Liam. Tonks then pulled him away, using the pretext of going shopping.
"Professor Lupin is a good person, but he doesn't realize that what he's doing is actually hurting Tonks", Hermione said softly, watching them leave.
"He's just worried that Tonks might be acting on a whim. Given his situation, he will face more trouble than others in the future. Lupin doesn't want to burden anyone else, and he certainly doesn't want to ruin a young girl's life because of his own problems", Liam sighed. He thought about the couple's fate in the original story and found it truly disheartening.
"Yes, love should never be blind or impulsive. But it's clear that Tonks isn't like that. She has thought through all the potential difficulties. At this point, Lupin's continued rejection will only hurt her", Hermione said. "Tonks told me she wants to give Lupin more time. She understands his thoughts and believes that with her efforts, he will change his mind."
"They are both good people! It's just that fate has played a cruel joke on them", Liam concluded, then turned to Hermione. "Lately, I've been planning to research ways to treat Werewolves. I hope it can help Lupin and others."
"Helping Professor Lupin is a good thing, but won't this interfere with your O.W.L. Exams? I think you can still do this kind of research after you graduate. There's no need to be so anxious", Hermione said, concerned.
"Don't worry!" Liam said, taking Hermione's hand in his to comfort her. "I've already prepared everything for my O.W.L. Exams. And as I told you when I arrived, I'm studying some of the things that great Wizards once researched. Helping Lupin is actually beneficial for my research."
Liam was telling the truth. He was currently researching the Rules of Transformation. Studying ways to reverse the process of humans turning into Werewolves was the best way to understand these rules. Besides, there was a wealth of information on this topic, which would save him a lot of tedious groundwork.
"Alright, let's talk about this later", Liam quickly changed the subject, feeling that continuing this conversation at this moment would be foolish. "I have a gift for you."
Liam let go of Hermione's hand and pulled a pink box from his spatial pocket. "See if you like it. I put a lot of effort into making it."
"Speaking of which, I remember something." Hermione lightly tapped her forehead in frustration and then pulled a rectangular package wrapped in pink paper from her pocket.
Liam tore open the wrapping and found a notebook inside. When he opened it, he saw neat, closely written letters. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a book about Potion making, containing detailed methods for brewing potions like Polyjuice Potion and Felix Felicis, though the methods were significantly improved compared to the standard ones.
"I found this at Sirius Black's house, but it was covered in mold at the time. After cleaning it up, I transcribed a new copy, hoping it would be useful to you", Hermione said as she unwrapped Liam's gift.
"Thank you, this will be very useful to me", Liam said, looking at Hermione.
"I'm glad you like it—oh, what's this?" Hermione tore open the wrapping of Liam's gift and saw a piece of electronic equipment inside.
"An iphone?" Hermione was surprised as she took out a black smartphone from the box. She recognized this device because the first-generation iphone had just been released in the world of the Skinned Inn, and many of the monsters she had defeated there owned one. "But this kind of electronic device is useless at Hogwarts."
"No, no, no", Liam smiled and shook his head. "This is just inspired by the design of the iphone. In reality, it's a highly modified Two-way Mirror. Besides the usual functions of a Two-way Mirror, it can also access all the textbooks and required reference books from first to seventh year."
"I really like this gift", Hermione said happily after testing it and finding that she could search for key sentences to find the original text in the books. "If you could sell this in your shop, it would be very popular."
"At least not in the short term, because the cost is too high", Liam explained. To achieve the functionality of a future smartphone, the Two-way Mirror was made from Mithril and embedded with many runes-inscribed gems. It was created as an experimental prototype, and Liam believed it would take a long time to make it more widely available.
After finishing their Butterbeer, the rain had lessened considerably. Liam and Hermione took the opportunity to return to the castle.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
