Chapter 219: Opportunity Unveiled
When the term "werewolf" suddenly sprang into Felix Harp''s mind, the previously inexplicable pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together.
Lupin had always given him an eerie feeling, and he thought it was because of Snape''s words affecting him. Now, it seemed not to be the case. Felix had captured some characteristics of Lupin in his non-transformed state: the pupils, the hair, and the faint aura of a dark creature. Unfortunately, Felix hadn''t even considered this aspect.
Furthermore, Lupin had always given the impression of having poor health, but when was this impression most noticeable? Around the full moon! Especially in thest couple of days. Every ailment conveniently timed... It must have been just after the full moon had passed.
Madam Pomfrey''s skills were not to be underestimated.
"Too obvious! I can''t believe I didn''t see it. The clues were right in front of me," Felix murmured as he looked at the information he had jotted down on parchment,paring it line by line.
"Lupin, destitute, because he never holds a proper job. To conceal his identity, he must always be ready to change locations and identities."
"He must have considerable expertise in concealing, but once is happenstance, twice is coincidence. What about three times, four times? For a werewolf, in a matter of months, those around him would notice the anomalies. No number of excuses can change one fact: a werewolf disappears during the full moon!"
"His animosity toward the rtively new Minister of Magic, Fudge, is due to Fudge''s oversight of the amendment to the Werewolf Registration Act. He tied the werewolf registry to the Wolfsbane potion—no registration, no potion. This also exins why Lupin came to Hogwarts this year. He couldn''t obtain this potion elsewhere to retain his sanity during the full moon transformation."
Indeed, werewolf transformations were incredibly draining. Without the Wolfsbane potion, they would violently attack anyone in sight, even if caged, descending into madness, striking and tearing at anything in their way.
The aftermath was intense and oftensted three to four days, sometimes even a week, depending on individual constitution.
With the Wolfsbane potion, however, werewolves could remain rational during the full moon, find a hidden ce to hide, and return to normal the next day—perhaps a bit fatigued butposed enough to avoid suspicion. It was a thousand times better than being recognized as a werewolf.
Felix recalled that two weeks before the start of term, Snape had been called back by Dumbledore. He had grudgingly mentioned concocting a "disgusting" potion, besides Wolfsbane, what other potion could it be? Felix couldn''t help but curl his lips into a smirk. It was hard to imagine Snape, pinned down by Dumbledore, brewing a potion for someone he disliked.
"Severus''s expression must have been amusing!"
There were other small details to note.
For instance, Snape had once told him, "Lupin''s true nature will shock you." It was undoubtedly an allusion to his being a werewolf. Before the start-of-term feast, Professor McGonagall, when introducing Lupin, had deliberately avoided looking at Snape. This implied she knew of their conflict, which in turn meant she also knew of Lupin''s condition.
Who else knew?
Dumbledore must have known, and perhaps...
Felix calcted the timeline. When Lupin attended school, Dumbledore was already the headmaster. For him to attend, he must have had the headmaster''s approval.
Perhaps the entire n was Dumbledore''s orchestration. He likely wouldn''t leave it to chance; he would personally visit and persuade...
To admit a young wizard werewolf to Hogwarts, a series of protective measures must be put in ce— including a location for the werewolf''s transformation and care and treatment after the transformation.
The former, Felix Harp had no way of knowing. In theory, any abandoned ssroom would do. With Dumbledore''s abilities, he could easily cast various silencing spells to muffle the howls of the young Lupin during his transformation.
"Hagrid once mentioned that many werewolves are ostracized from the wizarding world and, disheartened, they''d rather live with wolf packs. But for a young Lupin, he couldn''t have made that choice. The most usible scenario is that his parents locked him in a room, muffling his cries with silencing spells to keep the neighbors from hearing..."
"Felix wondered, could Lupin have a significant psychological aversion to silencing spells?"
As for thetter, Lupin had personally admitted that Madam Pomfrey had helped him a lot during his school years.
Felix suddenly thought of an intriguing question: Did Harry''s father—James Potter, along with Sirius ck and Peter Pettigrew—know about Lupin being a werewolf?
"They probably did," Felix silently spected, "or else Lupin wouldn''t reminisce about those times so fondly." He recalled the smile on Lupin''s face when he spoke of his introduction to Hogwarts, his eyes seemingly glowing.
This raised more questions in Felix''s mind, not about Lupin, but about Sirius ck.
From the information he had pieced together, there was a distinct shift in his behavior, even reaching abnormal levels.
In his youth, ck was a valiant Gryffindor, vehemently opposed to Slytherin and even his own family. Though based on some restricted records Felix had glimpsed, this person seemed rather reckless...
After graduation, ck almost immediately joined the Order of the Phoenix, bing a stalwart against Voldemort and his Death Eater forces. From this perspective, he was a fearless warrior.
"When did ck start to change? Was it due to an inability to resist the pull of family ties, being influenced by his numerous Death Eater rtives, or perhaps he was captured by Voldemort himself in some operation and threatened with death and harm to his family? Or maybe it was simply the unbearable torment of the Cruciatus Curse?"
"Could it be? Transforming from brave to cowardly after tasting the bitterness of suffering..."
Felix suddenly felt disgruntled. If things were as he suspected, he despised this story.
Especially when he thought of the Lestrange couple being tormented to madness by Death Eaters, not disclosing any information, this extreme contrast left him in inner turmoil.
If he were in that situation, how would he choose? Would he betray his best friend for some reason?
"Suppositions that simply don''t hold water," he murmured after a moment of thought.
Felix suddenly felt a pang of mncholy. He realized he hadn''t made any close friends during his school years. The first three years were spent studying and fighting, in fourth year he ignored everything around him while practicing spells, and by fifth year, everyone looked at him with awe.
"Speaking of which, during my school years, a few Slytherin girls did give me choctes, but I suspected curses and threw them away."
"Did I miss out on something?"
Chewing over his past experiences, Felixughed softly after a while.
"I''m quite bored, aren''t I? Well... Sirius ck, whether it''s for the hidden books in the ck family home or to ascertain whether you harbor a wicked soul, I will give you a chance to exin."
Today will only have two updates. We''re about to approach the main storyline of this school year, plus a near climax that the author has nned, allowing the author some time for meticulous arrangement.
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