Loren: Professor Lupin, Time to Take Your Medicine

The dark clouds continued to gather, growing thicker and thicker. The sky outside the Castle was gray and hazy, making everything in sight seem veiled in a thin gauze, somewhat dim.

A sliver of light peeked through the cracks in the sky, making it impossible to tell whether it was morning or afternoon, or whether the sun was rising or setting.

In the forest, the colors of autumn are gradually deepening. Trees that are not cold-hardy are replacing their green leaves with red ones, creating a mottled effect that looks quite interesting. Even the leaves of evergreen trees have changed from the bright green of summer to a deep olive green.

Along the forest path, dew clung to the bushes and unidentified wildflowers. Occasionally, a blade of grass, unable to bear the weight, would rustle and fall, the dew hitting the fallen leaves and creating a soft, whispering sound.

Cool, moist air filled the air, along with the aroma of green leaves and earth.

In the clearing surrounding the Forbidden Forest, third-year wizards were having Care of Magical Creatures, with Gryffindor and Slytherin students standing in two distinct groups.

Their professor was a tall, Half-Giant.

"I know some of you were scared by the Hippogriff in the last lesson, so this time we'll learn something gentle and cute..." Hagrid had a bright smile on his face, clearly confident in the Professor Hagrid aids this time. "Harry, Ron, bring those little cuties up here quickly."

"Yes..."

"Okay, Professor..."

Harry and Ron responded listlessly from the crowd, went around behind the rock, and each brought out a wooden bucket.

Hagrid easily took the barrels from them, waved them back to their places, and smiled at the young wizards, saying, "This might be the gentlest Fantastic Beasts in the world, everyone, watch closely—"

He pushed the wooden barrel over, and its contents spilled all over the ground.

The ground was covered with countless caterpillars, like two puddles of liquid, slowly spreading outwards. They were about ten inches long, mostly brown, with a ring of white stripes around their backs.

"Ah!"

"Insect!"

Several little Witch cried out in surprise and involuntarily took a few steps back. Even the boys felt their scalps tingle and goosebumps rise all over their bodies.

"Hiss..."

Loren rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. Although he had encountered Dobby more disgusting things when processing Potions ingredients, seeing two large piles of caterpillars crawling on the ground in layers still made him instinctively want to avoid them.

Loren looked at Harry and Ron and asked, "Is this the result after you helped with the approval?"

"Of course not." Ron's face turned a little green. These caterpillars reminded him of his experience with slugs. "But Hagrid said they're safe. Even a newborn baby won't be hurt by these gentle, cute caterpillars."

Harry closed his eyes, finding it hard to look directly at him. "We tried to persuade them, we really tried."

Hagrid seemed completely oblivious to the young wizards' reactions, actively trying to liven up the classroom atmosphere. "Can anyone tell me what kind of animal this is?"

"It's the Flobberworm, Professor," Hermione's clear voice rang out from behind them at just the right moment.

Was anyone there just now?

Ron was startled. He thought about it carefully, then turned his head and whispered in Harry's ear, "Did you see when she came?"

Harry shook his head. "Maybe it was there from the beginning."

"Is that so..." Ron began to doubt his own memories.

"Well done, Hermione! Five points for Gryffindor!" Hagrid responded happily, then carefully picked up a small worm with his little finger and showed it to everyone.

"The Flobberworm, these little guys love to eat lettuce, but in fact they eat almost all plants. Their Ministry of Magic is classified at only the lowest level, and some people say they're a very boring animal..."

While Hagrid was lecturing, Loren looked at the little Witch with rosy cheeks and noticed that Hermione had tied her hair up with a blade of grass stuck to it, as if she had been running in a hurry.

Loren plucked the blade of grass from her hair and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Hermione sighed softly, "Professor Bubage got carried away and went overtime..."

The teacher went overtime... Loren paused for a moment, there was nothing he could do, it was beyond his control.

There wasn't much to learn about the Flobberworm, so Hagrid quickly finished explaining, "Alright! Everyone come up and take a caterpillar. Your task for this lesson is to feed these little guys and observe what they look like when they're full."

The young wizards were all groaning and complaining.

An hour later.

Loren, Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat in a circle, with a lazy Flobberworm lying in front of each of them, its belly bulging and filled with chopped lettuce leaves.

As Hagrid said, this creature is very safe and very boring.

However, for Hermione, who was constantly on the go, this safe and boring class made her feel relaxed.

Loren also thought that these caterpillars weren't so disgusting unless they appeared in swarms, densely packed together. He used Levitation Charm to lift the vegetable leaves off the ground, determined to lure the little caterpillars to stand up, only to have them fall back onto the grass again and again.

Hermione rested her chin on her hands, watching Loren play this silly game, repeating it dozens of times and still finding it very interesting.

Ron stared blankly at the little caterpillar. "We just spent an hour stuffing lettuce leaves into their tiny throats. I feel like we wasted an hour of our lives. What's worse, this might not even be the worst part."

Harry asked curiously, "What's the worst thing?"

Ron sighed, "The worst part is that every Care of Magical Creatures will be like this from now on."

Harry followed his train of thought for a moment, then sadly realized that this could very well come true, and cried out in despair, "Oh no—"

The two sighed and lamented for a while, and Ron broke off a small piece of lettuce to feed his caterpillar. "Why bother taking care of them? They're not of any use."

"Actually, it works," Hermione countered. "The Flobberworm is one of the few creatures that can be summoned by Summoning Charm while still alive."

Loren nodded and added, "The slime from the Flobberworm can be used as a thickener for Potions."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, reaching an agreement through their eyes.

They seem to have something wrong with each other.

Room of Requirement.

Loren sat cross-legged beside the bubbling cauldron, his body enveloped in an invisible membrane of gas, holding a copy of "The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic" in his hands, reading it with great interest.

As a legitimate book that could be borrowed from the school Library, this book did not cover detailed spells and casting methods, but only gave a general introduction to the evolution of Dark Arts. Through these fragmented records, Loren glimpsed a glimpse of the truth of history.

When discussing Dark Arts, one cannot help but mention black wizards.

Herpo the Foul, was a renowned ancient Greece dark wizard, and also the earliest and most influential dark wizard in history. He bred Basilisk, created Horcrux ... he invented many evil curses that continue to have a profound impact on the field of Dark Arts to this day.

In terms of influence, Voldemort isn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

Godelot inherited Hعلbo's mantle and further promoted Dark Arts. As one of the former owners of the Elder Wand, he took the Elder Wand Elder Wand as his mentor, absorbing knowledge from it and compiling a large amount of knowledge about evil spells into a book—"The Magick Moste Evile"...

Looking back, Loren realized that dark wizards gradually declined, and after the Middle Ages, no top dark wizards were able to step up and take the lead.

Similar to Grindelwald, Voldemort and his ilk can only be considered evil wizards; they made no significant contributions to the field of Dark Arts.

Of course, if Voldemort's methods of repeatedly splitting his soul and creating multiple Horcrux could be recorded, Hعلbo would probably think more highly of him, or he might call him a fool.

The book moves to the modern era, devoting considerable space to Voldemort, the First Wizarding War, and the story of the Chosen One Harry Potter. The authors, unaware of the historical truth and unable to conceal their fear of Voldemort, found this part somewhat tedious.

Closing the book and setting it aside, Loren opened the cauldron lid with his wand and peeked inside. After confirming that the Wolfsbane Potion was brewing successfully, he sat down and fell into deep thought.

He hesitated whether or not to ask Dumbledore for a note.

He knew he couldn't learn the Unforgivable Curses right now, so he asked Professor Flitwick for Unforgivable Curses. The professor suggested he try some basic Dark Arts first.

The problem is, if it were just ordinary Dark Arts, he wouldn't need to go to the headmaster and then take the headmaster's approval to Professor Flitwick.

You can learn on your own, you can consult Flamel, and if you encounter any problems, you can ask Professor Snape for help. He is also a master of Dark Arts, and may even be more proficient than Professor Flitwick.

Let's practice with some basic Dark Arts first.

Speaking of which, there is another matter that is more pressing and is giving Loren a bigger headache.

How can I hand over this modified Wolfsbane Potion to Professor Lupin, and in the meantime, persuade him to let me witness the full moon's transformation?

Glug...

Glug...

The Potions in the crucible was bubbling slightly, and the sound of bubbles bursting echoed continuously.

On Friday, during Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin was explaining a creature known in Japan as a "kappa," which, in Loren, looked more like a water monkey:

"Although Kappa looks a lot like a scaly monkey, this creature lives in water. Notice that it has webbed hands... And look here, there is a hole on its head filled with water, and the water inside provides energy for this creature."

"Kappa mainly lives in shallow rivers and ponds in Japan. Kappa primarily feeds on human blood and will try to strangle unsuspecting people wading through the ponds..."

"... If you throw a cucumber with your name on it at Kappa, Kappa might not attack you. Also, if you trick Kappa into bowing, the water in the hole on its head will flow out, and it will lose its power."

Ron, who was listening intently, suddenly raised his hand. "Professor, wouldn't it be quicker and more effective to just punch it in the nose?"

"Ha ha ha ha..."

The young wizards in the classroom all laughed; many of them shared the same thought.

Professor Lupin smiled gently. He had gained weight during his time recuperating at Hogwarts and was no longer as thin as he had been at the beginning of the semester. His fuller cheeks made his smile even more endearing.

Instead of scolding Ron for disrupting class, he followed his train of thought and teased, "Of course you can, but that's a method only trolls would use. As for you—I'm sorry, you only have the brain of a troll but not the strength, so that probably won't work."

"Oh, Professor, that's so hurtful!" Ron made a funny sad face, and started to sob.

The young wizards around them laughed even harder.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was probably the most relaxed and loudest class for the young wizards; they wouldn't dare be so unrestrained in front of the serious Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. The amiable Professor Flitwick, though capable of joking, wouldn't make witty remarks to deliberately amuse everyone.

Fun lessons always go by quickly. Fortunately, this was the last class of Friday. When the bell rang, the little wizards rushed out of the classroom even more happily, ready to enjoy a relaxing weekend.

Harry and Ron headed straight for the Quidditch Pitch, Hermione went to the Library to do her Ancient Rune homework.

Finally, only Loren, who was leisurely and deliberately rubbing against something, and Professor Lupin, who was cleaning the water tank, remained in the classroom.

As Loren walked onto the podium, the water monkeys in the tank noticed him first, pressing their faces against the glass and baring their teeth at him.

"Once you understand its weaknesses, it will be easy to deal with. Look—" Lupin seized the opportunity when its head was pressed against the glass, tapped on the glass, and made the water in its head shake a few times, which startled the water monkey Kappa and made it shrink back.

Covering the water tank with a black curtain, Lupin turned and smiled, "Tell me, Loren, how many ways can you think of to deal with these little monsters in the water?"

Loren thought for a moment and replied, "Transfiguration, Freezing Charm, Repelling Charm, Stunning Spell... anything that can have a controlling effect will do."

"That's right, the key is to stay calm." Lupin stepped down from the podium, found a seat in the first row, and relaxed his stiff knees and calves. "Is there anything you need to do for me at the back?"

Loren pulled a tightly sealed white porcelain bottle from his bag and handed it to Lupin: "Wolfsbane Potion, Professor."

"Wolfsbane Potion ..." Lupin's eyes flickered, then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "School life is too comfortable, I almost forgot about it."

He twirled the porcelain bottle in his hand, gradually clearing the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

His first thought was that Snape had deliberately revealed his identity, but then he realized that Snape wouldn't do it so obviously.

Yes, yes, the Sorcerer's Stone... Dumbledore mentioned it...

Lupin smiled and shook his head, then asked, "Why did Snape ask you to give it to me?"

"It's not a transfer..." Loren answered softly, "I brewed this potion myself."

"Did you make this?" Lupin instinctively wanted to open it and take a look.

"Don't--"

Seeing that the biological weapon was about to be leaked, Loren quickly stopped him, saying somewhat awkwardly, "This potion is a modified formula by Professor Snape, and it is not suitable to be opened in public places."

Lupin: "..."

Suddenly I'm a little hesitant to drink it.