Secrets of the Shrieking Shack

"Yeah?"

Snape gave a mocking smile. "He can brew even better ones in the future. I hope you like the taste of the Wolfsbane Potion."

The smell of Wolfsbane Potion...

Lupin the Werewolf fell silent, recalling the improvement plan that Loren had mentioned.

Rafflesia, Corpse-stinking Lily, Leopard-skin flower...

Snape's smile grew even more genuine. He tossed his cloak and began surveying the room, looking here and there, before mockingly pointing at the claw marks on the wall. "Look at you, Lupin Remus. Have you ever looked in a mirror when you transform?"

That's a rather malicious statement. Werewolf lose their minds when they transform under Full Moon Night, and Lupin only recently had the opportunity to use the Wolfsbane Potion to maintain his sanity during his transformation. Perhaps Lupin truly has no memory of his Werewolf face in his lucid mind.

"There hasn't been that opportunity yet."

Lupin the Werewolf paused, seemingly intrigued by the suggestion, and looked around at his claws and fur. "But it shouldn't be too scary, at least not enough to frighten my friends."

"Aren't you right, Miss Granger, Mr. Morgan?" Lupin withdrew his curious gaze from himself and smiled at the two young wizards.

Loren was speechless. Why did you two professors drag us into your verbal sparring?

Hermione nodded stiffly.

Dumbledore stood to the side with a smile, sipping his Hot Cocoa in his cup, his eyes narrowed into slits in enjoyment.

Snape chuckled and continued to examine the furnishings in the room.

Lupin the Werewolf stood politely to the side, like a host entertaining guests, occasionally making introductions and exchanging pleasantries. "I remember you almost came here many years ago, what a pity, we missed it."

Upon hearing Lupin recount his student days, Snape's face darkened, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. "Yes, yes, I almost forgot! Thanks to that damned Black Sirius Black... Professor Lupin, ha... Do you know why your cronies don't look down on you?"

"Because, just like you, beneath their human skin lies a beastly nature!"

"Is that so?" Werewolf's voice turned cold. "Professor Snape Lupin, I thought you owed James a life and would be more polite to him, after all, you still have to protect Harry —I mean, James and Lily's child—don't you?"

"Enough!" Snape seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry. "If you don't shut up, it won't be long before students discover that their Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor is a Werewolf!"

"Oh?"

Lupin the Werewolf didn't care about his threat at all. "I thought you were thinking of me, worried that I wouldn't be able to teach the chapter on nocturnal animals well, so you taught me the Werewolf content in advance."

"I hope you'll be just as stubborn when the Ministry of Magic comes knocking on your door!" Snape's chest heaved with rage. He angrily flicked his sleeve, transformed into a blurry shadow, and darted out of the Shrieking Shack, disappearing into the boundless night.

Hermione shrank timidly behind Loren, her eyes somewhat vacant and her expression numb.

She was still processing the sensational gossip from the two professors' youth. The professors had spoken vaguely, like they were playing a riddle, and she could only rely on her imagination.

"Is it over?" Loren asked tentatively.

Dumbledore had just finished the last sip of his Hot Cocoa. With a kind smile on his face, he seemed completely oblivious to the argument between the two men. He said to Lupin, "Remus, Loren is right here. If you change your mind, the full moon outside awaits your appreciation. You know what I mean."

Loren and Hermione knew what he was talking about, and they looked at Lupin expectantly.

Werewolf Lupin shook his head. "I still think the same, sir. Such a wonderful school, with such kind students, requires someone to sacrifice for it. In my opinion, there's no need to regret the full moon; beautiful things are worth waiting for."

"Hogwarts is made better by professors like you," Dumbledore sighed wistfully. "Goodnight, Loren, Hermione, Remus ..."

"Good night, Headmaster Dumbledore," Loren and Hermione replied in unison.

A magnificent Phoenix flame ignited, and the old principal's figure disappeared from the spot.

A brief silence fell over the Shrieking Shack. Loren asked in a low voice, "Professor Lupin, aren't you afraid that Professor Snape will expose your identity?"

Lupin the Werewolf said softly, "In fact, I trust him more than many others."

The two young wizards looked at him in surprise.

"Because of Headmaster Dumbledore?" Hermione guessed.

"No, because he discovered I was Werewolf a long time ago, and he kept it a secret for me for nearly twenty years afterward."

Meeting Hermione's questioning gaze, Lupin explained, "That was back in our school days. We were in the same year, and we... well... we weren't very close. Snape especially disliked James, I think it was because he was jealous of James's talent on the Quidditch Pitch..."

Hermione pursed her lips. She didn't believe it. Based on her observations of Professor Snape over the past few years, Professor Snape had basically no interest in Quidditch.

Recalling Professor Lupin's emphasis to Professor Snape that Harry is James and Lily's son, and considering Professor Snape's enraged state...

The little Witch's eyes shone brightly; she seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.

"Anyway, one night Snape saw me walking across the grounds with Madam Pomfrey, and she took me to the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius Black, just to make fun of me, told Snape that if I poked the knot on the trunk with a long stick, I could follow him inside."

"Of course, Snape tried it. He almost followed me into the room and encountered a Werewolf in a ferocious frenzy. Although Harry's father risked his life to pull him back, he also saw me at the other end of the tunnel..."

Lupin recounted events from long ago in a gentle voice, even those that were not pleasant, as if they became worthy of remembrance because of the time they occurred. "From then on, he knew what I was."

"Professor Black is really..." Hermione pursed her lips, grasped Loren's hand, and didn't finish her sentence.

Loren squeezed the softness in his palm and smiled at the girl.

Lupin, now Werewolf, had exceptionally sharp eyesight. He noticed their subtle movements and, recalling Sirius Black's Lupin wandering behavior, a thought struck him, but he said nothing.

He smiled and looked at Loren: "Come on, Potions Master, see what I need to do."

Loren and Hermione both shuddered. Loren said, "To be honest, Professor Lupin, you look better when you're not smiling as Werewolf. When you do, you look rather ferocious and scary."

Lupin 'Werewolf lips twitched, and he silently pulled his grin back down.

Forget that you are no longer human.

A cool breeze swept down from the distant High Mountain, passing through the dense forest. The rustling of leaves mingled with the soft sounds of sleeping animals, carried on the wind to the misty clouds.

The soft clouds parted, and the bright Werewolf moon hung high in the sky, emitting a soft, cool glow.

Inside the Shrieking Shack, discarded furniture, after a simple Cleaning Charm, was transformed into a dining table, upon which various candies and snacks were laid out. Roasted chicken legs, beef and mutton, stewed meat, stewed beans... and other hot dishes emitted an enticing, steaming aroma.

"It has long, slender limbs, allowing it to run on all fours or stand upright..."

"The fur is tough..."

"Increased cravings for meat... Note: The effects of raw and cooked meat are yet to be determined; I forgot to bring any raw meat with me."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Lupin the Werewolf froze. At that moment, his right wolf paw was holding a roasted chicken leg in a delicate, almost effeminate gesture. He was caught in a dilemma: whether to eat it or put it back.

Lupin, holding a roasted chicken leg, paused for a moment. "Loren, is the last sentence important? If not, can we delete it?"

"No," Loren refused outright.

Hermione smiled slightly, strawberry cream smeared on her lips, making her look like a little kitten stealing a bite.

After spending some time recording Professor Lupin's vital signs, Loren carefully observed Professor Lupin's Werewolf form's Magic Power state.

Its jet-black fur and the layer of skin beneath it contain a heavy Magic Power, but the movement of this Magic Power is very rigid and lacks vitality.

If I had to give an example, it would probably be somewhat similar to the Magic Power on the thick skin of a troll.

Loren put down his pen and looked up at Lupin: "Professor, can you cast spells in Werewolf form?"

Lupin was taken aback; he had never thought about this question before.

In the past, he would lose his mind when transforming on Full Moon Night, so he didn't need to consider this issue. But now, with the Wolfsbane Potion...

Lupin the Werewolf looked at the wand that had fallen to the ground during his transformation, stood up with some effort, picked it up with his wolf paw, and gently waved it: "[Lumos]"

The two humans and the wolf looked expectantly at the tip of the wand, only to see a faint glimmer of light flash before nothing happened.

"[Lumos] "

"[Lumos] "

Lupin tried several more times, but there was no response. In the end, he had to accept the fact that he could not use magic in his Werewolf form.

"Like the Animagus, Werewolf cannot use magic in their beast form..."

Loren wrote the last sentence in his notebook, paused for a moment, and decided to provide the patient with pre-treatment information. "Professor Lupin, although I am the one who records the data, I am only responsible for brewing the Potions. Professor Snape is still in charge of the ideas and directions for improving the Wolfsbane Potion."

Lupin the Werewolf waved his paw dismissively. "I'm already quite satisfied. I could accept it even if Snape made the potion taste worse."

"My turn!" Hermione, who had been waiting for a long time, took out her notebook and quill, and opened it seriously, like a government official investigating the people's conditions.

If it weren't for Loren laughing with a roasted chicken leg stuffed in his mouth, the scene would have been quite serious.

"Professor Lupin, I'd like to know about your Werewolf life after you graduate," Hermione asked earnestly.

"You want to ask about the living conditions of Werewolf, right?" Lupin paused for a moment. "Well, where to begin... The first few years after graduation were actually fine. My family found me an ordinary job, and I would spend the nights of the full moon in my family's basement. Even if I stayed home to rest for a few days, my relatives would cover for me, and no one would notice anything amiss."

"My mother is a Muggle, so I can always get away with the excuse of being Muggle relative so I don't lose my job... To my father, I've always been his obedient and adorable son, except on full moons..."

"Actually, if Werewolf aren't abandoned by their families, they can generally live a fairly decent life with the help of their relatives. Of course, it's much more difficult for those homeless Werewolf..."

The quill pen flew across the parchment, producing a series of smooth, rustling sounds.

This was destined to be an unusual night, as the transformed Werewolf recounted to a young Witch with lofty ambitions the arduous deeds hidden in the shadows of the full moon, deeds that had never been noticed before.

"Later, the Wizarding Wars began... I joined the resistance led by Dumbledore. Because of my unique identity, I was always able to blend in with some, well... less honorable wizarding groups. Through them, I could get a lot of information, but that also meant I had to stay away from my friends, you know who they are."

At this point, Lupin fell into a long silence. "When I received the news of James and Lily's deaths, I was on a mission in a wizarding town in northern Britain. While everyone else was celebrating the defeat of Voldemort, I lost my only three friends."

"Professor..." Hermione stopped writing and looked at Lupin with some concern.

Lupin the Werewolf grinned again, revealing his fangs adorned with shredded meat, then quickly realized what he'd done and pulled his mouth back.

"After the war ended, the resistance disbanded, and I returned to family life. By then, my mother had passed away, and my father was happy to live with me. But I didn't want to be a burden to him, so I voluntarily chose to become a homeless Werewolf and began my wandering journey."

"Without the help of relatives to cover for me, disappearing for a few days before or after the Full Moon would always arouse suspicion from those around me, so I could only do some simple work to barely make ends meet."

"During this time, I also met some other Werewolf, and even made a few Werewolf friends..." Lupin paused, "Some Werewolf could smell my scent even without transforming. They would do things that skirted the edge of the law, associate with dark wizards, and do things that some people didn't want to do."

"This pack of Werewolf is led by the infamous Fenrir Greyback, and their motto is 'Let all Werewolf live in the sunlight'..."

"I often feel ashamed, even though I didn't join them, I also have no way to expose them to the Ministry of Magic ... because they occasionally cooperate with officials of the Ministry of Magic."

Hermione looked up abruptly, staring at Lupin with wide eyes in surprise.

"I don't know much about it either," Lupin recalled. "To attack political opponents and officials of other countries, there's no one more suitable than Werewolf, isn't there?"

"I heard that this kind of trade was more rampant before the Wizarding Wars, but it has become much less prevalent since then..."