Act Normal

After deciding there was no danger, Lynn and Cedric climbed out of the secret passage together.

Looking at the werewolf sitting quietly beneath the tree, gazing at them indifferently, Cedric leaned close to Lynn's ear and asked softly.

"He doesn't look like he's gone berserk. Did we guess wrong? Is he actually not a werewolf?"

Lynn rolled his eyes.

"If he isn't a werewolf, what is he? A dog-man?"

They thought they were speaking quietly, but they failed to notice Ian, sitting beneath the tree, twitch one ear. His wolfish face darkened somewhat.

"Should we go over and say hello first?" Cedric was now following Lynn's lead in everything.

Naturally, Lynn did not refuse. If he wanted to complete the mission, he needed to talk to Ian.

They cautiously moved a little closer to Ian, leaving about ten meters of safe distance between them. Then Lynn gave him a polite smile and waved.

"Hi!"

But Ian did not seem interested in acknowledging him. He continued staring at them coldly, without showing the slightest friendliness.

"I think you may have forgotten me." Lynn tried to make conversation with Ian, bringing up the only connection they had.

"We shared a compartment on the train to Hogwarts. I even introduced myself to you. My name is Lynn Belloc."

Ian said nothing.

"You don't need to introduce yourself either. I remembered your name from the Sorting—Ian Campbell, right? You were sorted into Ravenclaw too. Honestly, I could tell the first time I saw you that you were a real genius."

Ian said nothing.

"What state are you in right now? A werewolf transformation? You can actually stay rational—oh! That's really impressive!"

Ian said nothing.

"The moonlight is beautiful tonight, and you look mighty impressive transformed like that! You'd be even more impressive if you could chat with me!"

Ian still did not speak, but his gaze had changed from indifference to the look one gave a lunatic.

Even Cedric was almost unable to stand Lynn anymore. He had never seen Lynn awkwardly force small talk with someone so disgustingly before.

No matter how thick-skinned Lynn was, he became embarrassed and angry at this point. If the system had not given him a mission to talk with this wolf cub, did he really need to press his warm face against someone else's cold shoulder?

"Did turning into a werewolf make you mute?! Can't you say something?! Even if you can't speak human language, a howl would do!"

Ian did not howl, but Lynn had finally annoyed him enough to make him speak.

"Can you be quiet for a while?"

The moment he spoke, Lynn's face lit up with delight, only for it to fall again a moment later.

Task 1 complete!

Physique attribute unlocked. Physique +1

Task 2 activated: Gain the friendship of the werewolf Ian.

Reward: Physique +3

It had already been so difficult just to make this wolf cub speak, and now he had to become friends with him?

Compared to that, he would rather the system gave him a mission to feed Professor McGonagall dried fish or pull Dumbledore's beard.

But that one point in physique was simply too tempting!

After the physique attribute reward was issued, Lynn could clearly feel the changes in his body.

All five of his senses had been enhanced. His muscles had become sturdier, his breathing deeper and more even, and even his heart felt as though it beat more powerfully than before.

That evolutionary thrill utterly fascinated Lynn.

How should a wizard allocate his points?

Lynn could now give a clear answer: adding spirit or intelligence was the wrong path! Only physique and attack were the true way!

Didn't real wizards all swing their wands and smash in their enemies' skulls?

What use did magic have besides lighting things up?

Almost instantly, Lynn made his decision.

To become a true wizard, and for those tempting three points of physique, he was determined to make Ian his friend!

He sat cross-legged in front of Ian, wearing an affectionate smile so sickening that Cedric felt nauseated, and said tenderly.

"Classmate Campbell, don't be so heartless. Look how nice the night is. You scared us just now, so isn't it reasonable for you to chat with us a little as compensation?"

"Blech!" Cedric retched from nearby.

Even Ian became somewhat restless. He felt that either something was wrong with Lynn's brain, or something was wrong with his sexual orientation.

Their reactions made Lynn lose some face. He glared darkly at Cedric, wanting him to explain that retching sound he had just made.

"Act normal, Lynn. You're scaring me." Cedric's face was somewhat pale. He genuinely seemed frightened by Lynn's behavior just now.

Lynn truly was not very good at making friends with strangers, especially when the other party was not taking the initiative.

He coughed twice to ease his embarrassment, then said to Cedric.

"It's already past ten. This is exactly when Filch is most diligent about patrolling the castle. How about we sit here for a while? This classmate Campbell must be bored sitting here alone. We can keep him company and look at the stars and moon or something."

Before Cedric could speak, Ian could not help opening his mouth first.

"I don't think I'm bored. I just think you're a little noisy."

"Nonsense! You're obviously bored!"

Ian suppressed the urge to go over and bite Lynn, silently choosing not to argue with him.

Cedric also felt that Lynn made a lot of sense.

This was when Filch, the castle caretaker, was strictest with his patrols. If they went back now and got caught, they definitely could not tell the truth.

For Ian to be allowed into Hogwarts as a werewolf, he must have had the tacit approval of Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. And thinking of Professor McGonagall's reaction when that Auror named Kingsley had said he wanted to investigate Ian—

They definitely did not want Ian's secret of being a werewolf to become known throughout the school. Even if he was a special werewolf who retained his reason after transforming, panic would certainly spread among the young wizards, and the parents would certainly put pressure on Dumbledore!

So Cedric also sat cross-legged on the ground, forming a triangle with Lynn and Ian.

"Why did you transform outside the secret passage just now? Did you not make it inside in time?"

Compared to Lynn, Cedric gave Ian more of an impression of being a normal person. So although his tone remained somewhat cold, he at least answered the question.

"I misjudged today's weather. The moon was a little too bright. As soon as I opened the secret passage, the transformation began early."

His answer only made Cedric even more confused. Most of what he knew about werewolves came from books, and he had never seen a case like Ian's.

"May I ask—did you become a werewolf because another werewolf bit you?"

This time, Ian did not answer.

He raised his head and looked at the bright full moon in the sky, remaining silent.

After a long while, he finally said something unrelated.

"I hope you can help me keep my secret."

Lynn and Cedric exchanged a glance. Without much hesitation, they answered in unison.

"Of course."