Sorry, I'm an actor

Sirius Black lay on the ground, watching the scene unfold in silence. Dewey knocked Lupin to the floor, picked up his oak wand, and tossed it to Sirius.

Sirius Black reached out to catch the wand, then stood up while enduring the sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs.

"He didn't go easy on you, did he?"

Dewey remarked, his tone detached.

Lupin had certainly not held back against his old friend.

Dewey didn't know exactly what spell Lupin had used, but judging by the look on Sirius Black's face, he could tell it had been agonizing.

Every step Sirius took made the muscles in his face twitch uncontrollably.

He struggled over to Lupin and knelt to check on him. Dewey followed, prying Lupin's fingers open to retrieve his wand.

Seeing Sirius reach out to check Lupin's pulse, Dewey said, "Don't worry, I used Stupefy. I didn't do anything sinister to your friend."

Dewey tested Lupin's wand with a Stupefy of his own, found it worked well, and tucked it into his waistband.

The chaos before them had been entirely within Dewey's expectations.

He had known all along that Lupin wouldn't simply believe Sirius Black's words.

Only by seeing Peter Pettigrew alive with his own eyes and understanding the full sequence of events would Lupin ever consider helping Sirius.

But to find Peter Pettigrew, one would have to go to either Hogwarts or Diagon Alley.

Both locations were heavily guarded by the Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts was under the watchful eye of Dumbledore—a veritable dragon's den.

If Sirius Black were to fall into such a trap, he would never make it out.

The moment Lupin had a change of heart, Sirius would be captured by the Ministry and subjected to a Dementor's Kiss.

Thus, Sirius could not fully trust Lupin either.

At the very least, he refused to die branded a traitor before clearing his name.

It was a stalemate.

Unless Lupin and Sirius swore an Unbreakable Vow in front of Dewey.

With Dewey as the witness to ensure the vow took effect, they could work together to capture Peter Pettigrew.

But clearly, the negotiations had collapsed.

The state of the scene was truly lamentable.

Dewey checked Lupin's breathing; he was fine, merely knocked into a deep slumber.

Beside him lay six cards that had dropped.

Most were white cards.

However, one colorless card made Dewey raise an eyebrow.

Dewey picked it up.

[Transformation Card (Werewolf)]

[Transformation Card (Werewolf): The tragedy of Mr. Lupin was foreshadowed the moment his parents began to revile werewolves.]

["Begone, you filthy, foul-smelling scavengers."]

This was a special card.

Just like the Animagus card, Dewey hadn't expected this to drop.

This was an unexpected windfall; Dewey could potentially use this special card to transform into a werewolf!

Compared to wizards, werewolves lacked the ability to cast magic.

However, in terms of strength, speed, and even infection capability, werewolves were far superior to wizards. In pure hand-to-hand combat, humans were no match for them.

This could serve as a hidden trump card.

Dewey silently absorbed the card, hoisted Lupin onto his shoulder, and headed toward the small cabin.

Black cast a spell, causing Lupin's trunk to wobble and float along behind them.

The three entered the cabin, and Dewey dumped Lupin onto the bed. With a flick of Black's wrist, ropes slithered out like living snakes, binding Lupin tightly.

"Let's begin!"

Dewey said, pulling out a pair of scissors to snip a few strands of hair from Lupin's head.

"This stuff doesn't taste great, so you'd better drink it all in one go."

Sirius handed Dewey the Polyjuice Potion, watching as he dropped Lupin's hair into the vial.

This was the plan Dewey had discussed with Sirius.

A substitution.

That was exactly what Dewey intended.

He had coordinated with Sirius to capture Lupin beforehand, intending to use the Polyjuice Potion to take on Lupin's appearance and replace him as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. During this time, he could gain access to more magic books and meet more wizards. More importantly, Dewey could use the excuse of "practical lessons" to engage in combat, thereby farming a multitude of cards.

The plan was incredibly simple, yet far from easy.

It required one major prerequisite: an information gap.

To date, aside from McGonagall and Dumbledore, no one knew who Dumbledore had gone to recruit as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

It wasn't until a few days before the start of term that Snape learned Lupin had been hired for the post at Hogwarts, a fact that left him fuming for quite some time.

Clearly, he believed a werewolf had no business entering Hogwarts.

He belonged in Azkaban.

Not to mention, he had nearly been bitten by Lupin the werewolf; had it not been for James's Animagus form knocking the beast away, Snape would likely have been a werewolf himself by now.

Dewey had known Lupin would be the new teacher at Hogwarts long before Dumbledore even went to find him.

Likewise, no one knew that the Marauder's Map was in the hands of the Weasley twins.

Without these two prerequisites, Dewey could never have orchestrated this operation. His intelligence was so precise that even Sirius Black found Dewey utterly unfathomable.

He seemed to know a bit too much.

He had asked Dewey how he came by this information.

"Perhaps I have a god living inside my head?"

Dewey replied, though Sirius assumed he was joking.

Still, he could tell that Dewey didn't want to talk about it, and he knew he wouldn't be able to pry it out of him.

"Take Lupin to Hogwarts; he will understand our reasoning."

Dewey urged Sirius Black, watching as he began to rig Lupin's trunk, transforming it into a massive containment vessel.

What Dewey was doing was unprecedented, and there would likely never be anyone like him again.

He had plagiarized Barty Crouch Jr.'s idea, and he only hoped that Barty wouldn't hold it against him next year.

The curse on the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts position remained, and Dewey knew he could not escape it either.

He could teach for the entire third year and then step down.

The only question was how he would step down.

As long as you're bold enough, Hogwarts is your home!

Dewey was not afraid. If he didn't take risks, he would never reach the same status and level as Voldemort in just a few short years. One year was enough for him to accomplish many things.

He didn't expect to break the curse himself; he figured he was destined to step down after a year just like the rest.

In Harry's first year, Professor Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort and eventually died. In Harry's second year, Professor Lockhart was all flash and no substance, relying solely on his "Obliviate" charm until he was eventually sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries by his own spell.

Harry's third year—this year—was taught by Lupin, who was forced to resign after his werewolf identity was exposed, as Dewey recalled.

In Harry's fourth year, Barty Crouch Jr. attacked Mad-Eye Moody and used Polyjuice Potion to take his form, teaching Harry Potter for the entire year.

Ironically, the werewolf (a Dark creature) in Harry's third year and the Death Eater in his fourth year happened to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers who had the greatest impact on Harry Potter.

Barty, in particular, was arguably the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Harry Potter had encountered since starting school.

Because they truly understood the Dark Arts.

All Dewey had to do was apply the plan Barty intended to use to himself: drink the Polyjuice Potion and pose as Professor Lupin.

Then, transform into a werewolf, get discovered, and be expelled from the school.

A perfect plan.

Because of his lycanthropy, Professor Lupin had alienated his friends and family, possessed poor social skills, and appeared gaunt and reclusive. No one knew where he had been in the years since his graduation.

He was the perfect candidate for replacement.

More importantly, Dewey had an old friend of Lupin's, Sirius Black, who could help him perfectly recreate the man.

Under such conditions, Dewey felt it would be almost remiss of him not to act against Lupin.

Sirius had handled both the Polyjuice Potion and the trunk to hold Lupin, and he had not failed his mission; the small flask in Dewey's hand now contained the potion.

"Are you really going to do this?"

Sirius looked at Dewey, unable to stop himself from confirming one last time.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Dewey said to Sirius, downing the Polyjuice Potion in one gulp. A strange, indescribable flavor flooded his mouth and struck straight at his soul.

Dewey maintained his facial expression, struggling to ensure he didn't look the least bit unusual.

The effect of the Polyjuice Potion lasted only one hour.

This meant Dewey would need to take it every hour, enduring that desperate taste.

The potion entered Dewey's body.

It began to take effect.

Dewey felt a surge of heat erupt from his stomach, rushing to every corner of his body.

A moment later, he felt his entire being melting. His bones, his pupils, his features were all in constant flux. Finally, even his fingernails began to twist and warp.

He watched himself in the mirror, bubbling and shifting like modeling clay.

After a few seconds, this terrifying transformation came to an abrupt halt.

Dewey saw himself in the mirror.

He had turned into Professor Lupin.

Except for the difference in clothing, everything else—from the slightly weary expression and dull eyes to the graying temples and gaunt figure—was identical to Lupin.

He turned his head to look at Sirius.

"An actor's self-cultivation, Black," Dewey said to Sirius. "Now is the time for you to coach the actor!"

Sirius looked at the "Lupin" before him, then glanced at the real Lupin on the bed, and shook his head.

"Merlin's beard," he said, "I never thought there would come a day when I would do something this insane with someone!"