Harry let out a sigh. Honestly, Draco was acting nothing like a Slytherin—if anything, he was even more reckless than a typical Gryffindor.
At least a Gryffindor wouldn't be foolish enough to waltz into the heart of Slytherin territory and spend the whole time mocking Slytherins.
At that moment, Hermione addressed the group, "This is a task open to everyone. Aside from the twenty Galleons reward from Malfoy, Harry will also apply to Professor Holmes for a few magical items as prizes for those who perform exceptionally well..."
If it was just Galleons on offer, most people in the room wouldn't have been too tempted—after all, the person they'd be investigating was Black, someone even the Ministry of Magic couldn't catch.
But magical items from Professor Holmes—now those were truly coveted. Even if few had seen them up close, everyone remembered last year's Yeti Wood Plaques and the amulets that could cast a Patronus Charm on the train.
Even Draco looked tempted. Magical defensive items were rare and valuable, even for the Malfoy family—most of theirs were Dark artifacts his father wouldn't let him touch.
Still, when it came to Black, Draco couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear. The man had, after all, blown up an entire street with a single curse.
He reconsidered. All the good prizes in the world weren't worth dying for.
—
Upstairs, in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.
Sirius was sprawled in a chair, flipping through a magazine while keeping half an eye on the surveillance screens. He turned to look at Douglas.
Douglas, busy scribbling notes, had clearly overheard Hermione's speech. Without looking up, he remarked, "Why are you staring at me? He's your son, not mine. If you're so concerned, you'd better get studying and whip up something decent to give him."
Sirius scoffed, "The Black family's got centuries' worth of magical junk. I'll just grab something from the vault and hand it over."
He paused, then asked, "But seriously—did you actually send that Malfoy brat, or is it like that little girl said? Is he just trying to set Harry up?"
Douglas replied coolly, "You really think I could manipulate the Malfoy family?"
Sirius snorted, mumbling something under his breath.
—
Time slipped by like a fleeting shadow, leaving only fragmented memories and the faintest traces of its passing.
A week before the full moon, Lupin finally finished constructing the obstacle course around the Black Lake.
After the morning run, he dragged his weary body to Douglas's office.
Noticing Sirius was nowhere to be seen, Lupin guessed Dobby hadn't brought him over today, and let out a sigh of relief.
He managed a tired smile. "Douglas, is the potion ready?"
Douglas pulled a box from the cabinet and handed over a set of Wolfsbane Potions.
Lupin opened the box and stared. Inside, five neatly arranged vials shimmered in five different colors. He blinked at Douglas in disbelief.
"These look nothing like the Wolfsbane Potion I've had before."
He recalled Snape's words from the day before, when Snape had come to arrange his detention schedule: "Letting Douglas brew your Wolfsbane Potion—what a splendid idea. I do hope he manages a flavor you'll find most agreeable."
Snape's tone had been dripping with sarcasm. Lupin had no illusions about what he'd meant.
He couldn't brew Wolfsbane himself, but he knew the potion was notoriously complex and delicate. Even the slightest impurity could ruin it; he'd heard of one werewolf who tried to sweeten the bitter brew with sugar, only for the potion to lose all effect…
For a split second, Lupin considered asking Dumbledore to let Snape handle his potion after all.
Douglas explained, "The original Wolfsbane Potion is far too bitter, so I tried to improve the taste a bit.
The modified version is a little less potent, so I made five different flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty.
These are the five basic tastes people experience every day. I thought it might help you remember what it's like to be human while you drink it. Like the original, it won't cure lycanthropy, but it can shorten the time you spend transformed.
But there's more to it than just making the potion palatable. In Eastern philosophy, each flavor nourishes a different organ: sour for the liver, spicy for the lungs, bitter for the heart, salty for the kidneys, and sweet for the spleen.
I've tailored each potion to target one of your vital organs, to ease the strain that transformation puts on your body. Taken regularly, they should strengthen your internal resistance, and maybe even help clear out some of the toxins that build up over time."
Lupin looked from Douglas to the vials and back again, not quite trusting a word of it.
He wondered if he ought to warn Dumbledore and just spend the full moon in the Shrieking Shack.
Douglas, clearly still inspired, went on, "Actually, I've got another idea—combining the Wolfsbane Potion with the seven emotions: joy, anger, worry, contemplation, sadness, fear, and shock.
Five flavors to heal the body, seven feelings to heal the mind. If humanity can outweigh the wolf within, maybe it's possible to suppress the transformation entirely…"
Lupin opened his mouth, hesitated, then asked, "Douglas, has any other werewolf actually tried this potion?"
Douglas gave a light cough. "Not yet. But I've run some special tests, and it does what I claim.
If you're worried, I'll personally supervise you on the full moon. I've got a fair bit of experience handling large magical creatures—you know, back when I worked at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary…"
Lupin managed a weak smile. He almost wanted to thank Douglas for comparing him to a dragon.
Well, there was no other choice. Even if he went to Snape now, it was probably too late. Besides, Snape would probably love to see him turn into a full werewolf at Hogwarts—why else would he let Douglas brew the potion and send along such a mocking message?
With a resigned sigh, Lupin put the potions away.
Then he turned the conversation to the Black Lake obstacle course.
"It's built just as you designed. Hagrid's agreed to cover my morning run classes for now, but I'm still a bit worried. The spells themselves aren't dangerous, but students could get hurt if they mess up.
So I'd rather wait until all this blows over before using it. Of course, if you'd like to take over the morning run classes, you're welcome to test it out first."
Douglas nodded. "It doesn't have to be for the morning run. I'm planning to hold some outdoor practical lessons for third-years and below. Leave it to me."
Lupin had already heard from students that Douglas had set up practical classes for the younger years last year. Combined with what Hagrid had told him, he realized Douglas had probably been preparing them to face the basilisk.
The magical devices on the obstacle course—those that could cast a Full Body-Bind Curse—were supposedly the same ones used back then.
Was Douglas preparing for trouble from Wormtail this time?
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