Dudley had given the old wizard a proper burial, using alchemy to craft a tombstone.
Seizel Hemel—that was the old wizard's name.
On the way back, Dudley flipped through the notebook. Its pages were filled with scattered notes about the trivial things the old wizard had jotted down after losing his memory.
The entries lacked coherence, many fragmented, some sentences barely making sense.
Dudley wasn't sure if it was age-related memory decline or the lingering effects of a Memory Charm. He leaned toward the latter.
That was because these notes filled the second half of the notebook.
The first half was entirely different—both in handwriting and content.
It was the life's work of the wizard named Hemel.
His research was about werewolves.
Dudley had only meant to glance at it, but soon he was completely engrossed.
The content was concise yet packed with substance, not a single wasted word.
For a moment, Dudley looked up, gazing at the endless sea stretching into the distance, and let out a long breath.
This old wizard was undoubtedly a master in werewolf research.
He had devoted most of his life to it.
If the contents of this notebook were made public, it would cause a sensation.
According to Hemel's research, while werewolves and vampires were both considered dark creatures, they were fundamentally different. Vampires transformed from humans into another kind of being. They were once human but now belonged to the category of magical creatures—living dead.
Once someone became a vampire, their habits completely changed. Things they once loved, they might now hate, and things they disliked, they might grow to love.
Werewolves, however, were different. They weren't a different species; they remained human. But on the night of a full moon, they were forced to transform into a beast known as a werewolf. Hemel believed this was akin to a curse, spread through bites, with the transformation on a full moon being what he called the "curse's outbreak."
Since it was a curse, it could be undone. That's why Hemel had dedicated his life to researching a way to lift it.
This was a groundbreaking perspective.
Before transforming, werewolves were still essentially human. Vampires, on the other hand, were no longer human at all, despite appearances. They were more akin to creatures like Veela—humanoid, but not human.
Once a werewolf transformed, most would lose their rationality, becoming true beasts.
This perfectly fit the definition of a "curse."
Hemel's research opened a new world for Dudley, like a door swinging wide open.
To find a way to break this "curse," Hemel had conducted extensive research, traveling the world to perform experiments.
His notebook recorded some of the data from those experiments.
Finally, in his sixties, Hemel created an incredibly complex and intricate spell.
This spell was designed specifically for werewolves.
Even the famous Wolfsbane Potion could only help werewolves retain their sanity during transformation—it couldn't turn them back into humans.
But Hemel's spell was different.
It could suppress a transformed werewolf, even briefly restore their rationality and human form.
Yes, briefly.
Because Hemel's research wasn't complete.
Not long after testing the spell and successfully turning a werewolf back into a human, he met Lockhart and shared his story.
Unfortunately, Lockhart had no interest in Hemel's research—only in his accomplishments.
So, he stole them.
"If Hemel were still alive and had completed that spell, it would've been a game-changer for the wizarding world, especially for those struggling with their werewolf identity," Dudley thought.
Lockhart was truly despicable.
Dudley carefully tucked the notebook away, his disdain for his former, useless professor growing stronger.
Ten books, ten wizards. Aside from the two they'd found, seven were likely dead. Even the two they'd located were in rough shape.
Because of Lockhart, the wizarding world had lost ten brilliant minds.
Stealing someone's memories and leaving them to fend for themselves was no different from the reckless cruelty of dark wizards.
Ten years in Azkaban? Lockhart deserved to stay there for life.
If Dudley ever got the chance, he'd finish that spell himself.
Though Hemel's unfinished spell was complex, for a top student like Dudley, it wasn't insurmountable. He'd nearly mastered it before even getting home.
The next step was testing it on an actual transformed werewolf to see its effects.
The first thing Dudley did upon returning to England was arrange for the two wizards they'd found to be admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. With galleons paving the way, he hired the best healers St. Mungo's had.
He'd thought professionals should handle it, but to his surprise, even St. Mungo's top healers could only say they'd "do their best" and couldn't predict when—or if—the wizards' memories would return.
When Dudley asked about their chances, they admitted there was only a ten percent likelihood of success.
That was less confidence than Dudley had.
It made sense, though. In the original story, Lockhart, who'd been hit by his own Memory Charm, stayed at St. Mungo's until Harry graduated and still hadn't recovered.
What chance did these healers have with two other wizards struck by the same charm?
They'd be better off asking Professor Snape for help.
Every Potions Master was also a skilled healer—though, admittedly, also a master at poisoning.
Dudley wasn't confident he could do it alone, so he needed a Potions Master's expertise.
Snape was the best choice.
"Follow me, Pippi and Luxi. Don't wander off," Dudley said.
Since he didn't know the real names of the two old wizards, he'd given them temporary nicknames.
Whether it was because they'd been starved or for some other reason, despite their lost memories, they were surprisingly obedient to Dudley.
"Where's Neville?" Dudley asked Hermione as he noticed someone was missing.
Hermione hesitated, then pointed toward a corner up ahead. "Neville said he had something to take care of… but I saw him head to another ward."
She looked at Dudley with concern. "Does Neville have family here?"
Dudley paused, then answered honestly, "Yeah, it's his parents. They're two incredibly admirable wizards."
"I'll go check on him with Hermione. Harry, Malfoy, keep an eye on Pippi and Luxi. Don't let them wander off."
While they were at it, they could check on the Longbottoms' condition.
St. Mungo's healers weren't exactly inspiring confidence.
Dudley and Hermione headed toward the ward around the corner, slowly pushing open the door to St. Mungo's Ward 49.