Chapter 204. The Road of Exploration Never Ends
Over the next few days, Harry occasionally came to Adrian Wesson's place to practise magic.
The work of tending the plantation's plants proceeded smoothly.
As it turned out, Dobby was indeed a very, very competent employee.
The House-elf was an absolute workaholic.
In just three days, he had practically taken over all of Lupin's work.
The sudden "unemployment" left Lupin a little uneasy.
For a moment he felt he wasn't quite earning his pay.
But it was rather nice.
On an early-July evening, as the sky gradually flushed crimson, Adrian and Lupin stood in a clearing of the plantation, waiting for night to fall.
Tonight was the full moon; Adrian planned to observe up close how Lupin transformed into a werewolf.
At this moment, Lupin hesitated. "Are you really going to watch from the side? It might be a bit dangerous."
Adrian shook his head, unconcerned. "Don't worry about me—you know how capable I am. How did you usually spend your transformations?"
Lupin gave a wry smile, tugged up his sleeve, and revealed a few faint scars. "I'd bind myself with special chains and hide somewhere deserted. Honestly, it's safe, but it's hard to endure."
By now the sky was fully dark, and half the moon had risen.
"I'll try to be gentle," Adrian said.
With a thought, a great mass of Devil's Snare unfurled, its tendrils writhing out from him.
"So long as it doesn't meet fire, the vines of Devil's Snare are far more reliable than your iron chains," Adrian assured him.
Lupin twitched the corner of his mouth at the sight of the tendrils flying through the air.
At least Adrian's safety would be guaranteed.
Even so, he still reminded him, "Once I turn, it's best not to come near me. If I injure you, use a mixture of silver and dittany promptly…"
"I said don't worry," Adrian repeated. "Besides, I can perform Animagus transformation."
Only then did Lupin relax and hand his wand over to Adrian for safekeeping.
Indeed, an Animagus form could perfectly evade a werewolf's attack instincts.
Werewolves would only attack humans and would not attack animals,
and having an animal's companionship would slightly ease a werewolf's savagery.
The moon slowly climbed. Silver light spilled over Lupin; he began to tremble violently, his fingers spasming as they clutched at his clothes.
Adrian knew the time had come.
A heartbeat later, Lupin let out a cry of pain and his whole body twisted and warped.
The instant the transformation finished, Adrian guided the Devil's Snare; supple tendrils coiled around Lupin's limbs,
pinning him to the ground gently but securely.
Unexpectedly, the transformed Lupin didn't struggle. He lowered his head and was preternaturally quiet.
When Lupin raised his head, Adrian could see in his eyes that he was remarkably lucid—tinged with disbelief.
"Lupin?" Adrian asked cautiously. "Can you still hear my voice?"
"Yes…"
Lupin answered gingerly. His voice was hoarse, but perfectly clear.
Adrian's eyes lit up. He waved his hand, and the Devil's Snare's tendrils flowed back into him.
From the looks of it, Lupin appeared to retain his own capacity for thought.
The Purifying Potion had worked.
And its effect seemed… rather similar to the Wolfsbane Potion.
Lupin took a few careful steps and stopped about three metres from Adrian. Grey-black fur shimmered in the moonlight.
He inspected his body closely, and said in disbelief, "This is the first time I've stayed rational while transforming."
"The potion's effect is good," Adrian said, nodding as he stepped briskly up to Lupin.
He reached out and fussed with Lupin's face.
"Pupils respond to light normally, auditory organs intact in form, breathing steady…"
Lupin, uncomfortable, edged back and slipped free of Adrian's hand.
Adrian took a silver-gleaming flying disc from his pocket and waggled it in the moonlight. "Let's do a simple test."
Before Lupin could react, he snapped his arm and sent the disc arcing into the night.
As the disc traced its curve, Lupin's ears shot upright; his body leaned forward of its own accord, muscles tensing—every inch the posture of a pounce.
He instinctively wanted to chase the disc.
"Wait, wait—"
Lupin forced himself back into a normal stance and froze in place. "Why do I want to do that?"
Just then, the disc suddenly banked in mid-air and came hurtling back even faster—the flight path was nearly impossible to track.
"Pop!"
Lupin reflexively raised a paw and caught the returning disc in a firm grip.
"Your reaction speed is much higher than before you transformed," Adrian said, satisfied. "This is a training frisbee for magical creatures; it's used to build goodwill between owner and pet."
"You really didn't need to explain," Lupin muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Truth be told, he'd nearly run to fetch it with his mouth just now.
"Now for a few other tests."
Adrian returned Lupin's wand. "Can you still use magic in this state?"
Lupin looked at his paw, then took the wand and tried to hold it.
But sharp claws and altered joints made it hard to grip.
"I'm not quite used to this…"
Muttering, Lupin finally found a workable angle and awkwardly secured the wand.
"Lumos!"
The tip of the wand flickered a few times, then lit.
That was a competent Wand-Lighting Charm.
Which meant that, in werewolf form, Lupin could indeed cast magic.
Adrian grew excited at once. "That's excellent. Think about it—after you turn, your physical abilities go up enormously, and although it'll take some practice, you can still use magic. That means your combat power will take a qualitative leap."
Lupin, however, didn't look pleased.
In a complicated tone he said, "But that's limited to full-moon nights. And I should say, transforming into a werewolf isn't a good experience. No one would want this…"
"If only the transformation could be freely controlled," Adrian said regretfully, shaking his head.
Lupin jumped. "Don't joke about that, Adrian," he said seriously. "Becoming a werewolf isn't as wonderful as you imagine."
"Oh, not necessarily."
Adrian smiled and voiced his thought. "If lycanthropy could be controlled, it would no longer be a curse but a power worth mastering. Think of an Animagus—how many witches and wizards want to learn that magic?"
"But that's a pipe dream," Lupin said. "Wizards have studied it for ages and have only managed potions like the Wolfsbane Potion, which suppress the lycanthropy virus to a degree."
"The road of exploration has no end, Lupin…"
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