HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 471

Chapter 471: Test Subject No. 1, Remus Lupin

The smile on Sean’s face slowly faded.

Snape looked at him and tried to pull his hand back, but with Sean’s strength, if Sean did not want to let go, Snape simply could not take it back.

“Sean. Let go.”

“Professor, what is this? Was it Voldemort?”

“Let go!”

This time, Sean did not obey like he usually would. He drew his wand and touched the centipede-black scar on Snape’s arm. With a brief probe, he could tell it had been inflicted by an exceptionally troublesome piece of Dark magic. Clearly, Voldemort was deeply displeased with Snape.

A thread of emerald light shot from Sean’s wand. Like needle and thread, it stitched an intricate life alchemy array across Snape’s arm.

Sean’s mastery of life alchemy had advanced to the point where, even without materials, he could temporarily substitute his own magic as an energy source. It was far weaker than a proper life alchemy procedure, but it was vastly more convenient.

Waves of vitality seeped out from the array. The Dark magic within the scar was driven out at a pace visible to the naked eye, and the wound began to fade and mend rapidly.

Only when the black, centipede-like mark had lightened into a faint trace did Sean finally release Snape’s hand.

Snape looked down at the pale scar left behind, then lifted his head to Sean. There was a flicker of approval in his eyes, but his mouth still dripped venom.

“So our future Minister for Magic truly carries the dignity of the Ministry’s foremost wizard. Imagine, a mere Hogwarts professor like me dared to tell you to let go. How terribly offensive.”

Hearing the sarcasm, Sean chuckled, completely unbothered, and switched topics without hesitation.

“Professor, what did you think of that essay I wrote before?”

Snape stared at him. He had only been mocking Sean out of habit, not because he genuinely felt slighted, so he answered plainly.

“At your current level, you will not make any basic mistakes in an essay. The issue lies in your experimental data. In my view, your experiments still lack real-world evidence. At minimum, you need to prove this potion can, in fact, suppress the werewolf virus for a short period. That means you need a werewolf to cooperate with your experiment, and you must record the relevant data and case evidence. Only then will your paper be convincing.”

“A test subject…” Sean thought for a moment, then looked at Snape and asked in a low voice, “Professor, what do you think about using Professor Lupin as the test subject?”

“Hmm…”

At the name, Snape’s eyebrow lifted by a fraction.

Dragging that Lupin fellow in as a test subject…

It seemed…

Not impossible.

In Dumbledore’s office, Sean looked across the desk at Dumbledore.

“Professor, I’m pretty sure I mentioned this before. You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Oh, Sean, you really cannot blame me. Soon after that, the matter at the Ministry happened. The Order of the Phoenix has been busy, and Remus is one of its key members. I simply did not have the time to discuss it with him.”

“Then please contact him about it now,” Sean said.

“Of course. I will do so at once,” Dumbledore replied. “That said, how far has your experiment progressed? Is it convenient to tell me?”

The paper was meant to be published anyway, so there was no reason to hide anything.

Sean answered immediately. “I have already developed a potion that can suppress the werewolf virus. In human form, it can push the virus down to an extremely low level for roughly a day. Under those conditions, any child conceived will not inherit the virus. The baby will be born healthy and normal.

“In werewolf form, it can forcibly restore the subject to human form for about ten minutes, but the problem is that in that state, the virus becomes extremely active. With the potion as it currently stands, it can only hold for about ten minutes.

“If the target is a powerful werewolf like Fenrir, the duration may drop below ten minutes. Of course, that is only theory, which is why I need Professor Lupin’s cooperation.”

“Even just that is a world-shaking discovery and piece of research,” Dumbledore said, smiling at Sean. “And perhaps it can help us solve the problem of werewolves joining Voldemort. At the very least, it might help us win over those werewolves who only turned to him because wizardkind left them no other choice.”

“That part is for you to handle, Professor,” Sean said. “I will handle the research.”

“Agreed. Then it is settled. As for Remus, I will have him come to Hogwarts before tonight’s dinner to assist your work.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

With Dumbledore back, and the Ministry now fully cooperating with Sean, the laboratory that had been stalled for so long was finally approved. It was built and equipped entirely according to Sean’s requirements, burning through quite a bit of the Ministry’s teaching budget allocated to Hogwarts.

Lupin arrived at Hogwarts before dinner. He even ate at the Gryffindor table.

During the meal, Harry and the others asked whether Lupin had come to Hogwarts on a secret mission. Lupin told them he was here to assist Sean with the development and research of a new potion, but he did not tell them that his “assistance” meant being studied.

The innermost laboratory on the third floor.

It was directly opposite Sean’s alchemy classroom. It had once been an empty classroom, but Sean had claimed it for himself.

Lupin stood outside the lab as Sean led him in. The moment they entered, Lupin saw Snape inside, preparing various instruments.

Watching Snape handle tools like pliers, a small saw, chisels, and even a hammer, Lupin’s steps slowed. He swallowed, then asked hesitantly, “Sean… those things are not part of the experiment, are they?”

“Of course not,” Sean said. “Those are just tools I use to make small modifications to the laboratory. They will not be used in the experiment, Professor Lupin. You can relax. I will absolutely not let Professor Snape take personal revenge during the experiment and use those on you. Absolutely not!”

Lupin looked at the earnest smile on Sean’s face. For some reason, a chill ran through him.

Maybe I should go to Dumbledore and tell him I regret this now.

But it’s probably already too late, isn’t it?