Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM - 342

Chapter 342: Werewolf

There was something wrong with this man.

The moment Dudley had stepped into the compartment, he had felt a thread of dark, twisted energy clinging to him. It was not unusual to sense such things in the wizarding world; they could come from cursed artefacts, Dark spells, any number of sources. Feeling that taint on a wizard did not necessarily mean the wizard himself was evil.

So he had shown nothing on his face. Instead, once they had sat down, he quietly opened his Spirit Vision and studied the man more closely.

What he saw made his heart jolt.

"A wolf?"

Floating above the stranger’s body was the phantom of a wolf, its outline dim and grey, wreathed in a heavy, sinister aura. Something was binding it, muting the danger for now, but the threat was buried in his flesh, ready to break loose at any time.

"A werewolf," Dudley thought at once.

Yes. A werewolf.

They were a special breed in the wizarding world. On the night of the full moon, they transformed into wolves, almost completely losing their reason, driven only by savagery and bloodlust. Anyone bitten by them would be infected and become a werewolf in turn.

This was the first time Dudley had sat so close to one. And this particular werewolf was not just anyone.

He was their teacher.

"Is he asleep?" Ron whispered.

"Looks that way," Harry said uncertainly.

Hermione pressed her lips together and stayed quiet.

They had meant to use the journey to talk through everything that had happened over the summer. With Lupin here, there was no discussing anything important, asleep or not.

"He is a new professor. Maybe he is here to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Ron guessed.

"Most likely. It is the only vacancy," Harry said with a shrug.

Still, looking at the man slumped by the window, pale and worn out, it was hard to imagine him teaching them how to defend against anything. He looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over.

Snap.

Dudley flicked his fingers. An invisible wall rose around them, cutting the four of them off from Lupin entirely.

"Now we can talk freely," he said.

"Thank Merlin. I was about to burst," Ron said, letting out a huge breath.

Lupin still lay there dozing, but under Dudley’s spell, they could safely ignore him.

"There is something you three should know," Dudley said, his gaze sliding back to the man by the window.

"There is a problem with him."

"What problem?" all three asked at once.

“Before I tell you, keep your bodies still,” Dudley said. “He can see us, but he can’t hear what we’re saying.”

"All right," they said, nodding quickly.

"He is a werewolf," Dudley said.

"What?"

Shock flashed across all three faces.

If Dudley had not warned them, they would probably have leapt to their feet.

Ron, sitting only an arm’s length away from Lupin, flinched despite himself.

"Are you sure?" Hermione said, horrified.

"Certain," Dudley said with a nod.

"What is Hogwarts playing at? How can they hire a werewolf to teach us?" Ron hissed.

Growing up in a wizarding family, he had heard every story there was about werewolves. The fear was bone‑deep.

"I understand. But for now, trust Professor Dumbledore," Dudley said. "If he is willing to let a werewolf teach at Hogwarts, he must be confident nothing will happen."

He did not necessarily agree with the decision, but he could not deny one thing: Dumbledore cared about his students’ safety. He would not have made this choice lightly.

"But werewolves cannot be controlled," Ron muttered, still pale. "On the full moon, they lose their minds. No one can hold them back."

"There are ways," Dudley said. "The Wolfsbane Potion lets them keep their reason after they transform. With that, their danger drops sharply."

"Yes. I thought of that too," Hermione said. "But the potion is incredibly hard to brew. He..." She glanced uncertainly at Lupin.

"There is a very capable Potions professor at Hogwarts," Dudley reminded her. "We may not like him, but we cannot deny his skill."

With Snape in charge of the cauldrons, Wolfsbane was hardly impossible.

"I still do not like it," Ron muttered. Fear lingered in his eyes.

"Ron, you are a wizard. You do not have to be this scared of a werewolf," Harry said.

"I am only a third‑year," Ron protested.

"And you are a member of the Kingdom of Order," Harry countered. "The abilities Dudley has taught you put your strength far beyond what most thirteen‑year‑olds can manage."

"Have you forgotten the Basilisk? And those giant spiders?" he added.

"Er..."

Ron’s expression eased, bit by bit.

"Right. If I am not afraid of a Basilisk, why would I be afraid of one werewolf?" he said, as if reminding himself.

"Good. Just remember, this does not leave this compartment," Dudley said. "If his condition gets out, Professor Lupin will be hounded out of Hogwarts, and Professor Dumbledore will be dragged into it as well."

Four people knowing was quite enough.

They all nodded.

Even so, they kept talking about werewolves for a while. Ron shared every grisly story he had ever heard from childhood. Each tale was more frightening than the last, but Harry and Hermione listened with bright, curious eyes.

The Hogwarts Express thundered on towards the school. Lupin did not stir even when lunch came and went. They did not disturb the sleeping werewolf.

Night crept in. Rain began to fall, drumming hard against the windows.

Clang.

The train suddenly lurched and slowed to a halt.

"Brilliant. I was just thinking how much I wanted to sit at the Gryffindor table and stuff myself," Ron said, jumping to his feet.

"No. We are not there yet," Dudley said.