The encounter in Knockturn Alley was quite the unexpected interlude.
However, for Ian, who had been trying for days without success to get Lupin's blood, this interlude was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was about to fall asleep.
It took the entire afternoon before Ian, satisfied at last, left Knockturn Alley with Lupin.
"What did you do to them?" Lupin still hadn't recovered from the shock after the whole afternoon. He hadn't managed to get any useful information out of the werewolves missing limbs or bleeding out. Being beaten up by a student was such a shameful humiliation that none of the proud werewolves could bring themselves to talk about it.
"Obviously, I convinced them with my impeccable logic," Ian replied, fiddling with his bulging coin pouch, though instead of coins, it was filled with blood samples from dozens of different werewolves.
In addition to the diversity of blood samples, Ian had also asked the werewolves to collect other bodily fluids. He was quite curious about the reproductive capacity of werewolves and whether their milk might also be contagious.
Unfortunately, none of the books on werewolf studies covered such topics. Naturally, Ian had to fill in this academic gap through his own research.
"What impeccable logic was that?" Lupin asked as he returned to the Orphanage and immediately started cleaning up the traces of his blood left behind in the room. He had sustained several non-lethal injuries during the earlier fight.
Although he had already treated the wounds and cleaned up most of the blood before coming back, for safety's sake, he still had to be meticulous. If any children were to come into contact with his blood, it could easily turn into an irreversible tragedy.
Young children were the type to put even maggots in their mouths. Licking unknown fluids off various surfaces was practically a daily routine for them. Many cases of child poisoning actually stemmed from such bad habits.
"Obviously, I explained how power flows from the wand. That truth only exists within wand range, and so on... Didn't you see how their eyes got clearer after learning these truths?" Ian said, eyeing the vein in Lupin's arm that would be easiest to draw blood from. He still wanted a few more samples from someone who hadn't yet consumed the [Lucid Awakening Potion].
Lupin felt a little creeped out by the way Ian was staring at him.
"All I saw was extortion disguised as a sale…"
Just thinking about it brought back memories of the werewolves' tragic state.
Large volumes of werewolf blood bought for just a few silver Sickles, it was only marginally better than the copper Knuts he had received. Even the shady wizards in Knockturn Alley dared not exploit werewolves like this.
"I merely exercised a touch of American-style hegemony. Naturally, the victor earns the right to set the price for the test subjects," Ian said, feeling he had already been quite generous.
At least he hadn't rounded up the werewolves to be farmed in cages.
If that wasn't kindness, then what was?
"How much werewolf blood did you get?" Lupin didn't even want to think about that giant syringe Ian had used, it looked thicker than his own forearm.
"Dozens kilograms, I guess it's not that much," Ian estimated his haul casually.
"…"
Lupin was at a loss for words once againnn. Ian's response sounded like he still hadn't collected enough. For context, the market typically dealt in blood measured by the ounce.
"What are you going to do with all that werewolf blood?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with top-tier potion masters, his best friend's stunning wife was a potions genius, after all.
"I suspect that there may be hidden treasures within the werewolf virus. To unlock its secrets, this amount of blood might not even be enough," Ian replied. He never saw himself as just a potioneer, he believed that scientific methods could be applied to magic as well.
Perhaps in this world, there were no 'bad' viruses, only people who misused or misunderstood them.
"I really feel like you're planning something evil… I'm definitely reporting today's events to Dumbledore," Lupin muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead, still feeling chills down his spine.
Now that he'd had a moment to breathe, he had begun to reflect more deeply on everything that had happened. The only reasonable explanation was that Ian's strength was beyond normal comprehension.
No wonder he's from one of the five great mixed-blood families!
Power like this is absolutely terrifying!
Now that he had come to realize the possibility that this kid might be an unimaginably powerful little monster, Lupin finally understood why Albus Dumbledore himself needed someone to keep an eye on Ian.
This guy is not even twelve years old and yet his power was already far beyond that of adult wizards like Lupin.
In some ways, this was even more concerning than the Dark Lord himself… At least the Dark Lord had clear motives for his evil deeds. Ian, on the other hand, might cause chaos simply out of curiosity.
As a former member of one of the biggest prankster groups at Hogwarts, Lupin could imagine all too well the kind of havoc a powerful wizard, student or adult, could accidentally unleash!
"If you hadn't run off so soon, you'd have been able to give a more detailed report, witness the glorious scene of me unleashing my might, while wicked werewolves trembled in fear!" Ian didn't shy away from boasting about his achievements.
It was only because Lupin had run off from Knockturn Alley that he missed seeing Ian's dazzling performance. Otherwise, Ian would have insisted on showing off.
As for tattling to Headmaster Dumbledore?
Since when had he ever worried about that?
"I know you're strong, okay?" Lupin sighed heavily, his eyes falling on Ian's bulging pouch. "You're not secretly carrying any extremely dangerous alchemy items, are you?"
Even though he had already come to terms with the situation, everything still felt a bit surreal… Not even the young Albus Dumbledore had this kind of power before the age of twelve, surely?
As a core member of the Order of the Phoenix, the fact that Lupin was even having such thoughts showed just how deeply shaken he was by the situation Ian had created.
"Define 'Dangerous'? Let me check whether I've brought anything like that… If you mean large-scale destructive items, I don't think I have any suitable ones on me right now," Ian replied truthfully, tilting his head slightly in response to the "supervisor's" question.
However—
Despite Ian's display of honesty and enthusiasm, it was clearly not the kind of answer Lupin had hoped for. The brow of the worn-down, middle-aged man had already begun to sweat profusely.
He felt he really shouldn't have asked such a stupid question. If he hadn't, his mind wouldn't be this uneasy, and his brain wouldn't be trembling like it was now.
"Has Hogwarts and its Professors become this tolerant these days…" He murmured in a hoarse voice. But the moment the words left his mouth, he immediately realized how foolish they sounded.
Sure enough—
Ian's response shut Lupin up instantly.
"If Hogwarts can accept werewolves as students, then why not someone like me, with an intense thirst for knowledge? No offense intended, of course. I was merely using that as an example to show how inclusive Hogwarts is. Hogwarts and I are super close."
Sometimes, sincerity really is a killer move.
It only took one sentence from Ian and Lupin no longer wanted to argue the point.
"It's almost mealtime. You should go eat." He wanted to be alone for a while, not because he was emotionally wounded, but because he needed time to process everything that had happened earlier that day.
"Are you planning to drink this [Lucid Awakening Potion]?" Ian pulled out the potion Lupin had given him earlier, but after a moment's hesitation, Lupin shook his head.
(To Be Continued…)
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