"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.
"With the Wolfsbane Potion you gave me, I'll be fine for tonight... As for this mysterious potion, I don't think it's wise to just drink something with an unknown origin."
Lupin had clearly wrestled with himself for a while over the decision. When he finally looked away from the [Lucid Awakening Potion], there was a hint of struggle in his eyes. This was already a sign of great willpower. Just as only a true hero could get through Romance of the Three Kingdoms, only a werewolf could truly understand the fear of the full moon.
"Then I'll study it more thoroughly first."
Ian felt Lupin's judgment was reasonable. Even though he hadn't found anything abnormal in the werewolves he tested, no one could say for certain whether the [Lucid Awakening Potion] might have long-term side effects.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, or even a cheap one… That guy who impersonated Godric Gryffindor might very well be using Knockturn Alley's werewolves for [clinical trials]. Anyone familiar with large-scale human experimentation knows that Phase I and Phase II [clinical trials] are where the most problems tend to occur.
"I'm in no rush," Lupin said, though he seemed to have more on his mind.
In truth, he trusted the other side of the Prince family a bit more.
Of course.
It was only in terms of potion-making ability.
But even this trust, limited to potion-making skills, came with a condition, that is, so long as that half-Prince's potions weren't being handed directly to his mouth, then it would be alright.
"You're worried I might bring in my uncle to help me study this?" Ian instantly understood the awkward expression on Lupin's face. He knew quite a bit about the longstanding tension between Lupin's little group and Snape.
"You used Legilimency on me?" Lupin's face turned pale with shock.
Ian had never expected seeing that expression on someone else's face would feel so satisfying.
"You think I needed to read your mind for that?"
He finally understood the joy Professor Morgan had felt before, and at this moment, he was grinning in sheer delight.
"I don't want to stir up trouble in your family," Lupin said calmly. "We come from different positions, that's all. But from my perspective, Snape isn't someone I can trust."
There wasn't much emotion in his tone, just a flat statement of his opinion on Snape. It wasn't exactly prejudice, either, as Lupin had said: everyone's point of view came from their own position.
To this down-and-out werewolf, the death of his good friend and that friend's wife were all intertwined with Snape. It was only natural that he would never place his trust in a former Death Eater like him.
"Relax. The [Lucid Awakening Potion] still has flaws. I will create the perfect Wolfsbane Potion, and that honor… I fully intend to enjoy it all to myself." Ian blinked seriously, his expression full of sincerity as he spoke.
"..."
Lupin felt he should be relieved by Ian's honest answer… but in truth, his feelings right now were complicated beyond words.
"You could maybe… be a little less honest," He muttered. It wasn't that he wanted to corrupt Ian, it was just that he hoped their conversations wouldn't always leave him feeling so utterly speechless.
"Okay." Ian nodded obediently, and pulled out a little notebook.
"You're not seriously taking notes on this, are you?" Lupin suddenly felt the distinct aura of a Ravenclaw student radiating from Ian.
However—
What he didn't know was:
[Today, clear weather. After Lupin fled the scene again and came back only to talk in circles for an hour once I'd solved the problem, he then proceeded to encourage me to lie more often.]
This was what Ian was writing in his notebook, his own version of a report to Albus Dumbledore. After all, Lupin wasn't the only one who could keep making reports, right? In fact, Ian had already been logging his reports for several days, and true to his style, he always recorded only the truth.
"I'm off to eat," Ian said after jotting down his notes. He didn't respond to Lupin's earlier comment, simply packed up his things and headed for the door of the dim room.
"Oh, by the way, you're not planning on going out tonight, right?" Ian paused just as he opened the door, glancing back over his shoulder.
His question caught Lupin slightly off guard.
"Of course not. I'll lock the door and stay inside quietly, waiting for the transformation to pass. Don't worry, I've already reinforced the windows and doors with protective charms."
Lupin showed Ian the various precautions he'd taken.
Ian gave a small nod.
"Mm-hmm, that's good. Since you've prepared so thoroughly, I suppose you wouldn't mind if I added a few more protective measures?" Ian asked, his tone sweetly polite but clearly laced with meaning.
"Uh… of course not."
Lupin hesitated only slightly before nodding and agreeing. He was already well aware of Ian's skill in alchemy, anyone who had studied under Nicolas Flamel couldn't possibly be lacking in that department.
"Are you reinforcing the walls of my room?" Seeing Ian pull out a coil of thread and begin drawing patterns on the walls, Lupin immediately wanted to lend a hand in upgrading the safehouse.
But—
He had only just stepped over to Ian's side when he caught a glimpse of what Ian was taking out, and his body froze in place. Sweat instantly began beading again on his forehead.
"These things… they explode, don't they?" Lupin asked, eyes wide with dread as he watched Ian affix one small box after another onto the wall, each one blinking with a pulsing red light that made his heart pound.
As "Moony" from the original Marauder's Map, even this down-and-out werewolf's alchemy skills surpassed those of most ordinary wizards. So it only took him a moment to recognize just how dangerous those little boxes were.
"Of course. As long as they're installed in your room, if the wall structure suffers significant damage, they'll unleash an explosion powerful enough to shred an adult troll," Ian explained, glancing at Lupin with a bit of surprise, he hadn't expected Lupin's eye for detail to be quite so sharp. Then he calmly continued installing the little boxes around the room.
"Uh…"
The sweat on Lupin's forehead began to pour more rapidly.
"I thought we agreed these were safety measures?" He tried, rather diplomatically, to hint that maybe he didn't need this sort of setup.
But—
"They are safety measures," Ian replied confidently. "Don't worry. These explosions are perfectly safe. They only blow inward, not outward. So there is no chance of harming any innocent bystanders who might be walking past outside."
With that rock-solid confidence and a face full of sincerity, Ian's explanation left Lupin completely speechless. After a long moment of silence, he finally understood what Ian's version of "safety measures" actually meant.
So basically—
'If I die, then everyone else will be safe?'
"..."
Stuck in gloomy silence, Lupin simply stood there as Ian finished preparing the room, waved goodbye, and skipped out the door toward the Great Hall.
"Ka-chak~"
Once Ian was gone, Lupin locked the door with magic and finally let his expression collapse.
"Wool's Orphanage… there's definitely something weird about this place…" Staring at the blinking little boxes covering his walls, he wondered whether he was imagining things. But the thought of another wizard who'd come out of this same place made his gut twist. He had a sinking feeling the new one might already have surpassed the old.
"To think I'm the one trusted to watch over this kid… Dumbledore is far too optimistic."
A thousand words swirled in his heart, but in the end, all Lupin could do was sigh deeply.
And even now, the thought of running away didn't cross his mind.
That was what true loyalty to Albus Dumbledore looked like.
(To Be Continued…)
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