Although aconite fruit belonged to the aconite family, its medicinal properties had clearly changed—the reduced toxicity alone made it obvious. It wasn't something that could be brewed into a potion just by following the old formula word for word.
He needed a true master of potions, someone with far deeper knowledge, to figure out how to handle this aconite fruit.
And the candidate was obvious...
Damocles Belby.
As the genius who created the Wolfsbane Potion, no one knew it better than Damocles Belby. If the Wolfsbane Potion were to be modified, Leonard couldn't possibly manage it on his own. Even with enhanced plants at hand, he lacked the expertise to process such altered ingredients without Belby's guidance.
Leonard had to admit that his earlier arrogance—thinking of himself as "the one most likely to develop a cure for werewolves"—had been foolish. That kind of pride wasn't good.
Without true knowledge, he was nothing more than a shortcut-chasing brat. He needed to keep his respect for knowledge intact.
With that in mind, Leonard wasted no time. Taking the aconite fruit with him, he left the Leaky Cauldron.
He didn't know where Damocles Belby was at the moment, but he knew someone who would.
Jigger.
When Leonard arrived at Jigger's apothecary, he found him in the middle of lunch. A slice of toast topped with smoked meat.
Leonard couldn't understand how the man could eat smoked meat toast so casually while surrounded by the stench of potion ingredients.
Not one to mock another's meals, Leonard stepped inside and got straight to the point.
"I need to see Damocles Belby."
"Hm?" Jigger lifted his head, still chewing, and mumbled through his mouthful, "What do you want with him?"
"None of your business. It's urgent," Leonard said.
"But you're too late," Jigger replied lazily, taking another bite of his toast.
Too late?
Leonard's stomach dropped. His thoughts spun in chaos. Had Damocles Belby crossed the wrong person and been killed? Or had he flaunted a sudden fortune and been murdered for it?
As Leonard's face grew tense with speculation, Jigger finally continued, slow as ever.
"You're too late. Damocles Belby has already been hired by Midgard. You should be looking for him there, not here."
Leonard smacked his forehead, anger surging. He had half a mind to beat this slow-talking bastard to a pulp.
"Watch your pauses next time—don't just stop halfway," Leonard said darkly, leaving the words behind as he turned and walked out of Jigger's apothecary.
Jigger stared after him in confusion, not even understanding why Leonard was angry. "Pauses? What pauses?"
He thought about it for a long while but couldn't make sense of it, then slowly took another bite of his toast.
...
Although Leonard was impatient, he hadn't lost enough sense to barge straight into Knockturn Alley. That would only bring him trouble.
He returned to the Leaky Cauldron, wrote a letter to Midgard, and waited until nightfall before once again slipping into Knockturn Alley.
At the familiar meeting spot, he found Marcus waiting. Following his lead, Leonard entered a different building.
Unlike the old run-down courtyard, this place was much larger and lacked the exaggerated war-torn appearance. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like an ordinary house.
The air around it reeked of potions. Werewolf wizards lined up outside, waiting with anticipation.
When Marcus appeared, the werewolf wizards greeted him warmly, unfazed by his lack of response.
As for Leonard, cloaked and hooded at Marcus's side, they looked at him with curiosity but asked nothing.
Though these were all Midgard's subordinates, Leonard had no intention of exposing his face. He remembered well that among the werewolf wizards was someone tied to Dumbledore—a rare case of a highly educated werewolf wizard, a Hogwarts graduate: Remus John Lupin.
That very same Lupin who, in Harry Potter's third year, would serve as his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
As the only werewolf to graduate from Hogwarts thanks to Dumbledore's support, Lupin's gratitude toward him was nothing less than filial. He would even die for Dumbledore, making him the man's most loyal "hound."
If Lupin saw Leonard's face, it would spell trouble. Dumbledore would inevitably turn his attention toward him, and that would be disastrous for his growth.
That was why Leonard always kept his hood up whenever he came, lowering it only when alone with Midgard.
He wasn't worried about Midgard mentioning his appearance to her subordinates either. She wasn't foolish—she knew labeling Leonard as one of the werewolves would only put him at a disadvantage.
Marcus led Leonard through a side entrance into the building. In a secluded room, Leonard found Midgard, engrossed in admiring a vial of Wolfsbane Potion as though it were a glass of fine wine.
Several werewolf wizards entered with potions in hand, but Leonard's voice cut through her reverie.
"Looks like a lot of new faces lately."
Startled, Midgard turned. Upon seeing Leonard, she waved the others away, then looked back down at the potion.
"Of course. I provide Wolfsbane Potion here. All the werewolves unwilling to harm others come to me. Even quite a few from abroad have made the trip."
"Business is thriving. At this rate, you'll have Knockturn Alley unified before long," Leonard said with a smile.
"I've no interest in unifying Knockturn Alley," Midgard replied, setting down the potion. "But if it means the wolf cubs can live better, then yes—I'll do it." She glanced at Leonard. "What brings you here? The full moon is only days away. It's dangerous here."
The Wolfsbane Potion could suppress a werewolf wizard's instincts, but it couldn't neutralize the toxins in their claws and fangs. A careless scratch or bite still meant infection.
Midgard didn't want Leonard to suffer the curse, knowing all too well the misery of a werewolf's life.
"I'm here for Damocles Belby. Is he with you?" Leonard asked.
"He is," Midgard nodded. "He's brewing Wolfsbane Potion right now. For the moment, he's the only one we've managed to bring in."
"I need his help," Leonard said.
"Help?" Midgard frowned slightly. "We're still short on Wolfsbane. The cubs who are training can't brew it on their own yet. He barely has time to spare."
"I'll handle the brewing. He just needs to help me with research. I have a feeling… if he can discover something new, Wolfsbane Potion might undergo surprising changes," Leonard said, his tone grave.