Chapter 262. The Curse
[Name: Remus Lupin]
[Status: Lycanthropy (incomplete), Curse (inactive)]
When Lupin's information came through, Adrian Wesson narrowed his eyes.
At some point, an inactive curse status had appeared on Lupin.
A curse? That was no ordinary tag.
In fact, it didn't take Adrian long to form a preliminary guess.
The most likely source of this curse was the post of Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.
Ever since Tom Riddle was refused that position, every Defence Against the Dark Arts professor had met with misfortune during their tenure.
Clearly, Lupin was no exception. Fortunately, the curse had not yet taken effect, which gave them room to respond.
As for a countermeasure…
Run for it, of course.
Adrian was no expert in the study of curses, let alone one laid personally by Lord Voldemort. Other than leaving, he could think of nothing useful.
"Lupin," Adrian suddenly halted. "When are you planning to resign?"
2
Lupin was left full of question marks.
Perhaps because the question was so abrupt, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
So Adrian continued, "You're under a curse, Lupin. It's connected to Defence Against the Dark Arts. You have to find a way to deal with it, or you're bound to meet with misfortune—I'm certain of it."
Lupin very much wanted to say that he sounded exactly like Trelawney right now, but then he remembered how the previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professors had ended up, and his heart sank—at least in his memory, none of them had left normally.
He didn't think himself special enough to avoid the curse by doing nothing.
After a moment, Lupin exhaled slowly. "Thank you for the warning, Adrian. I'll have a proper talk with Dumbledore."
Adrian nodded.
Lupin had ample time to address the problem; it was only mid-term, after all.
The curse wouldn't manifest that quickly.
Probably.
The moon rose slowly.
The students in the courtyard had all returned to the castle; Hogwarts fell into silence.
Everything went smoothly: Lupin showed no abnormalities and felt no physical discomfort.
Just as the two were about to head back, a figure emerged slowly from the shadows.
"Wesson. And Lupin," came an utterly flat voice. "What are you doing?"
Adrian looked toward the voice. It was an unexpected person: Severus Snape.
Snape was wrapped in black robes, hidden in the night, revealing only a scarcely discernible outline.
"That's none of your concern, Snape," Lupin said without hesitation, his face set in displeasure.
Adrian frowned at the pair squaring off.
Though Snape didn't get on with him either, his dislike for Lupin was plainly stronger. And ever since Sirius Black had been cleared,
it had only become more obvious.
Like now: Snape and Lupin faced each other, eyes for no one else, leaving Adrian completely to one side.
At that moment, Snape seemed to realise something. He suddenly raised his head to the sky, his pupils contracting sharply, a flicker of shock crossing his face.
"This moon…" He locked his gaze on Lupin and rasped, "You're lucid right now, aren't you?"
Lupin instinctively took half a step back, his fingers tightening on his robes of their own accord.
"As I said, Snape," he replied in a low voice, "it's none of your business."
Just then, Adrian noticed Lupin's fingernails sharpening at a speed visible to the naked eye—signs that the werewolf traits were beginning to show.
Snape's mouth twisted into a mocking, cold smile. "How amusing, sir. At this hour you haven't revealed your true form."
Adrian stepped forward without fuss, placing himself between them. "Calm down, Professor Snape. You should have noticed—we're taking a walk."
At this, Snape checked the moon again, then viciously whipped out his wand. "I don't care what illusion you've contrived, but a werewolf clearly shouldn't be out here at this hour. Step aside, Professor Wesson. I'm going to show Dumbledore what his so-called 'safe' Defence Against the Dark Arts professor gets up to on a night like this."
The wand gleamed coldly in the moonlight, its tip aimed straight at Lupin's chest.
Clearly, he was ready to duel.
Adrian felt a twinge of concern. The night was not going to be peaceful. Of course, it wasn't Lupin he was worried about.
Everyone knows the wisdom of striking first. In an instant, Lupin blurred into a grey streak, moving so fast he seemed to tear the air.
Snape had only just raised his wand when a stab of pain shot through his wrist—Lupin's wolf claws had clamped down hard.
"Drawing your wand wasn't a good choice," Lupin said, pressing his other claw to Snape's throat. "Wouldn't you say so, Snape?"
Snape's pupils dilated in shock.
He could clearly feel the sharp claw points at his throat, and the bestial aura radiating from Lupin.
But what shocked him even more was that only Lupin's two hands had taken on a werewolf's form, while his eyes still held human reason.
It ran completely counter to the wizarding world's understanding of werewolves.
"All right, Lupin, that's enough," Adrian said lightly, giving a few claps. "A scare is quite sufficient."
Lupin's claws slowly released, but the tension didn't fade; it was like a taut string that might snap at any moment.
Snape drew back his wand with a dark expression and refrained from acting rashly—at this distance, Lupin could easily tear out his throat before he cast a spell.
Lupin smiled faintly, his arms returning to normal. "Relax, Professor Snape. I won't harm you."
At that, Snape's face turned instantly ashen.
It was a victor's naked declaration.
And he had no way to refute it.
"How touching, your restraint," Snape forced out through his teeth. "I hope you can keep it up."
Lupin shrugged, as if entirely unconcerned.
Snape's gaze raked back and forth between Adrian and Lupin, finally fixing on Adrian. "I'll report tonight's discovery to Dumbledore exactly as it happened."
"As you please," Lupin replied.
In fact, he had already informed Dumbledore—he had been using Adrian Wesson's specially brewed potion all along, rather than Snape's Wolfsbane.
A sudden, bitter wind swept the courtyard, stirring the fallen leaves. Snape gave the two of them one last look, then turned at once and departed, gradually vanishing into the castle's shadow.
Lupin let out a long breath, his shoulders loosening slightly; clearly, he hadn't been as at ease as he'd seemed.
"I sensed he meant to harm me," he said with a wry shake of his head. "This is no joke—my senses have never been sharper."
Adrian was thoughtful.
If that was the case, it made sense.
Lupin striking first did not suit his usual style.
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