After all, the Wolfsbane Potion is neither a foolproof solution nor a panacea.
Contrary to young Lupin's hopeful expectations, the advent of the Wolfsbane Potion did not bring blessings to most werewolves. The potion contains extremely complex ingredients, the components are costly, and the brewing process is highly intricate—making the production threshold exceptionally high.
What's more, the method of consumption is uniquely demanding: a full goblet must be taken daily for the entire week leading up to the full moon. Missing even a single dose renders all previous doses ineffective...
And even then—after all that effort, spending a mountain of Galleons and precious time—it still isn't a cure. It merely allows the werewolf to retain their rationality during the transformation.
For most werewolves, who already live in poverty and isolation, this potion… it's better left unspoken. The infamous anti-Potions zealot and progress-resisting criminal, Fenrir Greyback, would later publicly denounce it.
Fortunately, the werewolf gene, at the very least, is not hereditary.
Still, he held out hope that Remus Lupin might become family in the future! Every book reader loves Ted after all!
…
"I talked to my dad—sort of," James said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tried to beat around the bush about the Animagus thing... still got an earful. Nothing useful came out of it."
"I found a book in the Restricted Section called Strongly Protective Enchantments," Regulus added, beginning to share his findings. "There's an entire section on Animagi. I didn't have time to study it properly—Madam Pince was already getting suspicious. We absolutely have to keep this quiet."
"If Professor McGonagall finds out we've checked out a book like that…" James shivered, picturing his stern Head of House. "She'll figure it out straight away."
"Exactly, we can't be too obvious," Sirius said in agreement, eyes flicking toward Regulus. "So... where is that book now?"
"It's still in the Restricted Section—northwest corner, second tallest bookshelf, three rows down from the top, all the way at the back," Regulus said. "I can draw you a map."
"Then I think the next step is clear!" James perked up immediately, squeezing something bulky under his robes—presumably the famous Invisibility Cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows.
Visiting the Restricted Section of the library at night under an Invisibility Cloak—what kind of Hogwarts Legacy plot was this?
Good boy Lupin instinctively frowned, casting a glance at Regulus—apparently hoping the more mature one would speak up and stop them.
"Hey, the books next to it should also be about Transfiguration," Regulus said slowly. "So... you might as well... get them all!!"
"Don't worry, leave it to us," James grinned, throwing an arm around Sirius and Remus's shoulders.
You had to hand it to them—when something needed doing, these Gryffindors really didn't hold back.
With a mix of exasperation and admiration, Lupin shook his head and pulled several clipped newspaper articles from his pocket. Judging by the font and ink, they were from the Daily Prophet and several other wizarding publications.
The headline on the top one read: "Werewolves Attack Muggle Village, Causing Fatalities, Including an Infant."
"News about Greyback—this is what I've gathered lately," Remus said hesitantly. "They seem to be moving around the outskirts of Southampton. They change locations constantly—even the Aurors can't catch them. I'm not sure how useful any of this… actually is..."
Regulus smiled and asked quietly, "A question: How many steps does it take to put an elephant in a refrigerator?"
The three Little Wizards stared at him, completely bewildered.
Regulus realised—they probably didn't even know what a refrigerator was.
"It's okay, let me put it another way: How many steps does it take to put an elephant in a closet?"
Sirius frowned, Remus began calculating in his head, while James muttered under his breath. "How is that possible..."
"Answer: Three steps. Open the closet door, put the elephant in, close the closet door."
Huh? James looked confused, Sirius seemed thoughtful, and Remus half-understood.
"What I mean is—what we want to do is very difficult, seemingly close to impossible—but as long as we go step by step, there's nothing we can't accomplish. It just takes time," Regulus explained with quiet certainty, looking at his still-stunned companions.
He pulled out a wrinkled, yellowed map of the United Kingdom, spread it across the table, and it already had some markings on it.
"First, we'll narrow down Greyback's range of activity, and then I can ask Goldie and Regina to scout. They can't just fly around aimlessly—we need direction. We don't have enough strength yet and can't leave school. But at the very least, we can send this kind of intel to the Auror Office anonymously!"
"That's good. Even if they can't catch him right away, it'll still make things difficult for him," Sirius nodded.
"I know a very promising young Auror in the Ministry of Magic named Alastor Moody. If we could find a way to get him on Greyback's case, that would be ideal," Regulus added, clenching his fist. He was still too young—otherwise, one word from his family would have been enough to get the Ministry's attention.
But still—yes, they were young. Even if Greyback turned to dust, it wouldn't matter. They would win in the end.
"Since we have this goal, let's implement it seriously. To have peace, we must first prepare for war," Regulus said, proudly quoting Latin. These days, Latin was a required course for them.
"This is the first step to putting an elephant in a refrigerator—no, a closet: find him, preferably when he's isolated and helpless."
"Step two: subdue him. That depends on what kind of team members we recruit, how we work together, and what abilities and equipment each of us has. You can never be too prepared."
Regulus was thinking entirely in terms of assembling a raid team to take down a big boss in a game.
"Then, in terms of spells, we can train through the Duelling Club," Remus suggested. "Combat spells!"
"Magical items would also be very helpful..." Sirius added. "I've never seen a more useful magical item than James's Invisibility Cloak."
"Yeah, and we can also practise flying. Then we could use broomsticks to launch aerial attacks!" James grinned, waving his fist, already fantasizing.
Regulus, recalling Harry Potter's flying duel with the dragon in the Triwizard Tournament, couldn't help but nod—they were definitely father and son. With an Invisibility Cloak and a broomstick, not even Death could catch James if he tried.
"Once we find Greyback, if the battle turns against us, the biggest risk is that he'll Apparate," Regulus said. "We need a contingency plan for that."
"We need to disable his mobility quickly," Sirius agreed.
"You can't Apparate within Hogwarts," Remus noted. "If we can find a similar place..."
"Or we could create a similar area using alchemy!" Regulus suggested.
"Hmm, actually, I've also been reading about some Muggle weapons… a lot of them could be quite useful," James added thoughtfully.
"I'll keep collecting information on Greyback and his lot!" Remus chimed in.
…
Amidst the lively discussion, not only was Lupin's heart warmed, but Regulus also felt deeply moved—
At first, he'd worried that the Little Wizards' enthusiasm would flare up and then quickly fizzle out, that they'd give up halfway when faced with difficult or tedious tasks.
But it turned out that love wasn't just an emotion—more importantly, it was a kind of strength.
Heh, old Dumbledore really was right.