Return of Salazar Slytherin

153- Nirvana and Judgment

"I understand, Professor Dumbledore," Lupin said calmly, as if the topic they were discussing had nothing to do with him. "But someone has to do it, right?"

"If that spell proves to be effective, then the children infected by werewolves in the future will have hope."

"Remus..." Dumbledore's expression became very complicated. After a few seconds of silence, he solemnly said to Lupin, "For you to volunteer so boldly, even if Jamison's spell doesn't work, I will still try my best. I believe the spell will be effective."

Dumbledore gave his promise. No matter what, he would cure Lupin's lycanthropy. He had studied the Slytherin manuscript carefully and was convinced that the spell could indeed save werewolves.

More importantly, Severus had already prepared the slow-release version of the Wolfsbane Potion.

With such advantages, if Dumbledore couldn't solve the problem of lycanthropy, he might as well resign and retire to Nurmengard.

Dumbledore never once mentioned Lockhart.

In his heart, he already had the answer to whether the author-professor could truly turn a werewolf back into a human.

Unlike the atmosphere in the headmaster's office, Lockhart was practically ready to set off fireworks in the hospital wing.

He looked at the news in the Daily Prophet about the Ministry's search for werewolf volunteers and couldn't stop grinning.

He felt as if the heavens were smiling down on him!

Originally, his plan was to feign a worsening illness to avoid dealing with it this month. He'd even prepared his excuse: while banishing the banshee with Bane, he'd suffered terrible aftereffects, forcing him to step away from teaching and making it impossible for him to treat any werewolves...

He had even started seeking out custom potions through private channels to induce specific symptoms.

Lockhart thought it would be especially cool if he developed something like a giant eye growing on his back, giving him the perfect excuse to resign.

But now, none of those tactics were necessary!

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He could now openly claim that there weren't enough werewolves, and thus, he couldn't participate in the experiment—a perfect excuse!

Of course, it wouldn't look good to refuse publicly, so he could agree reluctantly when the Ministry was desperate. Then, on the day of the experiment, he'd let Jamison Greengrass go first. This way, no matter what, he wouldn't lose, and he could still find a way to ride the wave of attention.

Lockhart decided to take the most risky, but also the most rewarding, approach. After executing this plan, he was sure his public reputation would be completely transformed!

Lockhart could already picture his glorious future: the next two weeks' headlines would belong to him—Gilderoy Lockhart!

"Such a brilliant turnaround, Britain's wizarding world, prepare to cheer and celebrate me!" he thought, bursting into hearty laughter as he held the Daily Prophet.

Just as Lockhart was reveling in his visions of future fame, Cornelius Fudge arrived at Hogwarts.

Fudge's purpose was clear—he wanted to meet with Lockhart and ask if he was still willing to participate in the experiment, given that there was only one werewolf volunteer.

"Minister Fudge, that's truly unfortunate..." After hearing Fudge's request, Lockhart furrowed his brow, putting on a face of deep concern, as if he too was troubled by the situation.

Fudge felt a throbbing pain in his temples.

The thing he feared most had happened.

His old bureaucratic instincts told him that Lockhart and Mr. Greengrass absolutely had to participate in the experiment together. Otherwise, it would lead to endless trouble in the future.

But they were short one werewolf!

If kneeling and begging would make a werewolf fall from the sky, Minister Fudge would have already shattered the floor with his head.

Seeing Fudge's troubled expression, Lockhart decided it was time to stop pushing.

After all, his goal was to participate in the experiment, shift public opinion without revealing his true abilities, not to give the Ministry more headaches. So he cleared his throat.

"Minister Fudge—"

"I'm a werewolf. I volunteer to participate in the Ministry's experiment for the human restoration spell." A calm voice interrupted Lockhart's words.

Both Lockhart and Cornelius Fudge turned to the doorway, looking utterly bewildered.

Their minds seemed to have short-circuited after hearing that sentence.

"Alright, thank you for your contribution to the magical community—wait, what did you say?" Fudge, out of habit, muttered a formal line before suddenly realizing what the man in front of him had just said.

"I said I'm a werewolf, Minister," Lupin repeated, using the gentlest tone to deliver the most shocking news.

Fudge: "..."

Wait, I haven't even started begging yet, and suddenly a werewolf shows up?

Should I still be begging or not?

An absurd thought popped into Fudge's head.

"No way! Absolutely not! A werewolf, a werewolf!" Lockhart screamed in a near-hysterical tone. "A werewolf, inside Hogwarts Castle!"

His mind had completely short-circuited.

"Nothing is impossible, Professor Lockhart," Dumbledore's voice sounded behind Lupin. "It's precisely because of the advent of the human restoration spell that I hired Remus, a werewolf of great character."

"Yes, exactly right!" Fudge's face flushed with excitement.

"You truly do have great character!"

Lupin's willingness to step forward had done Fudge a huge favor, so he kept showering Lupin with compliments, one after another.

Lockhart was completely frozen in place.

Now he wanted to use his "illness" as an excuse to escape, but with Dumbledore and Fudge present, how could that possibly happen?

"My bones still haven't fully healed."

"I know a very useful spell for that."

"I'm actually under a curse."

"Let me take a look... Nope, you're perfectly healthy!"

"I…"

.

.

.

Lockhart tried every excuse he could think of, but Dumbledore calmly dispelled each one in front of everyone. By the end, Fudge's expression had grown dark, and Lockhart, sensing that he couldn't get away with his tricks any longer, reluctantly agreed.

"It's settled, then," Fudge said, staring intently at Lockhart. "In two days, on the night of the full moon, we'll be—"

"Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch would be an excellent location," Dumbledore reminded with a smile.

"Yes, it'll take place at the Quidditch pitch," Fudge said, his gaze turning meaningful. "Mr. Lockhart, we're looking forward to your performance."

Lockhart: '...fuck'

Two days passed quickly. Despite all his efforts, Lockhart couldn't stop the experiment from proceeding as scheduled. To him, it felt more like a trial than an experiment.

His only hope was that Mr. Jamison's spell would fail.

For the werewolf Lupin, however, this was his moment of rebirth.

As news spread, the magical world was abuzz. Various magical ministries from around the world sent officials or reporters to witness the event.

Perhaps, from this night onward, werewolves and lycanthropy would become a thing of the past.

Under the eyes of the entire magical world, the night of the full moon finally arrived.

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