"Why did you say that to Harry?"
As soon as Harry left, Lupin slammed his empty cup down and couldn't help but confront Tver.
"I didn't say anything wrong," Tver shrugged nonchalantly. "I just want him to be braver—at least brave enough to face a Boggart."
Lupin sighed. "Harry's still just a kid. It's perfectly normal for him to be afraid. Besides, even many adult wizards are terrified of Dementors."
Tver pointed toward the window without turning his head. Outside, against the gray sky, one or two Dementors glided past.
"The thing is, Harry needs to face Dementors now, just like he had to face Voldemort thirteen years ago," Tver continued. "Back then, many people gave him the courage to face it, sacrificing their lives for him. But now, it's up to him to fight on his own."
Lupin was a little confused by Tver's words. He figured that someone so closely connected to Dumbledore, even if not his successor, would probably end up joining the Order of the Phoenix eventually. So, did that mean they were colleagues?
"I'll help him," Lupin said firmly. "And there will be many others who'll help him too."
Tver raised an eyebrow. "How will you help him?"
Lupin's bright expression immediately faded as Tver chuckled lightly and stepped over to his side, tapping the empty cup still stained with potion residue. Lupin stared blankly at the cup, his thoughts darkening.
His werewolf condition was the root of his deepest insecurities and the reason for his miserable situation. Otherwise, with his excellent grades in school, inheriting his father's legacy, and securing a job at the Ministry of Magic would have been easy. But everything came crashing down because of that one word—'werewolf.'
A flicker of satisfaction briefly shone in Tver's eyes, though he quickly concealed it.
Tver pulled a bracelet out of his pocket—a simple, woven cord bracelet, faintly glowing with a deep blue light. "This is an early Christmas gift for you. Of course, whether or not you use it is entirely up to you."
Lupin looked at the bracelet in surprise. It was simple—just yarn woven together. But he immediately sensed a suppressive aura emanating from it. He hesitated, then cautiously reached out his hand. No, it wasn't his imagination. The bracelet definitely had a magical aura—one that suppressed both magic and physical strength.
"This bracelet is meant to restrain you," Tver explained. "When you transform into a werewolf, the magic in this will limit your movements."
"If you're able to keep your sanity, you can easily unlock the clasp. If not, this bracelet will keep your body locked in place."
Lupin finally understood the purpose of the bracelet. It was a safeguard for the times when he forgot to take the Wolfsbane Potion and lost control of himself. It would protect both him and the people around him.
Without hesitation, Lupin took the bracelet. The blue light slowly faded, but if Tver was right, the power would resurface when he transformed into a werewolf. He tugged at it with a smile—it was surprisingly sturdy.
"It's woven from unicorn hair. Not even a werewolf could tear it apart," Tver added casually.
Lupin's mind went back to Hagrid's generous gesture. Hagrid had produced a large amount of unicorn tail hair the very next day after Tver mentioned it.
"There's also a clasp. It's not complicated, but it takes a little time. You definitely won't be able to undo it once you lose control."
Lupin examined the clasp. It resembled a watch buckle. He tried it and, just as Tver had said, couldn't easily undo it. The more he looked at it, the more he was impressed. If it worked as well as Tver claimed, this would be the best Christmas gift he'd received since... since Black was thrown into Azkaban.
He sighed at the thought. "What if it comes off on its own?"
Tver shrugged. "You can try."
Lupin looked up at him. Tver didn't seem to understand why his smile suddenly seemed tinged with sadness, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was accepting the bracelet.
"Left hand or right?" Lupin asked, slightly flustered.
"Whichever you prefer."
He immediately slipped the bracelet onto his emaciated right wrist. The moment he fastened it, he noticed something peculiar about the bracelet.
It was tightening!
Soon, the bracelet clung tightly to his wrist, no longer resembling a bracelet at all. Instead, it had fused into his skin, forming a pale ring that stood out starkly against the thick hair on his hand.
Yet he felt no discomfort whatsoever—no pain from the constriction, nor any sense of magic being blocked.
Only then did he truly relax. He would wait for the full moon to personally test the bracelet's power.
"My mistake—I hadn't considered skin tone differences," Tver said, shaking his head with mild disappointment.
"No, I think it's wonderful," Lupin smiled happily. "Thank you so much for the gift. Looks like I'll have to put a lot more thought into what I give you in return."
"Wearing it is the best gift you could give me."
A faint smile touched Tver's lips.
"Enough of that. Let's go to the Halloween feast. You wouldn't believe the chaos that erupts every year around this time—I never get to enjoy a proper meal…"
"That's probably your fault. I never encountered this much trouble in my seven years at Hogwarts."
In his good humor, Lupin playfully teased Tver for once.
With a lighthearted mood, Tver slipped the box containing the Boggart into his wallet, then draped an arm around Lupin's shoulder as they chatted cheerfully toward the Great Hall.
Lupin's spirits soared even higher as he admired the hall's exquisite decorations and—
Tver's imps!
This marked Tver's third Halloween feast, and the pre-dinner imps had clearly become a castle tradition.
"This year's imps will still carry sweets—sweets that can help you ward off the chill from outside the castle," Tver explained.
"But this time, the imps will possess the ability to cast Shield Charms. That means if you can't hit them between two Shield Charms, your attacks will be ineffective!"
In a cheerful mood, Tver had deliberately added a special twist for the students. Watching their grim faces as they frantically attacked the imps, he felt tonight's puddings and cupcakes tasted far more delicious!
"P-Professor!"
A Gryffindor student panted as he ran over. With an ominous feeling, Tver heard him say, "I need you to come to the Gryffindor common room entrance. Something's happened!"
Tver glanced at the cupcake he was halfway through eating.
"..."
This counts as progress, right?
He consoled himself silently.
...
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