"Defense Against the Dark Arts is the day after tomorrow. Looks like I'll still have to wait a bit before I can observe Lupin's werewolf curse…"
After parting ways with Hagrid, Avada pondered both the remarkable teaching ability of Damocles Belby and the long list of tasks ahead of him.
"Speaking of Damocles Belby… maybe I should head to the library first and look up information on the Wolfsbane Potion. Even if I can't get the complete formula directly, reading related papers and understanding the principles should help a lot when it comes to analyzing the werewolf curse later."
"But then again—he's an expert on werewolves. Why would he be interested in a basilisk breeding project? Lately, there seem to be quite a few people taking an interest in that project…"
After returning to the Great Hall for dinner, Avada went straight to the library to search for literature related to the Wolfsbane Potion. It was the first day of term, and most professors hadn't assigned homework yet. The students, too, weren't in the mood to bury themselves in books, so the library was unusually quiet—mostly occupied by miserable fifth-years.
"Come to think of it, when I reach fifth year next year, won't I have to deal with O.W.L.s as well? That's rough…"
Mastering fifth-year material—and even earning straight Os in all the subjects he took—wouldn't be a problem for him. But the sheer volume of fifth-year homework was another matter entirely. Even with his ability to multitask, it would still be overwhelming. Hopefully there'd be some sort of "full marks exempt you from homework" policy by then.
"Potions section… um, should be under curse removal? Surely it's not in the Restricted Section…"
After wandering the shelves for five or six minutes, Avada finally found Damocles Belby's works on the Wolfsbane Potion.
"Whoa—besides notes and papers, he even included the full formula? Looks like he never intended to profit from this potion at all…"
His respect for the unseen Potions master deepened further. Lowering his head, he began to read Belby's notes in earnest.
[Preface]
[For a long time, the werewolf problem has been an incurable affliction of magical society. Werewolves are ostracized due to their inherent danger, and many among them, pushed into isolation, gradually develop antisocial tendencies, committing harmful acts that further deepen society's prejudice against them—this in itself is an unsolvable vicious cycle.]
[The root of this deadlock lies in the fact that the werewolf curse cannot be cured. As a result, the number of werewolves can scarcely be reduced by any means other than death, and killing solely on the basis of werewolf status is undoubtedly extreme and evil. Although the current population of werewolves is small and most live far from society, I believe that as magical society develops, their numbers will continue to grow, eventually reaching a scale that can no longer be ignored…]
[It was only after hearing of the unspeakable atrocities committed by a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback that I fully resolved to pursue a solution to the werewolf curse…]
"Greyback."
Avada narrowed his eyes. Of course, he hadn't forgotten that name.
[Given my own professional expertise, I am more inclined to treat the werewolf curse through the use of potions. After two years of in-depth research, I finally achieved preliminary results—results that remain far from perfect. They cannot eradicate the curse, and the cost and difficulty of production are difficult to control. However, I believe its ability to suppress violent impulses can at least improve the current situation, and so I have decided to publish these findings in advance…]
"Remarkable."
Avada couldn't help but admire him from the bottom of his heart. What did "in-depth" research on werewolves actually mean?
Unlike Avada, others couldn't directly see magical structures. To gather sufficient data, one would have to live alongside werewolves for extended periods—collecting samples, observing behavior, asking questions, and even approaching them after their transformations, at their most dangerous, in order to gather enough material for study.
In other words, Damocles Belby had spent more than two years immersed in constant risk of infection or death, all for the sake of curing werewolves. That required not only formidable ability and experience, but also indomitable perseverance.
He deserved everyone's respect.
What followed was a dense stretch of theory and symbolic formulas. Avada read with some difficulty—the knowledge involved was a bit advanced for him, and there were no physical samples he could reference with his magical senses.
"All right, I can only grasp the general idea. And at my current level, independently brewing this while ensuring quality is basically impossible…"
Avada sighed and shook his head. "And just as he said—besides the rarity and cost of the ingredients, the difficulty of preparation is simply too high. No wonder a potion as significant as the Wolfsbane Potion hasn't been widely promoted…"
After a moment of reflection, he continued reading Belby's notes.
[Through these two years of research, I have developed a rough idea of the direction future work must take. To truly overcome the werewolf curse will likely require knowledge and techniques spanning countless disciplines, encompassing an immeasurable body of learning—some of which may be quite obscure. This far exceeds the total amount of knowledge any one individual can master, and will require close cooperation among many people from different fields, each with their own expertise…]
[This is an unprecedented challenge in magical society. At present, the vast majority of our achievements have come from single disciplines, or from individuals dabbling lightly across several fields. Combined with wizards' long lifespans and enhanced intellects, the amount of knowledge one person can accumulate is enormous—so much so that true interdisciplinary collaboration has never really emerged. Perhaps the werewolf problem will be the beginning, ushering magical research into an entirely new domain…]
[For this reason, I will make all my research notes on the Wolfsbane Potion public, in hopes of inspiring flashes of genius in others. I will also continue my own explorations—seeking better solutions, and searching for like-minded collaborators…]
"…I see."
Avada nodded. "That's probably one of the reasons he joined the basilisk research—he wants to meet experts from other fields to collaborate with."
"But according to him, the cutting edge of magical research hasn't even fully formed interdisciplinary cooperation yet? Then again, that makes sense. Just look at Dumbledore alone—how many fields is he a master of? Charms, Transfiguration, alchemy, Potions, Dark Magic… With long lifespans and the aid of intelligence-enhancing potions, the odds of a single wizard becoming a polymath are far higher than for Muggle scientists. Naturally, the threshold for interdisciplinary collaboration would be much higher…"
"If I want to develop a universal cure for the werewolf curse, there's not much I can do right now. At most, I can observe Lupin's life force and determine a general direction for a cure. The rest will have to come from accumulating knowledge—just as Belby said…"
"Hm?"
Lost in thought, Avada suddenly froze.
In his mind, the positional marker of Peter Pettigrew began moving at an unprecedented speed…
(End of Chapter)