Seeing Allen's puzzled look, Penello explained, "Magic rampage can increase a wizard's magical level to a certain extent. This improvement may be negligible for a wizard, but for a Squib, it's unprecedented."
"Squib?" Allen probably understood what Penello meant. "Does a Squib also have magic?"
"Although Squibs are born unable to use magic, they are still considered members of the wizarding world. Even the Muggle-Expelling Charm, which works on Muggles, affects them. But their magical power is too weak to be harnessed," Penello said, trying hard not to show her excitement.
"So, you mean using magic to boost a Squib's abilities?" Allen asked hesitantly. "It sounds incredible, but you don't need to get so excited."
"You don't understand," Penello said, her voice trembling with enthusiasm. "A breakthrough like this could make you the most influential wizard of this era—even surpassing Dumbledore!"
Penello corrected Allen's thought, "You need to realize that even in pure-blood wizard families, Squibs can be born. If there's a way for them to learn magic normally, then…" Her excitement grew, but Allen remained calm.
He wasn't moved by the idea of surpassing Dumbledore. Dumbledore hadn't earned his fame purely through research; he had defeated Grindelwald and become the most powerful wizard in the world. Dumbledore wasn't just a scholar—he was a Gryffindor. While he did write papers, like "Twelve Ways to Use Dragon's Blood," which kept the price of dragon's blood high, his respect came from his strength, not his research.
Allen suddenly interrupted Penello. "Senior, do you know about Wolfsbane Potion?"
"Wolfsbane Potion? I haven't heard of it. What is it?" Penello asked, puzzled.
"It's a special potion said to calm werewolves during full moons. The inventor is an unknown potion master. From what I know, it was invented about ten years ago, but no one really paid attention to it," Allen said casually.
"Why?" Penello asked instinctively. "It can keep a werewolf calm during a full moon—it could save countless lives!"
"The price is too high to be widely used, and the Ministry of Magic doesn't care," Allen explained. "There are many reasons, but mostly, they just don't want to. Even with Wolfsbane Potion, werewolves are still discriminated against. Their uncontrollable nature and risk of infection is seen as an insult to wizarding families, similar to how Squibs are treated. No matter how reasonable the werewolf is, infection is a risk. No matter how talented a Squib is, the shame of being one persists."
"So, you're saying Squibs face the same kind of discrimination?" Penello asked thoughtfully.
"Yes. The very pure-blood families who cause the Squibs' plight view their existence as shameful. They distance themselves from them entirely. So, even if someone developed a way to help Squibs, families wouldn't care, just as they ignored Wolfsbane Potion."
Even the Weasley family, who were kind toward Muggles, largely ignored their Squibs and rarely mentioned them. Fame from helping such marginalized groups was almost impossible. At best, one could gain recognition posthumously. Those who need help suffer because of wizards, and the wizarding world ensures that those helping them gain no living fame.
Penello nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, she realized Allen was right—her earlier excitement was largely meaningless. Allen's discovery was to Squibs what Wolfsbane Potion was to werewolves.
"You seem to know a lot," Penello said, admiration flashing in her eyes. Suddenly, she remembered Allen's words. "What do you mean by 'our research'? This is your discovery, not mine."
"How could it not matter? These ideas came from you. I think it's more appropriate for you to write the paper," Allen said with a smile.
Penello blinked. Write a paper? If she had the time, she could invent a new dish instead. Allen wanted Penello to write the paper to keep her occupied, preventing Percy Weasley from exploiting any breakthrough and bothering her.
Allen thought with a hint of amusement about Percy finally making progress and wanting to tease Penello, but she brushed him off, claiming she was busy.
"But…" Penello tried to protest.
"Think of it this way—you can start writing a paper. I'm not good at papers either, so it's best to leave it to you. Of course, you'll have to put my name on it," Allen interrupted gently.
"That feels like I'm taking advantage of you," Penello said reluctantly.
"No, it's an honor. Having my senior sister write the paper herself and credit me is a privilege," Allen said. In truth, he wasn't fully convinced. Hogwarts and the wider wizarding world didn't value papers as much as later generations. Publications required considerations like impact factor, which was tedious. Allen, who planned a career in high-end restaurants and breeding farms, had no interest in academic fuss. Animals and customers wouldn't care about the number of papers he wrote.
"Okay, I'll give it a try," Penello said reluctantly. "But the paper will take a long time. Right now, I'm just describing the research process and phenomena. I may not need to include cases in the future."
"The longer it takes, the better. It shows its importance. If you need another case, just tell me and we'll find experimental subjects together," Allen said. "Hogwarts already has Squibs ready for such experiments. For a pure-blood wizard, associating with a Squib is humiliating, but for a Squib, having a chance to become a true doctor—or a real wizard—isn't dishonorable. If I said this outright, Filch might even beg me to allow him to participate."
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