"Dumbledore has asked me to keep an eye on you to prevent you from causing any trouble in the Muggle world. He said you brought back some very, very dangerous... things?"
Lupin seems to have a vague understanding of Ian's situation; perhaps he was indeed wandering around before being roped in by Albus Dumbledore.
"Oh, how untrusting our headmaster is, I wouldn't recklessly blow up my own home." Ian's resentful response didn't reassure Lupin.
"What!? You even brought back explosives!?"
Lupin's eyes widened in disbelief; he remembered Dumbledore mentioning some special Fantastic Beasts, and he thought he was supposed to look after another Newt Scamander.
Who knew... it would turn out to be a demolition prodigy instead!
"It was a metaphor!"
Ian quickly defended his image again.
"Alright, as long as you didn't bring any explosives back."
The relief on Lupin's face was evident. However, the little wizard's silence made his previously relaxed expression grow tense again.
"So, there are explosives, aren't there."
Lupin's eyes started to twitch.
He gradually realized that the task Albus Dumbledore had assigned him was not simple.
This kid is just a first-year little wizard!
"Something related to Magic Potion can't be called explosives..." Ian's response lacked confidence, so he opted to change the subject and continued speaking.
"Perfect! With you here! I've got something to do this holiday, you can help me conduct some interesting experiments." Ian rubbed his hands, eager to get started.
Lupin seemed a bit uncertain.
"Dumbledore told me you are proficient in Magic Potion and Alchemy. Although I did fairly well in these subjects at school, I've forgotten much of it now."
"I'm afraid I can't offer you much help or guidance." Whether or not Lupin was being modest, this was of no consequence to the little wizard.
"No worries, I don't need you to teach me anything." Ian waved off with a smile, appearing nonchalant, which puzzled Lupin somewhat.
"Then what do you need my help with?"
He asked patiently and calmly.
The little wizard's eyes gleamed.
"Naturally, to assist me in my experiments!"
Ian seemed to envision the moment he would earn his first fortune in the Wizarding World through the Wolf Poison Potion.
"So, you want me to be your assistant?"
Lupin showed a look of sudden realization.
"That's certainly no problem!"
He smiled with enthusiasm to help.
However.
The next moment, this future werewolf professor's smile froze on his face.
"No, no, no, I mean, I'll do the experiment, and you just happen to be the subject I want to experiment on!" Ian grabbed Lupin's arm, which had an unusually dense amount of body hair.
"See! What a valuable research subject!"
Ian carefully plucked a few hairs from Lupin's arm.
"..."
Lupin watched the little wizard's actions, his facial expressions constantly changing, quite remarkable, he withheld for a long time before speaking with a hoarse and bitter voice.
"You know I'm a werewolf?"
He clearly hadn't anticipated this; he thought Ian's minor knowledge about him was merely expressing awareness of his past schooling at Hogwarts.
"What werewolf or not, saying it like that is too distant, I only know when you walked through the door of our orphanage you became family, I am naturally inclined to resolve family problems!"
Ian attempted to convince Lupin with righteous pretext.
"Would you treat your family as experimental subjects?"
Lupin, however, wasn't fooled.
"This requires a clearer classification of what type of family... Oh, it seems Dumbledore hasn't yet told you about the story of how I used the magic of love to reform another rebellious, evil family member."
As Ian spoke, he brought out a syringe.
The sight of the little wizard with such an item.
Lupin, who had let Ian handle his arm, immediately jolted and withdrew his arm, adopting a serious expression as he looked at Ian, seemingly unaware of werewolf traits.
"Though your level in Magic Potion might be quite good, after all, you're a Prince, but that doesn't mean you can conduct such a dangerous operation of drawing a werewolf's blood."
"It wouldn't matter if I lost some blood, but you could face irreversible infection because of it. I assume you will learn about these matters in your future Defense Against the Dark Arts Class." Lupin, indeed a kind-hearted man, solemnly issued a warning and reminder to Ian.
Staring at the little wizard before him.
Lupin realized why Albus Dumbledore had set him to monitor this first-year student. He genuinely found it incredible that a person who dared to attempt something as daring as drawing blood from a werewolf could be a Ravenclaw known for their precision and meticulous thinking?
"But you accepted my payment..."
Ian gave Lupin's bulging clothing a meaningful look.
"????????"
At this moment, Lupin suddenly realized, he was cunningly conned by a first-year little wizard, that heap of copper coins ignored by everyone but himself was actually his payment?
What kind of experiment subjects are only paid with a few steel coins?
Sighing, Lupin promptly took out his money bag intending to return it to the little wizard, in his heart he reminded himself again, perhaps there truly is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.