Chapter 36: The Furry Little Secret
Seeing this, Lyra quickly raised her wand and gave it a flick.
Appare Vestigium!
A golden mist sprayed from the tip of her wand, swirling around Lupin's room. Within the mist, a set of golden footprints gradually emerged.
But these footprints were not human at all... They were the footprints of some kind of beast.
Did some animal take Mr. Lupin? Lyra didn't know much about magical creatures, only their general uses in Magic Formations.
She pressed her lips together and picked up a black hair from the floor.
What is this... Is it the beast's fur?
If only Miss Lovegood were here, she'd probably recognize what it is.
But Lyra didn't have time to think too much. She pointed her wand at the wolf hair.
Avenseguim!
With a tap of her white wand, the black hair slowly floated up, then flew out through the broken window.
This is the second floor... Lyra, who was afraid of heights, took a deep breath. Silently chanting the Cushioning Charm, she closed her eyes and vaulted out.
As her feet touched the ground, Lyra quickly opened her eyes.
The beast's hair had already flown quite a distance.
She had to speed up to catch it.
Diagon Alley was completely devoid of its daytime bustle. It was dead silent in the middle of the night. The sound of Lyra's bare feet slapping against the cobblestones echoed far down the alley.
She had chased after him in such a hurry that she hadn't even had time to put on shoes.
Thanks to the exceptionally bright moonlight tonight, Lyra could see the hair glinting faintly as it flew.
It must be that beast that took Mr. Lupin... With this thought, Lyra gripped her wand tightly, following the hair as it wove left and right through Diagon Alley.
Soon, she reached the edge of Diagon Alley. As the cobblestones faded away, green grass and a vast forest appeared in her vision.
"..."
Lyra pressed her lips together and flicked her wand. Only when a faint light appeared did she dare to step into this place where no normal wizard would venture.
There were many stones and other things on the ground. Lyra could feel herself stepping on all sorts of strange objects... but she didn't have time to worry about it. She desperately needed to find Mr. Lupin.
If Mr. Lupin gets hurt by that beast because I was late... I'll never forgive myself.
Soon, as Lyra went deeper, all signs of wizard civilization vanished. It was hard to imagine such a large forest existed right on the edge of Diagon Alley.
The forest at night was exceptionally quiet. Lyra could only faintly hear the howls of animals and the inexplicable sound of the wind.
Fortunately, the moonlight was still bright, allowing Lyra to barely keep up with the hair.
Soon, the black beast hair began to slow down. This meant... Lyra was getting closer to the beast.
She pressed her lips together, staring ahead nervously, her wand trembling slightly in her hand.
She had fought people many times... but beasts...
Lyra wasn't sure if she could save Mr. Lupin, but overthinking would only lead to mistakes. She had made that mistake before... she didn't want to make it again.
As Lyra pushed aside the bushes in front of her, a small lake appeared.
And standing in the moonlight... was a beast.
It was a werewolf... Even a wizard who knew nothing about magical creatures would recognize it. It had black fur and savage fangs. Its blood-red eyes were fixed on the moon in the sky, and it raised its head slightly, letting out a howl that made Lyra's heart palpitate.
A werewolf took Mr. Lupin!
That was Lyra's first thought. But a second later, she saw the shredded clothes on the ground beside the werewolf... There was no blood on them.
But they were definitely Mr. Lupin's clothes.
Lyra froze. Her brain spun rapidly; even the parts usually reserved for Magic Formations kicked into gear.
In just a few seconds, she arrived at a shocking fact.
Mr. Lupin is a werewolf.
Although it was hard to believe, it was the only possibility Lyra could think of... It seemed to explain why there was only one set of footprints in his room.
It also explained why Mr. Lupin always looked so tired... and why he disappeared for a few days every month...
He's a werewolf... Beyond the shock, Lyra felt nothing else. No disgust or fear like other wizards might have.
On the contrary, Lyra felt a strange sense of... coincidence.
Is Mr. Lupin... a freak... just like me?
Just as she was thinking this, her foot stepped on a sharp rock, followed by a burst of pain.
I'm bleeding... Realizing this, Lyra didn't have time to think. She quickly tightened her grip on her wand, staring at the werewolf that was Mr. Lupin.
"..."
The werewolf's nose twitched, and it slowly turned to look in Lyra's direction.
It smelled blood...
Lyra raised her wand, wanting to cast a spell, but the thought that she was facing Mr. Lupin, her friend, made her hesitate.
Should I use the Killing Curse? Or something else... What if I hurt Mr. Lupin?
Lyra gripped her wand but didn't wave it. The werewolf, however, had no such reservations.
"Awooo!"
With a piercing howl, the werewolf lunged at Lyra. The dozen meters between them vanished in an instant for the beast.
Seeing the gaping maw, Lyra had no time to think. Her body reacted instinctively, waving her wand.
Apparate!
Her body vanished instantly and reappeared by the lake.
"Mr. Lupin!" she shouted, pressing her lips together. "It's Lyra... Lyra Hamilton!"
"We're frien—"
Before she could finish, the werewolf lunged again. Talking to Mr. Lupin in his beast form was like playing a lute to a wolf!
Lyra flicked her wand again, and her figure vanished once more.
No... I can't just keep dodging... Even being proficient in spells, I can't Apparate multiple times in such a short period.
It was a significant strain on the body.
I have to control him... Without time to think further, the werewolf was upon her again.
Lyra quickly raised her wand and flicked it. A silver light shot out, aiming straight for the werewolf's open mouth.
Petrificus Totalus.
The werewolf froze mid-air, hit by the spell, but its momentum carried it hurtling toward Lyra.
"Wingardium Levi—" Before Lyra could finish the Levitation Charm, the werewolf slammed into her.
She instinctively leaned back, slipped, and fell onto the grass.
The werewolf came crashing down on top of her, causing Lyra to scream and squeeze her eyes shut.
"Eh?" After a few seconds, feeling no crushing weight, Lyra carefully opened her eyes. All she saw was a gaping, bloody maw!
It was only centimeters from her nose! Terrified, she turned her head away, which allowed her to see why she hadn't been crushed.
The werewolf's two stiff arms were propped on either side of her, creating a small space beneath its body that perfectly accommodated Lyra's petite frame.
My luck is holding out... Although she was completely enveloped in the werewolf's embrace, she was fortunately unharmed, save for the cut on her foot from the rock.
This should... be okay now, right?
As safety returned, the adrenaline slowly faded, leaving Lyra feeling a bit breathless.
"Haa... haa..." Lyra gulped down air. Sweat dripped from her pale face, flushed from the exertion, and her pointed ears twitched slightly.
But at least... although it's a bit undignified, I managed to control Mr. Lupin...
Even if he does look like a werewolf right now... and has a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Lyra turned her head slightly, pushed with her legs, and shimmied out from under the werewolf.
So... what now?
Sitting on the ground, Lyra looked at the werewolf lying by the lake with a headache... I can't just leave Mr. Lupin here, can I?
But won't it be awkward when Mr. Lupin turns back into a human...? Just as Lyra didn't want others to know her identity, she felt Mr. Lupin probably didn't want others to know he was a werewolf...
And... if Mr. Lupin turns back into a human, won't he be naked?
Lyra felt her thoughts were jumping a bit... but thinking about it, it was a real problem... Should I conjure some clothes for Mr. Lupin?
Wait... werewolves don't wear clothes, do they?
Lyra instinctively looked down...
"Ngh!" She blushed furiously, turned her head away, and immediately began reciting Magic Formation facts.