Forbidden Forest - Dawn
Aroooo.
The howl wasn't the jagged, pained cry of a cursed beast.
It was deep, resonant, and controlled.
Ernst snapped out of his trance. He looked up.
Standing over him was a wolf the size of a grizzly bear.
Its fur was silver-grey, its eyes intelligent and amber.
It didn't look like the mangy, skeletal nightmares typical of lycanthropy.
It looked like a king of the forest.
The wolf stared at Ernst. There was no aggression, only curiosity... and perhaps a hint of judgment.
Ernst wiped his mouth. He had been so deep in his mental palace organizing data that he might have zoned out completely.
"Well," Ernst said, standing up and dusting off his coat.
"You are big. And you aren't trying to eat me. I consider that a success."
The wolf huffed, a sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"Don't get cocky," Ernst warned, his eyes narrowing playfully.
"I can still put you down."
The wolf shrank back slightly.
Even in this form, Lupin remembered who was stronger.
"Relax, Remus," Ernst said, his voice softening.
"The serum worked. You aren't suppressing the wolf; you are driving it. Now, focus. Remember your hands. Remember your voice. Shift back."
The wolf closed its eyes.
Crack. Snap.
It wasn't the gruesome bone-breaking of the usual transformation.
It was fluid, like water reshaping itself.
The fur receded, the muzzle shortened, and the massive bulk condensed.
Seconds later, Remus Lupin stood before him.
He was breathing hard, but he was human.
And he was completely naked.
Remus looked down, realized his state, and turned bright red.
"Oh. Merlin."
"Modesty is a small price for sanity," Ernst chuckled, tossing him a bundle of clothes he had prepared.
"Get dressed. We have things to discuss."
Remus emerged from the shadows of the shack, buttoning his shirt.
He looked different, stronger, less sickly.
The constant strain of fighting the curse was gone.
He walked up to Ernst and bowed low.
"Dr. Ernst," Remus said, his voice trembling with emotion.
"You gave me my life back. I... I don't know how to repay you."
"You don't," Ernst said simply.
"It was an experiment. You were the variable."
"To you, maybe," Remus said fiercely.
"To me, it is everything. If you ever need me for anything, I am yours."
Ernst looked at the boy. He saw the unwavering loyalty of a Gryffindor.
"I accept," Ernst nodded.
"But I have one piece of advice, Remus. Keep this form, the Lycan, a secret."
"From whom?"
"Everyone," Ernst said.
"Especially Dumbledore."
Remus hesitated. "But the Headmaster..."
"The Headmaster plays a long game," Ernst interrupted.
"He collects broken things because they are useful. If he knows you are fixed... if he knows you are powerful... he will use you as a weapon in his war against Voldemort. Keep this as your ace in the hole. Survival first, loyalty second."
Remus absorbed this.
It went against his nature to lie to Dumbledore, but the freedom he felt in his veins was too precious to risk.
"I understand," Remus nodded.
"It stays between us."
—-----------
The Laboratory - Room of Requirement
Ernst returned to the castle, satisfied.
He compiled a dossier for Dumbledore.
It contained the basic notes on the mental suppression technique and a watered-down version of the serum.
He omitted the genetic splicing that created the "Lycan" form.
Knowledge is leverage, Ernst thought, locking the true data in his mind.
For the next month, Ernst retreated into his work.
He converted the Room of Requirement into a state-of-the-art sterile lab.
"Red Queen," Ernst commanded.
"Initiate the brewing sequence. Draft 4 of Felix Felicis."
He didn't use a cauldron and a ladle.
He used a centrifuge and a molecular heater.
Traditional potion-making was an art, imprecise and temperamental.
Ernst turned it into chemistry.
He purified the Ashwinder eggs to 99.9% potency.
He distilled the Squill bulbs using a vacuum chamber to prevent oxidation.
He used the Red Queen to calculate the exact thermal variance required for the simmer.
The result was perfection.
"Success rate: 100%," the Red Queen reported.
Ernst held up a vial of Liquid Luck.
It shone like molten gold, far brighter than any potion brewed by a student.
"Magic is just science without a manual," Ernst smiled, shelving the potion next to his growing stockpile of Veritaserum and Polyjuice.