Chapter 90: The Lonely Cry of Despair
Werewolves are undoubtedly a unique entity in the wizarding world.
Newton Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them includes them, and in fact, within the departmental divisions of various Ministries of Magic, werewolves fall under the jurisdiction of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, though specific sub-departments may differ.
But here's where it gets interesting.
According to potion masters and magical historians, werewolves are considered "wizards suffering from an illness," specifically called "Lycanthropy."
The most famous achievement in this research field is Damocles Belby's invention of the Wolfsbane Potion. In the field of curses, the werewolf problem is categorized as "wizards being cursed," with many similar cases like the Maledictus (Nagini)—a permanent curse affecting bloodlines and descendants, leading to the birth of new magical creature species. This is quite common in wizarding history.
In the field of Transfiguration, werewolves are seen as "a wizard's magical accident," where human transformations due to unforeseen circumstances lead to irreversible changes, a frequent occurrence. The strongest argument for this is that the untransfiguring spell, "Human-Revelling Charm," is effective on werewolves.
However, to Dark magical creature experts and astronomers, werewolves are standard Dark magical creatures. They touch upon most mainstream academic fields but seem to elude strict categorization from any single academic perspective.
Magic itself isn't so rigidly classified; disciplines often have blurry boundaries. Yet, werewolves are the only instance where problems can be found from every angle.
Lockhart is currently studying werewolves from the perspective of "Dark magical creature defense." This is the only angle he can approach, as he lacks the ability to improve the Human-Revelling Charm or invent a potion stronger than Wolfsbane.
In the eyes of Dark magical creature experts, werewolves exhibit very standard Dark magical creature characteristics: they are a phenomenon. Werewolves only genuinely exist on the full moon; after that day, the condition vanishes.
The contagion of werewolf venom also shares this unique characteristic: the infectiousness of a werewolf wizard disappears outside of the full moon, leaving only a preference for bloody food. But this isn't a major issue; Muggles in Europe, let alone wizards, are fine with medium-rare meat.
In the field of Dark Arts Defense, this phenomenon of changing life characteristics and infectiousness due to the progression of time and the shift of celestial bodies is called "phasic phenomenon" or "phasic non-existence."
The most common example of this phenomenon in the wizarding world is castles haunted only at night, where no traces can be found during the day for study.
This is the most challenging aspect of studying werewolves. The lunar cycle only offers one such day each month.
However, Lockhart has made a unique discovery: the magic of werewolf wizards is different from that of ordinary wizards. This difference is subtle, merely a feeling.
To be honest, if he hadn't experienced "from nothing to something," "feeling the chaotic nature of magic, wand empowerment aligning with the world, the Forest Child's perception, the amplification of the Mind Communication Charm"—this continuous increase in detailed sensations, the unique spiritual insight of intuitive wizards, and the analysis of the different magical states of a dozen powerful wizards in his mind... without such a rich accumulation, he wouldn't have been able to perceive this subtle difference. To Lockhart, it was incredibly striking.
Unlike the harmonious state of humans aligning with nature, like a "Forest Child," the magical properties of a "werewolf" seem to carry a faint yet intensely wild naturalness and a surge of life.
No, that's not right! This is clearly too superficial.
Not deep enough!
When studying Dark magical creatures, if one cannot accurately grasp their essential characteristics, it is difficult to find targeted solutions. He quickly sifted through all the information about werewolves in his memory, searching for details he had previously overlooked.
Werewolves primarily attack humans, posing little danger to other animals. Werewolves also attack and infect Muggles, but they prefer wizards due to a difference in scent.
Without targets to attack and no animals for companionship, werewolves will desperately attack themselves. Werewolves cannot think when they transform, but they remember everything afterward.
Passion and impulse overriding reason, an attempt to use irresistible force to change others into their own kind, self-destruction without companionship—this is—
"A lonely cry of despair?" Lockhart abruptly sat upright, contemplating the possibility of this interpretation. If this insight was correct, it would be truly fascinating, completely different from the path of the farmer in the "Sack Creature" story. The farmer avoided the world, eventually shed his sack, donned a vibrant red cloak, and integrated into society under a false identity.
The werewolf yearns to integrate into society, wanting more people to become like them, ultimately shedding all claws and fur, integrating into society under the "illusion" of being a wizard.
This is a completely opposite approach to the current study of werewolves. People generally believe that werewolves are wizards who transform on the full moon, but what if werewolves are inherently werewolves, only pretending to be wizards on non-full moon nights?
The study of Dark Arts Defense is never about tracing origins, but about exploring phenomena. Then, it uses phenomena to interpret the actual situation, rather than explaining the actual situation.
From this perspective, the solution for werewolves seems to emerge: they need to self-identify as werewolves, and then resolve to completely abandon their true selves and integrate into society as humans.
This sounds quite sad. A werewolf entering the human world, hopefully searching for their own kind, only to find nothing, and forced to ruthlessly bite off their nails, pull out their fur, and smash their fangs.
And even then, despite still looking strange, they finally receive a little recognition bestowed by others. Such a life journey is, in a way, a true reflection of many people's lives.
Lockhart let out a huff and began searching his memories for any fitting cases. There actually was one, though it wasn't entirely certain: Remus Lupin.
He met Nymphadora Tonks, feared and fled due to his self-perception as a werewolf, but ultimately longed for the acceptance of others and eventually integrated. It was rumored their child, Teddy, showed no signs of being a werewolf. Or rather, Teddy inherited no werewolf traits, only those from his mother.
This brought relief to many, but from a werewolf's perspective, it was undoubtedly a tragedy. Because werewolves, even disguised as wizards, are ultimately not wizards, and in the end, leave nothing behind of their true selves.
So, can this approach be used to break the curse? Lockhart pondered the key points carefully, his brow slightly furrowed. He felt that he would likely need to personally experience the state of a transformed werewolf to truly understand.
To genuinely feel that sensation of magic boiling. But the full moon was still a long way off. The second night of the Christmas holidays, it was still over ten days until the next full moon.
However, the turn of events was so interesting and subtle. Lockhart soon felt a highly unique agitation, an emotional change brought about by the automatic boiling of the magic within him. Or, from the perspective of Dark Arts Defense, it was a precursor to magical power distorting and eroding the mind.
He gulped down black tea, finishing the entire pot, yet still felt an indescribable thirst and restlessness.
He clearly realized something. He walked to the wall opposite the fireplace, pulled back the thick, opaque curtains, and looked up, suddenly seeing the moon rapidly changing from a crescent to a full moon.
This was—the accelerated flow of time influenced by the Dark magical creature's phenomenon! Lockhart suddenly realized why Hermione and the others seemed a few years older; this was the Dark magical creature's process of digesting them.
Once they aged and died here, losing their mental and life energy, becoming old in spirit and losing vitality, that's when the creature would fully consume them.
Interesting! A slight smile tugged at his lips. I was afraid you wouldn't move. Anything that doesn't stagnate is full of possibilities. His grin widened. A strong pain rapidly swept through his body. He felt an intense itchiness and restlessness all over.
His head began to swell, and his spine was forcefully stretched and elongated by a powerful force. His fingers suddenly grew long and thick, as if being pulled, sprouting dense black wolf fur, and his nails began to sharpen.
Not here! Not here! The children are still here! He cried out internally, hoping to transform elsewhere, but this transformation was completely uncontrollable. He felt his mind rapidly filling with various agitated emotions, making it difficult to think of anything else.
Alright. Sorry, Draco, Ron, you might be out of this. He sighed, then, clinging to his last shred of coherent thought, began to carefully observe the entire transformation process.
Indeed—this was the process of Dark magic eroding the mind, a standard judgment in the field of Dark Arts Defense. This couldn't be wrong. Finally, he completely lost all capacity for rational thought.
But this wasn't like what people described, where werewolves completely lose consciousness during transformation. He keenly felt that his consciousness was actually thoroughly filled with intense wildness and agitation. He knew that beneath the surface of this wildness and agitation, these animalistic instincts, was actually a desperate cry of loneliness and a strong indignation at not being accepted.
He slowly turned his body, larger and more muscular than a human's, and looked at the two young wizards. His wolf eyes were filled with urgency. Urgency to immediately turn these two wizards into his own kind.
I am so lonely. Become werewolves and be my companions. If you become werewolves, you will all understand me, you will all accept me, because we are the same kind.
Draco quickly sensed something was wrong. He vaguely smelled an animalistic scent, somewhat like pet cats or dogs.
His mother strongly disliked this smell, which meant he could never have such pets growing up. At first, he thought the firewood thrown into the fireplace wasn't clean, and even poked it with the tongs, only to find the fire had extinguished at some point.
Then he saw a terrifying shadow appear before him due to the moonlight, its enormous form engulfing him, moving inch by inch towards the fireplace and the wall.
There's a monster! It's getting closer!