great-warnovel Chapter 193 The Moon of the Beast
Chapter 193 The Moon of the Beast
Chapter 193 The Moon of the Beast
A faint wolf howl echoed on the mountaintop.
Without hesitation, Ginny tackled Luna to the ground. Behind them, the Muggle girl swiftly transformed into a small, hunched werewolf and lunged forward.
But the next moment, four or five binding spells flew in from all directions, trapping her firmly.
This is where the best students of Gryffindor gather; a young werewolf has no chance of harming them.
"Ginny! What's going on?" Percy stood up and asked seriously.
"When did a werewolf get into our stronghold?!"
Ginny pulled Luna up, still somewhat shaken, and said, "Maria was infected at the beginning of the year! You just didn't care."
Percy, who is basically an adult, has little in common with Ginny. They are too far apart in age and don't get along.
Luna looked sadly at the beast, which was tightly bound but still struggling: "It was those werewolves who roamed around here. Maria's father was killed, but she escaped."
"In the past six months, she has used up all three bottles of wolfsbane medicine. When there was none left, she could only lock herself in the cave and endure it."
If there are no humans nearby to attack, and no other animals around, then the werewolf will desperately attack itself.
"Her father was a hero who bought time for his comrades who went out to retreat. No one wanted to abandon her. I thought it was too late to introduce her to you today since it wasn't a full moon—I'm sorry—"
Hermione detached from her moon form and floated down, approaching the werewolf named Maria: "I should apologize. I didn't expect the moon form to have the same effect as a real full moon."
However, it makes sense, since her moon is a true magical moon, and naturally possesses mystical significance.
She checked on the ruthless woman's condition. After the moon disappeared, her mania began to subside rapidly, and the symptoms of her ruthlessness gradually faded away. At this moment, only a few wolf hairs and her upturned animal ears remained.
The werewolf transformation is a painful process that consumes a lot of energy each time, accompanied by a tearing pain all over the body. The little girl was exhausted at the moment and just stared blankly at the witch in front of her with a confused look.
This is a pretty little girl with brown hair and eyes. Although she looks a bit thin due to poor living conditions, she has fair skin, a pert nose, and a pair of animal ears, which makes her look rather cute.
Hermione rummaged through her pocket and finally found a bottle of improved wolfsbane potion at the very bottom.
That was one of the many potions Lily gave her when she went to explore Godric's Vale last summer.
As proof that she surpassed Snape, the improved Wolfsbane Potion not only allows werewolves to maintain their sanity after transformation, but also has a certain preventive effect. If taken in advance when fighting werewolves, even if bitten by an unfortunate person, they will not turn into werewolves.
Moreover, even after the bite, rinsing the wound with medication within half an hour can greatly reduce the chance of infection.
Lily's improvement completely reversed the power of the werewolf curse, making her famous and even immortal. Every family that could afford it would keep a bottle at home in case of an emergency, and parents would do everything they could to prepare one for their children who went on adventures. It was a magic potion that could truly change one's destiny.
Although the girl had already broken free from the wolf-like behavior, she thought it best to give her a bottle of it, as it would keep her going for at least a week.
Hermione casually gave away the improved version of Wolfsbane, which was quite valuable outside. Although she didn't have the ability to make it herself, she had the money, and Lily wouldn't refuse her order.
The girl obediently drank the potion, and her mental state visibly improved significantly, completely erasing any trace of her werewolf nature.
"Is that the moon?" she asked softly.
Hermione suddenly realized that Muggle children had never seen the moon.
Unlike them, who have magical projections of the sun, moon, and stars in astronomy class, Muggle children are born into a dark sky obscured by dust clouds.
Even werewolves only experience uncontrollable flare-ups at specific times each month. They only know that it is a curse called the full moon, but they have never seen the real moon.
"Yes, that's the moon," Hermione replied.
"But that's fake; it's just a transformation of my body."
"That's the moon—," Maria murmured absentmindedly.
Her restraints were removed, and the children gathered around her.
"How could Dad and the others let the werewolves stay in the stronghold! It's too dangerous!" Percy said, frowning.
"Maria hasn't hurt anyone in the past six months!" Ginny glared at her third brother with displeasure.
"She's always played with us since we were little, because you boys never include me in anything you do!"
Luna helped Maria up and brushed the dust off her clothes. Maria was dressed casually, like any ordinary Muggle, in a linen shirt that had been patched many times and made of different fabrics.
"Maria's father was a leader among the Muggles, and his family was very prestigious. Matters concerning wizards and Muggles were always conveyed through him."
Hermione, Maria's father, was one of the few who were not afraid of wizards. He played a crucial role in bridging the two groups in the village and preventing Muggles from drifting further away from wizards.
Sadly, he sacrificed himself, and his only daughter was poisoned by wolfsbane, destined to become a werewolf under the full moon for the rest of her life.
"Uncle Lupin is also a werewolf, but he's very kind and never bites anyone," Harry said.
"That's because Professor Potter provided him with the best wolfsbane medicine." Percy still looked like he couldn't accept it.
"But we can't afford that much wolfsbane medicine, and even if we tried to make it ourselves, we don't have enough raw materials!"
Even the unmodified version of the wolfsbane potion is among the most difficult to prepare in potions. Few wizards in the settlement would dare claim they could consistently concoct it. Although the recipe isn't a secret, the failure rate is very high.
Only professional potion makers can consistently produce these potions.
Moreover, even if you buy the raw materials and brew them yourself, the price in places like Malfoy Castle, which control the raw materials, has been raised very high due to the rampage of werewolves. If it is consumed at a rate of one bottle per month, the Gallon consumed for this werewolf girl would probably be enough to feed and clothe many more people.
From a purely utilitarian perspective, using wolfsbane to maintain a werewolf's state in the long term is not a very worthwhile thing, especially since she is a Muggle. In many outside communities, Muggles will spontaneously abandon these bitten people. If they are taken in out of kindness, it will lead to the destruction of the entire community.
From Mr. Arthur's perspective, however, Maria is the orphan of a hero. While the Muggles are somewhat afraid of the little girl who has turned into a werewolf, they feel a greater sense of shared sorrow. In this village where wizards and Muggles live together, if the wizards choose to expel Maria, it will be a psychological blow to the other Muggles. They will fear that one day, when they are no longer useful, they will also be abandoned.
By then, the divide between wizards and Muggles will likely be even more severe.
"She can endure it! She locks herself up every month, and no one gets hurt!" Ginny exclaimed.
As her childhood best friend and Muggle, she didn't want her friend to be driven out of the settlement and left to wander in the wilderness.
"Can I—look at the moon again?" Maria paid no attention to Percy's words and looked at Hermione with hopeful eyes.
Their thin bodies may look malnourished, but this is actually the common condition of Muggles these days.
Hermione looked at the child with some sympathy. She was the same age as Ginny, but she had encountered such a fate at such a young age.
She thought about it and realized that with the wolfsbane potion as a backup, even if she saw the full moon turn into a werewolf, she could still maintain her rationality, so it wouldn't hurt to let her see it again.