Hogwarts: Bloodline Legend-Chapter 561 - 162: Impossible Overturn! (Part 3)

Ian, with a perfectly straight face, offered Lupin advice on how to obtain ice cream, in the fashion of "Rule Horror Stories."

His words made Lupin’s pupils contract slightly.

"Is that ice cream on your robe?" Lupin had noticed the hem of Ian’s robe was a bit stained. He suspected the Little Wizard had "accidentally" gotten some Dark Wizard’s blood on it.

"No, that’s just the tears of a creepy uncle repenting his sins."

Ian blinked.

His offhand remark made it almost impossible for Lupin to tell if it was true or not. Honestly, Lupin really suspected it was blood and brain matter, but he couldn’t get close enough to the Little Wizard to get any proof.

"Did you kill someone?"

Lupin had no choice but to reevaluate this child Dumbledore had "entrusted" him with; whether in terms of strength or other aspects, he was starting to feel like he might have seriously misjudged Ian.

"He’s still alive."

Ian replied with a smile.

But Ian’s calm tone still made Lupin’s skin crawl and his mind shudder.

Just as Lupin’s scalp began to prick with tension—

"Swoosh~"

A sudden, shocking magic spell shot out from a hidden corner, aimed straight for the most threatening-looking target—Lupin. As a member of the Phoenix Society, Lupin’s reflexes were impressively sharp.

He immediately used the ultimate dodging skill—"Rolling Donkey."

Lupin dove forward and did a roll, making him look rather battered, but it did let him narrowly avoid the attack from the concealed corner.

"Severing Charm!"

Lupin’s counterattack was instant: he aimed his Iron Tower at the building hiding the unknown Wizard and cast a spell. The building, already structurally unsound, instantly collapsed into a heap of rubble.

The space inside was all buried under broken stones.

"I knew you shouldn’t have come here! Get your magic wand out—some of the werewolves have already lost it!" Lupin wasn’t sure if the Wizard inside had been buried or not.

He stared intensely in the direction of the ruins, shouting loudly at Ian behind him.

However—

Lupin got no response from behind him.

"He didn’t seem crazy to me."

Just as Lupin was about to assume the Little Wizard had been attacked, he whipped his head around—only to freeze on the spot, seeing Ian casually walk out from beside the collapsed house.

"And extremely cautious too. Almost spotted me." The Little Wizard, now inexplicably in a new outfit, was gripping an unmoving foot.

He was dragging an unconscious man—a man completely covered in fur, a werewolf.

"Which one of you is the real one?!" Lupin’s eyes widened in disbelief as he glanced back behind him. Sure enough, the Ian who’d been talking with him moments ago had already dispersed into a wisp of smoke.

"If I told you, would my magic still deserve to be called Mirror Flower Water Moon? Don’t you understand the meaning of caution? We’re in Knockturn Alley, after all." Ian righteously refused to answer Lupin’s question.

"This guy’s got issues."

Ian didn’t wait for Lupin to speak again; he simply threw the unconscious werewolf forward. Seeing the fellow already in werewolf form, Lupin furrowed his brow tightly.

"True... Tonight is the full moon... Did you mess with his mind?" Lupin’s expression darkened as he crouched down to examine the werewolf.

"Does browsing his memory count?"

Ian cocked his head, not quite sure.

"You can do Legilimency?!"

Lupin couldn’t even remember how many times he’d cried out in shock today.

"They call me a born Legilimens." Ian wasn’t really trying to show off—it’s just the opportunity presented itself. Really, Lupin was the one tempting him into flexing.

"..."

Lupin was instantly lost for words.

His mouth opened and closed.

But nothing came out.

Still, he couldn’t suppress the flood of thoughts in his heart.

"No wonder... the strongest Half-Blood."

A thousand words—

All condensed into a single sigh.

"Smack~"

Still a little stunned, Lupin was taken aback when something invisible seemed to jump up and smack him right in the face.

"Is this you being fake too?"

The slap didn’t really hurt.

But that didn’t stop Lupin from feeling utterly overwhelmed.

"Truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth—we’re in Knockturn Alley."

Ian’s voice from up ahead was low and grave.

"Aren’t you being a bit too cautious..."

Lupin’s eye twitched.

He had no idea where he should be looking anymore.

"Maybe."

The Ian across from Lupin transformed into a block of wood, then another Ian walked out of a nearby room. Lupin would’ve bet his last curl this one wasn’t real either.

And—

Even more tear-jerking, Lupin slowly started to realize that every time he figured out an Ian was a fake, that fake would be eliminated and a new "Ian" would pop up.

"You’re even wary of me?"

Lupin’s tone was tinged with disbelief.

But even more obviously, with a kind of plaintive resentment.

"How could I be, Senior? You’re just overthinking things..." The just-emerged Ian rolled his eyes with exasperation, squatted down, and pulled out a huge syringe, preparing to draw the werewolf’s blood.

Lupin didn’t stop him.

After all, that werewolf’s magic had been heading straight to kill him just now.

"If you didn’t completely enrage him, he shouldn’t be transforming into a werewolf outside the full moon. I think maybe they’ve found some way to transform at will."

Lupin spoke, brow furrowed.

His tone was certain.

No one understood werewolves better than him.

"They really have found a method to transform at will..." Ian’s eyes glimmered faintly, and his words made Lupin’s expression grow even more grave.

"A kind of magic potion?"

He ventured a guess.

The Little Wizard’s nod confirmed it.

"Is there really someone else who can make that potion? Don’t tell me your uncle’s up to some evil experiments in Knockturn Alley?" Lupin’s face took on a worried look.

He made no effort to hide his opinion of Snape.

"I only wish it were my dear uncle."

Ian heaved a heavy sigh.

He put away the syringe.

Then looked up at Lupin.

"I’ll coordinate this with Headmaster Dumbledore."

The Little Wizard’s words left Lupin’s face filled with surprise.

"You know who’s behind this?"

Lupin’s gaze was fixed intently on Ian.

"If you browse his memory, you’ll hear the name..." Ian clearly didn’t want to say more, but Lupin was clearly the type who wouldn’t give up without an answer.

"I can do Legilimency too."

As he spoke, he got to work casting magic—perhaps Lupin’s Legilimency skills weren’t exactly expert-level, but they were still above most Hogwarts graduates.

No deadweight in the Phoenix Society.

Legilimency on this unconscious werewolf was nothing hard for Lupin.

And so—

A moment later—

Lupin’s eyes shot open in terror.

"Impossible!"

He’d clearly just seen something in the werewolf’s memory he could hardly believe.

[ps: Another day, more chores.]