Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 339, Section 338: Mr. Moonface
in the hut.

Lupin quickly opened the door.

At the entrance, the blond wizard carried gift boxes of various sizes, while the black-haired wizard directed them to float in the air.

Good morning, Mr. Lupin.

Sheen glanced around the room. Lupin had very little luggage; it wasn't even enough to fill a wardrobe compartment.

So he directed the stuffing of some things inside, and the combined gifts from him and Justin filled it about halfway.

"Welcome, Mr. Lupin."

Justin was always enthusiastic. He took a set of magical kitchen utensils—a spoon that could stir itself and a crucible with precise heat control—and placed them on the stove in the cabin, filling the empty stovetop.

Good morning, gentlemen.

The sudden intrusion of the two people shattered the tranquility of the cabin.

The place instantly became lively.

"But where are you all?"

As Lupin spoke, he opened a dusty gray jar.
"I'm afraid all I have are tea bags..."

He put the tea leaves into a kettle that was already steaming even before the water was boiled, and Sheen noticed that his complexion had improved a lot.

"You didn't know?"

Justin's initial enthusiasm faltered as he carefully observed the haggard man.
"Housewarming party, sir."

"what,"

This seemed like a very distant word. Lu Ping's composed expression faltered slightly, as if he were searching his memory for the meaning that this word represented.

After a few seconds of silence, he slowly spoke.
"Thank you, gentlemen."

Perhaps it's because I've been wandering for too long, or perhaps it's because I haven't communicated with anyone for a long time.

Lupin didn't say anything more.

The silence didn't end until the sound of the kettle boiling was heard.

What should we do at the party?

Lupin spoke gently, handing Sheehan and Justin a cup of tea with a chip in it.

"It's nothing, sir, just a sumptuous dinner."

"...Are you reading this book? It's been so long since I organized this that I can hardly remember any of the contents."

Justin smiled, and the conversation naturally turned to Grimm's Notebooks.

The three sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly flipping through the exquisitely wrapped notebooks, occasionally discussing details of magical history, and writing down interesting biographies they came across.

During this process, Lupin demonstrated a vast amount of knowledge, and compared to him, Justin felt like a student.

Even though he revised and organized the entire set of "Grimm's Notebooks".

Only Sheen could keep up with Lupin's pace, and occasionally even offered insights from a different perspective.

From the silent levitation spell the young wizard cast upon entering, to his current profound understanding of magical history and extensive knowledge—

He even knew that in 1792, a serpentine creature rampaged through the Triwizard Tournament, injuring three headmasters, including the headmaster of Hogwarts.

Lupin was completely surprised.

"Gentlemen, at your age, I was probably far less outstanding than you..."

Lu Ping said with a smile that these were two students that any teacher would like.

They have a wide range of interests, a strong thirst for knowledge, and, most importantly, they maintain a sense of awe and desire for knowledge.

This would remind him of his time at Hogwarts, no matter what.

...After his days of hiding ended, Headmaster Dumbledore accepted him into Hogwarts.

Three friends noticed his monthly disappearances. Even though he made up various excuses—saying a family member was sick and he had to go home to visit, etc…

He was filled with fear, fear that they would leave if they knew he was a werewolf. But after several sleepless nights, they devised a plan that not only made his transformation period more comfortable, but turned it into the best time of his life.

—They learned the Animagus.

The three of them had once been everything to him. Even with a heavy heart filled with guilt towards Headmaster Dumbledore, he merely restrained his friends' behavior, turning a blind eye to their sabotage. As it turned out, upholding principles for friends required more courage than for enemies.

But later, after Voldemort gained power...

Everything he had collapsed; of his only three friends, two were dead and one was imprisoned.

Lupin thought back to those nights, from Dumbledore's visit to his friends who didn't mind that he was a werewolf.

He was suddenly struck by how similar the sky was to the past.

"Mr. Lupin, are you a werewolf?"

Justin's words broke the tranquility of the room.

Faced with this problem once again, Lu Ping, who should have been used to it and remained calm, was momentarily dazed.

"Yes, Mr. Finley, you are the most intelligent little wizard I have ever met."

Lupin closed his eyes.

He didn't know when he was exposed. Or rather, there was a high possibility that his identity would be exposed in Hogsmeade—he had applied for work there several times, and the residents had long suspected him;
But he also knew that it was extremely rare to encounter a young wizard who could accept werewolves.

Sheen poked his head out from behind the book introducing the Ilvermony Magic School and watched Justin take a potion out of the Seamless Extension Bag.

He finally understood why the other person was constantly on the go in Diagon Alley.

That's a wolfsbane medicine.

A special potion that must be taken a week before the full moon, which allows werewolves to remain conscious while in their transformation state.

However, due to its extremely complex preparation process and the need for skilled pharmacists, it is priced exorbitantly.

Many potential buyers, even if aware of the demand, are powerless to make a purchase.

Without wolfsbane medicine, they would be discovered and find it difficult to find work; but without work, they could not buy wolfsbane medicine... It was almost a vicious cycle.

Ever since his chance encounter with Professor Lupin, Sheen has been studying how to prepare this potion.

However, it is too difficult, and with Sheen's talent for potions, it is destined to be a long learning process.

"Welcome to Green Bookstore. Congratulations on your move, Mr. Lupin."

Justin pushed the medicine box forward.
"Of course, it will be deducted from your salary."

Lupin was stunned.

It always snows in Hogsmeade. As the sunlight gradually dims, snowflakes fall on the large windows in front of Grimm's Books, through which one can see patches of light.

And among these lights, Grimm's Bookstore is naturally included.

"Goodbye."

Sheen was the first to leave the bookstore.

"How did you get to Hogsmeade? Perhaps I know a little about it."

Lupin stood in the snow and spoke gently to them.

Sheehan understood that he was worried about his and Justin's safety.

"No need, sir, we know plenty of information."

Sheen's words were clearly not very convincing to Lupin. He thought for a moment and took out the Marauder's Map from his bag.

The map immediately caught Lupin's attention.

He watched as Sheehan drew his wand, tapped the parchment lightly, and said:

"I solemnly swear that I will do no evil."

In an instant, fine lines of ink spread out like a spider web from where the tip of Sheen's wand touched, connecting and crisscrossing, extending to every corner of the parchment;
Then words appeared at the top, in large, green, cursive script:

【Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs】

[Gentlemen who are dedicated to assisting those who create magical pranks]

[Introduced with great fanfare]

Marauder's Map

(End of this chapter)