Old Jack was hospitalized at Silver Cross Hospital.
The children came to visit him.
Old Jack gently stroked Taro's head, while Ais brought him plenty of sweets.
Zoffy and Chudai came as well.
"The reporters outside have been driven off," Zoffy said as he came in, his expression displeased. "They're like sharks that've smelled blood, desperate to report on the councillor's latest condition."
Chudai walked over, and Taro ran to him, calling out timidly, "Brother."
"Lord Johnny Silverhand has given us justice," Old Jack said, the Cruciatus Curse having left lasting injuries on him. "I want you to remember this—no matter when, always stand by Lord Silverhand."
He thought of Karl's scheme, and a lingering fear crept into his heart.
He himself could die, but the werewolves could not be destroyed all at once.
Holding his children's hands, he made them swear an oath.
"No matter what happens, promise me," Old Jack said, his aged eyes clouded, his voice earnest.
Chudai and Zoffy exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. We will never betray Lord Silverhand," Zoffy said solemnly. "Everything we have was given to us by Lord Silverhand."
Chudai added, "Even if it means betraying the Ministry of Magic, I will never stand against Lord Silverhand."
"Good… that's good," Old Jack said as he lay back down, the pain in his chest making each breath a struggle.
Just then, there was a knock at the ward door.
Taro ran over to open it.
When the door opened, a familiar figure appeared.
"What are you doing here?" Zoffy stared at the visitor with open hostility. "Remus Lupin."
They all knew this was the man who had once tried to persuade Old Jack.
Lupin was holding a bouquet of flowers. Faced with Zoffy's aggressive attitude, he didn't lose his temper.
"I've come to visit Old Jack."
"You're not needed here," Zoffy said bluntly, issuing a clear dismissal. "I have enforcement authority over you."
Lupin gave a bitter smile and turned to leave.
"Zoffy," Old Jack's weak voice sounded, "let him come."
Lupin halted. Even though Zoffy didn't want to see him, he had no choice but to comply.
Lupin walked over to Old Jack's bedside and placed the flowers into a vase.
"How are you feeling, Old Jack?" Lupin asked with concern.
He held respect and care for this elder who had once looked after him.
Old Jack gave a weak smile. "I'm not dead yet, but the Cruciatus Curse isn't pleasant."
He lifted his gaze to his children. "All of you, go outside. I want to spend some time alone with him."
Chudai held Zoffy back when he tried to speak, and Ais took Taro by the hand.
Old Jack's children left the ward and closed the door behind them.
Only the two of them remained. Old Jack struggled to sit up, and Lupin hurried to adjust the pillows so he could sit more comfortably.
"What is it you want to know, Remus?" Old Jack coughed twice before speaking. "Or what the people behind you want to know?"
Old Jack was getting older. Over the past year, his health had begun to decline.
His temples were streaked with white, and the lines on his face had softened with age.
Looking at him like this, Lupin sighed. "You must despise me, don't you?"
"Remus, no matter what kind of life it is, it's a choice one makes for oneself." Old Jack coughed again—this time so badly that it made the children outside worry.
"Yes, I do have some questions," Lupin said, choosing honesty. "About that day—after you were kidnapped—and about the five families."
"These things matter, because Volde—"
"You're not really asking about him, are you?" Old Jack's clouded eyes seemed to gain a sudden, piercing clarity as he fixed his gaze on Lupin. "What you want to know is whether all of this has anything to do with Johnny Silverhand."
"Remus," Old Jack let out a long sigh, "why do you people always cling to Lord Silverhand like this?"
Why?
Lupin couldn't quite say. Perhaps it was because John was simply too different—so different they couldn't help it.
"I can tell you what happened," Old Jack said. "I can also tell you about the five families."
His gaze suddenly sharpened. "But before I tell you any of it, you need to make a choice."
"Remus, will you live as a werewolf, or as a wizard?"
Hearing that question, Lupin's heartbeat inexplicably skipped.
Old Jack's eyes were relentless, his voice carrying the authority of an elder.
"As a werewolf—living for werewolves—or as a wizard, abandoning your own people?"
"I know this," Old Jack continued. "We are werewolves—once rejected and despised by everyone."
"But none of this is what we wanted. Not a single one of us wanted to become a werewolf."
"Werewolves are monsters. There is no place for us," Old Jack coughed again, and Lupin hurried to pour him some water.
After taking a sip, Old Jack's breathing eased a little.
"If you choose to live as a werewolf, then you must lead your brothers and sisters—resist when wizards kill werewolves, and fight for equality for werewolves."
There was confusion in Lupin's eyes.
He had never truly thought about this question before, just as Old Jack had said.
There were deep-rooted conflicts between werewolves and wizards. Discrimination was not something that could be erased overnight.
As a werewolf, he felt he should protect those oppressed werewolves.
But as a wizard, it seemed he was also expected to contribute to the magical world.
Old Jack did not rush him. He waited for Lupin to make his choice.
"I think… I can't escape my identity as a werewolf," Lupin said with a bitter smile. "Even though there are brutal, bloodthirsty individuals among werewolves, they are still victims."
"Yes. Victims." Old Jack looked at Lupin. "Then you shouldn't treat Lord Silverhand the way you have."
"Don't bring up those so-called hidden dangers or conspiracy theories," Old Jack cut Lupin off forcefully before he could speak, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I can tell you what happened—but at the same time, I need to give you a piece of advice."
"Dumbledore cannot bring peace to werewolves. When forced to choose between wizards and werewolves, he will choose wizards without hesitation."
Old Jack said gravely, "Just like this time—if it were him, I believe he would not have chosen the werewolves."
After that, Old Jack spoke about what had happened during the kidnapping.
His coughing fits in between made the children outside open the door several times to check if everything was all right.
Lupin listened quietly to the end. His expression shifted from curiosity at the start to bewilderment by the end.
The status of werewolves.
The kidnapping by pure-blood families.
No matter which one it was, none of it could be ignored.
"I don't know the exact details of what happened to those five families, but…" A look of reverence appeared on Old Jack's face. "Lord Silverhand has never abandoned us."
Lupin took a deep breath. The air felt thin, and he needed to go outside just to get his thoughts moving again.
He left Silver Cross Hospital and, in a daze, found himself at the Johnny Silverhand specialty store.
He had once worked here, watching people come and go.
Almost without realizing it, he stepped inside.
The wooden boards Johnny Silverhand had once cut through were gone, replaced by a space so wide it felt unreal.
"Are we… on the same side?" Lupin murmured as he looked at the novel items behind the counter.
The best memories of the first half of his life were all at Hogwarts. It was only after stepping into society that he realized how merciful Dumbledore had been.
Allowing werewolves to attend school—back when there was no Wolfsbane Potion.
It was there that he met James, met Sirius, and that damned traitor, Peter Pettigrew.
He had been a prefect, and he had even exchanged spells with Snape.
It could be said that he survived those later, bleak years by clinging to those memories.
James was dead. Sirius had been sent to prison.
That group of four had collapsed overnight.
He was like a lone wolf that had lost its pack, drifting through magical society, moving from place to place.
Werewolves sat at the bottom of society, often not even treated as people.
In Defence Against the Dark Arts, they were studied as examples—learning how to resist such "evil creatures."
From Remus of the Order of the Phoenix's perspective, the potential social danger posed by the Constellation Society, The Star Disciples, and Johnny Silverhand's unchecked actions, and the suspected erasure of five families were all deeply troubling.
But from Lupin the werewolf's point of view, that was someone who openly stood against great families for the sake of werewolves. The power Johnny Silverhand gained might also have served to strengthen his own influence, but every benefit he gave to werewolves was real.
If werewolves were suppressed again, what should he do then?
Fight for werewolves—or retreat and hide, living as a wizard?
Dumbledore was a god—but only Remus Lupin's god.
That gentleness was something only Lupin himself had ever truly felt.
Johnny Silverhand was a god—he was the god of the werewolves. Bound by shared interests, the werewolf community had taken shape.
"Remus?"
A puzzled voice reached him, and Lupin came back to his senses and looked over.
Tonks's hair had turned black. She glanced around before leaning in and lowering her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Just wandering around," Lupin said. Then, puzzled, he added, "Tonks, what are you doing here?"
"I thought you'd come looking for me," Tonks said with a hint of grievance. "I'm investigating the matter of the five families."
"I think I already have a guess about that," Lupin said, seeing her aggrieved expression and smiling. "Now we can head back and actually have a Christmas."
"Oh Merlin, I really don't want to see Mrs. Weasley trying to engineer any more 'chance encounters' between me and Bill," Tonks complained.
Even so, she very honestly followed Lupin out of the Johnny Silverhand specialty store.
________
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel