"!!!" Dudley's words nearly made Snape lose his composure.
What had he just heard? A spell that could turn a werewolf back into a human? How could such a spell even exist?
In the wizarding world, the only known aid for werewolves was Wolfsbane Potion.
"Gilderoy Lockhart may have been a fraud," Dudley began, his voice steady, "but his stories weren't entirely made up."
He continued, addressing the class. "Remember Wanderings with Werewolves? Lockhart wrote about using a spell to turn a werewolf back into a human, saving a village from its torment. Many of you probably thought he made it all up—I did too, at first. But the truth is, those events really happened. He just stole the story and made himself the hero."
"The real person who restored the werewolf was someone else."
A Hufflepuff student piped up, shocked. "You mean he plagiarized someone else's life?"
"Plagiarized? Worse than that," Dudley said grimly. "He didn't just steal their stories—he erased their memories."
The class gasped in unison. That was beyond despicable.
Dudley didn't mention the tragic fates of those wizards whose memories were stolen. Their lives were the real tragedy.
"I tracked down that village plagued by the werewolf," he continued. "I even found the old wizard who did it. Sadly, by the time I got there, he was nothing but bones."
"But I found his notes."
"Based on those notes, I recreated the spell—and improved it."
Since getting the notes over the holidays, Dudley had been studying them in his spare time. With the help of his enchanted Data Sight, he'd not only mastered the spell but enhanced it.
"I call it the Human Restoration Charm," Dudley declared, raising his wand. Its tip glowed with a light unlike any other spell.
He turned his gaze to the struggling werewolf, bound but still fighting against its restraints.
According to the old wizard's notes, lycanthropy was like a curse. This particular werewolf, born from two werewolves under a full moon, carried a double dose of that curse, making it a pure wolf in form.
"Professor Snape," Dudley said, "would you assist me?"
"It would be my honor," Snape replied.
Snape wasn't about to miss this. First, a unique werewolf born from two others, and now a spell to restore a werewolf to human form? This was a chance to witness a miracle.
If Dudley had truly recreated this spell, it would shake the wizarding world. It would give wizards a new way to combat werewolves and offer hope to those shunned for their condition.
The students held their breath, craning their necks to catch every detail of this groundbreaking moment.
"Let's begin," Dudley said, pointing his wand at the werewolf.
Silver-green ribbons unfurled from the wand's tip, like vines slowly wrapping around the creature's struggling form. They crept over its body, tightening as it thrashed.
"Roar!"
The werewolf's struggles grew frantic, the silver-green ribbons clearly causing it pain.
Snape flicked his wand, and the werewolf's toothy maw snapped shut as if zipped closed, silencing it instantly. With a few more precise flicks, Snape immobilized the creature, its body stiffening like it had been hit with a Petrificus Totalus.
He'd subdued the werewolf to keep it from interfering.
Dudley's spell had piqued his curiosity.
As the silver-green ribbons enveloped the werewolf completely, faint wisps of black vapor began to rise from its body.
"Here it comes!" Dudley said.
According to the old wizard's theory, this black vapor was the source of the werewolf curse.
The magical crystal embedded in Dudley's wand glowed faintly. The ribbons formed a cocoon around the werewolf.
With a twirl of his wand, Dudley shattered the cocoon. The black vapor dissipated.
The students stared, wide-eyed, determined not to miss a single detail. They were witnessing the birth of a new spell.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds.
Just as their eyes began to ache from staring, something extraordinary happened.
The werewolf's long, sharp fangs began to shrink, retreating into its mouth. Its protruding snout flattened, and its thick fur softened, thinning until it vanished entirely, revealing smooth human skin.
The wolf form faded completely, replaced by a human figure.
"It worked!" the students cheered, turning to look at the transformed werewolf.
Surely someone who'd been such a striking wolf would be equally impressive as a human, right?
Then they saw him.
How can a person be this ugly?
The students' excitement turned to disappointment. Yes, he was human, but…
Lying on the floor was a man with a bowl-cut hairstyle, wide-set fish-like eyes, a chubby freckled face, a gourd-shaped head—narrow at the top, wide at the bottom—and a set of horrendously yellowed teeth. Worst of all, his lips looked like two sausages permanently dangling from his face.
"Ugly" didn't even begin to cover it. This was next-level hideous.
And, uh, he was completely naked.
"It'll only last a day," Dudley said, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
Even with his improvements to the Human Restoration Charm, the effect was temporary. After twenty-four hours, the werewolf would revert to its wolf form.
"A day is enough," Snape said, his face impassive but his tone full of praise. "Preventing a werewolf transformation, even for a day, is already remarkable."
Permanently curing lycanthropy was unrealistic. Not even Dudley—or the four founders of Hogwarts—could manage that. Recreating and refining this spell was a feat beyond mere genius.
Just then, the bell rang, perfectly timed.
"For homework," Snape announced, ignoring that Dudley was technically the substitute teacher for this Defense Against the Dark Arts class, "everyone will write an essay on methods to identify and defeat werewolves."
Dudley just shrugged, unbothered.
"Mr. Dursley," Snape said urgently, "I think you should come with me to the Headmaster's office."
The appearance of the Human Restoration Charm was bound to send shockwaves through the wizarding world.
Before leaving, Snape pointed at the naked, sprawled-out former werewolf with clear disgust. "And bring that with you."
Soon after, the door to the Headmaster's office swung open as Snape stormed in with Dudley in tow.
"Dumbledore, we need to talk," Snape said.
Dumbledore's eyes landed on the grotesque, naked figure trailing behind them, his expression turning… peculiar.
"Severus, what…"