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"Ow..."
Wolf's howl jolted Ivan awake. He glanced up to see the colossal wolf manifestation of Lupin staring at him. Strangely, Ivan sensed a trace of disdain in the wolf's eyes.
A strange feeling washed over Ivan as he instinctively touched his face, muttering, "Damn! That's quite embarrassing."
As it turned out, Ivan had been so lost in thought that he had drooled, and Lupin had caught him at a rather compromising moment.
"Are you planning to maul me and keep me silent?" Ivan mused a hint of menace in his eyes. This made the one-meter-tall Lupin shrink back in fear.
In truth, Lupin was equally bewildered. When he opened his eyes and saw himself transformed into a giant wolf, panic initially set in. However, upon spotting Ivan nearby, he felt some relief and intended to ask for an explanation.
Much to his surprise, Ivan was smirking all along, still drooling, leaving Lupin utterly speechless. He attempted to ask what was going on, but instead, all he managed was a wolf's growl. It dawned on him that he was now a giant wolf. This, however, only deepened Ivan's mysterious intentions. Confronted with the esteemed Dr. Ivan's gaze, Lupin's heart was seized by a sudden sense of crisis, causing him to involuntarily retreat.
Ivan observed the one-meter-tall giant wolf's timidity with a mix of amusement and frustration. This young Lupin was bound to grow even taller as a wolf, well over 1.5 meters. Considering the average human figure, the wolf's size and weight would be at least four to five times greater. Yet, here he was, cowering before Ivan's gaze, an odd and somewhat adorable sight.
In reality, Ivan's musings about harming Lupin were nothing more than fleeting thoughts. Even if Lupin was undisciplined, he was still a child.
"Alright, no need to hide. From your potential, I know what you want to ask. Don't worry, you're still conscious while transformed into a giant wolf, which means you have control over your power. You can call it manipulation. Just think about returning to your human form," Ivan assured Lupin.
Upon hearing Ivan's words, Lupin's relief was palpable. With a thought, he transformed. His physicality shifted, his body shrank, and his stance adjusted as he became a werewolf.
But the changes didn't end there. Lupin continued to transform, his body contracting, his fur retracting, and his claws evolving into hands, eventually returning to his humanoid appearance. Lupin gazed in astonishment at his human hands, unable to fathom that this was real. It was a full moon night, and he had retained his human form as a werewolf. Lupin felt like he was in a dream.
"Stop daydreaming, don't you feel cold? You're completely naked! Although this is a good opportunity to show off, don't you feel ashamed?" Ivan's remark snapped Lupin back to reality. Looking down, Lupin realized he was indeed stark naked, with no clothing to cover himself. His embarrassment was profound, and he quickly covered his groin with his hands, turning to seek refuge in a nearby tree hollow.
In the past, when Lupin transformed into a werewolf on a full moon night, his clothes would be torn, but they would remain largely intact. This time, however, was different. As he became a giant wolf, his size had increased significantly, completely shredding his clothing. When he returned to his human form, he found himself in a rather vulnerable state, something he had overlooked in the excitement of maintaining his human form on a full moon night.
Ivan couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. He had lost face earlier, but it seemed that Lupin's embarrassment was even more profound.
Soon, Lupin re-emerged from the tree hollow, wearing a fresh set of clothes. This place was the secret hideout of Lupin and his three missing friends, where they spent their full moon nights. Naturally, there were some spare clothes on hand.
Although Lupin was still blushing, he had regained his composure. He approached Ivan, bowed respectfully, and said, "Dr. Ivan, thank you for your assistance. I'll always carry this favor in my heart. No matter what happens in the future, if you need my help, I'll give it without hesitation, even if it costs me my life."
Ivan smiled and shook his head. "No need to be so serious. It's nothing to me, and we both benefited from this. I wouldn't say it's you who owes me."
"No! It might be nothing to you, but for me, your help allowed me to fully control my transformation into a werewolf, which is more important to me than my own life. If I can't repay this favor, I'll live with regret."
Looking into Lupin's determined eyes, Ivan finally relented. "Alright, if you're determined, then so be it. I'll call upon your help when needed."
"Thank you for understanding!"
"By the way, I have one piece of advice for you: it's best not to reveal your ability to transform into a giant wolf to others, especially not to Dumbledore."
Lupin hesitated for a moment but finally asked, "I will certainly follow your advice, but may I know the reason behind it?"
Although Lupin felt a bit uneasy about concealing this from Dumbledore, he also felt grateful to him. It didn't sit well with him to deceive Dumbledore.
"It's not a matter of utmost seriousness, and you can choose whether to keep it a secret or not. I'm merely offering a suggestion. The reason is simple: while the magical world has its laws, strength often takes precedence. One day, you might face various dangers, and keeping this as your trump card increases your chances of survival in dire circumstances. Ultimately, the decision is yours."
Lupin understood that Ivan's suggestion was genuinely for his benefit. It was to allow him more time to grow and strengthen before revealing his unique ability. Of course, if he were to expose it in the future, that would be his choice. Ivan was merely offering guidance, not expecting Lupin to owe him anything in return.
With the werewolf research concluded, Ivan had accomplished his goal and had duplicated a record of the research findings, omitting only the giant wolf transformation and the fusion agent from the werewolf venom. He had created detailed notes for everything else, which he would pass on to Dumbledore as agreed. In return, Dumbledore would share his research findings with Ivan.
Ivan returned to the library, where he immersed himself in reading. Though he might have appeared as a bookworm, in reality, Ivan had reached an unprecedented level of magical theory knowledge. In this realm, he surpassed even Dumbledore. Now, the key was to blend his theoretical knowledge with practical applications. Ivan reserved his book reading for the daytime, conducting experiments secretly at night.
Being within the magic school, Ivan was unsure if Dumbledore had any unique methods to track him. This compelled Ivan to conduct experiments within the school, particularly in a space where the Untraceable Extension Charm had been applied.
During his experiments, Ivan encountered certain limitations due to equipment constraints. Nonetheless, the gains were substantial.
First and foremost, in terms of potion-making, Ivan not only developed potions with potency several times that of conventional potions, but he also created potions with additional functionalities based on existing ones. While some attempts led to mistakes and failures, his potion success rate was nearly 100%.
This was unsurprising, given his fusion of magical and technological principles. Traditional potion brewing involved adding materials step by step, but Ivan was capable of advanced material purification using technology. His precision in dosing materials down to micrograms was unmatched. Moreover, Ivan's strong mental abilities allowed him to sense molecular changes in substances, and with the assistance of the super-intelligent program, the Red Queen, he achieved unparalleled heat and time control. Once a potion was successfully created, replicating the process was nearly foolproof, ensuring that potions made from purified materials exhibited enhanced effects.
Fortunately, Ivan had no intentions of becoming a potion-selling businessman in the magical world, as his pharmaceutical prowess would likely obliterate all other potion shops.