Lupet didn't immediately answer the girl about whether they were hiring. Instead, she softly muttered the girl's name: Valentina Catalano.
"Big Sister Lupet do you remember me, and are you still hiring here?" The girl with gray hair forced a stiff smile.
Lupet looked over at Rhys.
"I need some time to think about it."
A flicker of despair flashed through Valentina's eyes. She was already at the end of her rope. If Lupet couldn't take her in, the most miserable future awaited her.
Lupet pulled Rhys back a couple of steps into the kitchen and whispered a brief introduction about this unexpected visitor who had appeared at the door.
As Rhys expected, the little girl who had suddenly appeared at the shop's entrance was a werewolf, just like Lupet.
Unlike Lupet, however, she had never received a proper education at a magic school.
After she was turned into a werewolf, her magic school—what Rhys saw as more of a magic cram school—chose to expel her. Her family was also killed in the werewolf attack, so Valentina went straight into a life of wandering.
During her travels, she met Lupet, and they lived together for a while. Later, the two of them got separated due to an accident. After that, Lupet met Rhys, which marked a turning point in her life.
It was clear that the reason she had come today was that she had seen someone she knew outside. At the very least, she could still pick up some leftover sweets from her sister's shop, couldn't she?
"Master, may I humbly request your mercy to bestow upon us the miraculous spell that can transform a werewolf and allow her to work here part-time for a while?" Lupet carefully chose her words, hoping that Valentina could also receive Rhys's salvation.
Although she hadn't meant to eavesdrop, Valentina accidentally overheard how Lupet addressed Rhys.
She glanced at Rhys in astonishment; the development of this situation was completely beyond her expectations.
Could it be that this dessert shop is funded by this little boy?
What exactly is Lupet's relationship with him?
Recalling how Lupet addressed Rhys, the answer became obvious.
Rhys thought for a moment. He considered using the Human Restoration Spell on the girl after she transformed into a werewolf, allowing her to break free from the werewolf curse.
Since he had encountered a werewolf, he would never ignore it; that would be irresponsible to ordinary wizards. However, the method of dealing with it was a matter of choice. Using the Human Restoration Spell to prevent them from transforming into werewolves for a period of time was one approach, while killing them was another.
In the past, Rhys had leaned towards the latter—a simple and immediate solution.
'Ok.. I think I was a bit racist.. BUT we were still fighting for the wizards at that time and creating the school!'
But now, he was willing to put in more effort.
"Stay here, and let me know when she transforms next time—oh, and I'll need to give you another spell as well," Rhys decided.
The spell developed by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff is only effective against werewolves that have transformed into wolf form. The principle is to use their own magic power to eliminate the wolf poison attached to the werewolf, and continue to eliminate the curse on the werewolf through spells to suppress the werewolf's transformation.
When the spell's energy runs out, the werewolf will still transform on the night of the full moon, at which point another Human Restoration Spell will be needed to cast. How long the spell lasts depends on the skill level of the caster.
However, according to Ravenclaw's design, theoretically, since the curse within the werewolf's body diminishes each time, the duration of the spell should gradually increase, eventually potentially reaching a point where the spell might not need to be "reapplied" for over a decade.
As for why it's only theoretical, Gryffindor and Slytherin preferred using a quicker method to cure werewolves. The Human Restoration Spell has a significant flaw: not every werewolf can find someone who knows this spell to cast it on them before its effects wear off.
Wouldn't that just lead to them transforming into wolves again and harming other humans?
However, Lupet's situation is slightly different. She is settled and can see Rhys every summer vacation, making it much more convenient to reapply the spell.
*Gurgle—~*
As Rhys and Lupet were talking, Valentina's stomach suddenly growled.
Facing their gazes, Valentina remained unfazed. "Um, Sister.. I'm a bit hungry. Can I have a couple of unsold cakes?"
Of course, she could. Rhys promptly stuffed the packaged desserts into her hands.
And just like that, Lupet hired her second employee.
She took Valentina directly to the Leaky Cauldron, rented a room, helped her take a bath, and even gave her a set of her own clothes to wear.
When she returned to Lupet's dessert shop, Rhys had already gone back to the bedroom on the second floor.
She went upstairs and found Rhys sitting at the desk, intently focused on something.
"Sorry, I came back a bit late because—"
"They finally contacted us." Rhys looked up and picked up a small booklet from the desk, waving it slightly. A smile that resembled catching a big fish flashed across his face.
"Who—The Secret Order?!" Lupet almost didn't react in time.
Rhys closed the booklet and tossed it towards Lupet.
"The guy from Knockturn Alley, was it Sergi or Serge, had really low clearance. The people from The Secret Order actually made him do a year's worth of odd jobs before giving him a new assignment," Rhys couldn't help but grumble.
Does The Secret Order have a generous budget? They actually kept purchasing the bulletins for such a long time.
But Rhys misunderstood them. Lupet and the previous owner of the alumni network, Sergi or Serge, made quite decent bulletins, which is why The Secret Order was willing to keep paying. They even assigned higher-level tasks after conducting assessments. It's not easy for ordinary people to crazily milk funding from The Secret Order like this.
Lupet opened the booklet and saw that a previously blank title page now had a sentence appear on it:
"[Investigate the death of a Gringotts curse breaker in northern Scotland, gather relevant information, and send the information to the usual address.]"
When Rhys saw this sentence, he immediately realized that the incident was not straightforward. The identities of those curse breakers likely warranted further investigation.
They were probably connected to The Secret Order, and investigating them might just be a "stepping stone" to prove one's capabilities.
"So, are you planning to go to Scotland to investigate the truth of the matter?" Lupet asked. If her master was going to the Scottish Highlands, she would need to make some arrangements.
"Heh~ Not at all," Rhys shook his head, unexpectedly. "I think there's someone who wants to know more about The Secret Order than I do. Let him handle the intelligence gathering—Lupet, write an anonymous letter to Albus Dumbledore. Make sure to give him a thorough introduction to The Secret Order and how to use this little booklet."
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