After a short while, Mr. Greengrass returned with a tall, thin man.
"This is Damocles, a very famous potioneer," Mr. Greengrass introduced the guest briefly to Daphne and Rhys.
Upon hearing the profession "potioneer," Rhys immediately understood his purpose: he was here to treat Astoria.
Rhys felt a bit ashamed—he had been freeloading at the Greengrass house for half the summer, yet he hadn't mentioned treating Daphne's sister's curse. He had only given some calming potions and incense to help her sleep peacefully without dreams.
The reason he hadn't rashly begun treatment was that Rhys had been contemplating the right treatment plan.
Unlike the "tough-skinned" Ravenclaw, Astoria's soul was much more fragile. The more aggressive treatment methods clearly wouldn't work; otherwise, the curse might not be completely removed, and she could be driven mad by the process. Moreover, he didn't have another piece of Voldemort's soul fragment to use.
And soul fragments were not something Rhys dared to use recklessly.
The reason he used one for Ravenclaw was because she was strong enough; Voldemort's incomplete soul was nothing more than a minor ailment in her presence.
But Astoria was different. Her soul was too weak.
Could the remaining soul fragment take the opportunity to devour her soul and grow stronger? Rhys thought it was very possible.
The Damocles that Mr. Greengrass had invited was indeed quite skilled.
According to Mr. Greengrass, he had recently developed a potion called Wolfsbane Potion, which could alleviate the symptoms of a werewolf's transformation.
"It's not exactly like that. My potion allows werewolves to retain their sanity even after transforming into wolves; it doesn't prevent the transformation itself."
Rhys: "?!!"
"What?" He was so shocked that he accidentally exclaimed aloud.
Damocles glanced at him, mistaking the young wizard's reaction for confusion or a lack of understanding, so he explained his newly invented potion again in simpler terms.
Rhys: "..."
He was speechless.
If someone had concocted such a potion a thousand years ago and flaunted it in front of him, he would have undoubtedly executed this wizard traitor without hesitation.
Allow werewolves to remain rational while transforming?
How did such a genius survive until now?
Gryffindor's approach to curing werewolves: send them to reincarnate.
Ravenclaw's approach to curing werewolves: make it impossible for them to maintain their werewolf form.
The modern young wizard's approach to curing werewolves: allow them to stay conscious in their werewolf form.
Didn't he realize the problem?
Isn't Damocles thinking too kindly of werewolves?
From Rhys's own experience, werewolves have always been at the bottom of the magical society for centuries, heavily discriminated against. They could easily compete with house-elves for their low status.
Many werewolves have developed psychological issues as a result, and if these despised werewolves could maintain their sanity after transforming, wouldn't they be tempted to seek revenge on wizard society?
With just one bite, they could drag those high-and-mighty wizards into the mud. Once someone becomes a werewolf, no matter how great their talent or noble their bloodline, it all becomes meaningless.
Could any werewolf really resist such a temptation?
Even if I'm miserable, as long as you are as miserable as I am...
I'll feel much better!
Even if only one in ten werewolves had such a twisted mindset, the damage to the wizarding world would be immeasurable.
In Rhys's eyes, the combat abilities of modern wizards are highly questionable.
Could they really stand a chance against werewolves who remain rational after transforming?
Damocles, true to his name, has indeed become a sword hanging over the heads of wizards.
Seeing Rhys looking utterly shocked, Damocles smiled. Everyone who had heard about his potion praised him, including many high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic.
It was pretty standard to leave an ordinary young wizard dumbfounded. He had already decided that after testing the potion on a few more werewolves to ensure its stability, he would make the potion public.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's go quickly and check on little Astoria's condition," Damocles said, no longer interested in chatting with the "youngster," as he was now focused on more serious matters.
Damocles had long heard from his healer friends that the youngest daughter of the Greengrass family had some sort of strange illness, but he wasn't worried at all because he had made two preparations.
No matter what, Miss Astoria's condition would improve today.
Astoria was already used to dealing with healers. She sat obediently at the table, letting Damocles examine her, like a beautiful doll.
After using a few instruments that looked incredibly exquisite and complex to examine Astoria, a dark glint flashed in Damocles's eyes. The little girl's condition was extremely complicated, but the good news was that it matched his previous speculation based on the information he had; she was under a "blood curse."
He was prepared for this situation.
After finishing his examination, Damocles thought for a moment and then asked with a serious expression, "Does Miss Astoria have a blood curse on her?"
After receiving a positive response from Mr. Greengrass, Damocles slowly said, "Blood curses are very difficult to cure."
Mr. Greengrass's expression remained wooden, as if he wasn't surprised at all by Damocles's words.
"—But I have a potion that can delay the onset of the curse and even alleviate the symptoms, though the effectiveness of the latter can vary from person to person."
Mr. Greengrass was stunned for a moment, then a look of ecstatic joy appeared on his face.
Rhys: ?
Really? Is this person in front of me that powerful?
Rhys asked himself, knowing that he was already a top master in the field of potions.
The reason he didn't call himself the number one in the field was that over a thousand years, the field of potions had continuously developed, and some miraculous formulas might have emerged that he wasn't aware of. In other words, his knowledge could be somewhat outdated, so proclaiming himself as the best would be a bit arrogant.
Something that even he wasn't confident about doing, Damocles was able to propose a solution after just one meeting. Could he really be a genius, or does he have some special potion for treating blood curses that Rhys doesn't know about?
Rhys squinted his eyes, standing behind Damocles, scrutinizing him.
Mr. Greengrass was overjoyed and immediately requested Damocles to provide the potion for treatment. As for the cost of the potion, he didn't even ask.
"Please give me a laboratory, and I'll prepare the potion for Miss Astoria right away."
Damocles's request was quickly granted. Mr. Greengrass provided him with a well-equipped alchemy room and allowed him to use his potion supplies.
"Do I need to step out for a while?" Mr. Greengrass understood that most of these formulas were the core secrets of potion makers, and he naturally didn't want to break any rules.
"No need. The preparation of the potion is a very professional job, so there's no need for you to do that."
To Mr. Greengrass's surprise, Damocles didn't mind at all that he was watching his process.
_________
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