The Witch and The Hunters

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

Page count: 8

"Right then, on to our final topic," Hermione spoke, standing in front of the class after almost three hours of lecturing and she was almost done.

She was impressed, all of the students seemed to have been listening attentively to her and they had been asking more questions than she could keep up with. She had seen both Dean and Sam listening to her also, taking in everything she had to say and she knew some of the things that had been brought up surprised them.

"How can we identify a werewolf?" She asked.

Several hands shot up and she pointed to a Hufflepuff boy.

"There is no certain way to identify a werewolf, without looking at the werewolf registry which is protected in The Ministry of Magic's Hall of Records, or without being informed by said werewolf, or witnessing the change for yourself."

"Correct, well done," she said with a smile. "Why may you be suspicious? What factors can be a give away?"

She pointed to a Gryffindor girl.

"For the most part, the werewolf is human but for one day of the month. The week leading up to the full moon, the werewolf will begin to show signs of tiredness, they may be easily agitated or they may have bursts of energy, or be more energetic all together. They are likely to be more sensitive to light, sounds, smells and tastes, or there may be an increase in their appetite. The closer to the full moon, the more likely the signs will be seen. After the full moon, the werewolf will be exhausted and require rest and the need for protein and sugar, but the next morning they should be back to their normal selves."

Hermione beamed. "Correct, thank you. Despite their classification level of five, werewolves are harmless but for the night of the full moon, and now, we have ways of managing their change. The Wolfsbane Potion was invented by?"

"Damocles Belby," a Ravenclaw girl answered. Hermione nodded at her in thanks.

"When a werewolf changes they are no longer human, but one-hundred percent wolf that survives on instinct and the need to fight for resources. The Wolfsbane Potion allows for a werewolf to keep the memories of the full moon, and it allows for them to have some control over their actions. The wolf side and the human side are more or less, melded together in order to have better control of themselves, whilst also keeping their wolf instincts to keep them safe during the night of the full moon. The potion does not prevent the pain of the transition, but it allows them to remain partially human, at least mentally. Many werewolves aren't given the opportunity of the use of a Wolfsbane Potion due to the expensive ingredients it requires for its brewing, making the asking price ridiculous, most working families can't afford to buy one dose, let alone werewolves."

"Werewolves are considered monsters by most in the world but that is a stereotype. You can't blame the actions of one on an entire race or species. Many will suffer due to the actions of a single person. There have been some truly horrific werewolves, such as Fenrir Greyback, who thankfully, is no longer able to hurt anyone else, but there have also been some truly outstanding werewolves. Who's heard of Remus Lupin?"

Hands shot up in response.

"Remus Lupin was one of the smartest, kindest and most caring men I have ever met. He was once the defence against the dark arts professor at Hogwarts and you can ask anyone that attended Hogwarts a decade ago, what they thought of him and I'd guarantee they'd all say he was the best DADA professor they'd ever had, including the Slytherins. He always put others before himself. He didn't have a penny to his name. He wore tattered clothing and wasn't always the most presentable, but we didn't care. Remus Lupin fought in the war and along with his wife, Nymphodora Tonks, died in the Final Battle. They left behind a one month old baby, and they sacrificed themselves so their child, along with everyone else could live peacefully and freely. And do you know what? He was a werewolf. "