Werewolves: A Study

An owl hooted softly and Remus opened his eyes just in time to see it land on the bench next to him. "Hello," Remus said as he reached out and took the letter from the owl's leg. 

Having completed its task the owl hooted once more,  ruffled its feathers, and took off again. 

Remus grinned as he opened the letter and saw it was from Newt. He read on:

Dear Remus,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I have finished compiling my notes and assembled them in what I hope will be a very informative article in the next issue of the Daily Prophet. I have included a preview of it in with this letter for you to read. 

All the  best, 

                   Newt

Remus put the letter aside and pulled out the typed article:

Many of you may have read my book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." While the book offers a brief look into various species it merely scratches the surface when it comes to an in-depth understanding of them. I have partnered with the Daily Prophet to offer a series of articles on different creatures. This is done in an attempt to foster a greater understanding for them and to help educate the average witch or wizard about magizology. My first article will be on a creature that is so wildly misunderstood most "facts" about them are merely legend. In this article I will attempt to address some of the misconceptions about werewolves. 

  Werewolves: A Study  

First and foremost the werewolf is a highly complex being. Unlike other species I have studied, werewolves, are more human than creature. It is only during a full moon that a werewolf will transform from their human form and become a wolf. Legends and tales about them being able to change at will are nothing more than wives tales used to frighten children. Other legends mention the use of silver to kill or harm a werewolf. In reality, silver will not kill a werewolf. Crushed silver when applied to a fresh werewolf bite or scratch will, however, seal the wound and prevent further bleeding. Outside of the full moon, a werewolf is like any other witch or wizard. The only difference being an affinity for rarer meat and suffering from the chronic pain brought on by the transformation. 

During the full moon, a werewolf undergoes immense physical and mental changes. These changes are incredibly painful for the lycanthrope. As a result, it is not unheard of for a werewolf to be ill up to a week after the full moon. 

It is the mental changes more than the physical that lead to the werewolves being seen as dangerous. Once a werewolf transforms the human mind is overcome by werewolf instincts. It is this domination of the mind that causes the werewolf to lash out at anything in its path and prevents it from being able to distinguish right from wrong. Responsible lycanthropes have found numerous and creative ways to confine themselves. Everything from charms to labyrinths have been used to occupy and prevent the wolf from harming others. When properly contained the werewolf will have no prey and will, therefore, turn onto itself inflicting severe damage. 

However recent advancements in potion making have lead to the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion. This potion restrains the wolfish instincts allowing the werewolf to control their wolf, just as they would their human bodies. The adverse effect being that the werewolf will be mentally present and experience the full pain of the transformation.

It is thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion that we are now able to get a better understand of the effects of lycanthropy. A man afflicted with lycanthropy kindly assisted me in this study last month. His name will not be mentioned to protect his identity but I feel that I and the rest of the wizarding world owe him our thanks for allowing us to get a deeper insight into the werewolf. Included are several sketches I did that night to help to illustrate a fully transformed lycanthrope. Descriptions have been provided for each illustration.