Chapter 129: Werewolf

"It's much better than before. How come you have time to visit today?" Banner's tone carried a hint of surprise. The place he was staying at was arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides Fury's one visit and occasional visits from Black Widow Natasha, Banner didn't have many other connections. He had distanced himself from his girlfriend, Betty, General Ross's daughter, and didn't have other close relationships.

In a way, Banner was quite pitiful. The Hulk's condition doomed him to having friends but no girlfriend. His relationship with Natasha was purely platonic and professional, with no romantic involvement. The same applied to Natasha and Hawkeye, who had a wife and kids and a good relationship with his family.

"I need to discuss something with you." Given that it was Banner—someone with seven doctorates—Daniel Davis directly stated his request, asking for some of Banner's blood.

"Maybe I can help with your condition."

"A magician studying science?" Banner wasn't overly excited by Daniel's proposition. At first, Banner had hoped to find a cure, but over the years, as he continued his research, he had resigned himself to his fate. This resignation led him to break off his relationship with Betty.

"Strictly speaking, magic can be considered a form of science. We just observe the world from a different angle. Perhaps a different approach could solve your problem."

"Alright." After some consideration, Banner agreed. Though he had resigned himself to his condition, deep down, he still hoped to return to normal. Since scientific approaches hadn't worked, maybe magic could provide a solution. After all, he had plenty of blood; he'd given a lot to S.H.I.E.L.D. already. Giving some to Daniel was no big deal.

For S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner's blood was extremely valuable. Even Captain America's blood was crucial. Although Fury hadn't asked Captain directly for blood samples, they had drawn plenty while he was in a coma.

"Could you tell me about your transformations? From previous battles, it seems you retain some level of rationality while transformed." After obtaining Banner's blood, Daniel didn't leave immediately. He genuinely wanted to help Banner.

"Well..." Banner paused before describing his experiences as the Hulk and sharing insights about the Hulk's persona within him.

"Anger, huh." The Hulk's strength increased with his anger. The more he raged, the more he lost his rationality. Even ordinary people can act irrationally when extremely angry. Banner practiced yoga and other techniques to keep his anger in check and his emotions stable.

"The Hulk is like a mischievous child. Sometimes, a good beating is all it takes to set them straight," Daniel mused. He had an idea for helping Banner: someone with immense strength could beat the Hulk into submission, much like Thanos did. However, finding such a person was nearly impossible. Odin or the Ancient One might have the power, but convincing them to help was another matter entirely.

Thor, at best, was evenly matched with the Hulk.

For other troublesome kids, many methods could work, like finding something they fear. But the Hulk's immense power made it difficult to find anything he feared. The only thing he might fear was overwhelming strength—a brutal beating.

"Have you ever considered merging with the Hulk? Based on your situation, I suspect the Hulk might be a second personality. From what you've said, you've always resisted him, wanting to eliminate him. But since he's a part of you, in a sense, he is you."

This method was the one Banner eventually used, merging his intellect with the Hulk's strength, although it left him with the Hulk's appearance.

"However, this fusion might make you inherit some of his traits, like his appearance," Daniel bluntly pointed out the drawback of this approach.

"Fusion, huh?" After some thought, Banner shook his head. In the original storyline, Banner chose to merge with the Hulk only after being beaten by Thanos and witnessing half of Earth's population vanish. These events hadn't happened yet, so current Banner wasn't ready to consider this method.

"Even if you don't merge, you should try communicating with him. From what you've said, he has some intelligence. You two could negotiate a compromise. For example, let him out at specific times but keep him in check otherwise." Daniel wasn't surprised by Banner's refusal and offered another suggestion.

"Communication, huh. I see, thanks." Banner was very smart and quickly understood Daniel's suggestion, which reinvigorated him. If successful, this method would mean he could see Betty without worrying about the Hulk emerging at the wrong time.

"I have a lab in the city. If you have nothing to do, you could visit. You can use the equipment there as you like." Daniel left a business card with the lab's address before departing.

Banner was one of the minds behind creating Ultron and Vision with Stark. If he joined the lab, Dr. Zhao's research on nanotechnology might progress even faster.

It was a stretch to say Banner would work for him, but collaborating on research was feasible. Stark might have invited Banner if he weren't busy, though whether Banner would accept was another matter.

Currently, Banner and Stark didn't have much camaraderie. Plus, Stark's playboy behavior didn't endear him to Banner.

"Gamma radiation, super serum, and jellyfish... It seems Banner survived because these elements combined. General Ross was trying to recreate the conditions from when Captain America was made, but how did the Hulk emerge?"

Banner's father was quite ruthless, injecting incomplete serums into his own child. Scientists often resorted to extreme measures for fame and success.

Jellyfish, known for their regenerative abilities, had long been a research focus, especially for wealthy individuals. Despite years of research, little progress had been made.

Specifically, the Turritopsis dohrnii, or the immortal jellyfish, which can revert to a younger state, had attracted many scientists and wealthy patrons. Not just scientists, but anyone with a basic understanding of biology hoped to solve this puzzle and achieve fame.

There was even a recent news story about an intern doctor who converted his garage into a lab, claiming significant breakthroughs in jellyfish research, fooling many desperate patients.

People often seek out unlikely cures in desperation, no matter the country. Those patients believed because their conditions were dire, hoping for a miracle.

Though remarkable innovations often come from garages in the USA, they rarely include medical breakthroughs.

Daniel could only shake his head at the lengths some people would go to for fame and fortune. In the USA, any form of notoriety can bring significant benefits, though who ultimately gains is another matter.

"I really overlooked the Hulk's factors before. It seems the Hulk's abilities belong to the persona of the Hulk itself. Banner can only use this power freely after integrating with the Hulk."

Harry Potter's World.

"You want a Time-Turner?" Dumbledore, after hearing Daniel's request, was silent for a while before agreeing.

Daniel made this request after careful consideration. He needed to learn a vast amount of knowledge and practice, and while normal time might suffice, considering the future of the Marvel world, he decided to use a Time-Turner from the Harry Potter universe.

The Harry Potter world wasn't very strict with Time-Turners. Even Hermione could get one. Without it, she couldn't have managed her extensive studies.

In fact, most top students in the Harry Potter world had used Time-Turners, including Voldemort.

In today's Harry Potter world, phones were already being used in the East, England, and Germany, with the East seeing the fastest and widest adoption. Daniel wasn't trying to make a profit, and the price was very reasonable compared to the first-generation phones.

The rapid spread in the East was inevitable; their infrastructure was unparalleled, even in a different world.

The advent of phones had caused a major stir in the magical world. Near London, because of Daniel and Grindelwald's influence, many families had phones, including Harry's aunt and uncle's house.

Coupled with Daniel's board game competition prizes, many main and supporting characters in the Harry Potter world now owned phones, including Draco and almost all of Ron's family.

Traditional methods like owls and howlers couldn't compete with the speed of phone communication. While the older generation of wizards resisted, the younger ones, especially those in relationships, loved it. They used to rely on letters and owls, which took days, but now they could communicate instantly.

However, wizards could still block phone signals using magical barriers.

"Werewolves and vampires are making a move," Grindelwald informed Daniel. The Harry Potter world naturally had creatures unique to the magical realm, like werewolves and vampires.

Here, vampires and werewolves weren't portrayed as elegant beings with handsome looks and refined manners. Instead, vampires were filthy, even more so than werewolves.

Knowing their characteristics, Daniel felt they had been reversed. Typically, a vampire's bite could turn someone into a vampire, which is the common perception.

But in the Harry Potter world, it's the werewolves who can turn others into werewolves through their bites, not the vampires.

"I need a werewolf and a vampire," Daniel said out of curiosity. Grindelwald calmly took out his custom phone and sent a message.

Grindelwald had already regrouped his followers. The rapid spread of phones in some areas was thanks to their efforts. Without phones, Grindelwald would have to use magical means to relay orders, but now he could easily use a phone.

"Remus Lupin became a werewolf after being bitten. He eventually died in battle. If the side effects of being a werewolf were removed, wouldn't it be similar to being an Animagus?"

Besides voluntarily transforming, werewolves also change involuntarily during a full moon, losing their reason and attacking everything.

Daniel had been curious about this before but hadn't wanted to search remote werewolf hideouts. Now, with Grindelwald's help, it was much easier.

With

 Lupin starting as Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Daniel wanted to see if he could solve the werewolf infection and loss of sanity.

As for Sirius Black's escape and the Dementors around Hogwarts, Daniel wasn't too concerned. He could use the Patronus Charm.

Harry Potter and Hermione's cohort had terrible luck. Their Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers in the first two years were unreliable, learning little.

Lupin and later Barty Crouch Jr. taught Harry and his friends a lot.

Daniel's plan to help Lupin could potentially change many things.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter