Chapter 130: Alchemy (Part 1)

"Professor Shen, are you looking for me?" Remus Lupin, who was organizing magical books in his office, showed a hint of puzzlement when he saw Daniel Davis enter.

Although both were professors at Hogwarts, they weren't well-acquainted, as Daniel only occasionally appeared at the school. If not for Dumbledore's insistence, Daniel might have lost his professorial title long ago.

Many teachers at Hogwarts had opinions about Daniel's inconsistent teaching schedule.

"Yes, there's something I want to discuss with you. But this isn't the place for it. How about we go somewhere else?"

"Alright." After a moment of hesitation, Lupin picked up his wand and followed Daniel out of Hogwarts and into the open.

"What is it? We should be able to talk here," Lupin said as they walked down an empty road outside Hogwarts.

"It's not something that can be explained here." Daniel continued walking.

As they approached their destination, Lupin instinctively gripped his wand hidden in his sleeve. Before becoming a teacher at Hogwarts, Lupin's life was far from peaceful, often involving conflicts with others. In the underground world of magic, battles between wizards were fierce.

Lupin's reaction was triggered by their destination: the Shrieking Shack. While others might not be familiar with it, Lupin knew it well, having spent his monthly transformations there during his Hogwarts years.

"In here," Daniel said, leading the way into the cave. Lupin followed, curious to see what Daniel intended.

In the magical world, werewolves were notorious, and only a small number of wizards were tolerant of them. This prejudice was present among most Hogwarts staff as well. Lupin had to resign later due to his condition becoming public knowledge.

It was a miracle Lupin eventually married Tonks and had a child. Tonks was exceptional, taking the initiative in their relationship, winning over Lupin despite his fears of passing on his lycanthropy.

Dumbledore's decision to admit Lupin to Hogwarts despite knowing he was a werewolf was a testament to his incredible foresight. Hagrid, who also faced prejudice, was another example of Dumbledore's faith in his students.

"Who are they?" Entering the Shrieking Shack, Lupin saw two people locked up and immediately drew his wand, pointing it at Daniel.

"Relax, they're Death Eaters and werewolves." Daniel wasn't bothered by Lupin's reaction and explained the situation. These werewolves had been obtained through Grindelwald's followers. Vampires, being too repulsive, were not of interest, but werewolves intrigued Daniel. His research revealed that lycanthropy was akin to a biochemical virus, which explained why those bitten turned into werewolves.

Further research led Daniel to a breakthrough: if the involuntary transformations and loss of sanity during full moons could be eliminated, werewolves would essentially become Animagi, capable of transforming at will with the aid of a simple potion.

In the Harry Potter universe, Animagi were relatively common, though certain types, like Tonks' Metamorphmagus ability, were rare and untrainable. Tonks' shape-shifting was comparable to the Skrulls' abilities. 

Another rare type of Magus was the Seer, like Grindelwald, whose prophetic abilities drove many of his actions, though even those couldn't prevent his ultimate defeat.

"Werewolves? You know about me." Lupin realized his secret was out.

"I'm researching werewolves and have made some discoveries. I have good news for you, news I think you'll be very happy to hear," Daniel said.

"Good news? You're not going to reveal my secret?"

"No, it's better than that. I've discovered a potion that can remove the werewolf transformation. I wanted you to witness its effects. Get ready; I'm going to wake them up." Daniel revived the two werewolves and made them transform. He then administered the potion to one orally and injected it into the other.

In no time, both reverted to their human forms.

"See? Now that you've seen the results, are you interested?" Daniel handed a vial of the potion to Lupin, who, excitedly, drank it without hesitation.

With the potion's success confirmed, Daniel and Lupin returned to Hogwarts to inform Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Lupin's firsthand experience was essential for credibility.

Promoting this potion could eradicate the werewolf threat, as most werewolves were hostile and retaliatory, often targeting children. Lupin himself was bitten by a vengeful werewolf aiming to hurt his father.

By eliminating the infectious nature of lycanthropy, werewolves would no longer be a significant threat. Of course, the potion wouldn't be free, but Dumbledore and Grindelwald's involvement meant Daniel wouldn't exploit it for profit, though he could have made a fortune from families desperate to cure their loved ones.

Grindelwald's followers would handle the distribution, and Lupin's testimony would be invaluable since he had many werewolf acquaintances.

Daniel withheld another potion that allowed werewolves to retain their powers without losing sanity. Such a potion could lead to people seeking werewolf bites for easy power, bypassing the difficult Animagus transformation.

The fall of werewolves would mean Voldemort lost a crucial piece on his chessboard.

"Too bad there aren't any werebears. If there were, we could have a druid circle. Without his lycanthropy, Lupin should remain as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, breaking Voldemort's curse. I never understood why so many coveted that position."

Voldemort cursed the position after being denied it, and Snape, another brilliant mind, longed for it too.

With Lupin cured, events started to change. Peter Pettigrew was captured and handed to the Ministry, ending up in Azkaban. Although Pettigrew's capture cleared Sirius Black's name, Minister Fudge refused to acknowledge it, insisting both were guilty and imprisoning them.

Fudge feared admitting the mistake would undermine his authority, so he chose to cover it up. Dumbledore, displeased, could do little as Fudge promised further investigation.

Soon after, Sirius escaped, infuriating Fudge. The Ministry had guarded Sirius at Hogwarts, distrusting the school's staff, leading to their embarrassment.

"These magical creatures are fascinating but too troublesome to keep," Daniel mused. He appreciated magical creatures but wasn't inclined to care for them. Newt Scamander's creatures caused enough problems to have many countries ban him.

Despite Newt's creatures saving New York once, the American magical authorities weren't keen on him, usually denying his travel requests unless he promised not to bring creatures.

"It's time to explore new worlds." With everything in place, Daniel resumed his plan. Previously, interruptions had delayed him.

"The Tesseract can shrink—unbelievable. Is it the Pym particles or the Space Stone's innate ability?" In the quantum realm, Daniel carried the Space Stone but left the Mind Stone behind.

He had left the Absorbing Man, controlled by Loki's scepter, in the giant world to handle business. Unlike controlling powerful beings like Scarlet Witch, the Absorbing Man posed no risk. Daniel even gave him a Vibranium-infused ring for protection.

This allowed the Absorbing Man to transform into Vibranium, making him formidable even in the giant world.

"With the Space Stone, travel is much faster." Using its power, Daniel quickly opened a new dimension.

"This time, no surprises. Good." Daniel was pleased to find himself in an uninhabited mountainous area, unlike his previous chaotic arrivals.

"A city! Its scale and architecture are similar to the giant world." Using a telescope, Daniel spotted a distant city nestled among the mountains.

"And a train—like the Hogwarts Express, a steam engine." The Hogwarts Express, a modified steam train, remained in use even when Harry's children attended school.

The folks at Hogwarts should see China's high-speed trains.

"Mechanical arms and legs—interesting." In the city, Daniel noticed numerous mechanical shops and people with prosthetic limbs. This wasn't unusual in the Marvel universe, but these crude prosthetics functioning so well intrigued him.

Replacing lost limbs wasn't difficult, but connecting them to nerves and controlling them was complex.

"I never thought I'd say something is unscientific."

Curious, Daniel discreetly gathered information about this world, quickly realizing its significance: he had entered the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, a realm rich in alchemy.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter