The great chamber of Slytherin Castle had rarely felt this heavy with expectation.
Normally the castle was a place of quiet strength. Its stone walls and long vaulted ceilings carried the calm of secrecy rather than the tension of conflict. It was a sanctuary—one of the few places in the wizarding world where people like the Serpent Court could exist without constantly watching their backs.
Tonight that peace was gone.
Nearly thirty werewolves had gathered inside the great living hall.
They filled the long chamber in clusters—some leaning against stone pillars, some sitting along the benches beside the walls, others standing in small groups speaking quietly among themselves. Their expressions carried a mixture of unease, curiosity, and guarded anticipation.
They all knew why they had been called.
Or at least, they thought they did.
Ever since the battle in the Forbidden Forest, the wizarding world had been in chaos. The bodies of foreign wizards had been discovered deep within the forest, torn apart by a pack of werewolves. Even though those men had been criminals—kidnappers who had taken Lily Longbottom—the Ministry and the Auror Department had not responded with gratitude.
They responded with fear.
And fear always turned toward prejudice.
The Aurors had begun quietly investigating every known werewolf in Britain. They questioned pack leaders, raided suspected gathering places, and watched known members of the magical underclass with renewed suspicion.
The hunt had begun.
Most of the werewolves gathered here tonight had expected only one thing.
They believed Lord Blackfire intended to hide them.
To shelter them inside the castle until the Ministry lost interest.
That was the rumor circulating among them.
Sam Keller stood near the front of the hall, arms crossed as he scanned the room. His expression carried visible confusion.
He leaned slightly toward Regina, who stood beside him.
"Did Harry say why we're all here?" he asked quietly.
Regina shook her head.
"No."
Jason, who stood nearby with Cassia, lowered his voice.
"Most of them think we're hiding them here."
Sam sighed.
"That can't last forever."
Across the hall Cassandra watched the gathering silently. Her sharp eyes moved from face to face, noting the tension, the uncertainty.
Something was different tonight.
Even the members of the Serpent Court seemed uneasy.
Because Harry had not been himself lately.
Ever since the meeting several days ago, Harry had looked disturbed. Not frightened, but deeply thoughtful, as though he had glimpsed something far larger than the problems they were currently facing.
And now he had summoned every werewolf who had fought in the rescue mission.
That alone meant something important was about to happen.
The doors at the far end of the hall opened.
Instant silence swept through the chamber.
Lord Blackfire entered.
Even the werewolves who had known him for years felt the shift in atmosphere whenever he appeared. His height was unimpressive—shorter than most of the men gathered in the hall—but the aura he carried made people instinctively straighten when he approached.
He walked slowly, deliberately.
Like an old wizard who had lived through centuries.
Behind him, the core members of the Serpent Court took their places quietly along the walls.
Harry stopped in the center of the hall.
For several seconds he said nothing.
The silence stretched until every eye in the room rested on him.
Then he spoke.
"My friends."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried clearly across the chamber.
"You have done something remarkable."
Several werewolves shifted slightly.
"You risked your lives to rescue a child from kidnappers."
His gaze moved slowly across the room.
"And how has the wizarding world repaid you?"
A low murmur spread among the gathered pack.
Sam spoke quietly.
"They're hunting us."
Harry nodded once.
"Yes."
He began pacing slowly across the chamber, his cloak brushing softly against the stone floor.
"The wizarding world speaks endlessly about justice," he said calmly. "About honor. About protecting the innocent."
He stopped walking and turned toward them again.
"And yet the moment werewolves defend a child… the Ministry begins searching for someone to blame."
No one argued.
Because every werewolf present understood exactly what he meant.
Harry raised one hand slightly.
"So today," he said quietly, "I offer you a choice."
The tension in the hall tightened instantly.
A faint blue system notification appeared within Harry's vision.
[Quest Activated]
Moonbound Fate
Objective: Determine the future of the Werewolf Pack
Available Paths:
Path of Shadows – Hide the Pack
Path of Liberation – Remove the Curse
Reward: Unknown
Harry ignored the notification and continued speaking.
"There are two paths before you."
His voice remained steady, calm.
"The first option is simple."
He gestured lightly.
"I can hide you."
Several werewolves looked up immediately.
"I possess resources," Harry continued. "Money. Safe locations across the world. Protection that the Ministry cannot penetrate."
He paced slowly again.
"You could disappear."
"New identities."
"New homes."
"No Auror would ever find you."
The room remained quiet.
Harry finished calmly.
"You would survive."
For a few seconds no one spoke.
Then someone near the back shook his head.
Another crossed his arms.
A third spoke in a low voice.
"So we run again."
A few others murmured in agreement.
Sam watched them carefully.
They had spent their entire lives hiding.
Changing names.
Moving towns.
Disappearing whenever suspicion fell upon them.
The idea of running again felt unbearable.
Jason spoke quietly from the side.
"They've built lives here."
Harry nodded slowly.
He had expected this reaction.
"I thought that might be your answer."
He stopped walking.
And the air in the room seemed to change.
"Which brings us to the second option."
Every eye returned to him.
Harry spoke calmly.
"I can cure your lycanthropy."
The words struck the room like thunder.
For a moment no one moved.
No one spoke.
The sentence hung in the air, impossible to process.
Then voices exploded across the hall.
"That's impossible!"
"You're joking!"
"No one can cure lycanthropy!"
Even the Serpent Court looked stunned.
Jason leaned toward Cassandra.
"Did he just say—"
"Yes," Cassandra replied quietly. "He did."
Sam stepped forward slowly.
"You mean… remove the curse?"
Harry met his gaze.
"Yes."
A system notification appeared again before his eyes.
[Skill Information]
Mystic Cleansing – Lv. 10
Capabilities:
Curse Removal
Dark Magic Purification
Lycanthropy Cleansing (Advanced)
Estimated Success Rate: 88%
Harry dismissed the window.
"If you choose," he continued calmly, "I can remove the curse from your bodies."
The hall went silent again.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Hope.
A tall werewolf near the center spoke first.
"You mean… we would become normal?"
"Yes."
Another voice trembled.
"No full moon transformations?"
A third asked almost fearfully.
"No Ministry registration?"
Harry's voice remained calm.
"You would simply be witches and wizards."
The words hit them harder than any spell.
Some of the werewolves looked like they might collapse.
Others stared at Harry as though he had just spoken a divine prophecy.
Because lycanthropy was more than a curse.
It was a life sentence.
Even if the transformation pain had lessened recently…
Even if the potion Harry had developed had helped them control their condition…
The word werewolf followed them everywhere.
Jobs denied.
Homes refused.
Children pulled away.
Entire lives lived in shadows.
And now—
One man offered to erase it.
Sam stood motionless.
His entire life had been shaped by that curse.
His childhood.
The pack he had built.
Everything.
An older werewolf stepped forward slowly.
His voice trembled with emotion.
"My lord…"
He swallowed hard.
"You would truly give us this?"
Harry looked across the room.
Every scarred face.
Every tired pair of eyes.
"Yes," he said quietly.
The old werewolf sank to his knees.
Several others followed.
Sam did not kneel.
But his eyes shone with something dangerously close to tears.
And for a long moment the hall remained silent as dozens of men and women looked at Lord Blackfire with something close to reverence.
Because to them, in that moment—
He did not look like a lord.
He looked like a miracle walking among them.
Sam was the first to speak.
"You mean… you'll do it now?" he asked carefully.
Harry nodded.
"Yes."
The room stirred immediately.
Some of the werewolves looked hopeful.
Others looked frightened.
Because hope could be dangerous when you had spent your entire life being told that something was impossible.
Harry raised his hand gently.
"There are limits," he said calmly.
A blue system interface flickered before his eyes.
[Skill Activated]
Mystic Cleansing – Lv. 10
Effect: Purify dark curses and corrupted magical influences.
Advanced Function Unlocked: Lycanthropy Cleansing
Magic Cost: EXTREME
Daily Limit: 10 Targets
Remaining Capacity Today: 10
Harry closed the interface and addressed the room.
"This ability consumes a large amount of magic," he explained. "I can only perform the cleansing ten times per day."
A murmur spread among the werewolves.
There were nearly thirty of them gathered here.
Harry continued calmly.
"So we will begin today."
He stepped forward.
"Volunteers first."
For a moment no one moved.
Then the old werewolf who had knelt earlier slowly stood.
His voice trembled slightly.
"I will go first."
Harry nodded.
The man approached cautiously, stopping only a few steps away.
For a moment the two of them simply looked at each other.
"Your name?" Harry asked.
"Elias," the man replied.
Harry raised his hand and placed it gently against Elias's shoulder.
Then he activated the skill.
[Mystic Cleansing Activated]
Target: Elias Fenrick
Status: Lycanthropy Detected
Beginning Purification…
Light burst from Harry's hand.
It was not the violent glow of destructive magic.
This light felt calm.
Warm.
Almost comforting.
Golden energy flowed through Elias's body like sunlight passing through water. The old werewolf gasped as the magic spread through him.
His body began to glow faintly.
The other werewolves stepped back instinctively.
Elias's breathing grew heavier as the purification continued.
For several seconds the golden light surrounded him completely.
Then—
It faded.
The room fell silent again.
Elias blinked several times.
He looked down at his hands.
Then he looked at Harry.
"I…" he whispered.
His voice sounded different.
Lighter.
"I feel…"
He struggled to find the words.
"Lighter," he finally said.
Sam stepped forward cautiously.
"What do you mean?"
Elias pressed a hand against his chest.
"It's like something inside me is gone," he murmured.
He took a deep breath.
"And the moon…"
Everyone leaned forward.
"The moon isn't pulling anymore."
The room exploded with whispers.
Harry spoke calmly.
"The curse has been removed."
He glanced at the system window.
[Target Cleansed]
Lycanthropy Removed
Subject Status: Human Wizard
Mystic Cleansing EXP Gained: +40
Remaining Daily Cleanses: 9
Harry looked back at the gathered group.
"Next."
One by one, they stepped forward.
The process repeated.
Harry touched their shoulders.
Golden light filled the room.
Each werewolf glowed briefly as the ancient curse was stripped from their body.
With each cleansing Harry could feel the immense drain on his magical reserves.
By the seventh purification his breathing had grown heavier.
By the ninth his hands trembled slightly.
When the tenth cleansing finished, Harry staggered slightly and Cassandra stepped forward immediately.
"That's enough," she said firmly.
Harry nodded slowly.
The system window appeared again.
[Daily Limit Reached]
Mystic Cleansing Targets: 10 / 10
Next Available Cleanses: 24 Hours
Magic Recovery Required.
Harry closed the interface and looked toward the ten former werewolves standing in front of him.
They looked stunned.
Relieved.
Each of them touched their chest or arms as if trying to confirm that something inside their bodies had truly changed.
One of them laughed suddenly.
A quiet, disbelieving sound.
"I don't feel it anymore."
Another whispered.
"The hunger…"
"It's gone."
Yet none of them could truly confirm the truth.
Because the real test would come only with the next full moon.
Harry explained it calmly.
"You will know for certain when the full moon arrives," he said. "But the curse is already gone."
The ten newly cleansed wizards looked at him with awe.
Across the hall, the remaining werewolves watched with equal intensity.
Hope had ignited among them.
Harry addressed the entire room.
"For now, you will remain here."
He gestured toward the castle around them.
"This place is safe."
His voice became firmer.
"No one who still carries the curse will leave the castle."
Sam nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Harry continued.
"Only those who have already been cleansed will be allowed to travel outside."
He paused briefly.
"The Aurors cannot prove anything against a normal wizard."
That truth settled over the room like a shield.
But Sam spoke again.
"There's something else."
Harry looked toward him.
"There are many more werewolves in Britain," Sam said quietly. "Hundreds."
Several heads nodded.
"Many of them had nothing to do with the attack," Sam continued. "But they're still living the same cursed life."
He hesitated slightly before asking.
"Could you… help them too?"
Harry leaned back slightly against the table behind him.
His expression grew thoughtful.
"Yes," he said slowly.
"We can help them."
Hope flashed through the room again.
But Harry raised a hand quickly.
"There is one condition."
The hall fell quiet.
"This must remain secret."
Harry continued.
"The wizarding world is already chasing me."
He began pacing slowly again.
"They believe Lord Blackfire can give magic to squib children."
Several werewolves exchanged amused looks.
Harry sighed softly.
"If the world learns that I can cure lycanthropy as well…"
He shook his head.
"I will never have peace again."
Cassandra nodded in agreement.
"They'd flood the hotel with demands."
Jason added quietly.
"The Ministry might even try to control it."
Harry stopped walking.
"Exactly."
He looked at the gathered werewolves again.
"So if we do this…"
Sam nodded immediately.
"No one will speak."
Several others voiced agreement.
"Not a word."
"We swear it."
Harry studied their faces carefully.
These were people who had lived their entire lives in secrecy.
Keeping one more secret would not be difficult.
Finally he nodded.
"Then we will continue tomorrow."
The room erupted in relieved murmurs.
For the first time since the Aurors began hunting them, the werewolves felt something they had not experienced in a long time.
A future.
And in the center of the room, Lord Blackfire stood quietly while the golden echoes of Mystic Cleansing faded from the air.
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