Hogwarts: I graduated before the system came

"And you, the Ash Claw Tribe, just happened to be here... perhaps you're not even pawns."

Marco was breathing heavily.

"A werewolf tribe, repeatedly persecuted by the Church and left with nowhere to go, turned to me, a British wizard who improved the wolfsbane potion, for help."

"My coming here to help you will naturally conflict with the Vatican's Adam Plan."

"By then, whether I suffer losses in the conflict or the Vatican loses face because of my intervention, it will both be good bargaining chips for the person hiding behind the scenes."

Douglas' words were like a cold current from Siberia, instantly penetrating the flickering firelight in the cave and penetrating into Marco's bones.

The composure of a leader, something he prided himself on, crumbled before this cruel truth. Marco forced himself to calm down, his mind racing. A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind. "Is it... someone within the Ministry?"

"Your guess is very close to the truth." Douglas's eyes deepened. "Or rather, this is exactly the truth that Lorenzo wants me to see."

"Lorenzo Dino, my old friend, may sincerely hope that I can help you, but he also hopes to use my help to stir up trouble in Italy, especially to cause some minor trouble for his immediate superiors and the Vatican."

"An uncontrolled Hogwarts professor, rampaging across their territory, is bound to cause some people great distress, no matter what the consequences..."

"It sounds like fun to stir up troubled waters in Italy and cause some headaches for some people."

Douglas's mouth curled up in a mocking manner.

“But my time is too valuable to waste on a play that has nothing to do with me.”

He walked back to the stone table, sat down again, and looked directly at Marco. The calmness and composure in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a businessman's shrewdness and sharpness.

"Don't forget why you invited me here."

"And I'm not here to do charity."

These words were like a cold key, inserted into the keyhole and turned gently.

The warmth that had just risen in the cave due to honesty was instantly frozen, and then with a "click", it shattered into cold reality.

Marco was stunned.

Lupin was also stunned.

The sound of the wind outside the cave seemed to stop for a moment, only the campfire was still dancing tirelessly, pulling and twisting the shadows of the three people on the rock wall, like a few silent monsters.

Douglas' voice was calm and precise, and every word was like a drop of oil falling into the water, clearly marking its own boundaries.

"Isabella said I was a beacon of light in the darkness."

"But a lighthouse needs oil."

"My help comes at a price."

The voice was emotionless, yet it carried more weight than the fiercest roar.

It suddenly pulled Marco out of the quagmire of self-blame and shock, and made him face a more serious problem - how to keep the only light in front of him.

Marco's tall body trembled slightly. He looked into Douglas's bottomless eyes. There was no sympathy in them, only a deal.

He slowly and solemnly put his hand into his arms.

He had practiced this move countless times, originally intending to offer it as the most sincere thank you gift after both parties reached an agreement and saw hope.

And now, it has become the last chip to retain hope.

He took out a small box tightly wrapped in thick oilcloth, the edges of which had been rubbed to a shine.

He untied the oilcloth layer by layer, his movements slow and reverent, as if he were performing some ancient ritual.

The moment the box was opened, a ball of soft, crushed moonlight overflowed from the box, instantly illuminating Marco's scarred hands and the resolute light in his eyes.

Inside the box, a stone the size of a pigeon egg lay quietly.

It radiates a soft silver light, not dazzling, yet strangely soothing. Liquid light seems to flow slowly within the stone, like a small, tranquil galaxy captured within.

Heart of Moonstone.

"Professor Holmes."

Marco's voice was hoarse, but firm.

"This is the Moonstone Heart passed down through our tribe from generation to generation."

He pushed the small wooden box towards Douglas. The box slid a short track on the rough stone table and stopped in front of Douglas.

"Just because you resolutely came to the appointment at the most dangerous moment and saved Aldo, I believe in your ability even more."

"So, as agreed...it's yours now."

Lupin understood the subtext of this sentence.

This Moonstone Heart was originally the reward after the mission was completed, and it was the most valuable thing that the Ash Claw could offer.

But now, Marco took it out in advance.

This is a desperate gamble, but also an unreserved trust.

However, Douglas did not touch the box.

His hands were still on his knees, and his gaze didn't even linger on the beautiful moonlight for a second.

He just looked at Marco, at the anticipation burning in the werewolf leader's eyes.

"Chief Marco, this is not why I'm here."

Douglas' words made Marco's outstretched hand freeze in mid-air.

"Wolfsbane Potion. I'll do my best."

Douglas' tone changed, and the businessman's shrewdness faded, replaced by a deeper and more oppressive intention.

He looked past Marco and towards Lupin, who had been silent but had a complicated look in his eyes.

"I came to Italy this time mainly for another thing."

"Or rather, another person."

Lupin took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He pulled himself away from his sympathy and admiration for Marco, and a long-hidden fire ignited in his gentle eyes, the fire of a hunter.

He said to Marco solemnly:

"Chief Marco, our primary goal on this trip is to trap and eliminate an extremely dangerous werewolf."

Every word Lupin spoke was pronounced clearly and heavily.

"Fenrir Greyback."

When this name came out of Lupin's mouth, the air in the cave seemed to be sucked dry in an instant.

Marco's pupils suddenly shrank, as if they were pricked by a needle.

For the first time, his calm and composed leadership demeanor showed visible cracks, and an emotion mixed with disgust burst out from his sharp eyes.

Douglas finally reached out his hand, but instead of taking the Moonstone Heart, he gently pushed the box back in front of Marco.

He tapped the lid of the box lightly with his index finger, making a crisp tapping sound.

"Chief Marco, there is no such thing as a free lunch."

"Help the Ash Claw Tribe overcome its current difficulties, resolve the issue of your wounded, and even provide you with some shelter."

"This is our... payment for your assistance in finding and dealing with Greyback."

Douglas redefined the trade.

He didn't come to get paid, he came to pay.

What he paid for was survival.

But what he wanted was not just that little bit.

Chapter 403 I can heal your injuries.

Marco's tall body sat stiffly, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his face.

At this moment, the proud alpha wolf felt a powerlessness that was even deeper than defeat.

The tribe he was proud of, the people he swore to protect with his life, were now only worth as a guide and helper in another hunt.

It's a humiliation.

But outside the cave, the suppressed cries of pain and the low sobs of the child extinguished the last spark of unwillingness in his heart like ice water.

Pride cannot heal the wounded.

Dignity cannot save children from the fate of werewolves.

He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only the determination of the wolf leader remained in his eyes.

"Why should I believe that you have the ability to deal with him?" Marco asked in a deep voice.

"I've heard of his vicious reputation. He's the most notorious werewolf in Britain for decades. He's a complete beast, a madman who enjoys killing and even takes pride in infecting others."

Marco's voice sank, filled with a disgust that came from his bones.

Lupin unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and slowly rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.

The arm was covered with crisscrossing old scars, but among those scars, a hideous, long-healed bite mark was still clearly visible.

It was a mark on a child's arm that should never have appeared.

"When I was five years old," Lupin's voice was soft, but it resonated deeply in the empty cave. "He found me."

"My father offended him, and he took revenge in this way."

"I know what he is better than anyone."

"More than anyone else, I want him to disappear from this world."

That calm narration is more powerful than any angry roar.

Marco looked at the scar on Lupin's arm, then looked into his gentle eyes that burned with the flames of revenge, and the last trace of doubt disappeared.

This is not a business.

This is revenge.

Hunts involving the Avengers themselves are often the most deadly.

"There were rumors before that he seemed to have some connection with the Red Moon Brotherhood."

"The Brotherhood of the Red Moon?" Lupin said, lowering his sleeves. "Isabella mentioned it. What are they?"

"What a mob!"

Marco's tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

"Vampires expelled from their families, dark wizards who can only hide in the shadows, and some... those of their kind who have forgotten the glory of the wolf. They call themselves the Brotherhood, but they are just another plague in the Apennines, more secretive than the Church."

Douglas tapped the table with his fingertips. "What's their purpose?"

"A ridiculous dream."

Marco sneered.

"Their leader compares himself to Grindelwald, preaching the theory of blood superiority and wanting everyone to kneel at their feet. What a bunch of lunatics."

"You mean, if Greyback came to Italy, he would probably seek their support."

Douglas hit the nail on the head.

Lupin looked directly at Marco.

"Greyback must be removed."

His voice was not loud, but it had a resounding weight.

"As long as he exists, more innocent people will be harmed, and the reputation of werewolves will be further tarnished."

There is a determination of revenge in these words.

He, Remus Lupin, had been reborn from the quagmire of self-loathing. He could not tolerate Greyback, the source of evil, continuing to pollute the world in which he had just found light.

Marco looked at Douglas again, and there was only determination in the eyes of the wolf leader.

"If you can help my people."

He spoke in a deep voice, each word like a vow carved on the stone table.