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HP: Bloodraven Chapter 194 - Holidays and a Commitment Delivered (IV)
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 04:55:55 +0000 UTCThe next day, after a good night’s rest, Maverick finally brought Harry and Hermione to Edward Garling’s underground base on St. Matthew Island, Alaska.
Not much seems to have changed since his last visit, aside from a few unfamiliar faces—probably new kids Edward had taken under his wing.
The man must have taken in hundreds of witches and wizards over the years, and even though Maverick had only met a handful, he knew one thing for sure—by the time they 'graduated,' every single one of them would be seriously skilled.
This time, he spotted three new faces, and... some things never changed, he thought with a small smile as he gave the two Gryffindors a brief tour of the areas they were allowed to explore within the vast structure.
Back to Edward’s personal army of talents, Maverick then considered their loyalty. From what Edward had told him, they were about as loyal as anyone could be without the use of coercion or enchantment.
They would follow any command Edward gave—without hesitation—so long as it wasn’t completely meaningless. They wouldn’t, for instance, throw their lives away for no reason. But if the task really mattered to Edward, even if it meant certain death, they would carry it out without question.
His teacher may not be a dark wizard, but he was no saint either. “Don’t break the law,” he used to say, “just bend it far enough that it doesn’t snap.”
Maverick chuckled inwardly. Of course, that rule didn’t apply when it came to handling things in the shadows—and by now, he knew his teacher’s ways all too well.
Finally, Maverick made a mental note to speak with his teacher about the man’s small army of trained magicals. Since their loyalty and numbers could be counted on, they were sure to prove useful for the plans he had laid out for the coming year.
After settling the two kids in and introducing them to the small group of young witches and wizards, Maverick did not linger with them any longer.
The program he arranged would be supervised by the instructors already there, who were also Edward’s people. It was basically a collaborative exchange between the kids and Harry and Hermione—sharing spells, sparring, and testing their magical knowledge against each other. It was simple, yet a very effective way to achieve comprehensive learning.
With all that arranged, he went off to find his potions teacher, Sarah. But first, he made a quick jump back to London to pick up Ali, and together they headed to the lab in the lower levels of the base.
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The hum of magical equipment and the faint scent of herbs filled the air at the entrance. Inside, they found Sarah along with half a dozen others in white coats, each focused on their own task.
Some of the setups looked unmistakably like something out of a biologist’s lab, while Sarah and another witch appeared to be cooking something that didn’t look very appetizing. After all, to anyone unfamiliar with potions—or magic in general—it would probably just seem like they were preparing a stew.
The place was brightly lit and spotless—nothing like a typical potion labs described in stories. Maverick had seen the greasy bat’s setup back at Hogwarts, and while Snape’s lab was clean in its own way, it was always shrouded in gloom, lit only by flickering candlelight.
The man even keeps the curtains closed during work and while teaching, with no apparent reason other than to satisfy his inner edgelord.
“Teacher…”
Sarah turned at the sound and saw Maverick approaching, followed by someone unfamiliar.
“You kid… finally found the time to come,” she said with a smile, then went back to sprinkling something into the bubbling cauldron in front of her. Afterward, she muttered a few words to the woman beside her, slipped off her gloves, and motioned for them to follow.
“By the way, Teacher, this is my friend Ali... the one I told you about,” Maverick said as he introduced Ali to Sarah while they walked.
“Your… man behind the scenes, in charge of the empire you’re building?” She gave Ali a sideways, scrutinizing look at first. But when she saw the way he looked at her—as if she were some kind of heaven-sent messiah—she shivered inwardly for a moment.
Then, without another word and before Ali could respond, she quickened her pace and stepped through another door.
As for Ali, the reason behind his worship-like gaze was that Maverick had told him—just before they came—that Sarah had made a breakthrough in finding a solution for his beastly problem.
Ali knew Maverick had people working on it, but he did not expect results so soon. After all, many had tried before, and up until now, the only options available for werewolves like him were half-baked at best. Now, knowing that a breakthrough had been achieved, he was filled with excitement and held nothing but awe and respect for the person who made it possible.
“It’s been ready for weeks now. I was just waiting on you,” she said, walking over to the desk inside the room where a single suitcase-like object was neatly placed.
The room itself was spacious and spotless, with nothing else inside besides that one case.
Maverick watched as she opened the case, took out her wand, and muttered a spell under her breath. Through his magical sense, he detected a subtle spatial fluctuation and guessed the contents were kept in an airless state using spatial magic.
Inside the case were two vials—one filled with an orange-colored liquid, the other darker, almost reddish. After retrieving both vials, Sarah turned back toward them, her eyes darting between the two before settling on Maverick.
She first motioned to the bottle filled with orange liquid and began explaining, “This one here... is what I’d call a near-complete solution to lycanthropy. One dose, and anyone infected would stop reacting to the full moon... completely and permanently.”
Ali’s eyes widened with every word. His heart began to pound, his hands shook, and he looked moments away from grabbing the vial and gulping it on the spot—until—
“What’s the catch?” Maverick asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sarah chuckled at the question, clearly pleased. “Smart. Like I said, it’s near complete. The test subjects we used showed no reaction to the full moon afterward, meaning the lycanthropy was neutralized. But…” She paused, letting out a sigh, “their magic was crippled.”
Ali, who had looked all excited just a moment ago, froze mid-reaction.
“Not gone,” Sarah clarified. “They don’t become Squibs, but they can’t cast even the simplest spells properly. We tried changing wands, tested it on different subjects... same result every time. Their magic weakens. Even those at magus rank drop to the level of mage apprentice... after studying their magic and testing their blood, my team came to the conclusion that there would be no chance of further improvement for them in the future.”
“I see,” Maverick said, nodding slowly. He glanced at Ali, who looked like he was trapped in a storm of thoughts. Maverick couldn’t blame him. Losing his mind to the beast during every full moon was Ali’s worst nightmare.
Unlike Greyback or those dark wizards who took pride in their transformations and willingly surrendered to the beast within, Ali was a rational man. All he had ever wanted was to be free of it.
And now, faced with the option to be rid of his condition at the cost of crippling his magic, Ali found himself caught in a difficult predicament.
Maverick said nothing, choosing not to comment or suggest anything to Ali for now. He turned to Sarah, intending to ask about the other potion, but first... “By subjects, you mean?” he asked, wanting to clarify another point.
He did not doubt Sarah’s integrity or her sense of morality. Like him, she was a student of Edward, and Edward would never keep anyone who would cross the line and harm innocent people indiscriminately.
Experimenting on humans—werewolves or not—would certainly be crossing that line. However, it was a completely different matter if the said subjects were dark wizards or evil beyond redemption.
And the reason he was asking was so Ali could hear it too. He knew Ali trusted him completely, but he still wanted him to understand.
“Excuses for human beings. Animals, really. If you want, I can list their deeds...” she remarked with disgust.
Maverick shook his head lightly. “No need…” He glanced briefly at Ali, then back to Sarah, and added, “I trust you, teacher. That’s more than enough said.”
Sarah nodded as well. Being students of the same master, they understood each other perfectly. If it had just been the two of them, she knew Maverick would not have brought it up at all. She understood, without Maverick having to spell it out, that the question had been meant for the other person to hear.
“Then what about the other potion?” Maverick gestured toward the other vial filled with reddish, viscous liquid.
The master potioneer smiled softly, turned around, and carefully placed the first bottle back into the case before closing it. Then, holding only the second vial, she faced them again, and her eyes sparkled with excitement as she began to speak about it.
“This… my dear student… is revolutionary,” she said. “By studying Greyback’s blood using cutting-edge magical potioneering and the finest principles of scientific biology, we managed to uncover the secret behind his unique transformation... and even improve on it.”
She glanced at Ali and noticed the excitement returning to his face, replacing the gloomy expression he wore when she’d explained the other potion.
“Instead of curing lycanthropy, one dose of this formula completely suppresses the beast,” she explained. “Those infected won’t transform during the full moon... well, unless they want to. It’s not a cure, of course. The beast is still there, just... tamed, not removed.”
She paused, rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then added with a grin, “Basically, it turns a witch or wizard infected with lycanthropy into something like an Animagus… only with full control over both the transformation and their mind.”
This time, Maverick showed a flicker of admiration in his eyes toward his teacher. From what she said, it meant turning a witch or wizard into a werewolf animagus without any side effects.
“No catch?” he asked, just to be sure.
“No. If anything, the results are even better,” she chuckled. “You see, unlike the other potion, this one actually comes with a bonus... it slightly enhances magical energy too.”
“Really?” Maverick muttered, then glanced again at Ali, who now stared wide-eyed at the potion.
He chuckled, already guessing the decision Ali would make, but to be sure he said, “My friend, you’re free to choose either option. Whether it’s completely getting rid of your lycanthropy or becoming a werewolf animagus, I won’t judge.”
Ali looked at Maverick, nodded thoughtfully, and took a moment to think. Neither Maverick nor Sarah interrupted.
Maverick was about to suggest taking some time, maybe postponing the decision for a few days, but Ali spoke up as if his mind was made up.
“I choose this one.” He pointed to the reddish potion in Sarah’s hand and then looked at Maverick with a sincere, respectful expression. “Boss, meeting you has been the luckiest thing in my life. Working for you, I’ve found my purpose. You’ve shared your vision for the future, and I don’t want to stand on the sidelines. I want to be there, helping you make it happen.”
He turned to Sarah again and added, “Even if it’s not a full cure, I choose the second option. I’d rather stay useful to him than take something that might cure me but leave me powerless.”
Maverick raised a brow, a small smile tugging at his lips. He didn’t say anything sentimental but simply nodded at Ali, accepting his heartfelt declaration.
Sarah glanced at Maverick with a knowing look, then smirked. “Good subordinates you’ve got, kid,” she remarked.
Maverick smiled back and asked Ali, “When do you want to begin?”
“Now, if possible. What’s the point of waiting?”
“Good.” Maverick nodded, then raised his hand and opened a portal to the surface. “Let’s go somewhere with a breeze and get this over with.”
Sarah stared at the incredible magic, her mouth half-open in amazement. She had never seen anything like it before. But before she could ask a single question, Maverick stepped through the portal, with Ali following right behind him.
She shook her head, smiled, and stepped in after them.
Comments
yesnomaybeso
Thanks for the chapter, really enjoying the story so far.
QuantumServer
Thanks for the chapter
Mark Randle
Thanks for the chapter.
Dark_pheonix
Thanks for the chapter! Very intriguing 🤔
