Chapter 149
"Now that I've defeated Professor Lupin—who is both a werewolf and a Dark wizard—I can prove his identity to all of you from several angles," Malfoy said calmly, addressing the class.
"First, werewolves possess extremely strong regenerative abilities. When the chandelier struck Professor Lupin just now, he recovered his mobility very quickly. Don't you find that unusual?"
"Stop talking!"
The blood rushed to Hermione's head. She shot to her feet, raised her wand, and shouted:
"Silencio!"
A beam of light streaked toward Malfoy.
"What are you doing?!"
Seeing this, Pansy immediately stood up, kicking aside desks and chairs as she rushed toward Hermione.
"You—"
She stopped herself mid-curse, then raised her wand and pointed it at Hermione.
"You despicable sneak. I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Dark wizards always have accomplices. Birds of a feather flock together, don't they?" Malfoy said casually, still looking at the students below. "I'm not surprised to be attacked."
Hermione's spell missed. Malfoy merely tilted his body aside, and the spell struck the wall behind him and dissipated.
"Now, let me continue."
"If you paid attention in Potions recently, Professor Snape has already taught enough to identify werewolves. Of course, I know most of you weren't listening. So let's ask someone who definitely was."
Malfoy walked up to Hermione and gestured for Pansy to step back.
"Miss Granger, could you explain to everyone how to identify a werewolf? That way, they won't be deceived in the future."
Hermione trembled with anger, her chest rising and falling. She could not speak.
Her last trace of rationality was being swallowed by fury.
Was Malfoy trying to destroy Professor Lupin?
"Looks like I asked the wrong person," Malfoy said, studying her. "This student clearly intends to protect the werewolf."
"Enough!"
Lupin pushed himself up and stopped him.
He turned to the class and said quietly,
"He's right. I am a werewolf."
The classroom erupted in uneasy movement. Chairs scraped. Several students turned pale, as if expecting him to transform at any moment.
Lupin did not look at their expressions.
"Since my identity has been exposed, I can no longer continue teaching," he said, forcing his voice steady. He even tried to smile.
"You've won this duel, Malfoy. Well done. Class is almost over anyway. I know many of you are afraid of me. Don't worry—I'll be leaving soon."
The smile on his face was bitter.
"If possible, I hope you'll remember that I never harmed any of you."
He let out a long breath. Strangely, after the blow, he felt lighter.
From the beginning, he had concealed the truth. Even if it was to keep his job, the deception had been his.
Perhaps this is a fitting ending.
He brushed the dust from his robes. He would submit his resignation to Dumbledore today.
No parent would allow their child to be taught by a werewolf.
Even he would struggle to accept it, if he were in their position.
I'm sorry, Headmaster…
He walked up to Malfoy and spoke quietly.
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Yes, Professor," Malfoy replied softly.
"What are you doing?" Pansy moved anxiously when Lupin approached. Her first thought was that he might retaliate.
"Don't worry, Miss Parkinson," Lupin said gently. "I only want to speak with him."
"It's fine," Malfoy told her.
"Then I'm curious," Lupin continued quietly. "Why didn't you expose me earlier? If you disliked my class, you wouldn't have endured it for half a year."
"On the contrary," Malfoy said politely, "you're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I've ever had."
Lupin gave a faint, bitter smile.
"That makes it even harder to understand."
He turned to leave, then suddenly stopped.
"I'll teach a little longer," he said, walking back to the front as if nothing had happened. "If you're willing to listen."
Hermione stared at him blankly.
"Werewolves are extremely dangerous creatures," Lupin said calmly. "They possess great strength, resilience, and destructive instincts. They are also known to be vengeful."
The calmer he sounded, the more uneasy Hermione felt.
Even now, he was still thinking about his students—trying to ensure they would not make mistakes in the future.
Later, Lupin had once told Hermione privately how he became a werewolf. It had never been his choice. If he could, he would rather have lived as an ordinary person.
He had asked her to keep the secret—at least for the remainder of the school year.
Hermione had agreed without hesitation.
She trusted her own judgment.
A teacher like him would never harm his students.
Even before hearing the full story, she had already decided that his secret would remain locked in her heart forever.